The result was the first truly great episode of the season, and refreshing reassurance that the series hadn't lost its touch.
These three had very little to be happy about by the end of this episode.
After the last two weeks, it had seemed as if Mad Men had shifted its focus towards becoming a more abstract show that delivered its ideas in the most confusing ways possible. In other words, it was starting to look like the ad-based drama was taking a back seat to some less-tangible character moments.
This week's episode, "To Have and To Hold," put some of those fears to rest, as we got an episode that was focused on a couple of the clients, and one particular potential campaign. The result was the first truly great episode of the season, and refreshing reassurance that the series hadn't lost its touch.
The least compelling storyline of the week, interestingly enough, involved Joan (Christina Hendricks), whose childhood friend was visiting. They found themselves in a childish restaurant, and then a childish nightclub, which was clearly a place for the women to attempt to let off steam, though they both regretted it in the morning. I'm not entirely sure what was supposed to be gained by this arc, though I suspect it had something to do with Joan's less than stellar couple of days at the office.
Rich Sommer gave the best performance he's ever delivered in the series this week, as Harry Crane finally had enough of everyone's crap, and tried to leverage his way into a partnership, which officially means everyone on the show has asked for one, I think. He said some truly awful things about Joan not earning her position as a partner, which we all know strikes deep, considering what she went through last season. In the end, Harry got a year's worth of salary on the commission for a bizarre television spot that was meant to bolster Dow Chemical's reputation, which has dipped, leading Ken's (Aaron Stanton) father-in-law to be very unhappy with him. Things got worse for Ken after they got better, as Heinz Baked Beans got wind that the agency was going a pitch for Ketchup, and left.
Which leads to the most interesting parts of the episode, which revolved around the secret pitch to Heinz Ketchup. Stan (Jay R. Ferguson) was tasked with coming up with some ads in secret, which came out amazing. The brief moment between him and Don (Jon Hamm) in the private room were great, and showed that Don has developed a high level of respect for his now most senior copywriter. Unfortunately, they didn't land the client, but that was due in large part to the presence of Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), and Ted (Kevin Rahm). What followed was a delightfully awkward scene where Don gave Peggy the cold shoulder for stealing his lines, and his client, and Stan flipped her off as he walked away. It was comical this time, but I'm sure it will put legitimate strain on the relationship going forward.
A fun, but so far inconsequential arc this week involved Dawn (Teyonah Parris) for once, as she was involved in a rather harmless scandal where one of the other secretaries left to buy a birthday gift, and asked Dawn to clock her out. Joan was unreasonably harsh here, ultimately putting Dawn in charge of the supply closet and the time punch machine, which she claims is a punishment. What I liked is how down-to-earth Dawn's character is, both in the office, and with her friend, who tried to turn everything into an argument about race. No doubt this is a major issue at this time in the United States, and the show will most definitely continue to touch on the changing landscape of race relations, but I was happy to see things refrain from getting too preachy, instead allowing Dawn to be a real character, with multidimensional problems, including her race at a time when she is the only African American working at the firm, and one of the few working in that area of Manhattan.
The episode concluded on my second least favorite arc of the week, which involved Megan (Jessica Paré), who's role in her soap opera got much bigger this week, going so far as to involve a love scene. I enjoyed the scene where she shared this development with Don, who took it about as well as you would expect. Things took a turn for the bizarre at dinner with the head writer and his wife, when they proposed to Don and Megan to have an... experimental... night together. True to form, this was a Mad Men moment that came completely out of left field, and it was fun to watch Don and Megan laugh it off on the cab ride home.
What I didn't like about this plot was the inevitable fight at the end. Don and Megan fighting was a tired trope last season, and it's no different here. I guess the only different part may be that Don was about as wrong as possible here, and completely hypocritical as he left the set and immediately went to Sylvia (Linda Cardellini), committing a far worse act than Megan's fake on-screen kiss. It's the same old song and dance for these characters - specifically Don - and I'm ready to see them move on and have different issues. Or, you know, be happy for once.
That's it for this week. It was a great week for Mad Men, though it will be interesting to see what sort of lasting effect this week's events have on the series as a whole. I suspect it will be minimal. Despite that, we got a lot of good moments between characters this week, some good advertising-based drama, and a touch of social commentary. This season seems to be hitting its stride, and I hope it doesn't falter any time soon.