Aftermath

Last week on Mad Men, we discovered Lucky Strike, responsible for most of the agency's business, was bolting.  This week, in "Chinese Wall," the news got out.  Not much more happened, as the rest was how it affected the main players and their relationships.

We start with Peggy and her friends at the beach.  Later she and her boyfriend are going at it hot and heavy at her place.  I don't know.  I find Peggy a compelling character, but her affairs and relationships outside advertising have never been a highlight of the show.

Next we go to Ken having dinner with the in-laws (including Leland Palmer himself, Ray Wise).  Pete's wife has gone into labor.  A fellow ad exec passes by and unintentionally drops the Lucky Strike news which Roger has been hiding for two weeks.  Ken excuses himself and soon everyone is in a late-nigt meeting.  Roger pretends not to know and even makes a fake call to receive the old news. Okay, he's off the hook (for what it's worth), but what is the CSDP to do?

Back at Don's place, he tells the waiting Faye they bad news.  The worst has happened. Now what?  And that's a lot of the show.  Don with Faye, Pete with his father-in-law (in the hospital at the maternity ward), Roger and Joan and so on.

Peggy, by the way, hasn't heard the news, but is sexually insatiable.  Meanwhile, Roger pretends to go down to Raleigh and says it's hopeless.  He's really just at the Statler.  (Lane is still in England, btw.)

Next morning the partners call a meeting where they announce to everyone (except latecomer Peggy) the bad news.  Don tries to calm them down, but he knows they're in trouble.

Don meets with creative in his office.  It's everyone's job to agree with clients and hold onto whatever business they have.  Roger calls Joan and admits what's really happening. He's depressed and can't face the music.  He wants Joan to come over and be with him. He couldn't tell anyone, which made things even worse.  He's really a little boy.

Peggy and her staff start preparing a planned Playtex pitch.  Peggy talks about how Don ends with poetry, almost too self-consciously describing Don from the show Mad Men.  Peggy seeems sexed up, and goes with the delivery boy who's really her boyfriend, while her underlings wonder if they can get some action.

The head people go over what accounts are still active when Don is called away to talk to the Glo-Coat people long distance.  They're dropping the firm.  They deny it's due to the rumors about the firm, but it's the only explanation.  Don blames Pete for not calming them down, and Pete is offended.  He did, after all, protect Don at the cost of a $4 million dollar account not too long ago.

At the hospital, nasty old Ted Chaough is headhunting Pete.  Maybe he wants Pete, or maybe he just wants to burn Don.  Pete doesn't want

to give up so easily, but who knows what'll happen.

Roger visits Joan at home.  She's willing to listen, but that's it.  He's depressed.  He has his own young beautiful wife, but I guess he realizes there's no one like Joan.  Should have realized that before she got married.

Faye comes into Don's office late at night. He's depressed.  She admits in her work she sees clients who are unhappy, that's how it goes.  He sees an opening and wants her to reveal who's unhappy, but she has a professional responsibility to keep mum (a Chinese Wall?) and walks out in a huff.  Is Don going to lose Faye along with his agency?

Peggy's art guy makes his move, but she's not having it, of course.  He didn't know it was her boyfriend earlier.

Roger's back in the office, still lying about what happened.  Now Don has at him.  And he probably deserves it.

They go to a memorial for another ad man, partly hoping to poach.  Right now anything goes.  At the same time Peggy pitches, and hits a hore run.  She's confused by the client licking his teeth at her--more unwanted attention?  No, she's got lipstick on her teeth.

Don's working late at night.  Megan comes in and practically throws herself at him.  He used to have a rule about secretaries, but no more, apparently. Besides, for all he knows Faye is over.  Meanwhile, Roger goes home to his young wife, who doesn't excite him like she used to.  She's even got a box of his memoirs, Sterling's Gold, that just arrived, but he doesn't care any more.

Don's dressing and leaves his office.  He gets home and hey, Faye's waiting.  Even when life is bad, Don seems to do okay.  She wants to talk to him.  He figures she may be breaking up, but actually she lists a client--Heinz--that may be looking.  I guess Faye takes their relationshop very seriously.  So much for Chinese Walls.

Overall, a weaker episode than usual (even though I'm always glad to see no Betty). Considering it was a big moment, everyone finding out, I'm not sure if they got all the drama out of it they could.  Also, after Don was worried about going to Leavenworth last week, somehow the idea of losing an agency and being snapped up elsewhere doesn't quite compare.

Still, with only two episodes left, this seems to be the main plot.  Will Cooper Sterling Draper Pryce live on?  With a show like Mad Men, you never know, but I hope the answer is yes.  Not simply because I like happy endings. It just seems like a new agency trying to get off the ground is a good plotline, while all the characters being split apart and Don back at a big place seems much less exciting.