Mad Men – Peggy, Don, and the big fight

I hate to turn into a complete and utter fan boy, but at this point, I think it’s an accurate description about my feelings towards Mad Men. Season four continues to be impressive, and this week’s episode was one of the best in recent memory. The complicated relationship between Peggy and Don has always been one of my favorite things about Mad Men, and “The Suitcase” brought it to the forefront and focused on the two most interesting characters on the show for nearly the entire hour.

One thing that Mad Men always does so well is framing the stories of the characters against the historical backdrop of the ’60s. In this episode, the action took place on the night of the historical boxing match between Sonny Liston and Muhammad Ali. It was a perfectly appropriate setting for the episode, as there was a lot of juicy conflict, and even a fist fight.

All the tension building between Peggy and Don certainly came to a head in this episode. So often this season, and in seasons past, Peggy has taken a lot of shit from her boss. Don revealed in the finale last season that he is so hard on Peggy because he sees her as an extension of himself. That was enough for her at the time to spurn Duck and join Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. This week it was a different story, however. It was Peggy’s birthday and Duck was back offering her the position of Creative Director and Partner at a new firm specializing in women’s products. Don chose, again, to single Peggy out and make her work after hours. A fight with her boyfriend was the last straw and she had it out with Don in dramatic Mad Men fashion. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time, and it lived up to expectations.

Mad Men is a really well done show. This is not news. It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that when there are heated arguments and confrontations like there were in this episode, it isn’t just one person being wrong and another being right. Was Peggy right to be jealous about the Clio and Don taking all the credit? Sure. Was Don right that Peggy is young, and works for him, and shouldn’t be expecting the accolades? Yeah, I think he was. It’s the depth of character and quality of writing that make arguments like this feel more realistic, and it’s why I am such an unabashed fan boy for the show.

At the end of the day, though, there is something special between Don and Peggy. I really hope that it doesn’t turn into a romantic relationship, and I don’t think that it will. There is almost too much intimacy between the two of them for it to turn into one of Don’s trysts. I think he respects Peggy too much for that. It was evidenced at the end of the episode when he tenderly held her hand for a moment. A kind gesture to show that he cares, and I’m not sure it was anything more than that. Add in Peggy being there for him in his most embarrassing drunken moments, and his breakdown at the death of Anna and it’s clear that there is a lot of trust between them. I’m hoping that the events of this episode, with both Peggy and Don knowing that the other is there for them, will result in both of them taking more positive turns in their lives.

Then, of course, there was Duck. It’s refreshing to see that there is someone out there more pathetic than Don is these days. I’m glad Peggy was smart enough to avoid getting into business with the only man in town more drunk than Don. I would like to think that Don will be treating Peggy a little better around the office, but I know Don well enough to be skeptical about that. He doesn’t change easily.

Of course there is always hope. Only time will tell.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on Sep 06, 2010 @ 13:22 EST5EDT