# Mad-Men: 4.02 "Christmas Comes But Once a Year" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843 "2010-08-02T01:48:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/21 "2010-08-02T15:02:11Z")
Yep, Don knows. Remember Don’s charming comment to Sal about “you people”? ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/22 "2010-08-02T15:52:55Z")
Enjoyed this one…feels like the season is in swing now. Don appears to be pulling away from Roger in the lush race. Also got a kick out of how they persuaded Pete to STFU when Freddy was reacquainted with the team. The only criticism I have - did anyone else think the acting ability (or maybe the casting choice) of the woman who gave the personality test (where Don walked out) was horrible? Neither the delivery of the “psychopath” comment, nor her conversation with Don at the end were believable, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/23 "2010-08-02T16:01:55Z")
Wait, why did Freddy Rumson insist that Pete Campbell not be involved in the Pond’s Cold Cream account? ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/24 "2010-08-02T16:20:32Z")
At the risk of sounding like a creepy child molester, Sally has become a cute kid and looks like she’ll be quite beautiful when she grows up. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/25 "2010-08-02T16:31:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Wait, why did Freddy Rumson insist that Pete Campbell not be involved in the Pond’s Cold Cream account? Freddy pissed himself while drunk & passed out, thereby missing an important client meeting. Pete & Peggy took over and did well. Then Pete told The Seniors about Freddy, which led to his “six months’ leave.” Glad he’s sober, but he might not fit the new agency. He probably could do great, wholesome ads for Jantzen’s 2-piece bathing suits! Uncomfortable episode. Don should have let Allison down easily, with a little speech about getting carried away & not wishing to wreck their good work relationship. He _had_ already put the bonus in the card–but the timing worked miserably. I doubt Allison was resigning–she probably needs the job. She will soldier on. Don knew that Lee Jr was gay but didn’t realize just how brutal he had probably been when he came on to Sal. They have a bunch of smaller clients but badly need more to lessen their vulnerability. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/26 "2010-08-02T16:49:45Z")
Peggy wasn’t doing the hand-jive with Naive Guy because she was trying to avoid pregnancy (by now, she’s a pro at that) – she was trying to be “the kind of girl someone would marry”. Hence her conversation with Freddy. Looks like she didn’t want to give up what she thought she’d have to give up, to get married, and so proceeded to the sexin’. Her expression after, staring with haunting fixation at the camera, was great acting, though. > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > Those guys need to stop having office parties – nothing good ever comes of them. Bite your tongue! Joan’s only failing was forgetting to have a riding lawnmower on hand to take care of Lucky Strikes guy. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/27 "2010-08-02T16:53:32Z")
BTW, was I the only one who found it awkward when Don said to Peggy something to the effect, “Good night, sweetheart.” or something like that right when he was leaving the party? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/28 "2010-08-02T16:54:15Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Don’s breaking one of his biggest rules (never fuck where you work); who’s that going to playout? And he even managed to cluelessly make her feel like a prostitute the morning after. I don’t think it was exactly clueless. It was more that, no matter what he did, he was forced to break one of his rules. He had already promised her the bonus, and from the events of the episode it was pretty clear it would have to come out of his own pocket; but there was no way to do that without the prostitution undertone. Hence his awkwardness. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/29 "2010-08-02T17:08:39Z")
I had to step out for a moment and I missed a minor detail - who was the kid with Glen while he was vandalizing the house? Did they say? With Freddy’s return, interesting way of (more explicitly than ever, I think) introducing the alcoholism motif. I feel like a moment of clarity’s around the corner for someone - probably not Don, since he’s already battling some major demons, but maybe Roger? I don’t find Peggy’s reticence regarding her boyfriend totally convincing. It makes sense that she’d want to settle down and get married, having already run a thorough gauntlet of romantic experiences, but why this guy, who just doesn’t seem to have much personality? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/30 "2010-08-02T17:57:32Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > I doubt Allison was resigning–she probably needs the job. She will soldier on. I’m terrible at telling the third tier characters apart until they’ve been in a bunch of episodes. In the “Next week” montage, was it Allison to whom Don was speaking when he said he needed a date for New Year’s? It could have been his blind date from last week for all I know (since she said she was available for New Year’s). I just saw a young brunette for a moment. ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/31 "2010-08-02T21:08:01Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I’m terrible at telling the third tier characters apart until they’ve been in a bunch of episodes. In the “Next week” montage, was it Allison to whom Don was speaking when he said he needed a date for New Year’s? It looks like Allison to me too. Maybe Don’s loneliness will get the better of him again. I was afraid the hookup was going to happen after Don kept getting shot down by the nurse and then the psychologist. It was really painful to watch. I don’t even know why this is so much worse than any of Don’s other hookups, but I kept hoping that Ken would show up and punch out Don. Since the actor’s still in the credits, maybe he’ll show up in future episodes and awkwardness can ensue between Don, Allison, and Ken. This was a much faster paced episode and I loved it. The focus on the office was a nice change of pace from the third season and I enjoyed Peggy and Freddy’s new dynamic. Peggy and Don’s relationship is a comforting change from all the cringe inducing relationships Don has with other women. When he called Peggy “sweetheart” this episode and “honey” in the last episode, maybe this is a sign that out of all the women he’s known, Peggy’s the only one that he’s truly comfortable with. Oh, and I loved Harry the cookie hoarder. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/32 "2010-08-02T23:10:50Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > What happened to all the clients that were going to be brought with them? Like Pete Campbell’s clients? I think the major one was Clearasil, which they lost. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/33 "2010-08-02T23:43:40Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > > [@Chefguy](#): > > > > They could have showed an entire hour of Joan in the conga line. > > I loved that Joan showed up to the Christmas party wearing the red dress tha Roger told her he liked. Oh yes! ---
**Author:** ![TheTerribleTako](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@TheTerribleTako](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheTerribleTako)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/34 "2010-08-02T23:47:36Z")
According to the season 3 finale, Clearasil is back. Pete mentioned that as part of his client list during the clean out of Sterling Cooper. My guess is, Trudy convinced her father to give the account back to Pete since he was made partner. Knowing Pete though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to piss off his father in law sometime in the last year. They mentioned that Lucky Strikes’ account is about $21 million, making up 71% of the billings. This means they have approximately $30 million in total for all the accounts. So perhaps all the other accounts, like Sugarberry Ham, are much smaller accounts totaling less than $1 million each? ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/35 "2010-08-02T23:49:05Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > BTW, was I the only one who found it awkward when Don said to Peggy something to the effect, “Good night, sweetheart.” or something like that right when he was leaving the party? I loved it. There’s something about Peggy that makes Don be a nice guy. I think she’s the only person he genuinely LIKES and has respect for as a person. He’s protecting and admiring of her at the same time. I think that maybe why her b/f (who I can’t stand) thinks she’s a virgin isn’t that she told him she was, but that he assumed and she never corrected him. It’s a small difference, but I think that’s more what she’s like instead of outright lying. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/36 "2010-08-03T00:01:33Z")
> [@Ruby Sees](#): > > > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > > > BTW, was I the only one who found it awkward when Don said to Peggy something to the effect, “Good night, sweetheart.” or something like that right when he was leaving the party? > > I loved it. There’s something about Peggy that makes Don be a nice guy. I think she’s the only person he genuinely LIKES and has respect for as a person. He’s protecting and admiring of her at the same time. I agree with this. I also appreciated that it was one of Don’s rare gestures of genuine non-sexual, no-ulterior-motives affection, which he usually only gives to his daughter. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/37 "2010-08-05T01:38:03Z")
I just watched it. I liked it quite a bit. As previously said, it was nice focusing more on the office. I’m not enjoying the new Don. What I had loved about the character was how invincible he seemed, despite his past. I liked following the character of someone who’s success was achieved by acting the part and distancing his past. Now, he’s just sad and not so invincible. I may rewatch season 1 this weekend to get a better feel for the difference. I’m hoping future episodes continue with the quick pace and involvement of the whole cast. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/38 "2010-08-05T03:32:06Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@alphaboi867](#): > > > > Don’s breaking one of his biggest rules (never fuck where you work); who’s that going to playout? And he even managed to cluelessly make her feel like a prostitute the morning after. > > I don’t think it was exactly clueless. It was more that, no matter what he did, he was forced to break one of his rules. He had already promised her the bonus, and from the events of the episode it was pretty clear it would have to come out of his own pocket; but there was no way to do that without the prostitution undertone. Hence his awkwardness. As Joan informed us years ago, Don never messed with the office staff. I’m sure some of the other guys were more practiced at letting a secretary down after an indiscretion. He’d already mentioned the bonus & it was pretty generous for those times. But the situation just made everything awkward. (And Don _never_ used to be awkward!) ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/39 "2010-08-05T03:46:47Z")
I found this episode difficult to watch. It was squirm-worthy when it came to the embarrassment factor. But even without that element, it was killing me. Don is really turning into somebody who I don’t want to like–between the drinking and the sleeping with his secretary. I hope he doesn’t marry Allison because the survey lady was totally right, he is the type of man who’ll be remarried within the year. I love that the tragedy of this season is Don getting everything he wanted… ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843/40 "2010-08-05T15:42:41Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > I found this episode difficult to watch. It was squirm-worthy when it came to the embarrassment factor. But even without that element, it was killing me. Don is really turning into somebody who I don’t want to like–between the drinking and the sleeping with his secretary. I hope he doesn’t marry Allison because the survey lady was totally right, he is the type of man who’ll be remarried within the year. > > I love that the tragedy of this season is Don getting everything he wanted… I’m ambivalent about liking Don. The first episode of MAD MEN I saw was the one in which Freddy got fired, and his behavior in that story was honorable enough that I am inclined to think well of him; but he’s odious in many ways. But I also find I can empathize with him without approviing of him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-02-christmas-comes-but-once-a-year-open-spoilers/548843.md?page=3)