Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Mad Men Season 5 Episode 11: "The Other Woman"


“Were taught to think function is all that matters, but we have a longing for this other thing.” –Don Draper

This was an episode where many members of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce face the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, all for the sake of what they want but can never truly have.

And what everyone working at SCDP thinks they want is Jaguar, no matter the cost. Unfortunately that cost comes most of all for Joan Harris. Joan is an extremely strong-minded woman who would normally not entertain such a notion of prostituting herself, but after being poked and prodded and assessing her financial situation she eventually gives in the superficial wants of hers and those around her. Maybe if Don had been able to talk to her earlier it would have been enough to stop her from going through it. But she did go through it, and they got Jaguar.

Peggy has come to a fork in the road. She finds herself slowly sliding back to being the girl on the outside looking in as Don and others don’t appreciate the skills she can bring to the table. It’s clear what Peggy thinks she wants, and that is to be an admired creative writer and be rewarded justly for her ideas. After consulting with her old chum Freddy Rumsen she realizes the best way to go about this is to leave SCDP and, by accepting the offer from the hated Teddy Chaough, she does just that. However, the thing she truly wants, the thing she’s wanted since she first started working at Sterling Cooper, is the approval of one Don Draper. And although she thinks a big payday will substitute that need, it won’t be long before she again craves that acceptance.

That brings us to Don. Oh Don. To say he experienced a roller coaster of emotion in this episode would be the understatement of the year.* The women in Don’s life are all going through a multitude of problems, all at the same time. Firstly, he’s extremely distraught about what the other partners have assuaged Joan to partake in. Don is the only partner who realizes that this isn’t a way to go about conducting business, and he proves once again that even though he’s had more affairs than we can count, he has a higher moral standard than most of the advertising world. Then he returns home only to find out that the woman who is his very Jaguar might be leaving him for three months to follow her acting career. And to top it all off he’s losing his best friend and confidant in Peggy Olsen. Boy did my heart go out to him when he finally realized Peggy wasn't bluffing about leaving and he was going to lose her. She wasn’t just another “creative” he could throw at a client, she’s someone who brought him fresh ideas and different perspective, and pushed him to do the same.

*Which indulges me to point out how impressive Jon Hamm was here. This should definitely be the episode he submits for Emmy Consideration for best lead actor and I have to assume he would be the favorite to win it at this point. (Although Bryan Cranston will have his say when Breaking Bad starts up on July 15th)

One thing is clear, lots of shake-up is occurring at SCDP and with only two episodes left it looks like season five of Mad Men is going to end with a resounding roar.

Some other quick notes on the episode:
  • “Well we wanted to be in the car business” –Ken Cosgrove
  • How do you go about selling a car that is simply a luxury? This was also a really great “advertising” episode of Mad Men where we get to see their entire process of breaking down what a product is and why the consumer would want it.
  • Lane is still financially screwing around. This isn't going to end well for him.
  • 5 seconds is not enough time to sit down Harry.
  • There’s a scene where Pete is reading Goodnight Moon to his child and it definitely brought me back to personal memories of when it was read to me when I was younger. However, it feels a little tarnished knowing that sleazy Pete reads it to his kid as well.
  • Loved the quick scene with the rival advertising companies top guys passing each other in the Jaguar showroom. Very well done.

Comments are certainly welcome whether they are for agreement, disagreement, or indifference.

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