Neither Don nor Peggy is where they thought they’d be.
“Are you ready? I want you to pay attention, because this is the beginning of something.”
The first episode of Mad Men‘s final season begins with a Donald Draper ad pitch. This one actually comes from the mouth of another man, Freddy Rumsen, but it has every trait of a typical Draper presentation: elegant, sharp, persuasive. Accutron watches have never sounded more appealing.
Season seven begins with the sense that everything is hanging on by a thread. All the characters still seem weak from the aftermath of the season six finale “In Care Of.” A lot of fans saw the entire sixth season as a set up for the final run and “Time Zones” just seems like a continuation of that set up, with fireworks still on the horizon.
We find out late in the episode that the work Freddy pitches actually does belong to Don as he’s been feeding Freddy ideas in his period of absence. This doesn’t come as a surprise. Don’s an ad man. He needs to work to keep his feet on the ground.
Don himself doesn’t make an appearance until seven minutes after his work does. He’s in California to see Megan, who pulls up to the airport in a sleek green sports car. She looks beautiful and happy, the picture of West Coast youth. While things between Don and her were shaky to say the least when we last saw them, their bicoastal relationship seems fine for now. They’re flirty and affectionate. Megan’s agent, Alan, even remarks over dinner, “Look at you two. You’re my favorite couple.”
While Don is on leave from New York in California, Ted is on leave from California in New York. Things between him and Peggy are still awkward, still raw. Their one interaction is brief and uncomfortable. Elsewhere in the office, Don’s chair is filled at a pitch meeting by Lou Avery. Avery was the guy who got off the elevator alongside Duck Phillips in the final moments of “In Care Of.” What becomes immediately apparent is that this man is not Don. He is nice to the staff, even cracking cheesy jokes. But he also lacks the creativity and ingenuity Don had, turning down Peggy’s ideas on Accutron for “Accutron is Accurate,” the kind of vanilla ice cream that SC&P would never spit out with Don at the helm.
Roger Sterling isn’t in the office; he’s at home with a bunch of naked girls (and guys) presumably doing drugs and who knows what else. Roger was one of the few bright spots in the bleak season six finale, having finally been let into his son’s life by Joan. To see him in such a sad state, becoming part of a hippie culture he’s much too old for and later refusing to amend things with his daughter over brunch, reinforces the idea that Mad Men only ever hurts its characters. Sustained happiness is something only promised in an ad pitch.
Back in California, hints of what we saw last year come creeping back into Megan’s apartment in the hills. Don buys her a big TV, something she claims she never asked for nor wanted. Later, when there’s palpable tension present in the bedroom, Megan explains that she’s just anxious about “everything.” What began as an encouraging look at their relationship takes a slight turn toward the unfortunate destination most viewers expect and Don leaves California that weekend with a marriage that’s still shaky.
The episode’s seminal moment happens on the plane back to New York, when Don is seated next to a widow. She’s attractive, the type of woman who Draper would have wooed in previous years, and they quickly get to talking. As she discusses her late husband, who passed away because of his “thirst,” it becomes apparent that this woman is a representation of a future Megan — a woman left alone by a husband too caught up in his own demons to care. I think Don realizes this and can’t help but console her. He confides in her about his marriage to Megan saying, “She knows I’m a terrible husband” and “I really thought I could do it this time” with an honesty that’s shocking from the mouth of an ad man.
This is the kind of event that can hopefully incite change. A promising indication of this pops up almost immediately when Don turns down the woman’s advances. His rejection of guaranteed satisfaction suggests a new sense of self-control. To invest too much in this sign would be silly knowing Matt Weiner but it’s something.
The episode is called “Time Zones” because it takes place in California and New York. Weiner has previously said that a lot of season seven will take place in the sunshine state, seeing that many of the show’s main characters (Megan, Pete, Ted) now live there. California has always been a place of transformation for Mad Men‘s characters, especially Don. It’s where he fell in with a group of hedonists, where he spent time with the real Mrs. Draper and where he fell in love with Megan. It will be interesting to see how Weiner uses California as a plot device like he has used New York over the years.
As the season premiere winds down, Peggy returns to her apartment and, once alone, begins to sob. We haven’t seen this kind of tears from her since “The Suitcase.” It’s obvious she’s still hurting from Ted’s departure and she probably feels that Lou has filled the role she (and the viewers) believed she would possess in Don’s absence. It’s a bit jarring to see her showing such vulnerability. In his own apartment, Don too seems weak and vulnerable. He sits alone on his balcony, obviously a few drinks in. His typical combover of control is now filled with loose strands and all senses of hope felt earlier are lost in this moment.
The episode ends with Don and Peggy, former beacons of power, alone in their respective homes — one on the floor and the other out in the cold.
Sidenotes:
-Where is Bob Benson?
-Also missing from the episode: Betty and family, Harry, Creepy Glen, any sense of hope or happiness
– Still unresolved cliffhanger: Will Bobby Draper be played by the same actor?
– Pete’s blue suit has been replaced by Pete’s tan sweater.
– Hippie Roger and California Pete need to have their own episode or three.
– Kenny Cosgrove’s earring toss. High comedy.
– My favorite moment in the episode came after Peggy and Ted’s tense moment when Stan tells her to “Buck up, chief.” Theirs is the only real friendship on the show.
-Last week, Matt Weiner warned fans that the first seven episodes would be “dense,” so buckle up.
