Christmas Waltz?
Some fancy footwork, maybe. But who’s doing the dancing?
No tender two-step for Megan and Don. She seems peeved, and Don is… Well, what and where exactly is Don these days?
He’s not in sync with his winsome wife – or himself. He’s out of sorts, uninspired, and feeling attacked. Counter culture is beginning to point its accusatory finger at the Establishment, and no more clearly than in a play the Drapers attend. And what’s more establishment than men in gray suits on Madison Avenue?
All generational and occupational friction aside, Don misses Megan around the office. But it’s something else. He isn’t into his work. He’s like the square peg – and I mean square – in the round hole. He’s going through the motions, maneuvering under a dark cloud, and the Missus doesn’t care for the shadow.
It’s impossible not to notice our hero out of place and time – pointedly so in later scenes as he and Joanie share drinks at a midtown bar. They look oh so 1960, and not very soon-to-be 1967!
Beam Me Up, Harry Krishna!
Don and Megan may not be dancing, but Paul Kinsey – remember him? – he’s kicking up his heels, in a manner of speaking. He’s now a card carrying member of the Hari Krishnas – shaven head with tuft of hair and all.
Harry Crane meets up with him, is drawn into a full blown Krishna Consciousness encounter, and is swept up momentarily in the frenzy of blissful chanting. He’s also not immune to the charms of Paul’s girlfriend, Lakshmi.
It turns out that Paul actually wants out of Krishnaville, but he’s hanging in for his luscious Lakshmi – runaway turned prostitute turned devotee of the spiritual life. And oh by the way – Paul has written a script for Star Trek! Might Harry slip it to the execs at NBC, or maybe Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry himself?
Shades of Trouble with Tribbles! And when Paul’s lady love shows up at Harry’s office, bends herself over the his desk, and takes one for the team? Can you say seduction scene as leverage? Attempted blackmail?
Expediency in all things – Lakshmi doesn’t want Paul persuaded to pull out… of the organization. It’s not that she loves him, but he’s a talented recruiter and a great “closer.” She says to Harry:
I did this for the movement.
Lane, You Naughty Tap Dancing Boy
It may be Christmas Bonus Season at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and Santa’s contemplating a Jaguar under someone’s tree – or the Jaguar account in a few months. But Mr. Pryce is tiptoeing through the tulips, or rather, the agency books.
Apparently he owes the Queen’s Tax Man a Pile of Pounds Sterling. The only way to get the money is a little tap dancing at the bank, then persuading the partners to issue bonuses.
Lane needs his bucks post-haste, so he forges Don’s signature on a check – hey, it’s just an advance of a few days – then he pays the Man for his Get Out of Jail Free card. But Holy Heartache! The partners decide to defer bonuses, and only give them to the staff.
Quick – someone call the Krishnas! Chant something! Lane’s going to be in serious hot water. Lane! Never count your chickens (or your Jaguars) before they’re hatched!
Don and Joan Don’t Do the Horizontal Mambo
Roger is sloshed at 8 in the a.m. And wearing a tacky red shirt besides. It seems the dapper Mr. Sterling has been trying to give Joan money to help with baby Kevin, and she keeps sending it back. In a poignant moment of reminiscing, Joan shoos Roger out of her office – and later, after being served divorce papers by her hubby, Don and Joan do a Jaguar run (hot, hot, hot!) – followed by drinks into the night.
The beauty of these scenes?
Besides reveling in the stunning Christina Hendricks standing next to a 1966 red Jaguar XKE – both are spectacular and the combination, dazzling – after Don and Joan test drive, the exchange between Don and Joan shows signs of genuine friendship.
They talk marriage, relationships, men, women; Joanie was raised to be admired, and she misses those days of flowers arriving at the office. Times are changing, Joanie! You and Don, sitting in that bar – you both seem like you’re from another era – one that was only a few years back, but as the late sixties explode on the scene, you’re strangely anachronistic.
Couples dance in the background, Don is aware that a good looking guy is sizing Joan up, he exits gracefully and leaves her carfare. It’s a gentlemanly act (carfare!), and another example of one which echoes an earlier era.
A delicious mention? Don sends her roses to the office the next morning, signing the card Ali Kahn – a private joke.
Episode 10 Setting Up for… What?
I can’t say this was a splendid episode, but if it’s purpose is to remind us how much social upheaval is about to explode on the scene, it succeeds. The generation gap is widening, alternatives to traditional lifestyles are popping up, divorce is becoming more commonplace, and the wave of those who will soon drop out is gaining momentum.
Where will it leave the elder statesmen of SCDP? Who will adapt and who won’t?
For the women, I can envision many possibilities. Betty may continue to hide in food and booze, and Sally will pay the price – turning to drugs, to running away, to anything not to become her mother. Joan may evolve into the next Mrs. Robinson. Peggy? Megan? Their choices will be plentiful, but not without consequences.
But what’s in store for the 30-something and 40-something men in 1967, much less men of Roger’s age or Bert’s? Certainly, Roger’s mention of World War II in a conversation with Joan serves as a reminder that his youth was more than two decades earlier.
What about Don? Rewriting your past to reinvent yourself is one thing. The monumental wave of change that’s about to hit? Who will he become then?
As this episode closes, Pete attempts to motivate the staff with his announcement about Jaguar. They don’t have the account yet, but they’re in the running. No one is impressed. Then Don steps up to bat and knocks it out of the park, with rousing words that fire everyone up for the good fight – to win the business.
Don’s leadership and charisma remain intact. But his head and his heart aren’t in the game. He’s disoriented, and the reasons are bigger than anything he can control. What’s next for him? Can he reinvent himself again – and if so, as what?
Season 5 photos: Click images above to access originals at AMCTV.com.
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Sometimes, just sometimes I think this show is too grown up for me. And I’m an intelligent, college educated 42 year old! Thank goodness for the online highlights the day after to save my downward slide into stupidity. You have my gratitude.
From what I’ve been able to gather, this season’s primary focus is the inevitable lightening speed passage of time and the inability of main characters to keep pace though for some, through no fault of their own. I remember my Dad describing the slide of the mid-to-late 60s into the 70s as “If you blinked too often, you were SOL….you missed it.” Using his wisdom, I get the feeling Don’s blinking too often, Joan’s got something in her eye, and Roger’s already gone blind.
It will be interesting to see how Lane’s sort-of unintentional embezzlement plays out as well as whether Don will be heading for divorce number two and if Pete can continue his cheating ways unscathed. I fear for him as Trudy is not a ninny by any means.
And may I just say watching a momentarily unhinged Joan was fan-freakin-tastic!
Ooooo. Juicy comment, Lydia. I do think this show encourages us to think – a lot! I love your dad’s words about the late 60s, and your take on Don, Roger, Joan and their blinking speed is spot on!
A momentarily “unhinged” Joan. Love it! Yes, it was a great change, wasn’t it? (Funny that she broke the Mohawk airplane, and at the end of the episode, it was Mohawk’s suspension of their advertising that “breaks the bank” when it comes to executive bonuses. Hmmm… how will Lane get .himself out of this one?
Speed, yes.
And absolute disorientation as well, I think. Roles, rules, realities. 1967 brings The Graduate, major protests against Vietnam, the 6-Day war. We’ll be seeing hippies, drugs, civil unrest. And of course, in ’68, two more terrible losses – MLK and RFK. I can’t wait to see Weiner’s take on all of this.
I always love coming here on Mondays for a recap (I know it’s Tuesday – I’m a day behind). Also love your comments, because, having just read your comment – I realized that I totally missed the thing about the broken plane and the lost account.
The thing I loved most about this episode was the interaction between Don and Joan – everything about it – from start to finish. How does Don resist her? Although, I must say, I hope they never go there. He needs a woman friend.
I loved the lighting with the rearview mirror in the scene as Don drives off in the Jaguar. (There is always good lighting on this show.) I also loved Don’s hat. And when he gave that speech at the end, I thought, maybe Don’s enthusiasm is coming back (thanks to Joan).
Yes! Don’s hat! (And the lighting is always wonderful, isn’t it?)
I hadn’t thought about how Don’s interaction with Joan may have been motivational for him. He wasn’t the only one to appreciate her and express / remind her of her value. She did the same for him. Great observation!
Uh-oh. I think it’s Wednesday. I am two days behind!!!
Somewhere in the world, someone is watching Mad Men, Robin. (I think that makes it okay.) 😉
Love your reviews. I should read them before I see the show so I like it better. This season disappoints.
Often a little late to the party (and yet to watch the next episode at this point), but this episode was evocative of a certain alienation and loneliness that feels to be a central theme of every episode and the arc of the show. Although not as good, this episode brought to mind Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment,” which is a brilliant movie imbued with the problems of this time, but made in the midst of this time, thus visionary rather than revisionist.
I recall that movie well, Bruce. It’s an interesting comparison to what is being presented currently on Mad Men. Shirley Maclaine, Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray. 1960. The corporate hierarchy and the behind-the-scenes deals and skirmishes to rise up the ladder. The women didn’t fare too well in that film as I recall.
Perhaps it’s the isolation (among other things) that is so recognizable to us today, still. And for the women – speaking for myself (and apparently Cathy agrees) – we see a great deal in which things still haven’t changed.