Mad Men, "Public Relations"

That's the old Don Draper. The one who was married to Betty yet still bedded any woman he wanted. The one who was the creative engine that drove the Sterling Cooper machine without any of the pressure or responsibility with having his name in the lobby. He knew how to sell that guy and when he had to do so. "Public Relations" shows us the game has changed. He's playing on the same field, but the rules are different. Sure, he's still supremely confident and looks good in a suit and casual wear, but I don't think "say as little as possible" is going to fly anymore. He's got to learn how to sell himself all over again. And he still has to figure out what he's selling.

I think Don knows all this. He has always been stubborn, in some ways resistent to the societal changes swirling around him. But the story for Don this season - and really for everyone else on the show - will be how he can learn and adapt to new surroundings and circumstances. And it seems like he's learning pretty quickly, judging by the tall tale he spun for the Wall Street Journal reporter at the end of the episode. You want me to play the PR game? Well, I'm going to spin myself into an even more cooler motherfucker than I already am. Let's see if you can handle that.

The new Sterling Cooper Draper Price runs like a well-oiled machine. I'm sure that's thanks to Joanie, who we find has an office of her own. With that office apparently comes a little more power, which we see as she stands eye-to-eye with Harry during their conversation over the jai alai account. The agency as a whole runs in a much less hierarchical way than the old Sterling Cooper. Pete and Peggy's (who even has a whipping boy of her own now) meetings with Don seemed much more amicable and casual than in the past. Those two worked side-by-side for there little ham stunt. Even Bert was scene actually mixing it up on the office floor instead of tucked away in his office of solitude. It seems like an agency ready to deal with more modern, less rigid and traditional, clients.

Which brings us to the the Jantzen bikini account. Don obviously hasn't lost a step as the best creative man in the business. He crafts Jantzen a solid ad to help them keep up in an increasingly risque industry but, their old-fashioned sensibilities offended by the mere suggestion of nudity, they nix the whole thing. Don's having none of it. He has dedicated so much of himself to a more forward-thinking approach that he doesn't have the patience for anyone stuck in the past. He storms out of the meeting and throws them out of the office, leaving poor Pete scrambling to set things right. But it's no use. Don's new message is clear: either get on the Don Draper train or get out of the way. Let's hope this new attitude ruffle so many feathers that it jeopardizes the future of the whole agency. If Don ruins Sterling Cooper Draper Price, what would he have left? Nothing but hookers slapping him in the face.

I'm ready to wrap this one up here. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to talk about Betty being more of a monster of a mother than ever somewhere down the road. "Public Relations" was Don's hour. Let's not kill a good Mad Men buzz with talk of such unpleasant things.

Overall, a great start to the season.