Mad Men, S05E01-02
Don and the rest of the gang from Sterling Cooper Draper Price are back for their fifth season! Typically, this show is in my reserves because it's one of the few dramas that I like, but since it's fast approaching the summer break for most shows, I think I'll watch it as it comes out, for the most part. I have to say that I have a bit of a crush on Jon Hamm, and the show's just full of great characters and stories. Also, historically it's an interesting thing to watch, such as the technology differences and the way everyone smoked all the time (especially around children and while being pregnant). At the center of this week's episode, Don's new wife, Meagan, threw Don a surprise party and performed for him as a present, but Don wasn't exactly ecstatic about it. Another major issue was the "battle for power" between Roger and Pete. These were just some of the many things that happened in this double-episode.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Pete continues to show signs that he will just never be satisfied until he is the "King of Advertising" or something like that. While I realize that Roger is starting to look like a useless bag of bones around the office, Pete can't just stamp his foot and think that everyone will so easily boot him out. I was glad that he ran into the wall and had blood coming out of his nose when he was whining about Roger appearing at his meeting with Mohawk Airlines. I know they had to make Pete a junior partner in their firm, but he is so insufferable at the way he thinks that he should be on the same rank as the big dogs. Sure, he brings the money and all, but let's be real--if Pete was in a business by himself with just his name, no one would give a damn, and no one would want to do business when him. He needs to calm the hell down. He has a loving wife, a new baby, a new house, I think, and a job that most people his age would kill for. Still he is out for Roger's blood.
It's sad that Pete had to resort to sending Roger off on a fake meeting with Coca-Cola just to get back at him for showing up at the Mohawk meeting. But I think that wasn't as bad as Pete bringing in all of the partners so he could demand that he be given Roger's office on the grounds that he was basically more important than Roger. Even if that were so, I just don't like the way he did it. It just looked like a child crying over having the smaller half of the cookie. Later, when Roger tries to pacify him (or annoy him? I'm not sure what Roger was playing at) by getting Crane to switch offices with him, Pete just isn't satisfied. No, he won't be happy until he's in a position where he can walk the halls of their office like Roger, and Pete is the one giving orders that few can refuse. Seriously. When is he going to shut up and be thankful??
Onto something a little less infuriating. I loved how lovey-dovey Don was being with Meagan. I was worried that things wouldn't be going so well between them when the season started again, but they really looked like they were in love. Meagan even sang that wonderful song in French for him, which is more than Betty would even dream of doing for him when they used to be in love. I did think her dancing was a little too much for all the company they had (I can't blame Crane for saying those disgusting things about her at the office later), but I think Don should have tried to be less of an ass about it.
I like that Meagan seems so different from Betty, in the sense that she's not determined to have Don control everything in their marriage like he used to (for example, "forbidding" a birthday party for him). My favorite thing about her so far is that she can see how the people at SCDP are so cynical and unpleasant. I can't believe she is the first person to say, "What is wrong with you people??" Almost everyone in that building, especially the guys, that question applies to them.
However, I wondered what was wrong with Meagan (and Don) when they were having a fight back at home about the party the next day. She was cleaning up in her underwear. Her excuse that she didn't want to get sweaty seemed flimsy. I don't know if she was intentionally trying to turn Don on or punish him for him being so inflexible, but they were soon having makeup sex on the floor. So ridiculous. Who pretends to clean in their underwear?? If she wanedt to get her point across, surely she could have come up with something better. Geez.
Peggy, like Pete, was her usual self, wanting to be more important than she already was, but wanting others (Don) to use their power to make things work better for her. True, if Don had used some of his Draper magic to convince Hines to like their bean ballet idea, she would have had less work to do and felt accomplished, but this was new Draper. As Peggy put it he was "kind and patient," and she didn't like it. So she'd rather have the Don who would have chewed her head off for having such a crappy idea (the idea wasn't bad--their client was just stuck in his ways about how beans should be viewed)? I can't believe she couldn't get past her own jealousy about Meagan (of course, Peggy doesn't like any woman at the office who can achieve things easier than she) and be glad Don was happy. He hasn't been happy in a long time. Probably the happiest he was when he was married to Anna. I don't know if he was ever really happy with Betty for a significant amount of time. Peggy, again comparing her to Pete, needs to lighten up and realize how good she has things and stop trying to bring others down. Sure it would leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth if the boss's wife was getting privileges that you had to work your ass off for, but at least Meagan is working and recognizes that Peggy is her boss. Just swallow your pride, Peggy.
I felt bad for Joan because while she seems to love her son, she desperately wants to go back to work. I don't care what those other girls say in the office--she looks great. Perhaps when she was first seen in the episode with her hair disheveled and in a bathrobe, she wasn't her typical self, but when she came to the office for a visit, all those other girls could suck it--they don't have half the beauty she has. I'm glad that the fake ad (I definitely missed why they made it) she saw in the newspaper wasn't a call to replace her ,and Don and Lane (particularly him) seem to be counting down the days until she comes back to SCDP. I am, too. Joan, among many talents around the office, keeps those stupid girls there in check. She also tends to ground Peggy when she starts get self-important. Without Joan there I don't want Peggy to be the only figure of female power around.
With all the drama that happens, I'm glad we have a little comedy relief with Lane. I really like him, the more he appears in episodes. He was so sweet in the way he comforted Joan and let her know that none of those dumb girls could hold a candle to her, but he was also hilarious in the way that he re-enacted Meagan's dancing and his little awkward conversation with Alex's mistress. The latter was so funny to me. It was like he was calling one of those sex phone lines for the first time, the way he was acting. I had forgotten that he had some tension with his wife, but it seems that he may soon be cheating on her in the future (he's gotta join the club with the rest of the partners). But as funny as he is, it's a bit creepy that he would keep a picture of a woman he hardly knows that he got from a stranger's wallet. Hope that Alex guy doesn't return in another episode to beat the hell out of Lane.
Lane was also pretty funny when he had to tell the male black applicants that came to their office they were "free to go." Of all of the partners, they had to get him to speak on their behalf. Hilarious. I'm pretty excited, though, that through their gag ad, they were pretty much forced into hiring their first African-American employee (one who wasn't operating the elevators). Yay! You can't blame them for not having someone sooner (because that was the times, sadly), but as a black woman myself, I'd like to see someone like me in the show since Betty fired her housekeeper and all (damn Betty).
Speaking of Betty, she didn't appear at all in this episode, so I wonder how things are going with her. When Don dropped off the kids, it looked like he left them at some apartment building, but I wasn't sure. Perhaps that means that she got divorced again? I hate to be happy about that, but Betty had a chance at a new beginning, but instead she was just taking out all the angry she had from her previous marriage out on her new marriage. As much as I want to know, I'm glad I didn't have to see Betty berating Sally for some petty thing again as she had become custom to do since last season.
One last thing I really liked was Crane saying those gross things about how he would gladly do Meagan if he had the chance, and she heard all the horrible things he said. Later, he kept worrying about if Don had heard what he said about his wife. He was so scared! He even seemed to like having Pete's new office because it gave him a chance to hide from Meagan until the heat was off. Good ol' Crane. On a side note, does it look like he lost a little weight? Maybe it's just my imagination because I haven't seen him in a while.
I'm pretty happy with the return of this show. I can't wait to see what sort of things unravel and go wrong this season. Although, I really hope that Don and Meagan will be the real deal (and he won't start cheating on her like Betty). I can handle all the other random shit that might hit the fan, but I'd really like this season to be the end of his super-drama in his love life, at least.
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