TV Review: Mad Men 5.9, 'Dark Shadows'
Tonight’s episode is called “Dark Shadows,” and lest you think that’s just a cute reference to the recently released (and apparently not very good), Tim Burton film, think again.
rating: 5
(WARNING: Significant spoilers ahead!) Im thankful that I have everything I want, and that no one else has anything better. Those are the final words spoken in tonights episode. Bonus points to you if you can guess who says them without having watched the episode. If you cant, well, Ill tell you at the end. Tonights episode is called Dark Shadows, and lest you think thats just a cute reference to the recently released (and apparently not very good), Tim Burton film, think again. Its that, but it also, believe it or not, refers to the TV series that was airing at the time this show takes place. Oh, and also Im sure theres some subtle imagery about dark shadows gathering, yadda-yadda. There was much that happened in this particular story, including Betty (January Jones) attempting to poison the well with Don (John Hamm) and Megan (Jessica Pare) by telling Sally (Keiran Shipka) about Anna (dead, so I dont have to list her name! Ha!). This doesnt go as well as Betty wanted it to, and I was pleased to see that. I also was very pleased to see Sally using the information she gained, and the tactics shes just learned from the experience, to drive a bit of a knife into Betty. A knife that, possibly, might have to take the form of liposuction, or whatever was used in the 1960s. It seems that Bettys efforts at weight loss arent working terribly well, and shes joined the local Weight Watchers. It was interesting to see Betty in a support group, though I imagine that anyone who thinks she might provide them with support is in for a rude surprise. Its also fun to see what happens when Betty goes to pick up the kids from Don and Megans apartment and gets a somewhat icy reception from Megan. And then goes home and sprays whip cream into her open mouth. Yay, fun. We also got to see an interesting thing happen at the ad agency. Two campaigns were being developed. One was for what I think was a soft drink called Snoball. The other was for a kosher wine called Manischewitz. To take the last one first, we had Roger (John Slattery) bribing Michael Ginsburg (Ben Feldman) into helping to put together a pitch. He figures that it makes sense to have the Jewish guy helping him, especially since he isnt sure how Jewish the companys people are (Fiddler on the Roof. Are they in the cast, or the audience?). The eventual ad idea is a brilliant one, and really showcases what Ginsburg can do. A pity he wont get credit for it. Hes also not going to get any credit for the Snoball campaign idea he developed, because Don swooped in and came up with his own idea, then deliberately left Michaels in the taxi. It will be very interesting to see what happens with that, especially since Ive noticed lately, and very much in this episode, that Michael is turning into Don and Don is turning into Roger. We end the episode with Thanksgiving Dinner at first the Draper residence, where Megan tells Don not to open the doors due to massive smog levels. Man, Im glad we have laws about the environment now. We then go to the Francis residence where Betty (kudos to you who guessed it!), gets the final line of the episode, glowering a bit at her meager portion of food, and showing us that, really, she doesnt think she has anything to be thankful for. A lot happened in this episode, and frankly I was quite pleased with everything that we got to see, though a subplot involving Petes (Vincent Kartheiser) fantasy life was more of a distraction than anything else. Im sure it will probably pay off down the line. Next week looks to be a Lane-heavy episode and will probably take place around Christmas or just before. Im sure it will be a nice, quiet, calm episode, because we all know the holidays are a happy, stress-free time for all!