Television Review: Chinese Wall (Mad Men, S4x11, 2010)

Chinese Wall (S4x11)

Airdate: 3 October 2010

Written by: Erin Levy
Directed by: Phil Abraham

Running Time: 48 minutes

The slogan "personal is political" has become one of the most potent slogans of our time, effectively encapsulating the essence of identity politics. This philosophy, which posits that personal experiences and characteristics should be understood as political or even political acts, serves as the foundational bedrock of contemporary US social progressivism. In the modern Western world, this has evolved into something resembling a state religion—a set of dogmas that Hollywood and mainstream media aggressively promote to suggest that the individual’s struggle against systemic oppression defines all human interaction. Mad Men, however, approached this terrain with a distinct counter-narrative in its fourth season, specifically examining the concept of the "Chinese wall." This metaphorical and literal barrier, rooted in the necessity of keeping secrets within business organisations to prevent abuse and conflict of interest, stood in stark contrast to the era's burgeoning identity politics. The episode Chinese Wall serves as a particularly potent illustration of the protagonists' efforts to maintain this separation between their private and professional lives. While much of the series preceding this point had suggested that such a division was illusory, Chinese Wall lays bare the fragility of that illusion with brutal clarity.

The structural integrity of this separation cracks immediately under the weight of devastating news. For the partners and staff at SCDP, the pressure is applied with the force of a physical blow: the sudden loss of the Lucky Strike account and the immediate creation of a massive financial black hole that threatens to swallow the agency whole. The wall, designed to keep the agency's health a secret, shatters when the news, which Roger Sterling has pathetically and guilt-riddenly kept from his partners, is revealed.

The discovery of this calamity is accidental and comedic in its timing. Ken Cosgrove, a man of integrity, is enjoying a family dinner with his wife Cynthia (Larisa Oleynik), and her parents, Ed (Ray Wise) and Lilian (Dale Waddington). Amidst this private tableau of domestic stability, Ken’s acquaintance, John Flory (Tommy Dewey), an executive at rival firm BBDO, stumbles into him. During a casual exchange of pleasantries, Flory blurts out that BBDO has landed the Lucky Strike contract. The casualness of the remark instantly alerts Ken to the catastrophe unfolding around him. He immediately gets in touch with Pete Campbell, who is waiting desperately in the hospital for his wife Trudy to give birth. The emotional stakes are doubled: the business world is collapsing while Pete faces a personal crisis. Simultaneously, Ted Chaough from CGC sees an opening to exploit the chaos and attempts to poach Pete, a move encouraged by the calculating Pete’s father-in-law, Tom Vogel.

As the reality of the disaster spreads through the upper echelons of SCDP, Don Draper convenes a partners’ meeting to assess their options. The atmosphere is thick with impending doom. While the majority of accounts remain, several lucrative ones jump ship in a panic. Bert Cooper, once the guiding patriarch of the agency, is reduced to little more than a symbolic figurehead. In a moment of uncharacteristic weakness, he is in such a foul mood that he resorts to drinking. Don, however, attempts to rally his staff with a pep talk, pushing the creative department to work harder and more efficiently than they ever have before. It is a desperate attempt to plug the dyke with a bucket of sand.

Meanwhile, Roger Sterling, having pathetically deceived his partners by pretending to have a phone conversation with Lee Garner Jr., the head of Lucky Strike, hides himself away in a hotel room. He is physically present but mentally absent, seeking solace in the arms of Joan Holloway. In a scene that highlights the emotional bankruptcy of his position, she tells him that "she can’t do any more," effectively rejecting his advances. Roger is left to retreat back to his trophy wife, Jane, clutching copies of his memoirs—a book he wrote to prove his worth, which now feels entirely pointless.

In contrast to the men’s crumbling composure, Peggy Olson handles the crisis with remarkable aplomb. This professional competence is partly encouraged by her relationship with Abe Drexler, which has advanced to a new, physical level. For Peggy, this relationship represents satisfaction and genuine connection. Consequently, she pitches a concept to clients with confidence, even managing to recover from a minor faux pas involving her lipstick. Her ability to compartmentalise the chaos while maintaining her professional edge marks her as a survivor in this harsh landscape.

The desperation is palpable among the rest of the staff. The sudden death of a renowned ad executive is cynically used as an opportunity to poach his baffled clients, turning a moment of mourning into a business transaction. Don, seeking the same aggressive tactics from Faye Miller, a PR agency employee, discovers that she possesses professional boundaries. She refuses to help him poach clients, claiming it would be a breach of business ethics. Don, however, is not one to abide by such rules when it suits him. He ends up being seduced by Megan, who has proven to be a loyal and efficient secretary. The two of them engage in sex in the office, an act that blurs the line between the public and the private in the most literal sense. Yet, when Don returns home, he is awaited by Faye, who has had a change of heart and sets him up with the Heinz account.

Written by Erin Levy and directed by Phil Abraham, Chinese Wall stands as one of the most conceptually stronger episodes of Mad Men. The theme of the illusory division between the public and private is handled with precision, not only demonstrating how the protagonists intertwine their sexual and personal lives with their daily work but also how traditionally private occasions—births, family dinners, and funerals—are weaponised to advance business interests. The episode suggests that in the world of advertising, and perhaps in the world at large, the personal is not just political; it is transactional.

Don Draper’s ending with Megan makes perfect sense within the context of the series' trajectory. Megan is not only Don’s physical type, but she also possesses an assertiveness and independence that contrasts sharply with the domestic entrapment he fears. This storyline is expertly juxtaposed with Roger’s defeat, creating a mirror image of their respective fates. Roger is trapped by the weight of his own past and the expectations of his trophy wife, while Don appears to be getting into exactly the same situation. Yet, Megan’s vitality offers a different potential path. The episode serves as a reminder that while the walls between our lives may be built to protect us, it is the cracks in those walls that allow the light—and the business—to come through.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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