Series creator Matthew Weiner explained that “ since the show started , all people have ever wanted to talk to me about was the Kennedy assassination . I really wanted to do the story in a different way . I wanted to show how it impacted our characters . But I also wanted to show what it would be like to really be knocked off your feet , to really have it penetrate into your life in such a gigantic way . ” Weiner further explained that “ I called it ‘ The Grown Ups , ’ because to me , it ’s a lot of people realizing that they ’re orphaned , or that their father is gone , or that it ’s time to be an adult . ” Weiner emphasized the importance of depicting the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24 , explaining “ w hen Oswald is shot , there is a kind of nihilism that takes over because the system does not work … . Everything breaks down , and I wanted this to be the thing that says to Betty ‘ that ’s it . That ’s enough . It ’s time to move on . ’” Addressing her character Betty ’s response to the assassination , actress January Jones stated that “ she ’s letting this event become her emotional release . ” Of the last scene in the episode , which features Don and Peggy in the office , actress Elisabeth Moss claimed to love it because it showed how the characters are “ trying to put the assassination aside , but they ca n’t quite put it aside — it ’s too big . ” The episode is largely concerned with the Kennedy assassination , and it references a number of crucial figures and moments from that event , including Lee Harvey Oswald 's murder by Jack Ruby . Real footage from newscasters Walter Cronkite and Chet Huntley covering the assassination aftermath was included . Nelson Rockefeller is also mentioned . In this episode , we learn that Betty 's favorite movie is Singin ' in the Rain
Kennedy assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
The Grown-Ups (Mad Men)