Mad Men C to Z S4E10 Hands & Knees Podcast Episode Transcript

This is the full, human-edited transcript of our Mad Men C to Z podcast discussing Season 4, Episode 10: Hands and Knees. You can listen to the episode here, or find it here on Spotify, or here on YouTube. Follow us on social media @MadMenCtoZ!

Mad Men C to Z S4E10 Hands and Knees Transcript
 
Jenna: Hi, I'm Jenna.
 
Steve: And I'm Steve. Welcome to All Things Mad Men, from Chip and Dip to Zou Bisou.
 
Jenna: There's so much to love about this amazing show, and we're happy to connect to fans like us, who discover new things with each rewatch.
 
Steve: Be advised, while we aren't gratuitous with spoilers, they can pop up as we discuss character arcs through the final season.
Let's get started with Mad Men, C to Z.
 
Jenna: This is season four, episode ten, Hands and Knees.
This episode was written by Jonathan Abrams, Matthew Weiner and Brett Johnson and directed by Lynn Shelton.
 
If the never ending question about Mad Men is who is Don Draper,
surely a secondary question has to be, what does Roger do at work,
because the scene opens with him staring at the drinking bird toy.
 
We've talked about his childish streak in terms of impulsivity and irresponsibility,
so it makes sense that a toy found its way to his office and this is his substitute for work.
 
Steve: He's watching the bird and then as Joan comes in, he gets all flirty and, and is obviously interested in her.

And then quickly, the scene turns rather serious when Joan says that she's late, and Roger flips into, you know, supportive leader mode.
So he really runs the spectrum here from bored child to horny flirty man to adult partner, whose going to support her and take care of her in this moment, all in the course of what, 30 seconds, I guess, as Joan reveals her news.
 
Jenna: Greg has been gone for seven weeks now at basic training.
So this is Roger's baby. He believes Joan, and he says he'll take care of this, which could mean I'll support you in whatever way you need,
or it could mean I'll pay for your abortion. It's not completely clear.
 
And we learned at the beginning of this season at the doctor's office that Joan has had two prior abortions, but we don't know if Roger is aware of them, or even whether he was the father of an earlier pregnancy.
We also know Joan has wanted to get pregnant for a while, but this is not the way she planned it.
 
Steve: It's also a bit of a flip on the Joan character, who often is large and in charge in any crisis or situation. And it's the other characters who turn to her for guidance and direction on what to do.
In this scene, Joan seems to be having a pretty strong emotional reaction here. She seems quite upset. She says that she can't go back to her doctor, and it's Roger who's the one who's very nurturing and caring.
 
And to your point, it's not clear what he means by, you know, we'll look after this,
but he's very forthcoming with that reassurance of it will be looked after.
And, you know, I'm here and I'm on your side and we're going to look after this together. So it's a good look for Roger, who doesn't start the scene looking like much of an adult.
 
 
Jenna: The next scene is at the Francis household, where Betty is sewing, and Don calls. When he asks for Sally, we learn that Sally's been keeping her father at a distance. She didn't talk to him on the phone for a while, and she didn't go to his place the past couple weekends.
So it seems like Sally's holding onto some hurt that he wouldn't let her live with him after the last episode.
 
Steve: And that fits to me, it seems like teenage daughter having an emotional reaction to what she perceives as a rejection from her father for something that she really wanted.
But in this scene we quickly find out Don's got something that's going to make her forget all about that rejection.
 
Jenna: Yes, it's a pretty on-brand divorced dad thing to come in with a super gift for a preteen who's upset with him. And Don takes it to the next level.
 
He's taking Sally to see the Beatles at Shea Stadium, where they actually played on August 15, 1965, to a crowd of over 55,000 people, the largest ever to that point.
 
I did some research: there was a 50-minute BBC movie made about that concert and it aired in March of the following year.
We'll put a link about that on this episode's page of our website so you can check it out if you like.
 
Steve: And maybe getting a little bit off on a tangent here, there's also sort of a parody movie called the Rutles that is this parody of the Beatles. It's an old concert sort of film thing, and in there they get actual celebrities to talk about and the Rutles perform at Shea Stadium, and they have Mick Jagger talking about being at the stadium and witnessing it.
And it's kind of a funny scene, because he describes it as sort of watching ants that you can't hear, and they're just little ants moving around.
 
Getting back to the concert, I think any of us who's a music fan has got to just feel the envy that Sally's going to get to go to this, what turns out to be an epic traditional concert by the Beatles at Shea Stadium, you know, and we just all wish we could have attended that. So it's an awesome gift.
 
Sally reacts very positively, and she's screaming.
And it's interesting here, you know, I don't get any jealousy from Betty about this. You know, she's not begrudging Don getting this for Sally, and she's in no way trying to rain on Sally's parade about this awesome gift.
She seems to have a good motherly moment here, where she's genuinely happy for her daughter.
 
Jenna: I agree.
This is one of very few scenes where I'm actually happy with both of Sally's parents at the same time.
I think it's funny that Don doesn't even expect to enjoy the concert and he's planning to wear his earplugs.
 
And I love that Betty is pleased and happy for Sally when she sees how excited she is.
And the screaming that Sally does is such a great nod to the Beatlemania happening around the country at that time.
 
And I think it's a testament to how unhappy Betty has been this whole time -
I feel tension about how Betty is likely going to be upset about this news,
and instead she just goes with it.
Sally gets to have the opportunity, Don gets to have the credit,
and Betty isn't going to take away from either of them having those things. And it's really lovely for all three of them.
 
Steve: As upset as Sally obviously is with not being allowed to go live with her father, the Beatles concert eclipses all of that, and it's just wiped clear out of her consciousness. And all she can focus on is the awesomeness of going to, you know, the hottest concert in town.
 
Jenna: We also should point out that in an episode about secrets,
Don reveals it to her by saying,
can you keep a secret?
And he says, do you think your friends are going to be jealous when they find out you're going to see the Beatles Sunday at Shea Stadium?
 
And that's a really nice way to get that information, I think. Good job, Don.
 
Steve: Hell, yeah. They're going to be jealous. 60 years later, I'm jealous.
[Laughter]
 
Jenna: In the next scene, Lane is so excited to greet his guest in reception.
He's expecting to see his son, and he's got red, white, and blue balloons and a stuffed Mickey Mouse. So he is all in on his American identity.
 
And you can see Lane completely deflating when his stuffy English father is standing there instead.
His first question is, “Have you brought Nigel?”
 
So although we don't get to see any father / son relationship between Lane and his son, we can tell Nigel is important to him, and he would have been genuinely glad to see him, that's important to him.
 
Steve: Lane's bringing this, you know, stuffed Mickey Mouse for his son and to have it presented with his stuffy old world father, who's definitely not approving and is here on sort of a mission of family duty to try and reconcile and call Lane back to England.
It's just the perfect visual for that schism between the two of them and that disappointment.
 
And at the end of the scene, when Lane puts the stuffed Mickey, you know, on the buffet or whatever it is, we get a sense that this is really his American life and this irreconciled difference with his family about it, and, you know, the question of how will this resolve.
 
Jenna: We haven't met Lane's father before,
and I was surprised to see how stern he was with Lane, who is, after all, an adult.
And the father just seems to think he's going to tell Lane what to do, and Lane will do it.
 
But that's something St. John liked about Lane as well.
And I think, what a terrible thing to be appreciated by people because you're convenient. You're going to do what you're told, right?
 
We see how miserable Don is, and he's the opposite of Lane in so many ways. He's irresponsible often, and you know, nobody can tell him what to do. And yet here's Lane: He follows the rules, and he's not any happier than the guy who always breaks them.
 
Steve: Yeah, it's an interesting juxtaposition between the two of them.
I think, too, for those who are trying to control, when the obedient one fails to obey,
it can cause an even more vicious backlash than with the black sheep or the rebel who nobody had expectations they would obey in the first place.
 
So when they fail to obey, everybody just kind of nods, you know, as expected, they haven't done.
So when the obedient one happens to diverge or rebel,
then there's this sense of outrage and the need to quash this instinct and get them back inside the lines where they belong. And I get this vibe from Lane's father.
 
Jenna: Yes, great point.
William Morgan Shepard, who plays Robert Pryce,
was the Klingon commander in Star Trek 6, and he was also in the movies Transformers, Needful Things, and The Prestige.
He voiced some of the video game - and Civilization 5 is not my favorite iteration, but I adore that game.
And his acting credits go all the way back to The Days of our Lives and a show called Max Headroom, which I had forgotten ever existed.
 
Steve: Yeah, that's going back a ways. And everybody knows Klingons are very stern parents, so this makes sense.
 
 
Jenna: The next scene is a meeting with North American Aviation and most of the paperwork text is blacked out for confidentiality, which makes sense in an episode about secrets.
 
North American Aviation has a lot of money to spend on advertising.
And this was the account Pete started building back in season two when Don ran off with Joy in The Jet Set.
 
Steve: You can see the excitement of Pete, Harry and Don at this deep pocketed client, North American, who wants to spend, spend, spend. Harry's got dollar signs in his eyes as he thinks about the TV possibilities.
 
Pete is thrilled. You know, they've, they've pulled a whale into the boat and this is great for the firm and great for Pete personally.
 
We see at the end of the scene, Don's a little distracted because he's getting the tickets to the Beatles concert through Harry's friend, and Harry doesn't have them yet. So Don wants to make sure that's secured before Harry scoots off to the coast.
 
Jenna: It's kind of cute how this is so important to Don, and he denies being worried about getting them, but he really wants this event to go well for Sally. He's going out of his way to make sure it's set up.
 
And I'm so glad that taking Sally to see the Beatles is that important to him,
even if she had to have a meltdown and stay away from him for a week or two to remind him that she is important to him.
 
Steve: It reminds me a little bit of the prior episode where Sally cut her hair with the babysitter. And as Don is venting on the babysitter,
he says, you know, do you have any idea of the river of shit I'm going to get from Betty when she sees that her daughter cut her hair?
 
I get that sense here that Don, he's promised the moon and the stars to Sally.
If for some reason this didn't come to pass, what was this great eclipse that blotted out him not letting her live with him would boomerang back, and then she would remember that hurt and as well the bait and switch, or the lie that was the Beatles tickets that never happened.
 
So you do get a sense of anxiousness on the part of Don Draper. He's got to get those tickets now or he is going to be in another world of hurt.
 
Jenna: And as this meeting breaks up, Lane invites Don to go to dinner with his father. He says it would be a personal favor.
 
Already I think we can guess Lane doesn't want to be alone with his father.
Are there any other reasons you think that he especially chose to bring Don along specifically?
 
Steve: I was kind of struggling with understanding the reasoning there. Do you think it's because the presence of Don is going to put the brakes on his father unloading on him about his family obligations and giving him the hard sell to get his butt back to England?
Is it really just to run that interference because in polite company, his father's going to have to keep the safeties on?
 
Jenna: I think there's definitely an element of that,
that it will maybe force his father to be polite.
But I also think there's a bit of a thing how Don would take Betty out and show her off.
I think Lane wants to take Don out and show him off to his father and say, look at the charming, interesting people I hang out with now and look at my exciting,
wonderful life.
 
I think it's part of the presentation of the persuasion and the convincing that I have too many good things here to possibly go back.
And so Don is a prop, which is interesting because Don uses everybody else as a prop all the time.
So I find that a little bit curious that Lane is convincing him to go do this favor for him.
 
Steve: I really like that thought. And it makes sense within the context of Lane is continuing to pitch both his life and life in America for him as being this good, impressive thing.
 
And Don Draper fits into that. And when we think about, you know, as we'll see, they go to the Playboy Club, I think that's also part of this pitch of America and Lane's life.
You know, look at the razzle dazzle. Look at how good my life is here, Father. You know, I've done well. And he's seeking that praise. He's seeking that approval, which, yeah, we'll have to see how that works out later in the episode.
 
 
Jenna: The next scene takes us to New York's Playboy Club. The first real one opened in Chicago in 1963, and the last one of this model closed in 1988, although apparently there have been some other reimaginings of it since then.
 
As the scene opens, we learn Lane is a member of this club. So although they don't say anything, you can see Don is noticing how much Lane has changed since their New Year's Eve night.
Lane was alone with the call girl, and he hesitated to take off his glasses with her.
And before he asked how much the girl was the morning after. And now Lane is a key holder at the Playboy Club.
 
It definitely feels like he was inspired by Don Draper to go this direction. And I wonder, does that seem positive to you?
 
Steve: Positive in what sense? I suppose in terms of Lane living his life, being true to himself and finding a happiness that it seems has eluded him to this point, you know, and Lane is not a young man, so, you know, he's fully mature. And if he's still not found happiness, I think, you know, in rooting for the character,
I'm hoping that he's finding that place here.
 
It simultaneously feels like a bit of a put on to me. You know, it's - I think in the commentary, Matthew Weiner mentions that Lane's acting out, trying to put on a show for his father here, and I think in some ways trying to provoke him.
 
It's interesting because I think that is happening simultaneous to the genuine elements here, where Lane has found something that makes him happy, even though he's asked Don there as a prop.
 
We know that he shared some good times with Don and there is a certain closeness and trust between the two of them. So he's not 100% a prop, even if there is definitely that element or strain in it.
 
Jenna: For me, I understand Lane's loneliness, and we know Rebecca ended things between them. And as far as we know, he was - Lane was faithful to Rebecca before that. So I understand it.
 
But this  - kind of like what you were saying - it feels to me like Peggy trying on a personality that doesn't really fit, even if she wants it to.
Here, Lane doesn't seem to belong here. This doesn't seem to be true to himself.
It's just something he's trying because he's not sure who he really is.
And all he knows is he doesn't want to go back to England.
 
Steve: And his father is not really embracing any of this. You know, there's no positivity coming from his father at all. It's not that he's impolite,
but he's not leaning into, you know, looking at Lane’s world or embracing this evening with his son.
 
I think that leads to Lane making the decision to call Toni over and introduce her to his father. Lane's going all in on this little display here at the Playboy Club.
 
Jenna: Toni Charles is played by Naturi Naughton, and you might recognize her from the TV series Power, Queens, interestingly The Playboy Club, or The Client List, or the movie Notorious.
 
I also thought the moment where Lane tries to order three whiskey sours was interesting, because his father doesn't go along with that. So again, it's that control piece, like, I'll order for the table. I'm the key holder. I'm in charge.
And his father makes this snide remark.
 
I appreciate that Don plays nice and he accepts the whiskey sour that Lane orders, even though Don is trying not to drink at all.
And I don't know if Don would consider Lane a friend exactly,
but I see and appreciate that he's trying to be kind to him here, because it's pretty awful to have your father dismiss you like that.
 
Steve: Agreed. And his father picks, you know, the drink order, as minor and insignificant as it is, picks that as the moment to make it very clear he's not gonna be led around by his son and he'll go his own way there.
 
It's a gesture that I think carries a lot more weight than the very minor thing that it is.
Getting back to whether Lane is a friend of Don,
that's a good question.
In the context of Don Draper and his relationships,
I'd argue that Lane is much closer to the friend end of the spectrum than many other characters.
You know, just because Don Draper's relationships are so broken with so many people by a more normal standard or somebody who,
you know, has many friends, you'd probably argue Lane is nothing more than a work acquaintance.
 
 
Jenna: The next day, Betty opens the door to two men in suits from the Defense Department asking questions about who Don Draper is.
Betty's nervous, but ultimately, she lies for Don.
 
I think Betty has plenty of reasons to want to hold on to her life the way it is,
but I was still a little surprised at this. I really expected Betty to be selfish enough to want to punish Don no matter what.
And here is a great opportunity, right, to destroy the life and the lie he built.
 
And when she doesn't, it feels to me like Betty is genuinely embracing what she has with Henry and that it is too much to lose.
And additionally, I think she does have some residual care for the father of her children, and their history together.
But on first watch, I was really surprised that Betty lied for him.
 
Steve: I'm definitely wondering how she's going to play it. As the viewer,
I think I'm less expectant that she's going to want to burn it down on him than perhaps the impression I'm getting from your comment here.
But I'm definitely on the edge of my seat with, how is she going to respond to these questions?
 
And she's not under oath here. And then the other thing I would also note is Betty has plausible deniability here. You know, nobody knows what she does or doesn't know about, you know, Dick Whitman's Don Draper's past.
And she could deny any knowledge of it, and nobody could disprove that. So I think that certainly gives her space, you know, if she's thinking this through,
to give whatever answer she chooses to.
 
I also wanted to just quickly shout out, I think January Jones does a great job in this scene of conveying that nervousness, Betty weighing in her mind what to do here. Because for an average person, civilian background checks do represent a brush with the national security apparatus that most people are not used to.
 
And if you've never seen one before, it is rather intimidating.
 
Two guys in black suits show up and start asking these detailed questions about your spouse,
even as she dodges answering certain questions like, you know, is he a man of integrity? And she sort of references, well, we got divorced. And,
you know, I'm sure they think of that as, oh, there were romantic issues.
But I think the implications of her answer extend beyond just the romantic relationship.
 
Jenna: Boy, they have no idea how many romantic relationships there were. She would not be exaggerating.
 
Steve: She knows about a lot, and there's more that she doesn't know about.
 
Jenna: I think we should also point out how - we see Don under stress with the drinking. And here, Betty and her cigarettes are pretty prominent.
 
So when she was pregnant and her father wanted to talk about his end of life planning, and he said, oh, go on and have your cigarettes here, she reaches for them again, and they're so prevalent, and when you're watching for it, it really jumps out at you.
 
But I think on first watch, there's just so much to pay attention to that maybe it's not as obvious, or maybe it is just because we don't see characters smoking on TV anymore.
But cigarettes for Betty are almost like another character in her life.
 
Steve: And I'm going to admit that I didn't notice so much on the smoking other than the nervousness of Betty. And I think that's because the scene succeeded in giving me this stress of, you know, how will she answer these questions?
 
And I think, getting back to your original question,
why does Betty lie for him?
I think in the moment, she's nervous of what could potentially be the implications for her. It's certainly going to be harmful for the children.
 
And I wonder if she thinks, you know, what purpose does it serve burning down his life here and for what, out of spite?
But in the moment, she definitely comes through for him.
 
Jenna: And that seems like a big turn for her, because when she was talking to Francine and saying, you know, he doesn't deserve your pity. He doesn't deserve to have that and this.
So she was definitely wanting to watch him fall apart.
And then, at the moment she has that in her power, and she won't do it. So I think that's an interesting more of an adult moment for Betty, if you will.
 
Steve: And the questions that the agents are asking, knowing the history of Don Draper, they're just the perfect questions. You know, is he a man of integrity? Any reason to think he isn't who he says he is? There's a real irony to these questions.
 
 
Jenna: As soon as the Defense Department guys leave, Betty calls Don at the office, and she's really irritated. She had no notice.
And he does seem pretty surprised that she lied for him, and very grateful and relieved that she did.
 
And this moment of genuine appreciation for something she did is so moving to her that she's not even mad anymore. And it's so rare.
 
How long were they married? And he so rarely looked at her with any kind of appreciation or genuine feeling. And it's nice that he can express it now, but it's really sad he could never express it before.
 
Steve: Yeah, he does seem to be on a bit of a thank you tour here in the second half of season four.
But I always take close note when Don Draper says thank you to anyone, because it is rather rare to this point.
 
And I agree with you. I think she can pick up on just this lie that he lives and the peril it puts him in and the fear and nervousness that it engenders in his life.
And I think she feels some sympathy for him at this moment because she can see the cost of what he's living.
 
Jon Hamm does a great job, you know, as we watch him on the phone hearing about this and just being totally caught off guard and instantly going into a cold sweat.
 
Jenna: So Betty keeps pretend calm with the Defense Department people,
and it leads to an upset call with Don next. And then in that scene, Don pretends to be calm, and then he gets off the phone, and he has an upset conversation with Megan. So it's funny how they're kind of passing the hot potato on this.
 
Megan filled out the Defense Department form for Don.
He signed it without looking, and now his identity could be compromised.
Megan is completely apologetic, and Don has zero care for her feelings. He doesn't see her at all. He's only worried about himself, even when she says,
I understand if you want to fire me.
 
And Betty, with her cigarettes - Don goes into his office and he pours a drink.
And this agitation we see him have here is so reminiscent of when Pete was threatening to go to Bert about Don's identity in season one.
 
And as much as he seems to hate his life sometimes, in this moment,
it feels like he realizes how much he has to lose.
 
Steve: I really like Jon Hamm's intensity after the call with Betty,
with Megan, as he finds out, you know, how this came to pass, and then saying, hey, he needs to speak with Pete. He's trying to be professional with her.
You know, he is brusque and aggressive,
but we can just feel the intensity of his emotions. And we see that reflected by Megan as she's sort of melting into mush and worried about getting fired and very apologetic.
 
 
Jenna: Back at the Playboy Club at lunchtime, Lane visits Toni,
and we learn that they're in a relationship. They say that they love each other.
Lane says he wants his father to know why he's staying in America and to meet her.
 
And we haven't seen this relationship before now, so we don't really know,
but it feels to me like this relationship is just Lane's excuse to tie him to this country.
It's not that he doesn't really like her, but it feels too soon to be real.
 
And it also feels kind of like Roger with Jane, this sort of fantasy,
it's not really being true to himself. This is just a relationship he's trying on.
 
Steve: Yeah. Given that we haven't seen any of this prior to this episode, I think I share your suspicions there.
 
I was also thinking that for a woman like Toni working in that club,
Lane is probably not the first sugar daddy boyfriend that she's . . . I'm wondering how conscious Toni is of the nature of this and how she perceives it, because she does say to Lane, look, I don't want to be used to get back at your father.
And that made me think, oh, maybe there is some legitimate emotion and commitment here between the two of them, or at least from Toni's side to Lane.
 
Because if it was purely a professional relationship, in her mind,
maybe she would be more indifferent to being used to get back at his father. Kind of like, yeah, you know, like that's. That's part of the rental. And, go ahead, you know, let's freak your father out, and you'll be moving on, and I'll have a replacement.
 
So, you know, we don't know enough about the Toni character as to where she lands there, but it is a scene, I think that's designed to show us that at least from Lane's perspective, he's clutching onto this relationship very, very tightly as, as part of the way he's sort of clutching onto his American life.
And all of that is imperiled now by his father.
 
Jenna: Along those lines, I appreciated that Toni called Lane out for,
he says, I just wanted Father to meet you.
And she says, well, that was a silly way to do it. She didn't get a proper introduction as his girlfriend, he just called her over as a waitress.
And her job would be lost if, if they admitted that they were dating. They're not supposed to.
 
I appreciate that she greets him on an equal basis and meeting his family is important. He mentions Nigel, she knows who that is. So it does seem like they have some genuine connection.
I don't feel like she's playing him or anything.
And I don't think he's trying to take advantage of her. I just think he's not really as self aware maybe as he needs to be.
 
Steve: And as well, you know, to introduce her as a waitress at the Playboy Club. Given what little we know about Lane's traditional father,
it's even more ridiculous.
Like, you would never introduce her that way. You'd have a dinner and she'd come to the dinner, she wouldn't be working.
 
And it's almost guaranteed to light your father up for any number of reasons.
It does seem that Lane's being deliberately provocative with his father here. And I guess this is his form of disobedience or rebellion.
 
 
Jenna: In the next scene, we see Joan and Roger sitting in the doctor's office, and he is full of disgust.
He says, I know what you're here for. I know what you want.
He lectures Roger about this woman - using this woman and ruining her.
 
Joan's face isn't giving away a lot. She doesn't appear to be sorry or concerned.
She just needs to sit here and listen to this doctor until he's finished to get what she came for.
 
And Roger is all affronted and upset because how dare you talk to me this way? Even if what the doctor is saying is true.
 
Steve: And how hilarious is that? Because we've seen these lecturing doctors throughout the series to this point, lecturing the women who have to sit and take it. And as soon as he lays into Roger, Roger's immediately pushing back on it and saying, I'm not here for a lecture.
And I love the fact that somebody's finally talking back to the doctor.
 
Also, Roger has a perfectly good excuse. I mean, they, they were mugged, you know, what else are you supposed to do on the sidewalk after the mugging?
 
Jenna: Literally anything else.
 
Steve: Well, fair point. But the neighborhood is going downhill.
 
Jenna: They say, yes.
 
The doctor in this scene is played by Jim Jansen. And his resume is such a treat to scan, because it includes so many well known TV shows and movies back to the 80s. It's a ton of stuff.
 
So I know he's such a minor character, we're not going to see him again,
but he was a stage manager in Tootsie, he was a minister in Gilmore Girls, he was a high school principal on The Office.
He might be best known for Water for Elephants, but he was also in The Birdcage, The X Files, the original Charlie's Angels. It is an incredible list.
And he does a great job registering his disgust at Roger here in this scene.
 
Steve: And it's interesting that the doctor even thinks to lecture the two of them because they're not kids, right? They're not 20 years old or something like that. You know, they're both mature.
 
And we know Jones had prior procedures. So assuming this guy has been her doctor for some time, he may be even aware of her history here,
but he still can't resist climbing on his little soapbox and giving them a lecture.
 
Which again, I'm very gratified that Roger shuts that down because as a viewer, it's just frustrated me all the heck to watch the doctor lecturing Peggy.
 
Jenna: Well, remember, this is a different doctor that Roger took them to –
 
Steve: No, no, I know it's different, but just the idea that these professionals see fit to lecture grown women about how they live their lives and the choices they make, and it's my view, and I guess it's a modern view, is it's none of your business.
You just tend to your responsibilities, Doc.
 
 
Jenna: When Pete gets back from lunch, Don confronts him about the security clearances for the Department of Defense for North American Aviation.
Pete is ready to blame Don.
And then he tries to calm him down, but Don is as agitated as he was when he went to Rachel and asked her to run away with him.
 
And Pete doesn't really take Don seriously until the end of the scene when Don says,
well, you can run this agency without me.
And Pete knows that is a disaster scenario for their small company.
 
Earlier this season he had that line where he said,
other firms can't compete. And you know why? Because you don't work there.
And to me, that seems to confirm Pete really believes it. It wasn't just flattery when he said that he needs Don Draper, and now he's going to have to work some account man magic just to keep him in place.
 
Steve: I love this irony, because if we go back to when Pete was trying to blackmail Don with his identity and then had that shut down, he's come full circle now to a world where he knows all about Dick Whitman, but he doesn't want to rock the apple cart because of the value Don Draper, the ad man, brings to the agency.
 
So in this moment where we've got Don again evidencing his willingness to run,
it's Pete who's shutting that down to say, no, no, no, that's insane.
Because Pete sees the value for the agency.
 
And now Don, Dick Whitman's problem is Pete's problem as he needs to find a way around this situation. So in effect, he's become an ally of Dick Whitman,
whereas before he was this hostile enemy. And I just love the whole irony.
 
And in his commentary, Matt Weiner talks about, you know, this season is where Pete Campbell grows up and starts to realize, you know, there's bigger interests, longer term goals and things to adhere to rather than being emotional and just getting your nose out of joint for slights or insults or petty things.
 
And I think this scene really evidences that maturity of Pete Campbell because the old Pete Campbell would have just, you know, savored the satisfaction of being right.
And the comeuppance on Dick Whitman, Don Draper, and this Pete Campbell, the mature Pete Campbell says, this is my problem. I've got to find a solution here.
 
Jenna: And it's weird for the audience, because the show can still make me feel worried for Don, even though all of this is because of Don's lie, and because he signs forms without reading them first.
 
I had a friend who was rooting against Ferris Bueller the whole movie.
And I feel like maybe I should root against Don here.
I mean, it's his comeuppance, right? But instead I'm nervous about what does this mean for Don's career and for his life and for the company.
Is he gonna have to go on the run?
Will he have to go to prison?
And it's so fascinating that they can take such a flawed character and still make us have hope for him and care about him.
 
Steve: Don’s sin, it's old, it's in the past, it's really victimless for me, that really turns down the temperature on the offense, even though it's clearly against the law and against the rules.
 
Had he harmed others or was continuing to harm others through it?
I think I'd have a very different perspective on it, but I find myself sympathizing with. I think it's Pete who talks about, you know, how long ago it was, and surely there's a statute of limitations and this and that.
And, you know, Don brings up it's desertion.
And we get this sense of that's a grave offense and there's no statute of limitations.
 
Jenna: I think, though, we have to separate out all the pieces when we think about victimless crime, right?
I mean, he didn't do it intentionally, but he dropped the lighter that killed his commander. [Steve laughs]
And he doesn't talk about that when he talks about switching and staying.
And he also - why did you laugh when I said that?
 
Steve: It's very tragic. I'm very sorry. [Both laugh]
 
Jenna: That's not okay, man.
 
He also - the whole thing with Adam, right, in keeping the secret and preserving the secret at the cost of everything else.
His whole relationship with Betty, and his family and excluding Adam from his life, and not investing or including his relationship, you know, with Anna, integrating his relationship between Betty and the kids and Anna, which could have been, but for this secret.
 
I understand what you're saying about the desertion piece or even trying to level up. I think we can sympathize with that,
but I don't think we can say it was victimless.
And I think that the victims sort of keep lining up because of all his trauma.
 
And some of it was inflicted on him,
but some of it has been because of his choices.
 
Steve: I'm saying the original sin is victimless,
with the possible exception of dropping the lighter. But again, you shouldn't have a lighter and shouldn't be smoking around the fuel dump or whatever the heck they were doing. So there's plenty of military responsibility to go around on that.
 
All the subsequent decisions and victimizations, of which I agree they are endless.
Those are all separate and distinct, and things didn't have to go that way. So, yeah, that's the way they've gone.
 
But I don't tie those to the original sin here. To me, the original sin is pristine and boxed up, and all the subsequent decisions are separate sins, you know, that. That we can assess and look at.
So I'm not in a twist about him assuming a new identity all those years ago,
but I still want to hold him accountable for his decisions today and yesterday and the ones he'll make tomorrow,
because he has options, and there are ways to do things and to avoid hurting people and the rest. And far too frequently, Don Draper feeds his friends and family through the meat grinder, rather than do the right thing.
 
 
Jenna: After the visit to the doctor, Roger and Joan have a conversation.
He says a lot of pretty words, but Joan knows better than to trust them.
 
This is spoiler territory, but I wonder if at this point Joan is already thinking about keeping the baby.
And this scene is her affirming that Roger shouldn't be part of it because he does a whole song and dance. It's all about charming her.
And he says if he, if they start things again, he doesn't want it to begin with a scandal because again with the image, he has to believe in the beautiful version of it.
He cares about how things look, not how things are.
 
And Joan says,
I'm going to take care of it,
which could mean I'm getting an abortion and taking care of the problem,
or it could mean I'm going to take care of this baby.
 
And Roger says back, I'm going to take care of it.
And he, I think pretty unambiguously, says he means I will pay for the abortion.
 
When the scene ends with Joan saying,
I don't need you to come, like I don't need you to drive me there,
I feel like she's saying I can do this myself.
 
And I feel like she probably can. And not that it will be easy, but won't it be easier with, you know, one baby and not the extra one? Because Roger is also such a baby-
 
Steve: The old baby, I think you're trying to reference [laughing].
 
Jenna: She already has Greg around and he's plenty to handle as a baby.
 
Steve: That's true.
 
Jenna: There's another baby she doesn't need anymore.
 
Steve: It's really her third child she's contemplating here.
 
I like the contrast in this scene for Joan with the earlier one where she does seem a little overwhelmed and stressed out about the circumstance.
This Joan is the Joan we know. She's back and in charge. She's thinking things through very clearly, very logically and she doesn't have rose colored glasses on about the realities of Roger and how he behaves.
 
By way of contrast in this scene we're back to Roger, the child who basically thinks about what he wants and has these romantic notions and ideas,
but they're not practical in the least.
 
He's not thinking them through and he'll sort of say anything at this point, which, you know, thank goodness Joan sees right through that so she can be clear eyed on whatever path she's going to pursue.
 
To me, this is classic Roger here in this moment where he's full of good intentions and beautiful thoughts without a pragmatic inkling about, you know, what would be the implications of this and how would it play out.
 
So I think if Joan were to start falling for what Roger's saying here, we'd all be screaming at the tv, you know, no, no, Joan, don't, don't listen to this.
There's no substance here. It's just hot air out of Roger.
 
Jenna: And I feel like she already knew that about him.
But she does have a moment where she, he doesn't know it, but I think she's explicitly asking because he says, maybe I'm in love with you. And she says, so you want to keep it?
And he says, no, of course not.
 
And so I think that is her ultimate confirmation of - and she knows, she knows, right? Roger will not be a partner to her the way that she wants him to be.
And this cannot work.
 
But there is a moment where she's sort of testing the ground to see, like, can I give this man a chance? Is this going to happen?
And it, it won't. You're exactly right. This would never work out. And we would all be sad for her if she tried.
 
Steve: In the end, it feels very lonely for Joan. You know, she's got to be the adult here and make the decision. She's dealing with the consequences of their sidewalk tryst.
And the noise that's coming from Roger is maybe well intentioned. You know, it's -  the most generous way we could describe it, but there's no substance. And to your point, when she sort of calls him out and says, oh, you want to keep it? You know, it immediately evaporates and he backs right off. So it's Joan's problem to solve, and Joan will make her decision.
 
 
Jenna: Back at Betty's house. She makes a point of telling Henry about the two men visiting to ask questions about Don for a security clearance.
Why do you think she doesn't tell Henry Don's secret?
And also, do you think she's hypocritical for saying she doesn't want secrets, but she isn't completely honest with Henry here?
 
Steve: That doesn't strike me as hypocritical, simply because I don't think it's her secret to share with Henry? I think it's Don's. And it was bad enough that Don had never shared it with her, and then she, you know, discovered it.
 
I would feel uncomfortable if she was, you know, communicating that out to, to others, you know, a third party here, in this case Henry.
There's no need to do that.
 
Jenna: I agree with that.
 
Steve: And then in terms of, you know, the way she pitches the situation with the security clearance. And we can tell Henry completely misses, you know, the reality and just thinks, oh, you know, this routine security clearance, whatever, who cares?
It's just bureaucracy.
 
And Betty is content for him to have that conclusion. And I think Henry would probably say, oh, you know, she was just unhappy with the interruption or the time it took to answer these things, you know, for this guy that, you know, she's no longer with.
 
We also get a vibe of competitiveness from Henry in this moment,
which is kind of sweet. And I think Betty probably likes the idea that Henry feels competitive with her ex and, you know, wants to be a better husband for her.
 
Jenna: I think it's interesting that Betty wants to tell Henry about the visit, and know she's with a man who won't keep secrets from her.
I think this is her recognizing she has a real relationship now, and there aren't things in the shadows that are going to pop up and surprise her later.
 
And so even though it isn't a significant thing to Henry, except it kind of pokes at his competitiveness vis a vis Don,
the act of telling him, I think matters a lot to Betty.
 
And so we can see before Henry was sort of questioning, you know, did we rush into this? Are you really - is your heart too much with Don?
And I think this episode really solidifies that Betty is very invested in Henry. She's made her choice, and she's feeling good about it.
 
Steve: And with the stipulation that she's not revealing Dick Whitman's secret.
She's very transparent and open about everything up until that point, which I think is her trying to adhere to this no secrets standard with Henry.
 
Jenna: I think she mostly doesn't want to rock the boat or give Henry a reason to be unhappy now that she's really committed and decided she's all in on this.
 
But I also think if she were thinking several steps ahead, which I don't know, Betty is,
you know, she wants to keep Henry's political future pure by not involving him on this either.
So that could be another element of, it would be bad for Henry to know this.
So it's another good reason to keep it.
 
And plus, I do feel like she has a kind of allegiance to Don. Not just that.
Not that it's her story to tell, so that's the wrong reason to share,
but additionally, it isn't that she still wants to be with Don, but now she has kind of an appropriate sense of allegiance to him where she's not trying to wreck his life.
 
He's free to go on his own way and deal with what he needs to deal with. And she's happy with the choices that she's made. And she wants to not have to be saddled by Don's lies anymore, the way Pete is now entangled with Don's lies.
 
 
Steve: The next scene cuts to the elevator where Pete and Don are alone,
and Don follows up on Pete's inquiries with his Department of Defense friend.
Pete pitches an optimistic view that his friend's looking into it, that they can ride it out. There's a statute of limitations.
 
This is where Don says it's desertion and pushes back against the notion that everything's going to work out all right.
And we can see Pete's irritation in this scene where he says he doesn't have to live with Don’s shit over his head.
Pete's also frustrated because he's signed this account and grew it to over 4 million.
And Don Draper's advice?
Get rid of it.
 
Jenna: The penalty for desertion during wartime in the US Military can include jail time or even the death penalty.
Although, I looked it up, that hasn't been used since 1945.
 
So although Don is very flustered, he's right to be worried about this still.
And Pete has every right to be irritable.
He's doing something good for the company and Don is in the way of it,
and it's not Pete's problem, and now Pete has to handle it.
 
It’s an interesting juxtaposition back to back with Roger and Joan talking about the baby.
Because in both scenes, we get one person being especially selfish,
and whatever they do going forward, they're tied together because of a crisis.
 
Steve: And I can appreciate Don's concern here about how this would be treated if it were to come to light, because the system is so unpredictable, it's so big.
And two different people in the same circumstances, one could have a very mild, oh, forget about it, what's past is past reaction from the system.
 
And the other could be a very rigid to the letter of the rule sort of we're going to make an example here scenario. And you just don't know how the system will react.
So if I'm Don Draper, I would share his concern that you simply cannot afford for this to come into the light because it's completely unpredictable, what will come out of the system.
 
There really is no good option here from Pete's perspective. You can't have Don Draper going on the lam and leaving the agency. He's the creative genius that props the whole thing up.
And then at the other extreme, he signed this large account, which,
given the firm's dependence upon the Lucky Strike account, this North American Aviation whale is really helpful to start to diversify their revenues, because heaven forbid anything would ever happen to Lucky Strike. Wink, wink, nod, nod.
 
Don almost glibly saying, we'll get rid of it, as if that's the obvious direct choice here.
I do, I hate to say it, find myself sympathizing with Pete Campbell in this elevator.
 
Jenna: Don's agitation continues in the meeting with his accountant.
He wants to set up a trust for his kids that Betty can access.
I think the fact that she lied for him makes him trust her on this.
 
And the accountant is being really good to Don by voicing concerns about his decision making here.
But Don insists. I mean, he is a man planning to run at this point.
And at least unlike when he was going to run away with Rachel, he's like,
I'll provide for my children. I'll figure that out. He is actually taking steps to look after them by having this meeting.
 
Steve: And again, he's viewing - looking after his kids in this same minimalist way, as if the material needs are what needs looking after, which is so tragic because we can see how hungry emotionally Sally is for the presence of her father.
 
We can presume that Bobby and Gene will find themselves in that place down the road. And just this notion that you can cut and run like the hobo code -
Don Draper really needs to let this go because it's not feasible for adults, especially adults with little people counting on them.
 
But like you say, he’s very focused on this materialistic angle.
And, you know, the accountant can read the anxiety on him and even, you know,
asks him, you know, if he might be suicidal. You know, just showing the level of concern from the accountant.
I don't worry that Don Draper will ever kill himself,
but he will run away and start fresh at the drop of a hat.
 
Jenna: Don's accountant, Frank Keller, is played by Jack Laufer. He might be recognizable from The Day After Tomorrow, Huff, and Star Trek Into Darkness.
 
 
Next, we see Joan at the doctor's office where she's waiting to get an abortion, and she meets another woman whose teenage daughter is going in.
The woman is crying, and she's pretty confessional, but Joan doesn't give anything away.
Do you see anything in this interaction with the woman in the waiting room that tips Joan over the edge - spoiler, spoiler, sorry, everybody - into keeping this baby?
 
Steve: I don’t think so, because I think my assessment of Joan's character is that she's decisive and determined to do what she wants to do.
But like you say, she is in this waiting room in this moment, presumably to get the procedure.
I don't know. I didn't get the vibe that anything from the mother was tipping Joan,
but it's an interesting thought because if she had already decided not to do it, why would she be there?
 
Jenna: The mother in the waiting room in this scene is played by Susan May Pratt.
She might be recognizable from Center Stage, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Drive Me Crazy.
 
Steve: In his commentary, Matt Weiner mentions that despite the ban on abortion,
people of means were able to readily obtain abortions because they could tap into that network of doctors who were willing to perform them.
 
So these middle and upper class people who could tap into this network had this option that they could elect.
This dynamic here reveals, you know, a class truth of the United States in the 1960s. You know, despite the laws of the land, the practical reality for people was different.
 
Weiner also mentions that Joan's likely thinking that this may be her last opportunity to have a child.
You know, especially given that Greg shipping off to Vietnam.
So again, I don't know that the mother in the waiting room is tilting Joan,
but I think we definitely have a sense that Joan is weighing her options in this situation.
 
 
Jenna: Next, Faye shows up in Don's office.
Don's been working toward a healthy change in recent episodes, I think, and Faye seems to be part of that.
I think if Anna represented that it's okay to be Dick Whitman,
I think Faye represents that it's okay for Don Draper to grow into a healthy version of himself, that he can stop drinking, he can embrace work, he can be with a partner who challenges him, and that's going to be okay.
 
So when Faye says “you look sick,” and he hasn't called or seen her lately,
it feels like that's him avoiding the hard work of positive change, that it's a symbol of him not progressing toward a healthier identity.
 
Steve: It's a good look for Faye, because she's so supportive. It's clear that she cares about Don Draper's well-being, and she wants to care for him and help him get to a healthier place, even though she has no inkling of what has caused this upset, and she's probably just viewing it as something physical.
 
The emotional upset of Don Draper, I think, is misread his physical illness in this moment.
He's so upset emotionally that it's causing him to have physical symptoms.
And again, I think Jon Hamm does some strong acting in this scene. He really comes across as a sick man.
 
 
Jenna: The next scene starts a series of explicitly hands and knees scenes.
Lee Garner Jr. and Roger are drinking and swapping stories.
 
How do you sit with that man and make nice with him after the Santa suit thing? I don't know.
I feel like we asked that question about Joan after Greg, and Betty, after all that she went through, how Don treated her.
But Roger has put up with a lot with Lee to preserve this status quo as well.
And he's just making nice because it's what he has to do.
 
Steve: Yeah, I was going to say, I think you answered your own question.
When the client, that particular client, Lucky Strike, represents 70% of the firm's revenues.
The reason you sit with him after he humiliated you at the Christmas party is because you have to. You have no financial alternative.
 
Which makes this meeting all the more concerning for Roger when it becomes clear that Lee Garner is there to tell him that Lucky Strike is pulling their account.
 
Jenna: For someone who is so unlikable and malevolent,
Lee does seem pretty reasonable. Here he gives the reason they're leaving SCDP.
He says there was nothing they could have done to keep the business,
and he says he's sorry. And he seems to mean it.
 
But this line, when Roger says, after all the lies I told for you, you owe me that.
What do you think he means by that first part? What do you think - what lies do you think Roger has told for Lee?
 
Steve: I didn't have any specific ones. I guess I just took it as, you know, a litany of decades of inter interactions with Lee. And we can see how creepy and obnoxious Lee is, that their incidents, like the one with Sal, are probably not the first and aren't going to be the last for Lee Garner Jr.
So I just thought Roger was alluding to that relationship over the years where, you know, Roger put on the Santa suit, or they fired Sal or whatever it was that needed doing in order to keep this business and keep Lee Garner Jr. happy.
 
Now it's all coming to an end.
Did you have a different take?
 
Jenna: No, I agree. I thought it definitely reminded the audience of his treatment of Sal.
And just what Roger becomes in service to a man like Lee Garner Jr. - that you don't get to keep your dignity. You don't get to keep your ethics.
 
Everything becomes about whatever Lee wants, when he wants it.
 
Steve: And I've been raving about acting in this episode, but I'm going to do it again.
Darren Pettie is so good as Lee Garner Jr.
Like, he's such an unlikable bully. This is probably about as likable as he can be as he tries to let Roger down easy with this mortal blow to the firm here as Lucky Strike is pulled.
 
And he's just so perfectly cast as Lee Garner Jr., so he works so well in the role. And as Roger runs through the cycles of, you know, anger and denial and pleading and all the rest of it, it's really neat to see the way Darren Pettie fields those various emotions and in some cases, slapping them back.
 
You know, when Roger says, you know, you owe me, and Lee makes it very clear he doesn't owe him anything, you know, so you can't bully the bully.
 
And then it's only when Roger reverts to the begging and just saying, hey, give us 30 days to get our affairs in order, that's a request that even the bully Lee realizes that he really needs to grant that, and he does so. And Roger has to be satisfied with that relatively small concession from Lee Garner Jr.
No surprise Roger takes a nitro heart pill at the end of the episode.
 
Jenna: Betty has cigarettes. Don has alcohol.
Roger takes antacid pills.
I think John Slattery does an amazing job in this scene as well.
And I want to point out, when he says, I don't owe you anything, Lee says, I don't owe you anything, Roger inherited his account.
But of course, Lee inherited his business, too.
Both of these men are spoiled and selfish.
 
Steve: When Nepo babies collide.
 
Jenna: But this performance here,
I mean, we saw Roger angry in The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, and we've seen him be jealous and catty, but he's usually so calm.
 
So when we see him frantic and desperate, it feels worse.
It feels like I'm experiencing it at a greater level. Just like when Joan is upset, it seems more upsetting because she's so calm.
 
So even though you could definitely argue most of the people in his office have greater challenges than Roger Sterling most of the time,
John Slattery really makes me believe here, and I feel that panic along with him.
He does an amazing job.
 
Steve: And this really was his one job, right? His one account, this giant whale that is life to the firm, and now that's going away.
 
So I think we can see the peril it puts the firm in,
but we can also see how personal it is to Roger. His one giant client is the one who's leaving, which raises questions about the feasibility of the firm and certainly raises questions about what are you going to do, Roger, when there's no firm and there's no client?
 
 
Jenna: We go from one hands and knees scene to the next as Faye and Don are heading into his apartment and they see a couple of men in the hallway.
Don is visibly nervous and sweaty, and he thinks these are the men who have come for him at last.
 
We never see his nightmares,
but wouldn't this be it?
People coming to call him on his lie and drag him back and force him to be Dick Whitman, this person he's tried to escape for his whole adult life?
 
Steve: Yeah, I like that thought. And I think if we think about a man living his own nightmare, a waking nightmare,
I think that's Don Draper in this scene.
We know this is not a heart attack. This is a panic attack. And everything he feared and wanted to avoid is catching up with him.
 
And we've got Faye in the scene trying to make sense of it. And at first, you know, she's trying to confirm it isn't a heart attack. And then I think, you know, she makes a correct assessment there. I like Don's line back to her: You're not a real doctor.
 
Jenna: As they move into the apartment, the men just were in the wrong place after all - it was a false alarm - and Faye tries to support Don, and he tells her to leave.
 
She's witnessing this ugly discomfort, this charming man, and he's out of his depth and throwing up in the toilet, and she refuses to go anywhere.
So Faye might have been callous to Allison's feelings in the focus group,
but she's all in for Don here, not just for the beautiful part of him, but for the real part, too.
 
Steve: Yeah, it's a good look for Faye, and she. I think she really shows her qualities in this moment.
She knows that Don needs her, and she's going to be there for him, even if he can't admit to that or embrace that reality.
It does endear me to her character. Absolutely.
 
 
Jenna: And the third hands and knees scene in a row comes up next.
Lane invites his father in. He continues to be stuffy and formal.
Lane introduces his girlfriend Toni properly to his father,
and she is really friendly and appropriate, and he is polite and cold.
 
So he's come for dinner, but now he says he won't be able to go.
And I think he doesn't want to sit at the table and be part of Lane's newly constructed life with Toni.
 
So instead, Lane sends Toni to meet him at the restaurant later,
and he makes a point of kissing her in front of his father, and calling her Darling, so that feels less like it's a true thing and more like a rebellious young man defying his father and saying, I'm going to live the life I want to live, and you can't stop me.
 
Steve: Yeah. In his commentary, Matthew Weiner says that Lane probably perceives that Toni's ethnicity is provocative to his father.
But Matthew Weiner's point is that it's really more about this obedience of the child to the father that is the primary focus of Lane's father here.
 
And that makes sense to me. And I think some of that emotional baggage that Lane's packing around probably obscures and misleads him a little bit about what his father is really seeking.
And I think it becomes very clear in this scene, all his father wants is total obedience, and everything else is secondary.
 
Jenna: Yes.
So after Toni leaves, his father insists Lane is coming home.
And Lane protests and says he's moved on.
And like Don Draper would advise, Lane thinks he's moving forward.
 
And then his father hits him in the face with his walking stick. And it just comes out of nowhere. It's so terrible.
And while Lane is searching for his glasses on the floor,
his father presses his shoe on Lane's hand and insists he will not live in between.
 
He forces Lane to reply from the floor:
Yes, sir.
So it is absolutely about control.
 
And every bit as much as Lee Garner Jr. wanted to flex his power, this is a man who does that.
 
And when we saw the British company – St. John and friends, forcing Lane to take assignments that they knew he didn't want, or forcing him to do the distasteful thing, and they could rely on him to do that, because he steps up and he does that.
What does it mean for somebody to say,
no, I'm not going to do that anymore?
 
And to the point you made earlier, it seems very unjust that the person who has been so obedient for so long gets a harsher reaction to that when he says, no, finally, I'd like it to take a turn choosing, please.
It's like, no, no, you don't get to do that. That's not what your life gets to be.
 
Steve: And as well, I think we see the escalation of Lane's father here, because he is trying to impose his will. He's demanding obedience from his son.
And in this moment, Lane does not give it.
 
So what does the father resort to? He resorts to violence. And just an aside about the violence, you know, we're so inundated with violent scenes in our media,
I think it loses a lot of its power.
 
So one thing I appreciate about Mad Men is the absence of violence means that in the moments when it occurs, I think it regains some of its power to shock and horrify and just the sheer brutality of violence as a means of coercing somebody else. And this scene is all of those things.
 
And it's just so brutal and painful to see this moment of complete humiliation and physical domination by the father over his adult son.
It shocks me on the rewatch because I'm just not expecting it. And then once it happens, I'm, you know, almost that sort of superhero movie expectation of Lane's going to pop up and we're going to have a, you know, a room destroying brawl between the two of them.
 
But that's not the way it plays out in real life. And in this moment, at least the father has succeeded in reasserting his domination of his son: Yes, sir.
Just the final shot of the blood on Lane's head, you know,
it's just so upsetting as a scene and a really powerful one in this episode.
 
Jenna: The fact that Lane's father leaves him lying on the floor with his head bleeding is so shocking.
And this life that Lane wanted to maintain,
like Don's life and Roger's life, all of those are under a serious threat in this episode, from back to back scenes.
 
Steve: Yeah, I’ve really come to have a fondness for Lane's character.
This is such a tragic, painful scene to watch. And I think Jared Harris does a great job with the acting to come from, you know, your own father, someone who's so close, and supposed to be looking out for you and have your best interests at heart.
And then we can see he's nothing more than a bully.
 
 
Jenna: In the next scene, we get Trudy and Pete at their apartment.
Trudy is next-level pregnant with a tiered, fluffy nightgown.
 
And this scene echoes the earlier one in season one where Pete got the box of Don's things and he was at home ruminating about what he should do.
And here it's different, but kind of the same.
 
Steve: And I think in terms of the difference, what it highlights to me is that in the past, you know, petulant Pete, you know, sort of lamenting that, you know, Don Draper does whatever he wants, he would do that out with other people. He would do it in the office and, you know, in front of people as a means of trying to avoid the implications of what needs to be done.
 
Here he's confiding in his wife, but as well, keeping the secret from her. So it's, you know, he reassures her it has nothing to do with her.
 
Again, I think it's Pete Campbell as an adult, you know, you can vent your emotions with your partner, even as you face the professional challenges and need to behave professionally in the office.
 
I also like in the latter stages of the scene when the focus turns to the baby kicking inside Trudy's belly and the focus on that baby and this promise of the future and the joy and happiness of having this long wanted child, everything is good there,
despite the noise and the distractions and the frustrations that are coming from the office situation.
 
Jenna: And I appreciate that Pete doesn't unload on Trudy. He wants to keep that part of his life pristine, I think, and pure.
 
And so he's not mixing her up with something he perceives as loathsome or ugly.
At the same time, he has this line where he says,
how is it that some people just walk through life dragging their lies with them,
destroying everything they touch?
 
Okay, that does apply to Don Draper.
But can we agree that Peggy, and Trudy, the au pair - I mean, there are people who would feel similarly about Pete. I think that he has had that effect on them as well.
 
Steve: Yeah. There are plenty of secrets and lies to go around in this series, and Pete Campbell definitely has his dirty share of them. But in this moment, he's lamenting how Don Drapers’ are affecting the North American Aviation account and only that.
 
 
Jenna: Spoiler territory as we get to the next scene. So jump ahead a bit if you want to miss this part.
We see Joan on the bus by herself. She looks calm, serene.
And it's right after the scene where Pete and Trudy are feeling their baby kick together.
 
And we don't know at this point that Joan decided to keep the baby. It's ambiguous in this episode. So you imagine she probably did go through with the abortion, because she went to the doctor's office.
 
And we've been talking about how Greg is going away and Joan is feeling isolated in the office. And I think you said this earlier, I wondered if part of her decision to have the baby is because she's lonely.
 
She and Greg have wanted to get pregnant and he's away.
Roger's not going to be in her life.
Maybe this is the way for her to have part of the dream she imagined for herself when she pictured marrying a doctor and having kids.
 
And it's not necessarily likely this is going to go well,
but it feels like there could be some optimism in this decision, and not just desperation.
 
Steve: No, I think it's a calculated decision. And even the who is the father of this baby?
I think she can credibly portray it as being Greg to Greg and he will be none the wiser. So she totally has the option, I think, to retain to keep this baby.
 
And as a viewer watching this scene, my assumption is she has gotten the abortion. She was at the doctor's office. She's now coming back from it.
So I think the scene is leading us to believe that she has terminated her pregnancy.
 
Although, again, this is a rewatch series,
so we can now see the ambiguity of the moment because there is no clarity.
She has that smug, contented smile on her face.
So it is clear that whatever she has decided as she sits on this bus,
she's happy with that decision.
 
And again, just for the character of Joan,
I would have high confidence that she's doing what's right for Joan in this moment.
 
Jenna: There's also a fan theory that instead of just riding the bus home from the doctor's office here,
we know Roger offered her a ride and she refused it,
that Joan actually took the bus to visit Greg at basic training,
and that's where she's coming back from, so that she has plausible deniability with her doctor husband and the math of this pregnancy.
 
And I think that's kind of an interesting theory. We don't really have evidence to completely support that.
And we don't know where Greg went for basic training. We know that he packed up and he's not within, you know, daily visiting distance or anything.
 
But I think that would be kind of an interesting, you know, Joan would definitely tie up her loose ends like that. So I thought that was plausible.
 
Steve: I've heard about some indigenous tribes which don't really have a sense of what the gestation period is.
So they're fishermen, and when the fishermen go away, they might come back after being away for a long period. And then a baby is born, you know,
six months later, three months later, whatever it is.
 
And nobody is too put out about questioning who the father of the baby might be. The belief is that the baby comes when the baby's ready to come, and nobody really knows what that time duration is.
So I don't know. Maybe Greg and Joan are members of this tribe, so it wouldn't be a question for them.
 
Jenna: Maybe. Maybe that's it. [Laughing]
 
Steve: Hard to say at this point. We just don't have enough information.
 
Jenna: Yeah, it's hard to say. Hard to say.
Late at the office we see Roger working. He's calling old friends and trying to catch up because he's going to need his network to pick up some clients.
And say what you will about Roger, he isn't a quitter. He's already here trying to work his next plan.
 
But he hasn't maintained this relationship and the person he's calling for has died.
So he rips up the card, and he starts searching for the next one, even while he's making these consoling comments.
And there are two call outs about this in this episode, Roger lies to Lee about his secretary losing the invitation to his daughter's wedding. He's like, I don't know why you didn't get invited, Lee.
 
And here he lies about how he must have been out of town when this person died. So, you know, oh, he's so sorry.
And the truth is actually closer to what he said about Don.
He said, you're not good at relationships because you don't value them.
Roger has not invested in other people long term.
And it's a pretty lonely place to be standing, I think.
 
Steve: Yes. And I think also with the passing of people he used to know,
we also hit on themes that are a concern to Roger of just, he's getting older and, you know, people are passing on and his generation is getting pushed to the side.
So it's hitting all those hot buttons for him, and concerns he has about his life and where it's led him.
 
He looks pretty down, pretty desperate working his Rolodex late at night in his office.
But I think as well, as viewers, we know that there's no way he's going to make up for their 70% of revenues with his Rolodex. So he's really spitting in the wind at this point.
 
You know, they, they are in major financial trouble,
regardless of any blood he might squeeze out of the stone of his Rolodex here.
 
Jenna: Back at Don's apartment, Faye is still with Don and he's calmer.
She presses him to tell her why he was so upset in the hall, and he does. He tells her a short but pretty honest version of the mix up. He never tells her the part about the lighter he dropped, but he admits to living as somebody else.
 
Faye is empathetic. She says, you were a kid. It's kind of along the lines of what Pete said. She's maybe it's not such a big deal.
 
And Don says,
I shouldn't have told you.
I'm just so damned tired of it all.
And to me, the fact that he's tired of it is healthy.
Stop running. Start facing things.
That's how you heal.
 
And to me, that's what Faye represents.
Don has very occasionally taken responsibility for things, and typically he really avoids that. So standing up and owning his good and bad parts to the world, instead of living like Batman, you know, like this public-facing, charming guy or a recluse in the shadows,
this would be such a major turning point for him in being a healthy, responsible adult.
 
So while, again, you know, Faye isn't my favorite human in terms of being the most charming person or the most admirable person,
I think she represents something so good for Don Draper.
I want this for him. I want this to work.
 
Steve: Yeah, agreed. I think she's totally supportive here and trying to reassure him and let him know that there is still a future and there's a path to the future.
I think Faye shows so well in this episode.
 
And aside for, you know, Don Draper's life and having to live this way, it really is a personal nightmare of mine. If you have these secrets that you had to always worry about, are they still bottled up?
Are they spilling out? Are they getting into the wrong hands or coming to the awareness? I would hate to live with that monkey on my back.
You know, the way, clearly Don is living with it.
 
And I think we can see the toll it's taken on Don Draper here.
He's had all this success and many of his issues and problems are self inflicted.
But simultaneously now I think it's very clear we can see the toll and the price he's paid on this path. And he's not gotten away scot free, I think, as Betty has accused him in the past, of just never facing the consequences or bearing the burden.
And I think we can see, no, there is a toll and he is paying it.
 
 
Jenna: The next morning, Don opens the door and Pete is at his apartment.
Pete looks past Don to see Faye putting her earring on.
And I love that they don't speak to each other at all. She just walks past him and goes out the door. They don't say anything.
 
And Pete is here with good news for Don.
He says that Don hasn't been flagged by security and if they stop working with North American Aviation, there won't be any more investigation.
 
And Don is instantly relieved,
while Pete is justifiably angry about leaving a $4 million account just to hide Don's secret.
And then Pete has his line about Faye. He says, I come here unannounced, and there's another thing I don't want to know.
 
And Pete,
I love that Pete, it seems very grown up. He doesn't want the tea, right. He just wants this honest success story of who this guy can be without the secrets.
 
And here he is at the doorstep, really asking Don to be a grown up.
Although that's not what happens.
 
Steve: Yeah, I hate feeling sympathy for Pete Campbell, but I do. You know, he's found this juicy account. He made it all happen. And it all started, remember, with Don flaking off in California and disappearing.
So Pete making the rounds and trying to make some connections in the aerospace industry, and now being sort of cornered and forced to make this decision that, you know, they need to walk away because they can't pursue the security clearance requirements.
I feel Pete's pain and anguish here.
 
Jenna: And Don has no consoling words for Pete,
no suggestion for what to tell the partners,
and no thanks or appreciation for what he's asking Pete to do, even though he understands how huge it is.
 
And Don is choosing to keep his secrets at the expense of Pete, and his company, and maybe his own well being.
Because now in keeping the secret and not facing means he's going to keep running from the past and hiding.
 
 
The next scene is at the office, and Roger is concerned about Joan,
but she tells him everything went fine.
She never confirms she had an abortion. What she says is,
it's okay, I feel good.
And she says, we avoided a tragedy,
which I think reads to Roger like she did have an abortion and they avoided a scandal.
 
But to Joan, I think it means  - spoiler - she's keeping this baby, and she feels positive about the decision and she says, life goes on.
In this case, it will.
 
Steve: And it's also very striking in this scene. It feels like Joan is the adult and Roger's the child.
So the adult is telling the child what the child needs to hear to get on with his life and not think of this again.
 
Meanwhile, the adult has made a decision which has, you know, major implications for the future.
But that's the adult's decision to make.
And despite the ambiguity of this, the scene,
you know, the adult is very happy with the decision, content with it, which we would expect from Joan.
 
So in, in a way here, I feel like she's dismissing Roger out of the picture now. She doesn't want him part of this, and she's cutting him loose, and he's quite happy to be free of it, even though he's operating under an incorrect assumption.
 
Jenna: And we know Roger has really bad news about Lucky Strike. And Joan is usually the person who can make Roger feel better,
but even he isn't selfish enough to put that on her right now.
 
So he tells her, oh, you're so beautiful.
And she stares at him,
that that's really what he has to offer her, right? Jokes and beauty, compliments and money, but not something real.
 
I think after wanting to find the best possible man to offer her a shiny future,
now Joan is disillusioned with men, both Greg and Roger, certainly.
And I think now she's hoping this baby can be something authentic that's not just for show, that's not just a life to compare favorably to other women she can show off.
 
And I think this is the point where Joan really shifts in her thinking about what matters to her.
 
Steve: As the rest of the partners join the meeting,
they get down to business and the daily agenda on the status of accounts. And Pete brings his news: North American Aviation is moving on.
 
Pete falls on the sword and makes up an excuse that some names were left off a document, a general got insulted, the damage was done.
Pete is taking it all here.
And only Don Draper knows the truth, that this is all pure fiction.
 
And then who should jump on Pete for not paying attention and not doing his only job? It's Roger.
 
Jenna: Pete Campbell, who is always keeping score,
always wants to get ahead, takes the blame for something that's not his fault.
It's almost hard to believe he can do it.
 
And as Roger starts unloading on Pete, and we understand,
of course, his frustration is really about Lucky Strike, and how North American Aviation was going to make the loss of Lucky Strike a little bit easier.
 
And Pete is not on his hands and knees, but he has to sit there and eat it.
And as much as we don't like Pete, this is so uncomfortable.
And Don just sits there letting Pete take all the heat from this.
It's so, so painful.
 
Steve: Yeah. And even Don's intervention, when finally he's heard enough and says, look, you know, this is their business. Accounts come in, accounts go out.
It almost feels like the bare minimum he could say in a circumstance where he knows darn well . . . but nothing Pete has said is correct, and I agree with you.
 
It's all Roger's own self loathing and frustration with his situation because he had only one damn job.
And now that client is gone and it's going to imperil the survival of the firm.
The fact is, Roger hasn't shared this news yet. So as bad as the news is that North American is gone, nobody else around the table has any realization that the real news has yet to be shared.
 
Jenna: Lane doesn't say anything about North American Aviation,
but he announces he's returning to London for a month or so.
And he says there is financial stability in the company.
And Roger laughs openly at that.
He just really sounds hysterical.
 
Steve: And everyone at the table is going to think that Roger's laughing at the financial stability in the light of the loss of North American.
They're probably just thinking, boy, Roger's, you know, spun up around the loss of North American. But we, we as viewers know it's something else.
 
Jenna: Lane says all financial matters can be referred to Mrs. Harris, which seems like a huge vote of trust in her to manage.
And then he just walks out of the meeting after his announcement and they start going through the status of accounts, and Joan lists Lucky Strike.
 
And Roger just gives this big gamey thumbs up. He doesn't have a plan to fix it. Things are worse than he ever thought.
And yet he isn't going to share this with the other partners.
 
Steve: Yeah, not to beat the childish drum too hard again on Roger Sterling, but this seems very childish. You've got important professional news, critical news that needs to be shared asap, and you're going to dodge it with this hammy thumbs up in front of everyone when you know they're on 30 days notice now with Lucky Strike.
 
It's a terrible look for Roger and just seems to reaffirm all the criticism I know I've leveled against him. Throw it on the top of the pile.
 
 
Jenna: Later, Faye comes into Don's office, and they decide they're not getting dinner together tonight, but they'll see each other tomorrow.
Things seem good. He smiles at her and they both lean in, and Megan buzzes Don and interrupts their kiss.
 
Steve: Don's got the Beatles tickets, so Sally's going to be happy.
And I agree with you. It seems like Don is calmed down and starting to move past this crisis around his identity and the security check.
 
You get the sense that he can see and appreciate how Faye has been a good partner here through this for him.
It feels like the dust is settling a little bit after a very tumultuous episode.
 
Jenna: Megan, like Pete, takes responsibility for a problem she didn't create.
She says, I know I messed so many things up, and she's referring to the form she filled out for Don.
 
But that's his lie, and he's the one who signed the form without looking.
It wasn't her fault, but she does have those Beatles tickets, and she says very optimistically, you see? everything worked out.
 
As the closing song starts to play.
Don looks up through the office door at Megan putting on lipstick at her desk, getting ready to go out.
And it's like he's noticing her for the first time.
And spoiler - sorry, everybody – I’m so annoyed with him.
 
I'm not in love with Faye, that she is so much healthier than Don's usual pattern.
So for him to be staring at Megan like this is such an eye rolling, here we go again, dude, unfortunate choice.
 
Steve: And the timing of it right in this moment when he should be feeling nothing but gratitude and appreciation for Faye,
already his wandering eye is casting a glance out to his secretary, just leaves me shaking my head, you know, Don Draper gonna Don Draper, I suppose.
 
 
Jenna: For the closing song, this version of the Beatles song Do You Want to Know a Secret is a cover version, since the show couldn't get the rights to use the original.
As usual, it's very fitting, with all the secrets in this episode.
 
The original song features George Harrison. It was released in 1963 on the album Please Please Me.
I'm in spoiler territory here with this next comment, so please fast forward if you're watching the first time through.
 
I think there's some belief in the fandom that Don chooses Megan over Faye because Faye wasn't good with Sally.
And I don't know that that was a deal breaker for him.
 
I think it's more that Faye knows his secret,
so now he won't be able to pretend and hide it away.
 
Remember when Peggy bailed Don and Bobbie out of jail and she said to Don, I don't want you treating me badly because I remind you of it?
And that is absolutely Don's way.
 
It's not just the secret, either.
Now Faye knows it, but she has also seen the panic and the mess of him.
So now he can't be the picture of who he wants to be for her now.
 
And it's interesting because he found a way to move forward around that with Peggy. I mean, that fight between Don and Duck alone was so humiliating,
much less all the other things that happened the night of The Suitcase episode.
But Peggy is still a subordinate, and it's different with Faye.
 
I think Don is a man who needs to be a hero.
And I don't think Faye is going to let him hide now that she knows his secret.
So of course it would be easier with somebody like Megan,
somebody you could boss around,
somebody who would look at you like you're the cool guy you're always pretending to be.
So I think that gets closer to his choice than,
oh, Faye's bad with kids.
 
Steve: And that's why I think to this point, what we've seen of Faye is that she's a great match for Don Draper, and I would put her second behind Rachel, you know, in terms of the Don Draper women to this point,
as a potential partner.
 
And I think as a viewer, I'm really rooting for Don to see Faye's qualities and value and potentially see him embrace her as a partner.
So it is a rewatch and I know where things are headed.
Again, this episode really emphasizes to me what a great fit Faye is for him. And if he can't or won't see that value, it's another knock against Don Draper, in my opinion.
 
Jenna: For our listener shout-out today, we'd like to thank Liberanos Parti for your positive comment on our YouTube channel.
We're so glad you're listening.
 
And yes, we are committed to finishing, and going all the way through to the end of the series. So thank you for sticking with us!
We appreciate all the positive feedback through our website and social media.
We appreciate hearing from you.
Steve: That's it for this episode of All Things Mad Men, from Chip and Dip to Zou Bisou.  Visit our website, Mad Men C to Z dot com to vote for your favorite Sterling Lines, and to share your opinions on our Double Dip questions for each episode.
 
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Steve: Thanks for listening, everybody.