On this week’s Mad Men Men, we dig into “Lady Lazarus.” The Season 5 midpoint where Don starts to realize the world is moving faster than he can follow. But also, Megan finally reveals what she truly wants. And Pete mistakes desire for destiny in the most Pete Campbell way possible.
We of course discuss Megan’s break from advertising as both a personal rebirth and a quiet act of revolt. Why Don’s support comes wrapped in panic. How the episode turns a single elevator ride into one of the show’s clearest images of generational drift. Meanwhile, Peggy gets shoved back into the role of emotional middle manager, forced to absorb the fallout of Don and Megan’s unraveling work marriage. While proving, yet again, that she may understand Don better than he understands himself.
On the other side of the episode, Pete spirals into one of his saddest and most revealing subplots, chasing fantasy with desperation. We also get into Alexis Bledel’s arrival. Harry Crane somehow becoming useful comic relief for once. The eerie beauty of that elevator-shaft image. And yes, the final Beatles needle drop that tells us everything Don cannot bear to hear.
If you’re new here, Mad Men Men covers Mad Men from three angles. First, we have a first-time watcher. Then, we have a first-time rewatcher. Finally, we have one man who turned Don Draper into a weekly podcast problem.
EXTRA CREDITS
Matthew Weiner created Mad Men, which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by Jon Negroni. Our podcast hosts include Jon Negroni (Podcast Editor of InBetweenDrafts), Will Ashton (cohost of the Thank God For Movies podcast), and Michael Overhulse (a guy who’s addicted to working at startups).
We’ll be back soon to discuss Season 5 Episode 9, titled “Dark Shadows.” Subscribe to Mad Men Men on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are, ahem, advertised.
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Jon is one of the co-founders of InBetweenDrafts. He hosts the podcasts Thank God for Movies, Mad Men Men, Rookie Pirate Radio, and Fantasy Writing for Barbarians. He doesn’t sleep, essentially.
