"You Only Live Twice" from that great James Bond movie of the same name in Japan was the closing song in tonight's Mad Men Season 5 finale. It was easily the best part of the show, and one of the few only really good parts.
Television seasons often suffer from the next-to-last episode being better than the closer. Last week's Mad Men, and the week before's, were solid gold. Tonight's was a series of weak afterthoughts.
Pete's story with Beth was ridiculous - she got shock therapy to clear the "blue"s, and lost her memories of poor Pete.
Don's tooth hurt so bad he went to the dentist - all so he could lengthy drug-dream of seeing his brother.
Megan is despondent because she can't land a part - but does so in the end, with Don's help and because she is talented. The good very last scene shows the effect this may have had on Don: he still loves Megan, finds her beautiful as ever, but she's now just another hustler in his world, hustling him for his professional favor.
There's an excellent scene with Don and Peggy, which shows she'll have a continuing role in the show. She apparently bears Don no ill will, and to the contrary views him as almost a beloved mentor.
And there's a good scene with Don and Lane's widow, in which learn the meaning of that brief almost-tryst Lane had at the beginning of the season.
But Roger sleeps (again - or at least, is intimate again) with Megan's mother. Then (a day or whatever later), he trips out again on LSD.
So, three good scenes and lots of blah in contrast to Lane's suicide and Joan's prostitution in the last two episodes - two of the best episodes ever on Mad Men.
But I'm still thinking this was the best season ever, and was it was good to hear Nancy Sinatra again. And that silhouette from behind of the five partners - now including Joan, and without Lane - looking out of the new window on to the future was a fine iconic promise of more to come.
See Why "You Only Live Twice" for Mad Men Season 5 Finale
See also Mad Men Season 5 Debut: It's Don's Party ... Mad Men 5.3: Heinz Is On My Side ... Mad Men 5.4: Volunteer, Dream, Trust ... Mad Men 5.5: Ben Hargrove ... Mad Men 5.6: LSD Orange ... Mad Men 5.7: People of High Degree ... Mad Men 5.8: Mad Man and Gilmore Girl ... Mad Men 5.9: Don's Creativity ... Mad Men 5.10: "The Negron Complex" ... Mad Men 5.11: Prostitution and Power ... Mad Men 5.12: Exit Lane
And from Season 4: Mad Men 4.1: Chicken Kiev, Lethal Interview, Ham Fight ... 4.2: "Good Time, Bad Time?" "Yes." ... 4.3: Both Coasts ... 4.4: "The following program contains brief nudity ..." 4.5: Fake Out and Neurosis ... 4.6: Emmys, Clio, Blackout, Flashback ... 4.7: 'No Credits on Commercials' ... 4.8: A Tale of Two Women ... 4.9: "Business of Sadists and Masochists" ... 4.10: Grim Tidings ... 4.11: "Look at that Punim" ... 4.12: No Smoking! ... Mad Men Season 4 Finale: Don and -
And from Season 3: Mad Men Back for 3 and 3.2: Carvel, Penn Station, and Diet Soda and 3.3: Gibbon, Blackface, and Eliot and 3.4: Caned Seats and a Multiple Choice about Sal's Patio Furniture and 3.5: Admiral TV, MLK, and a Baby Boy and 3.6: A Saving John Deere and 3.7: Brutal Edges ... August Flights in 3.8 ... Unlucky Strikes and To the Moon Don in 3.9 ... 3.10: The Faintest Ink, The Strongest Television ... Don's Day of Reckoning in Mad Men 3.11 ... Mad Men 3.12: The End of the World in Mad Men ... Mad Men Season 3 Finale: The End of the World
And from Season Two: Mad Men Returns with a Xerox and a Call Girl ... 2.2: The Advertising Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ... 2.3 Double-Barreled Power ... 2.4: Betty and Don's Son ... 2.5: Best Montage Since Hitchcock ... 2.6: Jackie, Marilyn, and Liberty Valance ... 2.7: Double Dons ... 2.8: Did Don Get What He Deserved? ... 2.9: Don and Roger ... 2.10: Between Ray Bradbury and Telstar ... 2.11: Welcome to the Hotel California ... 2.12 The Day the Earth Stood Still on Mad Men ... 2.13 Saving the Best for Last on Mad Men
And from Season One: Mad Men Debuts on AMC: Cigarette Companies and Nixon ... Mad Men 2: Smoke and Television ... Mad Men 3: Hot 1960 Kiss ... Mad Men 4 and 5: Double Mad Men ... Mad Men 6: The Medium is the Message! ... Mad Men 7: Revenge of the Mollusk ... Mad Men 8: Weed, Twist, Hobo ... Mad Man 9: Betty Grace Kelly ... Mad men 10: Life, Death, and Politics ... Mad Men 11: Heat! ... Mad Men 12: Admirable Don ... Mad 13: Double-Endings, Lascaux, and Holes
20-minute interview with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) at Light On Light Through
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Television seasons often suffer from the next-to-last episode being better than the closer. Last week's Mad Men, and the week before's, were solid gold. Tonight's was a series of weak afterthoughts.
Pete's story with Beth was ridiculous - she got shock therapy to clear the "blue"s, and lost her memories of poor Pete.
Don's tooth hurt so bad he went to the dentist - all so he could lengthy drug-dream of seeing his brother.
Megan is despondent because she can't land a part - but does so in the end, with Don's help and because she is talented. The good very last scene shows the effect this may have had on Don: he still loves Megan, finds her beautiful as ever, but she's now just another hustler in his world, hustling him for his professional favor.
There's an excellent scene with Don and Peggy, which shows she'll have a continuing role in the show. She apparently bears Don no ill will, and to the contrary views him as almost a beloved mentor.
And there's a good scene with Don and Lane's widow, in which learn the meaning of that brief almost-tryst Lane had at the beginning of the season.
But Roger sleeps (again - or at least, is intimate again) with Megan's mother. Then (a day or whatever later), he trips out again on LSD.
So, three good scenes and lots of blah in contrast to Lane's suicide and Joan's prostitution in the last two episodes - two of the best episodes ever on Mad Men.
But I'm still thinking this was the best season ever, and was it was good to hear Nancy Sinatra again. And that silhouette from behind of the five partners - now including Joan, and without Lane - looking out of the new window on to the future was a fine iconic promise of more to come.
See Why "You Only Live Twice" for Mad Men Season 5 Finale
See also Mad Men Season 5 Debut: It's Don's Party ... Mad Men 5.3: Heinz Is On My Side ... Mad Men 5.4: Volunteer, Dream, Trust ... Mad Men 5.5: Ben Hargrove ... Mad Men 5.6: LSD Orange ... Mad Men 5.7: People of High Degree ... Mad Men 5.8: Mad Man and Gilmore Girl ... Mad Men 5.9: Don's Creativity ... Mad Men 5.10: "The Negron Complex" ... Mad Men 5.11: Prostitution and Power ... Mad Men 5.12: Exit Lane
And from Season 4: Mad Men 4.1: Chicken Kiev, Lethal Interview, Ham Fight ... 4.2: "Good Time, Bad Time?" "Yes." ... 4.3: Both Coasts ... 4.4: "The following program contains brief nudity ..." 4.5: Fake Out and Neurosis ... 4.6: Emmys, Clio, Blackout, Flashback ... 4.7: 'No Credits on Commercials' ... 4.8: A Tale of Two Women ... 4.9: "Business of Sadists and Masochists" ... 4.10: Grim Tidings ... 4.11: "Look at that Punim" ... 4.12: No Smoking! ... Mad Men Season 4 Finale: Don and -
And from Season 3: Mad Men Back for 3 and 3.2: Carvel, Penn Station, and Diet Soda and 3.3: Gibbon, Blackface, and Eliot and 3.4: Caned Seats and a Multiple Choice about Sal's Patio Furniture and 3.5: Admiral TV, MLK, and a Baby Boy and 3.6: A Saving John Deere and 3.7: Brutal Edges ... August Flights in 3.8 ... Unlucky Strikes and To the Moon Don in 3.9 ... 3.10: The Faintest Ink, The Strongest Television ... Don's Day of Reckoning in Mad Men 3.11 ... Mad Men 3.12: The End of the World in Mad Men ... Mad Men Season 3 Finale: The End of the World
And from Season Two: Mad Men Returns with a Xerox and a Call Girl ... 2.2: The Advertising Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ... 2.3 Double-Barreled Power ... 2.4: Betty and Don's Son ... 2.5: Best Montage Since Hitchcock ... 2.6: Jackie, Marilyn, and Liberty Valance ... 2.7: Double Dons ... 2.8: Did Don Get What He Deserved? ... 2.9: Don and Roger ... 2.10: Between Ray Bradbury and Telstar ... 2.11: Welcome to the Hotel California ... 2.12 The Day the Earth Stood Still on Mad Men ... 2.13 Saving the Best for Last on Mad Men
And from Season One: Mad Men Debuts on AMC: Cigarette Companies and Nixon ... Mad Men 2: Smoke and Television ... Mad Men 3: Hot 1960 Kiss ... Mad Men 4 and 5: Double Mad Men ... Mad Men 6: The Medium is the Message! ... Mad Men 7: Revenge of the Mollusk ... Mad Men 8: Weed, Twist, Hobo ... Mad Man 9: Betty Grace Kelly ... Mad men 10: Life, Death, and Politics ... Mad Men 11: Heat! ... Mad Men 12: Admirable Don ... Mad 13: Double-Endings, Lascaux, and Holes
20-minute interview with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) at Light On Light Through
Special Discount Coupons for Angie's List, Avis, Budget Car, Garden.com, eMusic
The Plot to Save Socrates
"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News
"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book
Enjoy listening to audio books? Get a free audio book copy of The Plot to Save Socrates - or any one of 85,000 other titles - with a 14-day trial membership at Audible.com ...
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