Television Review: Blowing Smoke (Mad Men, S4x12, 2010)

Blowing Smoke (S4x12)

Airdate: 10 October 2010

Written by: Andre Jacquemont and Maria Jacquemont
Directed by: John Slattery

Running Time: 48 minutes

In an era where much of public discourse is dominated by functionally illiterate people inhabiting social media bubbles, it is difficult to imagine the world when a written word could have a huge impact if it was written on the right piece of paper. Mad Men, a series built around the exploration of the past, reminds its audience of this by having one such occasion as part of the plot of Blowing Smoke," the penultimate episode of Season 4. It is a stark reminder that in the 1960s, a single advertisement in a respected publication like the New York Times was not merely a commercial message, but a cultural event capable of shifting public opinion and, in the context of this fictional agency, saving a business from collapse.

The script by Andre and Maria Jacquemetton uses this element of the plot, but relatively late, with John Slattery taking his time as director to depict the circumstances that led to it. And those circumstances are rather dire for SCDP. In the advertising industry, built entirely around image and perception, advertisers themselves might quickly sink if that image is bad. And SCDP is exactly in that spot thanks to the losing of the Lucky Strike account. This opened a financial black hole that can’t be closed, at least not in the immediate future. Many potential clients see SCDP as a sinking ship and simply won't commit to new deals, viewing the agency not as a partner but as a liability. The episode captures this existential dread with a precision that is almost suffocating.

Don Draper learns this after the meeting with Raymond Geiger (John Sloman), a Heinz executive, previously arranged by Faye. The executive is impressed with Don, his skills, and reputation, but explains that his company can’t afford to make a deal with an entity that might be around in six months. Don, seeing that this avenue of SCDP salvation is closed, takes part in a partners' meeting where Dr. Jeffrey Atherton (played by John Aylward), an elderly consumer-researcher working in Faye’s firm, suggests that SCDP had its business built around tobacco, and they should pursue similar clients. That client happens to be Philip Morris, which apparently expressed interest in rebranding their cigarettes for the female market. Yet, the arranged meeting never occurs, and Atherton informs them that it was just a ruse by Philip Morris to extract a better deal from their regular advertiser.

With another avenue of salvation closed, Lane, who had returned from England, informs partners about remaining options, which remain very grim. The bank has agreed to extend the line of credit that could allow lights to stay on for six months, but under the condition that the staff is drastically reduced and that each partner deposits substantial sums as collateral. Pete, who has recently become a father, is aghast because he simply doesn't have that amount on hand, but later learns that Don paid his share. This act of generosity highlights Don’s complex nature—he is often selfish and calculating, yet he still possesses a core of loyalty that binds the partners together in their hour of need. It is a moment of genuine humanity in an otherwise cold business environment.

Don has what appears to be a chance meeting with Midge, a painter and former lover. Don can't fail to notice that she has become much skinnier, but he is still reminded of the good times he had with her and accepts her invitation to her apartment in Greenwich Village, where she tentatively tries to sell her painting. There, he meets her husband, aspiring playwright Perry DeMuth (John Ales). His demeanour, the dilapidated state of the apartment, and Perry’s enthusiasm for leaving Midge and Don alone after receiving money for "groceries" make Don quickly realise that Perry and Midge are heroin addicts. Midge admits it, explaining that she can’t kick the habit that gave her such pleasure. Don nevertheless buys her painting. It is a transaction that serves as a tangible connection to the past he so often tries to escape, a reminder that even the most glamorous aspects of the bohemian lifestyle have a gritty, destructive underbelly.

Later, looking at the painting, Don suddenly gets an epiphany, making a connection between heroin and nicotine addiction. He writes a text "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco" in which he denounces his previous work and explains that SCDP won't work with the tobacco industry. The text is published as an ad in the New York Times. This is the crux of the episode—a moment of high-stakes desperation. Don is no longer thinking about strategies or market share; he is thinking about survival. He is willing to burn his bridges with his biggest client to make a point, a decision that feels both impulsive and inevitable given his character's trajectory.

The text creates a stir in SCDP, with partners furious over not being consulted. Others attack Don for hypocrisy, noting that he is a smoker himself. Even Don himself is viciously pranked by Ted Chaough, who impersonates Senator Robert F. Kennedy in a telephone call. Yet, the stunt brings attention from various business entities and, more importantly, the American Cancer Society, which has many influential people on its board. The ACS, offering a small glimmer of hope for a company which has now begun a program of brutal downsizing. It is a risky gamble that pays off, proving that in the world of advertising, sometimes you have to lose to win. The episode brilliantly illustrates how Don’s personal contradictions can be weaponised to serve the company, even if it means alienating his colleagues.

A side storyline deals with Sally Draper, who is making progress with child psychiatrist Dr. Edna Keener, and is about to reduce the number of sessions now when the school is about to start. Betty is pleased, but becomes furious after seeing Sally hanging out with Glen Bishop, the boy whom she found to be odd and disturbing. Later, during dinner with Henry Francis, Betty suggests that the family should move to a new neighbourhood, which makes Sally angry. While this subplot is necessary to flesh out Betty’s restlessness and Sally’s development, it feels like a bit of a distraction from the main plot. Betty’s desire to flee her problems mirrors Don’s desire to flee his past, but it lacks the urgency of the SCDP crisis and often feels like filler material.

The episode was inspired by the real-life story of Emerson Foote, a real-life executive of advertising giant McCann Ericson, who became so adamantly opposed to advertising tobacco that he has left his company in 1964 to become an anti-tobacco activist. Foote's name is briefly mentioned, grounding the fiction in reality. It adds a layer of authenticity to Don’s decision, suggesting that his epiphany is not just a character moment but a reflection of the changing social consciousness of the era.

Blowing Smoke is a very good episode that does number of important things. It reminds the audience that necessity is the mother of invention, and that it is very desperation that makes Don take unconventional and risky steps with the New York Times ad. It also shows that the "hip" bohemian world that was posited as an alternative to the "square" corporate world, and which fascinated Don from the start of the series, had its own dark side. Midge and Perry’s existence serves as a cautionary tale about the cost of creative freedom and the seductive nature of addiction. The only flaw might be the Sally Draper storyline which looks like a filler, though it does parallel Betty’s flightiness. John Slattery again acquits himself well as director, especially in the scene when Faye, whose firm has left SCDP over Don’s stunt, expresses relief that her relationship with Don won't have to be hidden, while Megan lurks in the background. It is a masterclass in subtext, showing the tension between Don’s past and present, and cementing the episode as a standout entry in the series.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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