The Monolith (S7x04)
Airdate: 4 May 2014
Written by: Erin Levy
Directed by: Scott Hornbacher
Running Time: 46 minutes
The 1960s remain a decade of stark contradiction, a period where the world was hurtling towards a future of spectacular technological progress—marked by satellites, colour television, and the dawn of computing—while simultaneously spinning on an axis of reaction. On one side, there was the rational, corporate drive of the American establishment; on the other, the chaotic, anarcho-primitivist tendencies of the counterculture. The fourth episode of the final season, The Monolith, is constructed around this very sharp dichotomy, using the arrival of a massive computer at Sterling Cooper & Partners as a physical manifestation of the technological future, juxtaposed against Roger Sterling’s desperate attempt to reclaim his daughter from a hippie commune. The episode, written by Erin Levy and directed by Scott Hornbacher, weaves these two disparate worlds together with a balance that highlights the anxiety of the era.
The narrative engine of the episode is the computer, a massive machine that Harry Crane has insisted the agency acquire, largely on the basis of having already told clients that the company uses this new technology. The machine is not just a tool; it is a beast that takes up an enormous amount of office space. As the staff is crammed into the remaining desks, the atmosphere in the office becomes suffocating. There is palpable fear among the copywriters and account men that the computer is not merely an aid, but a harbinger of obsolescence, threatening to render their work redundant. This anxiety serves as a microcosm of the larger cultural dread regarding the rise of automation.
The most significant professional development of the episode comes via the Burger Chef account. Thanks to Pete Campbell, who learns from an old acquaintance in California that his father-in-law, Tom Vogel, has suffered a heart attack, the agency wins the lucrative contract. In a move that highlights the shifting power dynamics within the firm, Lou puts the Burger Chef campaign in Peggy Olsen’s hands and assigns Don Draper to work for her. Don is tasked with writing twenty-five tags, a menial job he would previously have delegated to a junior copywriter. He does not take to this role reversal well. Humiliated, he finds excuses not to work and quickly succumbs to the temptation of alcohol. He gets spectacularly drunk, and it is only due to the intervention of Freddy Rumsen that he is saved from making a public faux pas—a mistake that would have been grounds for his immediate termination.
This subplot underscores a critical truth about the series: Don Draper’s road to recovery is far from linear. It is fraught with fatal challenges that test his resolve. While the episode resolves the immediate crisis by allowing Don to return to the office, the necessity of Freddy’s rescue feels somewhat convenient, as if the writers felt compelled to keep the protagonist from falling off the edge just in time for the next act. Don wakes up in his apartment the next morning, feeling a massive hangover, and is chastised by Freddy for throwing away his second chance. He decides to clean himself up and returns to the office the following day, promising Peggy that he will deliver her tags.
Parallel to the corporate struggle for survival is Roger Sterling’s personal crisis. Roger, whom Don had hoped to rely on during his moment of professional weakness, is absent due to his own personal issues. His wife, Mona, arrives with Brooks and delivers the news that their daughter, Margaret, has fled from home. She left her son, Ellery, behind to start a new life in a hippie commune upstate. Roger initially sends Brooks to fetch her, but Brooks fails, ending up in jail after a bar fight. Roger and Mona decide to take matters into their own hands. They travel to the commune and find Margaret, who is apparently happy and calls herself "Marigold." Mona is so disgusted by the environment that she leaves immediately. Roger, however, having more intimate knowledge of the counterculture, decides to stay and attempt a more diplomatic approach. The two bond by sleeping in a barn, before Margaret goes to have sex with commune member named Clay (played by Stephen Sullivan). The next morning, Roger tries to take Margaret back by force, but when she publicly shames him for his countless infidelities, Roger feels defeated and leaves without her.
The episode is marked by a sharp contrast between the sterile, technocratic world of S&CP and the organic, raw world of the commune. The S&CP office, being part of the US corporate mainstream, is invaded by a new, unknown, and monstrous piece of technology that threatens to make humanity redundant. Roger, conversely, finds himself in a commune that has deliberately abandoned not only the "square" social norms of mainstream society but also electricity and running water. This contrast is achieved through very good direction by Scott Hornbacher, who maintains an adequate balance between the two segments, allowing the audience to feel the claustrophobia of the one and the freedom of the other.
Furthermore, the episode is notable for its subtle references to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The massive computer installed at the agency is, at least in the imagination of the viewers, modelled on HAL 9000, the malevolent computer from the film. The connection is strengthened by historical context; HAL 9000 was rumoured to be inspired by IBM machines, which were the prime producers of IT computers in the USA during the 1960s and 1970s. The firm is mentioned by name, and Lloyd Hawley (Robert Baker), the engineer installing the machine, is revealed to be a former employee of IBM. This layer of meta-reference adds depth to the episode, framing the computer not just as a machine, but as a symbol of the unknown future that Don Draper is going to deal with.
Ultimately, The Monolith is a very good episode that captures the zeitgeist of the late 1960s. It successfully juxtaposes the anxiety of the corporate world with the rejection of it. However, while it provides a strong visual and thematic framework, it also highlights the fragility of Don's comeback. His recovery, while underway, remains precarious, dependent on the kindness of friends like Freddy. The episode does not shy away from the harsh realities of the characters' situations, even as it uses the language of science fiction to comment on the present.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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