Mad Men: Season Five

"What is wrong with you people? You're all so cynical. You don't smile, you smirk." - Megan Draper
While this wasn't my favorite season, it's still an easy five stars since it's in the top 3 of best shows currently on television. I know there have been a lot negative reactions towards this season, and I think maybe it's for a few reasons. Lots of people despise Megan. And others say that "nothing really happened". I don't really like Megan either, but I've come to accept her character. She is SUPPOSED to be annoying (or at least can easily be interpreted as so). We don't have to like her. As far as nothing happening, plenty of things happened, although I admit it was a little slow-paced, but I think it's building up for better seasons to come.

This season takes place between Memorial Day 1966 and Spring 1967. The season focuses on Don Draper and Megan's relationship and how distracting it is from his job, and most of the main characters are facing painful new beginnings and realize it's a "dog-eat-dog" world. The season starts out light (probably because of how...

Best season since Season 1 and that is saying a lot
I looked at a couple of the negative reviews and found them to be bizarre. This is very thoughtful and well-written show that stands head and shoulders above the vast majority of what is currently out there. A couple of people seem to be fixated on the Betty episode which I would agree was the weakest of the first six that I have seen but that is only relative. The other episodes have been among the best of the series with the the further fleshing out and development of the older characters going hand in hand with surprisingly strong and complex new(er) characters such as Megan and Ginsberg, not to mention Mrs. Francis (Henry's mother). I just think that this show continues to be a wonderful window into upheaval of the 1960s that still affects to this day. The early comments do not reflect the high quality of the fifth season at all and are misleading. Update: I just completed watching Episodes 7-11 and found two of the very best episodes ever produced including The Other Woman which...

Paradise Lost and Innocence Corrupted
A lot is happening in this episode of Mad Men, all of it heartbreaking and it all makes for one of the best episodes of the season. The race to get the Jaguar account is still on and difficulties abound. The Jaguar continues to be an expensive and unreliable car and the agency hopes to compare it to a mistress, but needs the slogan - a slogan that Don is having trouble creating. One of the Jaguar executives wants Joan's company for an evening, and not as Pete puts it for dinner and dancing. It is right that Pete should define the terms as he is the weasel who pimps and pitches the propisition to Joan. The rest of the men are aghast and don't want Joan to do it but Pete is convinced that this is the only way they will get the account - even if Don comes through with his ususal brilliance. In his stress, Don is lashing out at both Peggy and Megan and Peggy is considering pursuing another opportunity. Megan is hoping she gets a part with an out of town try out.

The episode...

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