Mad Men “5G”

Private and public lives collide as the characters struggle to keep both aspects balanced in this episode of Mad Men.  Donald Draper is visited by a man from his secretive past, Kenneth has a short story published in The Atlantic which draws envy and contempt from his peers, Pete Campbell attempts to use leverage in his private life to get a story published, and Peggy struggles keeping a secret for Don.  All of these scenarios show how our public and private lives can intersect and the consequences that follow.

Donald Draper stands to lose the most in this episode.  He is so secretive even his public life is a mystery to most, especially his wife.  When Peggy accidentally overhears him talking to one of his paramours she decides her job would suffer if she told anybody so she keeps the secret, but when Don’s wife comes into the office for family pictures Peggy is put in an awkward position.  Meanwhile, Don is dealing with his own problems when someone from his past comes to Sterling Cooper to see him.  Don has worked hard to keep his past a secret so this man is an imminent threat to his way of life.  Don’s struggle to keep this man at bay affects his job performance, which sums up his difficult multiple leveled secret life.  Damn you Donald for being so difficult.

On the other side of the coin, instead of trying to keep his private and public lives separate Pete Campbell talks his wife into approaching an old flame to get his short story published in a magazine.  This leads to problems when her old partner decides he wants back on the saddle and uses the short story as leverage to make her cheat on Pete.  Obviously this low attempt to connive his way to success explodes in his face.

In another instance, Kenneth’s private life affects his public life when he has one of his short stories published.  This brings forth animosity with his co-workers who are all working on books of their own.  This leads to a climax when Paul rips the story from the pages of The Atlantic in front of Kenneth as Kenneth is telling a group of secretaries about his work.  This, to me, was the quintessential scene that displayed the idea of public and private lives fully colliding.

I’m slowly being drawn into Mad Men with another great episode.  I can’t wait until next week.