MAD MEN 1.11 - "Indian Summer"

Writers: Tom Palmer & Matthew Weiner
Director: Tim Hunter

Cast: Jon Hamm (Don Draper), Vincent Kartheiser (Pete Campbell), January Jones (Betty), Christina Hendricks (Joan), Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson), Aaron Hill (Carl Winters), Maggie Siff (Rachel Menken), Bryan Batt (Salvatore), Rich Sommer (Harry), Aaron Staton (Ken), Michael J. X. Gladis (Paul), John Slattery (Roger Sterling), Robert Morse (Bertram Cooper), Talia Balsam (Mona Sterling), Joel Murray (Fred Rumsen), Anne Dudek (Francine Hanson), Andy Umberger (Dr. Arnold Wayne), Jay Paulson (Adam Whitman), Rebecca Creskoff (Barbara Zax), John Cullum (Lee Garner Sr.), Aaron Hill (Carl Winter) & Adam Kaufman (Bob Shaw)

Peggy gets assigned to a new project, Don is given an opportunity provided by Roger's health issues, and Betty's frustrations lead her to seek relief...

"Look, I want to tell you something because you're very
dear to me, and I hope you understand it comes from
the bottom of my damaged, damaged heart. You are
the finest piece of ass I ever had and I don't care who
nows it. I am so glad I got to roam those hillsides."

-- Roger (John Slattery) to Joan (Christina Hendricks)

As we approach the finale, there are some significant developments in Mad Men this week, as Manhattan bakes in an October heat-wave...

We start with Adam Whitman (Jay Paulson), Don's ostracised brother, who commits suicide by hanging himself, shortly after arranging for a shoe-box package to be sent to his estranged elder sibling...

At Sterling Cooper, Roger (John Slattery) is recovering from his heart-attack, but work continues as usual. The ad men assemble in Don's (Jon Hamm) office to mull over how to market a pair of plastic knickers that apparently promote weight loss when an electric current is sent through them. This "Electrosizer" is beyond the men's experience, so Don asks Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) to take them away and come up with something, as he was impressed by her abilities with the Belle Jolie lipstick project.

Peggy takes the Electrosizer home and tries it out while lying on her bed. To her surprise, the garment vibrates and gives her a thrill, so she hurriedly takes them off in embarrassment. The next day, Peggy awkwardly confesses to Don that the Electrosizer has benefits unrelated to weight-loss because of its vibrations. Don picks up on the hint and asks her to figure out how to put that into words, without really saying it.

Cooper (Robert Morse) is worried about the state of the company now that word has spread about Roger's heart-attack, as Lucky Strike have closed their account out of nerves. He tells Don their reps will be arriving for an important lunch tomorrow, and Roger has to be in attendance.

Meanwhile, Betty (January Jones) gets a visit from a handsome air conditioning salesman called Bob Shaw (Adam Kaufman). Due to the extreme heat outside, he asks for a glass of water and Betty obliges. Now inside the Draper home, Bob takes some measurements for an air-con unit, despite being told Betty's husband is himself a salesman. He seems amiable enough, so she leads him upstairs to inspect her bedroom, before she's suddenly gripped by uneasiness over the prospect of taking a handsome man into a private area, so asks him to leave when they're both half-way upstairs. Bob politely leaves, a little disappointed. That night, Betty tells Don about the salesman's visit, but is upset when he has a strong reaction about letting strangers into his house.

Roger arrives back at the office in high spirits with his wife Mona (Talia Balsam), refreshed and ready for his meeting with Lucky Strike's reps to alleviate their concerns. But it seems his brush with death has only made him more determined to pursue office girl Joan (Christina Hendricks), whom he professes his adoration for in private as she applies make-up this face, trying to make him look even healthier.

The meeting with Lucky Strike's reps, led by Lee Garner Sr (John Cullum), begins in the office, and Roger's upbeat attitude and charm kicks in with full force. Just as Mr Garner starts to relax, Roger suddenly grabs his chest in pain and is quickly wheeled away into an ambulance – leaving Mona to put the blame on Cooper for rushing her husband back to work so soon.

The obvious seriousness with Roger has everyone on edge now, with Pete (Vincent Karthesier) and the other execs debating what will happen to Sterling Cooper if Roger dies, or is forced to retire. Harry (Rich Sommer) is convinced Don will be made partner, which rankles with Pete.

Peggy goes on a date with a blue-collar truck driver called Carl Winter (Aaron Hill) at a seafood restaurant, but he soon starts belittling her job in the advertising world. Taking great offence at his comment, she leaves for home.

Don phones Dr Wayne (Andy Umberger) to check on Betty's progress in his sessions, but isn't best pleased about how she seemed more fragile now than ever before. Dr Wayne suggests more intensive sessions of psychoanalysis, but Don is unsure and hangs up.

The next day, the ad men assemble in the conference room to watch Peggy give her presentation on the Electrosizer. She summarizes the product by saying: "women lose weight so they’ll feel good about themselves. Combined with a sensible diet, the Rejuvenator – you'll love the way it makes you feel." They all like her pitch but are still confused as to what it actually does. Don pipes up, saying: "from what I understand, it provides the pleasure of a man without the man." Don isn't enamoured with Peggy's new product name, or the exact phrasing about its real use, but he's impressed with her take. All of the men congratulate Peggy as they leave.

At the Draper residence, Betty could do with one of the Electrosizers, as she finds herself fantasizing about having passionate sex with salesman Bob, while pressing herself against a vibrating washing machine.

Growing more confident by the day, Peggy asks Don for $5 raise per week because of her recent extracurricular work for him. She's interrupted by Cooper, who takes Don into Roger's office and formally offers him a partnership. Don immediately accepts. Pete arrives to congratulate him seconds later, as Don leaves for home, taking the time to agree to Peggy's pay-rise and award her the rest of the day off, too.

Pete creeps into Don's soon-to-be-old office and sizes it up for himself, sitting at the desk and soaking up the ambience with a dreamy look in his eyes. Just then, a postman arrives with Adam's shoe-box package, mistaking Pete for Don Draper. Intrigued by the strange box and its scrawled writing, Pete can't resist taking it away with him...

Indian Summer was a very good episode; progressing Peggy and Don's storylines, while setting up embarrassment for Don when Pete inevitably looks inside Adam's shoe-box and realizes his "perfect" boss has a hidden past.

I particularly liked the way Peggy looks capable of a job in advertising (Belle Jolie wasn't a fluke), and was quite heartened to see the men aren't sexist enough to snub her efforts on principle. That would have been the easier road to take from a storytelling standpoint, but I'm glad Peggy's earned some genuine respect from her "superiors". I have my fingers crossed it doesn't all come crashing down around her in the finale. And was it my imagination, or did Elisabeth Moss look a bit chubbier here? I half-suspected they'd applied prosthetics to her – just so they could strip them away when the Electrosizer worked. And her date with the trucker seemed to come out of nowhere, didn't it?

The other story of interest was ailing Roger, with Don now primed to takeover from his "mentor" and friend as partner. It's a dog-eat-dog world, so is this the last we'll see of Roger? Perhaps not. Surely his wife Mona has to discover her husband's affair with Joan, as otherwise that whole storyline has been unnecessary. But if Roger comes back full-time after convalescing properly, does that mean the company becomes Sterling Cooper & Draper? Cooper Draper or Draper Cooper just don't sound right, do they?

Betty had some short-but-sweet scenes, and it's clear she's just as bored by her sex-life as her husband Don. It's just that she's too honest and straight-laced to do anything but fantasize in private, unlike Don who jumps into bed with any attractive woman that looks his way. Is she just a bored housewife having naughty private thoughts, or is she genuinely aching to be swept off her feet now?

Regarding the Dr Wayne subplot – where is that going exactly? It's a bit creepy how Don is controlling his wife like thus, but it seems to come from a genuine desire to help her... I just don't see the point in any of it yet. And whatever happened to Betty's numb hands? Her medical condition was introduced as something important way back in the early episodes, but it hasn't reoccurred, or even been mentioned since! Did the writers abandon that idea quietly? I can't believe Matthew Weiner wouldn't have pre-planned that subplot for the season -- so what happened to it?

Overall, Indian Summer was enjoyable and quite an important episode, as a few big steps were taken in the narrative, while the sticky-heat ambience gave things an even more oppressive and stifling feel. There are a few storylines that now seem a bit redundant or weakly-executed (unless there's a rapid turnaround in the last 2 episodes), but the important plots are developing rather nicely. But is Don's farm boy past a revelation that's going to create the desired punch? I still have my doubts about that, unless there's an even more sinister aspect to it we haven't been told yet...


11 May 2008
BBC Four, 10.00 pm