On this week’s Mad Men Men, we dig into “Dark Shadows.” That’s right, it’s the episode where envious smog spreads through the office, the suburbs, and even Thanksgiving dinner! But also, Don starts to feel the elevator walls closing in from every direction. And everyone around him seems newly aware of what he has…
We of course get into Betty’s late, but triumphant return for the season. Her resentment toward Megan is at a fever pitch. Her attempt to weaponize Sally against Don simmers like steak. It’s an episode that turns domestic bitterness into one of the season’s sharpest forms of…horror! Meanwhile, Don spirals at work, Peggy gets caught in another round of office chaos, and Ginsberg lands on an idea Don just can’t stop thinking about. It’s a bit of a snowball effect for Don this week as he falls into his personal…hell!
On the other side of the episode, Pete stumbles into one of his strangest and saddest subplots. We also talk about the Manischewitz ad and Weight Watchers material. Roger tossing off killer lines like it’s nothing, you know how it is. And yes, the famous elevator scene that gave Mad Men one of its most misunderstood quotes.
If you’re new here, Mad Men Men covers Mad Men from three angles. First, we have a first-time watcher (Will Ashton). Then, we have a first-time rewatcher (Mike Overhulse). Finally, we have the over-rewatcher (me, Jon Negroni).
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 10, titled “Christmas Waltz.” Subscribe to Mad Men Men on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever else podcasts are, ahem, advertised.
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.
