No.

Peggy's "dressing down" came basically because her timing sucks. Everyone dogging Don and Peggy was the last straw. He blew up. That's all it was.

Agreed. Peggy seems to be hitting Don at the wrong times.

But you have to also keep in mind, Peggy's dressing down wasn't Don yelling at her--it was him yelling at himself. Think about what he said, and think about what he envisioned his dad saying to him when he was drugged. It's all about what he's producing--or not producing.

He's not yelling at Peggy. He's yelling at himself for thinking he could get something for nothing from Conrad Hilton. There's a price to pay and he should remember that. He has to do the work. He has to put-up or shut-up.

Funny how Don sees himself as never saying 'no' and Peggy saying "you say no all the time". I was shocked by how cruel Don was to her. And yes, he was kicking the dog, so to speak. Very unchivalrous, and it dashed forever my admiration for him, small as it was.

"'His Master's Voice' It's an old ad."

"I know what it is."

And Betty says that with feeling. She's lived under Don's thumb contentedly for a while now. But just like everyone else, she isn't satisfied. She's struggling with her identity, wondering who she is willing to serve. Every time she tries to make a move toward more freedom, Don puts her back in her dependent role. "Don't worry about my job. You're taken care of."

It's not working anymore.

I lost some respect for Don when he lashed out at Peggy; I really didn't see that coming.

Also I didn't think it was fair of him to imply to Betty that where her comfortable lifestyle comes from is none of her business. She was just pissed for being left out of the loop (where she actually defended Don to Roger), but I don't think she's taking Don for granted.

Don's kinda sorta a chauvinist pig. He has shown that he thinks that raising the children is his wife's job, has extra marital affairs and shows up at home whenever he pleases. He thinks he's entitled to act that way by virtue of being a man

At the same time, he promoted Peggy and has had affairs with strong, modern women characters who, in the case of Rachel, were as powerful as he.

The fling with the stewardess and the fact that he is considering having one the teacher, seem like a step backward.

He treated Peggy much the same way he treats Betty. She won the argument so, he had to "kick the dog" as others have pointed out.

Come to think of it, the reason I'm so disgusted with Don is that he can't seem to see what a hypocrite he is. Is that due to the battle his two sides are having with his soul? The country mouse/ city mouse conflict? "Put your nose down"? He gets up on his high horse with everybody, but in secret he's just a dirty mutt.

And how ironic is it that someone whose job it is to make the public buy things they don't need is telling Peggy to "stop asking for things"!

In Don's day, raising children WAS the wife's job.

I too was disappointed in Don's treatment of Peggy. She was right on the verge of crying by the time he finished dressing her down. It was excessive and unkind.

Poor Peggy. I'm sure she does deserve a raise, but like everyone's saying, it's all about timing.

I also thought it was totally hypocritical and just bad advice that he told her to "stop asking for things", not only because of the business they're in, but because he's surely been in the exact same position at some point when he was younger! She isn't going to ever move up the ladder at work by sitting still and being a meek and quiet good little girl. She is going to have to promote herself and be assertive, maybe even aggressive at times. Don should know that.

Joke:
What did Don say to Peggy when she asked for a raise?
Go f**k a duck!

Don's not a chauvinist. For his time, he is fairly enlightened. He is the one who had recognized Peggy's talent and promoted her. He was pretty open minded about Sal's homesexuality ("limit your exposure").

Lincoln freed the slaves, but he didn't want integration - he wanted to ship blacks to Africa. Nevertheless, give Abe and Don credit for being relatively enlightened for their day.

I agree with Fred2. Don is very enlightened for his time, and for being in a business where if he's not a manly man, he'll get walked all over.

And before we cry for Betty, let us remember that she married into what she thought she wanted as much as Don did. Don wanted a wifey-wife, mother to the kids, homekeeper. Betty thought that was what she wanted to be as well. And now that being housewife and mom isn't what she thought it was going to be, what is she doing? Looking to be a free, divorced woman? No. Looking to have a career outside the home? No.

No. She's looking for another "daddy" figure to take care of her and treat her like a delicate lady who needs a fainting couch. In short, it's not Don's chauvinism that's made her discontent, or at least, not that alone. I don't know that Betty knows what she really wants, except to return to when she was daddy's pampered little girl.

As for Peggy, yes, absolutely, Don was mean to her, unfair to her, rude to her, and yelled at her because she was in his line of fire, she was the dog. BUT, he didn't tell her that she was failing because she was a woman. He's never commented that she ought to pretty herself up, nor has he called her any demeaning name ("sweetheart"), or touched her inappropriately or made sexual innuendos toward her.

In short, Peggy would have gotten yelled at in exactly the same way if she's been male and had come into Don at that moment with th same proposal. Which makes me wonder...where you all expecting Don to treat Peggy gently and with kid gloves because she's a girl? Why do you think he was being a chauvinist when he was treating her as he would any other lowly copywriter who came in at that moment, male or female? If you're appalled at his treatment of Peggy because she's a girl, then Don's not the one being sexually bias.

Don can be a bastard. And he can be a chauvinist--we saw this when he originally didn't want to work with Rachel. But for his age, time, and upbringing, he's amazingly enlightened. And his yelling at Peggy, at least, was not an example of his chauvinist side.

I agree with you, Fred2. Despite his flaws, in most ways Don's pretty decent/enlightened for a man of his generation. He is not an angel and he is not a devil. He's complicated and has some moral grey areas. Just like many people.

Overall he's been almost mentor-like with Peggy (and very kind towards Sal-- protective even-- and immediately after the shock of finding out that he was gay, he gave him the directing opportunity) and also quite gentlemanly/well-mannered towards some women at times.

One scene that has always stood out to me (don't recall the episode, sorry) is when Don, one lone woman, and a group of young guys were the elevator at SC. The young men started making loud, crude sexual jokes and the woman looked very uncomfortable. Don saw this and pushed one of the instigators, yanked his hat off and handed it to him, telling him that he should remove his hat in the presence of a lady (paraphrased). I thought that was very sweet and chivalrous.

My point is the way Don addressed Pete's request versus Peggy's. And mostly that he indicates he devalues her work,woman or not."There's nothing you've done that I couldn't have done without". In a way, that's what Bert finally told Don....referring to the Sacagawea comment (like, you Don think you're so great but you're not). Peggy should have been addressed with the equal amount of respect that Pete received, IMO. Too bad if her timing was "wrong". She didn't know that, and why should she? Do we walk on eggshells because Don is cranky today? (Sorry. I work with my husband and he's exactly like that. We butt heads and this is 2009). Peggy, being in the minority amongst Don's staff, will have to ask and ask and ask.

Don was quite cranky due to the pressure of being forced to sign a contract he didn't want to sign. I can understand that, but he was really talking down to Betty who is not stupid. Don still needs to evolve, IMO. But, he's in good company for the era.

I just thought of something else. Maybe when Peggy asks for things, like raises or chances to get ahead, Don feels the pressure to say "Yes" because Peggy knows his "Bobbie Barrett" secret....that maybe he doesn't quite trust her after all. He resents Peggy's requests because he thinks there's a hook in there somewhere. Just a thought.

My point is the way Don addressed Pete's request versus Peggy's. And mostly that he indicates he devalues her work,woman or not.

You seem to forget all the times Don has been ultra kind and considerate and helpful to Peggy--and rude to Pete. I'm sorry, but I just don't see this as chauvinism. I see this as Don being mean Don, which sometimes is.

It doesn't excuse how mean and uncalled for what he said to her was, but Don's always treated her better than any of the other copywriters in the three years they've known each other. As awful as this one instance was, i don't think it should erase all that we've seen of their relationship up to this point, and up to this point, their relationship has been astonishingly positive.

And I think Don feels the pressure to say "yes" because he feels Peggy is right and that Peggy has earned what she's after. I don't think he feels pressured by her knowing his "Bobby" secret because, after all, there's a quid-pro-quo there. He knows her baby secret. And why are we forgetting that he was there for her at that time when no one else was?

I rather enjoyed the dressing down of Peggy. She deserved it, she has reverted back to sitting on the sidelines when she should be in the game. If they would have listened to her regarding Patio, there could have been some embarrassing times averted. But let me say, the customer may not always be right, but they are still the customer. Don's tirage with Peggy should have shown her that she is an equal with the others, praised when done good, and kicked when they dont. The most important thing I heard was, you havent done anything we wouldnt have gotten anyway. That was the opposite of what he told Sal. Maybe she should learn how to play smoke on the water by snapping her garters, but wait, she wears pantyhose. I think Mad men should replace Target with secrets in lace as an advertiser.

Agree with all the comments, but have to remember this is set in the 60's. This is all about the character development of Peggy and who she is and who she will become. We will watch her learn how to play the game whether it is sleeping with Duck or ?????. Comment, I was disappointed by Cooper basically blackmailing Don (to sign the contract) given that he is suppose to be this big Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, fan. Any thoughts?

candy:"I was disappointed by Cooper basically blackmailing Don (to sign the contract) given that he is suppose to be this big Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, fan. Any thoughts?"

This showed me that Bert Cooper's philosophical bent only goes so far. It's an affectation, and maybe an avocation but it hasn't dulled his business acumen. He knows how to succeed in business (without really trying, so to speak).

Joan: Raising the kids is Betty's job (with the maid) Don is working all day so you really can't expect him to entertain the kids when he gets home or worry about trivial household matters that Betty has all day to do. In his business where they do a lot of business over dinner, he gets home whenever he gets home.I'm sure it's no fun for him and must be very tiring.
And I wouldn't exactly consider Menken some strong modern woman. She, after all, inherited the business from a man, her father, and as we all know, it's a lot easier running a business that's already established than building it from scratch (most fail). Menken also married some wealthy businessman for security.

Fred: Cooper didn't get to where he is by being a fool. The company has new owners and it was probably really them who wanted Don to work under contract especially since Don just got the Hilton account and they don't want him walking away with any business if he leaves. Bert may be secure for life under the agreement but he's still an employee of the company now and will go along with what the owners want.I think that Bert and Roger feel a bit uneasy about Don and don't know what he wants to do.