Mad Men Season Five Discussion Thread

[nik-]

Yup, walking out in the black, into a darkened scene of a hotel lobby, ordering an Old Fashioned and getting the attention of women. Don mofuggin' Draper. Plus You Only Live Twice was playing ... I mean come on!

[Caged Great]

Don was expecting Megan to be more like himself in that she was great with advertising and felt like he had an equal person that understands him. That's why he practically jumped her when she saved that account with quick thinking.

However, as he's learned, she is very much similar to Betty in that they are both immature spoiled children that don't really understand what he actually needs from them beyond just the physical.

It makes sense that he's increasingly becoming unhappy because he has a need for a partner, not just a spouse and he's not getting that. The only woman out of all that he's encountered on the show that would be the best for him personality wise is Peggy, and I could see them possibly making him more disenfranchised with Megan and in an effort to get Peggy back at SCDP possibly stuff might happen.

I don't really have any idea though because this season unfolded in a completely different manner than I thought it would.

[nik-]

Megan really is nothing like Betty ... at all.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I think that is exactly what it was, he had found someone that he thought was a smart, empowered woman who could challenge him and he was left with is someone who is obviously as emotional fragile as Betty and the thought terrifies him. The entire plot reminded me a great deal of Betty being a model, and actually I thought that she was supposed to be at one point in time a strong, empowered woman who traveled the world and was well educated and had dreams and ambitions.

I think that Don was just disappointed that Megan limited herself to the advertisment, seeing it as a failure of her and by proxy a failure of him. I don't think it was a case of he was seeing her go, I think it was a case of he was seeing her crash. The dreams of being a ballerina were dashed and she had resigned herself to her position in life, of a wife of an ad man.

I could be completely wrong though which is why I love this show.

[Yeah_Baby]

Kind of hard to follow Lane's suicide with something as Earth shattering. But I defiantly prefer early season Meghan to current pseudo Betty Meghan. She's not as bad as Betty, but Don seems to be sliding back into old habits. That ambiguity at the end saved the episode.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Agreed, I think there's just some ambient sexism in the dislike of Megan, Betty, etc. You see it for the hate Skyler gets in Breaking Bad as well. Male viewers respond to these women holding these awesome men back. When in reality they are likely helping to save them or make them better people.

Whoa whoa whoa lets not lump great characters like Megan and Betty with the pile of crap that is Skyler.

It isn't sexism that draws hate for Skyler but more the fact that she is such a wholly unlikable person. (Which considering the writing of Breaking Bad is what I would assume Vince Gilligan wants us to think.)

[nik-]

Skyler was pretty unbearable until she started the whole laundering thing. She was setting the world record for nagging the life out of her dying husband. There's been a lot of unreasonable better half's on TV, eg: Rita on Dexter, but Skyler took the cake, and then nagged the icing into an embittered disgruntled crust.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by nik-

Skyler was pretty unbearable until she started the whole laundering thing. She was setting the world record for nagging the life out of her dying husband. There's been a lot of unreasonable better half's on TV, eg: Rita on Dexter, but Skyler took the cake, and then nagged the icing into an embittered disgruntled crust.

Spoiler alert.

[nik-]

If someone's watching Mad Men they're watching Breaking Bad, it's unlikely I spoil something from 2 seasons ago.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by nik-

If someone's watching Mad Men they're watching Breaking Bad, it's unlikely I spoil something from 2 seasons ago.

That's a reach. Spoiled it for me, I'm just finishing up season 3.

[Joborule]

I haven't watched Breaking Bad yet.

[BlackRedGold25]

People who don't watch Breaking Bad deserve what they get!

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Joborule

I haven't watched Breaking Bad yet.

Watch it. It is as good or better than Mad Men

[Hells Bells]

My dislike for Megan has nothing to do with Don Draper. It has everything to do with Megan.

Her character is annoying. I don't care if she was Pete's wife, I'd still hate her.

Nevermind the fact that she's also a horrible actress IMO.

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by nik-

Megan really is nothing like Betty ... at all.

True.

The only things in common is both are annoying and both are played by terrible actresses.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Hells Bells

Her character is annoying. I don't care if she was Pete's wife, I'd still hate her.

Except no one hates Trudy because Trudy is an angel OK?

... an angel!

[Yeah_Baby]

I've never seen Breaking Bad. Now I don't have too. Thanks nik-!

[nik-]

I'm the worst kind of person

[REDVAN]

Well, this IS the MAD MEN thread, not the breaking bad thread... so if you have BB spoilers, use a spoiler tag and/or get it out of this thread.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by nik-

I'm the worst kind of person

I think revealing Cable TV spoilers on the message boards is Cardinal Sin of the Internet. I haven't you seen the Game of Thrones thread?