Mad Men Season 5 running thread

What a great line: My mother raised me to be admired. So much great stuff in this ep. I guess you can really tell when Weiner writes them.

 

Not sure why folks insist on framing this question in either or terms. I generally viewed him as one of the coolest cats on Earth AND a terrible human being. That's one of the more realistic and intriguing aspects about the way his character was written. Just like ultra-elite athletes often lean toward personal douchebaggery (see Jordan, Tiger, Kobe, Bonds, Clemens, etc.), the same often applies to the coolest and most charismatic women-slaying dudes I've known.

That said, and at risk of being a spoiler for Brooklyn Bridge, the writers certainly seem to have quelled his douchebag quotient in the last couple seasons. Not sure I approve.

 

Great pull.

 

I have been watching the current season as I. Get caught up and can Definately notice a change. He was just what Joan needed after the episode with the receptionist.

I also think he tries harder with Megan than he did with Betty. Also realized that Don is by no means the d-baggiest character.

 

Are we sure we haven't passed that date? I can't figure out the timeline.

Episode starts around Dec. 7 (Pearl Harbor Day) and Lane finds out he needs the money.

He tries borrowing the $50k and convincing the partners to give out the bonuses, they demur.

He forges the check.

They hold a Christmas party and give out bonuses to the staff but not to partners.

Was the party really before Dec. 14?

 

'67 Jag

 

Epic photo.

 

Lotta office Xmas parties are early in the month.We don't have them now but in another time, ours was always the 9th or 10th or so.

 

Sorry, just getting caught up. For me, it would be disaster to put Joan and Don together. There has been very little personal interaction between the two over the years. There's no doubt he respects her and she admires him but also understands who he is. There's no way Weiner was going to make them do it, still, in the back of my mind I was like "nooo." Yes, the scenes were great, but it would have ruined the show.
There's little doubt from the exchange between Roger and Joan when he handed her the flowers from Don that there's still something there, no matter what Joan tried to tell Mr. Sterling early in the episode.
I think the more the seasons progress, the more that Harry just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. Getting a job running TV ads at a time when the medium is exploding, even a monkey couldn't screw that up.
And god, I love Campbell sometimes. Kartheiser does such an outstanding job. Loved the last-ditch effort to get some applause during the Jaguar announcement only to have Don come right over top of him.
This show is only really good when Don is in a scene with someone his equal. I find it interesting that during the course of the show, outside of Connie Hilton his "equals" are women: the department store woman, Peggy, Joan, Megan, the Dr. from season 4 and perhaps most of all Sally D.

 

Four and two-thirds seasons in, and MM finally takes the most ill-advised, bizarre plot step imaginable.

And I'm not talking about Peggy.

A big, big miss.

 

Frankly, I don't see how a Don-Joan pairing would be so disastrous. If you think Megan calls him on his bullshit ...