Mad Men “Indian Summer”

With two episodes left in the first season, “Indian Summer’ takes significant steps forward with the story.  Peggy and Don find success, to the chagrin of Pete, Betty wants more from her marriage, and Roger has further medical complications that put clients on edge. 

The episode starts during a heat wave in October.  Don’s estranged brother sends a mysterious package to Don’s office and commits suicide in the balmy heat.  At the office, Don and his creative team get a new product from a client called the P.E.R. (or Passive Exercise Regimen).  This is an apparatus that is supposed to stimulate muscles to mimic exercising without having to actually do the work.  The team can’t think of how to sell it so they pass the contraption off to Peggy due to her success on the Belle Jolie project.

Roger’s health issues are causing problems within the company as clients lose faith in Sterling-Cooper.  To help raise confidence among clients, Cooper invites Lucky Strike’s representatives to a meeting to ensure them Roger is doing alright.  Everything seems fine after they have Joan put make-up on Roger to make him look healthy and he talks with the men of Lucky Strike, but as he is settling in and doubts are diminishing he has another heart attack.

Betty suffers through the heat wave at home.  She invites a salesman into the house when he asks for a glass of water.  He begins to sell her on the idea of an air conditioner, and wants to do some measurements in the dining room and the bedroom to make a quote for her.  She has second thoughts about leading a man into her bedroom so she kicks him out, but later in the episode she has a steamy encounter with a shaky washer that brings forth her fantasies about the salesman.

Peggy uses the P.E.R. at home and finds out it isn’t so much an exercise machine as a vibrator.  At work, the men gather to hear her presentation on the passive exercise machine where she gives them a decent pitch, but encounters an embarrassing situation when they ask what it does.  All in all, the meeting is a success.  She enters Don’s office and beats around the bush for a raise, he tells her if she wants a raise she should act like a man and come out and say it.  After this Don is taken into Sterling’s office by Cooper and offered partnership with the company, which Don accepts immediately, enjoying his new office space.  After this meeting, he lets Peggy off for the rest of the day, giving her the raise she asked for and telling her to celebrate.

After they leave, Pete enters Don’s office and sits behind the desk, obviously sizing up the room for himself.  The mailman arrives and, mistaking Pete for Don, drops off the package sent by Don’s late brother.  Pete takes the package as he leaves the office.

I really liked this episode, especially Peggy’s and Don’s storyline (I like seeing them succeed).  I am excited to see what the future holds for Peggy, it looks bright but things could always go wrong.  I’m also interested to see how Don’s package is going to affect the rest of the season.  Pete isn’t the person I’d want in control of Don’s secret past.  I don’t know how this season is going to end, but I’m excited by where the stories are going so far.

3.5/5