Aside from watching Don Draper get rough with his underlings, our favorite scenes on Mad Men involve Sal getting in on with dudes. How well did things go this week? (SPOILERS AHEAD.)
Badly!
For whatever reason, Bryan Batt’s character Sal didn’t want to get it on in the editing suite with Lee, the son of Lucky Strike’s honcho (that’s in the clip above). Lee demands Sal be fired. You know, to avoid any awkwardness. Sal tells Don what happens, Don gets angry (complete with a “You people” line!), but doesn’t bring up that bellhop incident. Not that it saves Sal’s job. (That’s in the second clip.)
Fast-forward to the episode’s end, and Sal ends up where any down on his luck closeted homo does: cruising in the park. (That’s in the last clip, cue to 42:35.)
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(And yes, the first two clips are flipped horizontally from the original broadcast.)
Like Whoa
I like Sal, but Christina Hendricks as Joan is still my fave – she talks quite a bit about Joan’s relationship with Sal in Advocate this month. http://www.advocate.com/Arts_and_Entertainment/Television/Ahead_of_the_Curves/
alan brickman
Sal should “man up” and blackmail him to get his job back…
what
If you didn’t get it, they were playing Sal’s situation against the MLK Civil Rights movement. The “you people” line was to emphasize the parallels. It was a bit of a compare & contrast storyline (with Mrs. Draper and Carla (her housekeeper) being indicative of even “progressives” being faulty with her line about “maybe it’s not the right time [for Civil Rights]”)
On top of that, the whole excuse from Sal about being a “married man” that Don called him on while at the same time both Don & Betty are amid committing adultery.
Brilliant writing/show as usual.
rudy
I love this show, but I just don’t get this guy (or the hot bell hop) coming onto Sal like that. Sal is hardly a knock out, he gives off no sexual vibes whatsoever, there’s nothing really attractive about his personality – just what about him is arousing all this passion in way hotter guys?
Mike
I’ve only recently started watching the show this season, but I’ve been wondering all that time if they would fire Sal at some point because his sexuality in some way. Of course, the kicker is that not only are Don and Betty having affairs now, but that both appear to be serial adulterers, especially Don.
As for Rudy’s comment, even though mass media keeps telling us we should all want a man that looks a certain way, the fact is that not everyone does, not today, and certainly not in 1963. Back then almost everyone was closeted, and if you happened upon a guy that you thought might be interested, you might make a move, even if they didn’t exactly fit your idea of the perfect man. But maybe Sal *is* their idea of the perfect man.
Swimmer - Chicago
In the early 60s, you didn’t have all the option you have today – Sal was no great prize (looks wise) but he gave off the gay vibe. And for someone who was so hungry (Mr Lucky Strike or the bellboy) for a tryst in the night – as long as Sal was breathing was good enough for them.
rudy
No. 6 · Swimmer – Chicago
Maybe people were that desperate in Chicago in 1963, but certainly not in New York.
This is an interesting theory though – less attractive people have a better chance of making out under oppression.
If that idea gets around, maybe seniors will start moving to Iran instead of Florida.
:>)
Bubba in TX
Welcome to “Mad Men” on You Tube: Where homosexuals are fired for NOT sleeping with the client, and men shake with their LEFT hands.
BTW, Don DID bring up the bellhop incident, though not explicitly. Note the way he threw this line at Sal: “But nothing happened. Because nothing COULD have happened…because you’re married.” Because he saw Sal with the bellhop (and Sal was married then, as well), he didn’t believe Sal when he said nothing happened with Lucky Strike Jr. because he’s married.
Bottom line: Don is becoming more and more of a jackass, and it’s getting harder to root for him. Now Jon Hamm–HIM I could root for.
rudy
No. 8 · Bubba in TX
Don wouldn’t have been able to get into a crowded subway car during rush hour without someone “inappropriately” pressing up against him.