Running for seven seasons, Mad Men stands as a crowning glory of modern television and one of the medium's greatest-ever series. Following Don Draper , the creative director of an advertising agency, it focuses on his personal life and career changes throughout the rapid societal evolution of the 1960s. The series is still celebrated over a decade after its conclusion for its powerful and layered storytelling, exceptional performances, and mesmerizing dialogue.
The episode's defining moment comes with Draper's poignant quote, which he delivers as he dons his jacket and readies himself to leave Midge's flat. While it works in seeing Don win the squabble, it points to an even darker truth. Mad Men, for all its glamour, never shied away from the fact that the world can be a cruel and hostile place. Don's quote is a bleak revelation that there is no grand scheme behind it all, and everyone is merely in a chaotic rat race.
When Peggy is encouraged by Don to fire the sexist employee, he bluntly assures her that firing Joey will garner her respect in the company. Given the series' focus on the societal changes of the 60s, with attitudes towards women being central within that, the line is oddly empowering as Don nonchalantly hands responsibility to Peggy. It's also a reminder of his all-or-nothing attitude in both business and life, which leads him to become the man he is at the start of the show.
Don effectively expresses that, in advertising, garnering an emotional response from customers is what truly makes campaigns successful. It holds a similar weight as another of Draper's famous quotes related to how advertising is based on selling happiness. Don uses his outlook to manipulate potential buyers; of that much, there is no doubt. Still, his understanding of what people truly want always made him compelling and surprisingly honest in that pursuit.
Their conversation, without ever losing its slick wit, pivots towards Rachel's personal life and her views on love when Don asks her why she isn't married. His quote about modern notions of love all being a lie to sell false hope and commercialized products is a pointed quip that follows up with a grand philosophical view about living life as if there is no tomorrow.