Shoot (Mad Men)

Last updated
"Shoot"
Mad Men episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 9
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Chris Provenzano
Matthew Weiner
Original air dateSeptember 13, 2007 (2007-09-13)
Running time46 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Hobo Code"		Next →
"Long Weekend"
Mad Men season 1
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

Plot

During the intermission of the Broadway show Fiorello! , Don and Betty run into Jim Hobart, the head of rival ad agency McCann Erickson. Jim makes Don a job offer and gives his business card to Betty, telling her that she would be a perfect model for their Coca-Cola campaign. Betty is excited, thinking back to her days as a model before she married, but Don is ambivalent to the idea. When he gets home, he sees that Betty has prepared an elaborate meal, and is concerned that she won't be home to prepare such meals if she is working. She reassures him that she will still do so, and that her friend Ethel will watch the kids and he eventually relents. Throughout the episode, Jim continues his headhunt of Don, but he remains evasive. Betty greatly enjoys her work, but while there, Sally's dog Polly attacks a neighbor's pet pigeon and he threatens to shoot the dog if it happens again.

Meanwhile, Pete and Harry discuss how to assist with Richard Nixon's presidential campaign. Pete comes up with the idea to buy up ad space in swing states for client Secor Laxatives, thus preventing Nixon's rival John F. Kennedy from running competing ads. The strategy pays off, and Bert and Roger praise the idea. Peggy, struggling with her recent weight gain, accidentally rips her skirt. Joan offers her a new outfit, an ill-fitting dress. When Peggy returns the dress, Joan tries to give her advice about losing weight. Peggy tells her that she is more interested in being a writer than attracting men, which confuses Joan, who thought Peggy was only feigning interest in writing to get closer to Paul. Ken makes a rude comment about Peggy's weight, leading Pete to sucker punch him, causing a fight which is broken up by Paul who has Pete and Ken shake hands and make up.

Betty and Don find out about their neighbor's threat when Sally has a nightmare. Don is angry, but Betty convinces him not to confront their neighbor. Meanwhile, Roger notices that Don is being wooed by McCann. Don is non-committal about what he is going to do, but when photos of Betty's shoot arrive, he immediately walks into Roger's office to tell him he is turning down the job. He negotiates a better salary and promises that if he were to ever leave, it wouldn't be for another advertising job. This also ends Betty's aspirations to be a model, and she fails to hold back tears at her disappointment.

When Don comes home that night, Betty does not tell Don that she was let go, saying instead that she didn't like the idea of not being home enough to make him elaborate meals, and she was scared of Manhattan. Don says he doesn't care about his meals, only that she's a great mom to their kids, calling her an angel. Betty smiles as she agrees that that is what is most important, not giving any sign of her true feelings. The next day, Betty walks into the front yard with a lit cigarette and Bobby's BB gun and begins shooting at her neighbor's pigeons as they fly overhead.

Reception

The episode was received positively by critics. Alan Sepinwall, writing for New Jersey's The Star-Ledger, praised the episode, singling out Betty's story, the ending of which he described as "scary, tragic, funny, and kinda hot, all in one." [1] Andrew Johnston, writing for Slant Magazine, called the episode "a relative disappointment" following "The Hobo Code," but still praised the complexity of the episode's story. [2]

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.

"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.

"Babylon" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Andre and Maria Jacquemetton and directed by Andrew Bernstein. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 23, 2007.

"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.

Tomorrowland (<i>Mad Men</i>) 13th episode of the 4th season of Mad Men

"Tomorrowland" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 52nd overall episode of the series. It aired on the AMC channel in the United States on October 17, 2010. It was written by Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner and directed by Matthew Weiner.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency</span> 6th episode of the 3rd season of Mad Men

"Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith, and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 20, 2009.

Tea Leaves (<i>Mad Men</i>) 3rd episode of the 5th season of Mad Men

"Tea Leaves" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and overall the 55th episode of the series. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and writer Erin Levy, and directed by series leading man Jon Hamm. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on April 1, 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.

"Person to Person" is the series finale of the American drama television series Mad Men. It is the fourteenth episode of the seventh season and the 92nd episode overall. The episode was written and directed by series creator Matthew Weiner, and originally aired on AMC on May 17, 2015. The finale was well received, received critical acclaim and in the years following its airing, it has been cited as one of the greatest television finales ever made.

"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 Fog" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Mad Men. The episode was written by Kater Gordon and directed by Phil Abraham. It was originally broadcast on September 13, 2009, on AMC. The employees of Sterling Cooper continue to contend with Lane's efforts to reduce spending. Pete Campbell encounters resistance when pitching a new marketing proposal to a client. Betty and Don welcome their third child into the world.

"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.

"A Night to Remember" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Matthew Weiner and Robin Vieth; and was directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. The episode originally aired on September 14, 2008.

References

  1. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (September 14, 2007). "Mad Men: Gianna on the Spot". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  2. ↑ Johnston, Andrew (September 14, 2007). "Mad Men Fridays: Season 1, Episode 9 "Shoot"". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.