Mad Men Season 5 epi 13 The phantom

Tonight's last episode of season 5, The Phantom, was a bit sad. Everyone seems to be chasing a phantom dream that they will never catch. Or is it just that none of them are ever happy with what they have. I have to say it made me like them all less. Except maybe Pete, who at least you finally feel like realizes he is just a completely damaged person, and maybe just maybe will evolve.

Pete who was so desperate for his fellow commuters wife, Beth, finally gets one last tryst with her. Only to have her go in for shock treatment and forget him entirely. He gets/begs two more beat downs, from Beth's husband and the train conductor. After revealing to himself as much as anyone that these "temporary bandages on permanent wounds" are never going to work. Talk about self flagellation. Hopefully, we will find him next season working on permanent fixes, not sleeping with numerous girls in his New York apartment his wife has agree to.

Hurray for Peggy. So glad to see her. She too is in pursuit of her dream. She thought everything would be better at the new firm, but we open with her yelling at her staff and close with her "view" from her fancy airline trip to Raliegh, Virginia. It's not what she thought, but she does sit back on her bed with a glass of wine and looks happy. So maybe she's ok that it's not what she thought??

Don and Megan are stabbing around in the dark to make their marriage work. I think old Don would have continued to sabotage Megan's career to make himself happy. But now, like he let Glen drive last week, he gets her the commercial. He's going to make her happy and hope it makes them happy. Though the closing scene with him leaves us wondering if he will pick up the obviously willing girl at the bar. Is he alone?

Don has the only literal phantom in Adam, his dead brother who appears throughtout the episode. It's only natural that Lane's suicide would bring back his guilt over his brother. Don has a permanent wound like Pete and it isn't his rotting tooth. Maybe his new outlook will help heal him, or maybe he'll start his diary again. Hopefully we won't be waiting 18 months to find out.

This and That

Harry Crane telling Joan "I need a window Joan, I'm getting scury"

Pete's fresh lifesavers

Pete leaving meeting and telling Don he's his proxy. Don "We can do that?"

Megan's Mother "Not every little girl gets to do what she wants. The world could not support that many ballerinas"

Pete telling Don "I'm going to have the same view as you" in more ways than he knows.

Stay tuned for my post from the Mad Men FInale Party I attended with cast and creator. Coming Soon