Probably the biggest question “Mad Men” viewers have about the ending of the series is what’s going to happen to Don Draper. Will he be a changed man? Rehabilitated? Will he ever learn from his mistakes? We don’t have the final answers just yet. But Don doesn’t appear to be making much progress.
In “New Business,” Don seems ready to start a new chapter of his life. He readily lets go of Megan, giving her a million dollars to grant her the life she “deserves,” while seeking out a new relationship with Diana, whom he doesn’t know much about beyond feeling a connection to her. He tells Diana he’s ready for a relationship: He’s already had numerous flings, he is finalizing his divorce, and he now believes he is ready to find something meaningful with her. But is he really?
Pete sums it up best when he is ruminating about divorce and tells Don, “You think you’re gonna begin your life over and do it right. But what if you never get past the beginning again?” It was the perfect question to pose to Don, who seems to end up back at the beginning time and again. No matter how hard he tries, he constantly finds himself in the same place: alone and starting over. By the end of the episode, not only does he not have a relationship with Diana, he has also lost his furniture and belongings, leaving him – at least visually – in a state of emptiness.
One Chapter Ending
The most poignant part of the episode for me was Don and Megan dealing with their divorce, each with different responses. For Megan the dissolution of her marriage is extremely emotional. Because of that, we see a different side to her. Previously we have seen Megan sad about her relationship, and we have seen her strong and resolute. But in this episode we see her break down, the pain and hurt manifesting itself in bitterness and anger. Megan has a hard time dealing with her unfulfilled hopes and dreams – for her relationship and her life. She regrets losing what she thought she would have with Don. She gave up a lot to pursue that joint life in California to which Don never fully committed, and she can’t help but blame Don for how things have turned out.
I loved Megan’s speech to Don when they met in person. This was my favorite scene of the episode. Pretty much everything she said to him held truth. She believed his lies, believed he would make her a priority. But he couldn’t or wasn’t willing to do that. Megan really did give up everything for him when Don convinced her to move to California. She quit her soap opera and decided to try to make it as an actress in L.A., but he never followed her to the West Coast. Committing to the marriage wasn’t what he ultimately chose. Don did lie to her, even if he believed the lies himself. He wanted his promises to be true but they weren’t. The speech almost implied everything she’d given up for him would have been worth it if he’d kept his promises. But he didn’t. So she is understandably upset. And she becomes more upset as her acting career falls apart around her, making her even more bitter and greedy. She feels Don ruined her life (both romantically and professionally) and owes her something. So the same Megan who previously wanted nothing from Don is now willing to take a lot of his money.
But he was also freeing himself to move on. Don already had something else to look forward to. In his mind, he was putting Megan behind him so he could move on with Diana. He was closing one chapter to open another. In that regard, Don’s actions were mature in that he tried not to repeat old mistakes. He wasn’t cheating on Megan and carrying on without her knowledge. He wanted to make sure nothing was hampering his new beginning. He wanted to end what he had in the past so it wouldn’t hold him back from growth in the future.
Fresh Start Gone Wrong
Unfortunately for him, that fresh start didn’t turn out exactly like he’d hoped. After tracking down the waitress at a new restaurant, she finally responds and calls him. When she comes over to his apartment for a booty call at 3 a.m., he opens up to Diana, talking about the difficulties of divorce and how he always wanted to live in New York. He is willing to be open with her. But he doesn’t receive the same honesty in return.
Soon Diana admits she lied to Don about having no children. She had a little girl who died from the flu. Revealing that difficult part of her past makes Don feel even closer to her. After all, Don knows how hard it is to acknowledge a past you want to forget. He identifies with her. These two characters have a lot in common. They both experienced tragic histories and they both lied and numbed themselves to try to move on. Don even believes her tiny apartment is just a form of self-punishment, a feeling to which he relates. In some ways, he sees himself in Diana. But they are at different places in their journeys.
How Far Will They Go?
During all of this, Peggy, Stan, Megan and Harry are all finding out how far they are willing to go to get ahead in life or feel relevant. Peggy and Stan are working with a female photographer, Pima Ryan, on a new account. At first, Stan is not impressed with the woman and treats her rudely. But later it seems his insecurities prompted his words. He begins comparing his own work to Pima’s. He worries that he doesn’t have any good art to show during his time as art director. And suddenly he needs her approval. He is even willing to cheat on his girlfriend for it. But Pima has her own intentions. She wants to gain new business, and she will do whatever she can to achieve it. First she seduces Stan. Then she tries with Peggy. She begins by feeding Peggy’s ego, and then she turns on the charm, flirting with Peggy, caressing her face and touching her hand, saying she wants to take her picture. Though Peggy was noticeably flustered, she sees through Pima’s motivations. In the end Peggy realizes Pima is just trying to sell her goods and get ahead by whatever means possible. Stan falls for the bait but Peggy doesn’t.
Neither does Megan. She sees quickly through Harry’s true intentions. (Granted, they were pretty hard to miss.) Megan wants Harry’s help in getting a new agent, but Harry overestimates what she’ll do to reach her goals. He sees Megan as the beauty whom Don “threw away,” a prize to be won, the ultimate conquest. So he not-too-subtly implies he’ll help her after they sleep together. When she refuses, Harry has the audacity to tell her maybe she is in her present situation (without good acting roles or an agent) because of the way she reacted to him. The implication is she’s not getting anywhere because she’s not willing to sleep her way to the top. The statement proved Harry to be a pig, which made it all the more gratifying when Megan gets up and leaves. As much as she wants a thriving acting career, she is not willing to sleep with Harry Crane to get it.
Additional Observations
- The beginning scene with Betty was so nuanced. I loved the dynamics of Betty coming home to find Don in the kitchen making milkshakes for the boys. It seemed so natural, as if they were a family once again. Betty relished the opportunity to tell him how she’d decided to get her master’s degree in psychology, a wonderful throwback to her own history with therapy. And I loved her statement to Don: “I know it’s beyond your experience, but people love to talk to me.” She was hilarious as she proudly told Don of her decision. Although amused himself, he seemed happy for her. Their interaction was entirely comfortable until Henry comes home. Then Betty suddenly holds her tongue and Don wants to leave. But he can’t help looking back at his old family moving on happily without him.
- I enjoyed seeing Megan’s family come to help her, despite the fact they don’t actually help her at all. This is the first we’ve seen of Megan’s sister – a traditional religious woman who reminded me of Peggy’s sister. She was a great foil to the carefree Megan. And I always love Julia Ormond’s portrayal of Marie. While Marie is very angry at Don and what he did to their family, she is also struggling with her own happiness. I was a little surprised she decided to leave her husband to be with Roger. (I am interested to see where that goes.) But I also found Megan’s response very heartfelt and real as she ultimately defends her mom’s choice to seek happiness.
- I loved how Don got all dressed up in his full suit at 3 a.m. when Diana came over. He apparently really wanted to make a good impression!
- I thought the elevator scene with Sylvia and Arnold Rosen was fantastic with all its awkwardness. And Diana picked right up on what was going on with Don’s former lover.
- After Megan gets a check for a million dollars, I thought she could have at least told Don his furniture was gone.
- Pete is looking goofier and goofier with his receding hairline, stupid haircut and colorful golf outfit. It was perfect!
- I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. But I didn’t think the stories and themes this week were as tightly framed as they were last week.
***All photos courtesy of AMC.
What did you think of "New Business?" Why do you think Don keeps ending up back at the beginning? How do you think he can move forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
