AMC's Mad Men Season 7 Episode 1 Review

AMC's Mad Men returned for its final season and set up the main characters for their closing season.

Don, after being put on leave from SC&P, flies to California to visit Megan who has become a successful actress in Hollywood.  Megan has a bit of a complex because she's married to a wealthy man who pays for everything while her coworkers are starving (for work and literally).  She's awkward around him, but Don uses his patented moves to make her fall for him all over again.

Back at the agency, Freddy appears to be a rising star while giving a knock-out pitch to Peggy for Accutron Watches.  Peggy is beyond impressed because anything great coming from Freddy is a curve ball because he was once a drunk who soiled himself in the office after drinking too much.  The secret no one knows is that Don is feeding his ideas to Freddy to keep the company embedded with his work.  When Peggy presents Freddy's ideas to the new "Don," by the name of Lou, he gives Peggy a hard time and he does so because he says he's "immune to" her charms.

If Peggy didn't already have it hard enough for herself by working in a male-dominated office where her pushing is construed as being a b*tch, Ted returns from California and creates more tension for Peggy.  Her affair with Ted ended last season when he decided to help the agency open a new office in California with Pete (which should be another awkward situation because of her and Pete's past affair that ended with her giving away their secret love child).  

Peggy certainly does not know how to choose her men, that's for sure.

The only other person in the office who currently has made an effort to move the mountains set in their way is Joan.  Having prostituted herself for the company's contract with a major car lot owner, she earned herself a partner title.  Unfortunately, Joan's partner title doesn't have her contributing to much besides being a part of the leadership discussions.  

Joan made a move towards the end of last season and somewhat secured Avon Cosmetics for the agency by using her friend who jumped from Mary Kay Cosmetics.  Another golden opportunity falls in her lap when Kenny gives her Butler Footwear to manage because he doesn't want to meet with a new, lower point person at the footwear company.  Unfortunately when Joan meets with the point person, he declares that the company is planning on in-house advertising and therefore dropping SC&P.  Joan consults a business professor before she makes her next move which results in SC&P maintaining its contract with Butler Footwear.

On the west coast, Pete is loving everything about the sunshine state.  He loves the style, he loves the smaller office, and he certainly loves his real estate agent.  The only thing he seems to miss from the east coast is the bagels, which he made Ted promise to bring back when Ted returns from New York.

Roger's daughter, Margaret, invites him to brunch.  In the past seasons of the show, she had temper tantrums over Roger's neglectful ways and demanded he give her money for her various desires.  First, it was her elaborate wedding and then she demanded he invest in her husband's company.  Roger knows that any phone call from Margaret has strings attached, so it's reasonable he has his guard up towards a brunch date.

At the brunch, Margaret "forgives" Roger for all of his neglect.  She says she had a lot of time to reflect recently and decided she made life harder for herself when she dwelled on the negativity he brought into her life.  This information comes uneasily to Roger, who only reaches enlightenment through LSD.  Nonetheless, he accepts his daughter's forgiveness and then carries himself home to a younger lover who has another male partner in their bed.  She reminds him that everyone is welcome in their bed and that he already knew that.

My prediction for next week's episode is that Peggy is going to face more awkwardness with Ted in the office and Lou giving her a hard time.  Don will continue feeding Freddy ideas until SC&P allows him to return because hey, they're still paying him so why make a fuss?  I am eager to see how Joan continues with her business education and if she'll gain anymore accounts.  It's nice to see the women making a name for themselves while the men are consumed with their images.  And I'm worried for where Roger will end up...