The Women Step Up (Or Step Down)

Mad Men, S05E11

Don worked on his presentation for Jaguar and learned that Megan's acting career may make her absent from the home.  Pete proposed that Joan exchange sexual favors with one of the men from Jaguar to secure their position with the account.  Peggy decided that she should take meetings with other advertising firms in order to keeping her career going.

Although it was nice to see Don connect with his work again, I found myself less excited about SCDP getting Jaguar the more that I saw Don and the others scrambling for a good pitch that involved a mistress.  I was prepared to see them get absolutely nowhere until Michael came along with a very good idea.  Before he brought the idea to Don, they exchanged some funny lines:

[Michael] I know I'm not a manager, but it's very hard to get things done with you in another room.
[Don] Well, I obviously have the opposite feeling.

Do I ever hate Michael, but I love how he gets under Don's skin.  So far, they don't seem to have changed much in their relationship, although Michael seems like a creature of habit, so I suppose it's asking too much of him to suddenly change his tune and turn immediately into the next "Pete Campbell."  But I did notice that Michael still holds a grudge against Megan, which was obvious when he remarked that she was free to come and go as she pleased in their office.  Granted, I thought Megan's visit was odd too (turns out it was for some "confidence-building" sex), but I was still annoyed that Michael was so focused on what she was doing (and I suppose what Don was doing).  I sort of wonder if Michael will ever get to directly address his problems about Megan (without pissing off Don in the process).

I have some problems with Megan.  I don't think she should be so quick to judge Don's level of support.  Ever since she started chasing her dream, she's been more and more unpleasant as a wife.  She is rightfully frustrated that her acting career isn't taking off, but I'd wish she'd stop taking it out on Don like he's trying to sabotage her.  They haven't been married that long and knowing that your wife would suddenly (she failed to mention the length and distance of her future acting commitment) be gone for work should make a husband unhappy.  True, Don often takes trips from time to time, but he couldn't be gone for more than a few days at most.  She's being ridiculous.  If she were more honest about what she was doing (I'm sure that Don would at least feign interest), they wouldn't have to fight about it.  I sort of want to see her fail because she's being a little bit like a brat, but on the other hand I'd like her to succeed a little so she can stop bitching and get off Don's back.  I'm really starting to get sick of her.

However, no one made me more sick and angry (although Peggy did come a close second) than fucking Pete Campbell in this episode.  He will literally do anything--anything to get a damn car dealership for their firm.  And maybe it was up to him to push for that (because the rest of the partners sure aren't working their asses off to bring in strong clients), but he had no right to pull Joan into it like she was just a piece of furniture at the office he could just pawn off like it was freaking Craigslist.  What the fuck!  I wanted to choke him when he brought up the idea of her sleeping with Herb to get them the Jaguar account, but he did it in such a passive way as if he was appalled at the idea.  He's such a piece of trash!  He tried to make it seem like her sacrifice would be noble or queen-like, when it was just an easy way for him to win without having to get his own hands dirty.  What if Herb had wanted a piece of Pete?  Would he have given up his body to get the account?  Fuck no!  To ask Joan is to say that he didn't value her very much at all.

To make it worse, Pete didn't give up when Joan clearly told him no.  When she told him he couldn't afford to pay her to do that, it didn't mean that he needed to bring all the partners together to discuss paying her a big sum to "take one for the team."  I was disappointed in all of them, except Don (who turned down the idea and left like a boss), for not turning a deaf ear to Pete's idea.  Well, I guess at heart they are all pigs.  Lane tried a bit to talk Joan out of it, but I wonder if he didn't just want her to decline so he wouldn't have to find more money that he didn't have?  I hate that Pete thought that Don's opinion didn't matter and just did what he wanted.  In my eyes he is an enemy of women.

Now, of course, Joan could have turned down the offer, and I hoped she would, but when Don came to tell her that they didn't need her to do that and he was against it, I had a feeling she still would.  After all, Joan had gone to Pete and asked for partnership in the firm if she did.  And fucking Pete was not going to have a chance to haggle her price--that was it.  Financially speaking, that was a brilliant thing to ask, especially when she deserves such a position and she's a single mother now.  However, I was disappointed that Joan did it.  I know she'll regret it (if she doesn't already).  Plus, I had no idea she had already done it when Don had come to see her.  He was just a little too late!  Fucking Pete!!  I wonder if Joan thought she might as well do it if all of the partners (even Roger and Don) were thinking it was a good things for her to do.  It makes me angrier that Don didn't have a chance to fight against Pete.  Joan is a partner (yay), but her promotion is bittersweet.  After that beautiful episode with she and Don last time, I wonder if they will have such a good relationship now?

Peggy, after seeing herself on the other side of the Jaguar account (where the men were rewarded with lobster lunches) and having money thrown in her face for wanting to go to Paris for an account she saved with her on-the-spot creativity, listened to Freddy's advice to find employment elsewhere.  I just wish she had picked a different time to do this!  I think Peggy probably does deserve better with her talents and the ambitions she holds, but after everything else that happened I don't know if she could have picked a worse time to stab Don if she had tried.  I was so prepared for Don to yell at her for moving on (especially when he had lost his wife at the firm not too long ago), but he wasn't a jerk about it at all.  I couldn't help but tear up when he grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go until Peggy pulled away.  It broke my heart to see him like that when he just got Jaguar on shady terms and then found out his most loyal copywriter was calling it quits on him.  Kudos for Peggy as a woman for wanting to rise higher, but fuck her for hurting Don.  I can't help but want her to be miserable at her new place of employment (couldn't she found another great place that wasn't SCDP's rival??).  Let her go reach for the sky, but I want her to have to suffer twice as hard now that she's not with Don anymore.  It was probably a matter of time until Peggy left, but I still can't help but hate her.  Maybe one day, when Don doesn't give a damn about her absence anymore, maybe then I'll forgive her.

So who will replace Peggy?  She is an impossible person to replace, I think.  After all, she was the supervisor in the copywriting department, and someone that Don trusted well enough to delegate important decisions to.  If another person like Michael is coming to the firm, I don't think I can take it.  I don't even know how Don can take it.  He's going to be overrun with Michael's incessant chatter with Peggy gone.  We'll probably be seeing him hanging himself soon enough.  I freaking would.

They are surely not holding back this season!  The drama keeps building up and and up until I just think that some of these characters are going to crumble underneath it all.  Of course, I'm mostly concerned with how this all affects Don more than anyone else.  If there is justice in this show Pete will get his for the lousy thing he has done in this episode.  I will never forget his scheming, even if he does something like save Don's life.  Right now he can freaking die and I wouldn't be bothered.  I hope that Joan at least makes herself more of an asset now that she's a partner and does her best to show she's worth much more than what she gave away for Jaguar.  Peggy, on the other hand, can suck it.  Maybe she'll soar now that she's free from Don's wing, and maybe she'll plummet to the ground.  Either way, as long as she's not smiling as much as she was when she got on that elevator to leave, I'll be happier she left.