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Season 7, Episode 6 - The Strategy Written by Semi Chellas, Directed by Phil Abraham Stan Rizzo posted:There's always a better idea. A tired mother with two children is leaving a Burger Chef in her car when a knock at the door gets her attention. It's Peggy Olson, who explains "we're" the ones who paid for her meal, but they'd like to ask just one more question. The woman isn't keen, complaining that she really needs to beat her husband home, but Peggy quickly overrides her objections by offering $10 for her time. Having gained the woman's reluctant consent, she hurriedly motions behind her back to Mathis who races over with a clipboard, greeting her and the young girl in the front seat, asking her name which gets a weary,"It's Stacy. Is THAT your question?" response from the mother. Peggy is quickly to business, asking questions around the mother's frequency of use of Burger Chef, why she comes, and does her husband ever pick up the food instead? She comes to Burger Chef too often, she chose it because it is near the house ("Convenient," notes Peggy, "Usually," sighs the woman) and no her husband would never pick up the food, it's "bad enough" that she isn't cooking in the first place. Finally Peggy lets her go, tired herself. She has Mathis check how much of the cash they still have on hand for their research, and he says they can cover a couple more meals and then dinner for themselves: not at Burger Chef of course, they'll be getting Chinese. But while Peggy and Mathis are hoofing it around a Burger Chef, Pete Campbell is flying in style, eating his meal and watching the in-flight movie with great interest next to a less enthralled Bonnie Whiteside. She removes her headphones and renews a conversation/quasi-argument they'd been having: a friend named Sybil had offered them the use of her apartment while they were in New York, and she can't understand why Pete would insist on paying for a hotel for seven nights. Removing his own headphones, he grins and reminds her that technically he ISN'T paying for it, and when she offers to at least pay for the theater tickets he reminds her he gets those for free too: it's all on the SC&P Account, and in reality as part of the expenses charged to whatever Account - presumably Burger Chef - he is working on. Still, she means to pay at least SOME of her way on this trip, insisting she can at least buy him some loafers, and he grins that he wants her shopping all day and screwing all night. Amused by this, she asks if she'll at least have him for the weekend but he reminds her he needs to spend at least part of the day in Cos Cobb with his daughter, the way he says it making it sound like an absolute imposition. When she offers to come along, his response is the WORST thing he could say in the WORST way: why would she want to do that? She doesn't take offense to that though, it's when he notes he doesn't want to confuse Tammy that she gets her hackles up, grunting that Tammy is probably confused by the fact her parents AREN'T divorced. "So that bothers you?" he remarks, as if he's caught her out on something, but she freely admits that of course it does. Pondering her reaction, he reminds her that she said she didn't plan to ever marry again (so like him she's had a failed marriage) but she points out whatever "this" between them is, she doesn't want it to fail on account of delay. Belatedly, Pete puts on some of the charm he reserves for clients, promising that he'll arrange for her to meet Tammy next time, but this Saturday will just be him because it's been too long since he saw her. With that unpleasantness out of the way, things take a far more pleasing turn for him, as she gropes his crotch and whispers to him to meet her in the rest room in a minute. Barely able to contain his excitement, he whispers that he's always fantasized about joining the mile-high club, and as she passes him in his seat he takes great delight in groping her rear end, a pig in poo poo for who everything is finally going great.   The next day in his Apartment, Don collects stacks of work folders and his typewriter, hauling things around, bizarrely stopping a moment to flail with one free arm and place a centerpiece back on the table before staggering on with his teetering pile of work. Similarly prepping for work, Joan Harris collects her purse from the dining room table and gives Kevin a little peck on the head before heading for the door. Gail calls after her, asking if she'll be having anything to eat, but she insists she'll have a roll at the office, and when Gail comments that she is "disappearing" she sighs that comments like that always make her go off her diet. She takes a moment to switch off the cartoons and tells Gail to please make sure she takes Kevin outside at some point today, then heads out the door. At the office, Don is typing away when he's surprised by Bonnie popping in the door to greet him. Explaining he's the only person she knows here, she reminds him of her name, but he's all charm and smiles as he stands and promises that he remembers her. Meredith arrives too late, warning Bonnie she can't just walk in, and when Don assures her it is fine, she makes a hilariously awkward stab at being subtle by outright asking Don if he wants her to come and interrupt him in five minutes, giving him a theatrical wink behind Bonnie's back as if she won't have been able to crack this formidable code. Don simply tells her everything is fine and she can go, but before Don and Bonnie can talk any further Pete appears, his grinning attempt at showing off how unworried he is giving absolutely the opposite impression as he "jokes" that he knew he would find her in Don's office. He and Don shake hands, while Bonnie is already thinking about business, noting that she's heard from Pete that he has a fantastic apartment (and not mentioning that she knows he has a wife in LA and might possibly be thinking of selling up) that's almost 2000 square meters. Amused, Don says it isn't quite THAT big, but is surprised when Pete suddenly turns to business and mentions that Peggy will be presenting the Burger Chef work so far but he'd like Don to be at the meeting as well. Don is caught completely off-guard, despite his maneuvers to infiltrate the Philip Morris meeting and orchestrate his own return to a position of standing in the Agency he has been willing to otherwise simply do the work and accept that he is on a short leash. But Pete, despite his own many prior issues with Don, is a Partner AND the Account Man for Burger Chef and he knows the value Don Draper has, and he wants him there... so that's that. Bonnie offers to take her leave, but Pete insists she walk him to the conference room, and Don finally gets control of himself again to note with a grin that Pete just wants to make sure he has shown her off to everybody before she goes. Delighted, she declines and makes her exit, both Pete and Don watching her leave appreciatively, Pete's lust coupled with a kind of desperate pride that she is "his". Unaware of decisions being made outside the room, Peggy and Stan are setting up materials in the conference room with Lou, watched by Harry who - for all his awareness of media - is utterly out of his element, mistaking a tray liner for a proposed billboard and complaining it looks lackluster. Putting the last of it out, Stan lets Peggy (who he calls Chief) know and she thanks him, and he takes the cue to leave, surprised to find Pete just approaching as he opens the door. They shake hands, but as Stan leaves, Peggy and Lou are surprised to see Don also walk through the door. Lou asks if he needs something, and Pete quickly explains he asked Don to join them. Trying to hold back her discomfort, Peggy asks if he wanted the whole team and offers to get Mathis, but Pete simply smiles and proclaims Don is enough before taking his seat. Clearly uncomfortable too, Don moves to take a seat, Lou holds his tongue, and Peggy takes a moment to regather herself before she kicks things off. The strategy they're developing for Burger Chef is to address or rather negate the feeling of guilt mothers feel for buying meals from Burger Chef. She notes based on her questionnaires that they won't eat in the restaurant due to what Mathis calls a cleanliness fetish (this gets a chuckle from Lou and Harry) and even once they're home they're embarrassed: so what SC&P needs to do is turn Burger Chef from a guilty feeling to being perceived as a special treat served with love. Lou chimes in, and it's hard to say if he's just tapped in to the feeling Peggy is aiming for or he was already involved/aware of their strategy and just wants to sound on top of things in front of Harry and Pete. He notes that the more these mothers use Burger Chef the worse they feel, and when Peggy notes they need to "give permission" to these homemakers to go to Burger Chef, he quickly points out that the people who give moms permission are dads. Peggy nods and agrees, regardless of her own feelings on this, because it's part of the strategy. She launches into her practiced pitch, art from Stan on the boards beside her, telling the story of a mother driving in a car with two children (with gender "appropriate" ballet costume and football helmet) who is running through all her tasks in her head when her kids start complaining they're hungry. She pulls into Burger Chef where a handsome man approaches with a bag of food and they share a passionate kiss before the reveal it is the dad, and they all return home and eat happily around the table, with the tagline being "Aren't you glad everybody loves Burger Chef as much as you do?" It's... simple and deeply traditional, but it's a perfectly fine ad campaign with the "twists" basic enough that people will enjoy them even if they see them coming. Lou in particular is very pleased with it, and Pete was enthralled with the vision on display. Don seemed to enjoy it too, but when Pete asks him his feelings, Peggy and Lou are both unsettled though probably for different reasons: Peggy knows that Don likes to pick things apart, while Lou of course doesn't want Don having even a sniff of a say over how the campaigns are put together. But to both their relief, Don simply offers a smiling and genuine accounting of the merits of the campaign, though he's careful to phrase things just so: acknowledging the angle - dad's surprise involvement absolves the mom's guilt - and noting that they've produced a pitch that is EXACTLY what the client wanted. Pete accepts this surface level appreciation without any issue, perhaps assuming this is still the old Don and he'd bring up problems if they existed, unaware just how tightly screwed down Don's conditions for a return to work were. Peggy, truly grateful, makes sure to point out that Don worked over the tagline to the syllable, crediting it for being "deceptively simple", which Don thanks her for while clearly feeling it is somewhat of a backhanded compliment. The danger over, the work continues, as they bring in Harry's side of the meeting to discuss how they'd handle the radio side of the campaign.   While Don is being shown the barest crack of a chance to get back into the fold, Roger Sterling is trying to enjoy a sauna at presumably The New York Athletic Club. Trying, because he's been joined by Jim Hobart of McCann Erickson, who seems to have a habit of forcing himself into the company of others. Wearily he greets the other man, enjoying getting in a dig when Hobart acknowledges SC&P is chasing Burger Chef, "thanking" him for his failure being responsible for giving them a shot. Hobart laughs it off though, saying Burger Chef is hardly McDonald's and the company is run by morons, though Roger points out not inaccurately that plenty of companies have somehow succeeded that way. Hobart is still circling around his point though, congratulating SC&P on "your little car" but making a point of noting it is hardly Buick, before he finally gets to where he was going: Philip Morris. Or more accurately, the problem SC&P will have landing that monster of an account if they continue to employ one Don Draper. He doesn't come right out and say it, and Roger is careful not to address it either, but the suggestion appears to be Hobart making a proposal of sorts: if Don Draper is a problem for SC&P, then let McCann Erickson take that problem off your hands. He's already made an indirect play at Don earlier in the season, and of course an entirely direct one back in season one when he straight up offered Don a job and bought him his membership at this same club he and Roger are currently having a steam in. Hobart has wanted Don Draper's creative skills at his beck and call for the entire run of the series, and now he clearly hopes that the man who fought so hard to keep Don from him in season one will see the benefit of helping facilitate that move for both their benefit. Roger though keeps his cards close to his chest, turning it into a joke by first warning Hobart not to make a pass at him in the steam room then declaring wryly that maybe that's not a joke based on the way Hobart is looking at him. Excusing himself for a massage to reduce the tension this meeting has caused him, he declares to the rest of the room to keep an eye out for this "live one" and leaves. Hobart though isn't offended or concerned, simply sits back and enjoys the heat, assuming that having planted the seed all he needs to do now is sit back and wait for it to bloom. The Burger Chef conference meeting over, Peggy is called somewhat nervously into Lou's office where he's sitting with Pete Campbell. They're both all smiles though, Pete almost cackling with amusement over the fact that Lou's drinks cabinet only had rum so that's what he is drinking. "My wife's a card," shrugs Lou, apparently not offended by the mockery of his drinks (or simply aware that Pete is a Partner and therefore his jokes and attendant insults have to be swallowed). Still all smiles, they explain how impressed they were with the Strategy she has presented, and she's delighted.... but of course there's always a but: Pete wants Don to present to Burger Chef. He's quick to explain that he's basing this decision on his knowledge of George Payton, but promises her that this is still HER Client and she gets to make the ultimate decision.... it's just that he thinks she should agree that Don should present! Trying to hold in her fury at this rug-pull, Peggy asks why this decision is being made now, and not surprisingly Lou is quick to agree and defend her: they may have their issues, but even short of his obvious fear of Don slipping back into his old authority Lou knows that Peggy has produced good work and is doing a fine job running the Creative side of this Account. Pete though waves that off, pointing out that Lou has never seen Don at his best, and besides he'd still like Peggy to be involved in the presentation: she'll introduce Don! Oh, and she gets to be the mom! Just like that, she's been reduced to the person who introduces the "talent" and relegated to a role based entirely on her gender. When Pete insists that Don will lend authority while she can lend emotion, she testily points out that she already has authority.... and it's Don who gets emotional. But then all that gets upended when a third voice enters the picture, Ted Chaough's disembodied voice suddenly speaking up to agree it's a good idea. Only now does she realize - because nobody told her! - that Ted Chaough is sitting in on the meeting in far-off LA. Suddenly on her guard, not sure how to react, losing the anger she was building up with Pete, she offers a nervous,"Hello?" and Ted responds to tell her he's seen the work and he's impressed. Pete - still not entirely wrapping his head around this whole long distance telephone thing - bellows to ask what Ted would do in this situation, and he agrees that he would make use of every single opportunity to ensure they win the client. Sitting in place, mind roiling from the sudden developments, Peggy forces herself to be calm and very quietly and deliberately acknowledges that she can't ignore that Pete feels this would be what George Payton prefers. "YOU KNOW THAT SHE'S EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS ANY WOMAN IN THIS BUSINESS!" bellows Pete, happy to get his way, while Lou just gives a thin-lipped smile and agrees with the statement, which coming from him sounds more like an indictment of all women. Clearly he was hoping Peggy would resist or outright refuse this suggestion so he could back her as Creative Director without it looking like he was the one preventing Don from getting a shot. That's out the window now. Quietly, Peggy stands and leaves, taking a moment once outside Lou's office to gather herself, hating that she allowed that to happen, as well as that she allowed Ted's unexpected presence to throw her off balance so easily. The man himself sits alone in his office in LA, clearly bored out of his mind, and now that his part in the meeting is over he has nothing left to do but simply sit there. Another exile is making a more physical return though, as Bob Benson has returned to New York bringing a couple of the Chevy Execs with him. As they climb the stairs to the Account Floor, Bob is cracking a joke about how the computer everybody is so enamored with can't make coffee, while the Chevy boys of course have to show off that they have a computer twice that size (back when bigger meant better computer wise) dedicated solely to the Chevy XP. Clara - heavily pregnant! - greets them and offers to take their hats, telling them there is coffee and cake in Mr. Crane's office, and Ken pops out of his office to greet them all, more than happy to interact with the same execs who once made his life a living hell now that he doesn't have to work with them every day. The execs - Jack and Bill - ask how his kid is doing and he admits that now he's crawling you really have to keep an eye on him, which leads to an awkward moment as they consider the eye-patch he still has to wear after one of their team LITERALLY SHOT HIM IN THE FACE. Joan joins them, happily greeting Bob with a kiss on the cheek as Jack gleefully asks why they got stuck with Bob instead of her. "Nobody asked," she offers back sweetly, far too used to this kind of crass commentary. Bob introduces her to Bill Hartley, explaining Bill was just promoted to Vice President of Brand, and when she congratulates him and says he chose the right place to celebrate, he's far from subtle as he asks if she means New York or right here with her. She laughs, of course, while Bob quickly has Clara escort them away for six hours of network pilots with Harry Crane, presumably so they can consider if sponsorship/advertising of each would be worthwhile for Chevy. Once they're gone, he asks Joan if he can see her on Sunday, and when she agrees but says Gail will be part of the deal if he wants to see Kevin too, he promises he wants to see EVERYBODY. He rushes after Jack and Bill, and Joan allows herself a little moment of warmth/happiness for a charming man who actually likes being around her family as much as he does being around her. I still have no idea if they're a couple or if she knows he's gay. Hell, this being Bob Benson, I'm not even sure if he's ACTUALLY gay. Don is silently pondering as he holds his tape recorder when Meredith lets Peggy in. Don quickly sits up, and a smiling Peggy tries her best to save face by telling him SHE has decided that he should handle the presentation to Burger Chef. Standing up now, a confused Don asks where this came from, pointing out she did a great job in the Conference Room earlier. Trying to hide her consternation she thanks him for this despite clearly wanting to tell him she doesn't need his approval, but insists once again that it was her idea because she isn't going to pretend him presenting wouldn't be their best chance of winning the Client. She explains that she'll introduce him, he'll do the bulk of the presentation then hand over to her to be the voice of the moms before he can suddenly "spontaneously" think up the tagline. A little surprised by this, he asks if that is really something he actually does in presentations and she quickly confirms it, and he has a little,"...oh!" moment as if the artificiality of that never occurred to him before. But his objections have fallen by the wayside rapidly, and he agrees that if SHE really wants it then he will do it. Once again she has to say that she does want it, even though she doesn't, and then to make matters worse as she starts to leave so she can get the bad taste out of her mouth.... Don ponders out loud that he's been noodling around with the idea of presenting the same ad but from the kid's perspective. "Excuse me?" she asks, dumbfounded that he's not only got the presentation but - in true Don Draper fashion - he's now talking about changing it. "Just a thought!" he shrugs, and keeping that tight smile on she tells him she appreciates it but they already have a strategy. She closes the door behind her, pausing outside to try to compose herself... while inside, Don slaps a fist into the palm of his hand and a half-smile/half-smirk crosses his face as he silently celebrates. Just like Cooper claimed, Don has been waiting for a "crisis" where he would be needed, and though this wasn't a crisis he sees this as the first wedge into regaining his former glory: he'll be back in a room with a client, and though he'll have to stick to the script he's going to be the one presenting, the one showing just how good he can be, just how much SC&P needs him, just how much better things will be if everything just goes back to the old ways where Don Draper got to do what he wanted, when he wanted.   Outside, Peggy's distaste suddenly washes away as she spots an entirely unexpected but welcome sight: Megan Draper! Calling out to her, she goes and gives her a hug, the movement catching her secretary Marsha's attention as she was busying typing away notes from Peggy's tape-recordings. Assuming Megan is a visitor for Peggy, she apologizes for not noticing and asks why she didn't say anything, and Peggy explains she is Don's wife, causing Marsha to just happily blurt out exactly the wrong thing by admitting she had no idea Don was married. Megan acknowledges the computer, saying it is impressive but asking the obvious question: if the Creative Lounge is gone, where does she work? With a shrug Peggy admits all work is done in office now, and leads Megan into hers, taking a moment to drop to a whisper as she asks if Megan has dropped in as a surprise to Don. No, Megan assures her, it's a planned trip, but she doesn't appear to be in a rush, admiring Peggy's office and complimenting her on it, noting warmly that soon she'll probably have Don's office. Peggy is a little taken aback at that, pointing out their offices aren't that different already and noting he's next door, Megan surprised but quick to grasp that this is probably a result of the exile and return he took so long to tell her about. A brighter topic is LA, Megan admitting it's very exciting and far different to New York... including being much quieter. Her point is quickly proven when Stan suddenly appears on the scene, happily greeting her and immediately asking if she heard about Ginsberg. She has - Don told her that much at least - and asks if he has been to see him, and Stan quietly admits he has before noting that Peggy can't bring herself to visit him (and can you really blame her?). They hear Don's voice calling out to Meredith that he's leaving now, and Megan calls to him. He's surprised to see her, but greets her with a kiss... but what is more telling is the quick shifting of his eyes to Peggy. He's evaluating in that moment, what have they said to each other? Does Megan know the full extent to which he has fallen? Does she know his office is next door to Peggy's now rather than the cushy corner office he had before? Based on what he says clearly he intended to meet her at home rather than the office (is this why he made a point of replacing the centerpiece earlier?) because while he has been MORE truthful with her he's still hiding a hell of a lot from her. Still, he plays up his reduced status like a joke, a different type of masked insecurity on display than what we had with Pete and Bonnie earlier, asking Peggy for "permission" to have a guest visit him. She of course assures him everything is fine, and he and Megan leave together, Stan watching them go with a fond smile and sighing that he misses having her around... and Peggy complains that he didn't even ask her how the dry run on the presentation went. Fearing it was a disaster, he asks her, and is perplexed when she sighs sadly that they loved it! "Are you mad at me?" he asks, utterly confused. Her quietly telling him,"No. Good night, Stan," doesn't exactly set him at ease either, but he offers his own good night and makes a quick exit, Peggy closing the door behind her to brood some more on Don Draper being shoved front and center to present the work that SHE put together. As she barricades herself in, Roger finally exits from his own office hideaway upstairs, looking to see if Caroline around, perhaps fearing she might have notes on actual work he's supposed to be doing. Before he can escape though, Jim Cutler makes a beeline to him, letting him know that he played a round of golf with Les Clark from Philip Morris and Roger's name came up... and Cutler would appreciate Roger's help in "paving the road" to winning the Account. It makes sense of course, Cutler's plan was to sell Philip Morris on Lou's tobacco experience and history with Dancer in conjunction with SC&P's size and the promise of removing Don Draper from the equation. Don muddied those waters a bit, but Roger Sterling has an even more inpressive track record in tobacco, thanks to his long working relationship with American Tobacco/Lucky Strike, so of course Cutler wants Roger in the mix. But Roger's no fool, he knows that gaining Philip Morris probably means losing Don Draper, declaring that this is Cutler's way of trying to win the "war", but Cutler simply points out that he should stop thinking about Don and start thinking about the Company. After all, having Philip Morris for a client would not only add to their prestige but create a significant regular cash injection, making them all rich(er). The working day is done, but the work doesn't stop for some. Bob Benson is woken by the phone ringing in his bedroom, and when he answers it isn't good news. Soon he's dressed and at a police station, waiting in a corridor as the man who called him is escorted out by an officer bloody and bruised, his handcuffs removed. It's Bill Hartley. Bob demands to know if he's seen a doctor, not asking how he got so beaten up because he probably already knows. The cop just sneers that Hartley is lucky his "boyfriend" bailed him out, and he doesn't need a medical doctor, he needs a "headshrinker" since he "tried to fellate an undercover cop." Hartley says nothing other than seething as he asks if he is free to go, and as he and a horrified Bob walk away the cop can't resist getting in one last dig, calling,"Good night, ladies!" after them. Soon the two men are in the back of a cab, Bob glaring angrily out the window but wisely saying nothing. Finally Hartley breaks the silence, admitting that he called Bob because he knew he could keep this to himself. The implication about Bob's own sexuality is clear, and Bob wisely doesn't respond to it, simply grunting that Hartley should go to the hospital. Bill refuses, saying they'd simply call the cops on him (again!), apparently chalking up the beating he received presumably while "resisting" as just something he'll have to live with (Stonewall was still to come, but not far off). He asks if Bob has ever been arrested himself, a broad enough topic that Bob can just angrily offer back,"No. Never," without admitting to anything in particular. Bill sighs that he must have been lucky, admitting that in Detroit he has the place "wired", in other words he knows where to go, how to avoid stings and raids, where he can safely be himself. Bob offers no comment... until Hartley sighs that he's going to miss having him around at Chevy. Assuming this is a threat, he finally directly addresses the insinuation that he's gay, proclaiming he is "not of your stripe" and warning Hartley to think twice before threatening him. But that isn't what Hartley was doing, he actually laughs through the pain he is feeling, explaining that advertising for the XP is being moved to Chevy's in-house advertising agency of Campbell-Ewald.... and Bob himself is going to be "moving on". Devastated, Bob can't believe they're being fired, especially when Hartley admits that Chevy have loved the work of SC&P and especially loved having Bob as their Account Man. But this was always the plan, awarding the XP to SC&P was itself simply a tryout, one that they have passed, and it won't be long after the XP has gone that Bob will be getting a call from Buick. He doesn't specifically mention if SC&P themselves will be getting that offer too, but based on what he's said about the tryout being successful, it seems likely they'd be in the picture as well. "Well...... that's very good news," Bob says at last, all the anger draining out of him at the realization that not only is he not being fired, but he's likely to be hired by one of the most prominent divisions of the biggest automobile manufacturer in the world. This time when Hartley speaks candidly about his sexuality, admitting that he'll have to call in sick but is grateful that his wife "understands" his situation, he doesn't mock outrage or offense but simply admits that is good. When Hartley muses over how Bob could have survived in a city like New York with so much temptation out in the open, he comes the closest he has to outright admitting his sexuality, simply agreeing that "It was hard." His thoughts are elsewhere, all his little maneuvers and brown-nosing and rear end-kissing and manipulations have finally paid off. He had things good with SC&P trusting him with Chevy in the aftermath of Ken's "accident" and his exposure of Pete's limitations, but he was still riding close to the edge of exposure as proven by Duck being able to pierce his paper-thin cover story so quickly. Now though, he could be headhunted by Buick on the basis of a proven and trackable work history with one of the largest Agencies in North America. He did it, he hasn't just survived... he's won.   He's not the only one failing to get a good night's sleep though, as Peggy Olson was able to drag herself away from the office but cannot sleep, her mind racing over the events of the day. Sitting up in bed, she turns on the lamp and leaves to collect her paperwork, returning to sit on the bed and look over work she probably already knows backwards and forwards. But if she is expecting inspiration, she's out of luck, and so she grumpily knocks the paperwork off the bed to the floor, frustrated and tense and with absolutely no way to resolve it. Saturday comes and Pete lets himself into what is technically speaking still his home, carrying a gift (a barbie doll that Bonnie picked out) and calling out for Trudy, confused as to why there is nobody there to greet him. A black woman in a maid's outfit comes into the room, gently leading a clearly shy and nervous Tammy behind her. Pete greets her happily but she remains firmly tucked away behind the woman, even when Pete reminds her he's her father and shows her the gift-wrapped present, explaining it's a Barbie all the way from California. Seeing that he isn't going to break through her reticence, he stands up and points out to the woman that they haven't met yet, and she explains her name is Verna. When he asks where Trudy is, she simply tells him that she is at the hairdressers, an answer that clearly doesn't please him... but oh well, he's here for Tammy, not Trudy. So he tries again with the shy little girl, telling her that Verna will come to the car with them as a way of making her feel more relaxed. This isn't the homecoming welcome he was expecting, but can it REALLY come as a surprise to him that the little girl who probably isn't even going to school yet has no idea who he is when he has spent so much of her life somewhere else? Don wakes in bed alone, usually not unusual except last night Megan was in bed with him. Sitting up, he sees her out on the balcony settling the table and a sudden happiness washes over him. Moving out of the bedroom he joins her on the balcony, where she is laying out breakfast, and he wraps his arms around her, telling her to tell him it was all a dream (presumably meaning her move to California, but perhaps also all the other problems he has faced since that time) and saying she must have missed "this", meaning both them being together but also being here in this apartment, in New York. "I missed you," she agrees, pointedly not agreeing that she misses New York. Still, it's not enough for Don in this moment, as he happily tells her that they're going to sit down and enjoy a delicious breakfast, and then he plans to take her out shopping. She's more than fine with that, and for once the Drapers settle down for a normal Saturday of domestic bliss. Peggy has neither the bliss nor the domestic, as she is - of course - spending her Saturday at the office. Lighting up a cigarette, she picks up the phone and calls Stan at home, him answering mistaking her for his current girlfriend. Instead it is his boss (as an aside, remember their rough first start to working together, and now consider how at ease he is with acknowledging she is above him in the hierarchy) who complains she has been there since 10am... is he coming in!?! She.... she didn't tell him to come in. She just.... expected him to be there on the weekend? Sighing, he tells her he is "ordering" her to find something else to do with her weekend, and when she sighs that she doesn't like the idea he's confused... she doesn't like the idea of doing something else? No, she doesn't like the Burger Chef idea... has he been "noodling" with something else by chance? He hasn't, and points out that she probably just doesn't trust the idea because it came so easily. "It didn't come easily at all," she mutters grumpily, so - hoping to end the call - he tells her to come up with another idea if she doesn't like it, which immediately makes her jump on him like he just made a confession: Aha! He doesn't like the idea after all!" "The work is great!" he yells, exasperated,"I'm positive. Exclamation point!" Wearily, she admits that she knows there is a better idea out there, but he makes a salient point: there is ALWAYS a better idea out there. When she asks him again if he's not planning to come in, he allows a moment of despair before quietly asking a question he dreads the answer to, does she NEED him to come in? Knowing it would be under protest which isn't exactly conducive to quality work, and that this is largely her being inside her own head based on a single comment from Don (and the situation foisted on her by Pete in the first place), she mumbles that no she doesn't, the girlfriend he mistook her for needs him more. She hangs up and Stan has already moved on, happily continuing his preparations for an enjoyable Saturday, while she remains in the office obsessing over the imaginary. Pete has finished his outing with Tammy, and she's a far more agreeable little girl as she bounds back into the house, pulling away from holding Pete's hand to greet Verna who was waiting for them, showing off her Barbie and also the chocolate smeared all around her face. Verna happily welcomes her and tells her to say goodbye to her daddy before she'll take a bath, but Pete is confused... where is Trudy? When Verna reminds him that she is out, he points out that now her car is in the driveway, which it wasn't earlier. She explains as politely and diplomatically as possible that she returned and then went out again, which Pete does not like at all, and so he decides to invite himself to stay a little longer, saying she can give Tammy a bath but he will stick around to tuck her in. She agrees, of course, because she's not stupid enough to get between her employers' domestic issues, leading Tammy away. A bored Bonnie is sitting in her hotel room (not the friend's apartment she would have been far more comfortable in) watching television on the bed when the phone rings. It's Pete, who explains sadly that he's been "waylaid" in Cos Cobb and he'll have to catch up to her for drinks afterwards, but she should go to see the show by herself. She's both frustrated and a little amused by the thought of being a woman alone in New York going to see Oh! Calcutta, but he explains that Trudy seems to have forgotten their plans which means there is nobody here to look after Tammy until she gets back. That's... Jesus Christ Pete. That's just a straight up lie and you know it. After a beat she quietly notes that is inconsiderate, though it is more likely that she is assuming Trudy has done this deliberately to cause problems for Pete rather than the idea Pete is just outright lying. She insists she will wait till the last minute to go in case he can get away, and he promises her he will make this up to her. She coos that he better, but after he hangs up her false cheer disappears... this is NOT what she came to New York to do. Meanwhile in Cos Cobb, Pete stares at the little cake on the table who tinfoil cover he removed while on the phone, fuming over the fact that Trudy apparently continues to live her own life instead of existing in a white void of nothingness whenever he's not within eyeshot.   At the Draper Residence, Don is opening a bottle of wine when the phone rings. He asks if he should get it and Megan, cooking (perhaps her world famous spaghetti?) points out it won't be for her. He answers, and gets Peggy on the other hand, who is drinking and asks if he was about to head out. He explains he's about to sit down to dinner, and she manages to mutter out that she's been thinking and... well she considered his kids' point of view idea and it's not good! "Well, it was great hearing from you!" chuckles Don, amused at the fact she called to tell him that, but she continues on, noting that now he is presenting she figures he'll be prone to give the pitch more serious thought and she wanted him to know that one is a loser! Testily now, calling her by name which catches Megan's attention, he points out that they are BOTH always working, and Peggy puts aside all pretense to angrily demand to know why he is undermining her! Fed up, Don passive-aggressively proclaims he won't express himself anymore, but Peggy - who appears to have had more than one drink - bemoans that he DID express himself and now it's poisoned her idea! Grumpy, willing to eat a lot of poo poo at work but not when he's at home with his wife, Don snaps at her that she can do the pitch her way or not, it's HER call, before angrily hanging up. Passing by, Megan sees the look on his face and asks if he has lost his appetite. "Absolutely not," he promises, but as she heads to the table and he follows her, it's plain to see that as clumsy as it was, Peggy has managed to infect his mind with worrying out a potential new pitch for Burger Chef just like he more elegantly did himself with her with a single line on Friday. Saturday evening comes, and Trudy "finally" returns home, immediately surprised and obviously not pleased to see Pete is there, raiding the fridge for what is clearly not his first beer of the day. She asks if he only just got back and he says no he hasn't... but SHE has, and when she worriedly asks if Tammy is still up he declares they have said their good nights before grumping that Verna is "back there, hiding somewhere." Verna is a smart woman. Putting on the nicest face she can in the circumstances, Trudy asks if he and Tammy had a nice time, and he admits that he did and was in fine spirits... until he thought about her pulled over on the side of the road necking with Charlie Fiddich. Oh my sweet gentle Jesus. "Charlie Fiddich!?!" gasps Trudy, amused in spite of herself, but Pete angrily takes that as a "confession" that it was with somebody else, demanding to know who and asking if she plans to keep that a secret from him like her father's heart attack. But now Trudy's had enough, acidly pointing out that he's seen his daughter "for the year", a nasty but accurate little jab about his own far more egregious absentee status, asking if he doesn't have a plane to catch. But Pete isn't done making a complete rear end of himself, as he accuses her of being "immoral"(!) and reminds her she has a child. Stunned by the sheer stupidity of this statement, all she can gasp is,"WHAT?" before he suddenly comes over all arrogant, smugly noting that she picked tonight of all nights for her little date (that may be entirely in his own head, but is none of his business even if it isn't), suddenly convinced that this was a personal attempt to hurt him which means she still cares for him. "I know your debutante maneuvers," he sneers, and now she's really had enough, saying outright what he already knows: they're getting a divorce. "We're STILL married!" he reminds her, so she lays it out even more bluntly in a way that finally penetrates his smug drunken buzz in a way even Tammy acting like he was a stranger didn't.... he isn't part of this family anymore. Offended(!), upset, he turns to storm out, but not before childishly thumping his beer bottle down onto the cake, not only mashing it but spilling beer over the surface to ensure it is completely unusable. "Good night," he offers with a nasty little smile, and walks out the door. Once he's gone, she just sighs and lowers her head into her hands, because if nothing else she probably avoided being at home just so they wouldn't end up in an encounter like this. The sheer.... audacity.... of this man is breathtaking. Complaining about her being immoral, that she's still married, when he wasn't only sleeping around on her when they were together, when he not only openly introduces people to Bonnie and has no qualms about explaining their relationship status.... but literally brought Bonnie to New York with him in hopes of a salacious weekend of hardcore loving outside of an obligatory 2-3 hour visit with the daughter he abandoned for the other side of the country. it's just... wow Pete. Every time it starts to look like he has his poo poo together, he goes and reminds everybody that he is a petty, vindictive, arrogant and selfish little rat-man. But while Pete's own flesh-and-blood may not recognize him, little Kevin Harris absolutely knows and is excited to see Bob Benson make his long awaited return to the apartment. He opens the door eagerly for him when he rings the bell and is hauled up into Bob's free arm as he carries flowers and shopping bag in the other. Gail greets him happily and Joan steps out of her bedroom noting he's early but welcome, and that welcome only increases when he hands Gail the flowers and Kevin an erector set, importantly stating that "America needs engineers!" Apologizing to Joan, he explains he spent all day yesterday in midtown but struck out on a gift for her, and Gail "helpfully" notes that "the Jews close everything on Saturday!" 2nd Amendment posted:A bit of hometown flair that people may not know, but Gail isn't being randomly antisemitic here. She's alluding to the Diamond District which is traditionally run by Jews. She's doing the not subtle mother thing nudging Bob to just propose already! Joan's response to that is to bite her tongue and simply say she is starving, Bob promising a day that starts with pancakes for breakfast and ends with ice cream sundaes - it's light outside so presumably it is Sunday and this is to be a day out as a family with "Uncle Bob". Gail asks if she should get the stroller and Bob promises he will carry Kevin if he'll have to, and as Joan moves to her room to fetch her bag, Gail takes a moment to luxuriate in this handsome, successful and giving man who seems so enamored with her daughter and grandson. Yes there is no doubt: Bob Benson is quite the catch, and a confirmed bachelor!  
Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Jun 27, 2022 |
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Jun 26, 2022 11:58
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At the Drapers, Don is considering an unwelcome blast from the past, amongst a stack of items tucked away in the cupboards and boxes is a copy of the New York Times from November 23, 1963: the report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Why is he going through his things? He's not, but Megan is going through hers, which has resulted in some of his own bubbling to the surface. Still in nothing but a towel after his shower, he steps out into the hall, looking at the things strewn about on the floor as she rifles through the closet, and he asks what she is looking for. The fondue pot, she explains, and he chuckles that coffee will be just fine. Laughing herself, she explains she figures it would get some use in LA (the 70s are coming, fondue pots are gonna take on a whole new meaning) which surprises him, since he thought she was only planning to grab some of her summer clothes while she was in town. "I miss my things," she admits, then notes he was dead to the world. When he explains happily that he sleeps better when she's here, she awws... but her response is that she misses him too, when what he said was that he missed her being HERE in New York. She considers her assembled things and ponders out loud whether she'll be allowed to just check it in on the flight, and he points out he can bring some of it up with him on his next trip to LA. Surprised, she asks when that will be and his response of the end of July clearly doesn't thrill her... but she also isn't about to pick a fight on such a short trip, so she instead points out what she would like their next trip to be: just the two of them. Not in New York. Not in LA. Somewhere different, somewhere where it can just be them. He admits he would like that too, but as she hunkers back down to go through her things, Don considers being on the other side of the equation of his own visits to her in LA. Now she is the one leaving when he wants her to stay, now he is having to consider the emptiness of his home when she is gone, and he doesn't like it... and he certainly doesn't like that she doesn't share his same apparent passion for remaining in New York instead of joining her permanently in LA.... even though this has been his dream for as long as this series has run and he was the one who convinced her to go out there in the first place. Pete is sitting on his hotel bed reading paperwork and half-watching television when Bonnie returns from a shopping trip, glorying in the air-conditioning. Pete welcomes her back, but she isn't pleased to note he has the remains of a plate of food on the bed... he ate without her? He apologizes, saying he was hungry but promising he can eat again, and when she kicks off her open-toed sandals and laments the black soot all over them he chuckles that wearing those in the city is akin to going barefoot. He asks her to show off what she bought though, leering that she can do it slowly, and she points out that he's in a better mood now. He asks her to join him on the bed and she comes over reluctantly, taking a seat and unloading some of her own bad mood: this is HER vacation and while she knew he had work to do, he spent his first Saturday with his daughter and came back late, and though she knows that was Trudy's fault (it wasn't) it also put him in a bad mood which ruined the rest of Saturday. Then she amused herself with shopping in the morning so he could get work done, only to come back and find he went and ordered room service without her. She's not happy about what an afterthought she apparently is, and when she complains that she doesn't like him in New York and he simply laughs that this means she doesn't like him AT ALL before starting to slide down one shoulder strap, she pulls away grumpily, snapping at him that he isn't going to gently caress his way out of this one. Shocked by her crassness, he recoils, and she gets off the bed, grumpily stating that she's going to wash her feet before striding away. At SC&P, Peggy is hunched over her desk working away when Don Draper comes walking through the door all suited up. Staring up at him, she grumpily asks if he parked his "white horse" outside before demanding he cut the suspense and just tell her whatever brilliant plan he came up with to salvage the pitch. But he openly admits he has nothing, no new idea, pointing out that the one he mentioned to her turned out not to be good, using her own words. "It wasn't good, it was terrible!" she snaps, still in a bad mood and taking it out on him, demanding to hear the "real" one and bitterly asking if he plans to pull it out during the presentation itself? Don reminds her that the original idea IS good and they can get the client to buy it, but she retorts that he doesn't think that or else he wouldn't have questioned it (reminder, all he said was that he'd considered looking at it from the kids' perspective!). Shrugging, Don simply points out that he'll be doing whatever she tells him to, but unlike it is for Lou, Cutler, Cooper and arguably Joan, his compliance isn't remotely an attractive option: she doesn't want him to pitch the hell out of a "lovely" idea just because it is his (technically not) boss'. "So you're going to pitch the hell out of MY lovely idea, and I'M gonna fail!" she complains, and Don simply lays out the simple facts: he's here in the office to help her do whatever it is SHE wants to do. Bitterly she points out that if their positions were reversed (as they have been for most of her career) she wouldn't have even questioned him if he asked for other ideas, simply given him a hundred. So what does she want? She wants to know HOW he thinks, she wants him to run her though HIS creative process, out loud, to prove that he isn't loving her crisis of confidence like he claims he isn't. Don considers that, never having really had to approach his process clinically like this before (remember his surprise when she pointed out that he likes to pretend to spontaneously come up with a carefully crafted tagline on the spot?), and points out one truth he is sure of: you can't just give people what they want, you have to convince them to want what YOU want. "I want to go to the movies," she mumbles tiredly, and Don chuckles, admitting that he and Megan (where is she? Has she left for LA or just gone home to the apartment?) just went to see I Am Curious Yellow and he's STILL scandalized. Softly she points out that of course Megan would want to see a "dirty" movie, while Don fetches them both a drink (part of his process!) and considers the pros and cons of the current proposed strategy: It's almost done and it's good, the Account Man's overjoyed, and the client's on board. "Those are the cons and you know it," she grumps, amusing him because of course that's true. That was the nature of his feedback in the meeting, he simply pointed out that Peggy did a good job (she did), that the work was what the client wanted (it was), and made note of one of the key components of the narrative without actively endorsing OR decrying it. He never actually said it was the work he thought SHOULD be presented. Taking a seat, Don ponders his process and lays out what he does when he's unsure about an idea, allowing a hint of self-awareness as he points out the first thing is usually to abuse the people whose help he needs, a little nod to Peggy that he hasn't exactly been the best Boss in the past. Despite herself, for the first time in a long time in his company, Peggy allows a broad and genuine smile to cross her face. When he says his next move is generally to take a nap, she lets him know she has already done that, so he pulls out a legal pad and a pen and says the next step is to shove everything aside, start from the beginning again, and see if you end up in the same place again. So it begins, as Don takes notes, Peggy begins all over again: "Mom's job is to make dinner, Burger Chef's job is stop her," and just like they've done so many times in the past (with roles reversed) before Don's exile, the two top Creative Minds in SC&P start working on a pitch. Together.  At the Harris home, Joan joins Greg on the couch with a couple of glasses of Sherry, noting him playing with the ball lighter and asking why little boys (perhaps meaning all men, not just Kevin) are so obsessed with it. He points out how lucky she is and she chuckles, asking if she has been complaining too much, but he grins and says he didn't mean it like that. Confirming that Gail has gone to bed, he scooches a little closer to her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise and confusion as she sips at her drink. He admits that his heart is pounding, and that he lied when he said he didn't get her anything... and pulls out a box with a diamond ring inside. Not great, Bob! "Bob, put that away!" she gasps, startled, and he does close it, but continues on regardless, saying he should have done it a long time ago and asking if he missed his chance? ".....no?" she says, utterly at a loss how to respond, and it seems like we finally have the answer to one of those oft-asked questions: no they have NOT been a couple before now. Because when he asks if she has feelings for him, if his face pleases her, and he leans in and kisses her, she's like a wooden plank, a motionless statue before she finally pulls away, shakes her head and tells him he doesn't want this. That's when we get the answer to the other question, as he asks her why not and she responds simply with a line that shows that unlike most everybody else in the office, she was never under any illusion about what he is. "Bob," she explains, not unkindly,"You shouldn't be with a woman." Now it is his turn to be at a loss, he's been so used to being able to pull the wool over people's eyes that the fact Joan was apparently fully aware the entire time (and to be fair, he never came on to her before, and she's never experienced that before with any straight man!) didn't seem to occur to him... or maybe he just never had to think about it because he was just genuinely enjoying hanging out with her, Kevin and yes even Gail. "I have been, you know," he offers at last, less an attempt to insist on his heterosexuality and more a push to demonstrate that he is at least capable of the act, as if that matters. Joan doesn't care about whether he can have sex with a woman though, she wants to know why he is doing this now, why after all this time being happy just to be her friend is he pulling out an engagement ring and trying to kiss her? So he does something he almost never does... he tells the truth. He'll be leaving soon for Buick, and GM expects their Executives to be of a certain type: red-blooded MARRIED American males. Stunned but not for the reasons he thinks, she asks if he is leaving the Agency and he excitedly agrees that this is why their marriage could work: she could stay in New York doing what she wanted, Kevin would have a father and he'd have a requisite wife (and beard) to help his own career. Or she could come to Detroit with him, the money they'd be making there they could afford a mansion! But Joan's interest isn't in the logistics of how marriage would work between them, but the stunning news he's leaving the Agency, asking when that happened. He admits he only just heard himself, confusing her further, and in his excitement he doesn't grasp the full significance of what he is sharing, naively telling A PARTNER IN THE AGENCY that she can't relay any of this information as he lays out how Chevy will be taking their advertising in-house to Campbell-Ewald, but that SC&P have impressed and GM will have "something" for them down the road, and they're going to be offering him a role in Buick. As Bob excitedly tries to use this information to convince her of the wisdom of the two of them teaming up to comfort each other in an uncertain world, Joan is a million miles away, mind racing as she considers the implications for the Agency of losing the XP Account, even if there is a vague promise of GM having more work for them down the line how will that help with other Clients who may see this as a sign they too should pull out? How would it affect their pitch for Philip Morris? Will Avon want to move away? She already had to put out one fire when she stopped Butler Shoes from going in-house, but this is potentially a forest-clearing wildfire... and they're the forest. However, Bob snaps her back into the moment when - not meaning to - he offers a huge insult her way, all smiles and thinking he's making a solid argument when he asks if she REALLY wants to be near-40 living in a two-bedroom apartment with a mother and a little boy? Admitting that he is "flawed", he promises her that he is offering her more than anyone else ever will! Not great, Bob! So Joan considers this (horrific) proposal, and then lays it out as clearly as she can. This is not the woman who lived in fear of people discovering she was over 30 and unmarried. This is not the woman who stayed engaged to a fiance who raped her because she thought she had no choice. This is not the woman who spent tearful nights alone and worried during her pregnancy that her dipshit husband was going to get himself killed in Vietnam. This is not the woman who was willing to accept and stay married to a Prince Charming who turned out to just be a frog after all. Offering her more than anyone else ever will? No he's not.... because she wants love, and she's rather die HOPING that happens than make "some arrangement". Great, Joan! But she's not being cruel to him, or holding his frankly insulting proposal against him. Because she thinks he should want love too. It isn't exactly an all-encompassing embrace of homosexuality, but in terms of the times and the way he has instigated this whole evening, she has laid out to him a simple truth: man or woman, you should want to be with somebody you genuinely love. When Bob simply replies that he is trying to be realistic, she simply wishes him a good night. The finality is clear, and he leaves unsatisfied, many questions finally laid clear, and another reminder that Joan is no fool, and nobody's consolation prize or substitute.   At SC&P, Don and Peggy have progressed through the major steps of building a pitch, making a variation of the original concept where the father is in the car with the family and driving... but what about the mom? What is she doing? Just admiring the dad!?! Peggy, laying on her couch with a drink, suggests they switch the car to a convertible and give the dad a pipe, then giggles, saying it's going to look like 1955 if they do that. "1955 was a good year!" points out Don, but Peggy says she doesn't remember... but 1965 was a good year! "....I got married..." notes Don, without commenting on whether he now thinks that was good or not. Peggy isn't listening though, contemplating that mothers in a crisis go to Burger Chef, but what if they modernize to 1969 and have it be the mother coming home from work, not the dad? Don scoffs at that, asking what the mother's work could possibly be, and grumpily Peggy reminds him he is SURROUNDED by working women who are mothers. But he still thinks that would make for too "sad" an ad, so she lists off a couple of more standard/traditional "crises" like burning the roast or denting the fender in the car (Jesus, did Freddy Rumsen pitch this?)... but finds herself caught up when Don - pouring them both new drinks - encourages her to keep going, wanting her to keep throwing out ideas, get her mind working, find the flake of gold they can follow to treasure. "She backed over the dog.... little Katie's pregnant, Jimmy got drafted... but there's still a burger and fries on the table!" she offers, not sarcastically so much as in despair, as Don chuckles over what won't be the first or last time he's seen a Creative just throw out ridiculous poo poo in the midst of a block. But this goes back to Peggy's 1955 comment, as she asks if this type of family REALLY exists anymore? The ones who sat around the table talking to each other instead of just sitting on the couch watching television? She asks Don if HE ever did that with his family, and it's rather depressing that his answer is just a quiet,"I don't remember", especially because it's presumably a genuine response. He really doesn't remember if he ever had those times with his family, which we know he did at times, despite selling that image for well over a decade successfully. "What the hell do I know about being a mom?" Peggy asks, and then admits something she hasn't told anybody, and which goes back to Joan's own situation in an earlier season: she just turned 30. Don is surprised, asking when, and she admits her birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but that she kept it as secret as possible. She doesn't want people knowing she is that "old", because in spite of her modern ideas, her drive as an independent and VERY successful woman... there is still a significant part of her that can only register true success as having married and had children. For awhile with Abe she was willing to forgo the marriage part in favor of a common-law relationship that would result in children, but now she doesn't even have that. Her doomed affair with Ted Chaough was the last "relationship" it appears she has had, the closest to sex she has gotten was Ginsberg's deranged attempts to kiss her while ranting about the need to reproduce to stop the computer's "homo" agenda. "Now I'm one of those women lying about her age," she sighs,"I hate them." Don considers for a moment, then offers up his own wisdom: he worries about a lot of things, but he never worries about her. She takes that in the spirit intended, that she is going to be okay, but it confuses her because of course despite her own recent authority over him she can't imagine that rich, successful, well-married and charming Don Draper could have anything to worry about, so what does bother him? "That I never did anything," he admits quietly, a rather stunning admission from a man who on the surface would seem to have conquered almost every obstacle he has ever come across (until recently), who has won awards and even today still has the admiration of many and is desired both romantically and business-wise,"And that I don't have anyone." Peggy considers that quietly for a few moments, unsure how to react from a moment of vulnerability like this. She's seen Don at his lowest before, but he was also out of mind drunk at the time, and though they've both been drinking it has been controlled and they're both in control of their faculties. But he is being open, so she continues being open herself, musing over the fact she was in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania during the research for Burger Chef, she looked through the window of so many station wagons, she saw so many families... what did SHE do wrong that she doesn't have what they all have? She bites back a sob, and a concerned Don hands her his handkerchief, promising her that she is doing great. She stares up at him, a man with no relationship to her who has at times enraged and infuriated her, but has also mentored her, supported her, given her chances, and been open with her, seeing her at her lowest just as she has seen him at his... and in that moment inspiration strikes seemingly unbidden, the idea coming to her almost fully formed the way the best ones do. "What if there was a place," she suggests,"Where you could go, where there was no TV, and you could break bread, and whoever you were sitting with... was family." A smile crosses Don's face, mirrored by her, and she passes him the hankie back, confidently stating that that is it... or at least MORE of what it should be. Don considers the idea, looking at the angles, seeing the opportunities, and as he ponders, he notices the song playing on the radio. He points it out to her, and she notes it has been playing constantly recently. He doesn't think that is a coincidence though, there's a clear message in the song's lyrics that speak to both of them, about not necessarily doing things the way you are told, about choosing your own course through life. About doing it your way. So he stands and offers a hand, and she smiles thinking he is joking at first, but when she sees he is serious she lets him take her hand, and he draws her to him, and they dance slowly together in the office. There's nothing sexual there, though it is romantic. It isn't paternal, but there is a sense of trust he will be there to defend her. He kisses the top of her head as she rests her head against his, but is the loving kiss of a friend and a brother. Here is a man and a woman who have had plenty of troubles and issues in their relationship, who things have been deeply strained between the last few months, but who in spite of it all are still exactly what they need to be for each other in this moment when they need the support: family. https://i.imgur.com/yiqKEue.mp4 The song continues through into a brief moving camera shot of a plane on Monday morning, Bonnie Whiteside and Megan Draper both on the same flight, unaware of the other, both returning home without either of their men. For Bonnie, this may mark the end of her fling with Pete which didn't need delay to fail... just Pete himself. For Megan, it's a continuation of an unfortunate trend from the man who in the preceding scene demonstrated that he CAN reach out and connect to somebody when needed... once again he has allowed her to go despite clearly wanting her to stay, but not willing to admit to her that he simply isn't going to cave to do the thing HE convinced her to do in the first place and move to LA permanently. At SC&P, a Partners' meeting has been called with all hands on deck, including Don Draper... but apparently not Ted Chaough? Presumably the meeting happened at Joan's request, and Cutler (who may be speaking for Ted, either with Ted's knowledge or not) joins them to let them know he has just learned it is official... they've lost the XP. He makes a nasty pun that they finally thought of a name for at least: Roger Sterling's failure. Roger quickly reminds Cutler that until recently he was insisting that he was also an integreal part of landing that Account (and doesn't mention that he was trying to take all the credit). Of course, the irony is that the XP would end up being an utter failure after making an initial big splash, SC&P may have dodged a bullet! Pete demands to know where Joan got the information, surprising Roger who didn't know it was Joan who had brought it to their attention. She's reluctant to say though, wanting to offer Bob that much protection at least, and luckily for her Cutler is already scheming, claiming they need to get ahead of any bad press that might eventuate once people learn XP has gone in-house. How? His strategy is simple, following in the wake of Grey's move they should organize a New York Times and Wall Street Journal article that announces they're open for business with both their IBM 360 AND their proprietary software (that last I checked didn't exist?), including a big picture of Harry Crane.... their newest Partner. Roger is, unsurprisingly, appalled. The rest of the idea he has no issue with, but Harry Crane a Partner!?! He looks around expecting scoffing remarks from everybody else, but is shocked when Pete Campbell of all people shrugs and simply agrees that if that is what it takes, then fine, he doesn't want to "limp" into his next meeting with Burger Chef. Joan though is with Roger on this, disgusted that the man who denigrated her own status as a Partner is going to get rewarded at least somewhat equal status to her.... especially when she knows from experience she actually CAN do what he has made such a big deal out of being the only person capable of doing. But now it is her turn to be shocked when Don Draper of all people, perhaps remembering it was Harry who unwittingly told him about the Philip Morris pursuit, notes that regardless of anything else, Harry IS very loyal. Cooper says nothing, but he sees the chance the strike, immediately calling for a vote. Roger refuses to participate, simply standing up and walking out of the room, and everybody else but Joan raises their hand in favor. "Opposed?" asks Cutler, barely able to contain his smugness, and when Joan stands and quietly leaves he happily declares the motion passed with two abstentions. Eager to avoid any chance for things to escalate now that the vote is done, Cooper immediately declares everybody should get back to work and takes his exit, as does Cutler. That leaves Don and Pete and behind, Don obviously not particularly happy but having done what he feels needs doing... if nothing else, he's demonstrated he's a team player, will probably have Harry's gratitude if (when?) he learns that Don voted in his favor, and now can add Harry to the Partners who appreciate his talents... though of course Harry is also an easily cowed person which is both an asset and a liability.   But while Don continues to lay low, satisfied to some extent that he's slowly clawing his way back, having just spent his Sunday engaged in the kind of Creative Practice that he actually thought SC&P would be all about as opposed to the basic, treadmill generic pap being produced under Lou Avery... another Partner has had a rude awakening about the power she helped grant to Jim Cutler. Joan Harris has been on the positive side of Cutler's maneuvers in the past: she was happy to see Don's unthinking and often dangerous big gestures cut off and the man himself exiled after his arrogance finally started to outweigh his (considerable) charm. Cutler was the one who acknowledged her dual-role and encouraged her to commit herself fully to being an Account Man. Cutler was the driving force behind their modernization with the computer purchase. Sure the Creatives were upset, and sure Lou isn't exactly an inspiring figure... but he gets the job done, they're making good money, she feels secure both in herself and more importantly for Kevin's future. But now she's seen the flipside. Cutler cares about the Agency making money, which is good for them all, but in doing so he has garnered an inordinate amount of power for himself, and now she has seen what happens when she is on the other side of one of his proposals. She detests Harry Crane and now he's being rewarded, elevated to the same status as her, and while yes his work is important he also makes it out to be far more than it truly is, he's lazy and seedy and that's on top of the massively insulting things he's said about her in the open before. So she storms into Roger's office where he is pouring a drink, and when he asks what the hell she wants she snarls that she does NOT want Harry Crane as Partner. Roger has his own bone to pick though, angrily pointing out she knew about Chevy but didn't tell him, meaning he got ambushed in there when Cutler gave the news, complaining he could have done something. "There was nothing to do!" she points out, but Roger isn't going to let the facts get in the way of a good bad mood, demanding she spill the beans on her source or get out. So she makes a choice, letting him know that Bob Benson told her... and he's going to Buick. "Bob Benson?" he asks, and she quietly asks him not to get Bob in trouble... but Roger's mind is racing, putting things together, completely unconcerned with Bob as he finally sees the bigger picture... and it makes him VERY happy. McCann-Erickson are scared of SC&P. That was why Hobart approached him in the steam room, though he probably was legitimately trying to orchestrate getting his hands on Don Draper there was a bigger picture reason too: they're worried SC&P's successful tryout on the XP means they're going to take Buick from McCann as a make-good for putting the XP in-house. Joan doesn't understand, not having all the pieces, but Roger tells her to forget it, having already forgotten about Harry Crane himself as he suddenly sees an opportunity, not just for the Agency but perhaps for himself. If Buick is on the cards, and Cutler isn't aware but Roger is, maybe he CAN take all the credit for this one? That would quickly cement his status beyond simply his Partnership stake and his job title as President, and outflank Cutler who has been making some distressingly adroit moves including aiming for Philip Morris (and only offering to bring Roger in late in the game when he needed him). So Joan leaves, unsatisfied, but Roger remains behind, pondering his next move (I mean maybe, I'm reading a lot into this, maybe he's just excited he has Jim Hobart scared), excited about what comes next. Less excited is Pete Campbell, without wife or child and now not even his girlfriend, sitting at a booth inside a Burger Chef where he is joined by Don. He complains that they're only weeks away from their presentation and have nothing, seemingly he's been informed of Peggy's desire to completely change the strategy and isn't happy, but Don tells him to hear her out at least, promising she'll be done in time for dinner. "My plans got cancelled," he mutters, not wanting to admit to Don especially that he and Bonnie are apparently over. Peggy joins them with a tray of food and drinks and tells Pete to look around. He does, the Burger Chef large, clean and well-lit, full of people ordering, and Peggy explains she wants to shoot the ad.... here. He tosses a skeptical look Don's way, but Don just smiles, content to let Peggy do the talking. It's not a home, he points out, but Peggy notes it is better... because it's a clean, well-lighted location. Rolling his eyes and calling her Hemingway, he insists the ad still be about moms, but she corrects him... it's about families, and EVERY table here is the family table. Still not convinced, he stresses that family is too vague a word and that mom is more direct, telling Don to explain that. But Don doesn't, he simply says Peggy is doing it the way SHE wants to, so does Pete want it done right or not? Peggy grins, happy for the support not because it is needed but because it is appreciated. This isn't lip service, Don is onboard with the strategy and it is HER strategy. Not his. Not theirs. Hers. In a similarly wonderful episode, The Suitcase, Don and Peggy argued over who ultimately gets the credit for work. In this wonderful episode, the answer is the same for Don as it was then: the person who lead the idea gets the credit. It's just that in this case, that person absolutely is Peggy, and the difference between then and now is that while she offered ideas that he then adapted, shifted, changed and made into something he felt was wholly different... here it was her who grasped the idea as the culmination of a long evening of running through the process. It wasn't built off of his initial ideas, it came to her in a moment of inspiration thanks to the bond they renewed in this episode. So Pete shrugs, seeing they're aligned, still enough a part of the old guard from the SCDP Days to value the eccentricities of Creative and let them work on something that they feel passionately about. Unwrapping their burgers, they start to eat, Don motioning to a bit of sauce on Pete's cheek, Peggy passing him a napkin. As the camera pulls out and through the window, showing more and more of the Burger Chef, the other customers, the people outside... inside the three continue to eat, to chat, to laugh, to share the experience and enjoy each other's company. Not just an Account Man, a leashed Creative Director, and a Copy Chief working on an Account together. A family.  Episode Index Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Jun 27, 2022 |
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Jun 26, 2022 11:58
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Is there anything better than a heavy Don/Peggy episode? 
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Jun 26, 2022 12:01
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Don's... not being a huge dick to Peggy? He's... supporting her?? Why even watch the show anymore
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Jun 26, 2022 12:29
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Jerusalem posted:Is there anything better than a heavy Don/Peggy episode? agreed. this is a great ep
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Jun 26, 2022 12:50
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Jerusalem posted:Is there anything better than a heavy Don/Peggy episode? Always my favorites. I think this is easily my favorite episode of the first half of season 7. Just seeing Don actually working to mend his relationship with Peggy, genuinely caring about her, supporting her, and mentoring her, I love it.
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Jun 26, 2022 13:34
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Harrow posted:Always my favorites. I think this is easily my favorite episode of the first half of season 7. Just seeing Don actually working to mend his relationship with Peggy, genuinely caring about her, supporting her, and mentoring her, I love it. the next episode is my favourite for a ton of reasons, but nothing beats meredith giving don the letter from the attorney and then making a pass at him, absolutely one of the funniest scenes in the series to me
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Jun 26, 2022 16:53
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Jerusalem posted:
A bit of hometown flair that people may not know, but Gail isn't being randomly antisemitic here. She's alluding to the Diamond District which is traditionally run by Jews. She's doing the not subtle mother thing nudging Bob to just propose already!
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Jun 26, 2022 17:11
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This episode is one of the best. Nice to see a reappearance of Pete being a total dickhead
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Jun 26, 2022 19:30
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2nd Amendment posted:A bit of hometown flair that people may not know, but Gail isn't being randomly antisemitic here. She's alluding to the Diamond District which is traditionally run by Jews. She's doing the not subtle mother thing nudging Bob to just propose already! I never caught that, thanks for pointing it out!
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Jun 26, 2022 21:09
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quote:He's already made an indirect play at Don earlier in the season, and of course an entirely direct one back in season one when he straight up offered Don a job and bought him his membership at this same club he and Roger are currently having a steam in. Hobart has wanted Don Draper's creative skills at his beck and call for the entire run of the series, and now he clearly hopes that the man who fought so hard to keep Don from him in season one will see the benefit of helping facilitate that move for both their benefit. In an indirect way, Hobart also almost acquired Don during the PPL buy out at the end of season 3. quote:"1955 was a good year!" points out Don, but Peggy says she doesn't remember... but 1965 was a good year! "....I got married..." notes Don, without commenting on whether he now thinks that was good or not. This line is a bit of clever writing because Don got married in both 1955 and 1965 
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Jun 26, 2022 21:25
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don/peggy are so loving wholesome
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Jun 26, 2022 22:33
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2nd Amendment posted:A bit of hometown flair that people may not know, but Gail isn't being randomly antisemitic here. She's alluding to the Diamond District which is traditionally run by Jews. She's doing the not subtle mother thing nudging Bob to just propose already! Hahaha holy gently caress that's incredible, thank you for that! kalel posted:In an indirect way, Hobart also almost acquired Don during the PPL buy out at the end of season 3. Good point, I forgot they were the ones who were going to be making the purchase. kalel posted:This line is a bit of clever writing because Don got married in both 1955 and 1965 Ha! I'm a bit iffy on the timeline for Don pre-season 1, I had assumed that he met and married Betty far earlier than that, like around 52/53 but I guess becoming a car salesman, moving into furs, discovering a passion for copywriting and then stalking Sterling is a lot to happen in only 2-3 years after his escape from Korea.
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Jun 27, 2022 00:00
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Jerusalem posted:Ha! I'm a bit iffy on the timeline for Don pre-season 1, I had assumed that he met and married Betty far earlier than that, like around 52/53 but I guess becoming a car salesman, moving into furs, discovering a passion for copywriting and then stalking Sterling is a lot to happen in only 2-3 years after his escape from Korea. I might be wrong but that's how I interpreted the line and it sets up his line about having nobody kalel fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Jun 27, 2022 |
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Jun 27, 2022 01:37
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I thinkquote:he never came onto her before while extremely funny, should be quote:he never came on to her before
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Jun 27, 2022 12:28
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Torquemada posted:I think Oh the English language is a fickle mistress. Well that or I am unbelievably dumb. One is more likely than the other.
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Jun 27, 2022 16:25
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Season 7, Episode 7 - Waterloo Written by Carly Wray & Matthew Weiner, Directed by Matthew Weiner Bertram Cooper posted:The moon belongs to everyone. It's July 16th, 1969 and the time is precisely 09:32 EDT. We know this because Bertram Cooper watches with wonder in his eyes - after first frustration as he roars to presumably his housekeeper, Hattie, to turn off the vacuum cleaner interfering with the television signal - as Apollo 11 takes off on the start of a journey from the Earth to the moon. It's enough to throw anything (and anybody) into perspective, as we also find Ted Chaough flying two Sunkist Executives in his plane, a normally wondrous experience that pales in comparison to the frankly terrifying (but calculated!) risk the astronauts are undertaking. One exec wants to fly over to Irvine where they have more orange groves, while the other jokes they should head to Tijuana. When Ted reminds them there is more to look at than the ground, talk turns to the astronauts as it did in basically EVERY conversation taking place that morning, as they consider the incredible view they must have as well as the fright they must be feeling. On that last, Ted disagrees, saying that they have nothing to worry about, because maybe they'll die... and then all their problems will be over! Jesus Christ, Ted. They try to turn that into a joke, one cracking to the other to ask if HE knows how to fly the plane. But Ted is in no mood for jokes, or perhaps rather he has his own cruel one to play. Switching off the engine, suddenly the plane is gliding silently through the air, kept up only by its own momentum and the air currents, and now NOBODY is laughing. "Good spot for smoldering wreckage," Ted grunts, pointing to a spot near Claremont, and the two horrified executives scream at him to turn the engine back on, one clinging for dear life to the cord beside him. Ted just shrugs, reminding them that it was them who wanted to go up in the plane, presumably ostensibly on business but maybe purely because their imaginations were sparked by the rocket launch, and now NOBODY is having a good time.   An undetermined amount of time later, Jim Cutler is on the phone with his business partner and old friend, trying his best to walk a fine line between not upsetting a friend he already has concerns about AND mollify the very angry other Partner in the room: Pete Campbell. In New York, presumably for Burger Chef, Pete is livid and listens in while biting his tongue, listening to Cutler try his best to understand what the hell Ted was thinking. Cutler warns that he wanted Ted's version first but that his next call will be from Pete, and Ted - sitting in his office drinking and watching television is in complete,"I do NOT give a gently caress" mode - sarcastically remarks that he'd love to hear the Sunkist side of it from Pete. Jim chooses his words carefully, saying Sunkist were distraught and then correcting it to SEVERELY distraught when Pete silently motions that they said Ted was crazy... and that he suggested he wanted to die. Ted doesn't deny it, seemingly surprised that Cutler hasn't experienced the same perverse desire to kill himself while flying either.... after all, he used to fly himself! "Over Dresden!?!" grimaces Cutler, revealing that like Roger he too served in WW2, albeit in the Air Force rather than the Navy,"I wanted to live!" "AND THE CLIENTS WANT TO LIVE TOO, TED!" screams Pete, unable to control himself any longer, revealing his presence. Irritated, Ted reminds Cutler he said this was a private call. Cutler, pulling the phone away when Pete tries to snatch it from him, simply claims Pete was just leaving, a not-too-subtle hint that Pete angrily takes and storms out. Once he's gone, Ted assures Jim that he doesn't want to die... he just doesn't want to do "this" anymore, meaning advertising. Confused, Cutler points out that isn't possible, but Ted disagrees, declaring that Cutler can simply buy him out... and with that he says goodbye and HE ends the call.... and goes back to watching his stories on television! It's not over for Cutler though, as his secretary informs him that Mr. Avery is here to see him. He tells her to let him in, and a miserable Lou steps in bearing bad news: Leo Burnett has claimed his Agency has Commander Cigarettes, rolling it up with the rest of Philip Morris' product line. Surprisingly, Cutler takes that blow without concern, perhaps because he has larger issues on his mind. He admits that while it's too bad, it does mean the word is now out that SC&P is back in the tobacco business, a consolation which is anything but for Lou, who can't believe the nonchalant way Cutler is reacting. Angrily he mockingly suggests that Newport has a cork-tipped cigarette up for grabs so maybe he should invite them to "Don Draper Dinner Theater"? Bitterly, he rants that his 10 years of experience in tobacco was destroyed by ONE meeting that turned him into a joke because of Don showing up uninvited and completely taking over the meeting. He snarls that when he leaves SC&P it will be with nothing, and THAT actually upsets Cutler... or rather, it gives him a convenient target to unleash some of his own pent-up frustrations and concerns. "We don't owe you ANYTHING!" he raises his voice,"You're a hired hand. Now get back to work!" Stunned, Lou does exactly as he told, because he knows that Cutler is absolutely right. He wasn't hired because they like him, or because he brings stunning and transformative Creative Vision to the role. He was brought in precisely for one reason, to be a completely safe and untroubling set of hands on the wheel after they kicked out Don Draper. The same thing that got him hired is the same reason Cutler feels no compulsion about talking about him this way to his face, because that contract he talked up as keeping him paid when he first feared Don's return works both ways: if he doesn't like being talked down to, he can leave but he wouldn't be able to work anywhere else until the 3 years were up. Of course Cutler is usually a little more diplomatic than this, and once Lou is gone he slaps away a folder of work knowing he can't concentrate. He's not mad at Lou, he's not even all that mad about the loss of Commander which was a pipe dream anyway... he's worried about his friend, Ted Chaough. At the Francis' ridiculous house, Betty leads another family inside the house while calling for Bobby and Sally to quit being rude and get downstairs to greet their guests. A boy, roughly Sally's age with all the gangly awkwardness that comes with that, complains about something he couldn't find in the car and his mother snaps at him before rolling her eyes to Sally and trying to make light of "the mystery of the missing telescope". Betty says he - Neil - can bunk with Bobby while Sean can use the day bed in the sewing room, which is a little unusual because surely that gigantic house has more bedrooms that are simply sitting empty? Sean himself arrives moments after, carrying luggage and he's a BIG boy, made of muscle and sweaty, arriving at exactly the same time as young Sally reaches the bottom of the stairs and takes in a long look at the tall, handsome, muscular young man standing next to his dweeby younger brother. Oh dear. Both mothers compliment each other on their respective children, before Sean grumpily cuts off his mother to ask where they put their luggage. Sally offers to show him, Sean's father Rick arriving at that moment and chastising his son when it looks like Sally is going to take one of the suitcases. Sally promises she is strong but Sean assures her he can handle it, and follows her up the stairs, Henry leading Rick as well, while Sally tells Bobby to show his own telescope to Neil, getting in a passive aggressive jab about finally taking it out of the box. Bobby complains that you can't see anything in daylight anyway, which Neil disagrees with, and he follows Bobby up the stairs. Finally the two moms - probably the only ones who were looking forward to this visit - are left alone, and seem all the more relieved for it.   At the SC&P Conference Room, the Burger Chef team (minus Mathis and, of course, Lou) are meeting to plan for their upcoming pitch. As they prep, Harry is languidly recounting how his poor wife Jennifer has decided to hold off on filing for divorce after all. This is our first sign that Jennifer herself (no fool, from what we've seen) wasn't happy in their marriage, though it's been clear that is the case on Harry's end. Of course, Pete is quick to point out that she's probably postponing the divorce, and Harry probably already knew that: Jennifer has rather smartly realized she can guarantee more money for her and the kids if Harry is a Partner at the time of the divorce, and understandably wants to make sure the family gets some share in the spoils after going through so much poo poo with Harry as he ambled his way tortuously up the ladder. We've come a long way from Harry as the happily married man desperate to avoid even the chance of infidelity and racked by guilt over his one night stand with Hildy, the man who fled weeping from Don's carousel pitch. Harry asks Don to offer an impartial analysis, what should he hold out for in terms of a final divorce deal? Confused, Don offers perhaps the best advice one ever could, based on his own experience and the knowledge that Harry is probably 95% responsible for the divorce in the first place: don't stretch it out, don't try and "win", just accept whatever they ask for and give it to them so you can BOTH have a clean break. Don of course has the benefit of far more money than Harry, even if the latter is doing much better now, but for all that he's been an absent father himself, Don has never shied away from the fact that he has a financial obligation to look after his children, just as Harry does. Peggy, never married herself but clearly very uncomfortable with these divorced or soon-to-be divorced men talking about settlements, suggests they actually get back to discussing how the pitch will be handled. Pete immediately leaps to his feet, running through a quick, humorously abridged account of how he'd open the meeting before passing it to Harry and quickly cutting off his attempt to crack a joke. Harry runs through his own quick summary of his own media pitch, mentions the IBM 360 and then throws it to Peggy, who offers a quick line, a comment about research and then throws it to Don. Amusingly, Pete complains that she abridged her intro, as if he and Harry didn't just do the same thing. Don starts to defend her, but instead Peggy speaks up and lays out a genuinely touching intro line to Don that makes him beam and immediately quiets Pete's concerns. Now it is Don's turn, and of course he tries for a little more showmanship as he gets into his pitch. His voice is warm, inviting, authoritative and confident... and then Pete cuts him off to say he's heard enough, before sighing that they just have to pray that everything goes smoothly on the moon. Everybody goes quiet on that, and it's same to assume given the date that they'll be presenting on Monday, the morning after either man walks on the moon or the world is in mourning for three dead men who paid the ultimate price for defying gravity and challenging the cold emptiness of space. Returning home that evening, Peggy is surprised to find a very different workman to the one she expected installing a drop ceiling (ugh) in her apartment. She asks where Kazmir is and the other man - young, tall and handsome with a winning smile - explains he had to run downtown, but with the grid already up he largely just needs to be careful about not breaking the tiles. Peggy introduces herself and he does the same, he's Nick, and he comments with that winning smile that she has a lot of books. "It's hot in here..." she manages to get out, clearly part of that heat being generated by Nick's good looks, and asks if he'd like some iced tea. He declines, and points out that Kaz should give her a discount what with all the help her son gave him. She's confused until suddenly Julio appears and, without a word, turns on the television and grabs a seat on the couch. She explains that he's the son of her tenant, and she owns the building. "By yourself?" he notes, an impressed smile on his face, and begins to jot something down on paper. Misreading his meaning, she assumes he's decided she is rich and is going to try and exploit that for money, and warns him she already told Kazmir she isn't paying anything until the work is complete. Not offended, he chuckles and explains he was writing down his number.... for in case she wanted any work done! Oh we all know EXACTLY what kind of work they're both thinking of! He makes his exit, the two saying goodnight, Julio ignoring Nick's good night to him as well. With him gone, Peggy takes a moment to bask in the thrill of a cute guy giving her his number, and when Julio asks if he can have a Popsicle and promises he only had one earlier today, she's jolted out of the fantasy for a moment before telling him it's fine. She eyes up the drop ceiling, appreciating it, but what is really on her mind is that tall drink of water that just sauntered his way out the door. At the Francis', Betty places a plate of fried eggs (semi-burned around the edges) on the table right next to her ashtray as she smokes over the food (God I do not miss widespread smoking in the slightest) while Neil sits only a few feet away. Carolyn is complaining that while Sean has been offered a full athletic scholarship to Rutgers, she's upset that he doesn't seem to have any passion for anything. Mentioning that at his age all she dreamed of was Paris, Betty gleefully reminds her she ALSO dreamed of Ty Power, and she they both laugh as she contemplates how she went from fantasizing about Tyrone Power to marrying a man without good eyelashes like Nick! Speaking of youthful crushes though does bring up an awkward subject, as Carolyn asks if Betty still ever sees Don. As little as possible, Betty admits, but most of the loathing for the man seems to have been drained out of her since their one-night stand marked her seeming exorcism of his hold on her. She says she has started to think of him more like an old, bad boyfriend, getting in a little dig at her own youthful foolishness by saying he was the sort of person a "teenage anthropologist" might have married. Sean himself arrives, wearing nothing but shorts, and even Betty has to take a moment to really consider just how well-built he is before Carolyn grumps at him to go get decent. Sally suddenly bumps into him as she passes by, wearing a swimsuit and shorts, and when she's offered food he complains that she gets to eat in a swimsuit but HE has to get dressed? Sally quickly explains she's a lifeguard, which also means she can't eat because she has to wait the extra hour. Carolyn again demands he go get dressed and he slumps away with typical teenage moodiness.... and Sally is suddenly paralyzed, clearly wanting to stick around a little longer for his return, her mother watching her with great interest before telling her to go. Shaken free of her paralysis, Sally takes her leave for once without a smart remark, and Carolyn praises how beautiful she is. Particularly today, notes Betty, pointing out she's never seen her put on lipstick before going to the pool today. They both have a quiet laugh, neither of them under any illusions that Sally is rather smitten with Sean, both seemingly assuming there is no harm in the crush, perhaps expecting that she's too young for Sean to have any interest in her.   The next morning at SC&P, Don arrives to find Mathis and Stan locked into a semi-argument about what will happen when the astronauts try to land on the moon (what if it's quicksand!?!). They standing beside Meredith's desk, and Don mistakes their presence for thinking he might have missed a meeting, but Meredith tells him he hasn't missed anything... and then with uncharacteristic seriousness asks if she can speak with him, brandishing a letter. She heads into his office ahead of him and he follows, confused, slightly amused and a little annoyed when she takes a seat on the couch and pats the cushion beside her to motion him to join her. "What's going on?" he asks as he takes his seat, and she explains she opened his mail as per usual and found something very upsetting. She gives it to him and he opens it, staring in shock at the contents as Meredith asks him a question he has feared for months now. "Are they firing you?" "I don't know," he admits, stunned, as Meredith asks him what "breach of contract" means? He pays no attention to her, his entire world wrapped up in this letter at the moment. It has come from the Agency's Attorney, and his head is spinning: why didn't "they" call him? Does he mean the other Partners or just the attorney they use, one he presumably has some kind of working relationship with? But Meredith remains highly focuses on him, some irony in the fact she laments that Don seems so confused, insisting that he didn't even meet with Commander Cigarettes like the letter claims since SHE would have known.... after all, she's his Secretary, she sets his meetings! She sniffs back a tear and Don absentmindedly passes her a handkerchief, mumbling that it doesn't matter. She dabs at an eye, then turns her attention back to Don, reaching out and turning him to face her. It's such an unexpected move that he doesn't resist, and he's at a loss how to react as she explains to him that "I am your strength" before she leans forward and... kisses him! Don doesn't react or reciprocate, beyond a small "the gently caress is this?" smile as she breaks the kiss and determinedly asks him what she can do? She's living in her own little fantasy world right now, her on-the-sleeve admiration of him now revealed to be an almost entirely one-sided mental construction of a relationship just waiting to explode between them: here is the moment she has dreamed of, or read in books/magazines, of the powerful and handsome man hit with a severe setback and along comes the devoted, loving woman he needs to save him! "You can get my attorney on the phone," he offers as gently as possible, trying to hide his amusement and disbelief, before adding,"And we can't do this." "You're right," agrees Meredith with great solemnity, removing her hand from the back of his neck,"...not right now." Oh, Meredith  Standing, she offers him his handkerchief but he declines, and she makes her quiet exit. It was a very funny scene, but it was also designed to soften the blow/shock of Don learning he was done for. Once she's gone, the humor fades, his amusement vaporizes, and almost immediately we see him bursting into Jim Cutler's office ignoring the protests of his secretary, demanding to know if he really thinks he can throw him out of his own company. Cutler is in full control after the outburst at Lou the previous day though, telling his secretary Madeline that it is fine and asking the very confused Account Man - Todd - sitting on the couch they'll meet later, since Don has a habit of walking into meetings unannounced. Don snaps at Todd to get out when he timidly asks if he should reschedule, and at last they're alone. Shrugging as if it shouldn't have come as a surprise, Cutler points out this is a cut and dry situation: Don broke the stipulations of the addendum they made to his contract when he returned. Don's counter is rather pathetic, because while he has a point it has none of the force of contract law that Jim's argument does: the meeting with Commander Cigarettes was intended to force Don out of the company, so he had no choice but to gatecrash it! Amused, Cutler admits something he has never told Don before. Back in the CGC days, he and Ted uses to live in fear of what Don Draper was p to. Every time they heard SCDP was in the running for an Account that CGC was after as well, they freaked out about what magic web he would be spinning with his words, what masterful and strategic trick he had planned that they couldn't possibly be prepared for. But the truth? Now that he's behind the curtain and has seen for himself how Don Draper operates, he's come to an inescapable conclusion. "You're just a bully and a drunk," he sneers, unknowingly likening Don to Archibald Whitman,"A football player in a suit." He taunts Don, pointing out that the most eloquent he ever heard him was when he was "blubbering like a girl" about his impoverished childhood. For once, Don is completely at a loss for words, Cutler striking at the heart of a fear he has always had as seen right from the first episode of the first season: I'm an imposter and eventually somebody is going to see me for what I really am. His mouth makes an amazing movement, fantastic acting from Hamm as he's caught between trying to smile, trying not to cry, and trying to contain his anger. His body tenses slightly, one arm pulling back just a trace amount, but enough for Cutler to see what is going through his head and give him further ammo to mock him, correctly guessing that what Don really wants to do is punch him. He goads him to do so, pointing out it will make firing him all the easier. Instead, Don simply turns and walks out, a man who uses words so well using his other standby trick of imperious silence and walking out, a trick that rarely works out as well for him as he hopes it will. But he's not done. He's been cornered, and so now all the games and guesswork is over. He gambled with Commander Cigarettes in hopes of making his continued employment the core requirement of the Account instead of his firing, and that he didn't get this letter immediately after that ploy probably make him confident that he'd pulled it off. He's started to be given more presence on Accounts, has repaired his working relationship with Peggy etc... but now that's all fallen apart. So now all he can do is fight or run, and though his first instinct has always been to run, this time he intends to fight. He marches straight to Roger's office, ignoring Caroline protesting that SHE just discovered the same letter that Meredith did and Roger has no idea what is coming, flinging the door open and demanding Roger come out here. He means to do this in the open, not behind closed doors, to remove any possibility of denial or that anybody isn't fully informed. Roger steps out, Harry who was in the office with him stepping out too, asking what is going on and being presented a copy of the breach letter... and Roger's name on the bottom of it. Roger CLEARLY has no idea what this is, and Don roars for Joan to join them as Roger puts on his glasses to read the letter more closely. Don wants a full court press though, yelling to one of the secretaries to fetch Cooper as well and telling Caroline to find Pete. Joan joins them, confused but also irritated at being summoned by Don like this. But her irritation pales to his fury, as he demands to know if it is true that none of the other Partners were aware of this letter, despite their names being on it. "I saw it," Joan snaps back, and gets angrier but lacks an answer when Don demands to know why she just asked what was going on. Cooper arrives too, Pete and Ken in tow, and insists that Don calms down, promising that he just called Jim and they're going to get to the bottom of this. But that has sealed it, Joan's "I saw this" and Cooper's line about calling Jim says it all: Cutler sent out this letter with all their names on it without telling any of them, the only ones who know about it are the ones whose secretaries had gotten around to opening the letter. He hasn't quite gone so far as to forge their signatures (the action that resulted in Lane Pryce's expulsion) but he has included their names on an Attorney's letter without actually getting their permission, and THAT is also a massive overstepping of boundaries AND authority. Pete is handed the letter by Don, while a confused Harry asks if this is a Partner's meeting and Joan grumpily reminds him he isn't a Partner yet. Cutler arrives besides Ken, who is trying and failing to hide a gigantic grin at Harry's humiliation before the two of them leave the Partners to fight it out. Pete is outraged at Cutler's presumption, but more-so because they have the Burger Chef presentation on Monday and Don is the key presenter on that, this out-of-nowhere termination that he put THEIR names on could cost them a massive Account. "I vote against this. Right now," snaps Roger, outraged himself, but Cutler remains unflappable, insisting once again that the terms of Don's amendment were clear and he has breached them. Don though, feeling more confident now that this is all in the open, mocks Cutler himself and says if he wants to play Parliamentary Procedure they'll do so, forcing the vote that Roger just demanded. Cutler decides to roll with it, reminding them he has Ted's proxy and putting up both his hands to indicate he wants Don gone... but now Cooper unleashes his own rage... on Cutler. "You had no right to put my name on that!" he yells, and pointedly does not raise his hand. Don asks if anybody else agrees he should go, and has a moment of pain when Joan quickly raises her own hand.... but nobody else does. Now he calls for a vote to keep him on, and everybody else - including Cooper - do so. "Motion denied!" Don hisses in Cutler's face and storms away, Pete angrily reminding Cutler that Don is "a very sensitive piece of horseflesh" and should not be rattled. Oh Pete, even when you're doing the right thing, it's for the wrong reasons. "He's a pain in the rear end," complains Cooper, and it's clear that at this point, as he has demonstrated in earlier episodes, any personal affection he might have had for Don or appreciation of his obvious talents has long since been outweighed by his displeasure with how he does business... but Cutler's presumptuousness could NOT be condoned, and so he was forced to vote in favor of keeping Don. He leaves, and Roger asks Joan if she really knew about this move like she suggested. She admits that she didn't, but coldly points out that she's tired of Don costing HER money. Roger returns to his office, slamming the door behind him, but when Cutler - still firmly in control - points out that his position was justified, assuming Joan is a full-throated supporter of his move, she very sweetly points out he made a mistake by pulling that move. She returns to her own office, closing the door gently behind her, leaving Cutler to consider that had he at least been open with the other partners he likely would have had the votes: he, Ted's proxy, Joan and Cooper against Roger and Pete. Even if Don HAD gotten a vote, he wouldn't have been able to win, and if he'd waited long enough to get Harry Partner status he would have been even more assured. Instead, he let emotion rule the day due to his frustration with Don and his concern about Ted, and blew a chance to get rid of Don... and if he couldn't fire him over such a clear breach of contract, what chance will he have with a now doubly-on-his-guard Don who is also likely to win them a big Account this coming Monday?   Early the next morning, Peggy is preparing the clothes for her trip when there is a knock on the door. Checking the peephole (after all, it could be Ginsberg!) she's annoyed at who it is, opening the door to find Julio on the other side, asking to watch television. She tells him he can't, she's working, but when he grumpily starts to walk away she calls him back, wanting to get his opinion on two different outfits she is considering for the Burger Chef presentation. Julio just stares, utterly unprepared to offer suggestions as she explains the merits of both, after all he's a kid, and his focus is more on that television, pointing out that he MUST be allowed to watch on Sunday because that's when they land on the moon! Peggy apologizes but says that won't be possible, because she'll be in Indianapolis, confusing Julio who has no idea why anybody would go there in the first place, let alone at the same time men are about to land on the moon! Peggy admits it'll be a rough meeting if the astronauts don't land safely, and then immediately regrets her words as she sees the horror on Julio's face that such a thing might be possible. Setting her outfits aside, she promises that he can watch because she'll give him a key, admonishing him that he can't use the stove "again". I love this bizarre relationship. "I don't wanna go to Newark!" Julio pouts. Peggy is as bewildered by that as the viewer, this non-sequitur throwing her for a loop, simply pointing out that NOBODY wants to go to Newark but unclear how that is relevant. But he explains what he means, his uncle has managed to find his mother a job, but it means they need to move in with him in his house in Newark, which means leaving this apartment, which also means leaving behind the bizarre friendship the two have managed to forge over his time there. He launches himself against her, hugging her tightly, and Peggy is completely at a loss on how to react. She strokes his hair, uncertainly offering that everything will be okay, and when he bemoans that his mother doesn't care for him she points out that clearly she does, THAT is why she is taking the job in Newark. Wiping away her own tear, she kneels down and promises him she'll visit him all the time, but he moans that she won't, and she knows better than to argue the point because she knows it's unlikely she'll ever see him again when he moves. So instead she simply tells him he can watch television after all while she packs, and he trudges away to enjoy this privilege with her for one of the last times. Don is also packing for the trip to Indianapolis, considering his own outfits. It's a boring task though, and so he places a phone-call to California, getting Megan sunning herself on the balcony of her place in the canyon, the smoggy backdrop of Los Angeles behind her. He asks what she is up to, and when she says she plans to see The Wild Bunch with Jill (I assume Amy... from Delaware! has stayed far away) he notes that he wants to see that. She asks if he'd prefer she wait to see it with him, and points out she thought he was going to Indiana, and he admits he might not be going at all now. Sensing immediately something is wrong, she asks what happens, and he just comes right out with it: despite turning the tables on Cutler in the impromptu Partner's meeting, Don isn't feeling secure at all, he still thinks that they're going to fire him. She lets that sink in for a long moment, and finally with a sigh she tells him she is sorry. He admits that he thought he could keep his head down and just do the work and eventually they'd accept he was back, but it's clear they don't want that. Confused, she asks what they DO want and he admits, perhaps as much to himself for the first time, that what the people he considered friends as well as colleagues really want is for him to move on. Megan of course offers a positive spin on that, maybe he should? After all isn't he tired of fighting? Wearily he admits that maybe he should just give up, accept defeat and see this as an opportunity... and then he says exactly the wrong thing.... that maybe he could finally move out to LA to be with her. She says nothing for a long time, she sits up, she takes a drink, she remains quiet, and finally only speaks again when he asks,"Megan?". He asks her if that is what she wants him to do, again exactly the wrong thing to ask, and the only answer she can give is,"Don...." before trailing off, because there is no easy way to say what she wants to say... and that passes on the message to him loud and clear. "I'll always take care of you," he promises, leaving unsaid what is clear. "I'll be fine," she replies, equally leaving it unsaid. Holding back his own despair, Don tries to contain himself and says that until she is he will be there for her, because he owes her that much. "You don't owe me anything," she assures him, and then with tears in her eyes offers a final,"Goodbye, Don" before she hangs up on her husband and ends a marriage that has been limping along for quite some time now. The barest flicker of a smile crosses Don's face, before it collapses into a pained attempt to contain his sorrow. The emotions rolling around inside of him are chaotic, caught between an awareness that this has been a long time coming; rage at the "betrayal" he knows is anything but; a weary "yet ANOTHER thing going wrong" reaction that is natural if unwarranted; and a longing to have back what he cost himself. Why does the marriage end now, on the cusp of Megan getting what she said she always wanted? Because it ISN'T what she wanted, because it isn't what Don wants. She didn't want to be second prize, a consolation that only got taken when all other options were off the table. She has told Don many times before that what she wanted was for HIM to want to be with her. That the way to "fix" their marriage was for the two of them to be together in LA. At first Don tried to keep up the pretense that they could be Bi-Coastal, then he clearly decided what he really wanted was for her to be back in New York with him... but that ship had sailed. It was him who convinced her to start anew in LA in the first place, selling it as the two of them being truly together and happy again. Then he ripped her heart out by explaining he would stay in New York. Then she discovered that he'd been kicked out of work and rather than returning to her, he'd stayed there doing NOTHING simply in the hopes of getting back into the SC&P fold. She tried everything she could think of, including giving him the male fantasy of a threesome, to make him want to be with her, and he just wasn't interested. So to hear him say that he was going to come to LA now only AFTER he finally realized SC&P didn't want him? To hear him say,"Isn't that what YOU wanted?" instead of,"This is what I want"? It is the final nail in the coffin of making her realize she was never what he truly wanted, she was just part of his life he was happy to take or leave as and when was convenient to him. She doesn't doubt his love for her, in spite of everything, and she isn't out of love with him... but while she might not have the hatred that Betty Francis had when she broke up with Don, she also knows like Betty that neither of them will really be happy together. So ends the marriage of Don and Megan Draper, which came out of nowhere but proved to have a true foundational strength to it that was gradually eroded mostly by Don Draper's own self-sabotaging actions. Despite his sleeping around, his resentment towards her for things she didn't deserve being resented for, Don has shown that he will continue in a marriage given the choice no matter how bad it is - first Betty, then Megan - unless the woman takes the initiative to force an ending he can't. Megan sits in LA, weeping. Don sits in New York, devastated. Separated by an entire country, they have now severed the bond that help them together despite geography, however tenuously. They are the Drapers no longer.   At SC&P itself, the two named Partners have a discussion about how to deal with this Don Draper situation. The trouble is, they're coming at it from two different perspectives. Roger marches into Cooper's office, refusing to remove his shoes, wanting to prevent Cutler's moves to become de-facto Head of the Agency and mistaking Cooper voting to keep Don in the Agency as an actual desire to... well, keep Don in the Agency! Cooper points out that whoever is in charge is in control, and when Roger reminds him that THEY'RE in control because they have the votes over the Cutler faction which only includes him, Ted and "Benedict Joan", Cooper reminds him that Don cost Joan a million dollars when they didn't go Public as they'd planned due to his unilateral decision to fire Jaguar. Roger finally takes a seat, trying to reason with Cooper when he grasps Don is still under threat, reminding him not for the first time that a guy like Don Draper could get work anywhere INCLUDING their competition. But Cooper has a different take on that: Don is damaged goods, no man has ever come back from "leave", and that includes Napoleon who staged a coup but ended up back on a prison island. Roger can't understand his reasoning though, if he doesn't want Don around why vote to keep him? Because, Cooper puts it as plainly possible, he thinks of himself as a leader and a leader is loyal to his team. In perhaps the most devastating backhanded compliment Cooper has ever given the son of his old friend, a man he has been in business with for perhaps two decades now, he acknowledges that Roger has talent, skill AND experience... but he is NOT a leader. Jim Cutler is, with the only caveat for Cooper being that he doesn't consider Cutler to be part of "his" team. Roger is understandably miserable at hearing this, complaining that they're just expected to "have another cup of coffee, have another piece of pie"? In other words, they're just gonna wait around to see what happens next and hope things get better? He takes his leave, striding back to his office, Cooper not happy with the meeting but feeling what he said was necessary. He's not entirely wrong, though for the wrong reasons. Roger ISN'T a leader, not because he isn't capable but simply because he's never been pushed to be so. Born wealthy, taken under Cooper's wing in order to honor the memory of his dead Partner, Roger has had things simply come to him his entire life. He's rarely had to be active because passivity has brought him enormous fortune, but on those few instances when he has actually applied himself you've seen the true potential he's never really unleashed... it's just, why should he? When simply being Roger Sterling has been enough to bring him the type of life that is the stuff of fantasy for 98% of the world? The Burger Chef crew board their flight, the pilot taking a moment on the intercom to ask for a prayer for the brave astronauts currently rocketing towards the moon. Peggy gives the sign of the Cross, alarming Harry beside her who says now he feels like they're in danger, and she reminds HIM that if the astronauts die up there then they're going to have to postpone Burger Chef for a year. A couple of seats up, Pete assures Don that he's going to impress the hell out of Burger Chef, and Jim Cutler is just going to have to live with the fact that the Don Draper show is back from its unscheduled interruption. Don is no fool though, even if he hadn't heard Pete's "horseflesh" line from the "meeting" the other day it's clear that Pete is just trying to finesse him, not that he can blame him as its exactly what he SHOULD be doing. So he simply says he's not rattled, though Pete notes he is sighing a lot. He does try to keep Don's mind on the future though, noting that if Burger Chef goes well he's likely to be in New York more often, so maybe Don could spend more time in LA? After all, Ted is going off the deep end ("Lane Pryce" he offers as a warning, suggesting Ted is suicidal) and will run the office into the ground without somebody else there to stop him. When Don notes there is nothing for him in LA anymore, Pete excitedly asks if Megan is returning, and when Don quietly shakes his head he actually seethes in perhaps the most genuine empathy he has shown so far, bitterly complaining,"Marriage is a racket!" Yeah, wives always upset about emotional distance, rampant infidelity, and treating them like children! Come Sunday evening in Cos Cobb, Bobby is pushing Gene on the swing-set when Sally races outside and lets them know "it's happening!". They quickly rush inside, joining Betty, Henry, Caroline, Rick, Sean and Neil on the couches and the floor, eyes rapt on the television set. They're not alone, all around the country and indeed the world eyes are glued on televisions. In Indianapolis, Peggy returns to the motel room with the TWO beers she was able to find given it's dry State on Sundays, giving one to Don and keeping the other for herself much to the irritation of Harry who is sitting on the other bed with Pete. In Manhattan, Brooks drinks a beer and watches in a chair, Roger sitting on the couch near Mona, with Ellery (wearing a space helmet!) on his lap. Mona is nowhere to be seen, Roger somehow has family together with him on this momentous occasion, in spite of all the many mistakes he has made with them over the years... but not his daughter. In Indianapolis, not a word is said, Don and Peggy's eyes glued to the screen. As commentary unfolds on the images being broadcast back from the moon, they realize the ultimate step has been made. The walls of the motel shake as men in other rooms woop in triumph, and Harry literally leaps to his feet he cannot contain his excitement, Pete letting out a quiet gasp of,"Hot drat..." in appreciation of the achievement he and a gigantic chunk of the planet have just seen happen live 237,000 miles away. "Armstrong is on the moon," commentary declares, Peggy finally unlocking her gaze to take a moment to appreciate the wonder on Don's face, a simple and uncomplicated joy made possible by the impossible, before she returns her gaze to the screen. In Manhattan, Hattie sits on the couch beside Bert Cooper as they also watch, a breakdown of the usual social barriers made possible by this glorious moment in much the same way it was in a far more negative situation in November of 1963 between Betty and Carla. "It's one small step for [a] man," says Neil Armstrong, as he becomes the first human being to ever step foot on the moon,"One giant leap for all mankind." "Bravo," gasps Cooper, stunned by the achievement, by the perfectly chosen (if not perfectly delivered!) words, by the realization of a vision shared by all humans ever since they first saw the moon. This is a man born in the previous century, who went through two world wars and the Great Depression, who has seen multiple Presidents come and go, who has built up not one but two (technically 2.5) massively successful Advertising Agencies, who is seeing a future full of brightness and promise open up before him. It's July 20, 1969. Today is a good day to be an American. It is a good day to be a human being.  
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Jul 2, 2022 13:05
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Of course, to say EVERYBODY was entranced by the Moon Landing would be untrue. In Cos Cobb, in the silence of the two families watching Armstrong move about on the moon, Carolyn gasps that it is incredible and Sean - a true moody teenager - sneers that what is incredible is that they spent 25 billion dollars on this when there are plenty of problems back on Earth that haven't been dealt with. His father snaps at him to be quiet and Neil complains that he can't hear the commentary on the television - for his of course this is near orgasmic, a space nerd seeing man walk on the moon, his whole family and this other one all equally as enraptured as he is. The phone rings, Rick cracking that it's Nixon calling for Henry. Betty, clearly annoyed that ANYBODY would be calling at this moment, tells Sally to answer it, and when she does it is of course her father, calling to share in this moment with her and the boys. She greets him, but when he comments on how amazing this moment is she only offers back,"I guess...?" and when, amused, he asks if she is unimpressed, she parrots back the words of the very handsome, muscular young man she has a crush on, saying it is a waste of money. He grins, still treating this like a joke as he asks if she really thinks that, but she doubles-down, annoyed that "we'll be going there all the time" while people on Earth are hungry. Well she was wrong! We didn't go there all the time and people on Earth were hungry anyway! Oh.  Taking this a little more seriously now, he tells her not to be cynical and asks if she'd want her brothers to speak that way. "....no," she admits quietly, and he asks if they're up and watching as well. She offers to go and get them, putting the phone down and going to fetch the boys to share in the excitement of the moment with their father, who did at least wait for a bit after the initial moment before interrupting the Francis Residence. The phone rings at the Sterling household too, young Ellery tuckered out and sleeping across both Roger and Mona's laps. Irritated, Mona tells Roger to just leave it, but figuring it MUST be important to be calling at a moment like this, Roger picks up the phone, listens to the other end, and then lets the hand holding the receiver slump down to his thigh as he quietly says,"....oh, poo poo." A short time later, Roger arrives at the empty offices of SC&P, opens the door to Cooper's office and takes a moment to stare inside.... and then, hanging his head, turns and removes the nameplate from the door.... oh my God. Bert Cooper is dead. A voice calls out,"Hello?" and he turns to see Joan arriving, tears in her eyes. They hug, Joan weeping and telling him she is sorry, and moments later Cutler comes walking up the stairs, having also gotten the information. He joins them, giving his condolences to Roger, calling Cooper a giant of the advertising world. He offers a brief touch of Joan's shoulder as Roger gives her a handkerchief and she declares Cooper was a wonderful man, before regathering herself somewhat and promising to have his obituary ready within the hour, suggesting they divide the clients up amongst them to let them know. Roger points out that it is 1am and the world isn't just closed for tonight but for tomorrow as well, an obvious nod to the celebrations that will be in place after the moon landing... do they really have to do this right away? Joan is quiet on that, but it can't be far from her mind the horrible night when Roger had a heart attack and she and Cooper spent the evening getting the word out to all their clients so they were both informed and had their minds set at ease about the future of the Agency. And it is the future of the Agency on Cutler's mind right now too, as in an appalling bit of timing he points out that as tragic as this is, it at least means they can make the clients aware of the future of the company.... and to give Don Draper a send-off ALONG with Bert Cooper! Jesus loving Christ, Cutler. Joan can't believe it, while Roger is infuriated, especially when Cutler calmly points out that once Harry's Partnership is confirmed and with Cooper out of the picture, Don being voted out is a foregone conclusion. Disgusted, Roger notes that Cooper hasn't even been dead an hour and Cutler is already prying open his cold hands, but Cutler won't be drawn into the emotion of it all, simply declaring a vision for the Agency just like Cooper said he had: computer services, media buys pinpointed with surgical accuracy, the offering of services BEYOND their clients, the Agency of the Future. Outside of the computer services, he's basically suggesting exactly the Ad Agency that Duck Phillips wanted to turn Sterling Cooper into. Only this time, there's no Don Draper clever trick to turn the tables, there's just Roger floating in the void left by the absence of what felt like the immortal presence of Bert Cooper, with Cooper's own words about his lack of leadership echoing in the dark. "If this what would happen if I died?" he asks Joan bitterly, and walks to his office without another word. Joan says nothing of course, but as mentioned above, she knows that Cooper would have done that in a heartbeat... it's just that he would have been more open about how sad he was while doing it, while Cutler is clearly mostly unbothered by Cooper's death and more excited by the opportunities it affords. Cutler reaches out and closes Cooper's door, no nameplate on it now, no bizarre Randian Japanophile whose eccentric air hid the fact he was an accomplished and extremely canny businessman to ever occupy it again and demand people remove their shoes before they enter. Bert Cooper is dead.   In Cos Cobb, Neil is outside looking through Bobby's telescope when Sally joins him, asking if anybody else is around, explaining she doesn't want anybody giving her poo poo for smoking. She starts to place a cigarette in her mouth, but when Neil simply comments,"Smoking gives you cancer" and goes back to his telescope, she actually removes it: perhaps she thought her line was a cool one and made her seem more adult, but Neil's being unimpressed and simply telling her something that more and more people were coming to realize was the truth quickly changed her mind. She asks if he can see the moon, and he explains it has already "set", and he didn't want to stay watching the television and listening to reporters and their families talking about things he clearly doesn't think they really understand. So what is he looking at then? Polaris, he tells her, explaining it is a star, and offers her to take a look. She's surprised that she can't see anything, until he chuckles and asks if she can see her eyelashes and she realizes she has mashed them against the viewer. He has her tilt her head back and open her eyes wide, and she delightedly exclaims she can see it. "Isn't that better than TV?" he asks, and she agrees it is.... and then kisses him. Haha, eat poo poo, Sean! "What do I do now?" he asks after she breaks away, and before she can answer Carolyn calls out to ask where he is. "I'm out here!" he calls back, his voice breaking slightly, humiliated at his mommy calling him in the moment just after his first kiss (and as far as we know, Sally's first if you don't count that little boy when they were playing in Rye). This is compounded by Carolyn immediately demanding he get inside because it's bed time, and Sally can't help but grin, not mocking him but more amused by the situation - as first kisses go it wasn't the most romantic: she was the one who instigated it and while he's closer to her age her interest had seemed to be entirely in his handsome older brother... but it was also a moment that SHE chose, unlike when Glenn's friend tried to kiss her at Miss Porter's. So Neil races inside, though he probably won't be getting much sleep, while Sally lights up her cigarette, all thoughts of cancer gone now, and stares up at the sky where man is walking on the moon but there is an infinity more to consider, even beyond simply Polaris shining bright in the sky. Don is still up in his motel room watching coverage from the moon when the phone rings. He answers and is surprised it is Roger, mostly because he has no idea how Roger managed to track him down. There's a simple explanation for that, his itinerary was on Caroline's desk, because yes he is at the office... because Bert Cooper is dead. Sitting up on the edge of his bed, Don is stunned, telling Roger how sorry he is and how much he knows Cooper meant to him, but is surprised at the intensity from Roger when he weepingly admits that he's about to lose Don too. Don somehow isn't surprised to learn the first thing Cutler did was announce he had the votes to oust Don, grunting that at least he's consistent, while Roger sighs and tries his best to crack a joke, saying he should have known Cooper was about to die because that's what happens whenever an old man starts talking about Napoleon! Having no idea what that means, Don ponders more the Cooper situation than his own, wondering out loud if his sister (last seen season 2 as they agreed to sell to PPL) is still alive. Roger doesn't answer that though, he's emotionally distraught and drunk enough (yes, he is of course drinking) that he can only think about how his last encounter with Cooper was not what he would have wanted it to be, as they never are when a death comes unexpected. He notes that maybe Cooper was right about him, sad that the last thing he said to him was lyrics from an old song, barely noticing or at least not believing when Don promises him that Cooper was proud of him. Roger tells him to give Burger Chef hell tomorrow and hangs up. He goes back to watching the television in his office, the moon landing that filled him with such awe only a couple of hours earlier now having lost some of its luster. It is the same for Don in Indianapolis, who had suspected his staving off firing so recently was only a stay of execution and now has confirmation of that. He pulls out a cigarette, watching as television explains Armstrong and Aldrin have now returned to the lunar module and sealed the hatch, thinking about what he can do next... and what he SHOULD do. The answer, unsurprisingly, is to go and see Peggy Olson. She's up of course, still watching the coverage of the moon on television. She checks the peephole (it REALLY better not be Ginsberg there!) and is surprised to see Don. He asks to speak with her and of course her first thought is that something is wrong, but once they're inside he simply states that there has been a change of plan and SHE will give the presentation tomorrow. "Did Harry tell you about my dream?" she sighs, and he has to laugh because of course he has no idea what she's talking about, and we don't either. But no, he insists that she'll be the one to present now, and they're going to spend a couple of hours now to give her a chance to refresh before she gets some sleep and is fresh for the presentation itself. For just a moment the excitement of the idea reaches her, and then she shakes her head, assuming he's toying with her, telling him it isn't funny, not believing that the presentation that was supposed to be hers in the first place is being given back to her. But Don turns off the television, and sighs before he explains why he came to this decision: she must have heard that the other Partners have been trying to get rid of him, and now his concern is that if he presents and then gets fired, the Burger Chef Account might fall through and she'll be left with nothing. This way, she can present, win the Account, and if he goes then she's still the shining light of SC&P's Creative Team who won the Agency a big account. Oh my God. Don's being selfless. Legitimately. Seriously. Figuring that his days are numbered, he's doing the actual right thing and looking out for somebody else, in this case Peggy. Almost any other season's Don Draper would have let the Agency deal with the Client fallout of firing him, but in this moment at least Don has enough thoughtfulness to think how this might affect a friend and former protege who has become a true peer, especially since it was supposed to be her Presentation originally and it was taken away for her in favor of him. Peggy can't believe it, admitting that she had thought everything was finally back to normal, and he agrees that he thought it was too, before also admitting something he seemingly never quite seemed to grasp fully before: actions have consequences. He's accepting his own (large) share of the blame for this situation, and trying his best to make it as right as it can, he wants the Burger Chef Account to be HER business, not tainted by association with him. When she reminds him that Pete was the one who insisted that Don present, Don reminds her of another important fact: Pete is "pregnant" and has to do what they say: in other words, Pete is now in a position where he CAN'T say no to them, because Burger Chef are waiting for a presentation, and if Don refuses to do it then Peggy has to be the one. Taking a seat on the bed, clutching at her collar, Peggy freaks out, saying there isn't enough time, that the moon landing being a success means now she has to present hamburgers to people who just touched the face of God! But Don calmly discounts her objections, pointing out she's been watching and listening to him hone his presentation for weeks, that being "the voice of moms" isn't a bad thing and perhaps what they should have gone with from the start, and that while he may never have seen her present he has "overheard things", not elaborating about the time he listened in at the door to her presenting to Heinz sauces and realized just how truly talented she was and always had been but unable to show it when working for him. So Peggy buries her head in her hands, overwhelmed, and offers a last objection that is more a capitulation that they're going to do this, lamenting,"We have no liquor!"   Monday morning comes, and Roger Sterling sits apparently calm and centered reading his newspaper in a small diner. Greeted by his invited guest he stands and shakes his hands, quipping that it turns out they landed a man on the moon! The other man chuckles and takes his seat, Roger pondering what Neil Armstrong will do with the rest of his life... presumably screw every hot woman in Florida! The other man remains amused, but he also wants to know why Roger called him at sunrise to arrange this meeting, surely not to discuss the meaning of life? The other man? Why it's Jim Hobart from McCann Erickson, of course. Still cheerful, betraying no sign of his grief and loss, Hobart's lack of condolences indicating the promised obituary has NOT gone out yet, Roger jokes that he just wanted to know if Buick had left them yet. Hobart laughs at the suggestion, asking why they would do that... and with smugness born of knowing he's right, Roger lays out Hobart's worst fears as guessed at by him following his discovery of Joan's knowledge last episode: SC&P have a working relationship with GM who know they can handle a bigger car than the Chevy XP.... and their Chevy Account Man just made the move to Buick, OBVIOUSLY SC&P are being lined up to take over advertising for the Buick Division, which would be a heavy blow to McCann Erickson. For once Hobart has no clever remark, he takes a moment to consider any angle and then simply sits back and declares,"Uncle", acknowledging that Roger has the upper hand. So why this meeting then? Because Roger - keeping his own cards close to his chest about his own dire straits - wants to know what Hobart had in mind when he made the overture towards them at the steam room last episode: what's the deal up for grabs? Very interested now, Hobart explains he wants the whole Chevy Team: Roger, Cutler, Don Draper and Ted Chaough. He's offering a headhunting operation, gutting SC&P of four partners and transferring that relationship they have with Chevy back to McCann Erickson to help them hold onto Buick... plus of course the benefits that will come from putting that expertise on other accounts. But Roger thinks that is thinking too small, noting that McCann is in the acquisitions business and that he has a vision (just like Cooper said he didn't).... why not buy the WHOLE company? Intrigued, Hobart lets him talk, wanting to hear what is on offer. Roger lays out their assets, ALL of their Accounts, their cutting edge computer, every employee he considers worth taking (some poor bastard is gonna be left with nothing, and presumably Cutler would only get a cut off the sale profits and booted out, a golden handshake worth the price for getting him out of Roger's hair).... but not to work in McCann Erickson, to continue on as an independent subsidiary of McCann. Roger goes further, laying out exactly why this would benefit them both: they're about to win Burger Chef which McCann has lost, so they'd have it back under their umbrella... but Roger would have HIS company still, just without Jim Cutler and the CGC baggage he wants to get rid of. Hobart finally speaks, and it's to make things clear: he listed Cutler as a requirement earlier, but he doesn't even mention him now, clearly having zero compunction with dumping that "necessity" out. But the driving force of his desire for SC&P remains his intentions to keep Buick within McCann Erickson's umbrella, so that means he MUST have Ted Chaough as part of the deal. Roger can't understand why, knowing how utterly detached from creative work Ted has become, but Hobart lays out the clearest reason possible: GM think of Don and Ted as one person, assuming their Creative Vision is collaborative, linked, that the strong work they've produced has been the product of their combined talents. If Roger wants HIS vision to be realized, he must include Ted Chaough as part of the deal... and if he can't do that, then Hobart can't help him. Sitting at the table, Roger taps the ash from his cigarette and considers. Ted is a problem, but one he can live with... but can he convince Ted to be part of this, given how much he's fallen apart since the move to California? This will require something from Roger that he is desperate to prove he has, that he is desperate to prove he is. A leader. But while Roger is attempting his end-run on Cutler, in Indianapolis Peggy Olson is feeling the pressure as she sits at the table with the Burger Chef execs, blood pounding in her head and drowning out the noise of the room, watching Pete and George Payton cackle across the table from her. Beside her seat Don and Harry, Don turning to look at her, waiting to see if she's ready. She stares back, and gives an imperceptible nod... and suddenly she's clear-headed, the drowned out noise disappearing, Don's voice coming through loud and clear as he introduces her and lays out her clear qualifications to speak, not least of which being her visit of 20 restaurants in nine States, interviews of 100s of customers and is uniquely qualified to lead the modern campaign SC&P have developed. "Every great ad tells a story," Don explains, the line he originally planned to launch his own pitch with. Pete stares on, clearly unhappy at the change of plans but as promised powerless to do anything to stop them. But now Don makes the shift, explaining that the person to tell THIS story... is Peggy Olson. She starts at the most obvious point, thanking Don and pointing out there was no better story than the one they saw last night on television. She ponders whether it is the technological achievement or the fact ALL of them were doing the same thing at the same time that was the most impressive, noting that even now in this room she can feel the pleasure of that connection they all shared... and that's because this is what they have ALL been starved for. Polite at first but now intrigued, they listen as notes that same connection will be felt when the astronauts return, and they'll never forget the moment as long as they live... but regardless of these achievements, she is going to return to New York tonight and find a 10-year-old in her apartment parked in front of the television as he eats his dinner. Don manages to suppress his confusion at this line, having no idea she's speaking the complete truth, that any suggestion Julio is her son is being made by them but not told by her, while Peggy continues, explaining that this 10-year-old boy just represents what they already know without her charging them for a research report: most television sets in the United States are only six feet away from the television. "That dinner table is your battlefield and your prize," she asserts, proclaiming this is the truth of the "modern home", laying out scenarios that they almost all recognize: no more is the nuclear family seen on television the way things are, working dad, devoted housewife mother, boys playing football and girls doing ballet. No, the truth is that dads like Sinatra, the son likes the Rolling Stones, the television is always on, Vietnam is always there in the background, the news always wins the battle for who gets to watch what: there's an endless range of competing desires from everybody in the family.... and you're left starving, not just for dinner, but for that connection that everybody shared watching the moon landing the night before. "What if there was another table?" she asks, standing at last,"Where everybody gets what they want, when they want it?" She talking longingly of a place bright and clean, where there is no television, no laundry, no distractions, where you can have that connection. "There may be chaos at home," she says, looking directly into George Payton's eyes,"But there's family supper at Burger Chef." "That's... beautiful," admits Payton, the other execs also caught up in the spell she has weaved, and a genuine smile of relief breaks across Peggy's face as she admits she is glad to hear that... and removes the art board to reveal the name of their proposed campaign: "Family Supper at Burger Chef". Delighted at the reveal, George turns to Pete whose own doubts have been completely blown away, the two sharing gleeful smiles before returning their attention to Peggy. Removing the title card, she shows an overhead shot of one of their restaurant tables and begins to detail the way the ad will be shot. It's largely extraneous now, though, because she won them over with that preamble: she hit exactly the right notes at exactly the right time, bringing in her own flourishes that both would have never occurred to Don and wouldn't have had the same "authority" she brings them as the "voice of the moms". Peggy just hit an absolute home run, and everybody in this room knows it... and for once, Peggy knows it too.   A satisfied but tired Don returns home to New York, but when he steps out of his elevator with luggage in hand he finds a surprise guest waiting for him outside his door: Roger Sterling. He's confused how Roger got up there, and he reminds him of his superpower: money. At least Jonesy (I assume) only let the bribe go so far, refusing to let him into the apartment at least. "Cooper still dead?" Don asks when Roger says they need to talk, and he admits Cooper's situation hasn't changed... but theirs has. They step inside, Roger asking for a drink and how Burger Chef went, and Don is happy to say it went great, but also knows that isn't likely to be why Roger stopped by... so Roger straight up tells him. There's an offer from McCann Erickson to buy them. Don's eyes widen and Roger immediately asks him to hear him out, knowing exactly how Don dreads the idea of working for them. He promises they'll be a subsidiary, separately operated, but Don doesn't believe it. Passing Roger his drink, he reminds him that they started SCDP to get AWAY from McCann, but Roger reminds him that a lot has happened since then, some good but alot bad. This way they keep their building, their offices, Don keeps his job, and Roger gets to be president of "Sterling Cooper", apparently already planning to take the old title back (after all, McCann will own that after buying PPL), at least keeping Cooper's name in the mix. It sounds too good to be true though, and Don doesn't believe they'll be able to resist sticking thier noses in and trying to run things. But Roger points out that they have stayed hands off with the Marschalk Agency, and since they're buying 51% of the company Don stands to make an absolute fortune from his Partnership share. Angrily, Don complains that fine, Roger can have his vote... but that isn't going to help, if he can't even convince the other Partners to save Don's job now how is he going to convince them to sell up the company? Trying to make light of the task, Roger notes he's working on it and that Don himself is of essence to the deal... but so is Ted Chaough. Bewildered, Don demands to know what he thinks he is doing, isn't the point to to get them free of Cutler? How can they do that if Ted is still part of the equation? Besides, he doesn't want to be part of the "business" anymore, he just wants to do the work, he has always rankled at the duties of a Partner and how they got in the way of the Creative side of the work he truly enjoyed. Now it is Roger's turn to complain, pointing out that the rest of them aren't exactly raring at the bit to type up resumes and go out looking for work again... but that is what is going to happen if Cutler's ascendancy isn't checked: it'll just be Harry and the Computer left at the Agency! "That means everybody goes.... and you know it," he finishes, including his drink, passing the glass back to Don before making his exit, leaving Don to consider once again that actions have consequences... and that other people can be hurt by his actions (or inactions). The next morning finds Joan and Ted entering Roger's office, Ted admitting he's sad his return to New York came under these circumstances. Cutler joins them as Joan explains she has Don getting the staff together for a noon presentation, asking if this meeting is to prepare their remarks re: Cooper, Cutler (of course) having already put in some work and having chosen a poem to read in memorial of their fallen leader: an utterly transparent ploy cynically chosen to say all the right things on the surface level. He of course immediately moves on to the pressing business that "must" follow, treating it as a given once again that they've all agreed on Don's "departure". "I have an announcement of my own," Ted starts to say, and Cutler quickly cuts him off saying it doesn't need to be dealt with today. The absolute LAST thing he wants is for Ted to announce he wants Cutler to buy him out, both because it creates the possibility Roger might buy his share and increase his power, and because losing Ted in addition to Don would leave them with ONLY Lou Avery as their Creative Director, a far from compelling notion even for an Agency that has shifted away from its Creative Driven focus. Pete arrives, letting them know he hasn't heard about Burger Chef, and Don arrives last (of course), Roger thanking them but asking them to take a seat so they can discuss urgent business, something none of them but Don knew was on the table. Suspicious, never liking not knowing what is going on, Cutler joins the others, and Roger takes his seat and announces an incredible opportunity: McCann Erickson wants to buy a 51% stake in SC&P. Startled glances are exchanged, as Roger quickly assures them they would remain independently operated, and McCann's only condition is that they all sign 5-year contracts. "Including Don?" asks Cutler, and Roger gives as clear an answer as possible: ESPECIALLY Don. Cutler lets that slide for a moment, focusing on what he has just perceived is the greater threat: Roger Sterling. "You'll be our King?" he asks, and Roger simply shrugs and agrees that he DID put the deal together, moving quickly on past that to again sell the benefits: they keep their name, their office, their clients. When Pete asks WHY McCann would offer them such a sweet deal, Roger's explanation is again simple: SC&P has become a legitimate threat, and McCann plans to neutralize it in the best way they know how, with cold, hard cash. "When did you do this?" demands Cutler, mind racing as he sees the angles and realizes that Roger pulling this off cuts off ALL his avenues of ascension, trying to talk over Joan whose interest has been piqued by the term "Cold, hard cash." Roger ignores Cutler, happily telling Joan he'll use her as an example since she asked: a valuation of 65 million for the agency means a 51% purchase will get her - holding a 5% stake in the company - 1.5 million dollars. One. Point. Five. Million. Dollars. "25% upon signing," he adds, and Joan's face bursts into a smile, Pete sitting beside her getting wide-eyed and his own smile breaking out. "Oh my goodness!" gasps Joan, who saw her 1 million dollar payday spoiled by Don when they failed to go Public, now being offered half that again. "I'VE GOT 10%!" gasps Pete, realizing he stands to make 3 million from this, his own late-in-life earned wealth about to be multiplied to the point he will likely be set for life in a way his parents inheritance failed to provide. THIS is the answer to how Roger will convince the others to sell the company, not an appeal to emotion, but to simply lay out the financial benefit for doing so. Trying to hide his own desperation, Cutler tells them to keep counting those chickens before they're hatched... because this is all a pathetic ploy and a delusion. But if there's one thing that Roger is confident with, it's the appeal of money, as he agrees that this is a delusion... until they all vote on it. Suddenly the door opens and Harry Crane walks in, apologizing and saying he only just heard about the Partner's meeting, and a relieved Cutler says it is perfect timing... until Roger calmly points out that he hasn't signed a Partnership agreement yet, so he's missed the boat. "What's going on?" asks Harry, sensing something big is up, but Roger again calmly tells him it is none of his business. "I'LL TAKE THE DEAL!" cries Harry, alarmed, desperate as he grasps he's missing out on whatever is up for grabs, sensing it probably involves big money, hoping his craven willingness to go with whatever is on the table will get him a seat.... but Roger simply tells him good-bye, taking great satisfaction in denying the man who was going to be made a Partner over his strenuous objection.   "Don't worry about it," Cutler promises a horrified Harry, who leaves the office closing the door behind him, looking both miserable and also resigned to the fact that yet again he has missed out on what he believes he deserves. As Ted sits contemplating all this, Cutler insists he won't vote for the deal, and Roger shrugs and says that is fine since he isn't of essence to the deal. "And you are?" scoffs Cutler, and Roger again takes great satisfaction in saying that he is.... all McCann cares about is he, Don and Ted. But this is where the first major hiccup finally occurs, as Ted asks in disbelief if Don is really willing to sign a contract to work at McCann for five years? Don notes he has put a lot of thought into this, Joan saying she's sure he did, both a note on his own desperation to keep his status as well as an acknowledgement that clearly this announcement by Roger did NOT come as a surprise to him. But Don stresses that he has decides to do whatever is necessary to keep JIM from breaking up the Agency, a claim that Cutler again scoffs at, saying what he really means is to save his own hide. Ted's concern isn't with Jim and Don's battle though, or Jim and Roger's for that matter. He explains that he might not want to cost them all money, but the truth he is simply DONE with advertising, the announcement that Cutler was trying to prevent him from making earlier. Pete points out that with a 20% share he stands to make 6 million, but Ted isn't bothered, noting he'll make plenty of money from selling his Partnership as it currently stands. He begs Roger to do it without him, and Roger minces no words in asking if he thinks he didn't already TRY to do that? But Ted doesn't want it. Five years? That would be the rest of his life, he wouldn't be able to make it that long, and he can't do it even for all that money, he just can't. Now Joan and Pete turn against him, Pete's own disdain for Ted only intensifying, Joan outraged that once again one of the male Partners is going to cost her the guaranteed financial security for both her and Kevin that her work should have long ago brought them.. Cutler though is smugly satisfied, offering an insincere "sorry" to Roger that his little ploy failed, noting that while he may have the votes he doesn't have the deal, and saying it's time to put this "nonsense" behind them and go out side to say a fond farewell to Cooper. Now Roger is at a loss, he's carried them this far, but his Vision and his Leadership remain predicated on the notion that enough money will turn anybody's head. So it is that he once again turns to an old and successful partnership to achieve together what they could neither of them achieve alone: where Roger's money will not suffice, Don's words must carry the day. In what will be one of the most important pitches of his life, Don speaks eloquently, heartfelt, aiming for that same connection with Ted that Peggy spoke about them all craving. He asks if Ted would be happy to just be able to go back to working Creative without having to worry about all the business nonsense that came with being a Partner? Ted miserably points out he already has that working out of California and it has brought him no happiness, but Don stresses he didn't REALLY have that freedom, just the hollow version of it. Now Don? Don himself DID lose every part of advertising after they sent him on leave last year, and for the first time in his life he realized that he would do ANYTHING to get it back. This is the man who once told Roger if he left Sterling Cooper it would be to do "something else" other than advertising, a man who has now discovered he was wrong, that advertising truly is in his blood and cannot be denied. He wrote tags, he wrote coupons, he did things he hadn't done since he first started in advertising, he was that desperate just to be back. He knows Ted, he knows the man he walked into Chevy with, and while he may not have to work for them... he DOES have to work. THIS is the Don Draper that Jim Cutler feared. Not the bully and the drunk. Not the football player in a suit. This is the wordsmith, the magic man, the honey-voiced authoritative Word of God who convinces you to beleive whatever he says. "You don't wanna see what happens when it's REALLY gone," Don warns him, and a horrified Cutler realizing that Don's words are getting to his Partner. Frantic, he reminds him to think of the last time Don talked him into something (does he mean Chevy, or does he still believe Don "tricked" Ted into going to Los Angeles?), while Don simply waits, wisely saying nothing more, knowing that this point any further pushing would just meet resistance. "....I don't know..." mumbles Ted, and Joan and Pete wince, devastated.... but then Ted continues, quietly asking if this means he'd have to move back to the city? "Ted's in!" declares Roger immediately, correctly guessing just saying that means Ted has already decided - at least subconsciously - to go with the deal,"Let's have a vote!" He ignores Ted's quiet protest to hold on, calling again for the vote and asking for everybody in favor. Roger, Don, Pete and Joan immediately raise their hands, Joan beaming at Roger, Pete GLARING at Ted... and finally with a weary little smile Ted raises his hand to, to the great relief of all but Jim Cutler. And then Jim Cutler raises his hand too! "Really?" asks Roger, stunned that Cutler is suddenly onboard, and Cutler proves once again why he has been so successful in Advertising, simply shrugging now that he knows he has lost and betraying no hard feelings when he admits,"It's a lot of money!" https://i.imgur.com/D8rZdjz.mp4 They emerge from Roger's office, Joan stunned that she's just made her fortune in a single unexpected meeting, Pete completely unable to keep the broad grin off his face. Outside, furniture is being moved about to allow for the all staff meeting, but Don moves away from the other Partners and heads for the stairs. He encounters Peggy as she reaches the Account Floor, letting him know that Burger Chef contacted her after they couldn't reach any of the Partners... they got the Account! With a big smile, he agrees that they heard what he heard, and gives her a hug. She squeezes him tightly, but as they part she notices he is heading down the stairs and asks where he is going, and with great satisfaction he explains he is going back to work. She smiles again as he goes, if she even knows Ted Chaough is there for right now and this moment at least it simply doesn't matter to her. The woman who fell to her knees crying at the start of the season over the emptiness the working life that she'd pursued at the expense of everything is gone, replaced by a confidant woman who has rebuilt the strained relationship with her former mentor, has realized you don't stop being attractive to men when you hit 30, and more importantly has proven that she is every bit the Creative force to be reckoned with as one of the best pitch-men in the business. She is competent, she is energized, she is satisfied. She is Peggy Olson. Dawn calls everybody to attention and hands it over to Roger, who starts with the sad news, acknowledging it has been a weekend of National Pride but that on Sunday they lost their beloved Founder Bertram Cooper. As he continues, his voice fades out as the camera cuts to Don reaching the Creative Floor and heading towards his office while straggler employees race up the stairs behind him. But as he draws closer to what was his old office, a familiar voice suddenly calls out,"Don, my boy!" Turning, Don stares in shock at Bertram Cooper, shoeless of course, standing on the bottom stair with a big smile. "Bert?" he asks, confused, and suddenly Cooper launches into song. Grabbing a passing secretary as music chimes in, Cooper begins to dance, surrounded by secretaries, singing about how the moon belongs to everyone and the best things in life are free. Don watches, face caught between a smile and grief, as he imagines the man who stood as the symbol of power and influence as first his employer, later his fellow Partner and for a brief time somewhat of a friend, dancing and singing, happy and, most importantly, alive. His own grief never had a chance to process, caught up in his fears for his own job, the effort to aid Roger in a McCann deal he himself may not quite believe will be as smooth as Roger promises, and the simple fact that his relationship with Cooper had been considerably strained in this last year. This scene could have simply been included as one last hurrah for Robert Morse, a noted Broadway and musical actor long before he was in Mad Men. But as bizarre as a sudden musical dance number appearing in an episode of Mad Men is, it has purpose and meaning. Don watches Cooper uncharacteristically dance and sing his way to another office, the door closing behind him as he gives a flourish and a happy wave goodbye. This is in some ways the farewell Don didn't get to have, remembering Cooper with a smile on his face and a exhortation that everybody deserves love... yes, even Don Draper. Not to remember Cooper's part in casting him out, his clear disdain as he explained to Don that his return was under duress and only intended to contain any possible damage he could do to them. But to remember and hope for a happier, friendlier Cooper who liked him and wanted good things for him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKgPTkIulEI The music stops, the last employees move up the stairs having of course seen nothing because there was nothing to see, and in his moment of triumph Don Draper is once again alone. He sits on the edge of what used to be his secretary's desk, outside what used to be his office. He has saved himself and regained security at SC&P, successfully and permanently fighting off Jim Cutler's attempts to oust him and even rebuilding his connection with Peggy... but he has still lost so much. Megan is gone, he is alone, the loyalty of others was mostly gained by promises of money over any real personal love for him, the specter of McCann looms over him closer than ever before after he has avoided their grasp so many times over the last seven seasons. So the last episode of the first half of Season 7 (episode 8 would not air for almost a year after this) ends on a strange note, but also a familiar one: Don Draper, alone and unhappy, wondering if everything he has done was worth it in the end.  Episode Index Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Jul 3, 2022 |
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Jul 2, 2022 13:05
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One of the greatest episodes in tv history. Every single part lands exactly as intended.
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Jul 2, 2022 15:21
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Rest in peace, Robert Morse.
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Jul 2, 2022 15:44
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Return of the Necromancer
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Jul 2, 2022 17:04
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yeah honestly this is very much a near perfect episode of television as far as i'm concerned. definitely up there with "The Suitcase"
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Jul 2, 2022 17:20
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For some weird reason I feel like this shot of Don makes him look like Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes
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Jul 2, 2022 18:39
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Amazing episode, best of the season for sure. Would definitely recommend viewing the next batch as its own season 8 rather than the 7.5 thing like the sopranos did. It has some truly beautiful moments I love the look on Ken when Harry gets poo poo on by the partners.
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Jul 2, 2022 21:01
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Phenomenal write up of a phenomenal episode. It's been years since I've seen it, but I can still see every scene in my head. There's nothing wasted, and everything lands perfectly. It's one of the few pieces of media I've seen that really captures how the moon landing must have felt. I honestly feel like it was a tipping point in American society, and everything just got progressively worse from there. Like, my generation's "moon landing" moment was the Challenger disaster. The next generation's was 9/11. Gen Z got COVID and an insurrection. It was the last flare of the illusion of America. I know it's rose colored glasses and the era was actually poo poo for wide swathes of people, but I still have a weird nostalgia for the idea that for a few days everyone could mostly agree on something positive. The Berlin Wall falling is the closest I can think of in my lifetime.
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Jul 2, 2022 22:07
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This is one of those plot-plot-plot-story-story-story episodes that are kind of unusual for the show, but what an episode it is. And it still manages to fit Peggy's moment of triumph at Burger Chef in there! (I always remember Ted's plane stunt coming earlier in the season than this.) Two absolutely perfect character moments in the partners' meeting: Pete boasting "I'VE GOT TEN PERCENT!" right in Joan's face as she's processing the news about what her share in the buyout will be, and Cutler's simple "It's a lot of money." in his moment of surrender. Bismack Billabongo posted:Would definitely recommend viewing the next batch as its own season 8 rather than the 7.5 thing like the sopranos did. It has some truly beautiful moments Seconding this; AMC spun it as "Season 7 Part 2" but Weiner and the creative team clearly approached it as an entirely new, distinct thing. (Plus they didn't film back-to-back, there was a nearly year-long pause between production of the two halves.)
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Jul 2, 2022 23:47
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This episode always left a bad taste in my mouth purely because of the season split. I hate that poo poo
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Jul 2, 2022 23:49
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1969 dollars are ~8:1 so that is $12 and $24 million for joan and pete.
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Jul 3, 2022 01:11
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i feel like i'm one of few people who the season splitting thing just doesn't bother. i'd rather have shows still be alive as long as they aren't being dragged out so doing 6 eps then another 7 however many months later is fine with me. i also prefer to think of the two halves as one season because i don't like it when tv shows have varying episode lengths. it's okay for revivals, but i like to think of season 7 as just a big bumper finale for mad men and, now that it's in the past, the split has dissolved for me.
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Jul 3, 2022 01:13
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Gaius Marius posted:This episode always left a bad taste in my mouth purely because of the season split. I hate that poo poo seasons 7 and 7.5 have clearly defined arcs with a satisfying end so it's not as egregious as something like a mid-arc cutoff
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Jul 3, 2022 02:15
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I think I mentioned it before but when Jon Hamm talks about the back half of 7 he called it season 8. And next episode is like a 6 month jump which was usually what they did for season changes. And you finally get to see Don in a 70s blue shirt
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Jul 3, 2022 03:27
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Given it's basically the same length as the other seasons, I'm going to keep it considered as "season 7". But based on how different the back half feels I may break up my end of season retrospective into two halves. Like, I have no idea if episode 8 takes place 1 minute, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year or more after episode 7 so I can't really judge if they feel like two different seasons just yet! Something I'm really interested in is which characters return and which don't. I think because I know this is the last season, the last few episodes I've seen a few character scenes as potentially being exits from the series but have no idea if they are or not. Like, I was positive Megan was done as a regular character back towards the start of the season when she kicked Don out of LA, and episode 7 ALSO felt like the end of her character's story but she absolutely could still return. Same deal with Cutler and Ginsberg, the former I have no idea if he's going to still be around post acquisition or not, and Ginsberg I have no idea HOW he comes back to the Agency but maybe there's still more to happen with him as a character outside of that. It's fun not knowing but being aware I'm so close to finding out! Also I gotta say once again just how much I appreciate how careful you all have been about using spoiler tags - I don't think I've been spoiled on anything yet and that's really quite remarkable.
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Jul 3, 2022 03:29
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spoilers: season 7.5 owns bones imo
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Jul 3, 2022 04:08
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I really think it would have been a lot better received with a different actress playing Diana. I think the storyline is good but her affectation is flat and I think people just think the actress is bad. I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in anything else and I would prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt. Rachel Mencken dying is heartbreaking.
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Jul 3, 2022 04:24
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bert talk: it's funny to hear the supposed staunch randian capitalist claim that "a leader is loyal to his team." and right after that, he even admonishes don for not being loyal! it's hard to reconcile s1 bert with s7 bert without claiming that he made a serious philosophical shift by the end of his life. I like to think it was don himself that caused a change in bert's outlook. don's ascendancy and downfall demonstrated the reality of the objectivist ideal, made all the more poignant by the fact that it was bert himself who initially nurtured don as his own little baby john galt. while it might be beneath bert to feel any guilt for "creating the monster," as he claimed in season 4, the luster of the self-interested industrialist surely ought've dulled as he watched don repeatedly jeopardize his business.
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Jul 3, 2022 04:32
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wait Jerusalem did you not take a screencap of "that's a sensitive piece of horseflesh" how dare you between that and "not great bob" pete definitely gets the best line reads in the show
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Jul 3, 2022 06:21
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aBagorn posted:wait Jerusalem did you not take a screencap of "that's a sensitive piece of horseflesh" how dare you I wrote about it! aBagorn posted:between that and "not great bob" pete definitely gets the best line reads in the show Also a big fan of,"AND THE CLIENTS WANT TO LIVE TOO, TED!  " while Cutler is futilely trying to manage the situation.
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Jul 3, 2022 06:36
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i remember when this episode leaked early on japanese tv or somesuch and i read a summary. everybody thought drat this poo poo is gonna suck! turns out it's an all-timer and lists of secondhand bullet points are a bad way to absorb entertainment media
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Jul 3, 2022 08:10
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R. Guyovich posted:episode leaked early on japanese tv or somesuch and i read a summary Initially I made a bad joke about the Japanese being mad the only character who was into Japanese culture got killed off, so instead I'll just say that yeah I can't see reading a summary written from an episode viewed from a leak into a different country probably filtered through at least one translation was probably a terrible way to get a good sense of the episode. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 08:32 on Jul 3, 2022 |
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Jul 3, 2022 08:29
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 16:36 |
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great episode and great write-up. another top ten line in the series: "Over Dresden?! I wanted to live!"
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Jul 3, 2022 20:11
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