The Grown-Ups (Mad Men)

"The Grown-Ups" is the 38th episode of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 12th episode of the show's third season. It was written by Brett Johnson and series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Barbet Schroeder. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 1, 2009.

"The Grown-Ups"
Mad Men episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 12
Directed byBarbet Schroeder
Written byBrett Johnson
Matthew Weiner
Original air dateNovember 1, 2009
Running time47 minutes

Plot

In a frozen Sterling-Cooper office (the building's heater is not working), Pete learns from Lane that Ken has been awarded the Head of Accounts position in the company. Although Pete accepts the news graciously, he leaves the office for the day soon after. When Pete informs his wife Trudy of the news, she encourages him to remain calm. While chatting with her roommate, Peggy discusses her relationship with Duck Philipps. Her roommate can't understand why Peggy is involved with Duck if he isn't married. Margaret Sterling complains to her mother, Mona, about her upcoming wedding. She is particularly upset that her father's new wife, Jane, plans on attending. When Roger learns that Jane gave Margaret an expensive wedding gift, he reprimands her for being in touch with his daughter, leading to a fight.

The following morning begins with Pete chatting with Harry Crane about his future with the company; Don gets in another argument with Lane Pryce, this time about not having an art director since Sal was fired; Duck calls Peggy in the office and invites her to his hotel room for an afternoon tryst.

News that President Kennedy has been shot in Dallas reaches Sterling-Cooper, and everyone gathers around the television in Harry's office. At the Draper household, Betty learns that Kennedy has died from his wounds, and both she and her housekeeper Carla burst into tears on the couch. Duck, who had been watching the coverage but had unplugged the television shortly before Peggy's arrival, turns the news back on—after the two have had sex—to discover that Kennedy has died. Margaret Sterling, decked out in her wedding dress, sobs that her wedding the following day has been ruined.

Upon returning home, Don insists to Betty that their children shouldn't be watching news coverage of the event. The next day, it remains unclear whether Margaret's wedding will still be held. While Pete and Trudy decide not to attend the wedding—partially out of spite for Pete not being promoted—Don convinces Betty that they should attend. The wedding is indeed sparsely attended, and Roger is forced to consolidate the guests at a few tables. Many of the guests, including his wife Jane, Bert Cooper, and Ken, remain in the hotel's kitchen, glued to the news coverage of the assassination aftermath. While dancing during the wedding, Don assures Betty that everything will be fine, but Betty seems unconvinced, asking him "how do you know that?" Henry Francis's arrival at the wedding (his daughter is friends with Margaret) attracts more of Betty's attention than her husband.

The following day, Betty and Don watch the live television report where Lee Harvey Oswald is killed. Distraught, Betty leaves the house to meet Henry, who proposes that they get married. When Betty returns home, she informs Don that she no longer loves him, explaining "there's no point."

Don leaves the next morning for work without saying a word to Betty. In the office, he finds Peggy reworking the advertising campaign strategy for AquaNet (which has acquired an unwanted resonance following the assassination). Peggy invites Don to watch Kennedy's funeral in Cooper's office, but he declines.

Production

"The Grown-Ups" was written by Brett Johnson and Matthew Weiner; it was directed by Barbet Schroeder, whose previous directorial work includes the films Reversal of Fortune and Single White Female.

Series creator Matthew Weiner explained that “since the show started, all people have ever wanted to talk to me about was the Kennedy assassination. I really wanted to do the story in a different way. I wanted to show how it impacted our characters. But I also wanted to show what it would be like to really be knocked off your feet, to really have it penetrate into your life in such a gigantic way.”[1] Weiner further explained that “I called it ‘The Grown Ups,’ because to me, it's a lot of people realizing that they're orphaned, or that their father is gone, or that it's time to be an adult.” Weiner emphasized the importance of depicting the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, explaining “[w]hen Oswald is shot, there is a kind of nihilism that takes over because the system does not work....Everything breaks down, and I wanted this to be the thing that says to Betty ‘that’s it. That’s enough. It’s time to move on.’”[1] Addressing her character Betty’s response to the assassination, actress January Jones stated that “she’s letting this event become her emotional release.”[1] Of the last scene in the episode, which features Don and Peggy in the office, actress Elisabeth Moss claimed to love it because it showed how the characters are “trying to put [the assassination] aside, but they can’t quite put it aside—it’s too big.”[1]

Cultural references

The episode is largely concerned with the Kennedy assassination, and it references a number of crucial figures and moments from that event, including Lee Harvey Oswald's murder by Jack Ruby. Real footage from newscasters Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley covering the assassination aftermath was included. Nelson Rockefeller is also mentioned. In this episode, we learn that Betty's favorite movie is Singin' in the Rain.

Reception

Critical reception

“The Grown Ups” received mixed reviews from critics.

James Poniewozik, at Time Magazine, applauded the episode for “showing how various characters reacted to the news in their own way.” He felt Don's response was “spot-on,” appreciating the way “his first instinct is to shield the children from the news and get them away from the TV.”[2]

Other critics found significant faults with the episode. Alan Sepinwall, of New Jersey's The Star Ledger, was less impressed with this week's entry, writing that “The Grown Ups” was “the first episode of season three I’ve found truly disappointing.” From his perspective, “watching a TV show about characters glued to their TV sets feels particularly slothful—and it felt even more unsatisfying coming on the heels of the astonishing second half of last week’s ‘The Gypsy and the Hobo.’”[3] Logan Hill’s assessment for New York Magazine's vulture.com was negative, too. Hill claimed that the episode “felt rushed and overstuffed…with too many quick-cut scenes of characters watching television, and a few important moments (like Henry’s proposal and Betty’s confrontation with Don) given far too little screen time.”[4]

Several critics had more mixed feelings about the episode. Writing for The Onion’s The AV Club, Keith Phipps awarded the episode a “B+,” explaining that it “entered slow motion at a certain point, but while I don’t think the slowness always worked I appreciated the commitment to staying close to the characters as they experienced the shock and its aftershocks.” He added “there was an extra degree of care put into the images this week and an unnerving immediacy to some of the newsbreaking scenes, which echoed my generation’s experience with 9/11, whether it tried to or not.”[5] Luke de Smet, at Slant Magazine, also had a more mixed assessment. Admitting that “this wasn’t one of the season’s truly great episodes,” he nevertheless found the episode to be “formally and stylistically interesting in its own right.”[6]

In a 2014 Rolling Stone article (published just before the Season 7 premiere), “The Grown-Ups” was ranked as the 28th best episode of the series. In a Buzzfeed article published following the series finale, the episode was ranked the 59th best episode of the entire series.

Ratings

On its original American broadcast on November 1, 2009, on AMC, the episode was viewed by 1.78 million viewers.[7]

Accolades

For their work on this episode, Johnson and Weiner were nominated for best "episodic drama" at the Writers Guild of America Award in 2010.[8]

References
  1. "Inside Episode 312 Mad Men: The Grown Ups". AMC. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  2. Poniewozik, James. "Mad Men Watch: Where Were You When?". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  3. "Mad Men, 'The Grown-Ups': Reviewing episode 12". NJ.com. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  4. "Mad Men: We Didn't Start the Fire". Vulture. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  5. Phipps, Keith. "Mad Men: "The Grown-Ups"". TV Club. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  6. "Mad Men Recap: Season 3, Episode 12, "The Grown-Ups" | The House Next Door | Slant Magazine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  7. "Dexter sets another series high, beats Mad Men". TV By The Numbers. 2009-11-03. Archived from the original on 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  8. "2010 WGA Awards TV Nominees Announced". 2010-07-03. Archived from the original on 2010-07-03. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
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