Mad Men – Megan gets what she wants

I feel like the fifth season of Mad Men just started. I’m having trouble believing that we are really eight episodes in already. That means that the end of the season is fast approaching. After such a long wait for the new season, I’m not ready for this season to be over yet! There are still five episodes left and with the changes that happened in tonight’s episode, I think it’s safe to say that they are going to be quite eventful.

There has been a very subtle build up to Megan’s exit from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce for a little while now. We saw her complete lack of excitement when she nailed the Heinz campaign, and then there was the prodding from her father in last week’s episode. It was obvious that Megan’s heart just wasn’t in advertising. I can understand why she was so nervous about talking to Don about it. Frankly, I’m shocked that he took the news so well. It went just about as smoothly as possible, I’d say. Of course a part of me feels like Don fell just a little bit out of love with Megan during this episode. Sure, they had a big knock down drag out fight a couple weeks ago and things have been far from perfect, but there was something in his eyes that was different this week. We’ll have to see how things play out.

This week’s episode was filled with ominous signs. I was convinced that something terrible was going to happen before the end of the night. When was the last time that it rained on Mad Men? There was an audible thunderstorm in the background, at that, when Megan left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Her goodbyes at the office felt very permanent and then, of course, there was the empty elevator shaft. Is there any omen quite as disconcerting as an empty elevator shaft? Will we look back on this episode and mark it as the beginning of the end of the relationship of Don and Megan?

It’s amazing seeing how far Don and Peggy’s relationship has come over five seasons. It has always been one of the highlights of the show for me and I enjoyed watching Peggy blow up at Don in the Cool Whip test kitchen. Could you ever have imagined a time when Peggy could tell Don to shut up to his face and suffer no consequences while watching the early seasons of the show? It probably didn’t hurt that in this case she was completely in the right. Don wasn’t mad with her and it was pretty much his fault that the pitch went bad. In any case, I do love the trust and genuine friendship that has developed between Peggy and Don.

When did Pete all of a sudden turn into Don Draper? Did the writers think that the audience needed a certain amount of philandering or we would stop watching? Don has been shockingly loyal to Megan since their marriage, but it looks like Pete has picked up the mantle of cheating. I mean, we’ve seen him attempt to cheat on Trudy many times, but his fling in this episode with Beth (Alexis Bledel) certainly took things to another level. I was glad to see that Beth was smart enough to put an end to things (for the moment at least). Her little car window heart doesn’t have me believing that we have seen the last of her. I also have absolutely no faith that Pete can pull off an affair without getting caught. He’s chanced it too many times before. I have a feeling that this is going to end very badly for him. Poor Trudy.

Again this week I was struck by all the comedy on the show. Mad Men has really been bringing the funny this season (while continuing to maintain the dramatic balance). A few moments stick out in my head. I thought it was great when Don called the office late looking for Megan and Peggy shot back at him, asking if he knew where Abe was. Then there was the awkward moment between Pete and Harry at the phone booth. It was a fantastic illustration of how bumbling the two of them are. Finally, there has been nothing better this season than watching Pete and Roger go after each other. Watching Pete struggle with the skis was a funny sight for Roger and the rest of us.

I have to wonder if the comedy is going to keep up or if the season is going to go to darker and more dramatic places as we head into the final stretch. We’ll have to wait and see.

Clacked by Bob Degon
on May 06, 2012 @ 23:31 EST5EDT