The Hobo Code
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"The Hobo Code" is the eighth episode of the first 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 fict ...
''. It was written by
Chris Provenzano Chris Provenzano is an American film and television writer. He co-wrote the story and screenplay for the motion picture '' Get Low''. He served as a writer on the first season of ''Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television ...
and directed by
Phil Abraham Phil Abraham is an American cinematographer and television director. He worked on all six seasons of ''The Sopranos'', initially as a camera operator, then as a cinematographer and eventually as an episodic director. He won the 2008 Primetime Emm ...
. The episode originally aired on September 6, 2007 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 *** AM ...
channel in the United States.


Plot

Peggy and
Pete Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
arrive early to work—Pete because he's moving into his new apartment later that day, and Peggy because she is nervous about the Belle Jolie meeting. In the office, Pete seduces Peggy and they have sex on the sofa, then complains to her that his wife doesn't understand him. He also confesses that he never read the Belle Jolie copy, but she is relieved as she thought he didn't like it. Later, Trudy unexpectedly visits Pete with a bottle of champagne, Pete is flustered and argues with her for showing up unannounced. Out of the blue,
Bert Bert or BERT may refer to: Persons, characters, or animals known as Bert *Bert (name), commonly an abbreviated forename and sometimes a surname *Bert, a character in the poem "Bert the Wombat" by The Wiggles; from their 1992 album Here Comes a Son ...
gives
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
a check for $2,500, telling him that his talent is appreciated, and then he urges him to read ''
Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It was her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her '' magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. ''Atlas Shrugged'' includes eleme ...
''. Later, Don presents Peggy's campaign ideas to the executives from the makeup company Belle Jolie. The pitch emphasizes that a woman wants to "mark her man" and show the world she owns him. After some manipulation by Don, the pitch is accepted. Peggy is invited into Don's office to have a drink with the team to celebrate. The other office ladies are excited at Peggy's success, except for Joan who implies that Peggy should focus on what she has "downstairs" for success. Nevertheless, they all go to a bar to celebrate and are joined by the junior execs. At Peggy's celebration, she's very vivacious while Pete just glares at her. When she asks him to dance The Twist, Pete rejects her for being forward and walks out, leaving Peggy shocked. Meanwhile, Sal meets up with Belle Jolie executive Elliott at a restaurant, and the two men connect. However, when Elliott invites Sal back to his room, Sal remains too afraid to follow through on his attraction to men. That night, Don arrives at
Midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...
's apartment, intending to take her on a trip to Paris with his bonus. However, he finds her with her
beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the 1950s that subscribed to an anti-materialistic lifestyle. History In 1948, Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation", generalizing from his social circle to characterize the undergr ...
friends, preparing to smoke marijuana. She declines the Paris trip so he agrees to stay with them, despite antagonism from some of Midge's friends. After getting high, Don retreats to the bathroom, where he flashes back to his childhood spent on a farm during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. A hobo approaches his family, asking for food in exchange for work. Don's father
Archie Archie is a masculine given name, a diminutive of Archibald. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Archie Alexander (1888–1958), African-American mathematician, engineer and governor of the US Virgin Islands * Archie Blake (mathematici ...
tells the man to move on, because the family are no longer Christians. Dick's stepmother
Abigail Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death ( 1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married ...
refutes this and invites the man to stay for dinner. The hobo is revealed to be well-mannered and from New York. Abigail offers him money, but Archie tells him he will get paid the next day. That night, Dick approaches the man and asks about his life. The man tells him that he once had a family and responsibilities, but he gave it all up in exchange for the freedom of the road. Dick tells the man that Abigail is not his real mother, and that he is a "whore-child." The man also shows Dick the "
hobo code A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works. E ...
". The next day, Archie refuses to pay him as promised, and as the hobo leaves the farm, Dick finds the symbol for "a dishonest man" carved into a fence post in front of their home. Back in the present, Don takes a Polaroid photo of Midge and her friend Roy, and, looking at the photo, realizes the two of them are in love. They criticize Don for what he does—lying and worrying about trivialities while people die. He invites Midge to Paris again, and when she turns him down, he signs over the check, suggesting she buy a car. Upon returning home, he wakes Bobby while his sister is asleep nearby and tells him that he can ask him anything he wants and promises never to lie to him. The next day Peggy again arrives early to the office and searches for Pete. Later, Pete arrives but doesn't even glance at Peggy, leaving her hurt.


Reception

The episode was received very positively by critics.
Alan Sepinwall Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
, writing for New Jersey's
The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...
, praised the episode, specifically the subplot about Sal and Elliott, writing that the scene was "superb." Andrew Johnston, writing for
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
, called the episode "the most polished and, to my mind, the most moving episode of ''Mad Men'' yet."


References


External links


"The Hobo Code"
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 *** AM ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobo Code Mad Men (season 1) episodes 2007 American television episodes