Season 5 Episode 9 Dark Shadows

"Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends" Alexander Pope

Fidelity is the skin that holds relationships together, both social and personal. Fidelity is looked at and tested in this episode; illustrated with short vignettes but not really explored in detail with some characters appearing selfish and petty while others react to being slighted and disrespected.

Early on, when Sally is creating the family tree, we are reminded of Don's disloyalty to his country when he assumed the identity of another in order to escape duty as a soldier. Don is the hollow man, the empty suit with a persona cut whole out of cloth (a draper is a dealer in fabrics or cloth). 

Don looks through Ginsberg's work late at night and decides to compete in a "creative" environment with him. When Don and Ginsberg's ideas are chosen to show to the client, Don intentionally leaves Ginsberg's panels behind in a cab. When the team lands the account, Don takes credit, but he wins the competition by default of omission. Don's use of power and authority is galling to Ginsberg when he finds out. He calls Don on it and says childishly, "I feel bad for you" and which Don replies "I don't think of you at all". This dismissal of Ginsberg, that he is so beneath him as an individual and employee, and not worth consideration, is based on Don's growing hubris and the fact that the younger Ginsberg and Megan are better at creative ideas than he is.

Roger chooses Ginsberg over Peggy for work on the potential Manischewitz account. When Peggy finds out, she is upset because she thinks that Roger feels she is not as good. Roger explains that he choose Ginsberg because Ginsberg is Jewish. Peggy says it is disloyal. Roger's reply, "it's every man for himself" slighting her more by not recognizing her as a woman.

(This sets up a possible future partnership with Peggy and Ginsberg, who now have a shared gripe against the principal partners, for them to leave and start their own agency).

Betty, finds a love letter from Don to Megan and becomes jealous. Her revenge is to try and break the bond between Sally and Don and at the same time, between Sally and Megan, by bringing up Don's first, now deceased wife ("go ask Megan about it"). When Sally returns and fains innocence to her meddling, Betty is upset and knocks things off the kitchen table. But Betty, instead of causing problems at the Drapers, has caused problems between she and Sally without realizing it. When Megan asked Sally "where did you hear that?" (about the wife) Sally's response was "from someone who doesn't lie." Sally learns the truth about her mother's true intentions which is to poison the relations between all parties. Betty is teaching Sally how to be an adult, but the inadvertent lesson is not to trust the words of her parents.

Other characters express a lack of fidelity in their relationships: Henry Francis says that he "choose the wrong horse to back" creating doubt about his commitment to Governor Rockefeller. Betty herself wonders if she made a mistake by divorcing Don to marry Henry. Pete is unfaithful to his wife by day dreaming about a sexual encounter with Beth Dawes. Pete also becomes angry when his new "friend" at the New York Times turns on him by not writing about the firm after an extensive interview. Megan tells Sally that she won't tell Don about their conversation, but tells him anyway. Roger obtains Jane's participation for a business dinner meeting by buying her an apartment, which he ruins for her by using his dominant and economic power over her for sexual gratification.

On Madison Avenue, everything is for sale, save faith, fidelity and loyalty.