The show has finally returned to the oppressively depressing tone set by the previous four seasons, and what has made it one of the best shows on television.
Clik here to view.
Lane seemed to hit more lows than highs recently, but it's still upsetting to see him go.I couldn't be happier that Mad Men has been on this upward trend in quality for the last few weeks. With this week's episode, "Commissions and Fees," the show has finally returned to the oppressively depressing tone set by the previous four seasons, and what has made it one of the best shows on television. Oh, we were also given the water cooler moment of the season, but more on that later.
Glen (Marten Holden Weiner) made his ill-advised return this week, and I think he hurt what was potentially a very important episode for Sally (Kiernan Shipka). It didn't start off great, as he met Sally at the apartment with the world's creepiest "Hey." The duo's trip to the museum was a great idea, and it gave us some time to get a good glimpse into what the two youngsters are thinking about life at the moment. However, I found both of the young actors out of their element during this conversation. It was awkward, and not the kind of awkward you want when you have two young children talking about life. It was more "this scene is too heavy for my acting experience" type of awkward. The generally outstanding Shipka was able to redeem herself, though, as she had to cope with experiencing her first period. I also think Betty (January Jones) got a small victory here, and didn't embarrass herself as Sally chose to run home to her mother for advice, rather than Megan (Jessica Paré). All in all, it was a strong showing from the other half of the old Draper family this week. If it weren't for Glen, things would have been great.
On the more important side of the Draper family, though, Don (Jon Hamm) was firing on all cylinders. Somehow, firing Lane (Jared Harris) lit a fire in Don that we haven't seen this season, even when it came to going after Jaguar. Don set his sights on Dow Chemical, despite Ed Baxter (Ray Wise), who told Don earlier this season that no one wants to work with him after the American Cancer ad. For the third time in as many episodes, Hamm delivered a killer monologue in the form of a pitch, and when all was said and done, we were reminded why Don is the main character of the show. Of course, he also had some great throwaway lines throughout the episode, as well as emotional gravitas during the final moments of the episode. As Roger (John Slattery) put it, "I liked that guy today. I missed him." I think we can all agree with that.
Finally, we have Lane. I honestly was not expecting that this episode would be the sendoff for this character, whom Harris has done an amazing job with since the third season. I think, for the most part, Lane has inspired sympathy from the viewers, which mean this was the perfect character to get rid of if the writers wanted to actually hit the viewers hard. Despite everything, it was laughably appropriate that the Jaguar wouldn't start when he attempted to kill himself in his car. I think Harris did great from the moment Don fired him to his final act on the show of slowly typing out the requested resignation. We saw every aspect of Lane, from the vindictive "I want what is owed to me" man who honestly felt wronged by the company he helped save, to the sad drunk who had given up on everything.
The scene where the men cut his body down was appropriately gruesome, and it reminded us why this show was so great in the first place. For every absurd, goofy boxing match between characters, there is a legitimate dose of reality to be had in the best episodes. This episode certainly served as a reminder that not all is kosher in the Mad Men world, and that anything can happen. It is important to note that this was the penultimate episode of the season, so I think we should all enter next week prepared for something to top the suicide of one of the show's best characters. I can't wait.
As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment below. I'll catch you guys next Sunday for the finale!
