Season 2: Episode 13: "Meditations in an Emergency"

"It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine"

Season 2: Episode 13

“Meditations in an Emergency”

Written by Matthew Weiner & Kater Gordon

Directed by Matthew Weiner

Setting: October 1962

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There is a piece of footage from the 9/11 attacks I often remember. After the collapse of the towers, a cameraman approaches a dust-covered survivor and asks if he can talk about his experience.

The man calmly says “I’d rather not, I’ve had a bad day” and walks away.

A feeling that can go unnoticed as the world changes is that normalcy remains. It may feel like the missiles could hit any moment but people still visit the hair salon and punch in at work. Season 2 of Mad Men ends as a meditation on the normal things in life such as family, friends, and your job. People are so worried about the world at large that the actions of their lives have no other blame.

Covid affected us forever but we all know someone who talks about it in a way that explains every problem they have. These characters could have easily used the Cuban Missile Crisis (Oct 16, 1962 – Oct 29, 1962 ) as a comforting excuse for other aspects of their life.

Betty does not want to bring a child into her and Don’s broken relationship. The state of the world isn’t of any concern.

She also hooks up with a stranger because she and Don may end, not because “Russians are invading Key West.”

Peggy’s faith in her understanding of God is unbroken when Father Gill tells her she will go to Hell for her sins. Nuclear war is no reason for her to see God differently.

Don has lived every day like there is no tomorrow making him the man of the moment. He foils Duck Phillips’ scheme to overtake Sterling Cooper by showing no fear. Bad coworkers are more dangerous to Don than bombs. A bomb will kill you today but a bad coworker is still in the office tomorrow.

This is the brink for America but just a week in October for Don Draper. As the owner of the American dream, he knows it can turn to ash. Smaller things than bombs can accomplish that.

Losing the normalcy of life will destroy any indulgence or escape. Lies destroy a good life. It is not a lie to go to work or play with your kids as the world changes. What is a lie is to do nothing to protect that world. You make the world better through your actions. The good you do begins with those closest to you and blossoms.

The tragedy of “Meditations in an Emergency” is that Don Draper survives to lose his soul again. This will not be the last time it feels like the world is ending.

I find Mad Men’s best episodes connect their storylines through themes rather than direct interaction.

Don returns to his family and Betty abandons them for a night to do what Don has done for years.

Betty doesn’t want her child but feels forced to have it whereas Peggy admits to Pete that she gave up their child and feels no shame in admitting this.

Father Gill lectures Peggy about a confession she has not given and Duck berates Don over a contract he did not sign.

The end of the world is filled with those who seek control and the world is always ending. When you see the 1960s of Mad Men, this world does not exist anymore. It ended and we are in its aftermath, meditating on the next emergency.

These characters do not learn from the past but you can. Here are their meditations on these emergencies:

The Return of Don

Don Draper returns to New York after three weeks away. His time with Anna has made him realize that he wants a good life with his wife and kids. He knows he can win them back but deep down, he does not know if he can keep them.

This is the most we have ever seen him fight for tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, will he feel the same?

Betty Becomes Don

Leaving the kids with Don for an evening, Betty heads to a Manhattan bar and has sex with a stranger. The action brings her no meaning. Instead, she now has a sad understanding of her husband.

He cheats on her because he can.

It’s easy to lie which is why it’s so easy for them to hold hands and pretend they can both make this work. In the other’s eyes, they see the truth.

Pete and the Truth

Pete’s story follows the conflict of season one. He is no longer Don’s enemy, but an ally.

“One never knows how loyalty is born,” Cooper tells Don after Pete tries to have him fired in season one.

Pete tells Don the truth that Duck is planning to become the head of Sterling Cooper. This was the right move but it empowers him to feel he can do anything.

He tells Peggy he loves her and she reveals another truth.

This is one of the most well-acted and iconic scenes of the show and while they do not directly confront like this again, this talk is carried in their body language and looks for the following five seasons.

The world in crisis doesn’t feel like a big deal when life gets personal.

Duck the Salesman

Duck is irredeemable by now and many could see this season leading to his demise at Sterling Cooper. It doesn’t matter how much you want something or plan for it, that plan is more than just you. When you value people and honesty, plans can take time but fulfill everyone. A quick and desperate turn for power preying on Roger’s divorce was doomed because Duck was doomed.

In Don Draper, Duck is gambling against a man who never bets with his own money. Duck loses because he sees Sterling Cooper as an extension of himself whereas Don sees it as all of their clients.

Duck isn’t selling tomorrow, he’s selling today. Even though Don does not believe in tomorrow, he knows how to sell it.

The meditation that draws these stories together is simple, no matter why you believe it.

The world is always on the brink of something and you have to believe in tomorrow.

Tomorrow is why the world does not end today.

[All images © AMC]