Sunday, April 8, 2012

Mad Men Episode 4 (Season 5): Mystery Date

Why Mad Men Episode #4 (Season 5) Worked:

  •  Henry's mom giving Sally a Seconal to help her sleep.  Better living through chemistry.
Why Mad Men Episode #4 (Season 5) Didn't Work:
  • Don's cough and sickness.  Yes....I know that was the setup for him to hallucinate about him strangling his ex-lover, but the show is strong when he's strong.....and it's weak when he's weak.  And Don was completely weak tonight.
  • Don's hallucination about Andrea showing up at his apartment.  Good try but then never really pulled it off..
  • Most of Sally's scenes.  Slowwwwwwwwwwwwww.
  • Peggy's scenes with Dawn the black secretary.  Never really went any where.  
  • The running theme through the show of the murder of the 8 nurses in Chicago.  That never paid off in any meaningful way.
  • Gregg's homecoming.  Poorly written and stilted.  Joan's smackdown of him at the breakfast table had some spark to it but the marriage fell apart so quickly, that it felt rushed.
  • Michael Ginsberg.  Annoying.  And cliche meter is clanging loudly. 
Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode #4 (Season 5):
  • D.  Maybe one of the worst Mad Men's ever.  For this show to work effectively, at least half of it has to be about the world of advertising in the 60s.  Tonight's episode barely touched on that world and the show suffered. 

2 comments:

  1. You are so wrong one of the best episodes of the show. It was shocking as it happened and why does Don have to be strong?...He was an ass most of the series and since Megan came around the show and he are better for it. The only weakness I'd give you is the Peggy scenes.

    Can you say 5th straight Emmy?

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  2. Don doesn't have to be strong. But I think the show suffers when he's weak. It's just not as interesting. Ditto for Roger. They seem old and haggard. I liked watching them better when they were Madison Ave. studs and had the industry by the highballs.

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