Mad Men in and of itself can sometimes be a rather confusing (but equally enthralling) pill to swallow at times, especially with all of Don's rather trippy hallucinations that have been happening as of late. (I'm starting to question who on this show is real or just a figment of Don's imagination. AM I EVEN REAL?) But if there's one thing I can count on to leave me scratching my head at episode's end, it's those darn songs showcased during Mad Men 's closing credits each and every week. However, just to make things extra complicated this week, Matthew Weiner decided to throw in a bit of French for good measure, ending "New Business" with the iconic French song "C'est Si Bon" by Henri Betti.
Now, of course, having never taken a French class in my life (unless you think listening to Joey learn French from Phoebe on Friends counts), I had to look up the English transition to try and decipher what this means. Well, it turns out that "C'est Si Bon" is French for the words "It's So Good." Kinda puzzling isn't it? Especially since the melody immediately started playing when Don walked into his depressingly empty apartment after Megan's mother stole away with pretty much everything he owned. (In-laws, amirite?) Clearly, this doesn't seem like an "It's So Good" type of situation here. In fact, this had more of a "It's Not So Good" kind of vibe. That is, if you're only looking at it through the eyes of Don.
As much as I have grown to love Don throughout the years, despite his bad habits of adultery, this episode showed Megan and Megan's mother attempting to take back control of their lives. Gone are the days of them no longer having the upper hand in their own affairs. Megan may not have meant to rob Don of all of his possessions (she had no idea what her mother was up to while she was away, after all), but that doesn't mean it still didn't feel "so good."
Yes, the song itself appears to be a love song about a man's complete adoration of a beautiful woman. But the great thing with Mad Men is that we never have to take anything at face value alone. This could be Weiner's way of showing that, in a way, Don had this coming to him. He's had many opportunities at happiness and he's messed up every single one of them. But instead of wallowing in Don's sadness with him, this is the audiences' way of getting to see the glass as half full by witnessing these dynamic ladies get what's owed to them. And that certainly is something that deserves to be celebrated.
Images: Justina Mintz/AMC
