Mad Men “A Tale of Two Cities” Review: Take Another Little Piece of my Heart

 Joan waiting for judgement on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV

A Review of tonight’s Mad Men as soon as I make excessive amounts of short people jokes…

“You’re splitting this place, and not in half.”

-Ted

Revelations everywhere! The continued war of “whose agency is it anyways” is again battled, but it’s hardly business as usual. Rules are being broken, lines are being forms, and tempers are being tested. “A Tale of Two Cities” was another satisfying hour of the show, as it allowed the show to get into the minds of the characters and begins to draw lines in the office that could help or hinder its progress.

Don’s a bit of a mess in the workplace at the moment, he really is. Usually California is a place of comfort and piece for Don but with his new trip it’s only causing him confusion. Change is imminent in the land of the west and California is beginning to grow into the new entertainment epicenter, and we all know how Don works with change. The other factor that doesn’t seem to be helping is that Don just seems to be out of it in almost every way. Tragic events are taking place across the United States and Don doesn’t seem to have a caring bone in his body. His company is being slowly invaded (or is becoming closer I still can’t really decide) and Don remains firmly out of it and in the background. He doesn’t seem to have a clue of what he’s doing in his own life at this moment and “A Tale of Two Cities” continued to analyze that.

Then there was Don’s hallucinations well being high on mysterious substance he smoked at the LA party (not to mention he was probably drunk on top of that). Weiner and crew show some of what Don wants in his relationship with Megan and what he thinks he’s missing. Don is old-fashioned in every way and watching him fantasizing about Megan quitting her job and having a child is just evidence of that. Don wants to live back in an older world one where social norms aren’t moving forward and Megan is still back at the office with him and they can ignore work together. Don doesn’t know what to do with Megan being progressive and an actress not ready to be there all the times he requires it.

Women’s roles is a big issue outside of Don’s hallucinations (which we’ll revisit in a bit) but in the office as a whole as well. When Joan get’s surprise business from an Avon executive that her friend set her up on a “date” with, the roles begin to be tested. After being shown no respect from Pete (who just wants thing to work as normal in all reality), Joan decides to take issues in his own hands and not walk through the normal ladder to get there. It’s a success as Avon seems to ultimately be interested thanks to good wooing by Joan, but it doesn’t work that way in the corporate structure of the 1960’s, especially when Pete Cambell is involved. Joan get’s scolded by both Peggy, who went through the system to get where she was (with Joan telling her she couldn’t do it at the time), and Pete who’s either right or being a total idiot. Either way Joan is a part of the changing nature of the business and in the end Ted, who seems to be looking for this change, allows it to slide.

Other things are changing at the agency as well, namely who’s in charge. The tide seems to be changing at Stearling Cooper and Partners (finally I don’t have to avoid trying to type the name of the agency) and it’s not in favor of the old Stearling Cooper gang. Ted and crew want to make more shifts towards either making a compromise or walking over the shares of the Stearling Cooper gang (although I’m leaning towards the invasion front I hope it’s not). The new name being picked out by the company as well as the consistent shift towards more Ted centric accounts is transforming the room into a less Stearling Cooper vibe and more of a Cutler Gleeson and Chow one and no one on the Stearling Cooper side (especially not Don and Roger) seems to care.

The exception to that rule is Pete. Whether it’s because he feels that his role is diminishing or the fact that he actually cares about the future of the company (I think it’s more of the former rather than the latter) is debatable but he’s still frustrated either way. He sees the accounts slip through their hands like sand and he feels that Ted is beginning to draw the line farther and farther onto his territory. Joan taking matters into her own hands with Avon just adds to his reduced ego fire. Then the name on top of that as he has to stand around while the other side picks their name. Maybe Pete is the correct one maybe he’s overreacting. God help us if Pete’s right.

Out of all of “A Tale of Two Cities” including Pete’s frustrations and all, the most interesting part of the episode came from that other half of Don’s hallucination, the notion of death. Death isn’t anything new to Mad Men, or all to distant of a memory for that matter, but it’s interesting to see how Don pictures it in his little hallucination episode. Don is reminded of the soldier he met way back in the premiere in his random stoner dreams and that death is a tragedy and “will not make him whole” as he seems to think. Standing back and watching himself deteriorate will not allow him to come out of the situation he’s in and the strange thought and reality of death.

Great work is done here by I do believe first time (editors note: I was very wrong on that one it's his fifth time directing. I don't know where I got that idea from) Mad Men director John Slattery who shoots the Don fever dream, as well as the rest of the episode with an amazingly keen eye. The shots that Slattery goes for are interesting and help bring home the point especially throughout the hallucination scene. Props go to the puzzle like structure of that dream that allow the audience to slowly figure out that Don is in truth the one drowning and clawing at the door of his mental demise. That change is happening and those who aren’t willing to go with it, like Don are going to get left behind in the dust.  Safe to say Mad Men continues on its run of solid and interesting episodes.

Some other musings:

• I’m a sucker for Janis Joplin I guess as I sat through the entire credits sequence just to listen to “Piece of My Heart”

• Some interesting symbolism used in this episode with the democratic national convention and the Chicago protests. It also provided Ginsberg a good chance to pick a fight with Cuttler allowing Weiner and crew to show the warring sides of the spectrum.

• Danny! As much as I hate to give Harry credit, treating a potential Hollywood big shot with some respect, even if he worked at the office briefly, was the right call. All Roger got for making fun of him was a firm punch to the balls.

• It’s amazing how in six seasons Peggy has gone from representing the progressive woman to the old fashioned status quo.

• Bob Benson continues to move up the ladder! Him and Ginsberg share a wonderful scene in this episode that shows just how good and convincing Bob can truly be. I wonder how close we are from him jostling Pete out of true power…

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?