Mad Men is all about themes and some of them can come off a bit heavy handed at times and if you just look at the name of this weeks episode you would get the idea that people have a new horizon. Something new to look forward to or something new that maybe scary. Everybody had to come to the terms that they were no longer working in their own building with their own people on their rules, it’s a tough pill to swallow for a bunch of rebels who like to strike out on their own from time to time. And Roger took it probably the hardest of them all. Although that could be up for debate in Don’s case. Joan had to deal with the same misogyny that she faces at every turn of her life, but this time she started to fight back.
Don is obviously not on board for this whole flock like sheep mentality that McCann & Erickson seem to run on. I mean they have like 30 creative guys that do Don’s Job already, talk about not being wanted. So Don does what he always does, runs away. Looking for Diane seemed like a loose reason he escaped the shackles of his new job but part of me felt more like it was just something he felt like doing. More than finding Diane he wanted to get out of that claustrophobic meeting room filled with regurgitated ideas. It would suit this show to end on a note suggesting that Don is going to start over somewhere new. (St Paul, Minnesota, maybe) He’s gone his entire life living with other people and other things that it would be a whole new chapter for him to leave everything behind, without thinking of all the possibilities. Or who knows he may go track down his kid or something.
Joan crawling through a pit of horrible misogyny was tough to watch but in the best way. It was much better handled than the first time she was objectified this season; it wasn’t just horrible sexism for the sake of horrible sexism. Of course that monster doesn’t want to work for Joan because she’s a woman. And then when she tries to get some help the guy above her starts hitting on her! The scene with her telling her boss and basically threatening him with a lawsuit was awesome and then to follow that up with a view of Roger telling her to just bend the knee and walk away with her tail between her legs was sad, hopefully her new horizon is living on a beach somewhere with Mr. Rich Pants (AKA Batman) but something tells me that’s not what she wants.
“See the electro-shock therapy really helps…”
My favorite part of this episode was all the Peggy and Roger stuff; they haven’t been together much at least alone at any point in any season. So seeing Roger talk about being afraid to jump on a new opportunity is scary for him was very cool, they way they bonded was very sweet as well. Going from Peggy annoyed that she needs to be at the old office to her roller skating around the old office, Almost every interaction with our characters involved some sort of gesture to say that they haven’t seen each other in a while, the move to McCann & Erickson reminds me of a first day at a much bigger school.
This change was interesting to watch for all these fish out of the water, in a lot of ways it’s like your Fight or Flight instinct. Don was to Fly and Joan was to Fight. And in Roger’s case he chose to delay as long as possible. You have to imagine that this whole debacle is the hardest on him. As Peggy said, he was supposed to protect them. But now Joan is being harassed, Don ran away, and everyone is a bit in the air at the moment, but Ted seems to fit in well with the whole sheep herding metaphor.
“Let the Night guy get it…”
Some extraneous Notes
-Harry is still a horrible person
-I’m in love with Don’s Secretary
-Don is excellent at improvising to a clueless housewife
-Peggy now has an exciting Picture in her office
-And Don is seeing Ghosts
This is the second time we’ve seen Don Hallucinate Burt, maybe he is losing his mind. But I did really enjoy the transition of Burt being on the fuzzy radio to him sitting next to Don in his car telling him not to go looking for Diane. The final shot was Beautiful. Heading off to St. Paul, Don and this hippie will find life outside New York. (now that’s a spin-off I want to see.) Another great episode to show off these great characters in a very strange and new place in their lives. Only two left until someone jumps out a window from an office building. Obviously I’m joking but the thought did cross my mind when Don pressed his hands against his new office window.
