Mad Men Season 5 running thread

Query for the board:

Two reviews I have read this morning take it as fait accompli that Don's marriage is over -- both using the comparison of Peggy's relationship with her boyfriend and Roger's marriage, as depicted last night.

Am I a hopeless romantic, or could Don and Megan still make it? I caught the comparisons, but it felt more to me like Roger's marriage was over, but Don's honeymoon was over -- not necessarily the whole relationship. But I could be wrong.

 

It certainly was her "trying to be like Don" moment.

 

Don has been certainly been arrogant and firm before but I don't think he'd ever try to ram it down the client's throat. I'm probably wrong but that's my gut reaction. I think Don's been too smooth and calculating to do what Peggy did. Don would rather lose the account and keep his pride/facade intact than basically browbeat the client into accepting something they don't want to accept. Perhaps Peggy will learn from the experience, maybe not. (Wifey thinks that since Megan/Rizzo/Ginsburg were going one way and she was going another Peggy might have been leaving but I disagree.)

Really weird episode because not used to see Don so disheveled. I think the fact that Don/Megan did not have hot s*x but rather just a comforting moment is an indication that their marriage may be stronger and will last (or I'm just hoping.)

Great end though with Cooper finally chastising Draper. Yes enough with the honeymoon, although in real life Draper may have said "you've got your name on the wall but what business have you brought in lately?"

 

"Alone I'm an escapee from some expensive mental institution. But the two of us, we're a couple of rich handsome perverts."

 

Peggy was fighting the feminist war there, to some degree. feeling she was being patronized by someone who wasn't evaluating the broad case strictly in its merits. That bacon can still be saved: "(Peggy's) off the business" is not the same as "Screw you guys, I'm going elsewhere".

Bert's always viewed Don as something of a loose horse.
A fair case can be made that the overall creative isn't as strong if Don doesn't at least review more of it than he's been reviewing, recently.

 

Anyone else some away with the feeling last night that the show was similar to some of those off-the-wall dream sequence shows on the Sopranos? I'm still trying to decide on how good the episode was.

 

Well, Weiner cut his show-runner teeth at the feet of David Chase on The Sopranos, so that's probably an accurate assessment.

 

Made my decision early. The episode was, as I channel my inner KGB, "so unsatisfying.".

 

but it set up the rest of the season so nicely.

 

Didn't realize its just a 10-episode season this year.

 

Because it's a 13-episode season this year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804503/episodes?season=5

 

whoaaa, trippy..