Or is it Lane? He is gone but still there, his empty chair a stark reminder of his presence and his absence. Joan takes up the talking points Lane would have raised at the partner's meeting but all she accomplishes is moving the discussion to a later date. Things are going great at the firm, at least money-wise, the only-wise that they used to all care about. Yet, no one seems that excited by the success. When you get what you want--at least what you told yourself you wanted--it's never really enough is it?
It makes sense that Don would start imagining his late brother hanging around. He was, at least in his mind, somewhat responsible for Adam's suicide. He wasn't there for his brother when he needed him. Adam asked for help and received a chilly response and an offer of money. Lane too had asked Don for help and Don was cool and unemotional in response. He didn't register either man's desperation nor their need for something more from him than detached advise. And now both are dead at their own hands.
Joan feels the guilt about not being there for Lane and while Don claims he feels no responsibility, his hallucinations and dental pain tell a different story. When later he goes to Lane's widow with a check and an apology, he's doing it for himself. To ease his pain and guilt. But she doesn't allow him to use the gesture to make himself feel better and calls out the hypocrisy and selfishness in his visit.
Disappointing people is what Don is good at. Especially when he thinks he is being helpful. He doesn't see how his lack of support of Megan's acting is hurting her, once again thinking the calm, rational advice he gives is sufficient to deal with someone's heartache. But Megan is more the "suffer in silence and keep up a good appearance" type, crying alone in the bathroom, wallowing alone in the bed, but not letting on to Don just how much he's hurt her.
But her mother, of course, as mothers do, will be there for Megan. Comfort and support her and help her find her way. Give her words of encouragement, shower her with love and understanding. Or...she will tell her daughter that she's a petulant needy child who pouts when she doesn't get her way and that it's time she grows up and puts away her ridiculous acting fantasy. The phantom, according to Marie, is the unattainable, unrealistic dream. She gave up hers, as all little girls must, and now she expects her daughter to do the same.
Megan does not take this well and punishes herself and Don, pretending to be "the little woman" staying at home waiting for her man to come home. It's not what she wants, it's not what Don wants. But he was happy when she was at work with him and she won't be happy until she captures her phantom career. So Don has a choice. Help her with her dream or continue to fail to be there for anyone who needs him.
The one bright spot for Don after one failed interaction after another is bumping into Peggy at the movies. Her is someone he helped and guided and who is now living her best life. Perhaps that is what gets him to actually look at Megan's reel and finally involve himself in her dreams. He couldn't help Adam, he couldn't help Lane--his widow made that extra plain in their brief meeting--but he could be a supportive husband.
The phantom Pete chases in this episode is the dream of being suave and sophisticated and handsome and desirable. Basically, to not be Pete Campbell. Anyone else looking at his life--successful career, beautiful loving wife, adorable child, house out in the country--would think he has it all. But he is restless and unsatisfied and he searches for a more exotic, exciting life with his train buddy's wife, Beth. But Beth has her own demons and no amount of attention from Pete will keep the depression at bay. So, she goes in for electroshock therapy to quiet the noises in her head. Unfortunately for Pete, the cure not only cuts the dark thoughts from her brain, but any memory of their time together. He is scrubbed from her mind and is just some nice man who comes into her room to talk with her a bit. Pete is angry and frustrated that he can't have his dream life with Beth and instead is stuck in his suburban rut. But perhaps help is on the way. Trudy says he can have an apartment in the city, giving him carte blanhe now to live that life he thinks he deserves.
We see Peggy at work, going after a potential new client, and later at the movies trying to clear her head. Don happens to be there too and it's a melancholy reunion between mentor and mentee. Don is the man who helped Peggy get her wings then grew angry when she wanted to fly. He taught her a lot and he is in large part responsible for her career, yet he held her back and she had no choice but to leave him to get the career she wanted. Does Don see how he this parallels his relationship with Megan? How he was only happy when she was under his roof, not when she wanted to be her own person? How afraid he is of being left that he holds on to the point of smothering?
Elsewhere there is a new and improved Roger Sterling. His mind recently expanded, he has more clarity about what he wants in life. And it's a real relationship with his emotional and intellectual equal. No longer is he chasing his youth or fearing growing old. He is willing to embrace a challenging woman, someone who is independent and strong. And Marie, for her part, is putting herself first. Megan called her out for giving up on her dreams, now it's time for her to consider what she wants. No longer is she sacrificing for her children or her husband. She is seeking her own happiness.
As we wrap up this season, the partners at Sterling Cooper are looking forward. They are moving on and up, the success they've chased for years is finally at hand. So what does the future hold? As they stare into the Manhattan skyline, no one knows. But a beautiful woman comes up to Don and asks if he's alone and not one of us thinks the answer is no.
Quotes:
Don: lt'll go away. lt always does.
Marie: Not every little girl gets to do what they want. The world could not support that many ballerinas
Pete: And then he realized everything he already had was not right either and that was why it had happened at all. And that his life with his family was some temporary bandage on a permanent wound
Marie: This is what happens when you have the artistic temperament but you are not an artist.
Take my advice, nurse her through this defeat and you shall have the life you desire.
Conductor: I am an officer of a New Haven line!
Pete: Well! I'm the president of the Howdy Doody Circus Army!
Observations:
The first "cigarette for women" that I remember growing up was Virginia Slims. They advertised on TV with the nascent women's lib-y: "you've come a long way, baby." In retrospect, now that we all know of the dangers of cigarettes, it doesn't look all that empowering for women to have a "cancer stick" designed just for them. But this was the sixties and women were suddenly on advertisers' radar for more than cleaning and beauty products thanks to the women's liberation movement. This is not to say that cigarette companies overlooked women before this. As far back as the 20s, shortly after women were finally given the vote, Philip Morris aimed their print ads at these newly enfranchised women. But this was the first time they were tailoring the design of their product exclusively for just one segment of the population.
Electroshock therapy was used since its discovery in the 1930s to treat depression and other mental disorders. A small electric signal was sent into the brain, stimulating a mild seizure. While effective for many patients, it fell out of favor as being too "brutal" and dangerous. The book, and later movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, brought both the practice and its risks (including some memory loss and other side effects) to the public's attention and stigmatize the name and the therapy. Electroshock therapy was replaced with medication (the birth of the Prozac nation) and talk therapy. Now renamed Electroconvulsive therapy, it is still in use today as an alternative when traditional approaches are not successful.
We can all assume that Megan's friendship with that actress ended the first time the commercial ran on TV. Unlike today with 500+ channels and dozens of streaming services, if you were on a national TV commercial campaign in the 1960s, EVERYONE would see it.
The theme of this episode was a little too on the nose. Don has something rotten inside him and he needs to get it removed. Whether it's guilt or shame, Don needs to confront his past and make better choices in the future. He took a good step with Megan, let's see next season if he can continue and become a better person. Or is that a fool's errand?
Not enough Ginsberg. We only saw him for a brief moment pitching "reasonably priced" pantyhose. But his confidence--shown in his unwillingness to consider the client didn't like his pitch--was a delight. Not so delightful, the stains all over his shirt.
I absolutely loved Joan hiding the fact that the firm was considering space on the 48th floor from Harry. She's a partner and he's not and she is not going to forget that.
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Spoiler-y Observations: DON'T READ UNTIL YOU'RE ALL CAUGHT UP
One of the most iconic moments of Mad Men was Peggy Olson, cigarette dangling from her lips, striding down the halls of McCann Erickson in Season 7, Episode 12, ready for her next chapter. To think it wouldn't have been possible without Ted Chaough encouraging to take up smoking for their new client. And therein lies the problem. Would that scene be as memorable without the cigarette? Does it not add to Peggy's bad ass-ness? And then we wonder why people continue to smoke even in the fact of the medical data.
Pete asks Beth to run away to California with him. Trudy mentions getting a pool and how Pete is better when he gets some sun. So it won't be a tremendous surprise when Pete ends up in California, soaking up the sun. What will be a surprise is when he comes to his senses, realize he too has been chasing a phantom--the idea of being the suave, complicated, cheating Don Draper--and finds happiness just being boring old happily-married Pete Campbell.
When we first saw Roger and Marie together there were two thoughts. One, how odd it was to see Roger with someone so age-appropriate. Two, that this was just a fling that would end badly. Not so fast. Roger and Marie turned out to be just what the other needed and seeing them grow up and meld their two lives was a high point of the last season.
Peggy will realize that her career success has come at a price and that she should aspire to have it all. She's always seemed almost embarrassed by being good at her job and unworthy of wanting it all. But she continues to grow, in strength and in confidence, and may find the love she's been looking for was not that far away after all.
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