Like most fans of “Mad Men,” we tend to be obsessive about the show — no detail is too small to analyze. Series creator Matthew Weiner feeds into this obsession by loading every episode with a long list of reference points — from literature, television shows, music, and more. Each week, we’ll provide a quick and handy guide to the previous episode’s cultural references, from the obvious to the elusive. This week, Don is trudging through an eternal slump reading magazines, we have a mention of a famous New York sports team, and two songs that highlight possible directions for “Mad Men” to take during its final season.
Look Magazine
At the beginning of the episode, Don is moping around his apartment. On forced suspension, he now has nothing to do. He wakes up after noon, watches daytime television, and flips through the pages of Look magazine. Created in 1937 (it would cease publication in 1971, two years after the present moment of “Mad Men”), Look was published bi-weekly with an emphasis on large color images. Published in Des Moines, Iowa, it was once considered the second-tier equivalent to Life magazine, and reached a peak circulation of 7.75 million subscribers in 1969. Also of interest: in episode five of the first season, Don replies to his then-wife Betty, after she questions him about his relationship with then-secretary Peggy, “Did you read some terrible article in Look magazine that I should know about?” The implication being that her concerns are based on a trashy story she read in the magazine. Now we know Don reads Look magazine as well.
New York Knicks
After taking lunch with another adman who’s trying to get the truth out of Don about his current status within Sterling Draper Cooper Pryce — rumors are being whispered that Don had a breakdown, cried during a meeting, and punched a client — his acquaintance offers the opportunity for both of them to get tickets to see the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. “Bradley’s having one hell of a season,” Don replies. This back and forth may seem innocuous but it’s not. In 1969, the New York Knicks were the hottest team in the National Basketball Association, led by former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, a Rhodes scholar who was already a sensation when he arrived in New York (New Yorker reporter John McPhee wrote a famous article about Bradley during his time at Princeton, which later became the book “A Sense of Where You Are”). In 1970, the Knicks would win their first championship, helping to popularize professional basketball in New York City.
Pocahontas Boots
A popular clothing item of the period, a pair of the unfortunately named Pocahontas Boots was typically made of suede — they had soft soles and contained fringe, not unlike a moccasin. They are mentioned by one of Sally’s friends at school who wants to skip out of the funeral of a classmate’s mother in Manhattan to buy a pair in Greenwich Village.
“Elenore” — The Turtles
This is the song that plays in the car while Don drives Sally back to school and attempts to lecture her about gallivanting around Manhattan. Produced in 1968, the song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has an interesting history as its essentially, according to the band, a parody of one of their earlier songs, 1967’s “Happy Together.” Like many bands of the period (the most obvious example being the Monkees), The Turtles were desperately trying to break out of the mold created for them by the record company. This led to their 1968 album, “The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands,” which displayed the group trying on, for lack of a better term, different musical styles. One of these was the bubble-gum schmaltz they perfected a few years earlier, this time mockingly. Unfortunately for the band, the song was misunderstood and became just as popular as its predecessor.
“This Will Be Our Year” — The Zombies
The song that plays over the final moments of the episode is a classic from The Zombies, off their album “Odyssey and Oracle.” It also possibly signals better things to come from Don Draper. “Don’t let go of my hand, now darkness has gone,” the songs lyrics go. “This will be our year, took a long time to come.” Is Don finally escaping his darkness? If this is true, based on the song, it also appears that he is looking for help — “Don’t let go of my hand” — for his final push toward the light. Like the end of the last season, it’s interesting that Don’s path seems to be looking toward his children for answers, but toward what light is he headed?
