# Mad-Men: 7.02"A Day's Work" (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576 "2014-04-21T01:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/21 "2014-04-21T14:27:39Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > This seems like it is the first time being honest brought Don closer to someone. He came up with his new identity because he thought no one could love Dick Whitman. He was honest to Betty and they got divorced. He was honest at work and he got fired. Well, he was honest about his past with Megan and Dr. Psychologist-Lady as well and both were all “Oh hey, you trust me yay let’s be in love” about it. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/22 "2014-04-21T14:48:39Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I did like the bit where Dawn and… Shirley? were calling each other by their own name as an in-joke. Obviously, the white folks can’t tell them apart… Well, I thought Shirley was the one that got the promotion at the end, so they’re not wrong… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/23 "2014-04-21T14:57:51Z")
Really enjoyed this episode. Loved the scene where Roger hung up on Pete-- I know it was a minor thing, but I laughed out loud. And when Don asked Sally what to write in the note and she said “Just tell the truth”. They even addressed the hat issue I raised last week!! Could the mini skirts be any mini-er? ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/24 "2014-04-21T15:05:36Z")
Lou’s blandness is deliberate, I think. Probably the partners just wanted someone more predictable than Don. He might not be able to come up with brilliant campaign ideas, but he also won’t make an embarrassing revelation about his background in the middle of a client meeting, or make a secretary so mad that she throws something across the room at his head. Dawn blew up at him, but that was a pretty routine office outburst, actually kind of mild by SC&P standards. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/25 "2014-04-21T15:26:54Z")
How could Don legally jump ship as he seems to be considering? Interesting that he turned down a chance to be unfaithful to Megan but took up professional promiscuity. Do you think Megan is going to be unfaithful this season? ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/26 "2014-04-21T15:37:39Z")
I think he’ll use offers from other companies as leverage to get back in the office. Do they want their (former) big ad creator that’s possibly shaped up back or do they want an ugly lawsuit about non-compete clauses ? ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/27 "2014-04-21T15:39:42Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > How could Don legally jump ship as he seems to be considering? I thought he was keeping himself “out there” so he’d either (A) have some leads should SCP (is that the company name these days?) finally cut him or (B) maybe let word trickle back to SCP and spur them to allow the prodigal son back home. Better than watching Little Rascals reruns until you’re finally officially fired and then starting the new hunt. He’s still playing the plausible denialbility game mentioning how he’s still employed and has a non-compete and these are just “social” lunches. McCann tried to hire Don once with the Betty/Coca-Cola ad thing. What was the other time? ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/28 "2014-04-21T15:46:11Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > McCann tried to hire Don once with the Betty/Coca-Cola ad thing. What was the other time? According to Sepinwall, “the second was at the end of season 3, when the Brits are on the verge of selling Sterling Cooper to McCann.” ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/29 "2014-04-21T16:42:52Z")
For once I caught on to a recurring theme in an episode…yay me! Communication, or more precisely poor/bad communication. Peggy not communicating with her assistant about the flowers very well, partners meeting with the bad phone connection, Don and Sally not really communicating at first. And they were all handled in different ways, Peggy by throwing the blame around, Roger trying a difffrent metiod and Don and Sally just being honest. Good episode. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/30 "2014-04-21T16:47:41Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Peggy was not just “needing a man.” … True. But that was part of the subtext – especially, the way the guys in the office were portrayed as regarding her. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/31 "2014-04-21T19:27:13Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I’m having a hard time with this right now. I’ve heard folks complain that Game of Thrones is basically a bunch of horrible people doing horrible things to each other, and that’s how this felt to me–except everything was also incredibly petty. The only folks I had any sympathy for were the black secretaries (Dawn and ?) and Joan, none of whom had enough screen time or love from the plot to carry it for me. Don is a bit of cypher for right now, and he’s not getting much screen time. Sally, whom I’ve always loved, is turning into Betty Jr. (Plus, her incredibly dark eyebrows are distracting with her blonde mane, and yes, I know that’s petty of me.) Peggy’s cringeworthy now, Pete has lost whatever it was that made him anything other than a ball of slime. Roger didn’t get enough screen time this episode to comment on. Bert, whom I’ve always loved, decided to put his racism on his sleeve. I don’t even know who this Lou character is, but I want to punch him every time I see his stupid face. That’d be fine, if he were just there to be the heel I love to hate, but I’m kinda hating and/or cringing at everyone now. > > All of that said, I’m on board for the season. I’ve put in the work for six seasons so far, so I’m not hopping ship now. But I may be gritting my teeth through it. I could have written every word of this. Agree 100%. > [@JKellyMap](#): > > Here you go – Gloria Steinem’s seminal New York Magazine article, [After Black Power, Women’s Liberation?](http://nymag.com/news/politics/46802/), came out in April 1969 (approximately the _next_ Mad Men episode), and the first issue of _Ms. Magazine_ was in December 1971. I was a charter subscriber to \*Ms \*and still have the first anniversary t-shirt. During this episode, I was a senior in college and the minis were indeed THAT mini. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Did Joan say that her flowers were from her son? I think he’s about two or three years old now. So is this one of those gifts that a mother buys for her child to give to her? Joan said to Roger, “The flowers are from my son. Thank you, Roger.” That early scene where Don was in the restaurant across from Dave Toomey–holy crap: it was like Don was looking in the mirror. Except for Dave’s glasses and the bad clothes, their faces are almost identical. At first I wondered if it was some kind of dream sequence where Don was meeting himself. Did Don and Sally really walk out of the restaurant without paying? He said they were going to, then he smiled and took out his wallet. But was that just for a tip? I also loved it when Roger hung up on Pete. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/32 "2014-04-21T19:34:24Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Did Don and Sally really walk out of the restaurant without paying? He said they were going to, then he smiled and took out his wallet. But was that just for a tip? I think Don was just being playful to see what kind of reaction he’d get from Sally, and I think he appreciated that she was so shocked at the idea. It was just a bit of father-daughter bonding. Speaking of which, I liked the double meaning in the title… “A Day’s Work”. The episode was literally about a day at work, but also could refer to the work Don put into his and Sally’s relationship that day that paid off at the end with the “I love you.” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/33 "2014-04-21T21:44:06Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I think Don was just being playful to see what kind of reaction he’d get from Sally, and I think he appreciated that she was so shocked at the idea. It was just a bit of father-daughter bonding. Hell, he should have just offered her a cigarette. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/34 "2014-04-21T23:23:32Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Peggy was not just “needing a man.” Her work life has gone to shit… And her social life now seems to consist of unclogging her tenants’ toilets. Hopefully the building will burn down so she can collect on her insurance. BTW was Peggy cluelessly asking to go along on Stan’s date in the elevator? :dubious: That sounds like Michael Scott territory. > [@simple\_homer](#): > > My understanding is that Roger bought the flowers. I think Joan’s mother bought her the flowers and signed Kevin’s name on the card. > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Well, I thought Shirley was the one that got the promotion at the end, so they’re not wrong… Shirley’s the new girl, Dawn’s been on the show for 2 seasons. Also Dawn straightens her hair; Shirley doesn’t. > [@LVBoPeep](#): > > I think he’ll use offers from other companies as leverage to get back in the office. Do they want their (former) big ad creator that’s possibly shaped up back or do they want an ugly lawsuit about non-compete clauses ? The non-compete clause only applies if Don resigns; not if he quits. Which they have to keep Don on the payroll and paying whatever salary he was drawing before he went on leave (in addition to his profit sharing) so he’s still technically employed by SCP. ---
**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:** [April 21, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/35 "2014-04-21T23:44:06Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > BTW was Peggy cluelessly asking to go along on Stan’s date in the elevator? :dubious: That sounds like Michael Scott territory. She had no idea that it was Valentine’s Day and assumed Stan was going to a party or some other group thing where she could tag along. > [@](#): > > I think Joan’s mother bought her the flowers and signed Kevin’s name on the card. She thanked Roger for them; they were pretty obviously from Roger under Kevin’s name. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/36 "2014-04-22T00:18:54Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I thought he was keeping himself “out there” so he’d either (A) have some leads should SCP (is that the company name these days?) finally cut him or (B) maybe let word trickle back to SCP and spur them to allow the prodigal son back home. Better than watching Little Rascals reruns until you’re finally officially fired and then starting the new hunt. > > He’s still playing the plausible denialbility game mentioning how he’s still employed and has a non-compete and these are just “social” lunches. > > McCann tried to hire Don once with the Betty/Coca-Cola ad thing. What was the other time? I vote for B. And I don’t even think it was an accident that McCann ran into them at lunch. By the end of the day, word will be on the street that the great Don Draper is taking meetings, a client will ask the firm what happened to Don, and they’ll have to either confess he’s no longer with the firm (and probably buy him out), or bring him back in. Either way, Don wins. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/37 "2014-04-22T00:20:41Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > I did like the bit where Dawn and… Shirley? were calling each other by their own name as an in-joke. Obviously, the white folks can’t tell them apart, but I appreciate that this show is smart enough that it doesn’t have to go through a bunch of laborious set-up scenes to get that across. I do have sore ribs from that; Smooth character that I am, I blurted out, “Don’t call me Shirley” within elbow’s reach of my wife. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/38 "2014-04-22T00:31:37Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > … > The non-compete clause only applies if Don resigns; not if he quits. Which they have to keep Don on the payroll and paying whatever salary he was drawing before he went on leave (in addition to his profit sharing) so he’s still technically employed by SCP. What is the difference between quitting and resigning? ---
**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:** [April 22, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/39 "2014-04-22T00:41:39Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > She had no idea that it was Valentine’s Day and assumed Stan was going to a party or some other group thing where she could tag along. > > She thanked Roger for them; they were pretty obviously from Roger under Kevin’s name. Agree on both counts. ---
**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:** [April 22, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576/40 "2014-04-22T01:04:19Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > She had no idea that it was Valentine’s Day and assumed Stan was going to a party or some other group thing where she could tag along. > > She thanked Roger for them; they were pretty obviously from Roger under Kevin’s name. OK that makes more sense. I missed the bit where Joan thanked Roger. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > What is the difference between quitting and resigning? They’re the same thing; a non-compete clause only goes into in case of resignation, not termination or lay offs. The main plot of Shut the Door. Have a Seat hinged on it. Lane fired Roger, Burt, & Don, so they could start their own firm, and Mr Sheffield in turn fired him for insubordination, which left Lane free to join the new firm. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-men-7-02-a-days-work-open-spoilers/686576.md?page=3)