MAD MEN: “Wee Small Hours”
In honor of Sal, here's one of the first pieces of his work that we saw on the show. Ironically, it is an ad for Lucky Strike. Photo Credit: Carin Baer/ AMC.
Read on for my recap and review of Mad Men 3×09, aired Sunday, October 11th, 2009:
Mad Men is clearly trying to break my heart. My two favorite characters are Joan and Sal, and now neither are working at Sterling Cooper. I hope that the company re-hires the two soon, or that the show finds a way to incorporate the characters into the show in a different way. Seriously, I can’t take losing both. The episode title, “Wee Small Hours,” should have clued me in to the sadness of this episode, as it brings to mind one of my favorite songs, “In the Wee Small Hours.” This Frank Sinatra song is part of an album of love-gone-wrong, produced during his post-Ava-depression period. While the show didn’t play the Sinatra tune, they should have. “In the wee small hours of morning, that’s the time you miss her most of all.” I’m listening to it right now, mourning the absence of Joan and Sal. Sigh. But on to the recap.
Betty began the episode by dreaming about a fantasy of Henry and the fainting couch. In her waking hours, she almost attempts to have an affair with Henry, but the tawdriness gets to her, and she stops things before they go too far (not before staging a fundraiser to cover her tracks, however). Don, of course, has no similar quibbles, and by the end of the episode he jumps into bed with Sally’s teacher. It’s becoming very hard for me to like Don lately. I hope this latest and stupidest affair bites him in the ass—I mean, the teacher lives like two minutes away from his house.
Meanwhile, Hilton continues to stalk Don, and call him at all hours of the night. He’s worried about his international business, and wants Don’s help. And oh yeah, he wants a Hilton on the moon. Good luck with that. In fact, Betty compares Conrad Hilton to her whining baby, and she’s not wrong.
When Don eventually pitches his ad campaign to Hilton, it sounds pretty clever. He talks about how in the past, the lure of exotic locations was used in Hilton ad campaigns. However, as Don points out, “the average American enjoys a level of luxury that belongs only to kings in the rest of the world.” He proposes: “The thrill of international travel with the comfort of home.” The slogans of the campaign include: “How do you say ice-water in Italian? Hilton. How do you say hamburger in Japanese? Hilton. It’s the same in every language.” Hilton says that it’s good, but he is not thrilled. He asked for the moon, and he didn’t get it. At first I thought Hilton was a crazy old man, but on my second viewing I see his point. The moon is metaphorical, and Don did not deliver. What was particularly interesting about Hilton’s feedback was the way that he berated Don. Don tries to defend his actions, and lay the blame on the client. Hilton is not swayed: “You want me to say yes to everything you say? [..] You did not give me what I wanted. I’m deeply disappointed Don. Your work is good. But when I say I want the moon, I expect the moon.” If that was not enough, Roger also chews out Don about the Hilton account: “I want to put you on notice. You are in over your head.” Don’s reaction to all this is to jump in bed with the teacher. Hilton is not the only one disappointed in Don.
The other major account that Sterling Cooper was dealing with in the episode was Lucky Strike. Sal was in charge of directing a cigarette commercial, under the supervision of client Lee Garner, Jr. The shoot is actually pretty hilarious, as someone was coughing throughout the entire scene. Or at least it would be funny, if it wasn’t so deadly and sad. Unfortunately, the project takes a disturbing turn. Jr. is fascinated with the filming process, and was hanging out in the editing room with Sal. When the two are alone, Jr. moves in pretty close to Sal, and his “romantic” intentions become clear. He leans over and touches Sal, who abruptly gets up and moves away. Sal says that there’s been a misunderstanding, but Jr. says that he knows what he knows. How? Who has been talking? Sal turns him down, and Jr. is disappointed and leaves. Of course, it was far more dramatic and tension filled on-screen. Bryan Batt really knocked it out of the park this week. Sorry, the pun was unintended.
Unfortunately, the incident does not end there. Lee Garner, Jr. actually has the gall to call Harry and order him to fire Sal: “I don’t want to keep you, but I have a bit of a problem. It’s that Salvatore fellow, the director. He’s no good. I’d like him gone.” Harry says that he doesn’t have the authority, but Jr. insists, and asks him to keep it just between them. Harry is stressed to the max about this responsibility, and is not at all equipped to handle the situation. His solution? To do nothing: “I’m not going to panic and do something stupid like I usually do.” He thinks that Jr. might just be drunk, and may just forget all about it. Poor Harry, he can’t seem to avoid doing something stupid, even when he does nothing.
The next day, at Sterling Cooper, the guys set up for a meeting with Lucky Strike. Poor Sal is there, as no one has informed him of Jr.’s firing. Harry could have at least told Sal to stay out of the meeting! When Jr. sees that Sal in there, he storms out. Sal feigns ignorance, and Harry comes clean to Roger about the phone call. Roger: “And you made an executive decision to do nothing?” That’s what I’m saying! Roger fires Sal, and is very unhappy with Harry. He tells Harry to have Don solve it.
Harry and Sal go to Don’s office and fill him in. Don is pissed and tells Harry to get out. Sal explains further, but leaves out the pass Jr. made at him. The rest of their conversation is worth recapping in detail. Don: “Sal, something must have happened.” Sal: “We had a misunderstanding. He was drunk, and he cornered me in the editing room.” Don: “Cornered you?” Sal: “Yes, and I backed him off. I told him I was married, and he was embarrassed and he left.” Don, in a disbelieving and deprecating tone: “You must have been really shocked.” Sal: “I was. Believe me.” Don (again with the tone): “But nothing happened? Because nothing could have happened, because you’re married?” Sal: “Don, I swear on my mother’s life!” Don: “You sure you want to do that? Who do you think you’re talking to?” Someone has not forgotten what he saw on the business trip. Sal: “I guess I was just supposed to do whatever he wanted? What if it was some girl?” Don: “That would depend—on what type of girl she was and what I knew about her. [Pause] You people.” Oh Don, you’re breaking my heart. Sal: “I didn’t do anything but turn him down. He’s a bully.” True and true. Don: “Lucky Strike can shut off the lights. [Don stands] I think you know that this is the way this has to be. [He shakes Sals hand] You’ll do fine.” Sal leaves. Wow, I’m upset all over again, and exhausted from the stress. We are then treated to a sad scene of Sal in his office, going through his stuff. We see that picture of the guy in the hammock (pictured above, and one of the first hints that Sal was gay), hearkening back to season 1. *Tear* Later, Sal calls his wife from a phone booth in a shady park. The show leaves it vague as to what will develop for Sal that night, so I will too.
Another sub-plot in the episode was regarding the Civil Rights movement. Early in the episode, Don listened to Martin Luther King, Jr. speak on the radio. Carla watches the funeral of the four little girls from Birmingham on the news, who were killed in a church bombing on September 15th, 1963. Betty asks if Carla if she is OK, and offers her a day off. Carla says that she’s fine. Betty then proceeds to offer her awful two cents: “It’s so horrifying. I hate to say this, but it’s really made me wonder about civil rights. Maybe it’s not supposed to happen right now.” Someone missed the point. Also, at Betty’s cover-fundraiser, the ladies talk about civil rights, and the situation down south. One lady comments, “Segregation is uncivilized.” Another quips, “As my father says, ‘In the South it’s 1863, not 1963.’” I found all these little details far more interesting than the Drapers’ soap-operatic affairs.
What were your reactions to this episode? Comment below. Also, if you would like to see more pictures from the Sterling Cooper Portfolio, click here.
