I just finished watching “A Little Kiss,” the Mad Men Season 5 premiere (I know; I’m a week late).
Man, was it great to have the gang back again!
The guys--and gals--are back, baby!
One of my favorite plot devices on Mad Men (and one that Breaking Bad uses too) is the time lapse between seasons. Season 5 picks up over 9 months after the end of Season 4, and it’s fun to try and figure out what everyone’s been up to since then.
The transition wasn’t as jarring this season: no ground breaking developments seem to have taken place (though we have an entire season to see if that holds true). Everyone’s lives actually seem stable-ish for once, especially since Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (still no Campbell) has already endured many of its growing pains.
I won’t go over the entire plot of the episode; if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for? I will say, however, that the dialogue was great as usual. Roger stole the episode for me, from prancing around singing “frere jacque dor me vous” to negotiating with Harry over his office (“Is this a monthly thing?” “Get out.”).
"This is a transaction." Duh, Harry.
I’m curious to see how long Mr. and Mrs. Draper last. We’re exposed to a side of Don that I haven’t really seen before; he seems absolutely smitten by Megan in a way he never was with Sally. Yet the honeymoon period seems to be ending, and Don can’t help but disappoint his wife even when she means well (Zou Bisou Bisou . . .)
Peter Campbell hasn’t become any less annoying; he really needs to get that bug out of his ass. Or not. His character is a great contrast to everyone around him, so for the sake of the story he’s an important figure. However, I can’t help not liking the guy much. Effective writing I suppose. 🙂
Finally, I’m going to have to keep my eye on Lane Pryce. I didn’t like his character at first. However, in this season he seems like the lonely British gentleman who means well and supports others but gets little in return. His scene with Joan was wonderful to watch, and his disappointment over who actually came to pick up a lost wallet tugged at my heart strings.
I know: it’s a pretty vague “review,” but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone who’s got the episode floating around in their DVR.
I’ll post my thoughts on episode 2 tonight. But so far, I’m really into this season.
If you’ve seen the season premiere, share your thoughts below!
Mike_Reverb 