||SPOILERS|| Marilyn Monroe is dead; a tragedy that sends the women of Sterling Cooper into a day of mourning. As mentioned in an earlier episode, women of the early-'60s styled themselves on Jackie Kennedy or Marilyn Monroe, so a good 50% of them have lost their style touchstone now. Certainly that's the case with shapely Joan (Christina Hendricks), whom Roger (John Slattery) discovers crying in his empty office. For Peggy (who isn't categorized by either celeb), the news is only worth a mention to Don (John Hamm) about how it's a good job they didn't get the Playtex account, as they'd have to pull all their ads featuring a Monroe lookalike..."Six Month Leave" is more focused on a different kind of sadness, as Freddy Rumsen embarrasses himself during a pitching practice for an important client, in front of Salvatore (Bryan Bratt), Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and Pete (Vincent Karthesier), by pissing his trousers and fainting at his desk. The obvious toll of a drink problem, only Peggy has any sympathy for poor Freddy, as Salvatore bursts into laughter and Pete is disgusted and tells his superiors.
Roger and Duck (Mark Moses) show a similar heartlessness, using the incident as the ideal time to give Freddy the eponymous "six month leave" of absence, with no real intention of inviting him back to work. Don (John Hamm) shows compassion for Freddy and isn't sure he deserves this treatment for one mistake, but even he can't dissuade Roger. Most intriguingly, even Freddy seems to find the whole situation just part of a natural cycle, as Don and Roger ironically take him out on the town drinking as a farewell, then to an underground casino to gamble. All three men hiding their real feelings and emotions behind bravado and backslapping.At the casino, Don runs into Jimmy (Patrick Fischler), the man responsible for his current estrangement from wife Betty (January Jones), and can't resists landing a punch on the wisecracking comedian's smug face. After Freddy's sent home in a cab, just as the gravity of his dismissal begins to hit home, Roger and Don leave to prop up a bar together –- with Roger (a repeat offender when it comes to adultery), encouraging Don to offload his problems, after correctly guessing Betty has kicked him out of the family home.
Betty herself is putting on a brave face for her neighbour who comes to try on her dresses, and trying to occupy herself with menial tasks like defrosting the fridge. A return to the stables felt like an attempt to get closer to Arthur to punish Don, as the young man has been making moves on her recently, but she still couldn't really go through with it and instead plays matchmaker, by trying to set him up with her friend Sara Beth. It's possible a sign she thinks her marriage can survive this crisis, but maybe she's just worried that involving Arthur will just complicate and confuse matters even further.
Back at Sterling Cooper, Freddy's dismissal has opened up a new job, which Don hands to Peggy as a well-earned promotion. Honourable as ever, Peggy accepts the position but storms into Pete's office to confront him about his role in Freddy's sacking. Pete, as slimy but pragmatic as ever, only sees the positive that's arisen from Freddy's discharge -- a promotion for Peggy. Peggy still seems upset that Freddy has gone (he was instrumental in getting Peggy a job as a copywriter, after all), but a part of her sees Pete's point. Is she losing her principles over her ambition?
There was also a surprising reveal at the end, when Roger's wife Mona (Talia Balsam) bursts into Don's office and blames him for her unwitingly encouraging her husband to leave her for another woman -- namely, Don's secretary Jane (Peyton List). So, when did they start seeing each other? Was it before Joan fired her, which explains why she went straight to Roger? If so, it was extra cold of Roger to have not bothered sorting things out between her and Joan.Overall, this was an episode that isn't broadly essential to your enjoyment of the season, but it mixed in a few new developments that will doubtless inform the remaining episodes (Peggy's promotion and Roger's affair). As usual, there was some excellent symbolism and some subtle references (like Don using Rachel Menken's new husband's name as a pseudonym), and it's all so tightly written and performed that it's a delight to take a trip back in time with these characters every week. As we approach the end, I can't wait to see how things tie up.
7 April 2009
BBC Four, 10pm
Writers: Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton & Matthew Weiner
Director: Michael Uppendahl
Cast: Mark Moses (Duck), Joel Murray (Freddy), Talia Balsam (Mona Sterling), Gabriel Mann (Arthur Case), Patrick Fischler (Jimmy Barrett), Peyton List (Jane Siegel), Missy Yager (Sarah Beth), Aaron Hart (Bobby), Deborah Lacey (Carla), John Douglas Williams (Warren McKenna), Cathrine Grace (Tootsie Yates), Jonathan Runyon (Dan Lindstrom), Carolyn McDermott (Kelly Washburn), Caleb Moody (Jim Pastern) & Chet Grissom (Wally Kostis)
