Mad Men Episode 13: Shut the Door, Have a Seat

It all comes to a head in a way we were sort of anticipating but in a way more fun manner than we could have ever hoped for.

Trudy rocks! Betty sucks! and Joan! More Joan!

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Before I get to fun; let's get some perfunctory stuff out of the way. Betty wants to divorce Don and is willing to relocate to Nevada with Henry Francis to make this happen. Don is all like "whatever" then goes nuts when Roger tells him that there is someone named Henry Francis in the mix then he comes about two inches away from beating her before he backs down. Why, you ask? We'll get to that in a minute.

Conrad Hilton summons Don. He tells him that McCann has bought PPL and since Connie was only dealing with SC as an alternative to his primary ad firm (McCann) this pretty much terminates their relationship. Don gets a little snippy and Connie goes all papa bear on him asking him if he is a whiner or a winner - Dick or Don? And then they have sex! No they don't, because Connie is his dad not his boyfriend. I have been confusing this relationship all season. What does that say about me?

This sends Don into a time vortex, where he revisits a memory of his old man quitting a farm collective that is getting screwed. Don resolves to be a winner and runs to Bertram!(?). Bert agrees to try to buy back SC from the Brits. Bert also papa bears Don and demands that he man up and apologize to Roger so he can join their conspiracy. Roger makes Don eat it till he admits that he needs Roger's client management skills, then he gives him some papa bear advice! (Somebody's no where near as a big a hobo as he thinks).

Finally, they approach Pryce with a proposal to buy the firm. He laughs them off, but only sort of, because really he likes these guys way better than he likes St. Johns and the rest of those uppity buggers back in England. Don has another flashback where his father finally relents and takes very little for his crops. Of course on his way to Chicago to get screwed he gets kicked in the head by his horse and dies! Don ain't going out like that. Eat it y'all. When Pryce finds out that St. John is packing him off to McCann as well, he does all the principals the favor of firing them all in exchange for partnership in their new firm.

The rest of the episode is the world's greatest heist movie. Can the fearsome foursome get everyone they want and enough clients to start a business before the Brits can cabosh the whole thing? Of course! Pryce calls a carpeting cleaning holiday on Friday December 13, 1963 so they can get rid of everyone. He then fires the three principals after close of business London time giving them the weekend to run out the back door with everything not nailed down to the floor and anyone who has bothered to innovate anything in the last three seasons.

Peggy - Don assume Peggy will come and she calls BS. She makes him eat it till he admits that she is (1) Good (2) Not simply an extension of his own pathos (3) a big girl now. Hey, is Don building a new family?

Peter - Peter is a total goon and no one likes him but Don is forced to admit to his face that Peter is in some ways more creative (aeronautics, the black market, teens) than the rest of them and if he can show up with 8MM in billings by Sunday he's in! As a partner! I'm glad Peter gets to stay. In my mind, Peter is one of the best developed characters on TV. As an Angel fan, I'm glad Vincent Kartherias is doing so well.

Trudy - Peter is only tolerable because Trudy keeps him on a short leash. When he tries to jerk Don and Roger around she takes control in a way that I, Roger and don all find hysterical. It's clear that Don and Roger would rather have Trudy around than either Peter or their own wives.

Harry - Harry is another innovator from the SC crowd, recognizing the television opportunity ahead of all others. When Bert propositions him he is at a loss about what to do. Evil Bert reappears and offers to stick him in a closet overnight if he doesn't accept. Harry starts grabbing boxes.

As much fun as recruiting this conspiracy is, these goons are useless unless the job calls for boozing, smoking or philandering. They want to steal everything but have no idea where anything is. Roger, recognizing he has both a boner and a need, summons Joan. Joan knows exactly what to do and arrives with movers and a working knowledge of everything they need to take.

By Monday, they are up and running in the Pierre Hotel having stolen about 40MM in annual billings. Don agrees to let Betty go because he no longer needs her. He has lived up to his Hobo Code and walked out of an unappealing situation but he managed to do so while building a new family, one he seems capable of communicating with. That's real growth! Nice job, Don!

This almost felt like a series finale in a lot of ways. I mean Don's arc in my mind has found its logical conclusion. Where do we go from here? A spin off about about a sassy black lady raising two white kids with horrible lisps? Maybe...