Red in the Face

Last updated
"Red in the Face"
Mad Men episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 7
Directed by Tim Hunter
Written by Bridget Bedard
Original air dateAugust 30, 2007 (2007-08-30)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Babylon"
Next 
"The Hobo Code"
Mad Men season 1
List of episodes

"Red in the Face" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men . It was written by Bridget Bedard and directed by Tim Hunter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 30, 2007.

Contents

Plot

It's Thursday and the members of Sterling Cooper have weekend plans. Roger's wife and daughter are going out of town so he tries to go away with Joan, but she already has plans. Peggy, who has been gaining weight, is going to work on copy for Belle Jolie. Pete (whom Roger calls "Paul" to annoy him) is taken aback to learn that Peggy is working on copy, and assumes it must be a woman-related account, such as sanitary napkins. He offers to take a look at her copy, untruthfully claiming copywriters have him do it all the time. Flattered, she agrees.

Roger, lonely, insists Don go out drinking with him, and Roger flirts with some women at the bar, musing that girls lose their glow when they turn 30. He then discovers the young women aren't looking at him but Don. Roger invites himself to dinner with Don and Betty, with Betty skipping her entrée so that Roger can eat it. After dinner, Roger drunkenly makes a move on Betty when Don leaves the room. After Don returns, Roger leaves, and Don angrily turns on Betty and says she was leading Roger on by being talkative at dinner. Don calls her "a little girl", echoing Betty's psychiatrist earlier in the episode, who has paternalistically been sharing everything said in Betty's sessions with Don. He commented of Betty that "basically, we're dealing with the emotions of a child". The next day, Roger attempts to apologize to Don, but Don feigns ignorance.

Meanwhile, Pete attempts to return a "chip-and-dip" that he and Trudy received as a wedding present, claiming that they were given two by mistake. At the department store, Pete feels emasculated when he is unable to charm the store employees into giving him a cash refund. He uses his store credit to purchase a rifle instead. Later, it is revealed that Trudy did not want him to return the chip-and-dip, and is furious with Pete. The next day, Pete brings the rifle to work and shows it to Peggy. He tells her about a fantasy he has in which he uses the rifle to kill a deer, then drag it to a cabin in the woods where a woman cooks it for his dinner and watches him eat it.

Betty has a chance encounter with Helen Bishop at the supermarket. Helen angrily confronts Betty about the lock of hair she gave to Glen, telling her that it was "inappropriate" for a 9-year-old. Betty responds by slapping her in the face. Later, Francine tells Betty that the other housewives are on Betty's side, and they agree to shun Helen.

Meanwhile, Don plots his revenge on Roger for making a pass at Betty. Don takes Roger to a lunch of oysters and martinis in preparation for a meeting with executives from Richard Nixon's campaign. Before they leave the building, Don bribes an elevator attendant. At lunch, Don pushes Roger to eat and drink more and more. When they return to the office, the attendant tells them that the elevator is out of service, so they must walk the 23 flights of stairs to the office. Roger becomes exhausted and vomits in front of the men from the Nixon campaign. Don asks if Roger is okay, then walks away smirking to himself.

First appearances

Reception

The episode was received positively by critics. Alan Sepinwall, writing for New Jersey's The Star-Ledger, wrote that the episode captured the generational divide of the era. [1] Andrew Johnston, writing for Slant Magazine , praised the episode's sense of humor. [2] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club graded it an "A" (the highest possible), praising its "audacious character writing." [3]

Related Research Articles

"Marriage of Figaro" is the third episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Tom Palmer and directed by Ed Bianchi. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 2, 2007.

"New Amsterdam" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Lisa Albert and directed by Tim Hunter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 9, 2007.

"5G" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 16, 2007. It is the first episode to deal with the series' long-running story arc of Don's dual identities.

"The Hobo Code" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Chris Provenzano and directed by Phil Abraham. The episode originally aired on September 6, 2007, on the AMC channel in the United States.

"Shoot" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Chris Provenzano and series creator Matthew Weiner and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 13, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Campbell</span> Fictional character

Peter Dyckman Campbell is a fictional character on AMC's television series Mad Men. He is portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser.

The Rejected (<i>Mad Men</i>) 4th episode of the 4th season of Mad Men

"The Rejected" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 43rd overall episode of the series. It was written by Keith Huff and series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner, and directed by John Slattery, who portrays Roger Sterling on the show. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 15, 2010. Reviews of the episode were generally positive, emphasizing particularly the emotional tension between Pete Campbell and Peggy Olson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Summer Man</span> 8th episode of the 4th season of Mad Men

"The Summer Man" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 47th overall episode of the series. It aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 12, 2010. The episode was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and writers Janet Leahy and Lisa Albert. It was directed by Phil Abraham.

<i>Mad Men</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on July 27, 2008, and concluded on October 26, 2008. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the second season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States; it would occupy in this timeslot for the remainder of its run.

<i>Mad Men</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on August 16, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the third season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States.

"Lady Lazarus" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 60th episode of the series overall. It was written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Phil Abraham. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on May 6, 2012.

"The Other Woman" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 63rd episode of the series overall. It is co-written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner, and directed by Phil Abraham. It aired on AMC in the United States on May 27, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shut the Door. Have a Seat.</span> 13th episode of the 3rd season of Mad Men

"Shut the Door. Have a Seat." is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the third season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 39th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy, and directed by Weiner. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on November 8, 2009. The title refers to a line that is spoken once in the episode verbatim, but more generally to similar phrases that are spoken to various characters throughout, "and they sit and hear some life-changing bit of news".

"Long Weekend" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton and series creator Matthew Weiner. The episode was directed by Tim Hunter and is set within the increasingly close 1960 United States presidential election, with TV commercials emphasising Kennedy's energy and Nixon's lack of leadership. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 27, 2007.

"Ladies Room" is the second episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Alan Taylor. Weiner has stated that the interval between writing the pilot and the second episode lasted seven years. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on July 26, 2007.

"For Those Who Think Young" is the first episode of the second season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Tim Hunter. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on July 27, 2008.

"Flight 1" is the second episode of the second season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and Lisa Albert, and was directed by Andrew Bernstein. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on August 3, 2008.

"The Grown-Ups" is the thirty-eighth episode of the American television drama series Mad Men and the twelfth episode of the show's third season. It was written by Brett Johnson and series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Barbet Schroeder. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 1, 2009.

"My Old Kentucky Home" is the third episode of the third season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Dahvi Waller and Matthew Weiner and directed by Jennifer Getzinger. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 30, 2009.

References

  1. Sepinwall, Alan (August 31, 2007). "Mad Men: Stair Master". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  2. Johnston, Andrew (August 30, 2007). "Mad Men Fridays: Season 1, Episode 7 "Red in the Face"". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  3. "Mad Men: "Red in the Face"". The A.V. Club .