Hands and Knees
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"Hands and Knees" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series ''
Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...
'', and the 49th overall episode of the series. It aired on the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
channel in the United States on September 26, 2010.
John Slattery John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director widely known for his role as Roger Sterling Jr. in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award fo ...
submitted this episode for consideration on his nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginnin ...
at the
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, were held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the c ...
.


Plot

Joan Harris Joan P. Holloway Harris is a fictional character on the AMC television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15). She is portrayed by Christina Hendricks. Hendricks has received six consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting A ...
(
Christina Hendricks Christina Rene Hendricks (born May 3, 1975) is an American actress and former model. With an extensive career on screen and stage, she has received various accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, two Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
) informs
Roger Sterling Roger H. Sterling Jr. is a fictional character on the AMC television series '' Mad Men''. He formerly worked for Sterling Cooper, an advertising agency his father co-founded in 1923, before he became a founding partner at the new firm of Sterling ...
(
John Slattery John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director widely known for his role as Roger Sterling Jr. in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated four times for the Primetime Emmy Award fo ...
) that she is pregnant, and that he is the father because Greg has been away for weeks. Roger is surprised, but tells her not to be upset about it.
Lane Pryce Lane Pryce is a fictional character in the television series ''Mad Men'', portrayed by Jared Harris. An English newcomer to the United States as of 1963, he initially acts as financial officer at Sterling Cooper, but eventually leaves, along with ...
's (
Jared Harris Jared Francis Harris (born 24 August 1961) is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the AMC television drama series ''Mad Men'', for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Seri ...
) father, Robert Pryce ( W. Morgan Sheppard), arrives to bring him back to London, which Lane refuses to do. They make dinner plans and Lane asks
Don Draper Donald Francis Draper, born Richard “Dick” Whitman, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the AMC television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), portrayed by Jon Hamm. Up to the Season 3 finale, Draper was creative director of fict ...
(
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series '' Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televis ...
) to come in an effort to defuse the tension between them. Meanwhile, two men from the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
come to the Francis home to question
Betty Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beat ...
(
January Jones January Kristen Jones (born January 5, 1978) is an American actress and model. She played Betty Draper in ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama and a Pr ...
) since North American Aviation has requested verification of Don's application form. Betty lies to them to protect Don's secret. In a phone call made after they've left, Betty tells Don about the meeting, which instantly throws him into a panic. He learns that his secretary, Megan, filled out his application form and he unknowingly signed it, unaware that it contained lies that could potentially compromise his identity. Don goes to Pete Campbell ( Vincent Kartheiser), who knows about his true identity, for help. Don points out numerous contradictions on the application such as the real Don Draper's age and his MOS as an engineer. Pete has his friend in the Department of Defense look into it. Pete tries to put Don's mind at ease, but Don points out that since he technically deserted, he could face military prison. Roger and Joan set up an
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
, but Joan insists that Roger not come since they should not be seen together. At the clinic, Joan speaks with a mother of a 17-year-old girl who assumes that the reason Joan is there is for an abortion for her "daughter" instead of herself. Joan goes along with it and mentions that her daughter is fifteen. Then she is seen on a bus returning from the doctor's. At the office she tells Roger that they "avoided a tragedy". Lane introduces his father to Toni Charles (
Naturi Naughton Naturi Cora Maria Naughton (born May 20, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Naughton is best known as one-third of the R&B group 3LW and for her acting roles in the films '' Fame'' and '' Notorious'', in which she played rapp ...
), a
Playboy Bunny A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset te ...
with whom he is having an affair. Irritated with his son, Robert Pryce demands that Lane return to London. Lane refuses again, and Robert responds by whacking him in the head with his cane. He then tells Lane to "Put your home in order, either there or here." After this, Lane finally decides to return to London. Roger has dinner with Lee Garner, Jr., who tells him that
Lucky Strike Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarettes owned by the British American Tobacco group. Individual cigarettes of the brand are often referred to colloquially as "Luckies." Throughout their 150 year history, Lucky Strike has had fluctuating ...
will be moving to
BBDO BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...
, effectively ending their 30-year history together. Knowing that this spells imminent doom for SCDP, Roger begs him to give them 30 days before moving to get their affairs in order. Garner agrees to do so, but informs him that there is nothing that can be done to fix the situation. After returning home with Faye Miller, Don mistakes two men for agents of the Department of Defense, and is struck with a
panic attack Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
. Now fearing that his life as Don Draper is coming to an end, he tells Faye Miller his secret. Faye is surprised at this information, but she expresses gratitude for telling her. Pete informs Don that the Department of Defense has not flagged him, and ending the account with North American Aviation will end the investigation. Don wants him to kill the account, but Pete is reluctant, as it is now worth $4 million. However, his loyalty to Don proves stronger, and he eventually agrees. In the next meeting of the partners, Pete fabricates a story to explain why North American Aviation is leaving SCDP, and accepts the blame for it. Knowing that the loss of this account will mean a heavy loss for the agency after losing Lucky Strike, Roger goes off on Pete. Joan goes through the "status of accounts" and Roger gives a thumbs up when Lucky Strike is called, indicating his intention to hide the loss from the other partners.


Music

During the end credits of the episode, an instrumental cover of the Beatles song "
Do You Want to Know a Secret "Do You Want to Know a Secret" is a song by English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 album '' Please Please Me'', sung by George Harrison. In the United States, it was the first top ten song to feature Harrison as a lead singer, reaching N ...
" is played.


Reception

The episode was watched 2.12 million viewers on the night of its original airing, while 0.7 million viewers in the adults 18-49 age demographic viewed the episode.


References


External links


"Hands and Knees"
at
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hands And Knees Mad Men (season 4) episodes 2010 American television episodes