Mad Men - "The Monolith"

Sometimes, Mad Men is a brilliantly subtle show, including little details that its viewers may not realize until they rewatch an episode several times. For example, I didn't realize until this episode that the partners were sending Don a message by putting him in Lane's old office. (Though that may be because I'm dumb). Other times, Mad Men installs a giant computer in the creative lounge to send a painfully obvious message about how the future is rapidly approaching and it's going to take down anyone who stands in its way. I don't mind too much when Mad Men is overly obvert with its symbolism, though - after all, most shows barely even bother with the levels of symbolism that the show uses on a regular basis. And besides, it wasn't Mad Men who installed that message in the shape of a giant computer, it was Sterling Cooper & Partners. And as Don himself said it, it's not subtle...it's quite literal.

The Monolith is probably the weakest episode of this season thus far, but that only means it's slightly below the levels of the beautifully crafted gut punch that was the first three episodes. It's a little overly obvious, and it has that feel that Mad Men sometimes has when its trying to advance the plot, where it's kind of setting everything into motion when you know it would rather be lingering behind and analyzing everyone a bit more. Still, there was no shortage of excellent moments and things to consider. Let's start with Freddy Rumson, who is gradually becoming one of the shows' more fascinating figures. Freddy Rumson was deemed irrelevant all the way back in the second season, when his pathetic drinking finally cost him his position at Sterling Cooper. And yet, he's perched himself on the margins of the show since then, re-appearing every so often to give Peggy some support and to show as something of a warning sign for Don. He's been a surprisingly major player so far this season, and his pep talk to Don is both a little pathetic and kind of completely awesome. Sure, it's sad that Don has stooped to the levels that he has to be carried home by the guy who pissed himself in his office, but it's intriguing just how genuinely Freddy has managed to bounce back from his low points. Don doesn't want to become Freddy Rumson - and yet, Freddy himself offers the hope that even if he does (and Jesus, he's close), it might not be the end of the line. 

Let's talk about Don. For a while, I was getting a little annoyed that Don was already dropping the ball, because it seemed a little too predictable. But just as "A Days' Work" surprised me by turning the tables and suggesting that all hope might not be lost for Don, "The Monolith" was interesting in how it ended with Don actually heeding the rules and reporting to Peggy, no matter how humiliating it might be for him. Once again, I'm left genuinely wondering where Don goes from here. Hell, I think Don is genuinely wondering where he goes from here. There is a small sanction of viewers that seem to be annoyed at the show for more or less castrating Don's talents this season, and while I find that viewpoint somewhat preposterous, it brings up a genuine point - why is Don dealing with all of this? He, technically, could probably get a better offer somewhere else. Is it all because of his pride? Why is he staying in a position where he has to work under his former secretary? (And look, I get how embarrassing and hard it must have been for both Don and Peggy, but I couldn't help but love the idea of him working under her a little bit). Part of me wants to believe that it's because Don needs to prove to himself that he can just do something right. All of Don's life has been running from his past, running from the aspects of himself that he's not proud of, running away from anything that he perceives as "bringing him down". Maybe it's time to stop running. Maybe it's time to just stay put and do your goddamn job for once. Of course, this is Don Draper. This is Mad Men. It's not going to be that simple. But it should be a lot of fun watching him wish it was!

I'm realizing that this was an episode pretty light on most characters, as the only other major subplot was, of course, Roger and Mona's attempt to lure their daughter of the hippie paradise she's shacking up in. All of this was pretty fantastic, and I particularly liked the tine-in to Don and the computer workers' conversation about the stars tying into Roger and Margaret looking up at the stars. I have to wonder what it was that tipped Roger over from "kind of accepting of his daughters' lifestyle" to "picking her up and dragging her away". The simple answer is that he didn't like seeing his daughter go off to plow some electricity-hating hippie. But I'd like to think it's because Roger is gradually seeing the psychological damage that his lifestyle of ambivalence has had on his daughter. (With a little help from her mothers' habit of bringing gin into the bathroom, I assume). Sure, Roger can lecture Margaret on the damage she's doing on her son by abandoning him, and he'd be right. But she's not wrong when she points out that anyone could've had the very same conversation with him. If Sally is Don's possible escape route into the future, then Margaret is Roger's painful tie to the past. This season of Mad Men is increasingly looking like a season in which the characters are forced to reflect back on who they've been and how that's influencing both who they're going to be and who the people around them are going to be. Nevermind what's going to become Don, Roger, Betty...just what the hell is going to happen to their children?