Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Mad Men 4x01

Mad Men, Public Relations, on AMC
The best show on TV returns for a fourth season! Appropriately, the season premier is titled “Public Relations,” and the first words we hear are: “Who is Don Draper?” That’s a question on everybody’s mind. He has brought the Madison Avenue advertising firm Sterling Cooper to great heights and then encouraged his partners to start anew, as Sterling Cooped Draper Pryce. Out of a sense of misplaced modesty, Don doesn’t answer the reporter’s question – in fact, he hardly talks about anything, except his latest commercial for Glo-Coat floor wax (admittedly a great piece). Once the article is printed, Don’s partners are dismayed by his lack of salesmanship. Because of the article, one of their big clients drops out. Now Lucky Strike covers an untenable 71% of their billings. Bertrand Cooper suggests that Don counter the negative piece with an interview for the Wall Street Journal.

Don’s now divorced and Henry has moved in Don’s house with Betty. Yet it is Don who is paying the mortgage. He doesn’t want to pressure them and uproot the children. He is still single and paying a woman to have sex – and slap him in the face. Roger Sterling offers a blind date with a friend of his wife Jane, Bethany. “Come Turkey Day, maybe you can stuff her,” Roger quips. Don agrees and enjoys a pleasant evening. In the taxi cab, she allows him to kiss him, but holds firm that they take it no further just yet. When he returns the children, Betty and Henry keep him waiting for almost an hour. He demands that they move out or start paying rent. “It’s temporary,” Henry says in his defense. “Trust me, everybody things this is temporary,” Don replies curtly. I can only hope so, Henry is so wrong for Betty –she herself remains unhappy and unable to handle rebellious Sally.

Pete and Peggy are trying to save their Sugarberry Ham account. She suggests a stunt to attract attention: two customers fighting over the last ham for their Thanksgiving dinner. The coverage turns out better than expected, and Peggy already comes up with a new slogan, “our hams are worth fighting for.” Unfortunately, the actresses fought so hard, that one is pressing charges against the other. Now Peggy needs to ask Don for bail money and some cash to keep them silent – and Don was never in on the stunt. When Don later berates her for the stunt without his approval, she reminds him that all they want to do is please him.

Meanwhile, the company is hired by Jantzen swimwear, who refuse to sell bikinis or play along with the increasingly racy advertisements of their competition – they prefer to hold on to their wholesome image. Don presses them to show the skin a two-piece swimsuit is supposed to reveal, but the refuse. He sends them packing – and they have lost yet another client. He is now adamant to correct his mistake and public image, abandons his modesty, and this time he brags his way through the interview: “Last year, our agency was being swallowed whole,” he gloats. “I could die of boredom or holster up my guns.” So I walked into Lane Pryce’s office and I said, ‘Fire us.’” He smiles and continues, “within a year, we’d taken over two floor of the Time-Life Building.” And you wonder why this show is so brilliant?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.