Mad Men – Is the firm saved?

This week Mad Men delivered another outstanding episode — one of the best of the season. And that’s saying something, because I still think that season four has been the best season of the show to date. With Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce going down in flames after the Lucky Strike disaster, Don took matters into his own hands, with mixed responses and uncertain results.

His full page ad in the New York Times was a stroke of brilliance if you ask me. Sure, he’s probably not going to quit tobacco, but that clearly wasn’t the point. It was a clever move that put the firm in a position of moral high ground, almost making it seem like they were behind the split with Lucky Strike, even if everyone knows that is not the case. It was bold, and in true Don Draper fashion he didn’t even bother to consult with the rest of the partners. I suppose he knew that it would have ended with bets being hedged, but in the end it did chase out Bert Cooper. I don’t know if he is truly gone for good, but with the money due from all the partners it certainly seems that way. I will miss the quirky Cooper around the office, even if I was never sure what he did.

This episode was jam packed; there was a lot going on. I loved that Midge (played by the wonder Rosemarie Dewitt) showed up again, even if the circumstances were a little tragic. She was, after all, Don’s first mistress (or at least the first that we, the audience, got to know). Unfortunately, she has moved from groovy Bohemian to full on heroin junky, hunting down Don to try to get some money out of him. The whole encounter seemed to serve as a touchstone for Don, though. I’m not sure if he saw that things weren’t really all the bad for him, or if he suddenly had a more desperate urge to right his own ship. In either case, it seemed to spark something in him to write that anti-tobacco ad.

I think my favorite moment of the episode, predictably, came during a meeting between Peggy and Don. Seriously, is it possible to be a ‘shipper for a relationship that isn’t romantic? I love every second of Don and Peggy together. In any case, Peggy was called into Don’s office thinking that she might be getting the boot. Instead, Don needed her input on who to let go. There was a great honest Peggy moment as she was visibly relieved that her job was safe. The short conversation ended with a beautiful exchange that illustrated just how deep their bond goes. Don asked her about the letter, she gave him a wry smile and made a faux-challenging remark. It worked wonderfully.

Finally, we got to check in with Betty and Sally. I swear, the more mature Sally gets the more childish Betty gets. Now she can’t face the prospect of going to a psychiatrist, she only feels comfortable with a child psychiatrist? I suppose it makes sense, the last person she seemed to have an actual connection with was Glenn, who is now connecting with Sally. I enjoyed watching the two kids together, having conversations that normal kids their age have. Of course, when Betty found out she flipped — so much so that it looks like the Francis family will finally be moving out of the old house.

Thing just keep on changing on Mad Men, and with the end of the season barreling toward us much faster than I would like it to, you can be assured that more changes are in store.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 11, 2010 @ 19:34 EST5EDT