Mad Men 5x02 Reaction
Added 2025-12-13 22:39:43 +0000 UTC
Comments
Harry is an incredibly unlikable character and is obnoxious in many ways but its just not true that Harry does nothing or is not valuable to the company. The TV department is one of the most successful parts of the company as it currently stands. Thats why they put up with him.
Mack
2026-01-19 22:36:18 +0000 UTCThe fact that you need to use a Don Draper scale of communication proves the point they are making entirely. It's still very poor communication skills being shown by Don. Better than what we have seen with Betty and everyone else we have seen so far? Absolutely. It's still incredibly bad on Don's end.
Jacob
2025-12-15 03:06:15 +0000 UTCAt least on the Don Draper scale, I have to disagree with the no communication part. I mean, Don did tell Megan in the previous episode why he didn’t like celebrating his birthday or appreciate the attention. Megan was upset Don didn’t appreciate her gesture and let him know. They “talked” this episode, and arguably did resolve it. It happened offscreen, but he also told Megan about Dick Whitman. Communication doesn’t inoculate you from disagreements, but this is easily the most communicative Don has been.
JJ
2025-12-14 21:18:42 +0000 UTCMaybe Joan was a little bit insecure about Megan because of her mother's comment that Megan only invited her to the party last minute. (When actually, Megan invited everyone late.)
Biberius Caldius Mero
2025-12-14 10:46:53 +0000 UTCthe age/experience difference shown through Megan's interactions with Peggy and Don are crucial imo. at least, Don had no trouble reading Megan's theatrics, but like mb we can just say what we feel 😭
on crip ...
2025-12-14 08:01:12 +0000 UTCShe's Quebecois. They resemble Canadians, but they eat more tourtière.
Mike
2025-12-14 06:49:41 +0000 UTCMegan is Canadian. They resemble Americans, but they're generally nicer. Lane is a fish out of water, far too British for his own good.
Thomas Fahey
2025-12-14 06:36:20 +0000 UTCwell wow. it really is cycles. the same again and again. to date, companies still only really care about staffing non-white ppl if they feel pressure to do it. whether because of legislation or cultural social pressure like look no further than the recent layoff of mostly diverse Teen Vogue staff and say Target, one of many companies, who dropped their DEI efforts truly america has never overcome its racism
on crip ...
2025-12-14 06:25:12 +0000 UTCI agree that Don is (in some ways) a secret progressive, but I don't think he was disgusted with Roger's blackface at all. He thought the unashamed display of love and happiness was embarrassing, not the racism.
Mike
2025-12-14 06:09:22 +0000 UTCI think Roger is actually in his early 50s, lol. Don't let the white hair fool you.
Kev
2025-12-14 04:12:17 +0000 UTCA contrast I find funny is that Harry is one of the more dislikeable characters but the actor who plays him is one of the biggest fans of the show and consistently interacts with fans on the Mad Men subreddit. Seems like a likeable guy.
Kev
2025-12-14 04:00:41 +0000 UTCI already love the song on its own, but its lyrics feel very pertinent to Megan this episode, or even both of Don's wives, or even women in Mad Men as a whole. I think it's just there for style points though considering when it plays.
Kev
2025-12-14 03:58:02 +0000 UTCI just can't imagine what characters people would want to be doing that last episode. I can imagine Pete, Harry, Ken and Paul doing something like that in S1, but obviously four seasons later the characters are different. Could it be some low-level employees at SCDP? I guess, but then what, they get fired obviously, right? I have already said many times that the show inherently focuses more on gender than race, but I feel like a lot of people are clearly struggling to make peace with that if they are suggesting a plotline like that is worthless if it doesn't happen to "our" characters.
Kev
2025-12-14 03:55:08 +0000 UTCWhfg jnvgvat ba n pbzzrag fnlvat "bu... lbh jnag n oynpx punenpgre gb unir n fgbelyvar... vs bayl". V'z fhecevfrq YZ nera'g nyernql crffvzvfgvp nobhg guvf gbcvp tvira jr xabj gung gurl fnj ynfg rcvfbqr'f pbzzragf orsber svyzvat guvf bar
Kev
2025-12-14 03:51:01 +0000 UTCZrerqvgu nccrnenapr! Fur'f zl snibevgr frpergnel, fur zvtug or shaavre guna rira Zf Oynaxrafuvc.
Kev
2025-12-14 03:45:36 +0000 UTCThat's how I took it too. Especially having a British accent and working in Midtown. It sounded like a sex worker finding a potentially wealthy mark.
Jamie
2025-12-14 01:38:52 +0000 UTCI probably agree that the show hasn't said enough about race & racism so far. I guess you can make the argument that these characters being mostly isolated from the civil rights movement is itself a statement about wealth/privilege/whiteness, but I don't love giving them credit for a story they didn't tell. Choosing to start the season with the Y&R incident (and end the premiere with the job applicants at SCDP) feels like it *should* be a statement of intent for the season, saying that they aren't going to background that conversation anymore. I guess we'll see!
Mike
2025-12-14 01:38:12 +0000 UTCDon is somewhat progressive, in the context of the era, in regard of race due to his socioeconomic status as a child. Think of his prolonged feud with Roger because of his anger and judgement at Roger's vile and disgusting performance. The first scene of the series showed a bit of this, too. Severe poverty tends to level one's mind.
Scott
2025-12-14 01:37:07 +0000 UTC"You're always up to something, aren't you, Crane?" Incredible scene, and perfect timing after their conversation about Harry & Roger before the episode. We like Roger because he gets to *make* jokes. Harry only gets to *be* the joke. V guvax gur fubj ernyyl svtherf bhg jung gb qb jvgu Uneel guvf frnfba. Vavgvnyyl, ur jnf bar bs n unaqshy bs FP thlf. Gur tnir uvz n ovg bs cngubf va bgure lrnef, rfcrpvnyyl jvgu gur nobegvba fhocybg, ohg gurl'ir onfvpnyyl fvqryvarq uvz nf n qenzngvp punenpgre abj va snibhe bs pbzrql, naq vg whfg fvatf. Ur'f gur ybjrfg thl ba gur pbzrql gbgrz cbyr, fb rirelbar (Ebtre & Fgna va guvf rcvfbqr) trgf gb chapu qbja ba uvz, naq ur qbrfa'g trg n "jva" hagvy n ovttre ybfre (Cnhy) fubjf hc ng gur raq bs gur frnfba. (Gur Ebyyvat Fgbarf ovg arkg rcvfbqr vf fb qnza shaal.)
Mike
2025-12-14 01:26:32 +0000 UTCI always thought that the girl Lane called was just a sex worker that the wallet guy sees regularly. So she flirts with everyone who calls her and the scene is Lane humiliating himself trying to be charming. I don’t know though maybe it is just meant to be bizarre
Tarren
2025-12-14 00:49:43 +0000 UTCBack in season one, Harry was actually a bit of mirror to Don. Harry did cheat on his wife, but the time we saw was apparently the very first time. He was wracked with guilt over it, and later confessed of his own volition (And was kicked out of the house for it, and wound up sleeping at the office). This was in contrast to Don, who was cheating on his wife before the show even started and never felt any guilt and NEVER confessed. Over the years we have seen Harry degenerate into a sleazy guy who is cruder even than the other men at the company, despite starting out above them. I love the perspective we get to Lane's "honesty" in this episode. He's lying to his wife about their financial status, but despite his money troubles he does return the full wallet to the proper owner. He steals the wallet photo, but for an emotional thrill instead of because it has any value. Do we still count him as an honest man since he only steals something "worthless"? In the discussion on the "last episode" there were comments saying that even if the protest and water was a real event, it was out-of-place to include in this show because none of our characters are involved. But this payoff is why I think it was a brilliant inclusion. Yes, the Y&R people have never been seen before, but we see their TYPE constantly. Those men wouldn't be out of place at Sterling Cooper or SCDP. If that protest had been outside the SCDP offices, it might have been an employee at "our" company that threw water balloons at them. I don't think one of our main characters would have done it (For various reasons), but there are several low-level current and recently-fired employees I could imagine thinking that it was hilarious. So through Y&R we see what our characters WOULD have done, without inserting them into real history. I pointed out in a comment last season that SCDP is a company that only hires White People. It's not an official policy at SCDP, but only because it's never NEEDED to be an official policy since black people knew they would never be hired and so never wasted their time. The advertising industry as a whole and their specific location in Midtown Manhattan kept minorities from even walking through the door in the first place. But like you both said, now it's not a choice that they're making, they HAVE to start hiring black people because they messed up and need to deal with the fallout. It's not an advancement made from a moral or ethical perspective, but nonetheless there is a step forward happening.
JBK405
2025-12-14 00:39:06 +0000 UTCBoth of Don's wives were the perfect advertisements for their respective eras
Scott
2025-12-14 00:36:06 +0000 UTCI got that impression too, Christina Hendricks laugh seemed very genuine.
Darrach
2025-12-14 00:33:46 +0000 UTCThose scenes between Lane & Joan are so sweet! I love the two of them together. Also I'm pretty sure the baby fart was not scripted. Those reactions seemed very authentic
Taya
2025-12-14 00:18:26 +0000 UTCThat's over a thousand, Harry.
Jay Craig
2025-12-14 00:01:24 +0000 UTCI love this scene. Harry’s terrible sure but he’s the punchline to so many good bits like this one. or just cut aways like during zou bisou bisou or being the only one clapping when Guy announced no more layoffs, his face when Bert says they’ll have to lock him storeroom etc
cheech
2025-12-13 23:55:58 +0000 UTCYOU DONT HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME JUST BE CLOSE AT HAND!!!!
cheech
2025-12-13 23:47:09 +0000 UTCObviously Harry is pathetic and has deplorable morals but I still find him so entertaining to watch as a character. The scene where Roger asks him to give up his office is hilarious.
Eric Viola
2025-12-13 23:39:27 +0000 UTCThat African statue was a racist prank sent by Y&R to get back at them for their ad, it was holding a resumé poking fun at the black applicants responding to the ad. Also, Roger sarcastically says "you're above that right" to Pete because he just pranked him with his fake meeting with Coke.
Eric Viola
2025-12-13 23:36:59 +0000 UTCAnd Pluribus!!
Taya
2025-12-13 23:33:23 +0000 UTCWorst timing to defend Harry is this episode lmao
bondbond53
2025-12-13 23:14:26 +0000 UTCJust looked at previous uploads and saw other people said the same thing days before this lmao
Lawkan546
2025-12-13 23:14:04 +0000 UTCMegan doesn't have a problem with Joan, she was avoiding Don.
Eric Viola
2025-12-13 23:11:28 +0000 UTCJust wanted to let you guys know the chainsaw man movie is out on digital!!!
Lawkan546
2025-12-13 23:09:52 +0000 UTCGirls, your reactions to this new show 'Heated Rivalry' would be sooooo entertaining
bondbond53
2025-12-13 23:00:58 +0000 UTC
