Recap / Mad Men S 7 E 9 New Business

Everything good I have is from a long time ago.

Betty reveals to Don that she is pursuing a master's degree in psychology. Pima Ryan, a famous commercial artist collaborating with SC&P on an ad campaign for Cinzano, seduces Stan and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce Peggy. Megan, who is struggling to find work, rejects a sexual proposition from Harry, then accepts a $1 million check from Don as a divorce settlement.

Marie and Marie-France (Megan's sister) come to New York to help Megan move her belongings out of Don's apartment. Ignoring Megan's instructions about the few items to take, Marie has all of Don's furniture and most of his possessions removed, summons Roger to pay the movers, and then has sex with Roger in the apartment.

Don continues pursuing a relationship with Diana and learns more about her — she abandoned one daughter after the other died. Diana ultimately rejects Don because he makes her forget about them. After leaving Diana's apartment, he comes home to find his own apartment emptied.

This episode contains examples of:

• Betty and Veronica: Elaine is the supportive and patient Betty to Pima's seductive and predatory Veronica when it comes to Stan.
• The Bus Came Back: For Sylvia and Arnold Rosen, who Don and Diana encounter in a lift; Arnie's crack about Diana implies that he's become less friendly with Don, possibly as a result of noticing Don bringing various women back to his apartment since Megan left. Also, Marie Calvet.
• Casting Couch: Harry's lunch conversation with Megan gives very heavy hints of this; he's even booked a room upstairs in anticipation of getting sex from her in return for helping her with her career.
  Harry: You are every man's fantasy. You're like Ali McGraw and Brigitte Bardot had a baby.
• Call-Back: Harry's propositioning of Megan calls to mind the time he went into detail about the things he'd like to do to her when he thought she wasn't listening in "A Little Kiss".
• December–December Romance: Marie and Roger rekindle their relationship, which leads to Marie leaving her husband.
• Femme Fatale: Pima tries to seduce Peggy and Stan, by feeding on what she has in common with them (Peggy as a Boss Lady) or on their insecurities (Stan). She has more success with Stan than she does with Peggy.
• Foot-Dragging Divorcee: Don really draws out his divorce with Megan even though both parties have basically moved on from their relationship. He finally signs the papers after he realizes how unfair he's being to Megan.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: Stan. Peggy and Pima discuss him with Peggy saying he has an ego while Pima states he's really just insecure and struggling to be seen as an artist. Both are right.
• Jerkass: Harry Crane may be at his worst yet as he tries to put Megan on a Casting Couch and lies to Don that she said "crazy things" to cover his ass in case she tells.
• Mama Bear: Marie, angry at Don for (as she perceives) failing Megan as a husband, decides to have all of his possessions and furniture moved out of his apartment. And then "defile" his bedroom by having sex with Roger in it.
  Marie: I hate what he's done to this family.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Harry's off-hand comment that it was stupid for Megan to quit her job back in Season 6 and leave New York makes Don realize that he basically ruined her career and her life. As a last effort to try to make it up to her, he gives her a divorce settlement of $1 million and signs the divorce papers.
• Outliving One's Offspring: Diana's grief, which ultimately splits her from Don, stems from her losing a daughter.
• Precision F-Strike: Megan delivers this when she finds out that Roger and Marie just had sex after moving all of the furniture out of Don's apartment.
• Put on a Bus: Megan Draper.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Two from Megan.
  • She delivers one to Don when they meet:
    Megan: I don't want anything of yours. I wasn't going to say a word. I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction of knowing that you ruined my life...Why did I believe you? Why did I believe the things you said to me? Why am I being punished for being young? I gave up everything for you because I believed you. And you're nothing but a liar. An aging, sloppy, selfish liar.
  • And she delivers another one to her sister after the latter blames Megan for Marie's leaving their father:
    Megan: You know it's a sin to be a ghoul and feed on everyone's pain? She's been very unhappy for a very long time. At least she did something about it.
• Shout-Out: One of the LPs in Don's record collection, which presumably gets taken along with the rest of his stuff, is Exotica by Martin Denny. Denny's music has been used in the show before, notably "Misirlou" in "The Jet Set".