Mad Men Season 4, Episode 10: "Hands and Knees"

No one died this week (that would be tough for even this show to pull off two episodes in a row), but plenty of other stuff happened. It feels like the show is revving up and moving the pieces into place for whatever is going to happen in the last few episodes.

[Standard disclaimer: I have avoided reading any other recaps, writeups, or other commentary on this episode before writing this, so if I express something similar to thoughts you've read elsewhere, it's entirely a coincidence. If you have not watched the episode, assume there are spoilers ahead and act accordingly.]

Several unexpected, unwelcome surprise visitors popped up this week: Don's past, in the form of the two G-men; Lane's horror show of a father, in place of his expected son; the fetal product of Joan and Roger's tryst.

Don's panic at the possibility of being exposed was far worse than when Pete confronted him about his identity back in season one, perhaps because he feels he has more to lose now, perhaps more because he walked right into it by not paying attention. Those were the exact words Pete ended up using to explain the "loss" of the North American Aviation account. It was one thing for Pete to keep quiet all this time, but now Don has asked Pete to fall on his sword for the sake of helping Don keep his secret. That isn't going to sit well with someone as ambitious as Pete, and eventually he's going to expect Don to repay the favor somehow.

Faye handled Don's revelation pretty well, considering. She immediately began to analyze the situation, trying to find a workable solution. I got the feeling it wasn't the first time someone close to her was in a tight spot, given what she's said about her father.

Roger was not literally on hands and knees with Lee Garner, but he might as well have been: he did say "I'm begging you" twice. The agency has done well, but they are still too heavily dependent on the business from the American Tobacco account, which now looks like it's going away. Given that cigarette advertising will be banned from American television in about five more years, SCDP would be losing some business there anyway, but now the situation is much more urgent. Storywise, this could go a few different ways: a last-minute account acquisition to save the day, a merger or takeover, the failure and dissolution of the agency as we know it, or possibly some other scenario I haven't thought of.

My heart broke for Joan, again. She's had to endure so many setbacks, affronts, and indignities that I can't help but wonder if she'll ever have her share of true happiness. Her decision to abort the baby was more for Roger's benefit than her own, though surely part of her must have wanted to keep it regardless of the circumstances. Joan's in her mid-30's (we know this because of the driver's license prank from the first episode of season two) and very much wants to be a mother, but she may not have much time left, and after three abortions she may not even be able to conceive again.

When Joan lied to the woman in the doctor's waiting room, it made me wonder how old she was when she had her first abortion; when she said, "Fifteen," was it just a number she chose at random, or was it because the other woman said she had gotten pregnant at fifteen, or did Joan abort a pregnancy early enough that she would now have a fifteen-year-old child had she not had the abortion? I think Joan is the most tragic character on the show, and if we ever learn more about her background and earlier life, I have a feeling we'll find that her pain goes way, way back.

I've seen a lot of speculation (some simply because people dislike the character so much) about whether or not Joan's husband Greg is going to make it back from Vietnam; Roger even suggested that if he was killed in action, it would be a solution to the baby problem. When Greg told Joan he had enlisted I immediately pegged him as a goner, but given the way the show continues to heap suffering on Joan, I now think it may be more likely that he comes home wounded and in need of care, becoming another burden for her to bear.

Regardless of what happens between Sally and her parents, I have no doubt she will always remember seeing the Beatles. That was about the only light moment in the whole episode, save for Trudy, in her summer maternity nightgown, looking like a decorated Easter egg.