Some people just hide in plain sight.
The back drop of this episode is the death of Marilyn Monroe. Joan is very disturbed by the star's death. Don is discouraged about his marriage, and resigned to failure. His attitude rubs off on Roger. Freddy's alcoholism leads to a career related disaster.
This episode contains examples of:
- Accentuate the Negative: Roger has this reaction to Joan's feelings about Marilyn Monroe. It hurts Joan, she suggests that think how he would feel if he were treated the same way if someone he cared about died.
- The Alcoholic: Freddy is this, and it as now caught up with him.
- Potty Failure: Freddy has one of these while preparing a presentation to clients, and he is ordered to take six months leave.
- Punched Across the Room: Don punches Jimmy at the club when he sees him.
- Shout-Out: Right before Don punches him (see Punched Across the Room above), Jimmy calls Don The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
- Sour Grapes: The correct moral to draw from Don's statement about marriage might be found in Aesop's story about the Fox and the Grapes. If you cannot get the grapes, you might as well conclude they are not that important.
- Took a Level in Badass: After repeatedly screwing up earlier in the season, Jane finally comes into her own as Don's secretary in this episode... just in time for her to leave the position as a result of her getting into a relationship with Roger.
- Wham Episode: Freddy is forced out of the agency — officially he's put on leave, but for all intents and purposes he's fired — after his alcoholism causes him to pee in his pants and then pass out during a staff meeting. Peggy is promoted to replace him. Roger announces his intention to divorce Mona and shack up with Jane after Don unwittingly talks him into doing so.
