“Indian Summer”

Summary:

The thing I like most about this episode is the emphasis on women’s pleasure. Women are taking charge, even if in little ways. Betty lets an air conditioner salesman into her house, even though she knows Don would not approve (why does he get to have all the fun, and he doesn’t even want Betty to talk to another man in his house? Double standard!). Later in the episode, she finds that her clothes dryer gives her a surprisingly good time.

Peggy is tasked with coming up with copy for a new device that reportedly will deliver weight loss results for women. But when she gives it a whirl, she finds it delivers a little more than that. Seeing her try to figure out how to explain its benefits to Don is a wonderful scene.

Peggy also has a date, and on this date she’s a confident, self-assured woman. She does a lot of the talking; she doesn’t demur. Actually, she’s a little full of herself. And when her date says things she doesn’t agree with, she’s not afraid to say so. She ends up so insulted that she simply walks out before dinner arrives. The woman she was before she started working at Sterling Cooper would have just sat quietly through a bad date.

You sense an upheaval — it’s the end of 1950s, the beginning of a new era, and women are no longer satisfied with the status quo.

Writing prompt: 

Write a scene in which a female character takes charge somehow. Does she discover something that brings her pleasure? Does she finally say what she means? What are the ramifications from these actions?