# Mad-Men: 6.07 "Man with a Plan" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185 "2013-05-12T23:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**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:** [May 15, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/81 "2013-05-15T16:43:16Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > … Isn’t Joan smart enough to already know what this guy’s game is? Absolutely everyone (except Pete, apparently) figured out Bob’s game. Joan knows, and commented as much to her mother about his ulterior motives in being to solicitous of her. However, she’s reconsidering that it might not be too bad, to be the woman of power with a obsequious toyboy. Heck, she was willing to settle for a date-raping failure of a doctor. Bob’s probably a step up from that, at least. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/82 "2013-05-15T16:50:40Z")
Plus, whatever his motives, Bob did get Joan out of the office without making a fuss, to the hospital and got her out of the waiting room and into an exam room. That had to be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/83 "2013-05-15T16:54:04Z")
Note that all of Bob’s actions helping Joan came after Burt Peterson got canned and said something to him on his way out regarding his future w/ the company. I can see it being very likely that Bob got scared and jumped at a chance to get in good with a partner. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy, but not as altruistic as some are claiming. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/84 "2013-05-15T19:08:41Z")
Bob has been jumping at the chance to get in good with the partners since he showed up – that’s his plot arc. First he smarmed Don in the elevator, then tried to suck up to Roger with the food sent to his mom’s memorial, then started hanging around outside the partners’ offices (till sent on by Ken), then started hanging around with the Creative people, and last seen as Pete’s wingman at the hookerhaus. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/85 "2013-05-15T19:12:04Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Bob has been jumping at the chance to get in good with the partners since he showed up – that’s his plot arc. First he smarmed Don in the elevator, then tried to suck up to Roger with the food sent to his mom’s memorial, then started hanging around outside the partners’ offices (till sent on by Ken), then started hanging around with the Creative people, and last seen as Pete’s wingman at the hookerhaus. Well… [Someone](http://i.imgur.com/EMElX96.jpg?1)finally took Bob up on his [coffee offer](http://i.imgur.com/LNFryAu.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/86 "2013-05-15T19:41:20Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by BluePear > Maybe I completely missed it, but what is the new name of the joint company? At one point you can hear a secretary answering the phone with ‘‘Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Cutler Gleason & Chaough’’. That is quite a mouthful. I predict it ends up as “Sterling, Draper, Cutler and Chaough” or SDC&C. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/87 "2013-05-15T21:24:23Z")
Is Sterling Cooper significantly larger than Chaough (etc.) or are they roughly the same size? ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/88 "2013-05-15T22:16:01Z")
Everybody has figured out Bob’s game, but it still paid off big time. As Roger told the guy he fired, “No one fought for you.” Thanks to toadying up to Campbell and helping Joan, they did fight for Bob and Harry Hamlin was like, “If it will get me out of this meeting faster, then whatever.” And seriously, if someone sits with me at the ER and gets me in faster, then I don’t care what their angle is. It’s worth it. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/89 "2013-05-15T22:21:49Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Bob has been jumping at the chance to get in good with the partners since he showed up – that’s his plot arc. First he smarmed Don in the elevator, then tried to suck up to Roger with the food sent to his mom’s memorial, then started hanging around outside the partners’ offices (till sent on by Ken), then started hanging around with the Creative people, and last seen as Pete’s wingman at the hookerhaus. What’s weird is that when I watched the most recent episode during the original broadcast, I assumed that Bob was being nice in helping out Joan. (I also thought that Joan might have been pregnant.) But I think you’re right; Bob is clearly a toady. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/90 "2013-05-15T22:53:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Is Sterling Cooper significantly larger than Chaough (etc.) or are they roughly the same size? I get the impression that SCDP was pulling ahead some towards the end (prior to losing Jaguar & Vicks) but they were in the same tier. Competing for the same clients, being approached by the same clients as well and both putting out quality work. CGC had a car (Aston Martin) which seems to be one of the defining marks of an agency that’s “made it” above the norm. Also, Chaough was able to make Peggy a rather attractive offer to come to CGC so they must have been okay financially. It now occurs to me that you meant population… no idea. all we ever saw of CGC was two offices, I believe. Peggy had three creative guys though which seems to be the same as SCDP was running. ---
**Author:** ![kevja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/aeb1de/32.png) [@kevja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevja)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/91 "2013-05-15T23:18:20Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Plus, whatever his motives, Bob did get Joan out of the office without making a fuss, to the hospital and got her out of the waiting room and into an exam room. That had to be appreciated. She didn’t thank him at her apartment or at the hospital, but along with Pete, she did save his job. I guess that’s a pretty good thank you. And a silly thing. The Don/Dawn name game among others continued last week. Herb from Jaguar and his wife Peaches. Really. We’re a few years from disco, but if the fade out song was “Skake Your Groove Thing” maybe it would have hit home. Also, any episode that Gail is in is always good. Speaking of that, when Joan was wondering who would take care of Kevin, if she died, she mentioned her mother and Greg’s family. Not Greg. What? Did he die over there. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/92 "2013-05-15T23:40:29Z")
> [@kevja](#): > > Speaking of that, when Joan was wondering who would take care of Kevin, if she died, she mentioned her mother and Greg’s family. Not Greg. What? Did he die over there. I thought that it was because he was stationed over there still. Also, she is still in the mindset that a man wouldn’t be a child’s main caregiver. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/93 "2013-05-16T11:25:52Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > At one point you can hear a secretary answering the phone with ‘‘Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Cutler Gleason & Chaough’’. That is quite a mouthful. I predict it ends up as “Sterling, Draper, Cutler and Chaough” or SDC&C. That’s a horrible name, and that abbreviation sounds like an abortion. Why would they keep Pryce in the name at all? > [@Jophiel](#): > > …Also, Chaough was able to make Peggy a rather attractive offer to come to CGC so they must have been okay financially. > > It now occurs to me that you meant population… no idea. all we ever saw of CGC was two offices, I believe. Peggy had three creative guys though which seems to be the same as SCDP was running. SCDP and CGC are supposed to be equals, but to the audience it does look like SCDP swallowed up CGC. Weiner isn’t going to go building new sets, and I predict he’ll keep using mostly the same pool of background extras too. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/94 "2013-05-16T11:50:36Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Has anyone explained the meaning of the episode’s title yet? Pretty sure it’s a Bobby Kennedy reference. Possibly his campaign slogan? ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/95 "2013-05-16T13:15:50Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > Pretty sure it’s a Bobby Kennedy reference. Possibly his campaign slogan? Hmm, that’s a good guess but googling it suggests it’s not true. If any candidate in 1968 could be described as “A Man with a Plan” it would be Nixon: he had a “secret plan” to end the war in Vietnam. So maybe it’s more a Bob Benson/Nixon reference. They are both unscrupulous operators who benefit from some misfortune around them. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/96 "2013-05-16T13:23:18Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > SCDP and CGC are supposed to be equals, but to the audience it does look like SCDP swallowed up CGC. Weiner isn’t going to go building new sets, and I predict he’ll keep using mostly the same pool of background extras too. From an in-show point of view, SCDP just did that big expansion with the expectation that Jaguar & Vicks would remain on the books. With them gone, it makes more sense for CGC to move into all that empty real estate than for SCDP to try and shoehorn into the CGC offices or for them to both find some new third space. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/97 "2013-05-16T16:06:47Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I thought that it was because he was stationed over there still. Also, she is still in the mindset that a man wouldn’t be a child’s main caregiver. Or perhaps of the mindset that Dr. Rape wouldn’t want to be a child’s main caregiver. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/98 "2013-05-16T17:08:18Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Or perhaps of the mindset that Dr. Rape wouldn’t want to be a child’s main caregiver. That _Captain_ Rape to you. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/99 "2013-05-16T17:51:09Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > He’d probably consider it beneath him in any case. He never seems to watch anything except news coverage of big events and sports. > Which reminds me that in the earlier seasons they seem to have talked about the latest Broadway shows a lot, but not any more. I wonder if this is intentional. He used to go to ALL the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Slade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Slade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slade)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185/100 "2013-05-16T21:58:17Z")
My take was that Sylvia realised Don had stepped over the line from “innocent sex game” to “creepy dementia” at the moment he took her book away, and that was what snapped her out of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-6-07-man-with-a-plan-open-spoilers/658185.md?page=6)