Christmas Waltz

Christmas Waltz is the first Christmas episode of Mad Men that debuted on AMC on May 20, 2012.

Plot
Lane Pryce’s attorney abroad instructs him to wire £2,900 (US $8,000) to England to cover back taxes within two days. Lane (Jared Harris) worries he cannot come up with the money. Harry (Rich Sommer) schedules coffee with Paul Kinsey (Michael Gladis), then reports a strong first-quarter outlook to Lane but warns that actual commitments from clients are still uncertain. Lane visits the firm’s bank manager and convinces him to authorize a $50,000 credit extension.

Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) tells Don (Jon Hamm) and Roger (John Slattery) that Edwin Baker has been fired from Jaguar and their firm is back in contention for the account. Presentations will be in mid-January. Don comments on it being a lot of work, to which an annoyed Pete replies that Don "may have to work past 5:30".

Paul, wearing a robe and sporting a shaved head, greets Harry at a Hare Krishna gathering. He introduces his friend Lakshmi (Anna Wood), who convinces Harry to join them in a group chant. In a taxi after the gathering, Paul admits to Harry that he loves Lakshmi but the Krishna movement does not make him happy. Paul later hands Harry a spec script he wrote for Star Trek entitled "The Negron Complex" and asks Harry to pass it along to NBC. Hesitant, Harry agrees and later asks Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) for her opinion on Paul’s script, which they agree is awful. She advises him to tell Paul the truth—that he can't write—but Harry is clearly reluctant.

Lane calls a partners meeting to announce they can hand out Christmas bonuses thanks to a $50,000 surplus; however, Don recommends waiting until the Christmas party. Pete agrees, explaining the Jaguar announcement will be a sufficient morale boost until then; this gets no response from anyone, frustrating Pete. In Joan's (Christina Hendricks) office, a drunken Roger says he wants to financially support her and Kevin. She refuses, claiming the child would be better off without Roger’s involvement.

Megan (Jessica Paré) and Don watch the play America Hurrah, in which a character rants against TV advertisements. After the play, they argue about its negative portrayal of advertising.

Lane sneaks into the office after hours and forges Don's signature on a $7,500 check written out to himself. The next day, he assures his attorney that the funds are available, but hangs up when the attorney mentions his fee.

Pete asks Don to test drive a Jaguar for research purposes. Don agrees but declines Pete’s suggestion to bring Megan. Pete is again annoyed that no one seems interested in the fact that he has put them in the running for Jaguar.

Lakshmi shows up at the firm and seduces Harry in his office. He resists but gives in when she assures him that the movement allows it. Afterward, Lakshmi reveals that Paul is the movement's best recruiter and, subtly blackmailing Harry over what just happened, she tells Harry to stay away or he might turn Paul into a "gross materialist."

Joan is summoned to reception for a signature, but instead receives divorce papers from a process server. She loses her temper with Meredith, the receptionist, who had let the process server in, and smashes the model Mohawk airplane on Meredith's desk. Don leads her out of the office and takes her to a Jaguar showroom where they pretend to be a couple looking for a new car. Don offers the salesman a $6,000 deposit to let them test-drive an XK-E alone. At a bar, Joan reminisces about the days when, if she was called to reception, it was to receive flowers from various suitors. Don admits that, upon first sight of her, he thought she was dating Aly Khan. She replies that her mother raised her to be admired, and then asks why Don never showed interest in her. He admits he was afraid of her, and that Burt Peterson had told him she was the one person in the agency he shouldn't cross. They discuss starting over and flirt. He points out a man at the other end of the bar who seems interested in her and she guesses the man has a wife. When he's ready to leave, Don offers to return the Jaguar by himself, slipping Joan some "mad money" in case it doesn’t work out with the other man, and advising her to stand over by the jukebox: "That was a pretty good look before." Alone later in the Jaguar, Don furiously shifts gears and accelerates. The next day, Joan is delivered flowers from "Ali Khan," with a note stating that her mother did a good job.

Don arrives home drunk and finds an angry Megan at the dinner table. She throws her plate against the wall and asks where he’s been. She yells that she has sat waiting for someone who does not care about anybody. She orders him to sit at the table and eat.

Rebecca (Embeth Davidtz) tells Lane she wants to visit England for Christmas. He claims the office needs him after Jaguar has renewed interest in the firm and he does not want to spend another Christmas alone.

Harry tells Paul that his business connection liked the script but passed on it, even though he didn't really show it to NBC. He gives Paul $500 and a ticket to Los Angeles, urging him to leave the Krishnas and start over. Paul hugs him, saying that Harry was the first person to do anything for him.

At the office, Pete informs the partners that Mohawk Airlines is suspending their advertising budget due to a machinist strike. When Lane protests cutting the bonuses entirely, the other partners agree to give bonuses only to the staff and defer their own. In the conference room, the partners inform the employees about Mohawk, Jaguar and the bonuses, only the last of which gets a response after Roger makes it clear that the employees are getting bonuses and the partners aren't. Don ends the meeting with a rally, saying that every Madison Avenue agency is defined by their first automobile client, and that when they obtain the Jaguar account, the world will know about SCDP. The room erupts in applause; Lane, however, is visibly uneasy as everyone files out.