At the office, Don joins the executive board already in
session: Pete, Roger, Bert, Joan, Ted, and Jim. Jim argues that the agency
needs a new name. Ted says it should be SCDP-CGC but Joan says it’s too long. Next
they assign roles for the immediate future: Ted is to travel to Detroit and
deal with the Chevy account; Don and Roger are to fly to LA for Carnation and
other accounts; and Jim Cutler is supposed to go with Mike, Stan, and Bob
Benson to Manischewitz. Jim complains that he has to babysit for Don &
Roger’s account and people.
On their flight to LA, Roger chatters and distracts Don
while Don tries to prep for their business meetings. Roger says, “Come on,
we’re executives. Leave the work to Ted.” He also tells Don, “We are big New
York ad men…be slick, be glib, be you.” Don replies, “Well, I’m usually
informed.”
Over in the creative office, Stan and Mike listen to a radio
announcer who reports that the Democratic party has rejected the peace plan to
end the war immediately. They are disappointed and angry since they’re
anti-war. Jim enters the room to talk about business, but Stan & Mike
(especially Mike) want to talk about the news they just heard. Mike insults Jim
and calls him a fascist. Jim doesn’t want to talk politics, and points out the
hypocrisy of receiving a paycheck from Dow Chemical while being anti-war. As
Mike continues to insult Jim, Bob Benson walks in and tries to calm Mike down,
saying, “That man is your boss!” Jim yells at Bob: “Go back upstairs” and Mike
tells Bob: “Thanks for making that worse.”
Jim heads to Ted’s office and unloads his frustration about
the SCDP creatives. He wants to fire them, starting with Mike, but Ted says,
“He’s lightning in a bottle” and tells Jim to learn to get along with them and
hold their hands. Ted also points out that “the problem is that you keep
talking about two agencies.”
Next, Bob Benson enters Jim’s office and Jim says, “I was
just coming to see you. I believe in you, Bob, but you’re untested.” He then
asks Bob to handle the Manischewitz meeting without him, and Bob says, “I
welcome this chance to shine.” Then he walks away from Jim’s office and looks
back over his shoulder in bewilderment.
Returning to his desk, Bob listens to a record about success
with a positive mental attitude but is interrupted by a call from Stan, who
appeals to him to come and help Mike. Mike is on the floor, feeling sick and
believing (thanks to Jim Cutler) that he’s actually part of the problem in
society, a bad person for making a living through money from the likes of Dow
Chemical. Mike starts quoting obscure lines and believes his mind is being
controlled. Bob tells him he’s feeling fear, but Mike denies it. After trying
to inspire and reason with Mike, Bob resorts to yelling at him: “Now pull
yourself together and be the man that I admire!” This helps Mike regain
perspective and a sense of humor. However, at the client meeting, we learn that
Manischewitz has put SCDP-CGC under review, which means they’re going to drop
the agency.
Meanwhile, at a restaurant, Joan meets Andy Hayes, a new
acquaintance of Joan’s friend Kate. Joan thinks it’s a date, but Andy thinks
he’s there to talk business. Joan adjusts and begins to try to sell him on
SCDP-CGC’s advertising services for Avon. She says “I’m in charge of thinking
of things before people know they need them” and talks warmly about Harry
Crane’s ability to promote Avon through TV ads. Joan claims their agency is
different because “we listen to the clients.” Andy moves to pay for the lunch
but Joan obviously wants Andy to know how important she is when she says, “No,
I’ll get this” and boasts that the company pays her to get the check.
Not long after, Joan tells Peggy about the business
opportunity with Avon. Joan says with excitement, “I thought I was on a date
but it’s even better.” Peggy convinces Joan to tell Ted, saying “You’ll be the
account man, if that’s what you want” although Joan doesn’t appear to believe
this. They tell Ted, but since Ted is heading out the door for Detroit, he
passes the opportunity off to Pete. Ted tells Pete: “Reel them in” and rushes
off, leaving the women feeling disgruntled and worried.
When Pete meets with Peggy and Joan a little later, he tells
them what’s going to happen next, speaking in what they perceive as a
dictatorial way. Joan resents this. Pete says to her, “Don’t worry. You’ll get
all the credit.” Then he gives her a big, condescending smile and walks away.
Joan feels shut down but later she sets up a meeting behind Pete’s back for
herself, Peggy, and Andy.
That meeting is held at a restaurant. Joan arrives there first,
and when Peggy arrives next, Joan tells her that Pete couldn’t make it.
Surprised, Peggy wonders how they’ll handle the meeting, but then Joan admits
she didn’t invite Pete. Peggy says, “You can’t do that” and Joan replies “I did
it. If you want to leave, you can.” Andy arrives and Joan introduces him to
Peggy, raving about her talents. Peggy begins to relate to Avon by telling Andy
about her childhood memories of the Avon lady, but Joan soon interrupts her to
have a more general conversation that she seems to think sounds more
professional. Then Joan asks Andy what Avon’s
biggest challenges are. Andy complains that women are working more and not home
as much, which is a problem because Avon’s business model required door-to-door
sales. Also, he says that hippies don’t wear makeup. He’s not sure whether
their advertising should be more nostalgic or groovier, and thinks they’re
currently somewhere in-between. Next, Peggy asks him what he thinks of Avon’s
current advertising. When he doesn’t respond immediately, she asks whether he
thinks it’s unintentionally old-fashioned. He concurs. Peggy floats the idea of
Andy sending an Avon Lady to the office. Joan immediately criticizes Peggy’s
idea by pointing out that the office doesn’t have a doorbell. Peggy looks at
her with disdain. In the end, neither Peggy nor Joan know how to wrap up the
meeting to get a sale, and there’s an awkward silence.
Returning to the office, Joan says to Peggy: “What is going
on? I just handed you the business of your life.” Peggy replies: “I know you
want this and now you can’t have it.” Joan explains that she has to do this
herself, her way. “All that matters now is who has the relationship.”
Later the ladies of the office receive a box of Avon product
samples, which some of them rifle through in the conference room after someone accidentally
opens the box. When Pete learns that Joan and Peggy held a meeting with Avon
behind his back, he’s furious and chases the women out of the conference room.
He calls Joan to the conference room to grill her, and Peggy walks in. Pete
calls Ted into the room and shoos Peggy out. Peggy goes to Joan’s office and
turns up the intercom so she can hear what’s happening. Meredith barges into
Joan’s office and asks Peggy’s opinion of her outfit, and Peggy shushes her.
They both listen as they hear Pete say, “What we have is a breach of the
fundamental rules of this business…It’s a revolt.” Ted demands that Joan tell
him what happened. Knowing that Joan is in trouble, Peggy writes a note and
sends Meredith into the conference room to read it; the note says that Avon is
on the phone for Joan. Pete tells her to go answer it. Then Pete argues with
Ted, and Ted replies that “possession is 9/10 of the law. We’re all working
together.” When Joan returns to her office she realizes that Peggy has rescued
her. Peggy then says to Joan, “You’d better hope they call.”
In California, Harry Crane wears a bright gold blazer and a
scarf-like necktie as he drives up to a hotel in a bright red convertible
sports car and lets Don and Roger out of the car. Don and Roger are wearing
suits and sunglasses, looking very conservative. They both complain about the
car but Harry is excited and tells them to save their strength for a party in
“the Hills” that he’s been invited to the following evening.
That night, everyone from Joan and Megan in their New York
apartments to Don in Los Angeles tune in to watch the happenings at the
Democratic Convention. As a tape of rioting in the streets of Chicago is shown,
the reporter says, “This was supposed to be a nonviolent demonstration.” Megan
in New York phones Don in his LA hotel to talk about it. She says, “Can you
imagine a policeman cracking your skull, changing your life?” Don replies,
“Honey, they’re throwing rocks. They’re asking for trouble.” Don deals with
Megan’s upset emotions by making a joke, which upsets her more. Don apologizes.
Megan worries that riots may break out in LA and tells Don to be careful. Don
says he misses her, and Megan advises him to “Go for a swim. It always makes
you feel better.” (Great foreshadowing!) They end the call with loving concern
for each other, and after they hang up, Don lies back on his hotel bed and
stares at the ceiling, ignoring the television screen.
The next morning, Roger, Don, and Harry meet with George, an
executive at the Carnation office. George says, “We all hated what we saw, but
the Democrats are dead.” He laughs about the Chicago riots handing the election
to Nixon. Jack, another important Carnation executive, walks in just then and says
it’s no laughing matter. He tries to stick to business but there’s a little
more politics shared first. Then Harry mentions that Carnation needs more
levels of advertising on television, including on game shows and other venues.
George and Jack, however, are suspicious of SCDP-CGC because they’re a New York
firm and New York firms have “an attitude.” They also feel it’s an irresolvable
problem that the agency represents Life Cereal, one of their competitors. However, Roger quips: “Look, we’re sorry your
last girlfriend hurt you. But we’re in your office now.” This makes them smile,
and they ask what Don, Roger, and Harry have in mind for their ad campaign.
That night, Harry drives up to the hotel in the same red
convertible, which again irritates Don & Roger as he picks them up, still
dressed in suits and sunglasses, to attend the party in the Hills. They arrive at
the house and are greeted by an attractive blond hostess who Roger flirts with,
but she’s not interested. The popular song Harper
Valley PTA is playing. Don spots Danny, who used to work for him briefly,
out on the pool deck, and he and Roger go out to say hello. Danny introduces
his tall, bikini-clad girlfriend, Lotus, and Roger makes “short jokes” about
Danny, which makes Lotus giggle. Danny says he tried advertising for a while
but “It wasn’t my bag. I had to quit.” Roger embarrasses him by stating that
Danny was fired, and mentions that they’re related because Danny is Roger’s ex-wife
Jane’s cousin. Danny tells him he’s now known as Daniel J. Siegel, a producer
at Paramount, and he starts dropping names. All the while, Lotus giggles from
time to time but otherwise remains silent.
Meanwhile, Don goes over to the bar near the pool and converses
with a man. Don tells the man about all of the accounts his company has, and
the man replies that he’s into jingles, but that “If times get tough we’ll look
you guys up.”
A bit later we see Roger flirting with Lotus near the pool.
He says, “You don’t talk much, do you?” and she just looks at him. Danny walks
up and tells her “Let’s go” but Roger challenges him. They get into an argument
thanks to Roger’s aggressiveness, and after Roger threatens to punch Danny,
Danny punches Roger in the groin. Roger doubles over in pain as Danny walks
away with Lotus, who is giggling in reaction to the punch.
Around the same time, Don has wandered into the living room
and sees a circle of people all smoking hashish through a large hookah. The
party hostess asks him if he likes hashish, and Don replies, “I don’t know
yet.” He removes his shoes upon request and takes a puff. He sits up very
straight in his suit, which makes him look out of place because everyone else
lounges around in their colorful hippie clothes.
Next, it seems that Don gets high, wanders off, loses
consciousness, and falls into the pool, but what we see is his near-death
experience. In this dream-like state, he finds himself kissing the blond
hostess as he tells her that he’s thirsty, and she says, “There’s a pool full
of water out there, Don.” Don replies, “I told you that’s not my name.” He then
spots Megan, dressed in hippie garb, and Megan walks up to him smiling. Don
moves away from the blond and asks Megan how she found him. Megan says she
lives there. “It’s cool, it’s California, everybody shares.” She tells him she
quit her job because she couldn’t bear to be apart, and that she has a
surprise: she’s pregnant. She then leads Don down a long hallway to a dimly lit
corner of the room and, beaming with joy (as one would expect in Heaven), she
says, “Everybody’s looking for you.” Just then a man in an army uniform reaches
out to light his cigarette. The soldier appears to be the man whose wedding Don
stood up to on the beach in Hawaii. The soldier has lost an arm, and he tells
Don: “My wife thinks I’m missing in action but I’m actually dead.” Don wonders
what happened to his arm and he replies: “Dying doesn’t make you whole. You
should see what you look like.”
Don hears a woman scream as if from a distance, and then he
hears a man shout: “Man overboard!” He finds himself standing next to the pool
looking down at his body, face-down in the water. He returns to consciousness
in his physical body as Roger rescues him from drowning.
On their return flight to New York, Don coughs, and Roger
offers an alibi: “You caught a cold in California.” Roger chats him up and
makes him smile, and then Don turns and looks out the window. When they arrive
in New York they go straight to the office. Dawn greets the two men, but Pete
is hovering and brushes Dawn off, saying: “If you don’t mind, this is urgent.”
When the three of them enter Don’s office, Pete continues: “I have to tell you
that in your absence, things have become quite dire.”
Meanwhile, Jim and Ted catch up with each other upon Ted’s
return from Detroit. Ted is excited to report that Jack, a key executive at
Chevy, has finally signed off on the agency’s work and Ted got to see the car
for the first time. Jim tells Ted that he didn’t actually attend the
Manischewitz meeting, and Ted gets angry. Just then, Bob walks in and says,
“They’re putting us in review.” Realizing that Ted is mad at Jim for not
attending the meeting, Bob tries to rescue Jim by claiming it was his idea that
Jim not be there. Ted is taken aback when Jim turns around and rewards Bob by
assigning him to help Kenny with the Chevy account. Ted says nothing but has a
strange look on his face as he observes this interaction. After Bob leaves, Ted
scolds Jim: “You’re splitting this place, and not in half.” They then go to
Don’s office for an emergency meeting of the executives, although Joan is
specifically excluded.
Asking “How was California?” the execs hear that it was “a
series of busts.” Ted shares that Detroit was a success and that Joan is “at
the 5-yard line” with Avon. On hearing that Manischewitz has put their agency
up for review, Roger says, “It’s been coming for months.”
Then Jim announces that they finally have a name for their
agency: Sterling Cooper & Partners. Jim explains, “It’s the only thing
that’s equally offensive to all.” Ted says to Don, “I can swallow it if you
can” and the agency name is accepted. On their way out of Don’s office, Roger
says to Bert, “Nice work.” Bert replies: “I had nothing to do with it.”
Remaining in Don’s office are Don and Pete. Pete asks, “You have no problem with
this?” Pete warns Don that “this is not the same business” and Don tells him,
“If you don’t like it, maybe it’s time to get out of the business.”
With that, Pete wanders out to the creative room, stares for
a moment, and walks up to Stan, who is sitting on the couch smoking marijuana.
Pete says, “What are you doing?” and Stan replies, “Working.” Pete grabs the joint
(despite Stan’s objection) and takes a puff, sitting down on the couch to enjoy
it while staring at the legs of a short-skirted young woman walking by as he gets
high.
The final music is Janis Joplin’s song, Take Another Little Piece of my Heart.
A major theme of this
episode is the clash of cultures. As with any clash of cultures, this show features both “hawks” and “doves” who try to either keep the cultures apart or
integrate them into a single, unified new culture.
·
The war in Vietnam represented an internal clash
of cultures because of the competing economic and political systems trying to
rule the country. By the late 1960s the United States was fighting with the
South Vietnamese and against the North, but not winning. Many in the United
States, especially the youth who were being drafted to fight and die for a war
they didn’t believe in, were “doves” who wanted to withdraw all U.S. troops
immediately. The “dove” or anti-war movement was met with violence by the cops in
Chicago during the 1968 Democratic convention, although rock-throwers (a
violent subgroup) among the “doves” helped ignite the conflict. In the end, the
Democratic party and the nation remained sharply divided, helping to create a
cultural split throughout the United States that showed up as a generational as
well as a political divide.
·
The Democrats vs. the Republicans divided the
country politically, with Republicans mostly “hawks” and Democrats largely but
not completely “doves.” We see the political split in Don and Megan, where
Democrat Megan is sympathetic to the anti-war demonstrators and Republican Don
is less sympathetic and more cynical. To resolve their political differences,
Don is a “dove” with Megan in that he speaks sympathetically to her concerns
about the protestors rather than arguing with her, and he tries to change the
subject and kiss her when possible to smooth over their differences.
·
We also see politics played out at SCDP-CGC when
youthful anti-war Democrats Mike and Stan try to discuss politics with older
Jim Cutler, a man who doesn’t want to talk about politics (Republicans of that
era often believed that people should mind their own business). Ironically, the
“dove” Mike yells at Jim and insults him, so Mike is more of a “hawk” when it
comes to dealing with his political differences with Jim, and Jim is more of a
“dove” in trying to relate peacefully, if coolly, to Mike. Bob Benson, the
consummate “dove” in terms of bridging gaps with others, walks into the middle
of the argument and tries to make things better, only to be scolded by Jim
(suddenly acting “hawkishly” ill-tempered towards Bob), while Stan is more
“dovish” in keeping his mouth shut to de-escalate the argument.
·
Carnation executives George (Republican) and
Jack (apparently sympathetic to Democrats) feel the need to talk politics at
their meeting with Don, Roger, and Harry, showing how far the political divide
permeated society. Jack said they should stick to a business discussion, but
then he made further political comments.
·
Although SCDP and CGC have merged, their cultural
differences remain and produce animosities among “hawks” or aggressive,
divisive individuals like Jim Cutler and Pete. Ted is the “dove” on the CGC
side, trying to peacefully integrate the two teams into a new company.
Likewise, Don is “dovish” when Pete (who has “hawkishly” argued with Peggy and
Joan and wants to hold onto the business culture of the past) tells Don
disdainfully at the end of the show that it’s just not the same agency. Don (who
accepts the new, integrated agency) says that Pete should accept it or leave.
·
The beginning and ending of this episode revolve
around finding a new name for the agency. This represents two cultures coming
together, both sides sacrificing something so they can form a new agency, with
a unique new culture.
·
Although there are three cities pertinent to
this episode, we never see what happens in Detroit. Therefore, the two cities
whose tales are told would be New York and Los Angeles, places where the
cultures were extremely different in 1968. Everything we see, from the eastern
conservative suits vs. western hippie clothing, to the eastern aggressive,
bullying, fast-paced manner vs. the western laid-back, authority-questioning
manner, to the eastern business women vs. the western bikini gals, sets these
two cultures apart. Harry Crane knows how to dress for either coast and has
made peace with both cultures, while Roger pumps himself up about how much
better New York is and rejects the west coast culture. Don is somewhat open to
the west coast culture as he’s willing to try their hashish (although he can’t
handle it) but he maintains his New York style of clothing and doing business.
In Don’s unconscious, he sees Megan being at home in the west coast culture of
hippie clothes and free love.
·
There’s a huge gap between male culture and
female culture, with a minority of women trying to become independent and the
vast majority of men feeling that men should dominate women.
·
Among male culture, men were split along fashion
trends between the east and west coast looks and between pro- and anti-establishment
thought, but largely unified in their feelings of dominance over women.
·
Among female culture, many women in 1968 were
looking at both east and west coast fashions (Avon’s Andy specifically mentions
working women vs. the hippies who no longer wear make-up, representing style
splits within the female culture) and some women were becoming aware of
politics and anti-establishment rhetoric, but many were also split between
“hawks” and “doves” (competitors vs. cooperators) towards men. There was the
old-fashioned beauty who was good at being receptive and listening to men and
giggling (Lotus), vs. the new woman (Joan and Peggy) who rejected the
good-old-boys’ club having power over them and wanted to become empowered to
move up the ladder in their organization.
·
There’s a divide between old and new selling
styles throughout the episode: Roger and Don use old-school tactics to try to
impress the California guys – boasting about their accomplishments and putting others
down to try to look good by comparison. Meanwhile, Peggy and Joan ask their
potential Avon client a lot of questions and use good listening skills in a more
consultative sales approach, although they have things to learn about how to
ask for the order. (This is not to say that Roger and Don, or other salesmen,
fail to listen to their customers, but that part isn’t shown in this episode.)
·
Personal clashes in fashion or communication styles
appear throughout the show: Ted and Jim have clashing leadership styles; Don
and Roger have clashing ways of preparing for their client meeting; Mike and
Bob have distinctly different ways of dealing with authority in the office that
cause problems for both of them; Joan and Peggy (and Pete) have clashing ways
of thinking about and handling the Avon prospect; Harry’s style of clothing and
car choice clash with the fashion sensibilities of Don and Roger; and Don and
Megan have clashing ways of interpreting the events around the Democratic
National Convention. Most of these clashes aren’t resolved in this episode.
A recurring motif is frenemy rescues. People who are
competitive towards each other suddenly turn around and rescue each other from
disasters.
·
Jim yells at Bob Benson when he walks into the
creative office and tries to help Mike calm down and show some respect for
authority. Yet later in the show, Bob makes up the story that it was his idea
that Jim should not attend the Manischewitz meeting, thus trying to rescue Jim
from Ted’s wrath.
·
Bob responds to Stan’s request and rushes in to
rescue Mike, who is crouched on the floor feeling sick and sounding mentally
unstable. After trying reason and persuasion and hearing Mike deny his analysis
that he’s frightened, Bob shouts at Mike with a positive spin to snap him out
of his fears.
·
Roger and Don have their disagreements, but in
the end Roger jumps into the pool and rescues Don from drowning.
·
Peggy and Joan argue about how to handle Avon,
but ultimately Peggy rescues Joan from being trounced by Ted by writing a fake
memo and asking Meredith to read it to Joan in the conference room, thus
getting her out of there.
Finally, there’s a
broad theme of shifting power structures.
As cultures merge, some people (like Pete or Jim Cutler) fear the loss of power
and influence, while others work to gain power (like Ted or Joan). New York and
east coast culture may be losing influence over the country as California
captures more people’s imaginations and shifts fashion and communication
styles. Politically, the Democrats lose influence after the 1968 convention and
fall into disarray as the Republicans gain power through the presidency of
Richard M. Nixon. But a few years later, the anti-war movement would force the
U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, proving that the power and influence of America’s
youth in 1968 was on the rise.
I (Karen) am not really sure about the significance of the
final song, “Piece of My Heart.” It reminds me of Lotus, who seems to offer
herself up to being owned by men – giving up her identity to be a giggling sex
object that makes men feel good. Jim thinks that all the principle characters
at the agency (except Harry) have had a piece of their heart torn out during
this episode.
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