Mad Men Power Rankings, Week Thirteen: 'Well, Gentlemen, I Suppose You're Fired.'
5. Peggy Olson (down) Last week: 4
Well, she did it. She stood up to Don. She knew she had all the leverage, and that worst-case scenario she'd wind up working for Duck, complete with a nooner-benefits package and a generous clothing allowance to replace all the garments torn asunder by his lingerie-gobbling passion, so she had a more-than-solid fallback if Don didn't chase her. But he did chase her, telling her if he didn't hire her right now, he'd keep trying, forever, until she let herself be caught. Finally, she felt wanted, respected, not taken advantage of. Better than a poodle.
And maybe she'd get to keep the nooners with Duck, to boot. Even if now they made her think about JFK a little.
6. Pete Campbell (even) Last week: 6
A list of Pete Campbell's demands before jumping to the new firm:
1. Wants to be partner and have his name in the non-existent lobby.
2. Furthermore, wants his name to appear first, third, and last in the non-existent lobby.
3. No one with hair as nice as Kenny's may join the new firm.
4. Must be granted at least one hour per week to get drunk and make tearful confessions to Trudy about some horrible thing he's done.
5. Wants no fewer than fifteen new adjectives appended to his title while he waits for his name to go up in the non-existent lobby.
6. The new firm must hire Hollis, his favorite elevator operator, who plays a crucial role in his forward-looking development of the urban market.
7. Don and Roger must let him join them for a round of old-fashioneds and iceberg wedges at least twice per month.
8. On Friday afternoons, an area in the bullpen must be cleared for a half-hour dance recital, during which he will demonstrate the newest steps all the kids are doing.
9. No one may make an unpleasant face when mentioning his name for at least six (6) months.
10. No fatties.
7. Joan Holloway (even) Last week: 7
Did you smile, maybe just a little bit, when after fumbling around the office in search of "the materials" necessary for "continuity of service," the light went on in Roger's eyes as he realized he had exactly the right person in mind to make sense of the filing system? Did your heart flutter, maybe just a little bit more, when Roger excused himself to make a phone call? And then, when Joan, the Secretarial Queen of Sterling Cooper, made her grand entrance and immediately took charge of the situation in her exquisitely Joanie way, did you -- maybe more than a little bit, maybe in a slightly embarrassing way -- let out something like a cheer? (OK, maybe it was more of a "whoop," with a fist-pump involved?) No? Really? Are you completely dead inside? Perhaps what you need is to be tied to a king-size Accounts bed, then ball-gagged for your own protection, while Joan Holloway effortlessly transforms a hotel suite into a fully functional advertising office. Then we'll see what joyful flip-flops your cold, cold heart is capable of. Also, Joan is wearing a very tight dress.
8. Henry Francis (down) Last week: 5
Yeah, we sort of hate this guy? He says he wants nothing but to take care of Betty, whom he loves for some reason (i.e., totally hot, maybe not that bright), but all he really wants is a crack at the kind of trophy wife Don got to enjoy for a few years. And he gets an instant new family. Yeah, Henry Francis, hate that guy.
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Comments
I have to say that the Don Draper Fingerbang Threat Level has been my favorite part of the entire internet for the past few months, and I might even miss it more than the show.
When the show gets to the 70s I hope they give Joan, Sal and Peggy a variety hour. With cut-ins before commercial breaks from Roger Sterling.
not gonna lie, i clapped when roger's eyes lit up. also, i think sally is gonna end up a cutter. of betty.
This was a top notch episode (perhaps my fav of the series so far). I WAS cheering for Joan when she stepped in the office and was laughing my ass off at the way she answered the phone in the hotel/office of SCDP.
Also, I for one was on the edge of my seating during the Draper Push-Around '09. I realize domestic abuse is not funny but I thought how he got her awake was dangerous but also hilarious (re-reading that, apparently I have issues).
@Mikeylikestv- I couldn't agree more. That and the PatricideWatch (which I will lobby till by dying day should be changed to the MatricideWatch) made me make sure I was around the tv 10pmEST every Sunday. What the hell are we going to do now with the Rankings and the Fingerbang Threat Level on hiatus?
@Lisanti- thank you so much for this, it really made the show that much more awesome this year. However, no Cobra In a Basket "Not Ranked" (although mentioned previously)?
1) I did actually cheer when Joan strutted in
2) I immediately thought of the FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS connection as well.
ah the week 13 power rankings. a lovely bow atop an excellent season for all. i did laugh out loud when joanie said the new name. bravo mark.
This is the only season so far where the finale has been far and away the best episode.... and may I say, THANK GOD because we needed it.
Yes, anyone who wasn't cheering when Joan walked in is obviously dead inside and probably kicks puppies.
Also: Index Draper would have been a brilliant Halloween costume. There's always next year, I suppose.
I enjoyed the Power Rankings as always.
I didn't get the "Joan Austin" reference in Betty's letter though. Was it a major typo, a comment on Betty's spelling skills, a sign that she's never really read Jane Austen, or a real life 1960's romance novelist so obscure that my Google search couldn't find her?
I'm going to miss these! I look forward to them every week.
Henry comes across as really smarmy and possessive. Betty is going from one crappy marriage to another.
I most certainly let out a whoop when Joanie sauntered into the room like a cleaner ready to fix everything. What an amazing episode. All of the pieces just fell into place, and I didn't even see them falling.
I'll miss the power rankings greatly. And I chuckled every time I even thought of the 'Don Draper Fingerbang Threat Level'. That is brilliant.
"Sometimes, the best fingerbanging is the one you never give."
you ain't never lied lisanti, you ain't never lied
Great Roger line when they're leaving and Don's about to lock the door. Great finale.
Betty is just a dumb blonde so to speak.
Great series of columns!
So good.
So where does the next season start? A year later? Where can they go from here? I'm hoping far enough into the 60s where Vietnam, the start of hippies, and race riots explode. 65?
My predictions:
Don will be shacked up with someone completely new.
He and Betty will have hot-extra-ex-marital sex at some point, no? Fingerbetty'd.
The wardrobes will change.
Cooper will have expired.
Joan's hubby deployed to Vietnam.
Sally will run away.
Great episode, great Power Ranking.....woe is me...what am I gonna do without you Lisanti?
Is Joan not "up" because it's been such a down year for her in general? I know it would've been completely ridiculous, but I was hoping she would *also* be made a partner. Who didn't cheer when she showed up? I want names because a new agency needs a new fingerbang to-do list.
And yes, Don needs a few months to rest those fingers, because the single (and loving it) Don Draper will push them to their very breaking points in the months to come.
Mark, thank you for a season of my favorite Internet column ever.
I knew it was coming, but still: when mildly exasperated Lane Pryce said "We don't know how any of this works", I jumped up and shouted at the TV, "I know someone who knows how it works!"
Cheers, Mr. Lisanti, for excellently enhancing the enjoyment - cheers.
So obvious it was going to be Joan the moment Roger went to make a phonecall. Great episode though, annoyed at having to wait [x] time until the next season 🙁
I found that getting on any type of cable machine, seated or standing, and doing one arm fly's across your body. This allows you a greater range of motion since instead of stopping and meeting hands in the middle, you can continue across your whole body. Alternate right, left, right, left, etc.
I drop a comment when I especially enjoy a article on a site
or if I have something to add to the conversation. Usually it is a result of the fire communicated
in the article I looked at. And after this post Mad Men Power
Rankings, Week Thirteen: ?Well, Gentlemen, I Suppose You?re Fired.? - Movieline.
I was actually moved enough to create a thought :
) I do have a few questions for you if it's okay.
Could it be just me or do a few of these responses come
across like they are left by brain dead individuals?
😛 And, if you are writing on other online social sites, I'd like to follow anything fresh you have to post.
Could you make a list all of all your shared sites like your Facebook page,
twitter feed, or linkedin profile?