The second episode of Mad Men's final season, "New Business", isn't a bad hour of television. That's not to say it's good either. It suffers from what the show has suffered from at times over the years: too much Megan. For as much as Matthew Weiner enjoys the Megan character it just hasn't come across on the screen. I would have been perfectly happy if last week's phone call was the last we ever saw from her. Seeing her come back and clean out his apartment felt unnecessary. Though, it did give us another excuse to hate Harry Crane. So there's that.
Hypocrite of the week: Marie Calvet. She says she hates what Don has done to Megan, but has no qualms about hooking up with Roger again while she’s still married. Don hasn’t been a great husband by any stretch, buuuut Megan was a secretary when she met him. She has an acting career, no matter how few auditions she may currently be getting, because of Don. Also, she gets a million dollar check at the end of the episode. I’d sign up for that.
Creep of the week: This award could get passed around the office to a few men on a rotating basis, but this week it lands squarely on Harry Crane. The married head of SC&P’s television department solicits sex from Megan in exchange for acting work. When she shoots him down he quips “Maybe you’re in this situation because of how you’re reacting to this” and later tells Don that she’s “not stable” and “said a lot of crazy things.” You are officially the worst.
Tie of the week: Stan Rizzo. Last week it was an ascot. This week a bolo tie. Stan is really exploring what the 70’s have to offer. Though he loses points for dabbling in some dark room sex with Pima the photographer and then going home to his girlfriend who was nice enough to pose for him earlier in the episode.
Education of the week: Betty wants to go back to school for a master’s in psychology. Good for you, Mrs. Francis. Though, she’d be a terrible therapist.
Don’s happiness level: 0. And I’m only reason I’m not giving it a negative is because I believe we’ve now found a character in Diana even more depressed than Don. His apartment is cleaned out. Sleeping with Diana, who has come to New York to run away from her past much like Don, after creepily quasi-stalking her to her new place of employment, isn’t making him feel better. Writing Megan a million-dollar check in hopes it may light a fire in his hot air balloon of a soul surely isn’t going to work.
Joan appearance of the week: None. We’re forced to watch Pete’s stupid haircut but we can’t get a scene with Joan? Poor form.
Funniest exchange of the week: Meredith: “How do you sleep at night knowing the Manson brothers could be running around?” Don: “…Manson family.” I'm unsure why I loved that so much, but I uttered a hearty LOL afterwards.
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2015.