Immediate Gratification

I've been sensing a Mad Men backlash.  It's as if people are starting to wonder how long can we watch people adrift.  If that's the case, the latest episode, "For Immediate Release," should have allayed those fears.  It featured purposeful characters pursuing specific goals, and enough plot for three episodes.  I don't know if I'd call it a classic episode, but it least it was eventful.  Some critics think the show should be about angst, and I say fine, as long as stuff is actually happening while they fret.

Right from the start big things are are afoot at the small agency of SCDP.  Bert, Pete and Joan are talking (secretly) to a banker. So much is going on this week that even Bert is at the top of his game. If the numbers work out, they're going public, which would make all the partners rich (or richer)--Joan will become a millionaire at a time when that meant something.  She's almost overcome.

Pete also has a plot of his own.  He's going to announce the deal at tomorrow morning's meeting (Don doesn't want to dine with him that night) so of course he goes to celebrate at his favorite midtown bordello.  While there, Bob Benson, who gets creepier each episode, tries to pay for Pete's time. Much more important, Pete runs into his father-in-law, who got SCDP the huge Vick's account.

Meanwhile, Roger is doing some business of his own.  Not just an affair with an old friend who works at the airport, but drumming up business.  She's a contact (Roger has contacts just like the schemers in Game Of Thrones) who calls him when a flight is delayed and a big GM executive is waiting.  Roger drives over to the airport and hangs out in the lounge with the guy, ingratiating himself and even taking the flight to Detroit to win a pitch for the new Chevy.

At Don's place, his mother-in-law is staying over.  She gives advice to her autograph-signing daughter--no husband wants to be just an escort, so dress sexy and get him hot.  So they all go to a dinner with the Jaguar representative, the boorish Herb and his boring wife Peaches (Peaches and Herb).  It's really Roger's meeting, but he's in Detroit.  Don loathes Herb--with good reason--and the feeling is probably mutual.  Herb demands Don get approval on his work from a kid who writes fliers fro Her. Don (without regard for SCDP, as is his style), dumps the Jaguar account, feels good about it and then has sex with his wife.

And that's just at the main agency.  Over at Peggy's place, Ted finds out partner Frank is dying.  This is gonna cause fiscal trouble, and it's not good that they dumped their own car compnay to get a shot a Chevy.  Meanwhile, Ted finds himself fascinated with Peggy and kisses her. It doesn't go any further, but Peggy is fascinated right back. In fact, she's bought a place on the seamy West Side and her guy Abe is looking less and less desirable. She even fantasizes about Ted when she kisses Abe. (In a great sight gag, the imaginary Ted is reading a book entitled "Something by Ralph Waldo Emerson.")

So everything is in play.

Next day, Vick's drops its account, so the agency has lost two of their biggest moneymakers.  That'll scuttle the offering right there.  Pete tries to calm down his father-in-law, but all the man can see is his disgusting bug of a son-in-law defiling his princess daughter.  Threats of mutually assured destruction mean nothing to him.  Pete goes home and tells Trudy the truth.  She says he didn't have to say that, and she's right--but that's Pete.

So when Don comes into the office Pete (after falling down the stairs) shouts at him for ruining everything with his ego. Joan takes it inside the conference room, but fevers are high.  Roger comes in with the good news about Chevy, but it's not enough.  Pete (mad at himself as well) still dresses down Don.  Worse, and this was the big scene in the show for me, Joan has her say.

I've always seen Joan as the distaff Don.  She's amazingly good at what she does (the banker was impressed with her impeccabe records) and also is the sexiest one around.  Don mentored Peggy (who would have had sex with him early on, but he said no) and now she's moved on.  But Don and Joan have always had a mutual respect.  They don't have too many scenes together but whenever they do you feel it's two people who care about each other and understand each other (which is why they've never slept together, I guess).  In fact, Don was the only one who told Joan--too late--not to sleep with Herb.  So when Joan won't be mollified, and lashes out at Don, saying he never thinks of anyone else, it's powerful.  She made the ultimate sacrifice for Jaguar and Don just tosses it away, also likely tossing away her million dollars.

Anyway, Don forges ahead with his creative team--and it's nice to have Don care about something again--and he and Roger are soon in Detroit.  But there are two other big companies and nemesis Ted's company as well. Ted sees Don in a bar and realizes the small companies are there for show (just like Heinz)--the big companies will get it, since GM will demand a big company.  After trading pitches (I'm sure some viewers thought Ted would be stealing Don's idea--which, by the way, struck me as better than Ted's, but what do I know?), Don has the solution.  GM wants a big company, we'll give them one.

Next thing you know, Peggy gets a call in her office.  Ted is back and wants to see her.  She checks her makeup and goes over.  And who's there but Don, announcing they've got the Chevy account and, by the way, SCDP and CGC are merging. In the past, it was nice when Don came hat in hand to make sure Peggy came along with him. Now, however, she thought she'd outgrown him.  She left SCDP even though she could have named her price. But she's been gobbled back up. And she has to write the press release to announce it.

So that's the big news.  Some wondered if Peggy was leaving the show last season, and it did seem like her satellite office was spreading the plot too thing (what with Megan's acting career and Betty's political wife act).  Now she'll be back in the thick of things, though, knowing Mad Men, one wonders if this will work out well for anyone.