Mad Men Season 5 [** Spoilers **]

jcsoulinger

I find it very difficult to feel sorry for Betty maybe if she wasn't so vindictive. Also the first scene where she is preparing her breakfast and you get the close up of her hands kind of creeped me out, It reminded me of Seinfeld where Jerry starts goin out with a babe but later finds out she has

Jimmy Iovine

The scene with Bert and Roger at the very start of the episode is brilliant. Roger is trying to explain to him that he's divorcing Jane and Bert looks at his watch and says "already". I think most of us were thinking that as well.

I wonder who he'll shack up with next? I'd throw a cheeky 5er on it being Joan considering he has the child with her and her fella is gone out of the picture.

Barna77

The elevator scene was brilliant. Excellent the way how Don reminded Ginsberg he's still in charge. Yep, he got his way, had to hear Ginsber's moan but Don's the boss.

had to feel sorry for Roger at the end. How Jane made him feel guilty, well, as if he'd put a gun on her head to knob her...

And Betty. Still bitchy bitter Betty. And she's thankful for having anything she wants and better than anyone else She's even more childish than Sally... Reminds me of my housemate ... :mad:

coL

I think I missed something a few episodes back. Why was the Gilmore Girl (Beth) at the station waiting for her husband if, as she admitted to Pete later, she knew he is up to something and/or knew he wouldn't be home that evening (can't remember what she said exactly but it was words to the effect that she knew he was cheating or at least staying in town some nights).

Her reason for being there didnt make any sense to me. Did she go to the station just to pick up a man to bring home and take advantage of?

johnny_ultimate

I just presumed it was expected of her to be there waiting for him. All the more humiliating when he doesn't show up, and worse when it's all too obvious what is going on.

Jimmy Iovine

coL wrote: »

I think I missed something a few episodes back. Why was the Gilmore Girl (Beth) at the station waiting for her husband if, as she admitted to Pete later, she knew he is up to something and/or knew he wouldn't be home that evening (can't remember what she said exactly but it was words to the effect that she knew he was cheating or at least staying in town some nights).

Her reason for being there didnt make any sense to me. Did she go to the station just to pick up a man to bring home and take advantage of?

He probably needed a lift home from the station and she was his lift. I presume there were no taxis or anything around there. Makes sense to me.

BlaasForRafa

iguana wrote: »

I found that episode hard to take seriously in some ways as Betty's fat make up is so weird and unrealistic. She looks like she has 5 o'clock shadow most of the time. I think the fat story was a huge mistake.

They should have written Betty out of the show, she doesn't fulfill any role except to be Sally and the other kids mother.

coL

You might be right, I hadn't considered that explanation and as we see from later episodes she does seem to come and collect him from the station in the evenings. I just would have thought that if he was planning a night with his bit on the side he would have had his excuse prepared and told his wife in advance so as not to make her suspicious.

Jimmy Iovine

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

They should have written Betty out of the show, she doesn't fulfill any role except to be Sally and the other kids mother.

I say leave her there. Sally is an amazing character and the fact that she is not always with Don and Megan is a plus. Her story lines are rare enough but when they happen she is brilliant. She needs to be kept away from living with Don and Megan in my opinion.

I feel that if she was living with Don the whole time then we might lose a sense of that freshness because she would be in almost every scene at the apartment. They can't really say go play outside to her. Where does she play? In Times Square? :pac:

Fishooks12

Really enjoying Mad Men again, thought it was on a downward slope after s4 which I didn't care for really

s5 didn't start well but the last 3 epsiodes have been quality

Loving the Pete suicide angle, hope he doesn't do it though because he's one of the best characters

Kilkenny14

Very good episode this week. The scenes with Joan and Don were great - the dialogue between them was very well written, reminded me yet again why I love this show.

Also Roger continues to nail the one-liners; Bazooka Joe

jcsoulinger

Aside from Don and Joan the episode was a bit flat, Im not sure if the Kinsey, Harry, and the manipulative hare krishna babe story line really worked. It looks like we have a new favorite in the who's gonna become the guy falling in the opening credits, Lane.

BlaasForRafa

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Aside from Don and Joan the episode was a bit flat, Im not sure if the Kinsey, Harry, and the manipulative hare krishna babe story line really worked. It looks like we have a new favorite in the who's gonna become the guy falling in the opening credits, Lane.

With his accounting skills Lane could have gotten a job with Seanie and the boys at Anglo-Irish

Dermighty

**** off Kinsey...you're ****!

Technocentral

Krishna story, especially the part with that woman was poor, but the other two strands were great, doesn't look like poor old Lane will be around much longer, what I don't understand is why he didn't just get a bank loan or ask the office for a loan, (8,000 in 1966 equivalent to about 55,000 today, probably 6 months wages for someone in Lanes position) he's popular in the office, apart from with Pete of course. Interesting to find out that its Christmas 1966, they had'nt mentioned the year until now.

Dermighty

"Surprise! There's an airplane here to see you!"

Funny :P

Technocentral wrote: »

Interesting to find out that its Christmas 1966, they had'nt mentioned the year until now.

Didn't they have England winning the world cup before? though that's more them alluding to the year.

KeanSeenan

Plus the murders, Beatles album release, speeches on the radio. The date has been more obvious this season in my opinion. Good to have Lane back, but with all the allusions to death this season I'm learning to not jump to him being the jumper, something bad is definitely coming though. Don and Joan were great as they usually are, makes sense Weiner doesn't get them together that often.

Technocentral

Dermighty wrote: »

Didn't they have England winning the world cup before? though that's more them alluding to the year.

Forgot that!

Technocentral

KeanSeenan wrote: »

Plus the murders, Beatles album release, speeches on the radio. The date has been more obvious this season in my opinion. Good to have Lane back, but with all the allusions to death this season I'm learning to not jump to him being the jumper, something bad is definitely coming though. Don and Joan were great as they usually are, makes sense Weiner doesn't get them together that often.

Don't think he'll necessary kill himself, more that he'll have to leave after taking 8k.

BlaasForRafa

Technocentral wrote: »

Don't think he'll necessary kill himself, more that he'll have to leave after taking 8k.

He might end up in jail if (when) someone at SDCP find he's forged a check and stole 8 grand. Can you imagine what'd happen to a prissy posh-voiced fella like Lane in Rikers Island?

The Lane stuff and the Don/Joan stuff made up for Kinsey, who has always been a rubbish character and the stuff with Harry and the "do me this way" woman.

Dermighty

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

He might end up in jail if (when) someone at SDCP find he's forged a check and stole 8 grand. Can you imagine what'd happen to a prissy posh-voiced fella like Lane in Rikers Island?

The Lane stuff and the Don/Joan stuff made up for Kinsey, who has always been a rubbish character and the stuff with Harry and the "do me this way" woman.

Hopefully Harry will blow himself up and kill Kinsey while he's at it, unbeknownst to everyone on the planet so there isn't a funeral/grief episode!

Megan kind of overreacted too!

johnny_ultimate

Thought this was a terrific episode. Some of the Krishna stuff was a bit weird alright, but worth it for that inspired music cut as Harry unbuckled his belt Lane's plot was strong too: becoming a heartbreaking character this season. The Don and Joan stuff was terrifically acted, directed and written. A lesser show would have hooked them up, but it would make no sense here. Instead, just two people enjoying their 'day off' so to speak, and the chemistry was electric. Delighted they didn't go down what I feared the resolution to that scene could have been.

Just reading how some people think Don's final motivational speech to the workers is evidence that Megan is doomed to become another Betty. I actually think it could go either way: its almost as if Megan wants that passion and enthusiasm back in Don, which to me fits with Don's more proactive approach to defending his marriage this season. However, Mad Men isn't a show of happy endings, so we can only wait and see how things play out now that Don has got his groove back.

The Black Oil

That was a pretty firey episode, no? Quite a few barbs being thrown around, I thought.

Great leap forward - ain't that commie? :pac:

Sad Professor

One of the funnier episodes, I thought.

As much as I'm enjoying this season, though, it really needs to end with a bang. I want the old nihilistic, teetering on the brink, staring into the abyss Don Draper back. Although that great little moment with the elevator shaft a few episodes ago assures me he hasn't gone far.

Barna77

Joan and Don were excellent. Sure for a moment i thought they'd end up in bed... But it was good how after Joan declared that he was "irresistible", he tried his old tricks on Megan and they didn't work, instead Don had to obey like a little kid.

As for Don's final speech, suppose it's a reaction to Megan blaming him of losing the passion for his job.

It shouild be interestiing to see the consequences of Lane's actions.

Harry should go to LA with Kinsey and both disappear in the desert on a trip to Vegas

3 episodes left...

iguana

A small thing but it's really bothering me. Who the hell eats a plate of plain spaghetti? Was that a thing in the 60s? Hadn't they heard of tomato sauce, carbonara or, at a stretch, pesto?

Barna77

Another thing... did they have road rules back then? Don was quite drunk, said he was driving and that's it, no questions asked.

Sad Professor

Barna77 wrote: »

Another thing... did they have road rules back then? Don was quite drunk, said he was driving and that's it, no questions asked.

Drunk driving laws in the US would have been fairly lax until the 70s and 80s. There would have been fewer and slower cars on the road as well, so less innocent victims and with it less awareness, I guess.

mrkite77

iguana wrote: »

A small thing but it's really bothering me. Who the hell eats a plate of plain spaghetti? Was that a thing in the 60s? Hadn't they heard of tomato sauce, carbonara or, at a stretch, pesto?

I often have spaghetti with just butter and garlic salt.

johnny_ultimate

Plenty of pasta is served without 'visible' sauce. Never had aglio, olio e peperoncino, obviously.