Mad Men recap Sea
son 7, Episode 11 “Time & Life” (original airdate April 26, 2015): McCann Erickson has finally done the dirty deed, pulling the plug on SCP without notice – except the eviction notice on their two floors of the Time Life building, that is. Convinced this is a mistake, Roger, with Joan eavesdropping, calls Ferg and discover’s it’s not. “I think you’ll see it’s all good news,” Ferg says. Roger is crushed, Joan stoic, as they inform their fellow partners. Though the McCann coup de grace is supposed to remain secret, the entire office eventually gets wind of it, beginning with Pete’s touchingly loyal tipoff to Peggy.
Don hatches a plan to pull SCP out of the ashes by shifting accounts with McCann/SCP conflicts to the California office, conveniently being vacated by the spiteful Lou, whose cartoon pipe dream is about to become reality — in Tokyo. Can they secure three accounts in 24 hours, ahead of a meeting with McCann’s Jim Horning? They’ve done it before, Don reminds them. As they round up willing accounts, Don drums up the kind of pitch that’s made him an advertising legend.
Pete gets a call from Trudy, and the two present a united front to get Tammy into Greenwich Country Day School, which has inexplicably rejected her. None of the stated reasons – divorce, Tammpy’s drawing skills – make sense. Finally, the headmaster reveals he’s a MacDonald, and bizarrely declares that no Campbell will ever go to his school. Pete punches him, and tells Trudy that Tammy will get in because he’s going to write a check to make it happen. They exchange kindnesses and seem genuinely fond of each other, a sweet regret tinging their conversation. Oh, for those high-flying Charleston-dancing days.
Ken finally has his revenge on Roger and Pete, jerking them around about campaign choices, then refusing to sign Dow on to the SCP West plan.
The partners arrive early for their meeting with McCann and Don launches into his pitch. He’s as smooth and authoritative as ever, but Jim Horning won’t listen. “Stop complaining,” he says. “You’re dying and going to advertising heaven.” Well, four out of five: Buick, Ortho Pharmaceutical, Nabisco, Coca Cola are dangled before the male partners as incentive to surrender. Joan is pointedly not offered a plum account. So much for the job she always wanted. Perhaps her purported millionaire can console her, but I’m not holding my breath.
Casting for a toy commercial opens up a new level of intimacy between Peggy and Stan when one of the auditioning kids accidentally staples her finger. Peggy has been stiff with the kids and Stan has mocked her, but when the child’s mother arrives to find the girl crying, she has a mommy throw-down with Peggy. You do what you want with your kids, I’ll do what I want with mine, the stage mom yells.
Stan, who teased Peggy about not liking or understanding kids, doesn’t recognize this war of words for what it is until Peggy calls him out for not understanding nearly as much as he gives himself credit for. Stan makes a joke his own mom not wanting him, and Peggy counters with a theoretical case for women having just as much right to walk away from a sexual mistake as men — but having the disadvantage of carrying the unintended consequences. Peggy falters. “Maybe you do what you thought was the best thing,” she says. Stan sees this is more to her. “What did you do?” he asks. Peggy says her son is with a family somewhere. “I don’t know because you’re not supposed to know or you can’t go on with your life,” she explains, then gets back to work. When he calls the next day from the office next door, Peggy tells him she’s going (on advice from her career counselor) to McCann, and that he can too. As the office roils, they stay on the line, just for each
others’ company.
The partners go for drinks after the McCann capitulation. Roger is truly heartbroken, but sweetly funny. Pete and Don seem resigned, Ted is relieved, content to let someone else drive. Joan toasts Bert Cooper: glad he didn’t make it this far.
Later, Don and Roger are the last partners standing (well, sitting on barstools, but still). Their bromance is rekindled by smoke, alcohol and Roger’s confession that he’s always admired Don for always reaching. Don thanks him for getting him started in advertising. And Roger tells Don about Marie. You’re all right, Roger says, patting Don and kissing his cheek as he departs. And then there was one.
Diana leaves two messages with Don’s service, but no phone number. When he tries to find her, the apartment has new tenants, who tell Don she left her things, and the manager said they should sell them. At least he doesn’t find her hanging …
Don’s feisty secretary Meredith confronts him about the McCann move, refuses to bring him Alka Seltzer, declaring that it’s not an ordinary day. “In a month you’re not going to have an office, you won’t have an apartment. Do you want to lose me too?” she demands. God forbid – if anyone can save SCP, my money is on Meredith.
Don and the partners gather the staff and Don begins spinning the McCann move as good news, but “proud to announce” falls on deaf ears: the SCP rank and file are in open revolt. “We didn’t do this!” Roger pleads, and Don shouts, “This is the beginning of something, not the end.” Head shaking, murmuring angrily, they turn their backs on the partners. That doesn’t stop Harry. “This is good news,” he wails.
Riiiiight.
“Sayonara, my friend,” Lou gloats during his parting phone call with Don. “Enjoy the rest of your miserable life” Lou, of all people, may be the voice of Weiner. But no one will ever like him for it.
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