Mad Men - Season 7 (2014) (season)
Creators:
Matthew WeinerDirected by:
Matthew WeinerCinematography:
Chris ManleyComposer:
David CarbonaraCast:
Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, Kiernan Shipka, Jessica Paré, Kevin Rahm, Christopher Stanley, Mason Vale Cotton (more)Plots(1)
In the days leading up to the first moon landing, Don receives a letter stating that he is being fired for breach of contract due to his presence at the meeting that Jim and Lou had arranged with Phillip Morris. Don storms upstairs to confront the partners and learns that Jim initiated the letter without informing the other partners. Don quashes Jim's effort by appealing to Roger and Bert for support and demanding an immediate vote on his continued employment, which he wins. Later, Don calls Megan to share the news about the attempt to fire him and suggests that he might go to California but she asks him not to and instead implies that she wants to end their marriage. He promises to take care of her. She tells him he owes her nothing and bids him goodbye. Over the weekend, members of SC&P watch the moon landing from various locations: Don, Peggy, Pete and Harry are together in Indianapolis where they are preparing the pitch to Burger Chef; Roger, Mona, Brooks, and Ellery are together in his apartment; and Bert is home watching with his maid. The Francises have company for the weekend and are also tuned in. Sally seems smitten with the family's oldest son but immediately after the landing goes out to the back yard and kisses the younger, more bookish son who is closer to her age. Minutes after the landing Roger receives a call that Bert has died. He and Joan arrive at the office in a somber mood and are surprised to find Jim who now feels that he has the votes to oust Don and assume greater control of the agency. Roger calls to inform Don of Bert's passing, and given his uncertain job status Don decides that Peggy needs to lead the presentation to Burger Chef. As a counter to Jim, Roger holds a secret meeting with a McCann Erickson executive who previously approached him about buying SC&P. He negotiates a deal to sell 51% of SC&P and make it an independent subsidiary of McCann, with the stipulation that Roger, Don, and Ted each sign five-year contracts. Ted, who is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, expresses his desire to cash out his partnership and leave advertising. Don convinces Ted to agree to the deal despite his reservations and the partners vote to accept the offer. Moments later Peggy finds Don and informs him that they won the Burger Chef account. The episode ends with Don having a hallucination of Bert doing an old song-and-dance number, "The Best Things in Life Are Free." (RTÉ Television)
(more)Reviews (1)
The creators absolutely nailed it with the seventh episode, delivering a final product that's just flawless. Honestly, I can't think of a single thing to nitpick, not that I even tried. Once again, they've masterfully woven significant historical events into the story, giving us a real "taste" of the past. Who cares if those shots were filmed on the Moon or they came from Disney? I have to give a shoutout to how they handled saying goodbye to one of the longest-serving characters. It was done without being overly sentimental, yet still managed to deliver a grand finale. Bravo. / Lesson learned: Sometimes when life gets overwhelming, it's okay to take a break and chill.
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