And so, the fifth season of Mad Men has come to a close. But not before some major changes occurred and we were able to loop everything around to a proper close. The two weeks before the finale we had Joan becoming a partner, Peggy leaving for another company, and Lane killing himself in his office. With all of this happening in such short span of time, it was fitting that the finale served as a way for the audience to understand the state of our characters moving forward.
We'll start with Joan. Following the death of Lane, there are some somber business meetings that all of the partners have. Lane's skeptical voice about plans is missing from the group and when the meeting rolls too smoothly, Joan feels she must object, as she remembers that Lane would probably tell the group that they should hold onto money right now and worry more about continuing success before investing in say more office space. Joan has clearly been affected by Lane's death, showing even more when she comments to Don later in the episode that she should have just let him have what he wanted. When Don questions what that might be, she gives him the glare of "he wanted this, but he wasn't getting' none." Clearly, this enforces the notion hat Joan believes her sleeping with Lane may have stopped him from killing himself.
Meanwhile, Roger Sterling once again seems rather unaffected by the latest development. While everyone else is in a state of shock, Roger is busy seducing Megan's mother into sex and trying to take LSD with her. He comments to her that he is surprised Lane would kill himself, because he sees it that Lane had to have thought where he was going would have to be better than where he was. How could death be better than life, sex, and drugs? I suppose it is something that Roger feels he should contemplate over another LSD experience, as we see hims standing with his arms raised, looking out the window, completely naked as the episode comes to an end.
Pete Campbell is another story altogether. Increasingly more and more nauseating through this season, Pete runs into Beth on the train one morning and is told by her husband that she is going to be visiting her sister for a few weeks. But when he gets to the office, Pete gets a phone call from Beth asking him to meet her at the hotel he once tried to rendezvous. Pete scoffs the idea on the phone and finds himself angry as he walks into the hotel room where Beth is staying. Beth asks why he just didn't come if it was going to make him so angry, to which Pete replies "you know I couldn't." Pete is obsessed with Beth and can't deny it even a little.
To read the rest of the review (IMDb form is too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/mad-men-5-13-the-phantom/
We'll start with Joan. Following the death of Lane, there are some somber business meetings that all of the partners have. Lane's skeptical voice about plans is missing from the group and when the meeting rolls too smoothly, Joan feels she must object, as she remembers that Lane would probably tell the group that they should hold onto money right now and worry more about continuing success before investing in say more office space. Joan has clearly been affected by Lane's death, showing even more when she comments to Don later in the episode that she should have just let him have what he wanted. When Don questions what that might be, she gives him the glare of "he wanted this, but he wasn't getting' none." Clearly, this enforces the notion hat Joan believes her sleeping with Lane may have stopped him from killing himself.
Meanwhile, Roger Sterling once again seems rather unaffected by the latest development. While everyone else is in a state of shock, Roger is busy seducing Megan's mother into sex and trying to take LSD with her. He comments to her that he is surprised Lane would kill himself, because he sees it that Lane had to have thought where he was going would have to be better than where he was. How could death be better than life, sex, and drugs? I suppose it is something that Roger feels he should contemplate over another LSD experience, as we see hims standing with his arms raised, looking out the window, completely naked as the episode comes to an end.
Pete Campbell is another story altogether. Increasingly more and more nauseating through this season, Pete runs into Beth on the train one morning and is told by her husband that she is going to be visiting her sister for a few weeks. But when he gets to the office, Pete gets a phone call from Beth asking him to meet her at the hotel he once tried to rendezvous. Pete scoffs the idea on the phone and finds himself angry as he walks into the hotel room where Beth is staying. Beth asks why he just didn't come if it was going to make him so angry, to which Pete replies "you know I couldn't." Pete is obsessed with Beth and can't deny it even a little.
To read the rest of the review (IMDb form is too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/mad-men-5-13-the-phantom/