The Secret History of The Mad Men Lawn-Mower Scene

As a long-time admirer of Matt Weiner’s brilliant storytelling, I can’t help but marvel at his ability to weave intricate narratives that keep audiences guessing and engaged. The “Guy Walks into an Office” episode of Mad Men is a prime example of this mastery. As someone who grew up watching the show, I can attest to the palpable anticipation and excitement each season brought, as well as the profound emotional impact it had on its viewers.

In simpler terms, Joan Harris, a character from the show Mad Men played by Christina Hendricks, once said something like “That’s how life goes. One moment you’re at the peak, the next moment, someone accidentally runs over you with a lawnmower.” This was during a shocking and bitter episode titled “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”. This episode, which had already won two consecutive Emmy awards at that point, was particularly notable due to its complex plot, challenging tone, and occasional surreal elements. The episode was written by Matt Weiner along with Robin Veith, and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, who also directed the fifth episode of Twin Peaks’ original series.

When I first went over the script, I had two thoughts: “Either this is going to be so absurd that it won’t make sense at all, leaving viewers wondering ‘What were they thinking?'” Or else, “It might just turn out to be a groundbreaking, legendary episode.” Looking back a decade and a half later, I’m glad to say it was the latter.

In a casual and straightforward manner: As Joan makes her witty comment in her signature dry tone, she’s seated in the reception area of an emergency room. Earlier, at what was intended to be her farewell gathering, a mishap occurred involving a John Deere riding lawnmower, which was presented to celebrate Sterling Cooper winning the company’s account. In the confusion, secretary Lois Sadler took control of the machine, lost control, and ran over Guy MacKendrick, the CEO of Powell, Putnam, and Lowe, Sterling Cooper’s London parent company. The incident sent employees flying, but Joan wasn’t among them. She was engaged in conversation with junior copywriter Peggy Olson when it happened, then rushed over to provide aid. Unfortunately, her dress got splattered in the process. Upon seeing the chaos, Joan’s ex, senior partner Roger Sterling, exclaimed, “It’s like Iwo Jima out there.

According to Weiner, the distressing mishap involving the gardening equipment was inspired by a personal anecdote: His grandfather once accidentally ran over his own shoe with a push-reel lawn mower. As Weiner explained to me, while his grandfather’s foot was unharmed, the shoe was severely damaged. In contrast, the more gruesome lawn-mower accident depicted in Mad Men served a greater purpose than just being a daring self-reference. It marked a significant turning point for a series that delves into characters whose professional and personal lives are always trying to remain separate but inevitably intertwine dramatically. Here, a common suburban item becomes a menacing tool that intrudes upon the workplace; the lawn mower symbolically runs over a metaphorical foot. Despite the lawn-mower scene becoming an iconic out-of-context video of four content employees drenched with internal organs, it’s important to remember its role in advancing the show’s ongoing theme about how sudden, life-changing adversity can have lasting effects.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=UZ9e-XtB26g

In the story “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency,” Joan was upset when she discovered that her fiancé, Greg (Sam Page), a surgeon, hadn’t been promoted as expected. This meant Joan would need to keep her job instead of quitting to become a housewife after the war. However, Joan felt compelled to pretend she was retiring nonetheless. Sitting next to Joan in the hospital waiting room is one of her colleagues, Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a womanizing, alcoholic advertising genius. He had missed the accident because he was having a secret meeting with hotel magnate Conrad Hilton (Chelcie Ross). This meeting was a consolation prize for receiving very little from his British superiors, apart from praise from Guy and being named part of his “creative team” alongside agency co-founder Bert Cooper (Robert Morse). Meanwhile, Roger was left off the new organizational chart, while their colleague and friend Lane Pryce (Jared Harris), a Brit who loved New York City, found out he was being transferred to Bombay.

It’s unfortunate that this incident occurred on the eve of Independence Day, making the situation even more frustrating. Before the arrival of the English, Roger had exclaimed, “Are they really sailing across the ocean just to get their shoes shined?”, to which Don responded, “Fourth of July,” with a hint of sarcasm.

In a subplot filled with significant foreshadowing, the story shifts to Don’s daughter Sally (played by Kiernan Shipka). She’s grappling with profound sadness following her grandfather Gene’s death and the arrival of her new brother, Baby Gene. Her mother Betty (January Jones) attempts to comfort Sally by giving her a Barbie doll, claiming it’s from Baby Gene, but this only adds to Sally’s confusion. When no one is watching, Sally discards the doll in the garden outside their home, but when Don returns, he finds it and sets it on Sally’s nightstand, causing her to let out another chilling scream.

According to Shipka, Sally is currently grappling with the loss of her cherished grandfather. She struggles to express her feelings as one of the dearest individuals in her life has passed away. Remarkably, since playing Sally, Shipka has transitioned into a film career featuring movies such as “Longlegs,” “Twisters,” and “The Last Showgirl.” However, handling emotions is not something that comes naturally to the character of Draper.

Hamm remarks that this episode, titled ‘Guy Walks’, holds a special place for him due to several reasons. Firstly, it provides an intriguing perspective on the strained relationship between Don Draper and Roger Sterling, which had been a source of conflict up until then. Secondly, it sets the stage for the critically acclaimed season finale ‘Shut the Door, Have a Seat’, where key members of Sterling Cooper establish a new firm. Thirdly, Hamm points out that the episode subtly reflects the tumultuous American history of 1963, with Vietnam not yet in full swing and a sense of postwar optimism slowly giving way to uncertainty. The takeover of the agency by British interests presents an upbeat and promising facade, but the events unfolding within the episode gradually undermine this promise in a manner that is both amusing (in a darkly comedic way) and macabre, a testament to the creative brilliance of Matthew Weiner, Robin Veith, and Lesli Linka Glatter.

Throughout her extensive career spanning shows like NYPD Blue, The West Wing, ER, Homeland, The Walking Dead, and The Morning Show, Glatter had already directed four hours of Mad Men by the time the show was running. She finds it a fantastic illustration of the show’s distinctive, dark humor. The iconic scene she refers to is when Joan and Don sit in a hospital with a chair between them, Joan wearing a blood-stained green dress, and they’re both laughing. However, Glatter clarifies that luck played a role in her becoming the director for “Guy Walks.” “Occasionally in my career,” she explains, “I didn’t choose the script or get offered it; instead, it was merely good fortune. I was asked to direct more than one episode that season, and this one just happened to be during my week to direct another.

Weiner expresses his gratitude that the series unfolded as it did, with the main highlight being an action-packed scene involving stunts and shattered glass. He praises Leslie for her extensive television directing experience, explaining it was beneficial because they had limited funds and time to film anything. Despite having strict standards for season three, Weiner admits that he and his writers frequently discussed the issue of excessive alcohol in the office, which they eventually decided to explore in a lengthy narrative. The alcohol problem would gradually escalate over the first five episodes of the season, culminating in a dramatic climax in “Guy Walks,” where Sterling Cooper’s alcohol abuse reaches its peak in a gory finale. The audience would be left to grapple with the aftermath.

In the TV show “Mad Men,” the John Deere riding mower was used as a prop to create a humorous scene where the characters were supposed to be drunk and out of control. This idea came from Scott Hornbacher, one of the executive producers, who thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase Crista Flanagan’s comedic talents as Lois. Originally, Don was meant to ride the mower, but they decided to bring it into the office instead.

In crafting that pivotal scene, the filmmakers aimed for a blend of astonishment and farce. As director Glatter put it, “The fake foot we meticulously designed had torn-up toes and a blood rig for added realism. Not only that, but we doused four characters in line with artificial blood. We filled an air cannon with the mixture, rehearsing the shot with our actors. The challenge was, after rehearsing it, everyone would instinctively brace themselves or guess what’s coming. To surprise them, I triggered the shot a bit early – and boy, did that work! With the white cake and red blood, it was quite a spectacle!

In writing for The Sopranos, Weiner mastered the art of creating suspense by leading the audience to anticipate certain events, only to deliver something different or unexpected. As a writer-producer on the show, he learned that subverting expectations can make the story more engaging and surprising. Regarding the script “Guy Walks”, Weiner admits it was extremely challenging and went through numerous changes. However, one constant was the intention to mislead the audience into thinking the show was taking an unexpected turn, with the arrival of Guy in the office potentially introducing a new main character.

The narrative skillfully intertwines the personal, historical, and surreal aspects: Just prior to the incident, a casual conversation about watching TV news coverage of the Vietnam situation unfolded, not yet escalated enough for widespread U.S. casualties leading to protests. In a chilling manner, violence has become personal for Sterling Cooper’s staff, with Joan serving as a combat medic in an unexpected twist. On a broader note, Mad Men subtly employs irony regarding Joan; her partner Greg, who was supposed to be a surgeon, can’t due to unsteady hands. As for Kennedy, the third season’s overarching story began with “Out of Town,” concluding with an invitation to Roger’s daughter’s wedding on November 22, 1963 – the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Viewers spend the entire season speculating when this event would be addressed. It is ultimately portrayed in episode 12, “The Grown-Ups,” where the characters experience that fateful day.

It’s been pointed out by myself and other enthusiasts of the series that “Guy Walks” could be seen as a symbolic retelling of the JFK assassination at Dealey Plaza. This interpretation suggests that the main floor at Sterling Cooper represents the location of Kennedy’s death, with the character Guy serving as a president-like figure who meets an untimely end shortly after gaining entry (a nod to Roger Sterling’s comment in this episode). The creators do not dismiss this idea outright. Hamm, one of the actors, acknowledges that it’s an intriguing theory and agrees with the symbolism, particularly the blood spatter, the spray, and the immediacy of the scene.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=38969950

In response to my question, Glatter reminisced about her days on Twin Peaks. She shared a valuable lesson she learned from David Lynch that still resonates with her today. There’s a scene where Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean’s characters join forces, and they enter a bank vault where you find your safety-deposit box. A moose head is on the table in the room. No one ever discusses the moose head. It’s a powerful scene due to the presence of the moose head on the table. I asked David Lynch about the origin of this idea, and he said the set dresser was going to hang the moose head on the wall, but upon seeing it lying on the table, he decided to leave it there. When he said that, a lightbulb went off for Glatter. She emphasized the importance of having a plan and knowing your story, but also being open to unexpected elements like the moose head on the table.

2024-10-03 19:54

The Secret History of The Mad Men Lawn-Mower Scene

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