Mad Men - Season 1 Episode 11
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| "Mad Men - Season 1 Episode 11" | |
|---|---|
| Mad Men episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Lesli Linka Glatter |
| Written by | Rick Cleveland Matthew Weiner Robin Veith |
| Original air date | August 10, 2008 |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
Search Mad Men - Season 1 Episode 11 on Amazon.
"The Benefactor" is the third episode of the second season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Matthew Weiner, Rick Cleveland, and Robin Veith and it was directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. It aired on AMC in the United States on August 10, 2008.
Plot[edit]
The episode begins with Fred asleep while Jimmy Barrett stars in the “Utz is better than nuts” commercial. Fred then wakes up to greet Hunt and Edith, when Jimmy begins to insult Edith for her weight.
At the stables, Betty Draper and Sara look on as Arthur attempts to ride a horse, commenting that he seems to be attempting to fit into the upper class. Arthur introduces the pair to his fiancée Tara, and Sara remarks that she is prettier than they thought she would be.
Back at the office, Todd brings Harry Crane two paychecks, one of which belongs to Harry, the other belonging to Kenneth, the latter of which Harry pockets. He opens the paycheck and seems upset with what he sees. Warren walks into Harry’s office as he attempts to reseal Ken’s envelope and invites him out to eat, Harry declines. Harry calls his wife, Jennifer to tell her that he’s upset because Ken makes $300 a week, and he presumably does not.
The focus shifts briefly to Don Draper, who sits in a nearly empty movie theatre watching a French Movie. Just after, Harry is shown asking Salvatore Romano if he can recreate the envelope that Ken’s paycheck originally came in, when Salvatore asks whether he’s upset about being caught opening the check, or if he’s upset about the contents of the check. Sal comments that Harry lacks merit, and that he is, “worth every penny” that he’s being paid.
In Don’s office, Roger Sterling and Ken enter to inform him that Jimmy Barrett had insulted Edith Schilling. Fred enters, and Ken blames him for the mishap on the grounds that he drinks on the job. Duck Phillips enters to inform the group that the Utz company is going to drop Jimmy from their commercial and that the ad agency is going to lose Utz as a client. Don is left with partial blame for the Utz incident when Ken says that he tried to inform him of the Schilling’s presence, but he was preoccupied at the movie theatre so he could not prevent them from encountering Jimmy. Don lies to Roger saying that he was at the printers, and then he goes on to fire his secretary for, “threatening his reputation.”
Harry calls a friend, Edgar, at CBS looking for a new job, when he is told there are no open positions. His friend agrees to give him a trial run by allowing him to help with a current project.
The next day, Joan Holloway informs Don Draper that she will be his interim secretary while they search for a new one. She remarks that she will attempt to find him another secretary as good as Peggy, and Don says that he wishes to have one who will be content in her position.
On the Utz commercial set, Bobbie asks Don to buy her a drink, and he declines. She introduces herself as Bobbie’s manager, and argues that Jimmy is not funny when he is sober, to which Don rebuts that he must still respect the Schillings, who are fans of his. Don threatens that his place in the matter can be revoked, and Bobbie reminds him that Jimmy is under contract. Bobbie says that Jimmy dislikes businessmen and that Don must act as if he’s a fan of Jimmy, that he knows less than him, and that he has a chance at Don’s wife.
Don offers to drive Bobbie to Jimmy because it’s raining, and they engage in intimacy in his car. After Don returns home, Sally Draper asks if she can go to the stables with Betty on Saturday, and he declines. Instead Don has to watch his kids while Betty is gone. Betty gives him his repaired watch with an added monogram.
At the stables, Betty speaks with Arthur. He tells her that he is not afraid of the horses, but he feels more comfortable with them when he’s hunting, but his fiancée wants him to participate in riding. Back at home, Don calls Bobbie to invite her and Jimmy to dinner with himself, his wife, and the Schillings. Arthur finds Betty once again and tells her that he cannot figure her out, and that Tara was jealous of Betty when they met. She scolds him for sharing his relationship problems with a stranger. He explains that his fiancée is used to getting what she wants, and that Betty is not of the same type as Tara. He compliments her, and Betty diverts his compliments. He attempts to kiss her and she pushes him back, when he calls her, “profoundly sad”.
At the agency, everyone watches an episode of The Defenders with a representative of Belle lipstick, Elliot Lawrence, present. Harry argues that the show will draw in high volumes of female viewers putting the show in the top twenty. Elliot declines the offer saying that the company is family oriented, and that the topic of abortion does not comply with their views. Harry rebuts by saying that women would be interested in the political aspect of the episode, regardless of their stance.
Harry meets with Roger, where he requests that the agency create a television department with him as the lead. Roger grants his wish, and Harry then requests a raise, which Roger thinks is greedy. He agrees to pay Harry $225 a week, up from $200, in addition to new business cards.
At dinner, Hunt asks where the Barretts are, and Edith expresses her concern with their presence. After their arrival, Jimmy flirts with Betty and expresses interest in her role as a housewife. Don follows Bobbie away from the table and demands that Jimmy apologize to the Schillings before they leave. She says that Jimmy will only apologize for $25,000, and Don threatens that he will destroy Jimmy’s reputation if he does not do what he’s told. Jimmy gives in and reconciles with the Schilling’s. All the while, Harry’s wife tells him how proud she is of him in regards to his promotion and raise.
On the car ride home, Betty breaks down in tears saying that she’s happy that her and Don make such a great team.
Cultural references[edit]
Jimmy Barrett references the film Pinocchio, released in 1940, when insulting Edith Schilling. Sara references the character Monty Clift from the movie A Place in the Sun, released in 1951, while watching Arthur Case attempt to ride a horse. Don references Leopold and Loeb, who were an infamous crime duo in the early 20th century, when scolding Ken and Fred. Flatty from CBS references the show The Defenders, which was created in 1961. The episode is titled “The Benefactor” after the episode “The Benefactor” in The Defenders, which aired in 1962. Arthur references the F. Scott Fitzgerald story, A Diamond as Big as the Ritz when explaining his fiancée’s status of wealth.
Reception[edit]
When the episode aired originally on August 10, 2008, it had 1.25 million viewers, which is slightly lower than the rest of the episodes in season two. The episode received a 7.9/10 from IMDB, where a reviewer labelled it as, “situational, but the good kind”. On AV Club, writer Noel Murray gave this episode a B+, stating that he withheld a higher rating because the episode seems to serve the purpose of “nudging things forward” rather than having its own complete story. He also calls the scenes of the episode, “provocative but disconnected,” because the scene where Don is at the movies, the scene where he fires his secretary, and the scene where the Belle Jolie representative speaks directly to Sal do not seem to have a specific purpose within this episode. In a blog written by Alan Sepinwall, now the chief TV critic for the Rolling Stone, it was argued that the episode had a few plot holes. He also argues that the writer of the episode, Matt Weiner, seems more concerned with the plot than with the characters considering Pete and Paul did not appear at all, and Peggy only delivered one line.
References[edit]
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