Mad Men, S05E13
Megan was asked by a friend to use Don to get a part in a commercial, but Megan asked for herself instead. Pete saw Beth again and met her a hotel before she went to shock therapy. Don's guilt at his past made him see visions of his brother, and he avoided going to the dentist to fix his toothache.
Maybe it was just me, but I felt like this episode didn't have as much punch to it as I was expecting. I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing because I was a little scared what other horrible things might happen that hadn't already. Luckily, there was just a general sad cloud hovering over the whole episode, but nothing that happened was particularly too bad.
I thought nothing good could come from Emily asking Megan to ask Don to help her get the part, but I never thought that Megan wouldn't even do it and ask for herself. Wow. I'm not sure whether to call her determined in her acting career or a bad friend. It just made her asking Don to pull strings for her even shadier, for some reason. I dunno. I was glad that he pointed out that commercials weren't anything like the kind of acting she really wanted to do because I didn't want him to help her, but I also felt like he was purposely trying to get in her way. A commercial could at least get her name out in the public and open doors for her. I think that Don is a little afraid of helping her, like he's helped others, and them moving on without him.
Case in point, Don ran into Peggy at the movies. He could barely hide his disappointment that things were going so well for her because their paths no longer intersected. Peggy is proof that if Don supports someone's dreams, they may become so successful that they will just walk away from him. So, I'm surprised that Don broke down and helped Megan get the part. But I'm sure it was after seeing his wife drunk, miserable, and devaluing herself that made him change his mind. That, along with some other things like Marie saying that Megan basically was just an artist in mind but not in talent, surely helped him come around. But there was something so lonely about when Don left the set where Megan was getting prepared for her role as Beauty and he was walking into the darkness. It was as if he would never see her again (hopefully not, though).
Another pretty sad moment was when Don thought he was doing Lane's wife a favor by paying her back Lane's investment into the company, but she was less than grateful and accused him of putting Lane into a position that was above his talents. Furthermore, she accused Lane of having an affair with the woman whose picture he kept in his pocket and demanded that Don tell her who she was. I'm not saying his wife was out of line, but I'm saying that she shouldn't have dumped everything that went wrong with Lane's life when he joined SCDP on Don. No one else would have dared come visit her in person (perhaps maybe Joan), and I'm sure that the money he gave to her would have been kept in the company if Don didn't see to it. I just wish there was something else he could do besides hand out checks--he seems to think that will always smooth things over. I knew it wouldn't, but I still appreciate that he can even bother to do something. It's just too bad that his efforts were a bit meaningless.
The only thing that did get taken care of easily was Don's toothache. He got it removed before he even knew it, thanks to the gas. It was crazy, with his kind of money, that he was so stubborn about taking care of it. He just kept saying that it would go away on its own. I'm guessing that's what Don hopes a lot of his problems will do. Like the hole in the office that has been created now that Peggy is gone. Clients, who want a woman's opinion, are unhappy with pitches that an all-male staff have come up with. It's obvious that he needs to replace her in someway, but he's dragging his feet about that too. And with Joan reporting that they are making the most profit they have ever, it's ridiculous that they don't hire someone else. But despite this is a problem for Don, I liked seeing Michael being pissed off that his ideas were treated like shit. Glad there are limits to his genius.
The Pete and Beth story was just as irritating as it was before. The only thing that was good about it was that Pete admitted his affair with her to Howard and their fight helped Pete get kicked off the train (and punched by the conductor). Also, Beth has no memory of him, so that works out as well. I can't feel bad for Pete when he has more than most people will ever have. I just can't. Even if he's always been unhappy and was just fooling himself with his life with Trudy, I can't look past that. I didn't want to see him happy with Beth or anyone, especially after he treated Joan so shabbily in another episode. Pete can stand to be more miserable, and I hope that he gets a little more in the next season. Oh, and Pete had the audacity to tell Howard that he was the most disgusting person he's ever seen--has Pete ever looked in a mirror?? If he hadn't gotten punched in the next seconds after saying that, I would have been so pissed off.
At the very end, Don was hit on by some attractive woman, and I wondered if the recent events would make him go back to his old ways. I don't know if I could blame him, but I'd still disapprove. He should know by now that sleeping around on his wife doesn't really fix anything. I'm just in awe in how easy it is for him to meet women. It's just amazing sometimes, even with his charm. If only temptation wasn't walking around him all the time maybe he would stop trying to distract himself from his problems with random women. But then it just wouldn't be Don Draper.
This was an impressive season overall. My hatred of Pete has deepened, but at least he's gotten beaten a few times this year, so I can stand to see his stupid face for another season. It's going to be weird to see the company without Lane or Peggy, but I'm hoping that this change will bring someone else new who can spice things up. I'm not sure if I want to see Megan make her mark into the acting world, but whether she does or not, I hope that it won't make things too strained on her marriage with Don. Don just needs to find something to cheer up with soon. I doubt he'll find it within his work, but who knows? He just better not find it with another woman. I liked the improved Don in this season, and I want to see him continue to change for the better. Whether or not the situations around him will encourage him to do so is yet to be seen.
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