An important albeit brief recap of episode 6: The bigwigs from London came to scrutinize the Sterling Cooper office, and a secretary on a runaway lawn mower ran over their ace ad man’s foot. Not only was this moment extremely iconic for its gruesome shock value, it will also have major consequences for the entire staff. The unfortunate foot’s owner, Guy, had just revealed a restructuring plan that includes himself as the new COO. A dismayed Lane Price was apparently being awarded for his good work by being shipped off to their Bombay office. Roger Sterling wasn’t even listed on the restructuring plan, which Guy deemed an oversight. In the aftermath of the accident, the executives claim that they will have to reconsider the restructuring, as Guy has lost a foot and can no longer walk. This implies that Guy is nothing to them if disabled, and that Price will stay on as COO while they figure things out.
This week’s episode opened with a shot of Peggy in bed with a man. The format of the show was interesting, as we saw the outcome of several experiences before they were fully explained. I enjoyed the foreshadowing, as it built much suspense. Specifically, I didn’t immediately recognize the man that Peggy was with, and it certainly piqued my curiosity. The last person I would have expected it to be was Duck Phillips, but lo and behold, there they were, locked in the throes.
What didn’t surprise me was Betty’s decision to join the Junior League, nor did her suggestion to enlist Henry Francis to help them preserve an area of land that is being threatened by a water tank proposal. Betty is looking for some action and is willing to stir the pot, just like she gleefully did during her riding days. Much like that boring scenario, her flirtation with Francis doesn’t interest me much. I find Betty to be quite intriguing as a character, but mainly in her interaction with her immediate family (and perhaps a few neighbors.) I did enjoy the fact that she bought the fainting couch Francis suggested, upsetting her decorator in the process. It was indeed gaudy, but rather romantic in the Victorian way that Francis described while admiring it through the shop window.
Don certainly is being jerked around by Sterling Cooper. Not only was he ambushed with a contract, he was also threatened by an all too knowing Bert Cooper, who implied that Don would have to surrender in order to keep his identity a secret. During their tense exchange, Cooper also said that Don had been standing on someone’s shoulders throughout his tenure there. This was insulting, and in my opinion, untrue. Don has shown his independence on several occasions, including stating his misgivings toward dropping Mohawk Airlines and recruiting the “eccentric” Conrad Hilton as a client. I found it funny that Bert Cooper labeled Hilton an eccentric, as Cooper doesn’t wear shoes and constantly uses archaic parables in conversation. Pot, meet kettle.
Betty impressed me by standing up to Roger when he called to ask for help in coaxing Don into signing the contract. Don has repeatedly betrayed her, but she chose to back him up on this issue, at least in the presence of Roger, even though Don never told her about the contract. It must have really stung when she asked, “What’s the problem, Don? You don’t know where you’ll be in three years?” It angered him enough to leave for the night and embark on a creepy adventure with a hitchhiking couple that ended up robbing him.
I don’t find Don’s escapades with the young folk to be entirely believable. What exactly does he expect to get out of it? Is he trying to shed his image and indulge in escapism? It doesn’t seem like he could pull it off so easily. He is slick, and rather gorgeous, but he’s still seen as a suit to many- a slave to The Man. I personally haven’t enjoyed any of his experiences with the counterculture crowd- Midge, the girl from the Jet Set episode, or these two kids. It just seems so forced and unrealistic. I suppose I bought it in this instance because the couple was just looking for someone to rob, but even when Don was dancing with the girl, her fiancee implied that Don was too ancient or too far removed to even know how to dance. That seems more like the common reaction to a seemingly straight-laced ad man.
Peggy remains an exciting character because she continues to be unpredictable. I thought that after her shocking pregnancy (more of a shock to her than anyone else) she might be rather reluctant to get involved with a man again. But we’ve seen her willfully, if not desperately, engage with a few men since, and even a man whose attention she was otherwise deflecting. I wonder what it was about Duck that won her over- the fact that he so openly appreciated her for her work, in blaring contrast to Don who had just blasted her to kingdom come for inquiring about Hilton; or his impressive overture about having somehow overlooked her exceptional allure. It seems that when we are at our most vulnerable, all it takes is for someone to say the exact right thing and we become powerless. Who knows what consequences their tryst will create, but it will surely make for a scintillating storyline. And I thought it was so tacky that he would tell her that he loved the taste of liquor on her breath. Of course he did. He’s a recovering alcoholic!
Don’s conversation with Sally’s teacher at the eclipse viewing confused me. She flirts with him but implies that he’s hitting on her and claims that all men are the same. He calmly defends himself and insists that “they’re just talking.” This woman really seems to have a problem with transferring her anger. She also seems to have some pretty serious swings. Didn’t she recently call Don to apologize for her behavior at the parent teacher conference? Now she’s making Don out to be a stereotypical Lothario. Their interaction somehow ended on a pleasant note, as Don did a good job of redirecting things.
My favourite part was when Don came into work bruised, with a bandage on his face, and told people it was from “a fender bender.” Being familiar with his vehicular snafus, Peggy must have had an inkling of what really happened. I wonder if it gave her a sense of satisfaction after being so cruelly reprimanded by him. She handled the lashing very professionally, while I would have constructed a voodoo doll upon leaving his office. Maybe that’s how he ended up bloodied in that hotel room…
