Why Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 5) Worked:
- Lane's downfall and suicide. Masterful. Almost every scene related to this tragic episode worked brilliantly: Bert Cooper's confrontation with Don about the check; Don's showdown with Lance where he forced his resignation (and since when did Don become so virtuous?); Lane's wife buying him a Jaguar; Lane being offered the position as head of the 4A's fiscal control committee; Lane's failed effort to asphyxiate himself in his new Jaguar because it was so mechanically unreliable it wouldn't event start (genius touch!): and ultimately Lane hanging from the door in his office.
- The lion in Don roars again. We saw this in scene after scene in episode 5 and especially in the scene with Roger where he talks about the company getting big.
- Don yelling at his daughter Sally: "And turn off that damn tv." Sometimes the shortest scenes in Mad Men are richest with irony.
- Don letting Glen drive his car (with him in it) back to school. A light way to end a heavy episode.
Why Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 5) Didn't Work:
- So let's get this straight. Peggy resigned in last week's episode and it's not mentioned at all in this episode?
- The scenes with Sally and Glen (especially the dialogue). Get me rewrite! And can't we find a better actor to play Glen? The rare times he appears I feel like I'm watching dinner theater in Boca Raton.
- Betty's remoteness with Sally. It's not interesting.
Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 5):
- A. Great writing, acting and plot development. What more could you ask for in a scripted tv drama? Bravo Mad Men.
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