Mad Men Season 5 running thread

That line was great - it was so Betty.

The shot of blood was a bit uncomfortable, yes, but that's what great TV does. It pushes boundaries and takes you out of conventional styles and themes of the medium.

I might have missed it, but was there a disclaimer coming back from commercial before the act in which they found Lane? It wasn't just the hanging body, but the discoloring and dryness on his face. It was kinda gross.

 

I was a little surprised Betty didn't start interrogating Megan about where she was when all this was going on.

 

So they sent everyone home from the office without an explanation and called the coroner, but apparently hadn't called Lane's wife. That was odd. (Or maybe they had and just didn't say).

Also, it seems like they're setting up Kenny to force Peggy's hand on their "pact."

 

Two other unconnected thoughts.

Pete's gun still has to go off.

I still think Don and Megan are making it work, somehow.

Another fight this week that was staved off by Don simply being honest.

 

The biggest non-surprise of the night was when Joan first tried to open the door to Lane's office, and faced stiff resistence.

 

Don respects genuine talent. He may try to jump up and down on fingers on the rungs of ladders while he does so, but he respects it . . . Peggy's . . . Ginzo's, too. Would love to see Ginzo ram it up Don's ass and walk. Draper will be left to pump Wifey for out-of-the-box ideas.

 

I was thinking Pete's gun was going to go off into Lane's head last night.

 

I really think Pete's gun is the new Russian in the woods. It's there to fuck with you, and will be there forever.

Frankly, one death on this show is enough for me. I like the fact that, until now, it's been able to generate real suspense and pathos without resorting to killing any major characters. That, to me, shows the power of the writing and the acting, that you still FEEL things deeply even though lives aren't really at stake.

Also, the greatest punishment Weiner could ultimately give someone like Pete is to let him live.

 

Agreed. I have to admit, the weekly "man, THIS guys it totally going to kill himself" games were fun, but the fact that they were able to make it such a moving target was a sign of how great the writing and plotting is.

I don't mind that they followed through with it this time, in fact I loved it. But more would be gratuitous.

 

They've thinned the herd more than I really wanted with the loss of Peggy and Lane. I hope nobody else leaves going into next season.

 

From Grantland's Power Rankings. This is sooooo good, I howled.

10. Jaguar (last week: not ranked)

A guy can't even kill himself properly in that piece of shit.

(Alternate Don Draper "napalm" pitch: "Jaguar. The ultimate suicide prevention machine.")

 

I'm actually somewhat ready for her to stop jumping his ass every time he's five minutes late.

I like Megan, but she can be a little overly dramatic when she gets pissed. Which is better, I guess, than Betty's passive-aggressiveness, but she's got to pick her battles better.