Mad Men: Christmas Waltz Rewatch
December 28, 2014 9:15 AM - Season 5, Episode 10 - Subscribe
Christmas wishes come true as everyone gets a gift.
Mad Men, more than any show I can think of, really focuses on holidays (especially Thanksgiving and Christmas). IIRC, someone once had an explanation for this from the commentary, but I wonder if besides the natural drama it creates, it's partially that the build up to Christmas is so important to the Ad business (Pete says they do a significant portion of their business then).
posted by drezdn at 6:09 PM on December 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by drezdn at 6:09 PM on December 29, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hopefully, Paul Kinsey is in California and has finally come to the realization that his abilities are not in the creative arena. Evidently, he has a talent for salesmanship. Lakshmi: "...he's our best recruiter. I mean, he can really close." Maybe he has dropped the artistic pretensions and become the king of VW Bug sales, or whatever.
"Surprise! There's an airplane here to see you!"
posted by cwest at 9:18 PM on December 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
"Surprise! There's an airplane here to see you!"
posted by cwest at 9:18 PM on December 29, 2014 [2 favorites]
Am I the only one who hits fast-forward everytime Lakshmi is on screen?
posted by donajo at 10:11 PM on January 9, 2015
posted by donajo at 10:11 PM on January 9, 2015
I would imagine that a good reason for the series to focus on holidays more than others do is that it is drenched in nostalgia and, in a sense, the way stories are remembered against how they were lived. Holidays give us an anchor for memories, and we have a culturally baked-in expectation of them (largely via advertising) that they don't live up to. They're perfect for this show.
This episode of this show, is, of course, hideously uncomfortable, especially if you're on a rewatch. Lane and Jaguar are the main business of the day, if you know what's coming, and each are slow-motion train wrecks for different reasons. And with Lane, all you can do is look back and wish that he knew that Don had Pete tank North American Aviation because of a background check - the partners would have come up with the $8,000 if Lane had spoken up about his needs. Hell, in this episode, Don hands over a $6,000 check as collateral so that he and Joan can drive the XK-E around undisturbed.
But Lane can't admit to anyone that he's in trouble, even the sort of trouble none of them would judge him for, and will die for it. Jesus this season is good but difficult.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:47 AM on February 21, 2020
This episode of this show, is, of course, hideously uncomfortable, especially if you're on a rewatch. Lane and Jaguar are the main business of the day, if you know what's coming, and each are slow-motion train wrecks for different reasons. And with Lane, all you can do is look back and wish that he knew that Don had Pete tank North American Aviation because of a background check - the partners would have come up with the $8,000 if Lane had spoken up about his needs. Hell, in this episode, Don hands over a $6,000 check as collateral so that he and Joan can drive the XK-E around undisturbed.
But Lane can't admit to anyone that he's in trouble, even the sort of trouble none of them would judge him for, and will die for it. Jesus this season is good but difficult.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:47 AM on February 21, 2020
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posted by the man of twists and turns at 10:31 AM on December 29, 2014