Mad Men - Season 5

[Melanie]

FINALLY a premiere date for season 5 - March 25!

It's been a looooooong 15 months. Can't wait to welcome Don Draper back into my life.

[Basket Mommy]

Happy dance!

[TysMomTink]

I'm excited too. One of my favorite shows.

[MNNHFLTX]

Holy Moly--I have some serious catching up to do before the new season.

[DVC2004]

Yay! It feels like it's been forever. Can't wait!

[Melanie]

Ah yes, Mad Men is back! But like Peggy said, Don is changed. Hmmm. I see a rocky road for that marriage. Just too much of an age difference. It does seem he told her his backstory though, because she knew his real name and birthdate.

Did I forget that Lane got back with his wife, or was that a surprise? Man, that guy is complicated. I like him around the office and the presence he brings, but his personal life is a mess.

The Pete and Roger battle looks to be setting up as a major storyline this season. Roger is such a you know what. I loved when he said "why can't you dance like her?" and Jane said "why can't you look like him?". They do not like each other!

New kid playing Bobby Draper. I didn't realize until the other day that the kid who has been playing him the past few seasons is the kid on Once Upon A Time.

Yes, so glad it's finally back and I thought the first episode was well done. Before we know it the season will be over!

[MissMaryPoppins]

I thought the premiere was a good set up for the season. I've watched it twice already! Megan's performance of "Zou Bisou Bisou" is still stuck in my head! I've been singing it in the shower, while I was cleaning the kitchen, and to my dogs.

[PirateLover]

OK-WOW-This week's episode was CRAZY.
I'm glad it seems like that Don freak out was a fever induced dream. I was sitting there thinking..no way..no way.
And good riddance to Greg.
Henry's mother is a real piece of work.

[Melanie]

OK-WOW-This week's episode was CRAZY.
I'm glad it seems like that Don freak out was a fever induced dream. I was sitting there thinking..no way..no way.
And good riddance to Greg.
Henry's mother is a real piece of work.

I believed it with Don and was sitting there going over and over in my head how this would play out over the season and how he'd have yet another huge secret to keep from everyone. Oh my goodness. My question is, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, when do you think the dream began? Was any of it real? I'm thinking it was real when the old 'girlfriend' actually came to the apartment and he lead her out the back and it was a dream from then on? Or maybe not. So hard to tell.

The whole episode was just really dark, but I enjoyed the heck out of Joan kicking that jerk to the curb. I like how the writers handled it as opposed to having him killed in action for instance.

[PirateLover]

I believed it with Don and was sitting there going over and over in my head how this would play out over the season and how he'd have yet another huge secret to keep from everyone. Oh my goodness. My question is, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts, when do you think the dream began? Was any of it real? I'm thinking it was real when the old 'girlfriend' actually came to the apartment and he lead her out the back and it was a dream from then on? Or maybe not. So hard to tell.

The whole episode was just really dark, but I enjoyed the heck out of Joan kicking that jerk to the curb. I like how the writers handled it as opposed to having him killed in action for instance.

I too was wondering what was actually a dream. How did she know where he lives now? And do apartments really have back doors like that? (I wouldn't know, never lived in a place like that).

I believe that Don does have it in him to kill, however it just seemed like such a dark turn for the show to take at that point. When her leg was sticking out at the end, I thought it must be a dream, because why wouldn't he push it all the way under?

And they way they kept bringing everything back to the murders with the surviving woman hiding under the bed, You had Don shoving the girl under his bed, Sally under the couch (Hope she's OK, poor thing), Peggy getting scared staying late at the office, even Rizzo with the pantyhose over his face... Just a great, twisted episode all around. I'm also glad they had Joan put Greg in his place rather than killing him off.

[DVC2004]

I kept thinking, is this a dream??? I even said to my husband while we were watching , did this really happen?- in regards to Don and the old girlfriend. You never know with him! My husband kept saying, what he has TB now??? I don't think so, I know that new guy said that but I guess my husband heard that and thought that was why he was sick. Anyway...

I thought the part with Sally and Henry's mom was sort of funny. She - Henry's mom- wanted to tell her all the gory details you could tell, then finally did, then gave her a pill to sleep! The 60's! Was it wrong of me to think that was funny?

I liked this episode, it was crazy. Very interesting.

[PirateLover]

No one has posted in almost a month! I do like this season, but I feel like something has been a bit...off... The whole Megan quitting the agency and taking night classes for acting seems to have trouble written all over it. And isn't it interesting how Pete is seemingly becoming a much less debonair and whiny form of old Don?

[MissMaryPoppins]

PirateLover...some larger apartments do have service doors like Don and Megan's place have. I'm not sure exactly what those doors have access too though. I would think it's used for deliveries and to take trash out.


I'm liking the darkness in this season. The show has always had some darkness to it but this season has more. It's a good way to work in the violence and unrest in the late half of the 60's. Pete is turning into a poor man's version of Don Draper and it's not pretty. He's going bald,he's reckless in his personal and professional lives, and he's stuck in the burbs which he hates. If he wasn't such a pomous, philandering, fool I'd feel sorry for him.

DVC2004... I also thoughtit was funny that Pauline gave Sally the Seconal. I laughed when she was shown sleeping under the chair. Then my mom wondered if Sally was still alive and I felt bad for laughing. I love how Sally reacts to Pauline.

[Melanie]

So, any thoughts on the last 3 episodes of the season?

The last episode was not all kinds of surprises, but I think the previous two episodes made up for that, and I've read that Weiner does that intentionally. That said, even without a huge cliffhanger, I do like how things were set up for next season. The long shot of the 5 partners in the new office space was awesome. I love how in this series in particular, such simple shots can be so powerful.

Seeing Peggy again gave me hope she will return to SCDP (or SCDH as it may be called now), but wow, she's going to be responsible for Virginia Slims? Hmmm.

Sigh....Lane's death was not so much a shock, but what a good episode. I think Don should have told the other partners the whole truth, and now his old demons (brother's suicide) are creeping back up. Wonder what will happen with Megan now? If I had one major complaint about this season as a whole, it's that Megan was in it too much.

Pete? What a weasel. Too funny he got beat up TWICE this season.

[PirateLover]

"Well, I'm president of the Howdy Doody Circus Army!" may have been Pete's best line to date.

I was a little underwhelmed with the finale. I feel like there is usually a really big moment, not necessarily a cliff hanger, but a moment of hope, or anticipation. Season 1 was the Nostalgia/Kodak pitch which I still think is quite possibly the best moment in the entire series. Season 2 had Peggy finally telling Pete about the pregnancy, and Betty telling Don she was having another baby. 3 had the beginning of SCDP, with everybody sneaking around and then starting off the new business in the hotel rooms. And then season 4 of course the bomb of Don proposing to Megan. There were a lot of little moments here and there but I just didn't get the same feeling from it as previous finales. It didn't make me really "feel." If anything I actually felt sorry for Pete getting punched out again, and I can't stand the little rat! I hope HE drowns in Trudy's new pool, haha!

I guess the big cliffhanger is will Don cheat on Megan or not, but really, is that much of a cliff hanger? With all he's going through now, knowing all of his character flaws, I doubt anyone thinks he'll remain faithful to Megan.

One point of contention- My coworkers are arguing over Don watching Megan's reel. Some say it reminded him why he loved her, and he got her the job for love. Others say it made him realize that he had to step in and get her the job because she wouldn't land anything on her own. I'm more in the 2nd camp. I think the fact that he walked away from the set and ended up at the bar shows that. If he was really enthralled by her talent, wouldn't he want to stay?