Ep 3. The Good News
- TV-14
- August 8, 2010
- 47 min
-
8.6 (2,580)
In Mad Men season 4 episode 3, titled "The Good News," the episode centers around the advertising agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, as they prepare for a pitch to Nabisco for their new Sugar Daddy candy bar campaign. As the episode begins, Joan Harris breaks the news to the rest of the agency that she is pregnant, and we see the different reactions of her coworkers. Roger Sterling is overjoyed and offers to take Joan out to celebrate, while Peggy Olson is visibly uncomfortable and struggles to hide her disapproval.
Meanwhile, Don Draper is struggling with his own personal demons as he deals with the fallout from his divorce from Betty and his sense of loneliness. He spends most of the episode brooding and drinking in his office, trying to ignore the constant ringing of his phone and the demands of his coworkers. Eventually, though, he finds some solace in a young waitress at a local diner, and the two of them share a brief moment of connection.
As the agency prepares for their Nabisco pitch, tensions run high. Freddy Rumsen is tasked with coming up with a catchy tagline for the Sugar Daddy candy bar, but his creative well seems to have run dry. Meanwhile, the rest of the team tries to brainstorm ideas for the campaign, but they are distracted by personal drama and office politics.
One of the most interesting plotlines of the episode centers around Peggy and her relationship with a young priest, Father Gill. The two of them have a heated discussion about her work on the Sugar Daddy campaign, with Father Gill expressing his disapproval of the candy bar's sexualized imagery. Peggy is defensive at first, but eventually realizes that the priest has a point, and she rethinks her approach to the campaign.
Overall, Mad Men season 4 episode 3 is a tense and emotional episode that explores the personal and professional dramas of the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce team. As always, the writing and performances are excellent, and the episode ends on a satisfying note as the team presents their winning Sugar Daddy pitch to Nabisco.
