MAD MEN 3.6 - "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency"

WRITERS: Robin Veith & Matthew Weiner
DIRECTOR: Lesli Linka Glatter
GUEST CAST: Ryan Cartwright, Kiernan Shipka, Judy Kain, Christa Flanagan, Sam Page, Patick Cavanaugh, Charles Shaughnessy, Jamie Thomas King, Chelcie Ross, Carol Locatell, Jared S. Gilmore, Julie McNiven, Alexa Alemanni, Edin Gali, Mark Kelly & Neil Dickson

[SPOILERS] The title sounds like the setup to a joke, and a grisly punchline is definitely delivered towards the end of this tremendous episode, which undoubtedly ranks as the most enjoyable installment of Mad Men's considered third season. "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency" gave us the Anglo-American clash I've been anticipating all season, but was thematically about people's unwarranted hopes and fears...

The most obvious incidence of this came from Sally (Kiernan Shipka), who has reacted with puzzling coldness to baby Gene's arrival, much to her mother Betty's (January Jones) frustration. It doesn't make sense, as Sally never resented the birth of her first brother, but it later becomes clear that Sally's irrational fear of the dark and hesitant behaviour around Gene is because she's got it into her head that the baby's a creepy reincarnation of her recently-deceased grandad (same name, a facial resemblance, they sleep in the same room.) To be honest, I didn't really buy into Sally's apprehension over baby Gene, despite knowing that kids can get some rather ridiculous thoughts lodged in their minds, but it was nevertheless an enjoyable little subplot.

An air of trepidation sweeps through the offices of Sterling Cooper after Lane (Jared Harris) announces the imminent arrival of their British parent company's execs from London, badly-timed with the Fourth Of July weekend and Joan's (Christina Hendricks) last day at work. There are some who expect a major shakeup of the company's management, although Cooper (Roger Morse) plants a seed in Don's mind that he's about to be offered a dual position in London, which Don can't help feel excited by.

Joan's final day took me by surprise (has that been mentioned before, or did it just slip my mind?), but her plans are dealt a blow when husband Greg (Sam Page) arrives home drunk and reveals that he's been passed over as a surgeon for not "having brains in my fingers", so it's likely they'll have to move to Alabama after a year. The wheels are too far in motion for Joan to get her existing job back, so she'll have to look for other work. Given the unfading memory of Greg essentially raping Joan in Don's office last season, I've always viewed their marriage as something built on lies, mistrust and sexism, but so far this season there hasn't been too much evidence for that. Does Joan really love Greg as much as her words imply ("I married you for your heart, not your hands") or is she kidding herself? Maybe Greg's professional setback will trigger more than late-night boozing..?

But the arrival of PPL bigwigs Guy MacKendrick (Jamie Thomas King), Harold Ford (Neil Dickson) and Saint-John Powell (Charles Shaughnessy) proves more mystifying than anything else, as they're given the grand tour of Sterling Cooper before Guy gives a presentation of the company's restructuring that contains no significant changes -- beyond the faux pas ommission of Roger Sterling's name on Guy's staff chart. The only notable change will be their colleague Lane's transference to Bombay, organized as a reward for this work cutting expenditure at Sterling Cooper, although Lane can't hide his disappointment that success has been rewarded with a repulsive stuffed cobra (for "the snake charmer") and an unwanted move to India.

Soon after came a deliciously horrific (yet painfully hilarious) sequence during a party to jointly celebrate the British visitors and Joan's final day. A few of the tipsy staff are fooling around on a riding mower Ken (Aaron Staton) had delivered to the building to celebrate winning an account with John Deere. Unfortunately, receptionist Lois (Christa Flanagan) has difficulty keeping the vehicle under control and accidentally ran over Guy MacKendrick's foot -- spraying everyone with blood and shards of shoe leather, to leave Guy writhing about on the floor with a mangled limb. It was quite an outrageous moment, very unexpected in a series like Mad Men, but all the funnier because of its tonal absurdity. Roger's nonchalance in the aftermath was particularly fun; does nothing perturb that guy? I swear, if Roger's foot had been chewed-up, he'd have just sat back and demanded a Scotch while Joan applied a tourniquet!

The ensuing trip to the hospital also brought up some memorable examples of how different '60s culture was to today. First, there was no mention of Health & Safety In The Workplace (who brings a mower into an office and puts it in the hands of drunken staff?), but upon hearing that Guy's foot will need amputating his colleagues lament the passing of a gifted salesman. Oh yes, there's no way an advertising agency's going to employ a salesman stuck in a wheelchair, and I assume foot prosthetics weren't good enough to solve Guy's problem in those days. Mind you, even Don looked a little shocked by the news, so maybe such harsh treatment was peculiarly British at the time and American firms would be more understanding of disabled staff? More likely Don's never even considered the idea of a salesman being retired thanks to a physical handicap. On the plus side: Lane gets to stay in the Big Apple as a result of this setback with Guy.

Given the season's lack of a throughline, it was also great to see Don get a call from the office of Conrad Hilton, the famous hotel magnate (not to mention great-grandad of the vapid Paris Hilton!), who was revealed to be the old man Don shared a drink with at Roger's country club party. Meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, Connie wants Don to give his opinion on an advert for his business he's had drawn up from his own idea, which he does so for free, before pitching to take on the lucrative Hilton account. This was a great callback to an earlier episode, although I'm not sure exactly what Connie's involvement is going to lead to.

Overall, this was a standout episode of the season (and the series as a whole), with lots of great character moments, a fantastic vein of dark comedy, and satisfying plot progression. I particularly loved Don and Joan's scene in the hospital waiting area, which showed a more down-to-earth side to Joan's personality that felt like she's dropped the "performance" she puts on for the benefit of those she works with. You get the feeling that Joan could be so much more if she'd stop playing up her sexuality so much, which she probably feels is the only way someone like her can get attention from men and respect from the jealous women.

A gem of an episode, and hopefully an omen of more to come.

24 FEBRUARY 2010: BBC4, 10PM