Cable TV aired the season two finale of Mad Men, the sexy drama about a 1960's advertising agency in New York. Confessions shake Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, the office of Mad Men. Don Draper (Joe Hamm) returned to Manhattan from his California odyssey to find everything had changed at work and at home. The season finale was filled with loose ends, leaving fans anxious for Season three in March, 2009. Spoiler alert: this snyopsis contains spoilers.
The season two finale, Meditation in an Emergency started with a television announcement about a dire Soviet missile crisis. The dark announcement set the tone for the tone of crisis at Sterling Cooper and and in the lives of the characters.
Meditation in an Emergency, was an episode of confessions. The episode brought many of the secrets that characters have been carrying out into the open. Following is a brief summary of some of the secrets and confessions of Meditation in an Emergency.
Don Draper
In the last two episodes, Don Draper went AWOL is Southern California, where he went on a journey of self discovery that included a Bohemian type woman and a self indulgent lifestyle. He then visited a woman from his secret past, the first Mrs. Draper. In the beginning of the finale episode, he went to see his estranged wife, Betty (January Jones), and told her he wanted to be with her. Betty distantly told him that things had not been that different without him.
Sterling Cooper Sells
While Don Draper had been California Dreaming, Duck (Mark Moses) was at work grabbing power at Sterling Cooper. Duck took advantage of a vulnerability and put together selling Sterling Cooper to Putnam, Powell and Lowell. He arranged to make himself the president of the agency in the process.
Don Stuns Sterling Cooper
After Duck overplayed his hand, Don announced that he will not be part of the new agency. Duck thought he had Don in a bind because of a non-compete contract that would not allow Don to work elsewhere. Don surprised everyone when he said he did not have a contract, meaning that he could work at another agency. Don is the creative genius of Sterlling Cooper, so this puts the deal in jeopardy. The owners ask Duck to leave the room while they decide what to do next.
Father Gill
Father Gill tells Peggy and that he sometimes feels that God called him to the parish to reach Peggy. He tells her that God wants her to reconcile with him or she could go to hell. Peggy said she did not believe that God worked that way.
Peggy Confesses to Pete
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) is left on his own after his wife leaves him to stay with her parents during the crisis. Pete tells Peggy that he loves her, but she stuns him when she replies that she could have had him all along. Peggy then confesses that she had gotten pregnant from their time together and had his baby. Pete was in shock when Peggy confessed that she gave the baby away.
Betty Pregnant
Betty learned she was pregnant and considered getting rid of the baby. At one point she went into a bar and had sex with a stranger, very weird behavior for the very proper Mrs. Draper. After Don sent Betty a touching letter, she allowed him to return home. At the very end of the episode, she told Don she was pregnant. They held hands and the screen faded to black.
Cast of Mad Men
- Joe Hamm as Don Draper
- John Slattery as Roger Sterling
- Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell
- January Jones as Betty Draper
- Christine Hendricks as Joan Holloway
- Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson
- Michael Gladis as Paul Kinsey
- Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove
- Rich Sommer as Harry Crane
- Executive Producer: Matthew Weiner
Mad Men airs on AMC on Sunday nights at 10 PM Eastern Time. Episodes air on On Demand Cable.
