It's yet another Monday afternoon, and as such, it's time to take a look back at this week's episode of Mad Men and attempt to make sense of the ups and downs, comings and goings of the gang at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. (As well as the Left Behinds.). After the jump, your Power Rankings for Week Fourteen:
1. Don Draper (even) Last week: 1
Last week, we saw that look in Don's eyes as he surveyed the re-energized bustle of his colleagues in Room 435, a look of pride, of flickering happiness, of momentary contentment; while the bomb he (stupidly) kept hidden (and armed) in that shoebox in his desk finally detonated and blew his home life to bits, here he was getting a fresh start with his other family, allowing himself a second of something like pride in the risk they were all taking together. But moments like that are all too fleeting in the Mad Men world, and now there was a fledgling business, a business momentarily held together with spit and stale chewing gum, to run. As Don entered the hotel suite last night, late as per his usual power-play, even with the urgency of getting this new business off the ground, the look in his eye was no longer pride and love, but something like, "Holy sh*t, this actually happened? I thought maybe I had a bad dream tossing and turning on Grandpa Gene's haunted cot." Roger, of course, wasn't going to let it go without taking his shot: "Nice to see that you haven't altered your schedule just because we're trying to get a business going in here." And Don, nodding to the half-finished drink in Rog's hand, hit right back, "And looks like you're still on schedule yourself." Come on, guys, just head down to Angelo's and get your toes done together and let's go back to work.
Back at home, Don wasn't too happy that Betty had stuffed Baby Gene in her carry-on and jetted off to Reno with Henry Francis. leaving the kids with Carla and him, assuming they'd figure out an arrangement themselves. He couldn't bring himself to sleep in their room, so he spent that night on the cot in the Grandpa Gene Memorial Guest Suite, staring at the ceiling, not sleeping even after putting a crying Bobby and a strangely (well, maybe not that strangely) impassive Sally to bed. The conversation over dinner, with Carla listening in as she served the food, was as painful as you'd suspect. No, Henry Francis is not your Daddy now. I'm always your Daddy and Mommy still loves you. She just needed to take a trip with the baby to go see some relatives you don't know in Nevada. Bobby stabbed listlessly at his porkchop, fork turned upside down in clenched fist while Sally aped, "Mommy still loves us," perhaps paying a little bit too close attention to how her brother's fork penetrated the delicate, crusted flesh of his dinner.
Don Draper Fingerbang Threat Level: Medium simmer.
So how would Don, finally single, respond to his sudden (and painful) sexual availability? There was no return to Miss Farrell, not yet at least, and no romantic reward for the way she so gracefully exited the situation on Shoebox Of Secrets night, even after Don abandoned her in the car. And Joan hasn't yet found him that furnished apartment for the establishment of a new bachelor's pad, so there he was, having a late drink at the Roosevelt's bar, and drawing the attention of the kind of comely, visibly horny service professional he's so thoroughly feasted on in the past when straining against the quiet suffocation of marriage. Why can't they ever just put the drink down and keep their mouths shut? his eyes responded, tersely, to her obvious Drinking alone again? question. This is no fun when I'm not rebelling against my unsatisfying, soul-eroding family life. And the way that Don's fingers tensed around the glass seemed to indicate he had half a mind to lure her to the coat-check room, lock them both inside, and give her what she so obviously wanted: a quick, pantyhose-shredding, joyless date with his right hand while she breathed heavily in his ear, catching a look at eyes more full of condescending amusement than with lust. Instead, she got an abrupt -- even rude -- Yeah. Alone. And with that the threat of a grudging, bitter fingerbanging melted away like the rocks in his bourbon.
2. Betty Draper (even) Last week: 2
Life in Reno is, like, a total drag. There was so much romance in the way that Henry proposed in the front seat of her car, the way that he said he'd take care of her and the kids and not let her stay indebted to Don by taking his alimony money, and even in the way he fluffed her tiny pillow and gave her a kiss on the cheek on the flight over from New York. But six weeks of Reno? With a baby? Sure, the hotel is nice, and there's really nothing to do but sit around the pool, smoke, and get the occasional spa treatment. But as a weird pre-honeymoon, um, yuck. Are there no quicky divorce laws that come with spending six weeks in Rome? Oh, right, not Rome, that would just bring up memories. But how about Paris? Reno makes the whole thing feel so dirty, so second-class, maybe it does make her think, even just for a minute, that she's a whore, just like Don said in that moment of anger. No, no. She's not a whore. She just couldn't live a lie anymore, and here was Henry, who'd never lie to her, who'd provide for her just the same, and who loves her not because she's some kind of trophy that goes along with winning at life, but because she has things to say, she's smart. He thinks she's smart. And interesting. He really, really does. Ugh, why does Gene cry so much? Is there a nanny at this dump?
3. Roger Sterling (even) Last week: 3
Working out of a hotel suite while they're getting SCDP off the ground isn't so bad. It really isn't. Even if Don wants to pick a fight because he found Roger -- shoes and jacket off, drink in one hand, telephone in the other, cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth -- virtually spread-eagle on the Accounts Bed. Who's he to talk, strolling in whenever he feels like it, even though there's a business to launch? Does he even understand what Accounts does, even though he finally says he values what Roger brings to the table? Lee Garner Sr. isn't going to be so happy to watch tens of millions of advertising being thrown together in a hotel room, between a king-size bed and a couple of coffee tables, while they work their way up to a less improvised home. He needs his hand held, his stepchildren minded in the patented Sterling fashion, and his mind eased with a bottle of 20-year-old Scotch paid for by their non-existent expense account. When Don can drag his indifferent ass into work on time, then maybe he can act superior about professionalism. What's it going to take for him to drop the aloof act,
Oh, hey, Joanie's in the other room, bending over to pick up some garbage Campbell just tossed on the floor. Maybe let's not get a real office too fast.
4. Pete Campbell (up) Last week: 6
"Seven and a half million in accounts, and I can't even get my own table to work on? I just get the bad end of this one, while she gets all that space on the good end?" Oh, Pete, never change! Also, it was really charming the way that, after Joan good-naturedly hung a hand-made Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce sign on the wall of the suite as a morale-booster, you scribbled "Campbell" on the tail end, reminding everyone of why you agreed to come along. They might not have a lobby, but if there are going to be any names on the wall, the Campbell name's gonna be right there with them. Seven and a half million in accounts. That counts for something.
Also, f*ck Harry Crane for getting a television. Yeah, he needs it to work, but still.
5. Peggy Olson (even) Last week: 5
She knew this nooner was going to be a little tense. She packed some older clothes for this one, an outfit she wouldn't mind losing to Duck's lustful, at times crazed, chomping, and changed into them in the hotel lobby bathroom before heading upstairs. Luckily, they didn't get into her new job before the go-around, even though there seemed to be something almost punitive in the way Duck pumped away at her. But afterwards, there was all the wheedling about how she was blowing such a great career opportunity by sticking with Draper, how all his promises about valuing her were just going to be so much hot air, and how Duck really did want her for her talent, and not for these romps, as nice as the romps were. But she explained that she made her choice, she gathered the now-shredded cardigan and skirt she'd come with, and changed back into her still-intact work outfit. She's sticking with Don. He values her, he really does. Understand that.
Same time on Wednesday, right?
6. Joan Holloway (up) Last week: Unranked
Dr. Dumbfingers is off at basic training, embarking on the first steps of a doomed medical career that will likely end after stumbling over a tripwire while trying to reach a felled infantryman in the jungle outside of Khe Sanh. (Is it weird that he hasn't called too often? Must be really busy at the barracks.) But Joanie's back where she belongs, making everyone's lives run more smoothly in Room 435, at least until she can set them up in a proper space. Hire some girls to answer the phones, take some dictation, fetch the dry-cleaning. Just like how it used to be.
But for now, it's all about being there for Don, Roger, and Lane. Even that awful Pete, who treats her like a maid. He's just going to drop his sandwich wrapper on the ground and expect her to clean up after him? She picked it up, all right, and threw it right back on his lap. And bent over slowly, knowing that Roger had a view. He's been so sweet. Nothing wrong with giving him a little something to look at and remember the good old days, before Greg and Jane. All in the name of a happy workplace.
7. Paul Kinsey/Ken Cosgrove (tie) (up) Last week: unranked
It's hard to feel bad about the Tiger Tone-Deaf and the Golden Boy watching their professional lives implode around them, but there was something very poignant about the two of them sitting in Don's abandoned office after hours, passing a half-empty bottle of his booze between them, and wondering:
"They're gonna call for us soon, right?"
"Tomorrow, I'm sure."
"It's been a few days. I'm starting to worry."
"They're busy. They'll call."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
But the look on Achilles the Janitor's face as he rolled by with his mop-bucket, made Kenny's voice a tiny bit shakier:
"They're just busy. That's all."
8. Sally Draper (up) Last week: Last week 9
Sally Draper PatricideWatch: Mommy got the message. Finally. All those nights, when Daddy was working late, when she stole into her bedroom, found Mommy asleep, alone again, and whispered in her ear while she slumbered: Leave him. He lies. Just leave. I'll take care of it all, Mommy. Don't you worry. I promise. It was all going according to plan. Sally was ready to act, grabbing the fork just like Bobby did to attack his porkchop, huddling under her covers. But she crept into the bedroom, and Daddy wasn't there. He was in Grandpa Gene's room, and no way was she going down there. It's scary in there! And Grandpa Gene would be watching. He wanted Daddy to go away, but probably wants Bobby to do it because he's a boy. But he's a weak boy. Grandpa would get mad and start hanging around in her room. Daddy will sleep in the big bed tomorrow, probably. Then she can take care of things for Mommy. And start planning to get rid of Not-Daddy Henry. He'll be next.
9. Lane Pryce (down) Last week: 4
OK, so maybe Lane has been hanging around the suite a little too much. The talk with Rebecca could've gone better. Indeed, the Putnam Powell Lowe sale might have made a good excuse to return home to London, something of a clean break with NY and all it represented, but she wasn't seeing the opportunity he'd just been handed. Yes, it meant more time in the city she still loathed. But she'd warm to it if she'd just let herself think of it as home. And it was going to be home for a while. Perhaps a long while. Sometimes a man just needs to put his foot down and stop letting himself be pushed around by everybody. The abusive old bosses, the temporarily dissatisfied wife, whomever. Oh, no, he doesn't mind moving his things in the corner over there so the guys have a little more room to work. Not at all! Whatever you need, Mrs. Harris. This tiny space is fine. It's quite nice, actually. Cheers.