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"The Beautiful Girls" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 48th overall episode of the series. It first aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 19, 2010. It is written by Dahvi Waller and Matthew Weiner and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

Don encounters multiple challenges at work, as his daughter shows up unannounced at the same time as his secretary dies. This situation puts a strain on his relationship with Dr. Faye Miller. Meanwhile Joan, whose husband is about to be sent off to Vietnam, strikes up her old affair with Roger. Peggy meets up with Abe Drexler and becomes embroiled in a political debate that could threaten her standing at the agency. Randee Heller was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for this episode.

Plot

With the help of Joyce, Abe Drexler engineers a run-in with Peggy at the local bar, where the two engage in a conversation about race and feminism. After Abe reacts dismissively towards Peggy's assertions that women have it as bad as African-Americans, she leaves angry. The next day, Abe arrives at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce with an article he has written about corporate injustice towards women titled "Nuremberg on Madison Avenue". When she reads the story, Peggy explodes in anger, as the article could get her fired.

After Roger learns that Joan's husband is being shipped off to The Vietnam War, Roger and Joan go to a diner to commiserate with each other. While walking through a dangerous part of town, Roger and Joan are mugged by a man with a gun. The man takes both Roger's wallet and Joan's wedding ring. Roger calms Joan in the alleyway. In the heat of the moment, the two have sex.

Don has to deal with several crises at once as the elderly Miss Blankenship dies at her desk during a meeting with Fillmore Auto Parts. The grief-stricken Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce employees quietly get rid of the corpse without the Fillmore clients knowing. In addition to this, Sally arrives at the agency after she was found as a stowaway on the train. Betty refuses to pick up her child, causing Don to ask Faye to handle Sally. Faye does not have much parental chemistry with Sally, leading Faye to lash out at Don for forcing her into a high-pressure situation with Sally. When Betty finally arrives to pick up Sally, Sally runs away, refusing to go with her. She falls on the floor and Don's new secretary, Megan, comforts her. Sally reluctantly goes home with Betty.

Later, the ladies of the agency leave the office one-by-one. Joan, Peggy, and Faye walk into the elevator as the doors close on them.

Reception

Ratings

The episode was watched by 2.29 million viewers on the night of the original airing.

Critical reception

James Poniewozik of Time Magazine praised the episodes' focus on women and the acting performance of Kiernan Shipka as Sally Draper. IGN writer Eric Goldman praised the episode for its comic flourishes set against the backdrop of Mrs. Blankenship's death. He, in particular, called the scene where the SCDP employees try to get the Blankenship's corpse out of the office in a covert fashion "pretty classic". The AV Club review Keith Phipps praised the final image, saying, "The final shot of Peggy, Joan, and Fay (who is starting to develop into a more interesting character, let me add), says it all without any dialogue. Here are three women of roughly the same generation, all in quite different places in their lives and careers, each of those places more or less unimaginable to the generation before." Writer Myles McNutt said, "the female characters are the heart of this series, and “The Beautiful Girls” comes together as a sustained statement on their centrality if not a substantial step forward in their individual storylines."

References

1. Poniewozik, James (September 20, 2010). "Review of Mad Men, "The Beautiful Girls"". Time Magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
2. Goldman, Eric (September 28, 2010). "Mad Men: "The Beautiful Girls" Review". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
3. Phipps, Keith (September 19, 2010). ""The Beautiful Girls" - Mad Men - TV Club". The AV Club. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
4. McNutt, Myles (September 19, 2010). "Mad Men - "The Beautiful Girls" - Cultural Learnings". Cultural Learnings. Retrieved June 15, 2012.

External links

• "The Beautiful Girls" at AMC
• "The Beautiful Girls" at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com episode
• Mad Men 4.9 on Kritik

• Mad Men episodes
• 2010 television episodes