Mad Men - "To Have and To Hold" - Review

One thing Mad Men does almost better than any other television series is letting its stories carefully unfold and trusting its audience to be patient enough to let the stories go where they may go. Many stories will feel as if nothing is happening and then suddenly everything will be happening all at once. The show is also great at having characters whose stories in a given episode were separate suddenly find their stories collide and, granted Mad Men isn’t explosive, but in those moments there’s a strange thrill to it all. The pleasures of Mad Men aren’t just the moments that cut across everything (that are hugely funny or deeply moving or unexpectedly powerful), but these moments when it needs to do them work incredibly well.  

A number of characters who typically don’t receive a lot of screen time in Mad Men are suddenly given a huge amount of story time in “To Have and To Hold”. Harry Crane every now and again will receive a plot, but perhaps even more unexpectedly is how Don’s secretary Dawn is given her first major story ever. Another thing Mad Men does so well is its ability to lean on supporting characters for large amounts of story time without it losing any of its storytelling capabilities. Harry isn’t the character we necessarily care the most about, but when he’s given his own plot it can be just as entertaining and interesting as anything we might see major players like Don or Pete or Peggy do.  

Which brings me back to my first point made in the opening paragraph, Harry’s story is less interesting for what it tells us about Harry (who has become a total useless asshole by this point in the series) and more for what it tells us about Joan (and it's in one of those "explosive" moments that this is really true, but more on that in a little bit). When Ken complains about his father-in-law, Harry comes up with an idea to help Ken soften his insufferable in-law. They help get Dow Chemical, Ken’s father-in-law’s company, ad space for a variety hour. But the best part of Harry’s story is the point where it starts to reveal its true motives in the moment it collides with Joan’s plot. Harry is so happy after the success of this sales pitch that when he returns to the office to find his secretary Scarlett fired by Joan he flips out. 

Joan has been in the background for the most part this season. There have been occasional reminders of what she did to gain her partnership (which comes up again in this episode as well) but she’s mainly been there as a reminder of her existence. And for a while it seems as if Joan isn’t going to have much to do in this episode once again. But suddenly she fires Harry’s secretary and her story really begins to pick up unexpectedly (but totally wonderfully). 

The third story of the episode intersects with these first two in interesting ways. Dawn doesn’t really enjoy her job at SCDP, but, as the animals in the Flintstones might say, it’s a living. Apparently she’s the maid of honor in a friend’s wedding, a task she’s neglecting due to her heavy work load. Dawn covers for Harry’s secretary (who I’m assuming has been there the whole time, but I couldn’t say for sure) by clocking in her time while she’s away. She’s reluctant to do it, but she doesn’t want to displease anyone. Now I really like the expansion of Dawn’s character, and it’s a surprising and bold choice that largely works. But my real problem is that the show doesn’t go far enough with this. The most interesting part of Dawn’s story and the one most underplayed is that fact that she’s African American and the only black worker at SCDP.  Mad Men has uneasily skirted around race, mainly giving it the good old college try, but never taking it to the level that it arguably should be for a show about 1960’s America. Granted, the show likes to show history through the experiences of characters rather than by blatantly shoving a historical event down our throat, but it still feels very surface level for a show that examines other things very well. 

So getting back to Joan (because this is her episode really in my eyes), the best scene of the episode comes after Joan and Harry have their confrontation (which is another excellent scene – that’s uncomfortable, sad, perfectly setup and equally well-executed). Harry looks in on the partners meeting, envying the position that Joan is in and wishing he were there (although as Roger and Bert note later in the episode, there’s no way in hell spineless Harry Crane is ever going to be a partner). He storms in and argues that he’s done more for the company than Joan (which really isn’t at all true, and this is all further shaded by the fact that Joan proved herself to better at Harry’s job in television back in season three before getting cut out due to being a woman). Then he goes one step too far and reminds everyone of how the company prostituted Joan out to Jaguar (they all sit in awkward silence and the camera lingers for just the right amount of time). It’s a sickening, sad, pathetic moment spurred by a desperate, narcissistic man who thinks he deserves more merely because he’s a man. 

This is capped by a great but slightly on the nose moment (Mad Men does this more times than you’d think); Joan is talking with her friend Kate who is in the city on a visit. They’ve just had a carefree, drunken night where they hooked up with random strangers. Her friend wants to do it just to try out the experience, but she says she couldn’t live this life Joan does. “I’m not you, aren’t I?” “Why would you want to be,” Joan replies, “I’ve been working there for fifteen years and they still treat me like I’m a secretary”.  To Harry, Joan has it all, but she sadly still doesn't.

Meanwhile, Don leaves a pitch to Heinz to find his protégée ready to make a sales pitch. He listens in and he’s simultaneously frustrated and pleased. Peggy has learned well, even stealing mantras that Don provided her such as “If you don’t like what they’re saying, change the conversation”. Metaphorically Peggy is cheating on Don by attempting to steal away this client. (A point made all the more explicit by the fact that SCDP paid for use of the hotel room - But then again Don is doing a very similar thing to Raymond of Heinz Beans that Peggy is doing to him).

Don is none too pleased to learn that Meghan’s career is advancing, especially when she’s been written into an affair storyline in her soap opera. Don watches as the scene is filmed and sees his wife pretending to have an affair, all the while knowing he’s having an affair for real, and he hates himself all the more. The only time Meghan would dare consider “having an affair” is all an act for a television show.   

No one gets what they think they deserve. Harry isn’t made a partner. Dawn isn’t fired but is put in charge of the keys for the time cards and supply closet. Joan isn’t given the respect she deserves. Meghan doesn’t get the support of her husband. And, well, Don still doesn’t get his piece of mind he so longs for.

Stray Observations:

-Are the Vietnam War and pot smoking references too on the nose?

-Meghan’s bosses Mel and Arlene are swingers. Not sure why this happens, but it’s really funny.

-The way Joan is shot in the scenes with Kate show how totally disconnected she is from all that’s going on.

-“I was different from you in every way Mr. Crane” – How awesome is Bert Cooper?

-Stan flipping Peggy off in a wonderful, nicely paid off moment.

-They’re really playing up the prostitution theme this season.

-Lisa Cardellini is a great actress but Sylvia can’t help but feel like she’s a plot device. -Ginsberg and the spy joke just didn’t work for me. Felt like it tried too hard and was too out of place

Grade: B+