Don & Duck

Does Don plus Duck equal 'Donald Duck'?

 

(Duck Phillips and Don Draper in AMC's Mad Men)

It's clear to me that the Mad Men writers have a file for almost every one-on-one relationship in the show, simply because of the intricacies of dialogue and recurring motifs between characters.  One of the most fascinating relationships is between Don Draper and Duck Phillips.

Is it just a coincidence that whenever these two appear together on screen, the short tempered child comes out in both of them?  Or perhaps is Donald Duck the microcosm of the relationship between Duck Phillips and Don Draper?

The incident that gets their frictional relationship started is when Sterling Cooper drops Mohawk Airlines to avoid a conflict of interest to pursue "a wink" from American Airlines according to Don.  Obviously a national airline, with more flights and passengers meant potentially more money for the firm.  The ambitious new Duck Phillips was all over the chance to put Sterling Cooper advertisements on national television and in big name magazines.  But Don hesitated. He told Duck that dropping Mohawk Airlines would be unethical and look like they have no loyalty to their current and prospective clients.  Moreover, Don fought for the account by saying that "We have a good client, that likes our work, who pays their bills on time." In a later conversation with Roger, Don asks him, "What kind of company are we going to be?"  to which Roger says "The kind where everyone has a summer home."

Ultimately, the American Airlines ambition failed and Don hand fed a heavy-helping of 'Itoldyaso' right into Duck's oddly delicate beak.  When a new face of the agency makes such a violent mistake in his first month, it forever sets a precedent on the relationship that can never be broken.

You may recall an episode in the fourth season depicting the night of the Mohammed Ali vs. Sonny Liston fight in which the recently fired, alcoholic Duck storms into the office and attempts to leave a gift on Don's desk. When Don comes back into the room, the two have an amicable fight which Duck triumphs.

It seems that when these two come together, they produce a frustrated immature dynamic that can only be explained by such a lively and irritable Disney character. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but a notable one at that.