Mad Men

[Bucky_Sinister]

And his breaking his glasses in half before attempting the deed made me tear up.

As someone who's worn glasses since the age of six, this freaked me out. I've never seen that before in movies or TV. it's such a personally intimate violent act. I think even if I were suicidal, I would fold my glasses neatly and put them in a safe place. I really don't know how to explain this to anyone who doesn't wear them.

[Darryl]

As someone who's worn glasses since the age of six, this freaked me out. I've never seen that before in movies or TV. it's such a personally intimate violent act. I think even if I were suicidal, I would fold my glasses neatly and put them in a safe place. I really don't know how to explain this to anyone who doesn't wear them.

Yeah, that was an awesome touch. I wear glasses, but am not blind without them. His glasses were so much part of his character, and they seemed to be such a burden to him, taking them off to be able to read, then putting them back on to see someone 5 feet away. They were just one more thing to be unhappy about and annoyed with.

Also, I actually had tears of laughter when the Jaguar wouldn't start. They did a beautiful job of setting up their unreliability, even making it a "virtue" of sorts. The pacing of Lane's careful preparations for his suicide built incredible tension. Then... nothing. The added touch of trying to fix the problem holding a single lens of his glasses to his eye was both tragic and funny at the same time.

I hope there's not another year long wait for the next season!

[simpgeek]

You can watch the episode that airs next week if you need something to hold you over.

[Kentock]

I thought Don's treatment of Lane was one of the most purely ethical things he's done on the show. He kept his cool in the midst of an enormous betrayal of trust, and he showed Lane more empathy than almost anyone could in a similar situation. That was Don's best moment as a human being this season, I thought.

Don has his brother's blood on his hands, but not Lane's.

[Adult Ed]

Speaking of Joan, her last exchange with Lane was shitty ...

You mean "her last interaction with a friend was unpleasant," not "Joan was shitty TO Lane," right? Obviously Joan is a wreck about the suicide but I don't think she feels at all responsible. I guess maybe she could feel guilty that she didn't ask her friend why he was getting hammered in the afternoon but she is clearly beyond letting people talk about her like an object.

[Mindyjoy]

You mean "her last interaction with a friend was unpleasant," not "Joan was shitty TO Lane," right? Obviously Joan is a wreck about the suicide but I don't think she feels at all responsible. I guess maybe she could feel guilty that she didn't ask her friend why he was getting hammered in the afternoon but she is clearly beyond letting people talk about her like an object.

Joan obviously had no way of knowing Lane was about to kill himself, or even know he was fired/resigned. It was just another day to her. Also, when someone kills themselves, everyone close to them feels guilty and partially responsible and wonders what they could have done to change the outcome.

[Umlaut]

Keep in mind, though, their two meetings before that one were less than pleasant for Joan -- Lane coaching her on what her price should be for whoring, and before then planting a kiss on her once he got that bloodlust from knocking Pete the fuggout. Joan probably thought, "Ugh, here he goes again..." And that is very sad that Lane had sank in her favor so much, when they had once been so close, but it was all a byproduct of Lane's undoing and a natural reaction on Joan's part. Lane's whole descent is really endlessly tragic.

If only he could have come clean about his financial situation to Don or whoever before he did the unthinkable and embezzled from the company. But he was probably too proud. Seeing him dangling there, lifeless -- it really made me physically ill. It's crazy how real these characters become to us/me, and how much we connect with them as real people. I legitimately feel like a member of my TV family has died.

[Adult Ed]

Joan is going to be creeped all to hell when they give her Lane's office...

[smartbunny]

I'm glad Joan didn't see it. But Lane wanted someone to.

[Umlaut]

I bet you Joan keeps her "Inner Sanctum" office and Harry takes Lane's, because that's just how much everyone hates Pete's old office.

[Kon Darp]

I bet you Joan keeps her "Inner Sanctum" office and Harry takes Lane's, because that's just how much everyone hates Pete's old office.

Yes! This must be why Henry says "Is it true?" in the teaser. "Is it true Lane killed himself in the room I'm in?"

-

The build-up to Lane's death seemed a little too obvious. They just kept piling shit on top of him until he had to break. I expect this show to subvert my expectations, so I was a bit disappointed to see happen what I thought would happen. At they same time, Jared Harris was crazy good. Lane breaking his glasses will definitely be in my top 5 Mad Men Moments (MMM's).

Don insisting on cutting him down afterward despite the fact that it's a crime scene was also really touching and moving. "What? You left him up there? Obviously you can't do that..."

[Umlaut]

[slothborn]

.

[smartbunny]

Harry was one of the people who peeped over the wall and saw. Pete, Harry, Roger. Right?

[Umlaut]

Pete, Harry, and Ken. Roger was with Don at the Dow Chemical pitch.

[Batman The Horse]

Kind of a funny detail: Layne must not know how cars work. That car would've started if he'd given it a little of the choke pull.



That knob in the middle that you pull... also I did not intend for the carbon monoxide/choke pull pun. Swear to Carlin.

[slothborn]

.

[Valorie]

I'm not sure that Harry was asking about Lane. did you notice how much longer he looked over at the dead body than everyone else. I'm sure he's not asking Joan about what she did, because that'd be obvious. Anyone notice his smile after he asks? it has to be something amusing or trivial.

[Mindyjoy]

According to dollartimes.com, $8,000 in 1968 is the equivalent of over $53,000 today. So, yeah, no small potatoes.

So that means Peggy is making the equivalent of $106,000 a year now? Whoa. I would have bailed, too.

The build-up to Lane's death seemed a little too obvious.

I thought this, too, but my husband was completely thrown by it, which makes me wonder how anyone could miss all the foreshadowing.

[Adult Ed]

So that means Peggy is making the equivalent of $106,000 a year now? Whoa. I would have bailed, too.

One more interesting storyline they aren't going to show us: Abe's balls shriveling up when he realizes that it is the 1960's and his girlfriend makes more than twice his salary as a writer for an alt-weekly.