Mad Men - Time & Life - Review: "Peggy's Moment"

Times are changing and life is moving on for the partners of SC&P. In “Time & Life,” we see all the executives fighting McCann Erickson’s attempts to dissolve them into their company. But for once Don’s creative thinking, last-minute scrambling and charming pitches don’t work. He and the rest of the partners can’t climb out of this hole. Change is inevitable - and it is yet to be seen if that change is a good thing or a bad thing for each of them.

This episode may have revolved around the new future of the company. But no doubt about it, “Time & Life” was Peggy’s moment. From exploring her feelings about children to confiding in Stan about the child she gave up years ago, Peggy provided the emotional center of the episode. She acknowledged her past while also considering her future. And she allowed herself to be emotionally vulnerable (with someone other than Don).

Able to Move On

Throughout “Time & Life” we see Peggy interacting with children and having to face the life she chose without a child. Peggy is not exactly a natural around kids. They don’t listen to her and she can’t figure out how to make them have fun. Stan even expresses his belief that she hates kids, which offends Peggy. She doesn’t hate them; she just doesn’t know what to do around them. When a young girl hugs her, she becomes immediately uncomfortable. When another girl staples her finger under Peggy’s care, her response is, “Oh, great!” Peggy is out of her element and clearly has no patience for children.

But that’s not the full picture. Peggy doesn’t know how to interact with kids because she has no real experience with them. And being around children may very well remind her of the decision she made to give up her own child. That’s a sore spot for her. Peggy seems to have a hole in her life without a family of her own. When the girl’s mother yells at her that she can do what she wants with her own children, the words hit Peggy hard, accentuating an acute void in Peggy’s life. Did she only have one chance to be a mother?

But at the same time Peggy also defends her decision to Stan in the best scene of the episode. I loved how Peggy goes from being mad at the mother of the child to defending her and being upset with Stan. But she is really dealing with her own insecurities and fears. She feels if people (including Stan) knew the truth about her, they would judge her as a woman who walked away from her child. And if men who don’t want a child can move on with their lives, why shouldn’t she be able to?

The question is a legitimate one. But as Peggy tells Stan the truth, you begin to see that she has come to terms with her decision. Earlier in the conversation her words reflected guilt, but by the end they are rooted in confidence and serenity. As Peggy explains where her child is, you get the feeling she has moved on, or is at least trying to. She obviously still has many moments of questioning her life without children. But she has given herself permission to move on and embrace her life and career. While reconciling her own feelings of guilt, she doesn’t want others judging her for her decisions.

The best part is, Stan doesn’t judge her and doesn’t abuse her trust. I love that moment of realization when everything sinks in and Stan understands what Peggy is saying and why she reacted so defensively. He treats Peggy with sensitivity and understanding. The rest of their fight melts away as he inquires about what she did with the child. He proves himself a true friend who cares about Peggy. Even when she tries to dismiss the conversation by putting him down, Stan gently reassures her he cares. These two are finally on the same page. Peggy treats him as a true friend instead of acting like his boss. She shows him respect instead of ordering him around. And he values that trust, which continues later in the episode. When Stan calls Peggy from his office and they chat about what they are going to do at work, we see their bond wasn’t a one-time occurrence. They each comfort one another on the phone. It’s clear these two have reached a new level of friendship.

Their shared moment also begs the question: Can Peggy and Stan be more than friends? Stan has always been patient with Peggy and put up with her crap. But their relationship was always lopsided before and didn’t hint of anything romantic. Now, however, in this one moment, their whole relationship changed. Suddenly I can see them as more than friends. I’m not sure if that is the direction they will go, but the possibility was illuminated like a lightbulb.

Growing Up

Peggy also had a touching scene with Pete. In the midst of the little girl hugging Peggy, Pete glances her way. And he is reminded of their shared connection and past. It is not something they talk about or dwell on any more, but in this moment of receiving bad news about the company, Pete feels he owes it to Peggy to tell her the truth. I loved that he reached out to her and chose to include her in this news, honoring what they had shared. Peggy used to be someone he could talk to, and in this moment he confides in her once again, sharing the news and his feelings about what has happened. And she goes from thinking about herself to thinking about what will happen to Pete. They keep a distance between them on the couch but Peggy reaches out and comforts him for a brief moment before they both go back to work. It was a gratifying reminder of their past.

The scene showed a Pete who could care about someone else, and so did his scenes with Trudy. Though the former couple bickers in private before their meeting with the headmaster, Pete puts on a united front in public. He wants to do what is right for his family. When the headmaster speaks ill of Trudy, Pete wants to defend her by fighting him (an action that has never served him well). And when the man brings up a ridiculous centuries-old familial feud, Pete gives into his urges (and you can’t help but be a little satisfied).

Pete’s penchant for fighting may not show much growth, but his attitude with Trudy does. At Trudy’s house, Pete demonstrates a gentleness that he’s lacked with her before. And he again wants to defend Trudy when he learns other husbands are hitting on her. Plus, when she comments on growing old alone, he reassures her she is ageless. Pete is growing up. He even wants to check on Trudy after his drinking outing. He is becoming more thoughtful and mature. And Trudy returns the favor by reminding him he never takes no for an answer.

The Beginning or the End?

Sterling Cooper & Partners has been through a lot of changes over the years, but the heads of the company are now losing their agency’s name, identity and in some respects their business. Jim Hobart bills it as “advertising heaven,” a move into the big leagues. And it’s true they will now have the opportunity to work with the types of clients they only dreamed of before. But in doing so they also forfeit their independence and lose the company they built, surrounded by the people they’ve dealt with for years. They realize what is coming. That image of the partners sitting at the table after their meeting with McCann Erickson is a fantastic picture. They are dumbfounded, speechless, afraid of what is happening – with the exception of Ted, the only one smiling. The rest of them know their world is about to change, and possibly not for the better.

The same is true for many of the employees. The decision to dissolve the company will hold huge repercussions for everyone at the firm. Many people will likely be cut loose. So they have real reason to fear. And no amount of consoling from the partners can change that. The partners may talk a good game, but the employees see through their spin. Don calls it the beginning of something, but the staff knows it is an end. The final image is powerful as the staff’s fearful talking drowns out Roger and Don’s useless pitch. The partners’ decision to let McCann Erickson buy them out will affect more than just themselves.

But it is with each other that the partners band together in consolation. It was a bittersweet moment to see them all joining together for drinks, toasting the company that used to be, remembering an era that is about to change drastically. And then they all peel off one by one with someone to meet. Joan is going to meet Richard, Pete wants to check on Trudy, Ted has a date, and eventually Roger leaves to see Marie. Don is the last one left, with no one expecting him. He tries visiting Diana, not willing to let go after learning she called him. But that doesn’t pan out. At this point Don is more alone than the rest of the characters. And with three episodes left, that doesn’t seem to be changing.

Additional Observations

- Richard appears to be coming through for Joan when she needs him. Seeing him drop everything to go be with her in New York was a nice moment. Roger also seems to be doing well with Marie.

- What an interesting parallel that Ted met someone with whom he had a past relationship, the type of true connection (with a tie to the past) that Don is always looking for. I also found it interesting that Ted assumed Don had always wanted to go to California and felt bad for taking his place. Ted recognizes Don’s attachment to California; he just doesn’t know the true source of that connection.

- Jared Harris, who played Lane Pryce, directed this episode. Considering his character’s history with Pete, it was kind of ironic that he directed an episode in which Pete got in another fight.

- I loved the car scene between unlikely duo Joan and Pete. It was a nice surprise to see her trust him with her fears that McCann Erickson wouldn’t take her seriously (a real danger). And Pete responds as the man you want him to be when he says the company doesn’t know who they’re dealing with.

- The song playing in the background while Stan and Peggy were talking was very appropriate: “Strangers on the Shore,” a nod to Stan and Peggy crossing that barrier from “strangers” who don’t truly know each other into true friendship.

- I loved the scene between Roger and Don at the bar. I had to laugh when Don told Roger, “You’re a young man with an incredible future ahead of you.” (And when Roger told Don he would have been sleeping with his grandmother in another life.) But it was sad to hear Roger lament the fact that there are no more Sterling boys to carry on his family name, especially when you consider Joan’s son is really Roger’s. If Joan had allowed him to claim the boy, the Sterling name would continue. But the most poignant line in the scene was definitely Don’s response, “What’s in a name?” Don knows exactly what is in a name, and it’s a lot.

***All photos courtesy of AMC.


What did you think of "Time & Life?" Can you see Peggy and Stan together? Do you think any of the partners are in danger of being ousted at the new company? Join our discussion in the comments below.

About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor and reporter. Now she does everything from hosting to writing. She especially loves writing TV articles and reviews for SpoilerTV.