Television Review: Hands and Knees (Mad Men, S4x10, 2010)

Hands and Knees (S4x10)

Airdate: 26 September 2010

Written by: Jonathan Abrahams & Matthew Weiner
Directed by: Lynn Shelton

Running Time: 48 minutes

Television series frequently rely on the dramatic convenience of cramming multiple narrative threads into a single episode, a technique that can often feel contrived or artificial. However, when that convergence of events is driven by the cold, unyielding grip of Murphy’s Law—the cynical axiom that anything that can go wrong will go wrong—such conveniences cease to feel manufactured and become deeply resonant. This is precisely the territory explored in Hands and Knees, the tenth episode of the fourth season of Mad Men. Here, SCDP and its staff experience a relentless barrage of personal and professional disasters within the span of mere days, validating the viewer’s own experiences of chaos.

The episode is firmly anchored to the historical calendar of Sunday, 15 August 1965, a date most famously etched into pop culture immortality by the Beatles' performance at Shea Stadium in New York. This momentous occasion provides the backdrop for Don Draper’s brief, flickering moment of domestic bliss. Having somehow managed to procure two tickets to see the Fab Four, Don intends to take Sally, who is an ardent admirer of the group. It is a charming, if fleeting, gesture of paternal affection that stands in stark contrast to the storm gathering around him.

Meanwhile, the personal life of Joan Holloway takes a dark, desperate turn. Her brief, illicit tryst with Roger Sterling in an alleyway has resulted in a pregnancy. The stakes are incredibly high because her husband, Greg, is currently deployed in Vietnam. If she were to give birth, the timing would inevitably reveal that the child is not his, shattering the foundation of her marriage. After agonising over the dilemma, Joan opts for the sensible, albeit heart-wrenching, path. She accepts Roger’s offer of $400 to terminate the pregnancy. It is a transactional solution born of desperation, stripping away the glamour of her position and reducing her to a woman facing a life-altering choice without the support of her husband.

Roger’s own world is crumbling just as surely as Joan’s personal turmoil. Following a dinner with Lee Garner, Jr., the head of Lucky Strike, Roger receives the devastating news that the company is closing its account. As the inheritor of this account from his father, Lucky Strike serves as the financial backbone of SCDP. Upon realising that he cannot sway the executives of British American Tobacco, Roger manages to extract only a thirty-day reprieve. This window is the only opportunity he has to “put his affairs in order” and discover how to plug the sudden, gaping financial black hole that now threatens to consume the agency.

The financial pressure is compounded by personal humiliation for Lane Pryce. He had hoped to meet his son, Nigel, but is instead summoned by his father, Robert (W. Morgan Sheppard). Robert arrives to issue a blunt ultimatum: Lane must return to England and “put his family in order.” Lane’s response is a defiant, almost desperate attempt to assert his independence. He invites his father to the Playboy Club, intending to introduce him to Toni Charles (Naturi Naughton), a Black woman who is also his girlfriend. The scene is meant to shock and impress, showcasing Lane’s life in America. However, when they are alone, Robert’s veneer of politeness cracks. The former salesman, using a cane, beats Lane with brutal efficiency, physically brings him to his knees, and forces him to capitulate to his father’s will. The next day, Lane informs his partners that he will be taking a few weeks off, effectively retreating from the battlefield.

Perhaps the most intense pressure is placed on Don Draper himself. The episode throws a curveball in the form of two officials from the US Defense Department who arrive at Betty’s door. This forces a security check on Don, ostensibly because SCDP has been running ads for North American Aviation. The irony is bitter; Don signed the necessary forms without even understanding what they were for. The investigation poses a terrifying risk: even if Don has no Communist ties, the probe could potentially expose him as the impostor and deserter he is, landing him in jail. This prospect plunges Don into a state of paranoid delirium, manifesting as actual physical sickness. He confesses his fears to Faye, who tends to him with a mix of professional detachment and genuine concern. Just as Don awaits his fate, Pete Campbell intervenes. Pete, who knows the truth about Don’s identity, leverages his connections in the Defense Department to vouch for him. He informs Don that he is not a suspect—at least not yet—but Don, unwilling to gamble with his life, decides to drop the NAA account entirely. This decision sacrifices a valuable client for the sake of security. It is a moment of profound personal humiliation for Pete, who accepts the loss for the team. Later, at the partners’ meeting, Roger scolds Pete for ruining the account, hypocritically hiding the news of the impending loss of Lucky Strike.

Under the direction of Lynn Shelton, a filmmaker best known for her work in the American mumblecore movement, Hands and Knees functions as one of the stronger episodes of Season 4. The script, co-written by Jonathan Abrahams and Matthew Weiner, handles these disparate storylines with impressive efficiency. The writers cleverly employ ironic juxtaposition, contrasting the innocence of the Beatles' music with the industrial grit of corporate betrayal. Jon Hamm delivers another great display of subtle acting in this episode. His character, Don Draper, is in a state of advanced psychological distress; his paranoia, guilt, and despair have progressed beyond mere emotion into actual physical sickness. Hamm captures this deterioration with chilling precision, making the viewer feel the weight of Don’s existential dread.

The episode concludes with a bittersweet note. Don clutches the tickets for the Beatles concert, the promise of a moment of joy, yet he gazes longingly at Megan, his new secretary. It is a look that suggests he is already moving on, or perhaps drifting away from the domestic life he tried to salvage. Hands and Knees is a masterclass in misfortune, where the characters are battered by forces beyond their control. It validates the viewer’s own experiences of Murphy’s Law, turning the convenience of television plotting into a visceral commentary on the fragility of life.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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