This episode opens up with Pete and his wife going to a party with many other Sterling Cooper employees. During this event, Paul Kinsey introduces Joan to his new African American girlfriend, Sheila. When both the girls are alone, Joan makes some condescending comments to Sheila and ridicules her to an extent. Joan says "the last thing I would have taken Paul for was open-minded." This was in regards to Paul and Sheila being an interracial couple, and during the 1960s this was rare. During this party, Peggy is spending time with a gentleman she just met, but later rejects him and ends up going home alone. The following morning, Don Draper and Roger Sterling come into the office to see all their employees huddled around a radio. The radio is broadcasting news of the crash of an American Airlines plane in Jamaica Bay. Peggy walks in and goes directly to her office without giving the broadcast much attention. Draper orders the employees back to work and requests they pull all advertisements for the agency's client Mohawk Airlines to prevent a Mohawk ad next to a picture of the plane crash in the newspaper. Pete makes a joke about how some of the passengers were going to a golf tournament and the moment the plane hit the ground, the Bay turned plaid. Later this joke comes to be ironic. Roger, Duck and Cooper have a meeting in Duck's office about the possibility of American Airlines hiring Sterling Cooper as their new ad agency since now the Airline company would have to rebuild their image in the public eye. Pete Campbell receives a call from his brother, Bud, with news that their father was on the plane that went down. In shock, Pete goes to Don for advice and says "I don't know what to do." Draper advises Pete to go home and says "there's life and there's work." Campbell takes this advice and leaves the office. Draper is called into the meeting with Duck, Roger and Cooper to discuss the possibility of business with American Airlines. When told of the situation, Draper dislikes the idea because taking American Airlines as a client would mean dumping Mohawk Airlines due to a conflict of interest. Draper clashes with Duck, who insists it's a good opportunity. Meanwhile, Pete is meeting with his family to discuss their father's passing away. Bud tells Pete of how their father was insolvent and left behind some debt, he spent much of his money on "oysters, clubs and travel." However, they do not tell this to their mother. The Drapers have Carlton and Francine come over to play cards. During the game, Betty mentions how their son traced a drawing and accepted praise for his work, but Don defends him and mentions that his whole art department traces. Betty dislikes that Don is constantly defending the kids when they get into some trouble, while she always wants to scold them. Peggy visits her mother and sister. There, she discusses her work with them and before she leaves, reluctantly looks into the kids' bedroom where an infant sleeps. The next day, Duck goes to Pete and offers condolences, saying that they're both practically like family. Duck invites Pete to help him with getting American Airlines to do business with them. Pete says he is not ready yet. Later, he goes to Don but is completely shut down when Don tells him "It's not a good time." Joan and Paul have a barbed exchange in which she suggests that he is phony about his lifestyle. Later, a man with Paul's suit color takes Joan's purse from her cubbyhole. Later still, a copy of her driver's license has been posted on the office bulletin board, revealing to all that Joan is in her thirties and phony about her age. Joan asks Peggy who did it, and gets no real answer. In the evening, Draper meets with the Mohawk Airlines CEO and tells them that their business is over. The CEO is unhappy and tells Don that he fooled them into thinking they would grow together. Draper is disappointed with the whole situation since it wasn't his choice and yet the CEO thinks it was all up to him. Meanwhile, Duck is meeting with the American Airlines representative and Pete unexpectedly walks in and tries to persuade him to do business with Sterling Cooper. Pete says he knows what their company is going through and mentions that his father died on that plane. The episode ends with Peggy in church with her mother and sister. When their row is called up for communion, Peggy is the only one who stays seated and her sister gives her a baby which starts crying as soon as Peggy holds it.
Cultural references
The episode opens up with Roger and Don talking about the Ticker tape parade for John Glenn. They see everyone in the office gathered around the radio assuming they are listening to the parade, but find out that American Airlines Flight 1 had just crashed. We also hear Peggy's mother talk about The Agony and the Ecstasy, a biography about Michelangelo written by Irving Stone. With the American Airlines crash into Jamaica Bay the foundational event, the episode ends poignantly with Don alone in the bar of the Japanese styled restaurant, where he had just met with Mohawk, Kyū Sakamoto's song Sukiyaki fades into the soundtrack. On August 12, 1985, Sakamoto was aboard Japan Airlines Flight 123, on which he was heading to Osaka for an event. The plane crashed into two ridges of Mount Takamagahara in Ueno, Gunma which became the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. A total of 520 people were killed in the crash, including Sakamoto.
Reception
"Flight 1" was watched by 1.3 million viewers. "Flight 1" was positively reviewed by critics. Eric Goldman of IGN said, "This was a great episode of Mad Men, as some deeply personal issues mixed with the ad game in the worst possible way for the ever-fascinating character of Pete." This episode received a review of "Amazing," and 9/10 stars because the writers included many historical events, that lead to strong story lines.
Production
Series creator Matthew Weiner says "Flight 1" is about how the characters deal with change. "The second episode to me is about...how you should react to anything and what you were told you should do..." Pete Campbell has to deal with the loss of his father, and goes to Don asking how he should react. Weiner had Pete's father die in the American Airlines crash because Christopher Allport, the actor who played Pete's father, had died in an accident. They thought since Pete and his father did not have a good relationship, that it was better to have him die rather than recast the part and keep that storyline going. Peggy Olson is still dealing with the birth of her child. Weiner still wanted to portray Peggy as a young girl. Although she had a child that does not stop her from going out and having a good time. Peggy seems to have done what was recommended to her by not keeping her baby, rather letting someone else raise it. This episode showed many characters do as they "should" and follow the advice of others.
