Those 46 minutes we got here are the fifth episode of the first season from "Mad Men". It took until the fourth episode for the show to really win me over, but I would definitely say that the level of this episode following right thereafter was equally high and this makes it a contender for me personally for the best episode season one of what I now consider maybe my favorite episode of all time. Anyway, the title "5G" is of course not only fitting because of the hotel room, but also because of the episode number. There were episodes before that where other characters like Peter or Pete felt at the very center of the action, but here it is all about Don Draper. I feel even hesitant to call him that now with what we find out during this episode, namely that he is not the man we thought him to be. That he has a past that includes a lot that nobody knows about. Well, with the exception of his brother who shows up here after recognizing Don in a newspaper article about a trophy he won. I really liked the brother and also the actor, so it was almost heartbreaking to see his expectations unfulfilled when it comes to the future relationship with his brother. And those were clearly high expectations. But you should really watch for yourself. There was also some suspense in terms of what Don would bring to the hotel meeting with his brother, if it could even be a gun, but in the end it was just a whole lot of money, so he in a way bought himself free from his past. His initial attempt to act as if his brother was erring also did not last long when he realized how convinced the man was. So there was definitely some sadness to the key story from this episode. Several aspects that make Draper feel pretty unlikable or I could say more unlikable even as we know about his affairs already. We also watch Peggy understand what is going on, even if she was wrong about the meeting that kept Draper away from seeing his family for the photographer. How she puts the receiver down without wanting to make a single sound was funny for sure.
Anyway, there is a second story here that mostly involved the other males from the company when one of them has an article printed in a big newspaper. Jealousy galore. We understand the working climates is really not too pleasant as a consequence or maybe wasn't pleasant before already. As a consequence of this envy, we once again find out a little bit more about Pete and his wife and also her former lover who is in a position to really do her and as a consequence Pete a favor. I would say that this story felt initially rather light, also with slightly humorous references about (non-)talking bears, but towards the end it also becomes really serious when said woman refuses to sleep with the man who has the power to make her husband more known and what she gets from her husband, who understood exactly what was going on, was not respect and praise for her courageous decision, but instead he despised her for it or at least disliked her choice that she put herself above her man's ambitions. When the truth is his writing wasn't particularly good and he needs relationships from others to boost him. In the end, it was a somewhat unfulfilling outcome for almost everybody in here.
Of course, you could wonder, if we go back to the main story, if Draper really missed his brother or only says so to comfort him and not antagonize him any further because he could obviously tell everybody who Don Draper really is. Maybe the saddest moment was the farewell scene then when we realize there will be no future for them when there is a hug taking place. Other than that, we also find out a little bit about the girls' mentality in the office there and their professions. Nice to see Olsen have some more screen time again here and also Hendricks, who did not have too much screen time, but was still memorable with what she was given. Plus there was another really attractive typist seen briefly here, stunning woman wearing glasses in the first half, but sadly without a credit. But back to the main ingredient of it all now: It was also almost comforting to see Draper lose all this money in the end because of how he treated his brother and if there was any doubt left that the creators and writers of this show do not want us to like him, then it is definitely gone after these three quarters of an hour. So yeah, as I stated, this is more about Don than about everybody else. A crucial step forward in exploring this truly multi-layered character and as a consequence a really fine episode. Or John Slattery is of course also always really nice, but this one does not need him in detail to reach a truly high quality overall. Very much recommended this one and despite all the serious plots, you will probably still smile or even laugh more than you usually do with Mad Men episodes. Seeing Moss in-character struggle with comforting Mrs. Draper as awkwardly hilarious too. That is all. Don't miss out.
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