Last week I asked if 1965 would bring about ”business as usual” to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, this week we got a resounding “yes” in “The Rejected.”
We start things off with a conference call between Don, Roger and Lee Garner Junior. You see Junior is unsettled by a few new restrictions placed, apparently by his own lawyers, on Lucky Strike advertising including “no more smoking teenagers.” How progressive. (Have I mentioned that I can’t help but want to smoke every time that I watch an episode of Mad Men?) During said conference call Don juggles Junior on the telephone, Peggy and Faye at his desk , and drinks at his bar with the ease of a well seasoned circus clown (but five thousand times less creepy).
Good ol’ Pete gets the news that Pond’s has squeezed his Clearasil account out of SCDP because of a perceived conflict of interest and Pete must deliver the news to his father-in-law. Expectantly Pete protests but Lane explains that the Pond’s account (around $2 million) will be much more profitable than Clearasil. In a failed attempt to break the news to the father of his bride, Pete learns that Trudy is pregnant. Tom, Trudy’s dad, feels terrible for leaking the news (Trudy had a few excuses as to why she hadn’t told Pete yet) but Pete’s too happy to care who the messenger was and will talk Clearasil on another day. When that day finally arrived Pete laid it all out and Tom delivered the new 6 million dollar advertising deal with Vicks Chemical, Clearasil’s parent company. In a big week for Pete he also mends bridges with Kenny, thanks and no thanks to Harry. Kenny has Mountain Dew and hopes to do to the Dew and parent company Pepsi what Pete did to Clearasil.
Back at the office, in the elevator, Peggy meets a photo editor from LIFE magazine who shares her apparent taste in nude photography. One thing leads to another and Joyce, the photo editor, makes a pass at Peggy in a hipster underground club (or was it an art gallery?) and Peggy has to explain that she’s got a boyfriend. He’s a renter. Of course Peggy find out about Pete’s big news (the baby, not Vicks) and she put on a happy face, congratulating Pete.
During a focus group for Pond’s moderated by Dr. Faye, with an “E”, Allison finally breaks under the pressure of wearing a happy face and storms out of the office. Her former position will be temporarily filled by the elderly Mrs. Blankenship until Joan can find a worthy replacement. Dr. Faye finds that in the end women still just want to get married and that that is the angle SCDP should take with Pond’s. Don doesn’t care what the focus group revealed because he wants to inform the target of their desires not react to old wants and feed old desires. Doesn’t seem that Don cares two cents about Dr. Faye’s work, so how long do you think she has at SCDP?
What’s going to happen with sweet Peggy?
Are we going to be seeing more of Kenny or Mountain Dew Pepsi?
“Did you get pears?”
