In the first of seven final episodes of “Mad Men,” the plot largely centers around Peggy, giving little to no information about the show’s leading man, Don. In last episode, SC&P merged with McCann Erickson. All we know about Don since last season’s finale is he’s finally back in his old office, a symbol of gaining more respect at the firm. Instead of writing taglines for Peggy and doing everyone else’s bidding, Don is again calling the shots.
Meanwhile, Peggy is still in the same place. While she’s doing well at work, it’s clear from her dating escapades that she feels her personal life is lacking. During the episode, titled “Severance,” Peggy reluctantly agrees to a date with Mathis’ (a fellow creative at the firm) brother-in-law, Stevie. Stevie is a lawyer, though to Peggy he doesn’t seem like it, and Peggy has dinner with him at an Italian restaurant. After a squabble over what food is brought to the table, a wine-drunk Peggy takes Stevie home and they plan a trip to Paris together. But in the process of getting into bed together, Peggy stops the relationship, saying she doesn’t want to move too fast. She’s tried “new-fashioned,” and it hasn’t worked out so well. So Peggy and Stevie part ways and he agrees to call her in a few weeks. Maybe they’ll still go to Paris together. Who knows, really?
But this isn’t where dissatisfied Peggy ends. While meeting with other members of the firm, looking for their help to sell Topaz panty hose to a department store, Peggy is met with many sexist, degrading remarks from the ad salesmen. It’s at this point the viewer is brought back to reality. It’s the ‘70s, and women are just beginning to break out of the home and into the workplace for the first time since WWII. Joan is outraged by remarks about her breast size and her red hair, but Peggy sits idly by, ignoring the men and trying to sell them on carrying pany hose in their department store.
When Peggy and Joan enter the elevator later, Peggy essentially blames Joan for the comments, saying she dresses that way for attention, and Joan can do whatever she wants because she’s made so much money off of being a partner at the firm. Joan is, of course, offended by these remarks. Peggy says she’s just trying to stay under the radar by not dressing too provocatively, just trying to be professional.
But it’s plain to the audience that Peggy isn’t happy with what staying under the radar has brought her. Sure, she’s worked her way up in a big-time advertising firm, accomplishing her professional goals. But she doesn’t have a family, doesn’t have kids. After all, didn’t she go out with Stevie just so she’d have a shot at some sort of emotional connection? Does she even want the relationship to work, or does she just think she “should” have a boyfriend, get married, and have kids? I suppose we’ll find out later in the season.
While all this is happening with Peggy, there’s an interesting subplot with Ken Cosgrove, who hasn’t come up much in the show since earlier seasons. Ken is having a midlife crisis, thinking about quitting his job (at the suggestion of his very rich wife) and moving away to a farm to finally write his book. But something is keeping him at the firm, and while he’s trying to figure out exactly what that is, he’s fired from the company at the request of McCann Erickson (hence the title of the episode, “Severance”). He’s not happy with the way it’s handled, by Roger Sterling in particular. After being upset for a minute, Ken takes a job with his father-in-law’s company, who also happens to be a client of the firm. Ken promises to make the firm’s life a living hell, and the decision to fire him is immediately regretted.
While all this is happening, Don is in a diner, at least for most of the episode. He has a weird relationship with one of the waitresses there (they have sex once, but she ends the relationship). Don says she reminds him of someone, maybe Rachel Menken, the department store heiress he had an affair with in earlier seasons.
Well, Don tries to contact Rachel, but it turns out she died a week ago. Don goes to her apartment where her family is sitting Shiva, and he learns she died of Leukemia. Of course, Don is heartbroken, but he doesn’t really show it. He goes back to work sad, but acting like nothing happened, when inside he’s obviously heartbroken. Rachel was one of the only of Don’s mistresses he had an actual connection with. He didn’t break it off, she did.
And that’s where this episode leaves us. We still have no answers as to where this season will end, and nothing earth-shattering was written into the plotline. It’ll be interesting to see where the next six episodes take us, but for now, this season is moving slowly.