Mad Men: The Other Woman
Season 5, Episode 11
Synopsis
SCDP prepares the Jaguar pitch, and both Joan and Peggy receive offers they can’t refuse.
The Good
- Joan’s unsavory arrangement, skirting the edge of implausibility: the “car guy” filmed in shadows, Pete’s manipulative, calculated interactions between the partners and Joan, the jump in time revealing Don visited Joan after the deed was already done. Excellent plot handling of sticky situation – you can buy that Joan would be tempted by the money, especially as a single mother with few options and the lucrative idea of being made partner.
- Peggy leaving SCDP: she’s endured a lot this season, marginalized by both Megan and Ginsberg, and too ambitious to play doormat. Loved the mixed, simultaneous emotions of surprise, anger, regret, and acceptance washing over Don’s face as he says farewell to his former secretary.
- The desire to own the unattainable crossed all three plot lines: the Jaguar pitch, the car guy and Joan, and Don unable to name a price to retain Peggy.
- At the end of last season, both Peggy and Joan were left scratching their heads at Don’s proposal to Megan, and now Joan is partner and Peggy’s on the outs. Stunning changes.
The Bad
- N/A.
Conclusion
I trust this won’t be the last we see of Peggy – the show could continue to follow her adventures as it has trailed Betty post-Don. I’d love to see Peggy excelling and rising up the ranks of a rival firm – possibly to the point where she and Don vie for the same accounts with competing pitches. And wouldn’t it be cool if Peggy were made partner at some other firm – and truly earned in a more ethically progressive manner than poor Joan.