The Mountain King (Mad Men)

"The Mountain King" is the twelfth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the penultimate episode of the season. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith and directed by Alan Taylor. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on October 19, 2008.

Plot

The episode begins in early October 1962.

Betty Draper catches Sally in the bathroom trying to smoke. She yanks her hair and pushes her into a closet as punishment, but relents when Sally starts asking about where Daddy is and why can't he come home?

At Sterling Cooper, they're working on a popsicle campaign. Sal reminisces with Peggy about breaking popsicles in half, almost as a ritual. Peggy turns it into a campaign. They meet with the client, who are dismayed to not see Don there. Ken covers for Don, but no one knows where he is. Peggy handles the presentation with the client with aplomb, with the slogan, "Take It, Break It, Share It, Love It". Later, she asks Roger Sterling if she can have Freddy Rumsen's office (an idea originating in a casual word from Pete), and he assents, telling her there were 30 men who didn't have the balls to ask him and praising the "aggressiveness" of the young women of today. Indeed, when Paul and Harry hear that she has an office, they both become indignant. Happy-go-lucky Ken doesn't mind, and later, Pete visits her and he congratulates her.

Hildy tells Pete that he has an appointment with an adoption agency, something Pete clearly has no knowledge of.

Bert meets with his sister to discuss the merger of Sterling Cooper with PPL. Bert is concerned because he promised Roger's father that he would always to take care of Roger, while his sister says Roger will achieve his dream of dying in the arms of a 20-year-old.

Elsewhere, Don approaches a house. He goes to a flashback with Anna Draper, who accuses him of taking her husband's identity. Don tries to prove that he's just another man with the same name, but Anna, who has been looking for him for years, isn't having it. She says he used her husband's serial number to get a driver's license. Don confesses to her that her husband died and was killed in combat. Without admitting he switched dog tags with her husband, he says that "they" made a mistake and he just wanted to get out of there. Don tells her his real name.

Back in the present, Anna joyfully hugs Don. She is in the middle of giving a piano lesson, where the student is playing "In the Hall of the Mountain King", from which the episode title was derived. The piece was written for the satire Peer Gynt and its message is "to thyself be... enough". Don asks if he can take a shower and lie down. Later, wearing clothes provided to him by Anna and shedding the clothes given to him by the jetsetters, they relax on the porch. Anna exposits that Don bought the house for her. She asks about his children. She tells him she feels the two of them met so both of their lives could be better. Don tells her he "has ruined everything", he has betrayed everyone, and he tells her about his visit from his brother Adam.

Don has another flashback to Christmas with Anna some years ago. He tells her he has met the woman he wants to marry, so he needs to divorce Anna. He tells her he is going to take care of her forever because he owes her his whole life. She declares he owes her nothing.

Later, walking in the neighborhood, Don runs into some hotrodders and is excited to talk cars and racing with them. He tells them he is looking for a job. He helps Anna around the house, and later, he finds the copy of Meditations in an Emergency that he sent Anna in the first episode of Season 2. Anna reads his tarot, and tells him he is part of the world and the only thing keeping him from being happy is the feeling that he's alone. Don walks to the ocean and lets the waters wash over him.

Meanwhile, Pete yells in fury at Trudy, furious about the adoption appointment. He puts his foot down that they will never adopt, and he throws the dinner off the balcony. The next day, Pete's father-in-law calls and tells Pete that they're putting Clearasil "under review", obliquely saying that he has 90 days to turn around his relationship with Trudy and make her happy again. Pete blames her unhappiness on her father's interference, and her father then tells Pete that he's pulling the Clearasil account.

At Joan's apartment, her fiancé and she are in bed, making love. When she hears he is tired, she climbs on top and says she'll "do the driving". This upsets him and he tells her to stop. He asks her where she learned that, feeling threatened by her carnal knowledge. Then he turns around and goes to sleep. The next evening, Greg meets Joan at her office, and she introduces him to her co-workers, including Roger. Greg realizes that Roger is a former lover of Joan's. Greg, suddenly heedless of their dinner reservations, commands Joan to fix him a drink, and then goes into Don's office with her and begins to make love to her. Joan resists and begs him to stop and says no. But Greg overpowers her and rapes her while Joan stares at the wall. Afterwards, Joan pulls herself together and they go to dinner as if nothing was amiss. The next day, Joan recites to Peggy the list of her fiancés accomplishments, as if she is trying to convince herself of his merit.

Betty calls her friend from the stables, Sarah Beth. In a previous episode, Betty manipulated Sarah Beth and Arthur to begin an affair. Once Sarah Beth admits to the affair, Betty berates Sarah Beth for the infidelity.

The partners have a meeting to discuss the merger. While Don is not there, Bert declares his 12% share in the company to be mathematically insignificant. All those present vote in favor of the merger.

Paul Kinsey returns from Mississippi. He has broken up with his girlfriend.

Later, Betty shares a tender moment with Sally. She has bought her horseback riding equipment, because it is Sally's fondest wish that she learn how to ride horses. Then Betty tells Sally that she and Don are having a disagreement. The conversation concludes when Betty notices some vaginal bleeding.

Cultural references

The film The Day the Earth Stood Still, about an alien coming to earth to prevent nuclear war, is playing on the TV late one night in Joan's apartment.

References

External links