Mad Men -S5E6 - Far Away Places

Well let this weeks’ “Mad Men” be a lesson to you, marijuana and LSD can be fun, but don’t you dare try the orange sherbert. That stuff will mess you up. This weeks’ episode was split into 3 different intersecting stories similar to storytelling featured in “Sin City” and “Pulp Fiction.” We first followed our favorite female copywriter, Peggy, through her day. After a small fight with her boyfriend about how she only thinks about work, Peggy learns that she must make the Heinz presentation by herself, again. Why? Because Don has pulled Megan away to a Howard Johnson’s. Peggy makes the pitch and the client isn’t sold. In past seasons Don would have sold the client on the pitch, with him not there, it’s up to Peggy to do this. Unfortunately her Don imitation fails miserably and the client leaves angrily and if they follow history they will head over to Y&R. Peggy is frustrated and heads out to go and see “Born Free” during which she gets offered some Marijuana. Since she failed being Don at work she decides to try being Don outside of work which means getting high on marijuana and giving some guy a handjob with the lioness roar signifying that Peggy finally feels triumphant. Upon returning to the office, Peggy goes to Don’s office, after all she now sees herself as Don. She sleeps in the office before she is woken up in a role reversal from previous episodes by Dawn. Lying on the couch probably made her realize that she isn’t Don. A recurring motif throughout the episode of people having epiphanies while lying down. After trying to fall on her sword and accept failure of the Heinz account to Don, Peggy learns the first unpleasant truth of the night. Ginsberg was born in a concentration camp and adopted. While it was the truth it doesn’t mean that it is good. The camera than shifts to Roger as we learn it was he who wanted to go to the HoJo with Don as two perverted single men so that he could get out of a date with his wife. After seeing just part of the agonizing dinner that Roger had to sit through, we learn the real reason for the party. Roger is going to do some LSD! What follows was a scene that is one of the most fascinating that Mad Men has ever made. We get Roger hearing music as he opens a bottle of Vodka, the only thing that gives him joy right now. A cigarette burning out to quickly, something that used to give him pleasure is now gone, since Lucky Strike has left him. A vision of himself with half white and half black hair, a way for him to see how he views himself as compared to who he is. Don, the man that has brought him to where he is now, giving him reassurance appears behind him in the mirror. Burt, the man who has helped him make all of his money, appears on his money. Eventually his attention turns to his wife, who is holding a beautiful flower. It symbolizes not only her beauty though, but his love for her. He has only ever loved her beauty, and like the flower his love was quick to wilt. Then as the two of them lay on the ground they uncover the next unhappy truth. Their marriage is over, they both knew it, just didn’t want to say it. Roger awakens and views his wife looking beautiful and draped in green, the color of his money, and says goodbye to his old life. Finally we turn to Don, we’ve already seen him abduct Megan to go to a Howard Johnson and we get to see that Megan wasn’t happy about this. She wanted to work, not just jet off with the boss. Once they get to the restaurant/hotel and Don wants to work Megan is furious. He can like to work but she can’t, before the argument continues, the infamous orange sherbet is delivered. After trying to refuse and Don believing she is just acting out, Megan really acts out by shoveling a ton of the cold treat into her mouth. This act of defiance begins the real fight with Megan landing the dirty blow of telling Don to call his mother who she knows is not a possibility. Don leaves, but comes right back to find that Megan is gone. Refusing to believe that she has done the most sensible thing and just gone home Don tries calling everywhere and then just sitting at the HoJo before finally driving back to New York. On the way he remembers the drive back from Disney and Sally wishing the vacation would never end even though she knows that it has to. Don is wishing the same thing about his relationship with Megan. Once Don gets home and breaks down the door we see their brief fight and the two end up lying on the floor just like Roger and Jane. But here they don’t want to see the ugly truth. That Don’s happy little marriage isn’t as happy as he thought it was. The two of them come to work where Don gives Megan a look that asks if they’re okay. She gives a small nod while she wipes her nose. An indication that she can at least appear okay. Then we get the ultimate Bert Cooper smack down. He scolds Don for being on a love vacation and tells him he needs to get back to work. As Don watches the employees walk by, first the team of copywriters, followed by Peggy, all on her own, he realizes that he can’t possibly work while his wife is there, but she loves working. He has no way to try and keep his vacation going. It’s over.