# Mad Men 2.11: Jet Set, 10/12/08 (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662 "2008-10-13T01:50:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/61 "2008-10-14T20:47:02Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > That happens years ago (I’m thinking about a decade). Yep. But the writers have to explain that scene, and they need to do it in the final episodes. If she’s not the one Don called, then the writers will have to introduce another new character. That’d be unusual, especially with just two episodes left. I’m thinking Don has kept in touch with her over the years, whoever she is. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/62 "2008-10-14T20:54:32Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > You guys know there are lots and lots of boobies - of all colors, shapes and sizes, available in full exposure and in pairs - all over the internet, for free…right? I was thinking the same thing, lol. Boys are weird. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/63 "2008-10-14T21:04:00Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > You guys know there are lots and lots of boobies - of all colors, shapes and sizes, available in full exposure and in pairs - all over the internet, for free…right? These [boobies](http://www.fundraisingresearch.info/USERIMAGES/boobies.bmp) look identical to me. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/64 "2008-10-14T21:21:48Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > The boy looked to be at least 8 years old. If Joy is 21, there’s pretty much no way it’s her kid. Also, he was telling Joy that he was tired of dealing with his wife’s lawyers, who were keeping his kids away from him. Joy’s not their mother. Maybe Christian is her brother. I was thinking that the guy with the kids is the previous ‘Don’. Joy broke up his marriage and now he is jetsetting with his kids in tow. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/65 "2008-10-14T21:57:33Z")
I love that Peggy may have a real friend and ally. Because really, she’s been to hell and back with no one she can turn to except maybe her typewriter. Not Joan (duh), not her family, not the priest. Even Don, who’s been kind, isn’t exactly great friend material. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/66 "2008-10-14T22:14:57Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > And this emphasizes the decision that Don has to make – Don’s not being offered freedom by Joy and Viscomte Willie in the form of untold riches – he’s being offered a position as a kind of servant who gets to live in comfort. I have to agree that it’s very likely that this is the choice Don will have to make: live of leisure as an ornament for as long as Joy is interested, or go back to his family and SC and work it out. The chances that he’d be able to have both Joy and work is unlikely (in a literal and metaphorical sense), and I don’t see the writers breaking him and Betty up permanently either. So my speculation about Don coming in with financial backing to block Duck seems farfetched, but was fun to think about. The thought of Duck running SC is just to awful to contemplate, for me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/67 "2008-10-14T22:31:04Z")
Personally, I have no compassion for Sterling Cooper. Look at the top of the organisation: Cooper is a misanthrope libertarian skinflint. Sterling is a selfish alcoholic philanderer. Pete is an overprivileged self-centered misogynist bigot. Don is a fucked up philandering asshole. Joan is a terror. The only people I have sympathy for are lower down – Peggy, Cosgrove, Kinsey, Crane, Sal, etc. I’m not sure they wouldn’t be better off under a new regime. The main drawback to Duck Phillips seems to be that, so far, when he’s in disagreement with Don over client matters, he seems to be wrong. Other than that, I don’t necessarily see how having Duck in charge would be significantly worse than having Sterling and Cooper in charge. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/68 "2008-10-14T22:37:43Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > The main drawback to Duck Phillips seems to be that, so far, when he’s in disagreement with Don over client matters, he seems to be wrong. Other than that, I don’t necessarily see how having Duck in charge would be significantly worse than having Sterling and Cooper in charge. Duck is as bad as Sterling and Coop, if not worse. I’m sorry, but this is the man that abandoned his beloved dog into the streets of NYC so he could sneak a drink. I despise him on that basis alone, while at the same time pitying him for his disease. I find Bert Cooper to be a rather daft old capitalist, but not a despicable or degenerate person. In fact, I find his attitudes rather refreshing in their consistency and focus on a very concrete priority. He’s a practical man. Agree totally about Sterling-- he’s a self-destructive idiot. Why would he give up on Joan only to ruin himself for Jane? Loser. However, Don is a conundrum. He’s fucked up, and an asshole, but he’s our protagonist, so I am interested in his transformation. He may wind up like Tony Soprano, irredeemably sociopathic and doomed. Maybe not. He’s on a journey, and I’m both rooting for him and cursing him in the same breath. It might be interesting to see what happens to him under a Duck Phillips regime at SC. The power struggle there will be fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/69 "2008-10-14T23:25:55Z")
My problem with picturing Duck in charge is that he’s still a nonentity to me, as are most of the SC men, with the exception of Pete and Roger. We’re almost finished with S2 and I’m just now attaching names to those guys. So maybe it’s my fault for not paying attention, but I can’t imagine any of them playing a bigger role in the show and affecting Don’s life in a major way. They’re foils, all of them. Roger and Bert (?) are too canny to allow Duck to put one over on them, and those British guys didn’t just fall off the turnip truck either. Duck’s headed for well-earned disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/70 "2008-10-14T23:37:08Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Roger and Bert (?) are too canny to allow Duck to put one over on them, and those British guys didn’t just fall off the turnip truck either. Duck’s headed for well-earned disaster. It’ll be a disaster for Duck either way. If he tries a coup and fails, he’ll be an out of work alcoholic. If he succeeds, we’ve seen that he’s incompetent and has bad instincts, so he’ll drive SC into the ground. So, Duck’s in for a fall; the question is then, will he take SC with him? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/71 "2008-10-14T23:49:20Z")
How’s that meeting going to go? Brits: So, we hear Sterling Cooper’s for sale, something about an expensive divorce? SC: So, we hear you guys are looking for a turnkey US office? The only way Duck can make that work is if they never meet, and just use him as intermediary. And if he can get Joan or Hildy to type the documents and remove any terms relating to “sale” or “controlling interest”. I’m picturing one of those comedies from the 60’s with one guy going from room to room, trying to keep people apart. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/72 "2008-10-15T00:44:54Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > I’m sorry, but this is the man that abandoned his beloved dog into the streets of NYC so he could sneak a drink. I thought that he got rid of the dog in order to avoid having a drink. It’s no big deal either way, I suppose. And I also thought that he was faking the “beloved” part. > [@](#): > > I despise him on that basis alone, while at the same time pitying him for his disease. Abandoning a pet is rough business, but I don’t know if that’s worth more despite than what people like Roger, Don, and Pete do to the human beings in their lives. As I said before, I think the comparison between Bert-Roger-Don-Peter on the one hand and Duck on the other hand is pretty much a washout. > [@](#): > > I find Bert Cooper to be a rather daft old capitalist, but not a despicable or degenerate person. Perhaps he’s not actively malicious, but he seems fairly indifferent to the plight of his fellow humans. > [@](#): > > In fact, I find his attitudes rather refreshing in their consistency and focus on a very concrete priority. Yes, the accumulation of wealth. He’s pretty soulless. And a Randian. > [@AuntiePam](#): > > How’s that meeting going to go? > > Brits: So, we hear Sterling Cooper’s for sale, something about an expensive divorce? > > SC: So, we hear you guys are looking for a turnkey US office? > > The only way Duck can make that work is if they never meet, and just use him as intermediary. And if he can get Joan or Hildy to type the documents and remove any terms relating to “sale” or “controlling interest”. I’m picturing one of those comedies from the 60’s with one guy going from room to room, trying to keep people apart. I don’t think Duck is engaging in some kind of goofy scam here. If the Brits are smart, they’re not going to give away their source of information. And I’m not aware that he actually lied to Bert and Roger about anything. Bert and Roger, in fact, see only dollar signs. Unless the offer is good enough, they’re not going to go for it. If it is good enough, they’re not going to care too much about the titanic struggle between Don and Duck. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662/73 "2008-10-15T01:10:42Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I thought that he got rid of the dog in order to avoid having a drink. It’s no big deal either way, I suppose. > > And I also thought that he was faking the “beloved” part. I thought it was real love with the dog, cast aside for the drink. Rather awful, really. > [@](#): > > Abandoning a pet is rough business, but I don’t know if that’s worth more despite than what people like Roger, Don, and Pete do to the human beings in their lives. It is an indicator of how depraved the drink makes Duck. It doesn’t help that he’s also an incompetent in pretty much every aspect of life. At least Roger, Don, and Bert have other qualities to recommend them. Don can be downright honorable at times, when it doesn’t involve his sex life. Bert could have ruined Don’s life but he decided he valued Don more than he wanted to judge him. I have seen nothing to praise Duck for. > [@](#): > > As I said before, I think the comparison between Bert-Roger-Don-Peter on the one hand and Duck on the other hand is pretty much a washout. Yeah, I disagree. De gustibus. > [@](#): > > Perhaps he’s not actively malicious, but he seems fairly indifferent to the plight of his fellow humans. > > Yes, the accumulation of wealth. He’s pretty soulless. And a Randian. I don’t see where Bert is indifferent to the plight of his fellow humans. He is a businessman, and they want money. Anyone who is in business who says otherwise is selling something, or working against his own interests. Really, I find Coop’s focus on the bottom line makes him something of the ideal capitalist, maybe even the ideal Randian: people are worth what they can produce. If the person is gay, or a woman, or has a black girlfriend, or a shady past, so what? Is he a good worker? Then he’s all right by me. Maybe that’s soulless, but it is also rather egalitarian. > [@](#): > > I don’t think Duck is engaging in some kind of goofy scam here. If the Brits are smart, they’re not going to give away their source of information. And I’m not aware that he actually lied to Bert and Roger about anything. Bert and Roger, in fact, see only dollar signs. Unless the offer is good enough, they’re not going to go for it. If it is good enough, they’re not going to care too much about the titanic struggle between Don and Duck. They are going to care about the struggle because Don is excellent at his job and Duck is an incompetent who will soon be circling the drain, if his past bout with drink is any evidence. They might not care until it’s too late, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-2-11-jet-set-10-12-08-open-spoilers/467662.md?page=3)