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| Jared Harris |
Welcome to Mad Cap: a daily rundown of every episode of the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men. During this time, I will be compiling my thoughts and highlights as we travel through every moment and season of the Emmy-award winning drama that has come to define modern TV. The goal is to be a refresher on every moment for Don Draper and his band of advertisement executives leading up to the final season. Stay for all of the shocking moments and the brilliant acting performances, and make sure to chime in with your thoughts and criticisms on why the show means something to you.
Season 4, Episode 10
"Hands and Knees"
"It's going to be OK. I was thinking about this.
And I know it'll be uncomfortable, but if
we have to, we can ride it out."
- Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser)
Plot:
Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has just gotten Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) tickets to see The Beatles at Shea Stadium. However, Betty Francis (January Jones) is met with some unfortunate news. It appears that the government is after Don because of a paper that he filled out with improper information. It ties to his past and it gets Don all worried. Meanwhile, Roger Sterling (John Slattery) meets up with an old client to hope to keep them on board. Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) tries to talk to his father, who refuses to accept that he is dating a black woman. Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) discovers that she is pregnant with Sterling's baby and decides to get an abortion. Don does his best to ignore the file that his secretary has lost. He becomes sick and ends up telling the truth to Megan Calvet (Jessica Pare) about the mix ups with the army. Meanwhile, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) steps in and notes that Don was out of town the week that the paper was signed, thus clearing him of charges. However, this would cause Pete to lose the $4 million account. He does, but not without annoying Don about it. Things continue and Don gets out without a problem. Still, Sterling Cooper Draper is in a hole without a client and Pryce is set to visit England and some family pretty soon. But at least Don has The Beatles tickets.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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| Vincent Kartheiser |
MVP:
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser)
It's been a long, long time since Pete has actually mattered on Mad Men. Yes, he has done a lot of side work, but there's not much to say about him being important to a central plot. So to have him have to take a fall for Don is a rather big one to welcome him back on. He is jealous and slimey in all of the ways that are predictable. His hard work goes out the window to defend the man whose name is in the company. He is frustrated, but does what's right for the team. It is his struggle in the midst of everyone having their own little tiffs with everyone. Guess it was a great time for Don to take a trip to California after all. He managed to escape a lot of legal trouble that still will continue to haunt him and not get Pete that client back.
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| Left to right: Kartheiser and Jon Hamm |
Best Scene
Nobody wants to talk on the phone this week. Everyone needs to get together in person to lay down some serious truth. In the case of Don's problematic government situation, Pete comes to his door with all of the information about how he solved Don's problem. There's a sense of frustration in Pete's eyes as he reveals that he sacrificed $4 million on an account just to protect his reputation. In fact, nobody seems to care at work the next day. Still, the sacrifice that Pete has gone through for Don is ridiculous and the lack of payoff for him is for once in his favor. He deserves some sympathy for playing ball. Unlike other times where his motivations were self-involved, this feels like a more professional Pete. Who knows what that means about his future, though he can't admit defeat humbly. He is still very smarmy.
UP NEXT: "Chinese Wall"
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