: To avoid the health risks of real smoking during long film days, actors used herbal, nicotine-free cigarettes [23, 24].
: The episode introduces Peggy Olson on her first day as a secretary, immediately exposing her to the office's rampant chauvinism [10, 15].
: Matthew Weiner wrote the script in 2000 but shelved it for seven years while working on The Sopranos [13].
: The episode features the iconic theme song "A Beautiful Mine" by RJD2 [12, 20]. The ending credits roll to Vic Damone’s "On the Street Where You Live" [16].
: Characters often act in ways that contradict their true thoughts, highlighted by Salvatore Romano's ironic comment about people living "secret" lives [27]. Production and Fun Facts
: In a definitive monologue, Don explains that advertising is about making people feel that "whatever you’re doing is OK" [14, 17].
: The episode carefully builds Don's persona as a master of reinvention, culminating in the "twist" ending that reveals he has a wife, Betty , and two children waiting for him in the suburbs [5, 18].