Mad Men @ The Movies Knocks Out the Cobwebs
Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 8:08AM Only the most surface reading of Mad Men would suggest that it's The Don Draper Show. His (forged) identity is, like most identities at some point or another, a prison. But it's also a prism and if there's a single best thing about the show it's the way in which he is reflected in his protege Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and, to varying lesser extent, in the vibrant supporting cast. So it felt like a total gift when Mad Men's writing team chose to set their final scene (season?) together in a movie theater. Just for us, surely!
Don has had a rough week and heads there for solace only to find Peggy, who has recently flown his Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce coop already there. Don suggests it's far too early in her new job to be ducking out from work. To which she responds.
Just knocking out the cobwebs. Someone told me this works."
Movies to recharge, comfort, and shake out the writer's block? No wonder we can't get enough of this show.
Peggy and Don have one of the show's (bitter)sweetest, briefest checking-in-with-each-other conversations and then the lights fade and the movie begins. What movie I do not know. I Shazam'ed the intro music which is "CASINO ROYALE THEME" So are they there to see the 1967 James Bond spoof... or was that theme music used elsewhere?
After the sensational past couple of episodes, the finale, was bound to feel "small" in comparison but next year from the looks of it we'll have: new sets (!) with SCDP expanding thanks to Joan "Jaguar" Harris; new divorces (?) for Pete Campbell who continues to drift away from Mrs. Pete (a.k.a. Trudy...the show's sweetest character bar none. Even Don Draper likes her!); old marital dischord since Don may return to his cheating ways (the finale line, from a pretty woman in a bar, "Are you alone?); and maybe even a broader take on the advertising world if they opt to follow Peggy's new job closely.
Best of Mad Men Season 5...
Best Episode: Gold - "The Other Woman"; Silver - "Signal 30"; Bronze - My initial thought was the recent "Dark Shadows" episode but I'm giving it to the haunting early season 5 episode "Mystery Date" which may well be the key if atypical episode of S5 what with its Peggy Star is Born'ism foreshadowing and the queasy sensationalism of female victimization (the Chicago nurse killings and Don's own ladykiller nightmare) played against the powerful latent arcs of Mad Men's compelling women.
Best Cases for Janie Bryant's Costume Design Emmy and Can You Believe She's Yet To Win For This Series?: Gold - "Signal 30"; Silver: "A Little Kiss"; Bronze - "The Other Woman"
Best Plot Surprises: Gold - Peggy's Exit; Silver - Fat Betty; Bronze - Continual Fist Pumellings for Pete Campbell
Best Recurring Non Regulars: Gold - Julia Ormond as "Marie Calvert" (2 episodes); Silver - Kevin Rahm as Ted Chaough (2 episodes); Bronze - Christine Estabrook as "Gail Holloway" (4 episodes)
Best Moments in Music / Musical Scoring: Gold - "I am sixteen..." played over Betty's Sundae eating; Silver - "zou bisou bisou" ♪ ♫; Bronze -"Tomorrow Never Knows" in Lady Lazarus
Best Moments in Sexy: Gold - "zou bisou bisou" ♪ ♫; Silver - Mr and Mrs "Don & Joan" play acting; Bronze - Peggy's exasperated boytoy. I ♥ Abe.
Best Moments in Child Rearing: Gold Silver and Bronze to Betty Draper Francis, Parent of the Year in Perpetuity. She'll even finish your ice cream sundae for you and (tentatively) hug you through your first period. Once she realizes she's supposed to.
Season 5 Grade: An unequivocal A. This show just never coasts. Bless Matthew Weiner!
Further reading in case you're already missing Mad Men...
Slate Don Draper does not exist
USA Today the self-inflicted sadness of Don Draper
Basket of Kisses "feel better" gloom, doom, electroshock therapy
Reader Comments (14)
Every year I worry that Mad Men will drop the ball somehow; every year it knocks it out of the park. I’d place Signal 30 above The Other Woman, purely in terms of it feeling like you could feel some of plot machinations getting everyone to “that” point in the latter, but wow what a season this has been. And I want to put in an early plea for some awards attention for both Christina Hendricks and Vincent Kartheiser, both of whose abilities it sometimes feels like are underrated because of the characters they play (too sexy, too weasel-y/unlikeable).
Ben -- that's true on both counts (regarding the actors). and I feel the same way about anxiety that the show can't possibly live up to itself. But it does. Now the long wait!
Costume wise, I think The Other Woman might have some of the best work in the entire series. Forget about Joan in that perfect green dress for the Jaguar moment. Look at Peggy. She was out of style "this is appropriate office wear" Peggy in the office and trendy, hip, "I'm young and with it" Peggy for her meeting with her new boss. She wore a dark suit for her resignation--like a funeral--that put the entire focus on her face and hands. Brilliant choices all around.
best episode: 1) far away places, 2) the other woman, 3) signal 30
best moment in music: 'girl you really got me' as peggy makes her exit (the other woman)
best case for janie bryant's emmy: every single moment
Favorite three episodes was the three week run of "Signal 30," "Far Away Places," and "At the Codfish Ball." Astonishingly good.
"Mystery Date" was one of my least favorite episodes of the season, though it was one of the most important from a thematic standpoint. Just didn't love the execution.
Definitely give the season an 'A,' though. Mad Men is so much better than every other show on television it's absurd.
Re: Casino Royale, according to IMDB it came out on April 28, 1967, so the timing seems right (given that they were talking about first quarter profits earlier in the episode, that would have to put the finale sometime in April or May of 1967). They were either seeing the movie itself, or a trailer for Casino Royale was playing before whatever movie they were there to see.
I like these picks! (Although I would give the bronze medal for music to 'You Only Live Twice' for its nice play on the Don Draper/Dick Whitman thing.)
And Julia Ormond makes une belle French Canadian: all is forgiven for Vivien Leigh.
Best season yet, I say!
FYI: Janie Bryant submitted "A Little Kiss" (Parts 1 & 2) for Emmy consideration in costumes. She'll have fierce competition from "Game of Thrones," "Downton Abbey," etc., but this one might do the trick with all of "Zou Bisou Bisou" business. May the odds forever be in her favor! (Ugh, sorry for the shameless "Hunger Games" reference.)
Best episode: "The Other Woman"
Runner-Up: "Commissions & Fees"
Best direction: "Far Away Places"
Best writing: "Signal 30"/"The Other Woman"
Season five was indeed well worth the wait. A strong case for Emmy consideration could be made for almost every single cast member, and I do mean almost EVERY SINGLE ONE. I love how the series moves with such a sense of purpose with not a moment tossed away haphazardly. And what show currently on TV boasts a better roster of guest stars?
What strikes me about this past season is how much we saw the changing tide of the female station through the examination of mother/daughter relationships. Joan and Gail disagreed about virtually everything, Katherine disapproved of Peggy and Abe's cohabitation, Marie berated Megan for not giving Don a proper home and family, and of course, Betty and Sally butted heads as Sally approaches adolescence.
I actually would give the gold to "You Only Live Twice" - it really works not only for Don Draper/Dick Whitman, but for all the main characters other than Lane, who couldn't carve out a second life (maybe, as his wife intimated, he was just too British to reinvent himself). They basically all managed to find a new life for themselves over the course of the season (except, perhaps, Pete, who is living in his dreams). Plus, it reinforced the James Bond theme, and Don really looked Bond-like in the last couple scenes.
I loved this season - it ranks with Season 3 as my favorite.
One more thing I have to say I LOVED January Jones in both Tea Leaves and Dark Shadows. So dark, fierce, vulnerable, but again, nobody will raise the voice to say how great she is. I know, she is now a guest actress and not even supporting anymore, but she is crucial to this show. Come on, gold for best line reading must go to her, for that impossibly complicated, heartbreaking and devastatingly funny : I'm thankful that I have everything I want and that no one else has anything better. I mean, wow!
There's some thought that they saw a preview to Casino Royale in another movie. Movies would, after all, start with a preview, and Casino Royale was released in April 1967, while this episode takes place in March (around Easter).
My faves this year are Mystery Date and Far Away Places.
So, next season, will Peggy be the one responsible for the famous "You've come a long way, baby!" slogan for Virginia Slims? God, I hope yes! Equal footing with Don Draper, priceless.
I think Julia Ormond could win the first acting Emmy...she kicked ass in this ep with her truth-telling.
Best of S5...
Episode: The Other Woman
Scene: Michael Ginsberg's "The Martian" speech and/or Peggy's resignation
Moment: Joan's disrobing with an emerald necklace and tears in her eyes
Surprise: Roger's backroom BJ
Line: "It's dirty" and/or Betty's hilarious toast
Song: Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
Guest: Julia Ormond (what a career phoenix!)
Look: Sally's go-go boots
The show's greatest love affair may very well be Don's and Peggy's.