Sunday afternoon I had a thought that perhaps we'd seen the last of Dr. Rosen. That idea was either going to be 100% right or 100% wrong. It was the latter. Oh well!
But when it comes to my earlier interpretations of Don and Sylvia's relationship I have been partially vindicated and the jury is still out for the rest. The line "I want to stop doing this" was not explained in Sunday night's episode. But it is now obvious that Don has no interest in ending the affair. Indeed, he doesn't feel the least bit guilty about his infidelity. So the conventional wisdom of the professional reviewers has proven to be wrong.
We still don't know how the relationship began or exactly how long it has been going on but we did learn a bit more about the dynamics of it. I guess it's because "the maid's quarters" is so far out of my life experience it never occurred to me that the bedroom scene I focused on last week was not, in fact, Sylvia's but the maid's. The crucifix on the wall and the praying Virgin both belong to the maid.
Perhaps I should have guessed that because despite my description, the actual first item we saw as the camera panned to the bed was an iron. Nevertheless, Sylvia is a Roman Catholic which, although not said out loud, did come up during a crucial conversation between Sylvia and Megan. Don's wife suddenly confesses to his lover that she was six weeks pregnant before having a miscarriage two days earlier.
Sylvia's reaction provides a clue as to where her mind is at regarding Don. She's jealous when presented with evidence that Don was making love to Megan while on the trip to Hawaii. It's an indication that her feelings for Don are stronger than perhaps she realized and that she was misled as to the true status of Don's marriage.
This all came out a little later when the planned dinner between the two couples was disrupted by Megan, who decided to stay home because she wasn't feeling well, and Dr. Rosen, who was conveniently called away by the hospital. When it was just Don and Sylvia she questioned Don about the fact that he had told her he and Megan were drifting apart. This "drifting apart" was clearly part of Don's excuse for infidelity in the first place. We still don't know exactly what has motivated Sylvia to be unfaithful to her husband.
Don deflected her criticism with skill and told her exactly what he wanted and what he was going to do - and we saw it unfolding through a couple of jump cuts. After the dinner they are back in the maid's room. Sylvia admits that her attitude stemmed from jealousy and she apologized, saying she had no right to feel that way. She also warned that they can't fall in love. It wouldn't be "French" anymore.
But if she is feeling jealous of Megan and he is becoming ever more reluctant to even step through the door of his apartment out of dread at once again entering into the masquerade of a marriage, then it's clear to me that the fling is slowly morphing into something more serious. They had their first little fight and the makeup sex was very good. That's a couples activity, not a casual hookup.
It seems that the pact between them to this point is that they're simply having some naughty fun, justified by unhappy or unfulfilling marriages. Sylvia was a little surprised at how casual Don is regarding the four of them being together in a social setting. "They're good company," Don says. As far as I can tell, the only time that Don is happy these days is when he is with Sylvia. The question remains: is it based on real feelings for her or is the "eros" he mentioned in the season opener simply an addiction that he needs to satisfy?
The fundamental question about Don Draper and his relationships with women is this: Is Don capable of being truly happy in a committed relationship with a woman? Or will he always be dissatisfied with the relationship and, thus, always be unfaithful? Is he on the hunt for a woman that will truly make him a whole, happy person? Or is he like the scorpion, who does what he does because it's simply his nature?
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