Oh yeah, I totally get why people don't like it. It's been a departure, which was always going to leave some longtime viewers unhappy. FWIW, I kinda agree with nic on the LSD as narrative shortcut - that story was the weakest of the three.
Born Free was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Largely because of the song. I guess it's a pretty un-subtle metaphor for Peggy's situation; she longs to be free and independent, but can she really make it on her own? I did think it was interesting that what drew her back to her boyfriend was Ginsberg's story of having been born in a concentration camp. I'm not exactly sure how it connects, but obviously it is being juxtaposed to the concept of being born free. And nicephoras, I hear what you're saying about the acid trip plotline, and I thought the same thing. It's a pretty corny device. But at the same time, it's both realistic for the setting and characters, and it fits nicely with the "Far Away Places" theme. I certainly don't think the takeaway is supposed to be, oh they took acid and had insight and it fixed everything. On the contrary, this is another step in Roger's downward trajectory. He just wasn't made for these times, heh.
Not to mention that a week after examining how Pete Campbell relates to/wants to be a version of Don Draper, we see that Peggy has done so without really trying to.
But just because you don't like it does not mean that they "couldn't be bothered to write or are alas not capable of writing a well-written story that makes the same points more artfully." It just means they chose a path different from the one you would have. It doesn't mean they think your preference is too hard or they aren't good enough to do it. They just have a different idea of how they want to go about things. It doesn't matter if you and I agree on where they are going this season, but criticizing their ability or work ethic simply because you don't like the path is a little silly, IMHO.
Then why do you come to a place where people discuss things except to try and sound superior without giving someone else's ideas a chance to affect yours? Go ahead being a condescending prick and insulting people who write for TV for a living just because they didn't consult you on the plan for Season 5 of Mad Men. I'll be here enjoying the show and discussing it with the adults.
I liked the LSD part because they threw a curveball to me and had Roger take it and handle it in his own Roger-esque way. It was another one of those cultural markers they throw in, like the Stones concert. There have been a ton this season so it didn't seem that out of place. But maybe I just find the music coming out of the Stoli bottle hysterical.
What on earth are you going on about. Neg rep? Now THAT'S a "little silly". And calling me "cvnty" while doing so? Now THAT'S "insulting". At least others now know why I don't care what you think. (Oh, and to answer the question, I care what some other people think.)
Sorry, I don't agree. Getting out of a loveless marriage isn't a step downwards. I agree he's having the hardest time with the whole "but I'm a country club member, I can haz cheezeburger plz" mode of life receding in the rear view mirror (which is the crucial social change of the 60s that gets far too little press, as witnessed by Ivy League schools changing from finishing schools to academic powerhouses). But I don't see this in any way as a symbol of that. A contentious divorce with massive rancor? Sure. But not this. Huh? The part of Don that Peggy has internalized isn't at all the part that Pete wants. Peggy has internalized a tiny part of Don's mojo.
While not enjoying the show as much as past seasons there is still enough entertainment value to keep me watching. I loved the HoJos scene. What a cultural relic. I can still taste those horrible clam strips.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you wrote, but it seems to me the Don/Peggy connection goes way deeper than that. Remember: Don is the only person who knew about Peggy's baby. And what was his advice to her as she lay in the hospital bed? "Move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened." So not only do they share the secret of past lives that they've simply moved on from--but they have the ability (or need) to keep moving forward, regardless. The distant and somewhat callous Peggy who barely acknowledges her boyfriend but is happy to give a tug to a stranger seems not so dissimilar from the Don who hid an entire previous life from his old wife; who cheated relentlessly; and who can drive away from his new wife, leaving her stinking of sherbert outside a HoJos.
That's not what Pete wants - Pete wants men and women to look at him and treat him as if he was Don and to have that same confidence that Don does. Peggy doesn't have any of that (as her meltdown with Heinz reveals).
Right, almost being the word. But Don also doesn't seem like a guy who was overly worried his boss wasn't coming to his presentation, whereas Peggy only got more nervous.
Pete wants to be the perfect man with it all. That's what he thinks Don is. He is neither who Don is who who he thinks Don is. Peggy is becoming the real Don/Dick - secret from the past, secret sexual liaisons, thinking the client is an idiot. YMMV, but that's part of the narrative I think they are setting up. True, but we never saw more than glimpses of a young Don. And just because she seems to becoming like Don in some ways doesn't mean she'll take the same exact path. In fact, this trait you mention may be what holds Peggy back, part of her old self which won't let her fully embrace the callousness that Don has.
That's not what Pete wants, so it's completely moot. Pete wants to be seen the way people (and women) see Don. He has no interest what you mentioned, and, of course, he has a secret from the past (baby given away), a secret sexual liaison (how the baby got that got given away got there) and he, like any ad executive, thinks the client is an idiot. That's not a narrative to set up unless Peggy actually starts acting like and being perceived like Don. No, it's a central part of Don's image that other people covet. No one wants his secrets or his hidden past. What you're saying doesn't make any sense. Peggy is more like Don because she's willing to sacrifice so much for work and not look backwards, but, again, that isn't what Pete wants, so it doesn't matter.
There's also this: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZxenUmWsac"]Don Draper's drunken Life Cereal pitch. - YouTube[/ame] I'd argue Peggy has already passed Don professionally, if not for gender and the name on the door. And she's less conflicted about her personal life than he is.
The Jantzens one is from S4E1 "Public Relations". The Life cereal pitch is from S4E6 "Waldorf Story" (the one where Don has a lost weekend and sleeps with a waitress and Allison).
"‘Mad Men’ recalls golden age of Howard Johnson’s, when America was just orange and blue states" (Tuesday, 4/24/12) 'Mad Men's' Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is perplexed by wife Megan's (Jessica Pare) lack of excitement over Howard Johnson's orange sherbet, among other classic HoJo menu items. (MICHAEL YARISH) -G