This! Is! Mad Men! – The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
[This! Is! Mad Men! recaps the newest developments of Don Draper and his ragtag group of cohorts. In the spirit of the show, it will often be sexist and drunk. Apologies ahead of time.]
Okay, we’ve hit the fifth episode of this fourth season. I’m liking where things are going, even if they make me mad (man!) or uncomfortable. Let’s take a look at some of the more striking developments in The Chrysanthemum and the Sword…
Sally Draper — Not a Girl (Not Yet a Woman)?
Truthfully, I’m tackling this part of last night’s episode first because it makes me fairly uncomfortable. Maybe this speaks more of my repression and inability to discuss certain topics. But if I had to guess, I’d say Mad Men’s writers are trying to push the viewers into some areas that will get guarantee some representation in the Monday morning water cooler chat. Hell, people love talking about craziness that went down on a Sunday night.
So, Sally Draper has been getting on Betty’s nerves for a while now. Towards the beginning of the episode, Sally hacks her hair up in a misguided attempt to give herself a new `do. This gives infuriates her mother (to the point of delivering a nasty slap across the face) and also gives her plenty of ammunition against Don (who had hired a babysitter so he could go out on a date). It’s a disconcerting scene and we’re not entirely sure what motivated Sally in the first place. Is she actively trying to do things that will annoy her mother? I don’t think so, but maybe. The other intimation is that Sally might’ve cut her own hair to try to look more stylish. As in, to attract boys.
In other words, Sally may be growing up. This could very well be a thematic continuation of the storyline from earlier in the season in which Don’s daughter was pleased by all the attention she received from Glen. The attention received was a bit unusual, but with Betty and Don as her parents it’s not hard to believe that Sally will grow up with some unusual ideas about attraction.
Oh, and just in case you were still doubting that the writers were pushing Sally into maturity, she gets caught masturbating in this episode. It gets conveyed without being too creepy, but is still bound to incite “I can’t believe that happened!” discussions. Summarily, Sally goes to a sleepover and her friend’s mom walks in on her doing the deed.
How does the parent respond? Does she quickly walk away and pretend not to have noticed anything? She does she explain that some things are best to be done in complete privacy, not next to a sleeping friend? Does she call up Betty and ask her to come speak with her daughter?
As if you couldn’t guess, the answer to all of the above is “No.” Instead, the friend’s parent immediately shames Sally and drives her home. Once back at her house, Sally is subjected to further shaming at the hands of her mother. It’s evident that Betty is embarrassed and makes no qualms in taking it out on her daughter. It’s an understandable feeling, but certainly not the advisable action.
By the end of the episode, Betty has signed up Sally for sessions with a child psychiatrist. But when she goes into a preliminary meeting with the psychiatrist, it becomes clear that Betty could use some help herself. While separating from Don was a step in the right direction, Betty still has some issues to resolve, including but not limited to the death of her father.
Roger Sterling – War Hero
One of the most interesting subplots of this week’s episode comes in the form of the wonderfully sarcastic Roger Sterling. But in this episode, Sterling’s signature humor is replaced by a solemnity that is quite striking. In fact, it adds another layer to this already densely packed character.
As it’s been previously mentioned, Roger fought in the Pacific Theater. He’s traded some war stories with Don, but we’ve never really seen his combat experience wreaking any sort of psychic havoc. That is, of course, until last night’s episode. SCDP wants to lobby for the advertising dollars of Honda; with their motorcycles already dominating 50% of the market, everyone at the agency thinks that this new idea is damn swell. Well, everyone but Roger, who can’t stomach the notion of working with a Japanese company. Sterling interrupts a meeting with the Japanese executives to voice his dissenting opinions;
“I have to warn you — they won’t know it’s over until you drop a big one. Twice.”
“I know exactly who these men are. You think you can just come in here and we’ll fawn all over you? We beat you and we’ll beat you again. And we don’t want any of your Jap crap. So — sayonara!”
Holy smokes! Roger Sterling really doesn’t want to work with anyone from Japan. And at first, I couldn’t help but look at him as having flown off the handle. I mean, from a business perspective Pete Campbell and Don Draper are absolutely right to pursue Honda — doing so could provide generate much needed revenue and give the agency another opportunity to showcase their badass skills. So in that regard, Sterling should have cooled his jets and gone along for the ride.
But the more I think about it, the more I can sympathize with Roger Sterling. I’ve never been to war and therefore can only imagine what it’s like to engage in combat with an enemy. I also have no idea what it’s like to go through the horrifying experience of watching people I know die at the hands of said adversary. So while twenty years might be a long time, I’m not sure that it’s long enough to wash the bloodstains out of Sterling’s wartime memories. He might be a drunk with a bum ticker and a sharp wit, but the white-hair is also a man harboring some real pain.
This thread from The Chrysanthemum and the Sword clearly raises questions about international commerce. Before I go any deeper, I’ll preface with the fact that it amazes me that I can give someone a piece of paper with a dead white guy on it and receive a Squishee in return. So obviously the mechanics of geoeconomics are currently beyond my grasp. But it is interesting to about how two nations that were at one time dedicated to destroying one another could later come together to trade and buy shit and whatnot. And while these exchanges can lead to more amiable relationships in the future, there’s bound to be distrust and uneasiness in the beginning.
If I ever try to draft a coherent essay on this topic, I promise that I’ll use the title Roger’s Resentment.
Don Draper is the Boss
In the first four episodes of this season, I feel that Draper has been portrayed as drifting further in a downward spiral. He’s drinking constantly, he’s banging broads he never would have considered before and he’s not taking the time to consciously sort out his feelings. On a personal level, I think Don’s got some work to do.
But when it comes to business, Don Draper is still the fugging man. When a New York Times reporter asks what he thinks of new rival-agency CGC and the fact that its director Ted Chaough is gunning for him, Draper laughs, “I’ve never heard of him.”
So damn smooth!
Later, Don has to figure out what he can do to salvage the Honda deal — Sterling embarrassed the agency, Honda has only given them $3000 to produce a sample presentation, SCDP doesn’t have enough cash out-of-pocket to create something stellar and CGC is the direct competition. For a moment, things looked sticky.
But then Draper but his creative wonder-brain to work and rocked some lateral thinking. Donnie conjures up a plan that makes CGC think that SCDP is going to spend lavishly to create a full advertisement for Honda. However, this is just a ruse that sees Joey guarding a soundstage while Peggy motorcycles around inside, giving the impression that a commercial is being filmed. CGC takes the bait and they end up actually filming a full commercial of their own.
And that might’ve worked for them, but by spending their own money they broke one of Honda’s stipulations — no spending more than the allotted $3000. Don strolls into their offices to tell them that SCDP is resigning because they found out that their competition was allowed to break rules. By the time he gets back to the office, Draper receives word that Honda was impressed with his candor.
As a result, the agency is first in line to get Honda’s car account. Once the cars are road-ready, that is.
Miss Blankenship
Is it just me or is this old hag awesome? I love the fact that Don has to deal with an elderly secretary who does her job poorly and talks too loudly. What’re your thoughts?