Mad Men Season 5 Review
Mad Men continues into its fifth season and seems to be staying strong . Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are really starting to boom, but there are always other big fish out there for them to try and catch. And yes marriages will rise and fall in the process.
Part of the success of Mad Men is that the seasons are kept tight, and not a moment is really wasted on any character. Some of the highlights of this season include someone finally giving Campbell a punch or two (which we suspect many viewers have been waiting for); Roger discovers LSD; Pryce lets the business get the better of him; the company go after Heinz and Joan’s marriage hits a hard place when she discovers her returned husband is about to ship out again for another year. Of course though the central performance and focus is always that if Don Draper.
As tragic as Pryce can be, and as energetic and playful as Roger is, Donald Draper is always man of the match and season 5 further explores life through Don’s eyes. January Jones seems to have pulled the short straw this season as he character appears less and has very little to do with any of the on-going proceedings, so is likely only to appeal to fans of her character.
The sexual politics are as prominent as ever though, and season 5 leaves on a note that all could well change again when season 6 rears round. “May you live in interesting times” someone once said: With Mad Men, it’s always interesting. The show still has strong legs, and has a couple more years in it before we see how everything plays out for everyone.
Steven Hurst