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Mad Men Season 5 Episodes
Season 5 Episode Guide
13 Episodes 2012 - 2012
Episode 1
A Little Kiss, Part 1
Sun, Mar 25, 201248 mins
The finances at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are stable, although not overly flush. There are some staff changes, including Megan, now Mrs. Draper, moving into a junior creative position. But most of those staff changes are the result of Joan being on a temporary leave having just given birth. With Greg still in military service, Joan has some assistance from her visiting mother, who often doesn't provide Joan with the support she wants or needs. One change that Pete, as account manager, would like to see is Roger having less control and say in the day to day operations, especially in front line dealings with customers. Pete is especially bothered when Roger shows up unannounced and uninvited to client meetings. Meanwhile, Don's fortieth birthday is approaching. Going through his Rolodex for potential invitees, Megan, at the last minute, plans a surprise birthday party for him, despite advice from Peggy that Don doesn't like such surprises. At the party, Megan's gift to Don causes a bit of an uproar, especially among the Draper's work colleagues.
Episode 2
A Little Kiss, Part 2
Sun, Mar 25, 201247 mins
Joan feels that she may be seen as dispensable from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce when her mother shows her an item in the newspaper, which in reality is solely SCDP's dig at a rival ad agency. Joan decides to make an unexpected visit to the office with Kevin in tow to find out first hand if she indeed has a future at SCDP. That item in the newspaper has another unintended consequence for the company. Another item all the talk at SCDP is Megan's birthday gift to Don, some of that talk which gets a little out of hand. That talk becomes a problem for Don and Megan in managing both a professional and personal relationship. What is foremost on Pete's mind is gaining more control at the company, which includes a larger office to show clients that he does wield authority at SCDP. He also figures out how Roger has been finding out about his meetings with clients and how he can get Roger to stop doing so. And Lane finds a wallet in a taxicab. Despite the fact that there is a lot of money in the wallet, Lane is more interested in something else in the wallet.
Episode 3
Tea Leaves
Sun, Apr 1, 201248 mins
Betty has gained some weight, which she can't shed for whatever reason, which in turn is making her depressed. Or is her depression the cause of emotional eating which is reason for her weight gain? Going to see a doctor for a prescription for diet pills, the doctor instead finds a growth on her thyroid, which may be cancerous and which may be the cause of her weight gain. With Henry not around when she receives the news, she turns to Don for emotional support. This news affects the Draper household. As Betty begins to think about her mortality, she also begins to understand that this tumor is a no win situation for her. Meanwhile, at SCDP, Pete is able to secure the Mohawk Airlines account once again, which is a small coup for the company. Pete begrudgingly assigns the account to Roger, since the Mohawk executives know Roger, and both sides will treat the account like their best drinking buddy. But they need to hire a dedicated copywriter for the account, someone creative but who also fits into that old boys network. Peggy is assigned to find that person. The end product of her search, Michael Ginsberg, brings her and Roger to a common point in their careers. The Heinz executives come up with the idea to rework The Rolling Stones' song "Time Is on My Side" for a commercial to target the youth market. Despite Don thinking it a bad idea, he indulges the client, with him and Harry the footmen in trying to set up a meeting with the band at one of their concerts. Trying to meet the band also makes Don and Harry quite aware that they aren't as young as they used to be. And SCPD's mock "equal opportunity" ad results in Don getting a new secretary, a black woman named Dawn.
Episode 4
Mystery Date
Sun, Apr 8, 201248 mins
Three news items affect the SCDP staff and their families. The first news item is the rape and murder of nurses in Chicago. Although Henry's mother Pauline, who is babysitting Sally while Henry and Betty are on a business trip, doesn't believe such news stories should be heard or read by someone of Sally's age, it ultimately becomes a meeting point for the two in what is otherwise an antagonistic relationship. The second news items is the general race riots taking place across the country. This news item initiates a meeting point between Peggy and Dawn, the two seeming outsiders at SCDP. And the third news item is an airlines mechanics strike which has a different affect on Mohawk than it does on its larger competitors. As Mohawk is still operating through the strike, they continue on with their other business such as their advertising. This news catches Roger off guard, he who has to think fast or get someone else to think fast to get a pitch ready from scratch over the weekend. Meanwhile, Michael pulls a stunt at a client pitch meeting which threatens his job. Joan is eagerly awaiting the arrival home of Greg, who has completed his tour of duty. Greg comes home with some unexpected news which results in Joan making a decision of her own on the matter. And Don is chastised by Megan for once again being approached by one of his former or perhaps not so former paramours, this time a woman named Andrea. Don, who has a nasty summer cold, believes he has dealt with the issue of Andrea, especially if he can't hold off his adulterous urges.
Episode 5
Signal 30
Sun, Apr 15, 201248 mins
Lane is trying to break ties with his homeland. That doesn't stop Rebecca from making friends for her and Lane with the Bakers, compatriots from England. Lane does however feel that he can take advantage of this friendship with Edwin Baker by bringing his company's business, Jaguar, into SCDP, as Jaguar is trying to enter the US market. Despite being the sole Brit in the office and thus the logical choice in his own mind to deal with a fellow Brit, Lane has no experience in account management. The process of Lane learning how to become an account manager and him being the reason SCDP gets Jaguar's almost seemingly surefire account makes Lane evaluate his professional life. Meanwhile, Pete is feeling restless in his marriage, one result from which is eying a high school senior in his driver's education class. Life at work is different as he feels he is gaining more power in the office. A small measure of that office power is being able to convince a reluctant Don and Megan to attend a small dinner party at his and Trudy's suburban home. Pete's issues and Lane's issues come to a meeting point, the resulting incident which excites those who are witness to it. Meanwhile, Ken is continuing his writing, which he is getting published under a pseudonym. Ken wants to keep this part of his life a secret from those at SCDP, which may be difficult to do as he confesses to Peggy, who sees him with a possible publisher, and as Cynthia is more than happy to divulge her husband's success at any opportunity. This writing may become a problem for Ken in his life at SCDP.
Episode 6
Far Away Places
Sun, Apr 22, 201247 mins
The same day is seen through the eyes of three people: Peggy, Roger and Don. The start for the day is the same for all three: Roger invites Don on a boys only romp to visit the business of a client - the Howard Johnson's in Plattsburg - so that Roger can avoid an evening out with Jane later that evening. Don instead invites Megan to go along, which means that both Don and Megan will be abandoning the Heinz team at their pitch meeting that day, leaving that responsibility to Peggy, and that Roger is left out in the cold with regard to the Howard Johnson's outing. An incident at the Heinz pitch meeting leaves Peggy contemplating both her professional life at SCDP and her personal life with Abe. A second incident at Don and Megan's outing leaves Megan wondering if she can have both a professional and personal life with Don, or if she even wants anything to do with Don, while Don tries to regain some lost control over the situation and a situation brought to his attention the following day by Bert. And a third incident happens in Roger and Jane's outing, which is a party with friends of Jane's, the party to explore the use of LSD. Roger and Jane's musings to each other while they're high brings to the surface what each knows he/she is feeling and what each knows the other is feeling about their marriage.
Episode 7
At the Codfish Ball
Sun, Apr 29, 201248 mins
Don is receiving an award from the American Cancer Society for his anti-smoking editorial in the New York Times. He sees the award as a honor regardless of the fact that he has not quit smoking, that the editorial was purely a dig at Lucky Strike for pulling their business, and the people at the Society know none of this information. Roger and Pete plan on being at the awards ceremony to drum up business from the Society's wealthy Board members, who probably now see SCDP in a different league than all the other Madison Avenue agencies. Roger, still on a euphoric high (figuratively) after his LSD trip, turns to an unexpected source for help on this matter. Also attending the awards ceremony will be Megan's parents, Dr. Emile and Mrs. Marie Calvet, who have come to town partly on business, partly to see Megan and partly to meet Don and attend the ceremony. Upon meeting, Don knows that he has to do more than win a prestigious award to impress especially Dr. Calvet. A last minute attendee to the ceremony is Sally, who with Bobby, are unexpectedly staying with Don and Megan while Betty and Henry are out of town and as Henry's mother Pauline has broken her ankle, the latter incident which was Sally's fault but she who does not confess to it. The evening makes Sally feel grown up, especially as Roger treats her as his pseudo-date. Two incidents at the awards ceremony place a damper on the evening for Don and Sally. Meanwhile, the Heinz team are grasping at straws for ideas. A last minute good one comes from an unexpected source, which they have to act on quickly not only because of their imminent next pitch meeting, but also because of some yet as unknown news from Raymond Geiger. This situation brings Don and Megan closer together in all respects. And Peggy is concerned about whatever it is that Abe wants to talk to her about. His question catches her off guard as it does for Mrs. Olson.
Episode 8
Lady Lazarus
Sun, May 6, 201248 mins
Megan has been lying to her colleagues, including Don, about her whereabouts at certain times of the day. She is caught in the lie by both Don and Peggy. She is able to make up a credible enough excuse to Don, but Peggy confronts her on it. Based on that discussion, Megan decides to come clean to Don about what she's been doing. Don's reaction surprises her, which leads to a major change at SCDP. But Don's true reaction may actually be closer to what she had anticipated based on an encounter Don has with Peggy. Meanwhile, Pete is still feeling more fulfilled at work as clients, without even having met him, are giving him gifts. But he is feeling more and more restless at home, especially after he learns that his train commuting colleague Howard Dawes has embarked on an affair in the city. Taking a cue from Howard and given the opportunity, Pete embarks on a wannabe affair of his own, the "wannabe" part based on the insecurities of the other party.
Episode 9
Dark Shadows
Sun, May 13, 201248 mins
Betty is going to Weight Watchers to deal with her weight issue. Whether she wants to admit it or not, she is aware that her envy of Megan is part of her unhappiness and associated eating and weight gain. After an incident with Megan (of which Megan herself is unaware), Betty decides to use Sally as a pawn, which places Sally, Don and Megan in the middle of Betty's game, of which only Don seems aware. At the office, Roger is hustling for the Manischewitz wine account to show that he, beyond financing the company, is still useful in a day-to-day sense, and to show that Pete, who has lined up a potential major New York Times article featuring SCDP, is not the SCDP wunderkind he makes himself out to be. Roger's plan, the creatives for which he plans to pawn off as his own to the clients, includes the use of both Jane and Ginsberg, which doesn't sit well with Peggy or ultimately with Jane. And Don decides to go back into the creative realm, coming up with an idea at a brainstorming meeting with copywriters Peggy and Ginsberg on the Sno Ball account. Don ultimately shows how competitive he is against even those within the SCDP team.
Episode 10
Christmas Waltz
Sun, May 20, 201248 mins
Lane faces a personal cash flow problem when he is informed that he owes the British government £2,900 for back taxes, payable in two days time. He comes up with a scheme using supposed SCDP funds, which don't actually exist, in the form of Christmas bonuses to all staff, including to the partners. But one problem after another with Lane's scheme have the potential of bringing his entire world crashing down around him. It promises to be a busy Christmas season since SCDP is once again in the running for the Jaguar account, the pitch from agencies to be done in mid-January, giving them about six weeks to come up with a presentation. Meanwhile, Harry gets a telephone call from old colleague Paul Kinsey to meet, which Harry reluctantly does. Harry ends up meeting a much transformed Paul. Although Harry does not agree with the transformation itself, he does get caught up in it. As Harry guessed, Paul does ask him for a professional favor. When Harry doesn't believe he can accommodate Paul's request without compromising his own professional standing, Harry has to figure out what to do. He decides to help Paul out in his own way. And Joan has an uncharacteristic outburst at the office when she is served divorce papers there. In part using the work required for Jaguar, Don provides Joan with some much needed emotional support.
Episode 11
The Other Woman
Sun, May 27, 201248 mins
Tension is rising at the firm as the date for making their pitch to Jaguar approaches. Don and most of the creative team are huddling in the conference room trying to get it right. Another complication arises when one member of the three man panel who will select the winning agency makes it clear that if they want any chance of winning, it will be necessary for Joan to spend the night with him. Joan scoffs at the idea but in the end demands a high price for her cooperation. Peggy Olson meanwhile decides the time may be right to get a job elsewhere. Freddy Rumsen encourages her and helps her get the word out. Megan meanwhile is excited at getting a call-back for a stage play but Don is only now realizing what that implies.
Episode 12
Commissions and Fees
Sun, Jun 3, 201248 mins
Don learns about Lane's forged check. Don's subsequent discussion with Lane and Don's unilateral decision about what to do about Lane's fraud without telling any of the other partners about the fraud itself lead not only to Lane making his own decision about his future but also Don beginning to think more about SCDP's future as a whole. Don's thoughts about going after bigger accounts leads to even more maneuvering in-house, this time affecting Ken and Pete most directly. Meanwhile, the Francises are planning on going on a weekend ski trip, on which Sally doesn't want to go. An exasperated Betty decides that if Sally is going to be a bother, she will send Sally to stay with Don and Megan regardless of what Don and Megan want. Sally's visit with Don and Megan adds to more strain between Don and Megan as they go about their own lives over the course of Sally's stay - Don's having to do with the work issue around Lane and its aftermath - which Sally tries to use to her advantage in testing the waters in her relationship with Glen, who she wants to be her boyfriend. But an incident while with Glen brings Sally closer to her mother.
Episode 13
The Phantom
Sun, Jun 10, 201248 mins
Among those who are depressed about their lives are Megan, Pete and Beth. Beyond getting what she believes are obscene phone calls, Megan is feeling that her acting career is going nowhere, especially after being duped by an unscrupulous agency who filmed a screen test for her. She feels she gets little support from her visiting mother, Marie, and Don. She uses a request from her acting friend Emily to what she hopes will be her own advantage, but she will need some help from Don to achieve her end goal, which he may not be willing to provide. Pete is still restless in his life, even more so when he sees Beth again, this time with Howard on the commuter train. He learns from Beth to where she is going which is directly related to her own depression. Her ultimate destination continues the vicious cycle which is her life. She hopes that Pete will be at least a minor sanctuary from that life. Meanwhile, Don, who refuses to see a dentist about a chronic toothache, continually sees visions of his dead brother Adam all around him. Roger has two immediate goals, both which he hopes will involve Marie. Peggy is trying to settle into her new job, which has some challenges. Without letting the staff know, Joan is looking for extra office space for the company especially in light of the company's somewhat flush financial state (ironic considering Lane's need for personal income, despite much of the company's up front investment being from him) and no one wanting the office in which Lane committed suicide. And the partners decide what to do to memorialize Lane, which garners an unexpected reaction from Rebecca.
