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Don Draper's silhouette has always defined Mad Men, and in the first episode of the season, "Time Zones," he's quite literally in the shadows.
The big reveal of the premiere is that Don has been playing the Cyrano for ol' Freddie Rumsen, working on campaigns for freelancer Freddie to go in and pitch. The pitches are, naturally, brilliant and high-minded. At the end of Freddie's long opening monologue, he delivers: "Accutron: It's not a time piece. It's a conversation piece," a slogan which recalls Don's old, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” They wow Peggy, who defends them to dopey Lou Avery, the man who we saw at the end of season six arriving a little too early for his meeting at the firm. In these clashes with Lou, Peggy thinks she's sticking up for Freddie, the man who was the first to notice her creative talent. Instead, she's fighting for ideas belonging to Don, the man who both nurtured her career and, at times, stalled it.
(Aside: Poor Peggy. Season six ended on what seemed to be a triumphant note for her professional life even if Ted left her personal life in shambles. She swiveled in Don's chair, symbolically taking his place in the office. And yet! Now she's battling the condescending Lou Avery. Someone let this woman catch a break, please.)