The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (Mad Men)
Encyclopedia
"The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men
, and the forty fourth overall episode of the series. It was written by Erin Levy
and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 22, 2010.
is unhappy with their current agency, Grey
, and has set up a meeting with them. Roger Sterling, a veteran of the Pacific theater of World War II, refuses to do business with the Japanese, but the other partners agree to pursue Honda while keeping Roger out of the loop. Meanwhile, creative director Ted Chaough of CGC, who sees himself as an upcoming rival to Don Draper, has already picked up two of SCDP's most recently lost clients and has his sights on Honda as well.
Honda's representatives visit SCDP's offices, but Roger discovers the carefully planned meeting and sabotages it, insulting the Japanese delegation to their face. Afterward, Don and Pete are furious with Roger, with Don telling Roger that Pete's assertion that Roger is trying to preserve his indispensable status at SCDP through Lucky Strike's unchallenged client primacy is accurate. Bert Cooper and Joan Harris both independently advise Roger to bite the bullet so that SCDP can still have a chance to win the competition for Honda's business. Don conceives of a plan where SCDP will pretend to shoot a lavish Honda motorcycle commercial to win the account (against the rules set for the competition by Honda, which stipulated no finished work in the final presentation), allowing details of the shoot to leak to Ted at CGC so that he will try to outdo their ad. At the presentation, Don tells the Japanese that he is withdrawing SCDP from consideration, letting them know that he considered the contest dishonorable because Honda had entertained a bid from a rival agency (CGC) that broke the rules with a finished ad, and paying them back with $3,000 from his personal account. The Japanese are ashamed with themselves and impressed with Don, and ultimately Pete learns that they were never planning to leave Grey but that SCDP now will have first shot at marketing Honda's upcoming line of automobiles. Pryce is uneasy with Don's tactics, but ultimately praises his good work.
Meanwhile, on an evening when Don has custody of his two older children, Sally cuts her own hair "to look pretty" when the babysitter, Don's neighbor Phoebe, is not paying attention. Betty Francis is furious with Don and Sally, and becomes angry with Sally again when the 10-year-old girl is caught masturbating at a friend's house during a sleepover. Henry Francis and Betty decide to have Sally see a child psychologist, Dr. Edna Keener. Don shares a bottle of sake with Dr. Faye Miller and confides about his inner conflict on fatherhood, as she reveals that she is not actually married but pretends to be in order to ward off men's advances. When first meeting the psychologist, Betty discloses some of her own insecurities and Dr. Edna asks to meet with Betty in one session each month, ostensibly to report on Sally's progress.
, an influential 1946 study of Japan by American anthropologist Ruth Benedict
written at the invitation of the U.S. Office of War Information in order to understand and predict the behavior of the Japanese in World War II
by reference to a series of contradictions in traditional culture. The book was influential in shaping American ideas about Japanese culture during the occupation of Japan, and popularized the distinction between guilt cultures and shame cultures
.
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, and the forty fourth overall episode of the series. It was written by Erin Levy
Erin Levy
Erin Levy is an American television writer. She has worked on the AMC drama Mad Men and has won an Emmy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award.-Biography:...
and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 22, 2010.
Plot
It's now March 1965. Pete Campbell reports to the partners of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce that the Honda Motorcycle CorporationHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
is unhappy with their current agency, Grey
Grey Global Group
Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency, whose slogan is providing solutions - with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities — organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin...
, and has set up a meeting with them. Roger Sterling, a veteran of the Pacific theater of World War II, refuses to do business with the Japanese, but the other partners agree to pursue Honda while keeping Roger out of the loop. Meanwhile, creative director Ted Chaough of CGC, who sees himself as an upcoming rival to Don Draper, has already picked up two of SCDP's most recently lost clients and has his sights on Honda as well.
Honda's representatives visit SCDP's offices, but Roger discovers the carefully planned meeting and sabotages it, insulting the Japanese delegation to their face. Afterward, Don and Pete are furious with Roger, with Don telling Roger that Pete's assertion that Roger is trying to preserve his indispensable status at SCDP through Lucky Strike's unchallenged client primacy is accurate. Bert Cooper and Joan Harris both independently advise Roger to bite the bullet so that SCDP can still have a chance to win the competition for Honda's business. Don conceives of a plan where SCDP will pretend to shoot a lavish Honda motorcycle commercial to win the account (against the rules set for the competition by Honda, which stipulated no finished work in the final presentation), allowing details of the shoot to leak to Ted at CGC so that he will try to outdo their ad. At the presentation, Don tells the Japanese that he is withdrawing SCDP from consideration, letting them know that he considered the contest dishonorable because Honda had entertained a bid from a rival agency (CGC) that broke the rules with a finished ad, and paying them back with $3,000 from his personal account. The Japanese are ashamed with themselves and impressed with Don, and ultimately Pete learns that they were never planning to leave Grey but that SCDP now will have first shot at marketing Honda's upcoming line of automobiles. Pryce is uneasy with Don's tactics, but ultimately praises his good work.
Meanwhile, on an evening when Don has custody of his two older children, Sally cuts her own hair "to look pretty" when the babysitter, Don's neighbor Phoebe, is not paying attention. Betty Francis is furious with Don and Sally, and becomes angry with Sally again when the 10-year-old girl is caught masturbating at a friend's house during a sleepover. Henry Francis and Betty decide to have Sally see a child psychologist, Dr. Edna Keener. Don shares a bottle of sake with Dr. Faye Miller and confides about his inner conflict on fatherhood, as she reveals that she is not actually married but pretends to be in order to ward off men's advances. When first meeting the psychologist, Betty discloses some of her own insecurities and Dr. Edna asks to meet with Betty in one session each month, ostensibly to report on Sally's progress.
Cultural references
The title of the episode is a direct reference to The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese CultureThe Chrysanthemum and the Sword
The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture is an influential 1946 study of Japan by American anthropologist Ruth Benedict written at the invitation of the U.S. Office of War Information in order to understand and predict the behavior of the Japanese in World War II by reference...
, an influential 1946 study of Japan by American anthropologist Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict
Ruth Benedict was an American anthropologist, cultural relativist, and folklorist....
written at the invitation of the U.S. Office of War Information in order to understand and predict the behavior of the Japanese in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by reference to a series of contradictions in traditional culture. The book was influential in shaping American ideas about Japanese culture during the occupation of Japan, and popularized the distinction between guilt cultures and shame cultures
Shame society
In cultural anthropology, a shame society is the concept that, in a given society, the primary device for gaining control over children and maintaining social order is the inculcation of shame and the complementary threat of ostracism...
.
Guest cast
- Patricia Bethune as Edna Keener
- Cara BuonoCara BuonoCara Buono is an American actress, screenwriter and director, probably best known for her role as Dr. Faye Miller in the fourth season of the AMC drama series Mad Men.-Early life:...
as Faye Miller - Anna CampAnna CampAnna Ragsdale Camp is an American stage and television actress. She is known for her role as Jill Mason in the 2008 Broadway revival of Equus and for her role as Sarah Newlin in the HBO television drama series True Blood....
as Bethany van Nuys - Randee HellerRandee HellerRandy M. "Randee" Heller is an American television and film actress. Her most notable roles were in the film The Karate Kid and one of its sequels, as Daniel Larusso's mother, and on the 1970s serial sitcom Soap as Jodie Dallas's roommate Alice, one of the first recurring lesbian characters in...
as Miss Blankenship - Sab ShimonoSab ShimonoSab Shimono is an American actor who has appeared in dozens of movies and television shows in character roles.-Career:An accomplished stage actor, he has appeared on Broadway and in regional theaters including San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre and Berkeley Repertory Theatre...
as Ichiro Kamura
External links
- Official episode guide at AMC