MAD MEN 3.13 - "Shut The Door. Have A Seat"

WRITERS: Matthew Weiner & Erin Levy
DIRECTOR: Matthew Weiner
GUEST CAST: Patrick Cavanaugh, Charles Shaughnessy, Alison Brie, Ryan Cartwright, Kiernan Shipka, Chelcie Ross, Joesph Culp, Christopher Stanley, J. Patrick McCormack, Alexa Alemanni, Jared S. Gilmore, Deborah Lacey, Edin Gali, Brandon Hall & Brynn Horrocks

[SPOILERS] A momentous, emotive and gripping end to what's been a strong third season that only suffered from a relatively slack start and infrequent use of Don (Jon Hamm). Otherwise, this year's been just as mesmerizing and poignant as always, with some very strong episodes in the latter half especially. "Shut The Door. Have A Seat" saw the razing of the two pillars in Don's life: his marriage and his career, and only one was able to rise from the ashes...

Don received a tip-off from Connie Hilton (Chelcie Ross) that PPL and Sterling Cooper are about to be bought out by McCann Erickson, meaning he's severing ties to Don, who's unfortunately unable to do likewise from SC because he signed a three-year contract. Angered that his life's been thrown into the air, Don persuades an initially reluctant Cooper (Robert Morse) to buy back the company he started, even putting aside his differences with Roger (John Slattery) because they need his account with Lucky Strike. After speaking to Lane (Jared Harris) about the news leak, it seems their idea to buy back the company might run aground over a lack of funds. But, when Lane realizes his job's also in limbo as a result of the buyout, the four of them devise a daring plan to save themselves professionally: Lane will fire Don, Roger and Cooper from their jobs, thus annulling their contracts, in exchange for a partnership in a new company they'll form together -- Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce.

But a new advertising agency needs accounts and talented people behind it, and they only had the weekend to assemble everything before a telegram sent to London would be read by PPL. Don spoke with Peggy (Elisabeth Moss), but was surprised when she refused his offer to follow him blindly, as she's tired of being treated like his obedient lapdog. A visit to Pete's (Vincent Karthesier), where he was pulling a sickie so he could scout for another job in light of his recent "demotion", went better, with Don appealing to Pete's ego by admitting he has a talent for spotting the movement and trends of society (aeronautics, teenagers, the Negro market.) If Pete can deliver $8 million worth of accounts by Sunday as cash-flow, he'll be made a partner in the firm.

Don later managed to change Peggy's mind after realizing he's been mistreating her, and instead made it very clear that she's perhaps his most valued worker ("I don't know if I can do it alone. Will you help me?") His admission was enough to leave Peggy with tears in her eyes. Finally, Harry's (Rich Sommer) brought aboard to be the new firm's head of media, and Joan (Christina Hendricks) made a triumphant return to help everyone ransack the office during a fake "carpet cleaning" weekend.

Throughout it all, there were more childhood flashbacks for Don, who remembered how his father Archie (Joseph Culp) once split from his agricultural collective to sell his own wheat after prices fell. While drunk in a stable with a young Don during a thunderstorm, a spooked horse accidentally kicked the unfortunate Archie in the face, killing him instantly. The parallels to Don breaking from the big leagues to carve his own path are there (father and son both have a desire to be self-sufficient), but my guess is Don will be more careful not to get kicked to death by a figurative horse. Or was the kick in the teeth already dealt, if not fatally, by news of Betty's (January Jones) intention to divorce him? Having now cleared the air with Roger, the two men shared one of their amiable bar chats, during which Roger let slip gossip that Betty's been seeing Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) behind his back.

As Don's tried to rescue his career and set it on a new path, he had less luck putting his domestic life in order. Things got ugly when he confronted Betty over her affair ("you're a whore, you know that?"), but Betty's already sought legal advice with Henry and is planning to leave for a six-week residency in Reno, which will allow her a divorce that would otherwise be difficult in the state of New York. There was a particulaly touching moment when Betty and Don had to explain the situation to their kids, which rang very true and gave Kiernan Shipka another opportunity to show her worth as a child actor. She's been particularly good this season.

What was wonderful about "Shut The Door. Have A Seat" was the sense of cameraderie between the primary characters at Sterling Cooper, as they came together in the face of a common threat, put aside their differences, admitted their true feelings for each other, and have apparently formed a brand new enterprise. It's refreshing to consider the possibilities for season 4 in the wake of this major shakeup, as we'll have what amounts to a fledgling company that's taken the crème of SC's talent and business. How will clients react to everything that's gone on? How quickly will SCDP expand? Will they rehire more of SC's staff once things have calmed down? And what about the relationships between all the characters from hereon in? Pete and Peggy have had their talents truly recognized, so will they be treated more like equals now? if so, where will the in-house drama come from, if the core group behind the company are all so close-knit? Will the rest of Mad Men's existence focus on what I assume will be a stratospheric rise of a new business with this "dream team"? I always thought the longterm goal of Mad Men was a downward spiral, but we've suddenly been given a sign it's going to be about the growth of something less starchly corporate and more pioneering.

Overall, while I enjoy Mad Men's signature slow-burn style that allows you to savour every nuance of the writing and performances, I can't deny it was a genuine thrill to see the show break into a giddy sprint here. It felt like an audacious and unexpected development, almost like the end of a first volume. I can't wait to see what the next chapter of Mad Men entails, with so many new starts promised here.

Asides

• Can we relax about Henry Francis? He seems genuine about loving Betty and providing for her kids, but I'm not sure if Betty should agree to a less painful divorce settlement because Henry says he'll provide for her. I mean, if it all falls apart with Henry before they marry, won't Betty be left with nothing of her own?
• We end the season with no return for Sal, although I guess it's possible Don will apologize to him next season and he'll become part of SCDP. I hope so, it would be a shame to lose him.
• There was no real closure for the Don/Suzanne romance that was put on hold because Betty discovered his secret. I predict he'll rekindle that relationship, but it'll be interesting to see if Don is quite so enamoured with Suzanne now she represents less of a dangerous thrill. We've never really seen Don as a bachelor whose womanizing would be more forgivable.
• Did anyone else feel a little sad that Ken (Aaron Staton) and Paul (Michael Gladis) weren't recruited by Don, Roger or Cooper? I know those are the least compelling characters of the ensemble, but it was still a little sad to see them turn up for work on Monday and find the office half empty and their jobs so uncertain. Is there a chance they'll just ge rehired by SCDP next year? Or does this mark a clean break from a few characters?
• What will happen when Peggy's secret boyfriend, Duck, hears she's accepted a position with Don's new company? I guess we'll know for sure if he's been sleeping with her as a way to poach her from SC, or not.

14 APRIL 2010: BBC4/HD, 10PM