Before the season started I took a poll, will Don cheat on Megan? The results were an overwhelming yes with certain caveats and an admittedly semi-rigged voting system. But good for Don, he made it through one whole season of Mad Men sleeping with only one person.
MORE AFTER THE JUMP!
But then last night, the notion of Don’s ongoing fidelity was challenged with a single look. As far as cliff hangers go, it was a great one, maybe the best part of an otherwise drab closing episode.
Last night’s episode had its moments. It was vague and disturbing, but also sagged from the weight of Mad Men’s current problem, obvious and clumsy metaphors that announce themselves when they’re already in the doorway banging their muddy shoes on your wainscotting. Don’s guilty conscience equals Lane equals his brother equals his infected tooth. In retaliation to all this despair, Don casts Megan in a commercial. He can’t bear being the source of her unhappiness.
But in that act, Don somehow betrays himself. Is it the perception that she’s moving on, like Peggy did? Frightened at the prospect of abandonment and the unknown, we leave him at the bar, tempted again by the ghost of happiness.
What else was there? Lane killed himself at the exact wrong moment, SCDP is doing great! It’s a hopping, buzzing ad factory that can’t even keep its offices full. A second floor coming to the office. Joan is plagued with guilt. Peggy is missed and Ginsberg is annoying. I almost did backflips when Peggy showed up in her own scene. Don trying and failing to make things right with Lane’s wife. Megan’s mom, still a bitch, but a reasonable one. Her cold truths were nice to hear in the Mad Men universe.
Then there was quite a bit of Pete and Alexis Bledel, wrapping up a plot line that I found unnecessary and melodramatic. I usually love Vincent Kartheiser, but Pete’s first shot at a season wrap up monologue fell a little flat. I did like the part where he confronted her husband though, and got punched out. Again. Twice. He also delivere a good candidate for line of the episode. “And I’m the president of the Howdy Doody Circus Army!”
There were some great moments, some great shots, and a few great laughs. (Roger: “What’s Regina?” Peggy grimacing after seeing two dogs humping in the hotel parking lot. Roger grinning in his apartment over the New York skyline, butt naked and frying balls. (Cheers to John Slattery for Keeping It Tight. Yowza!) The closing montage and song was probably my favorite part though.
Did you think the season wrapped up well? What are you looking forward to for next year?
Best thing about last night’s show: Rory Gilmore sideboob.
Worst thing: they brought back Peggy. Every time she showed up, I yelled at the screen: YOU QUIT THE FIRM, NOW GET OFF MY TELEVISION! Oh, and she’s working on an un-named women’s cigarette, made in Virginia. What they’re saying is that Peggy is the one who came up with the name “Virginia Slims” and the slogan “You’ve come a long way, baby.” Further proof that Peggy is the worst.
Also, Megan stabbed her blonde friend in the back over the shoe commercial. Pity, she was one of the few genuinely likeable characters on the show.
This has been the season for punching Pete in his stupid baby face, but sorry, dead Lane, train conductor got off the best punch of the season.
+1 infected tooth as a terrible metaphor and +1 Rory’s sideboob.
Love your recaps, Jacob, but how do you mention the Don/Megan/commercial/bar stuff and not mention Betty? Way back when, Betty wanted to “go back to work,” so Don got her a gig in a commercial. Don thought he was starting a new life with a new wife, and yet he’s now going through the exact same thing with Megan as happened with Betty, and realizing it’s not a new life with a new wife at all.
That final shot smirk of Don’s sure was a nice pander. The show’s becoming more overtly self-aware. That shit is cheap and sucks the marrow from the bone. Hope it doesn’t continue next season but I fear it’s already too late.
Last week’s teaser intimated there would be some fallout from Joan’s ‘extraordinary duty’. Disappointing there wasn’t.
Roger Sterling’s naked ass on LCD gets my vote for moment of the episode. I hope next season has more Peggy and more Ginsburg. I’m sorry we’re not going to see more interplay between those two characters, but I’ll take them separately if I have to.
I disagree about Don’s look, but I guess it’s all in how you interpret it. The question was “Are you alone?” and I feel that the lesson of this season is that Don finally isn’t alone because he inexplicably has found happiness with Megan, and he will do what he can to make her happy.
Jacob,
Hmm. Guess it is all interpretation. I see Don being/feeling alone despite certain joys in his relationship with Megan. Lest we forget, he also near-sexually assaulted her a few times, lest we all forget a tendency towards sexual assault being a pattern of his behavior from the show’s start. He’s lost his business fastball, he’s transforming from sauve lothario to old man grumpy pants.
That look, to me, said “Old Donny’s back you guys! Ya feel me?” Ugh, that wry grin to the camera? No like!
@4 Good call. Betty ended up an oblivious pawn in that one but it recalls his current problem. Variations on a theme.
Minor emergency: Was the woman who approached Don at the end of the episode Megan’s friend from acting class? They looked very similar but I can’t tell because I have that sociopath problem with recognizing faces, even when I’m skipping around an iTunes file. Plus I can’t screen cap it so…what do you think! It’s a big deal if it is and it’s bad casting if it isn’t.
Do ya’ll really think that was his real butt?
good shit:
http://unitcrit.blogspot.com/2012/06/mad-w…
Bildungsroman!