The Return Of The Return

Mad Men returned last week, and we got the return of some of the maddest men this week on "Christmas Comes But Once A Year."

I like where this season is going. On almost every front, we've got new problems for each character as they sail not so smoothly into the changes of the mid-60s. Even certain rocks we used to count on--Don's way with women--may be disappearing.

We start with Sally Draper and her family out shopping for a Christmas tree. She runs into Glen, the creepy kid from the first season who bonded with Betty over their suburban anomie. (Return #1). Has he set his sights on Sally? This can't be good.

At Cooper Sterling Don's secretary Allison reads him a letter from his daughter asking for Christmas gifts. She's touched. Don tells her to go out and buy gifts, including a bunch of Beatles 45s. Hooray! Our first mention of the biggest pop phenomenon of the 60s. I might add 1964 was the height of Beatlemania, and Allison will have plenty of choices, since there were 29 singles released in America under The Beatles name that year.

In Roger's office there's Freddy Rumsen, cashiered at the old agency for drinking--which takes some doing. (Return #2). He's now clean and sober, and is bringing in an account for a company that's so short of cash they're hardly having a Christmas party. So he's back, even though he wants nothing to do with Pete, who helped force him out. (And Don seems to be drinking--even more than Roger?)

Creepy Glen is calling Sally. They both live in broken families. Are they bonding over this?

At the agency, they're meeting with consumer researchers. The scientific world is impinging on the old ways. Dr. Faye Miller is one of the scientists. She's beautiful, as almost all women on the show are, because 1) it's TV and 2) it gives Don someone else to make a play for. But at present, Don is unhappy with all this newfangled research. (In the first season they also had a female researched whose results Don ignored--but that was years ago, and besides, she wasn't beautiful.)

Back at his lonely apartment, Don runs into the (beautiful, of course) nurse across the hall. She's pretty feisty, actually. The new woman?

Peggy, more powerful than she used to be, works with Freddy. She understands the new market, he doesn't seem to. How much will the new Peggy and the new agency bend for him?

Meanwhile, Roger gets a call from Lee Garner, Jr., who represents the Lucky Strike account, without which the agency is kaput. (Return #3). Lee is a creep who made advances to Sal then got him fired when they weren't reciprocated. He manages to invite himself to the non-existent Christmas party, so Joan now has to plan one, even if penny-pinching Lane disapproves.

Peggy's boyfriend wants to heat up their relationship. He figures she's pure. Since Don taught her how much things never happened, she's willing to put up the pretense. But where is the relationship going?

Don comes home drunk and the nurse helps him settle into bed. He makes a clumsy pass, maybe out of reflex, which she repulses easily enough. He reminds her a bit of her drunk dad. Is Don losing his way with women? Is he giving out a scent of desperation?

As the Potemkin party is being planned, Peggy and Freddy work. He wants to sell Ponds cold cream as a way for gals to get married. She accuses him (correctly I'd say, if a bit harshly) as being old-fashioned. He leaves, hurt.

The party starts, and queen bee Joan makes sure it moves along as they wait for the only guest who matters. And there's Pete's wife, Trudy, played by the lovely Alison Brie of Community. Always nice to see her. Bert and the male researcher talk politics. Anti-big government. A bit too on the nose.

Lee comes in and is even more rotten, and crude, than in memory. He knows he runs the place. The forced jollity is bad enough, but he insists Roger wear the Santa suit. (Freddy was supposed to, but realizes if he wants to stay sober he needs to stay away from such parties.) Roger would rather not--which is probably why Lee makes him. It'd sure be nice if he represented 6.9% of their business, rather than 69%, but until then, all must bow down.

Meanwhile, Glen breaks into the old Draper residence and messes up the place. Is he acting out his rage? Is he trying to impress Sally? Sallys room is left unmolested, and he leaves her a present.

Dr. Miller goes to Don's room at the party. It's not to flirt--that's the old days. She wants to confront him about her testing. Don may represent the best in creativity, but he's still old-fashioned. (That idea keeps coming up in this episode.)

Drunk Don forgets the keys to his apartment. He calls his secretary, who had other plans (which may have included romance) for the night. She brings them to his pad and he makes his move. In the past, Don may have gone for anything in a skirt, but he never swam in the secretarial pool (though all of them, starting with Peggy, were more than willing to try a little synchronized swimming). He's changing. Not in a good way. Maybe his failure with women last week and this make him more willing. Allison is certainly willing, as Don probably knew.

At the office, Peggy makes up with Freddy, though I'm still not he'll be working their regularly. He has connections, but he's a voice from the past.

Don comes to work and calls in Allison for a talk. He's going to let her down--even Allison probably knows that--but he does it rather coldly. He also gives her the bonus he was promising ($100 bucks--probably about two weeks salary), but now it seems like a payment for something else.

Meanwhile, Peggy gets more physical with her guy. I guess she figured it was time to go to the next stage to avoid seeming old-fashioned herself.

So, to recap:

Don losing his cool, and starting to drink too much. Also fighting change.

Peggy moving ahead in her career, but uncertain of her place both at the office and home.

Roger humiliated to keep things moving, and Lane fighting to cut corners.

Joan unsure of her homelife--she and Roger still work best together, but they married others.

Pete confronting with Freddy--they probably both want nothing to do with each other. (And I see Ken in the credits. Will he become a threat?)

Betty's life with Henry somewhat strained.

Sally becoming friends with a creepy kid.

Sterling Cooper teetering on the edge.

So things are pretty well set up this season. Should be fun.