The Other Woman (Mad Men)
[2] Pete asks Joan to make a personal and moral sacrifice to ensure the company lands the Jaguar account.
Peggy then meets with Ted Chaough, from rival firm CGC, and accepts an offer for chief copywriter.
Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, and Christina Hendricks were lauded by journalists for their performances in this episode.
"The Other Woman" was watched by 2.07 million viewers and received an adult 18–49 rating of 0.6, marking a slightly higher viewership than the previous episode.
Peggy asks Don's approval of one of her projects but he tells her that she is in charge of all ongoing business until Jaguar is done.
Ken and Pete dine with Herb Rennet, head of the dealers' association and a member of Jaguar's selection committee.
Subbing in for Ginsberg while he works on Jaguar, Peggy attends a conference call with Chevalier Blanc.
Pete presents Herb's proposal at a partners meeting, guaranteeing SCDP will lose the account if they do not comply.
Lane advises Joan to demand a 5% partnership stake in the company, adding that, when he thought he was essential to the future of the firm, he settled for much less than he felt was due him.
Joan later tells Pete she wants a partnership, comprising 5% of the business and voting rights, in exchange for her spending the night with Herb.
She thanks him and wishes him luck on the presentation, but it is eventually revealed that, unbeknownst to Don, her sexual encounter with Herb had already taken place.
The next day, Megan tells Don that her audition gained her a callback for Little Murders and rehearsals begin shortly in Boston.
[3] Weiner said in August 2012 that he intended for Peggy's departure from SCDP to be in "The Other Woman", which is centered on Joan: "[the episode is] literally about the quantification and value of women in the workplace and the relationship of their sexuality to it.
"[4] The nonlinear narrative involving Joan's storyline and Don's Jaguar pitch was "a solution to how to tell the story" according to Weiner.
"[5] Chellas "had this great idea, this elliptical thing, which we really loaded up with cues so that you would know at the end that Don was too late.
"[5] Abraham spoke about shooting a scene of the episode in August 2012: Sometimes the toughest moments come where you least expect them.
During rehearsal when Jon Hamm threw the money at Lizzie Moss, it beaned her right between the eyes, inadvertently, but it was exactly what the scene required.
Of course when we go to shoot the scene after setting the lights, Jon tosses the money at her, but it's just not eliciting the same response.
It took a few more takes than anyone had patience for, but when the cash finally landed where it needed to, it took Lizzie by surprise all over again, and that was the moment you ended up seeing onscreen.
"[7] Matthew Weiner and Jared Harris both characterized Lane's decision as two-fold—he gave Joan the best advice for her and for himself.
[7] Jon Hamm praised the prostitution sequence as "Very elegant paired with Don's pitch to Jaguar.
"[7] Elisabeth Moss said she was not told by Weiner that Peggy would be leaving SCDP "until we were shooting episode 10, the one right before it.
But if you don't, then it's Weiner and company making the characters act against their natures to fit the theme.
"[1] Sepinwall described the story as "something that so fundamentally changes the way you view a number of major characters, and the show that uses them, that it has to be just about perfect to work, and maybe not even then.
But I also felt on some level, if we hadn't used the word prostitution in there, it was more about the public nature of what was going on, and also their love for Joan, and the fact that she was put in this position that was so upsetting to people.
Maureen Ryan said, "the scene between Don and Peggy was tremendous, but Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss are always magnificent together.
It's no coincidence that their final pose—Don at Peggy's waist, kissing her hand—recalled Don's brutal reconciliation with Megan a few weeks ago, kneeling, begging her to stay with him.
"[14] In August 2012, Moss said the final scene was her favorite of the season: "It would've been so easy to have it be tears and trauma and music, but it's so simple, almost over before you know it.
It brings you to a dark, sad place then gives you this slap in the face when she turns to the elevator and smiles.
[16] "The Other Woman" was watched by 2.07 million viewers and received an adult 18–49 rating of 0.6, marking a slightly higher viewership than the previous episode.
