Tons of drama this week as the show rolls into the most wonderful time of the year. Just as we thought that Don was getting his swagger back, he is forced to deal with his first Christmas without the company of his family. This difficult adjustment creates many awkward and embarrassing moments for Don in this episode, and there are plenty of similar moments for the rest of the cast as the holidays, the state of the agency, and, of course, tons of booze contribute to one of the most cringe-worthy episodes of Mad Men in recent memory.
After the last scene in the first episode of the season, we thought that the beaten-down, timid Don Draper would be a thing of the past. However, in this episode we see he is having a difficult time dealing with the loss of his family. He comes home drunk (supposedly) every night, as we’re led to believe from Don’s neighbor Phoebe, a young, attractive nurse. We can only assume Don will seduce her over time; however, it is his secretary Allison that he winds up having sex with after she delivers Don’s forgotten keys to him. This is truly a desperate, drunken move on Don’s part, which results in the obviously awkward situation in the office the next day. Although Don is not out of his funk yet, it’s good to know that his character can provide great moments regardless of his state of mind.
A couple of old faces return this episode. Glen Bishop, the creepy neighbor kid who had a crush on Betty, shows up as an employee at a Christmas tree lot. What begins as a random meeting turns into the beginnings of a bizarre pre-pubescent romance, as Glen calls Sally to give unsolicited advice about her parents’ divorce. Eventually things escalate to Glen and an accomplice breaking into the Draper house and trashing it. After Sally’s room remains unharmed and a small gift is left behind, Sally knows it was Glen who ransacked the house, but seems to be happy with the attention. This situation has great potential to boil over. I just hope the writers don’t overdo it. Marten Weiner (who plays Glen) does a superb job of portraying this disturbed, creepy little kid.
The other old face is Freddy Rumsen, who, as we all remember, was dismissed from Sterling Cooper for his alcohol problem. Freddy returns, clean and sober and with a $2 million account with Ponds cold cream. He is immediately brought on, but after some friction with Peggy, you can tell this isn’t a re-marriage made in heaven. Freddy’s alcoholism is not an issue now, but given the way things go on this show, he could be headed for a relapse.
Even with the addition of the Ponds account, the agency is still too reliant on Lucky Strike for most of their business. This puts the partners in a difficult situation when Lee Garner Jr. is slightly miffed because he didn’t receive an invitation to the Christmas party. This is because, due to the financial situation of the agency, things were to be toned down. However, since Lee is coming, Roger instructs Joan to ramp up the festivities, much to the chagrin of Lane, who is concerned about the budget. When a drunk Lee Garner shows up to the party, he proceeds to belittle Roger Sterling by insisting that he dress up as Santa, and when the company gives Lee a Polaroid camera as a gift, Lee takes pictures of all of the staff on Roger’s lap. After all of the butt-kissing that Roger insists is necessary for their number one client, it is tragic and ironic that he bear the brunt of Lee Garner’s boorishness. It also highlights what appears to be a tenuous grip on the Lucky Strike account, without which the company cannot survive.
In other minor plot twists, a consumer research company pitches its services. Dr. Faye Miller, the head scientist, and Don have some brief interaction, but aside from their conversation, which apparently triggered Don to get drunk and have sex with his secretary, there wasn’t too much noteworthy, although I don’t expect we’ve seen the last of her. Peggy, who is holding out on her boyfriend, Mark, gives in to his advances. The rub here is that Mark thinks she’s a virgin. It’s understandable why Peggy would lie about this, given her past, but I’m not really sure where this is going. I’m sure this plot thread won’t be left dangling.
That was a lot to cover. With all of the plot lines going on, I certainly hope the writers don’t leave anything behind. Overall, another great episode leaving me in anticipation for next week’s installment.
There is always so much drama surround office Christmas parties. I can’t believe that Don had a brief relationship with his secretary. That is definitely surprising.