# Mad-Men: 4.07 "The Suitcase" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742 "2010-09-06T02:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/61 "2010-09-07T17:50:40Z")
> [@shy\_guy](#): > > > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > > > No, _why_ would Anna’s family lie? > > And how would they stop Anna from potentially contacting Don? Unless Anna was in on the ruse, which seems totally contrary to everything we know about the character. I don’t see this as a possibility… Anna could be doped out of her mind on painkillers by now. Still, I don’t think it’s a ruse and she really is dead. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/62 "2010-09-07T18:09:24Z")
There’s no way Anna would con Dick/Don. If she needed a kidney or $50,000 cash or wanted him to bring her to NYC and put her at the Waldorf-Astoria all she’d have to do is ask him. The niece might be planning a con but I doubt it- just would seem a waste of precious airtime. I never really understood the Dick-Anna relationship. I know the origins of course, but has it ever explained how they bonded so? Was there ever a romantic or sexual relationship between them? You’d think that she would have pressed (whatever the 1950s equivalent would be of) identity theft charges and that would have been that- IIRC there was a leap from her confronting him at the car lot (point A) and them being bosom buddy at her place (point G). Did it ever explain how they got from A to G? > [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Just realized that Trudy is the same actress that plays Annie on _Community_. ## To my knowledge they’ve never done an in-joke about this on _Community_, but I was expecting one when Abed transferred to a suave womanizer in one episode then revealed he was channeling Don Draper. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/63 "2010-09-07T18:16:48Z")
Dumb question: was it typical for offices to be unlocked late at night in the 1960s? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/64 "2010-09-07T18:21:09Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Dumb question: was it typical for offices to be unlocked late at night in the 1960s? I think the only reason SCDP was unlocked was because Don & Peggy were still there and forgot to lock the door behind them when they got back from the bar. Individual offices usually didn’t have locks at all. It was quite a big deal when Don got one installed on his door after being made partner. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/65 "2010-09-07T18:21:41Z")
No idea, but perhaps Duck slipped in past the janitorial staff? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/66 "2010-09-07T18:21:42Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Dumb question: was it typical for offices to be unlocked late at night in the 1960s? If you’re talking about Duck wandering in, I think that Peggy left it unlocked when she was racing to get Don to the toilet. (I don’t know if Peggy would have a set of office keys but Don certainly would.) ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/67 "2010-09-07T18:26:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > No idea, but perhaps Duck slipped in past the janitorial staff? They’re not going to stop a white man in a suit who looks like he knows where he’s going. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/68 "2010-09-07T18:27:10Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Don and Roger are drinking during work as usual, Don to the point of puking > > Roger is skipping away from two AA members to go drink > > Duck is so in the throws of alcoholism he’s trying to shit in (what he thinks is) Don’s office > > Do you think that the writers are being preachy or that they’re trying to give Don a wake up call or… what? Neither. The thing about Mad Men is that we’re looking into a different time where that sort of constant drinking throughout the day is perfectly normal and expected. Nobody bats an eye in that world. But people _would_ say something if somebody drank like that today. There are reasons that world doesn’t exist anymore, and I think we’re seeing those reasons play out. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/69 "2010-09-07T18:28:52Z")
It was probably not \*routine \*for entire offices to be left unlocked, but well into the 1980s, security at many white-collar offices could be fairly lax, especially if there wasn’t a lot of expensive gadgetry, valuables, cash, or other easily stolen goods. What equipment was around in the 1960s, even typewriters, would be fairly heavy and not very tempting targets of casual thieves. It was also very common for white collar workers to have unmonitored access to their workplaces, whereas these days, even if there is no human security personnel, entry and exit is often electronically monitored through use of security badges. It wouldn’t necessarily be difficult for someone like Duck or Don or Roger to get into a competitor’s offices after hours. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/70 "2010-09-07T18:51:31Z")
I like that the writers made it so Don has no reason to return to California. No funeral to arrange/attend, and Stephanie in the house means that the writers can concentrate on Don climbing out of his pit. Or what **Jophiel** said. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/71 "2010-09-07T18:55:28Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It wouldn’t necessarily be difficult for someone like Duck or Don or Roger to get into a competitor’s offices after hours. Yes, but as I remember when they were raiding the offices of Sterling Cooper prior to setting up SCDP, they needed Joan to provide the key to the room containing all of the creative material. So the really valuable stuff was secured. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/72 "2010-09-07T18:56:18Z")
I don’t think Don and Peggy will ever become a couple- it’s clear that they don’t think of each other that way- but I hope they don’t pursue a relationship twixt him and Dr. Faye either as there’s just no chemistry between them. (I don’t know if it’s the characters or the actors- even great actors can have no spark together.) Also Don’s becoming a bit too much like J.R. Ewing who could bag any woman who started off hating him by mid-season in spite of not being particularly sexy and much her senior. Since Betty’s off the table (not that I think he particularly wants her back) I’m sure they’re sending him after somebody. Could somebody please refresh my memory as to w hat happened to the Beatnik chik and the elementary school teacher (i.e. were bridges burned with either)? ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/73 "2010-09-07T19:03:43Z")
The beatnik chick fell in love with a beatnik dude. There was no explicit send off for the teacher. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/74 "2010-09-07T19:11:02Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > [@acsenray](#): > > > > It wouldn’t necessarily be difficult for someone like Duck or Don or Roger to get into a competitor’s offices after hours. > > Yes, but as I remember when they were raiding the offices of Sterling Cooper prior to setting up SCDP, they needed Joan to provide the key to the room containing all of the creative material. So the really valuable stuff was secured. They needed Joan because they realized they had no idea where all the stuff they needed _was_, or how it was organized. They weren’t even sure of exactly _what_ they needed. And I doubt any of them knew how to go about actually setting up a new office either. They did have to break into the art deparment, but I bet Don could have just wend and asked Joan where the key was instead of throwing a plant threw the window. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/75 "2010-09-07T19:15:31Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Since Betty’s off the table (not that I think he particularly wants her back) I’m sure they’re sending him after somebody. Could somebody please refresh my memory as to w hat happened to the Beatnik chik and the elementary school teacher (i.e. were bridges burned with either)? The elementary school teacher was waiting for him in the car the night Betty found out about everything. Later he assured her that she didn’t have to worry about her job and that she wasn’t implicated in the clusterfuck, and that was the end of that. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/76 "2010-09-07T19:22:17Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > Also, does anyone else think that Don was lied to about Anna’s illness? It’s seems too flashy for Mad Men, but Anna’s niece did conveniently come up with excuses for why Don shouldn’t fly to California and why Don should keep paying for the house. Sounds a little fishy to me. I don’t think this is “too flashy” for Mad Men (I don’t even know what _would_ be too flashy for Mad Men, seeing as there have been a lot of provocative scenes in the show), and there’s really no reason to doubt anything we’ve seen about Anna and/or her family isn’t exactly what it purports to be. I don’t mean to single you out, **Lakai** , but this reminds me… I read a number of message boards/blogs about this show, and there are always comments from people who seem to think the show is like a spy movie or something, where people are reading into things and looking for clues as though there’s a mystery to solve or like we the audience are being deceived all the time and we have to figure out the truth. This just isn’t the case. I saw comments about Freddy Rumsen calling his AA sponsor – some people thought he was a mole implanted in SCDP by another ad agency ratting out their secrets. I have to laugh at this; that’s not the way this show works. ---
**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:** [September 7, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/77 "2010-09-07T19:31:57Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > They did have to break into the art deparment, but I bet Don could have just wend and asked Joan where the key was instead of throwing a plant threw the window. Actually, Don kicked the door open. I remember thinking it was strange that the head of creative wouldn’t have a key to the art department. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/78 "2010-09-07T20:08:57Z")
If I had to choose anybody at the office to piss off or try to one-up, Joan would be at the bottom of the list in a trio with Don and Roger. She doesn’t strike me as the forgiving type and she’s got as much staying power as any partner. I have a feeling “I’m not a janitor” Boy is going to regret not picking up after himself. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/79 "2010-09-07T20:52:24Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Am I misremembering, or was the Samsonite + Joe Nameth a real-life commercial at some point? It certainly seemed a better idea than Don’s goofy Samsonite TKO idea which Peggy accurately criticized until Don pouted. Unfortunately the Joe Nameth idea seems to have been New Short Guy’s… I don’t think he did a Samsonite ad, but the famous pantyhose ad and the Noxema ad with Farah Fawcett had a very similar vibe to what was being pitched with Samsonite - cute & silly. Coupled with his $100 bet on Liston, Don’s dismissal of the team’s idea gave me the impression that they were showing him as being way off his game. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742/80 "2010-09-07T20:54:56Z")
I remember the [gorilla commercials](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ZeIoLz8FE)for American Tourister (though I thought it was Samsonite). Way more memorable than [this lame Samsonite commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ8QMaJEtvk)from the same era. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-4-07-the-suitcase-open-spoilers/552742.md?page=5)