Mad Men #22 (2.9), 9/28/08: Goodbye, Freddie Jeane

August, 1962.

Don finishes his morning cigarette with a cough. He's rented a nice room at the Roosevelt; the New York World-Telegram outside his door proclaims Marilyn Monroe's death: "MM: ACCIDENT OR SUICIDE? Body of Star Lies Unclaimed."

Carla takes the kids out to school while Betty watches dully from the top of the stairs. After they leave, Betty mocks Carla's cheery greeting in an irritated tone and goes back to her room.

Don and Peggy commiserate with Hollis, the elevator operator, about Monroe. Peggy is surprised that such a famous woman could have been alone. "Some people just hide in plain sight," says Hollis.

"My mother and sister keep calling," Peggy says.
"Suicide is disturbing," Don says. (If he's thinking about his brother, it doesn't show.)
"I keep thinking about Joe DiMaggio," Hollis says as the elevator dings on their floor.

Peggy's glad they never placed that Playtex ad with the Marilyn/Jackie look-alike.

The secretaries are all weeping in the office.

The madmen are planning a blood drive that they want to "win." Don suggests that they pay all of the underlings a dollar apiece for participating. He jokes that the "prize" is helping another human being and watching women faint. Harry says that if they get 100% participation, they'll be in the Times.

Harry asks Don if he'd like to go to NBC's Mitch Miller concert. Don coughs and says his kid is sick. Harry thinks he's been snubbed.

Betty is in her housecoat. She's defrosting the freezer and cutting contact paper to line the kitchen drawers.

Jane tells Don that his daughter called last night and asked when he would come back from his business trip. She blurted "Wednesday." He says "Mrs. Draper is working out some things." He reminds Jane that this is personal and stop giving him concerned looks. She assures him that she's very discreet.

Nitpick: August 5 was the date of Monroe's death; it was a Sunday. That would make this Monday. After this little exchange, it seems that it's Tuesday, but Jane is wearing the same dress that she was crying in earlier. So either they're still crying for a second day, which is somewhat plausible considering that no one claimed Monroe's body, or else this was a slight error. I doubt that Sally called Jane at the office on a Sunday night.

Betty mopes around the house, drinking wine, and turns on the radio. They are talking about - who else - Marilyn Monroe. Betty puts on classical music instead and sits down with a book.

Pete, Peggy, and Sal go to Freddie's office to plan their pitch to Samsonite. He tells them that his daughter is having man problems; I suppose this is his excuse for drinking in the middle of the day.

They talk about the presentation for a while; then Freddie turns around as if to get another drink. He stands there quietly with his back to them, not moving, and then there's a splattering sound around his feet.

Relive the horror here.

He turns back to face them, oblivious. Peggy suggests that he change his pants. The other guys laugh, but Freddie sits down and says he needs to think for a minute. He slumps in his chair - they wonder if he's dead. He's passed out.

And the clients are there. Pete considers putting it off till tomorrow. Sal tells Peggy to do Freddie's part instead. Peggy wants to tell Don. Pete says he'll "handle this." Peggy says that if the clients ask about Freddie, they'll say he's sick.

Pete expresses disgust. Peggy is much more sympathetic. Peggy asks Freddie's receptionist to keep people out of his office.

Betty has been sleeping and/or crying on the couch. (Cough cough, what, does everyone have lung cancer?) Sara Beth (her friend from the stables) is at the door to borrow a dress. Betty says she forgot, and explains that she's sick. She and Don won't be able to go to SB's tonight as planned, but they still have a lunch date on Thursday.

SB thinks her husband is too good for her. She's been seeing a psychiatrist (same one Betty went to, I think); diagnosis: boredom. SB saw Arthur, their young friend, fight with his girlfriend, and she's been dreaming about him ever since. She'd like Betty to ride with them, to take the "pressure" off.

Betty advises her not to talk to Arthur so much. She says it's like a switch that you can turn on and off. SB is surprised that Betty doesn't have these kinds of thoughts; but then, "Don is perfect."

Betty says she's feeling crummy again, so SB takes the dresses and leaves.

Freddie wakes up on the sofa in his office. He leaves the building holding his hat, jacket, and briefcase in front of his pants and announces his early departure. His wet shoe squeaks loudly as he walks out; the secretaries all look at one another.

Joan is lying on the couch in Roger's office - she thought he had left. She's been crying over Marilyn Monroe. Roger tries to reason with her. "This world destroyed her," she says. He tells her she's not like Marilyn, who had everything, and threw it all away.

To Roger's flippant attitude, she says, "one day you'll lose someone who's important to you. You'll see. It's very painful."

It must be Wednesday evening. Don has taken the kids out somewhere, and Betty has gotten dressed and washed her hair. She makes a snide remark about Don letting them in his car, and sends them to bed. Sally is sad that he's leaving again. He hugs her and calls her "Salamander," too cute. After she leaves, he tells Betty that Sally had called his office Monday night. Betty didn't even know.

He wants a cover story for the kids. He says he can either say he's working in Philadelphia during the week and come home on weekends, or he can just come home. Betty's angry that he was able to think up such a great lie on the spot, and kicks him out.

Next day at the office. Jane has brought him some shirts - from Menken's. She reminds him about the blood drive. It seems she's been looking out for him, as he told her not to.

Peggy tells Freddie the pitch went okay. He apologizes and thanks her for filling in for him. He zones out for a moment before going into his office. (I hope he didn't crap his pants.)

Betty is trying to pick the lock on Don's desk at home. I think she's still wearing the same blouse. Carla offers to take the kids out. Noting Betty's dark mood, Carla asks if she needs anything. Betty says she hasn't been sleeping well. Carla says "splash cold water on your face and go outside - you'll notice things are right where you left them."

Roger calls Don to his office. Duck and Pete are already there. Pete tells Don what Freddie did. Don says "how'd the presentation go?" but Roger and Duck and Pete all want him fired. Don sticks up for him, but it's a done deal. Duck doesn't want this sort of thing to happen in front of clients.

After Duck and Pete leave, Don is angry with Roger for letting Duck fire one of Don's people. His theory: Duck is a teetotaler, and that's why he has it in for Freddie. Roger says that he himself can fire anyone he wants. (They don't even want Cooper to know about this.) Apparently, they're going to call this a "six-month leave of absence," and Freddie will know what that means. Don is aghast that Roger is just throwing Freddie away. Roger says that Don's loyalty is becoming a liability.

Betty goes to the stables. From a distance, she sees Sara Beth flirting with Arthur. Betty approaches him after Sara Beth leaves and asks if he's seen her. He says he thinks he saw her on Monday. HA! She coyly remarks that it's good for SB to get out once in a while, and that it seems that being around Arthur cheers SB up, and she talks about him all the time. She suggests that they all meet for lunch and cheer her up.

Back at the office, the madmen are donating blood and joking about Freddie. Paul says that Hollis (elevator guy) has a novel. (I don't know if that means he's written one, he's reading one, or something else.) Don chastises them for making childish jokes about Freddie.

Don and Roger meet with Freddie in a restaurant (with drinks) to tell him about his six months' leave of absence - at full salary. Freddie doesn't understand what the big deal is, but he correctly guesses that Duck was involved in getting him fired. Apparently, Roger's father was the original Sterling of Sterling-Cooper, and he drank a lot, and he would have fired Freddie too.

Freddie tries to talk his way out of it, saying he'll be fine on Monday. Roger recommends that he go to Hazelden for treatment. Freddie considers working in some other city. His father, a greeting card salesman, used to randomly pick cities that they could move to so that he could sell his wares there.

But the plan for tonight is to party. They sneak through a side door in a dark building, Roger gives the bouncer a password ("swordfish") and some money, and the bouncer takes them down on the elevator to a private, illegal casino. Don is tense. Freddie tries to cheer him up. He's surprised that Pete Campbell had it in for him too.

Time passes. Don has not done especially well at the tables. Roger's had more luck. Freddie is still playing. A saloon girl wanders up, and Roger gets rid of her.

Roger can tell that Don's in the doghouse. Don doesn't want to talk about it. Roger - Mr. "Don't Get Married" - advises him to make nice with Betty.

Jimmy Barrett is playing at the same table as Freddie. Don punches him in the face and they all leave. They send Freddie away in a cab. He wonders what he'll tell his wife, and what he's going to do. Don tells him it's a fresh start. Freddie says he won't know who he is if he can't go to his job.

Roger and Don go to a quieter, Barrett-free bar. Roger teases Don about getting so angry. Don says "it was a real Archibald Whitman maneuver," allegedly some hothead drunk he used to know. (Actually, his father.) He admits he's staying at the Roosevelt. He doesn't want to discuss the details, but he doesn't feel bad about it, and in fact he's relieved.

Roger asks Don if he's in love. Don seems surprised by the question, and says that'd be easier - he'd know what to do. He says life's too short and "you have to move forward." Roger, who has survived two major coronary events, seems to take this to heart. (No pun intended.) "You gotta move forward. It's your life," he repeats. But it seems that Don's having an existential crisis of his own.

Next work day. Peggy's in a closed-door meeting with Don. He compliments her on the presentation. Samsonite wants her to be the copywriter; Freddie's supposedly taking a few months off, and Peggy will get all of his work.

Peggy knows what Don really means. She is shocked. Don is angry that he had to find out about this from Pete and Duck rather than from her. Peggy is horrified that they talked about it at all, and that this is how she's getting the promotion. He basically tells her to get over it.

She runs into Pete's office to yell at him for blabbing. (His secretary is also mad at him for blabbing.) He asks why she feels sorry for him; "those people" have no self-control and blame their problems on society. It's Freddie's own fault. She credits Freddie for getting her out of the secretarial pool; Pete thinks he deserves credit for her getting the original jr. copywriter job. He also figures the rest of them will all get raises and she'll move into a bigger office. Peggy is disgusted and leaves.

Sara Beth and Arthur both show up for lunch with Betty. SB is surprised to see Arthur. They're both still expecting Betty. SB tells Arthur her day just became more fun. He sweet-talks her the same way he tried to sweet-talk Betty. (He seems sincere. Is he for real? Or is he just very good at his game?)

Meanwhile, Betty is at home, dressed for the world of the living, but not dressed up for lunch. She's baking something with the kids. She casually takes the phone off the hook. (I don't know whether she thinks she's helping Sara Beth, or if she's making mischief on purpose.)

The madmen are having a meeting with Duck about using a nature-loving cartoon turtle mascot to soften people up for plans to build a power plant in their community. Duck asks Peggy if she's "on board with that." Petty seems surprised to remember that she has Freddie's job now.

Mona bursts into Don's office, hopping mad, to inform Don that Roger's leaving her for a secretary. She thinks it's Don's fault. Something about how it's his life and he has to move forward.

Roger is waiting for her outside. She refuses to speak to him and refers him to their daughter Margaret.

Jane is cringing at her desk. Roger reaches for her, and she runs away.

Don stares at Roger in disbelief. Roger says he can explain. Don doesn't want Jane as his secretary any more.

Closing music: "I'm Through With Love," Marilyn Monroe. Nice slideshow here.
Quote of the week: "Can't you find something else to do besides dining on the drama of other people's lives like a bunch of teenage girls?" (Don)
Next week: Betty's still mad, but it seems her father is even madder.

And now, let's remember Freddie Rumsen as he was: