Public Relations (Mad Men)
| "Public Relations" | |
|---|---|
| Mad Men episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Phil Abraham |
| Written by | Matthew Weiner |
| Featured music | "Tobacco Road" by The Nashville Teens |
| Original air date | July 25, 2010 |
"Public Relations" is the season premiere of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 40th overall episode of the series. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner, and directed by Phil Abraham. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on July 25, 2010. The episode takes place in November 1964, as the advertisement agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has just started up, and Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is struggling with his divorce. The agency partners are concerned about the narrow breadth of their client base, which is not helped by Don coming across as less than sympathetic in an interview with a trade magazine. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) attempts a viral marketing stunt to bring back a disgruntled client, with unexpected repercussions. Meanwhile, Don's ex-wife Betty (January Jones) is struggling to fit in with her new family, and Don encounters problems in his romantic life.
"Public Relations" was heavily promoted in the weeks leading up to its airing, with an endorsement by President Obama and product tie-in by Mattel toys helping with publicity. Weiner expressed displeasure with what he considered a media revelation of plot details, though other journalists called his objections unwarranted. "Public Relations" was critically acclaimed by television critics, who expressed that the series returned to form. Upon airing, the episode was viewed by 2.92 million viewers and attained a 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings.
Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is being interviewed by a reporter from Advertising Age and declines to speak about his personal life. As a result, he comes across as arrogant and a cipher in the published story, a fact that senior partners Roger Sterling (John Slattery) and Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) lament, as they had hoped the interview would act as advertising for the company. The effects of the bad publicity is brought home just after Harry Crane (Rich Sommer) has sold a Jai Alai special to ABC, but it must be pulled because the client, Pete Campbell's (Vincent Kartheiser) college friend, Horace Cook Jr., nicknamed "Ho Ho", fires the agency because Draper did not mention the client in his interview. Because of the agency's narrow client base, the loss is financially detrimental. Bert suggests Don do an interview with The Wall Street Journal to make amends, but Don demurs. Meanwhile, Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) comes up with an idea to regain the Sugarberry Ham account. She hires two actresses to fight over a ham in a grocery store. The plan goes awry when the fight turns real and one of the women presses charges against the other for assault, and Peggy has to ask Don for bail and hush money. Don disapproves of the stunt (which was carried out behind his back), but Peggy points out that they did retain the account. Also new part-time member of the creative team has been added: Joey, who Peggy has a friendly relationship with.
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