Mad Men concluded its fifth season last night with an episode that seemed to revert the story—or at least Don’s story—to its factory settings. Nothing’s for sure thanks to the semi-cliffhanger ending, but we at least got a hint that Don may be returning to his previous pattern of infidelity.
Why? As with most things on the show, it’s not entirely clear, and it may never be. The most obvious explanation would be depression over Lane and, by extension, Adam. Don feels responsible for both suicides, and he receives no absolution even when he unilaterally decides to reimburse Lane’s widow with the $50,000 buy-in Lane provided to SCDP after Lucky Strike pulled out.
If that’s the correct analysis, the follow-up question is whether it’s merely depression that puts Don back on the path to infidelity. Complicating matters is the fact that Don’s wandering eye during his previous marriage coincided with Betty’s acceptance of the role of a traditional (perhaps bored) housewife.
Here, the exact opposite is happening. Megan is pursuing her acting ambitions vigorously, despite emotional abuse from her mother and some resistance from Don over possible out-of-town gigs. Don relents in the season finale, reconsidering his previous position against using his influence to place his wife in an advertisement for an SCDP client. Yet, we still get an unmistakable whiff of vintage 1960 Don Draper at the end of the episode.
It’s safe to say that I’m a 
Yet, neither lost his appetite for the stage. In fact, they joined forces to play the characters in a two-man Broadway production of “A Steady Rain.” The play follows the complicated lives of two Chicago police officers. It received strong reviews upon its debut, broke the record for highest weekly gross by a non-musical, and drew interest from Steven Spielberg for a movie adaptation.
All of that remains to be seen. On the SitCombat front, the Office put together a strong episode that toppled 30 Rock from the perch upon which it sat for an unprecedented nine consecutive weeks. Will the Office be able to start a streak of its own by continuing with a strong final run of episodes? Or will 30 Rock return to form and reclaim the crown from its fellow NBC series?
Voters in North Carolina elevated the state’s ban on same-sex marriage to its constitution this week. The amendment also added a constitutional ban on civil unions or similar arrangements. The measure passed by a comfortable margin.
The Axis of Ego 
Cauvin on Carolla
I was going to write an article on the latest Adam Carolla-themed flap. The essay probably would have spiraled into the usual verbose piece, touching on notions of free speech and whether our desire for an equality regime has gone so far as to obscure and suppress uncomfortable truths—even when delivered as humor.
But then J-L Cauvin wrote this, thus preemptively rendering obsolete anything that I would have to say about the topic.
If you care at all about what happened this week, do yourself a favor and read Cauvin’s thoughts on the topic.
In closing, I’m going to post a video that immediately came to mind when I read the first wave of anti-Carolla articles online at outlets such as the Washington Post or Salon. The substance is certainly different, but a general point that the late, great Patrice O’Neal makes here is also relevant in this context. Enjoy.
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