Writer: Chris Provenzano
Director: Phil AbrahamCast: Jon Hamm (Don Draper), Elisabeth Moss (Peggy), Vincent Karthesier (Pete), Christina Hendricks (Joan), Bryan Batt (Salvatore), Michael J.X Gladis (Paul), Rich Somner (Harry), Aaron Staton (Ken), Rosemarie DeWitt (Midge Daniels), Robert Morse (Bertram Cooper), Alison Brie (Trudy Campbell), Joel Murray (Fred Rumsen), Crista Flanagan (Lois Sadler), Bruce French (Hugh Brody), Paul Keeley (Elliot Lawrence), Brian Klugman (Judd), Ian Bohen (Roy Hazelitt), Joseph Culp (Archie Whitman) & Paul Schulze (Hobo)
Peggy's success at work damages an office relationship, Salvatore gets too close with a client, and Don's past continues to haunt him..."I hate to break it to you: but there is no big lie,
there is no system – the universe is indifferent."
there is no system – the universe is indifferent."
-- Don Draper (Jon Hamm)
We're in the second half of this first season, so real developments are becoming more noticeable -- particularly for Peggy's (Elisabeth Moss) place in the office, and Don's (Jon Hamm) shadowy past, while The Hobo Code also finds time to develop some supporting characters: handsome Italian Salvatore (Bryan Batt) and infatuated call girl Lois Sadler (Crista Flanagan).
Peggy's big chance to impress the men of the office arrives, as the ad men use her copy to present a radical rethink of how Belle Jolie lipsticks are advertised. Instead of focusing on the dizzying choice available to female customers, Don uses Peggy's idea of a woman "marking their man", marketing lipstick as a tool for women to take ownership of their beloved. One of their representatives Elliot (Paul Keeley) is excited about the possibilities, but owner Hugh (Bruce French) isn't so sure. Fortunately, Don's skills manage to convince him and the Belle Jolie reps leave feeling satisfied.
Afterwards, with the men celebrating in Don's office, Peggy's role in the success isn't forgotten about, as she's invited for a well-deserved drink. Excited about this turn of events, Peggy invites all the girls out to P.J Clarke's for drinks, although mentor Joan (Christina Hendricks) doesn't look particularly elated about Peggy's good fortune.
The episode also resumes the office romance between Peggy and up-and-coming exec Pete (Vincent Karthesier), who invites Peggy into his office before anyone else has arrived, and makes love to her on his sofa. Peggy is clearly excited by the passions Pete arouses in her, even though she knows he's married, but their relationship becomes strained after work at P.J Clarke's. As the office staff dance and celebrate the day's events, Pete sits motionless in a booth, glowering at Peggy as she dances to the Twist. Peggy invites him up to dance, but Pete leaves in a huff after telling "I don't like you like this."
Elsewhere, call girl Lois becomes enamoured with the voice of Salvatore (whom she often connects to his Italian mother), and makes an excuse to visit his office in the art department. She coyly pretends to have lost her way when Salvatore notices her arrival, and later fakes a disconnected call to him to ask if he'll be joining everyone at P.J Clarke's for after-work drinks.
However, Salvatore doesn't meet up with his co-workers as he suggests, instead meeting with Belle Jolie rep Elliot in the Roosevelt Hotel bar. It becomes clear that Salvatore is a closeted gay, and he avoids Elliot's obvious flirting and rushes home.
After the drinks, Don takes a detour to see his mistress Midge (Rosemarie DeWitt) to whisk her away for a romantic break in Paris (using a $2500 bonus his boss gave him), but isn't too happy when she declines – favouring to stay indoors with her beatnik friends and get high. Don reluctantly joins them, very much the stiff gooseberry, until he ventures into the bathroom after smoking from a spliff. As he stares at his own reflection in the mirror, we get our first extended flashback to Young Don (or Dick, as he was then known) on his family's farm...
Dick is digging as his father Archie mends a truck and mother Abigail hangs washing, just as a Hobo (Paul Schulze) arrives and asks to work in exchange for a good meal. Abigail obliges their visitor, and Dick later brings the Hobo some blankets for the night, finding it strange that a homeless man has such good manners and hails from a big, prosperous city like New York. The Hobo opens Dick's mind, by revealing he gave up a conventional life to go travelling – and explains a special "hobo code" to Dick. These take the form of chalked symbols Hobo's draw onto home they visit, giving information to their fellow travellers – like "good food" or "beware of the dog". The next morning, the Hobo leaves and Dick notices a chalked knife on the family's fence-post: the symbol for "a dishonest man lives here".
Don re-enters Midge's front room and takes a Polaroid of her with friend Roy (Ian Bohen), noticing after it develops the look of love she has in her eyes. He confronts her with the idea that she's in love with Roy, before the rest of Midge's friends begin to critique his corporate lifestyle, founded on a profession of lies. Don defends himself and leaves after Midge once again turns down his offer to run away to Paris.
The Hobo Code was a very revealing episode that gave us a big development for the Pete/Peggy relationship, as well as an enjoyable flashback for Don. Did young Don/Dick take the Hobo's advice to heart and leave his farmhouse for a day-to-day existence, heading to the same big city the Hobo came from? If he did, that life-changing decision was probably ignited by him finding out whatever secret his "dishonest father" is keeping. But how did the Hobo know Dick's father was dishonest after just one evening? Gut instinct? And it must be relevant that Dick is a "whore child", and even knows so at such a young age.
It was nice to see Salvatore get his own subplot here, although I had suspected he was gay quite early on. But it's still an interesting new facet to explore (for the character and the show), as Salvatore is actually part of an "under-class" that was treated with greater prejudice than women and black people in the 1960s. The prospect of another romance (Salvatore and Lois) is getting a bit tiresome, but it will be interesting to see if Salvatore goes for Lois – if only to try and convince himself he's heterosexual and pass as "normal" in the eyes of his colleagues.
But my favourite character is still Peggy, who's delightfully brought to life by lovely Elisabeth Moss. I was very relieved to see her hopes weren't dashed regarding the Belle Jolie project – as I wouldn't put it past the men to steal her ideas and pass them off as their own. But they actually acknowledged her role in winning the lipstick contract with an office drink. That was great to see, although I'm now sensing seething jealousy from Joan's direction – the Alpha Female of the girls, whose only talents lies in bedroom antics.
The Pete/Peggy romance is also fascinating, as I'm constantly revising my opinion over whether or not Peggy should even trust Pete. Does he love her, or is he just playing mind-games? Maybe Peggy's too naïve when it comes to love, but she does seem to like Pete and took his stinging comment to her at P.J Clarke's to heart – shedding a tear. It seems to me that Pete is just after a submissive, pretty girl he can manipulate – so when shy Peggy's lipstick success transformed her into a confident, dancing seductress in the bar, she lost all appeal for him. Oh well, his loss.
20 April 2008
BBC Four, 10.00 pm
