Mad Men: Waldorf Stories

I wasn't a huge fan of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, but it made the necessary movements to get to this episode. This is a great episode as it gives insight into both the origins of Don and Roger's friendship, it shows Don's continued moral descent, and it sets up for what is being hailed as one of the best episodes in the entire series. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is due for an awards ceremony, just around the same time they're due for a meeting with "Life Cereal". Due to unforeseen circumstances, the two occurrences are jammed together and Don stoops to a new low.

Don has enough to drink about already, but the reason he's more stressed than usual is that he hasn't had a victory that's meant something to him in a while. In his mind's eye, this win would wipe away all the pain he's been dealing with. In truth, he's about to dig himself into a deep hole. When Don's all cocky with confidence after achieving the award, he heads straight into the meeting, drunk as can be. You can tell he's about to make a mistake, but the way he does it offers a bit of a chuckle and a gasp. He's stolen somebody's idea, which is a bit of a stretch for Don by any standards.

The only one aware of Don's "treachery" is Peggy, and rather than hear what she has to say, he locks her in a hotel with the most sexist character we've had on the show. Art director Stanley Rizzo has a stereotypical horny man's view of women. If the world were made his way, he'd have them all naked. It's not until Peggy takes him up on his dare that he begins to feel inferior to her. I've got to commend Peggy for having the lady balls to strip down in front of someone she hates to prove a point, and not once in the entire scene does she break down under sexual tension. She twists it as a weapon of sorts.

At the Clio's, Pete finds out that Ken Cosgrove is going to join in with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and that doesn't sit too well with Pete. There's nothing he can do about it, and it's clear he's had issues with Ken before. I'm glad for it if only because it gives Lane Pryce a reason to be in this episode. It's a nice touch, and it keeps things rooling. Finally, my personal favorite aspect of this episode is the flashback to when Roger met Don, and it's kind of surprising to see how Roger ended up hiring him. There's a nice contrast to the events enveloping Don's life right now. However, by the end of the episode, I wasn't at all sure if Roger hired Don at all. It's one of those unanswered mysteries that makes Mad Men more intriguing. Whenever Lost doesn't answer a question, all they get is flak for it.