I'd wait until the end of the week to publish this, but this was just one of my favorite episodes of Mad Men this season. We really got a feeling that the season, for all of its different directions and themes, was beginning to come to a close. In Hands and Knees, we braced ourselves for the end of days after Lucky Strike left. Chinese Wall was about the aftermath of the catastrophe, and all the mess that came with it. Blowing Smoke was about Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce dressed their wounds, made proper amputations, and prepared for the difficult road ahead. It was a whirlwind hour that was quietly thrilling from start to finish, and we don't get to the finale until next week.
The hour began with a low key conversation between Don and a potential buyer, and it brought to the front the obvious desperation of the company's situation. Everybody is talking about Lucky Strike, and all potential clients are frankly scared. They don't want to get into bed with someone who might not be there in six months. They can't even get business with Tobacco, which is Don's "ideal boyfriend". So what does Don do to turn things around. He writes an announcement for the New York Times stating that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, from here on out, will no longer be taking Tobacco accounts.
This leads to a spectacular duel between Don and the other partners. It's clear that Don has done something drastic and dangerous, but was it really that bad? Sure he went behind their backs, but if he hadn't it would have never happened at all. However, the one who takes it the hardest is Bert, who surprisingly resigns, right then and there. I've come to expect these twists from Mad Men by now, but this really caught me off guard. I doubt that this will be the last we see of him, and we may indeed see him again in next week's Tomorrowland. Still, you couldn't blame him for his actions. He recently got over Ida Blankenship dying, and he's been done with the business for some time now.
We get another side-plot focusing on young Sally Draper, who continues to grow where Betty won't. She's not happy with all this change, and one of the only people she's been able to confide in has been Glen, and now that's pretty much over. Back at the office, we say goodbyes and half-goodbyes to some of the characters we've come to know this season. Danny is sent off, and he takes it like a sprightly champ, which is a better way to end things than Joey got in The Summer Man. Faye Miller is forced to resign in the aftermath of Don's letter. It's sad in its own way, but we know she's not gone for good. The episode ends on a somber note, but an optimistic one as well.
The hour began with a low key conversation between Don and a potential buyer, and it brought to the front the obvious desperation of the company's situation. Everybody is talking about Lucky Strike, and all potential clients are frankly scared. They don't want to get into bed with someone who might not be there in six months. They can't even get business with Tobacco, which is Don's "ideal boyfriend". So what does Don do to turn things around. He writes an announcement for the New York Times stating that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, from here on out, will no longer be taking Tobacco accounts.
This leads to a spectacular duel between Don and the other partners. It's clear that Don has done something drastic and dangerous, but was it really that bad? Sure he went behind their backs, but if he hadn't it would have never happened at all. However, the one who takes it the hardest is Bert, who surprisingly resigns, right then and there. I've come to expect these twists from Mad Men by now, but this really caught me off guard. I doubt that this will be the last we see of him, and we may indeed see him again in next week's Tomorrowland. Still, you couldn't blame him for his actions. He recently got over Ida Blankenship dying, and he's been done with the business for some time now.
We get another side-plot focusing on young Sally Draper, who continues to grow where Betty won't. She's not happy with all this change, and one of the only people she's been able to confide in has been Glen, and now that's pretty much over. Back at the office, we say goodbyes and half-goodbyes to some of the characters we've come to know this season. Danny is sent off, and he takes it like a sprightly champ, which is a better way to end things than Joey got in The Summer Man. Faye Miller is forced to resign in the aftermath of Don's letter. It's sad in its own way, but we know she's not gone for good. The episode ends on a somber note, but an optimistic one as well.
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