Nasty, gruesome, impossible not to watch - Mad Men

The world is not a gentle place for the characters in "Mad Men" Season 5 - where shall I begin? Don Draper increasingly concerned about the waning of his creative talent, and actually picks a rivalry with the supersmart, creative, but completely unpolished copywriter Ginzberg - who is feeling (rightly) unappreciated: Does he bolt? Roger now broken off with his 2nd, much younger (of course) Jewish (surprise) wife, but is feeling lonely and gets back with her for one fling - and she's spiteful and resentful. He claims to have been completely changed by one LSD trip - one of the less credible elements of he season. Betty Draper is moving to the fringes of the show, still a manipulative bitch, but we're building a little bit of sympathy with her as we watch this beauty struggle with her weight. Pete Campbell narcissistic as ever has a fling with the lonely wife of a very obnoxious and sexist fellow commuter, and this episode seems to haunt him - he can't stop obsessing - and most of all (and this goes for many of these sad character) he doesn't realize how fortunate he is: he's married to a lovely woman and is throwing it all away for nothing. Don's new wife (his 3rd, as we're reminded) is actually one of the most likable characters in the season - easy to write Megan off as a bimbo, and to scorn her dreams of becoming an actor, when she doesn't show any obvious drive or talent - but she proves time and again to be wise and compassionate, one of the few good people in the lives of Don's kids, especially the oldest daughter - becoming a troubled young woman who's starting to push Megan away in spite? or in fear of closeness? Joan has almost no role in the middle of this season - after a great episode in which she kicked her army doctor husband out of her life. Peggy is robably the best character in the season - always crisp and smart, totally independent, we've watched her over 5 years mature as a character (and watched Elisabeth Moss mature as an actor as well). I still love the working scenes and the team develops an ad concept and tries to sell it - one great episode involved the Heinz account and Peggy's futile effort to interest the company in her pitch. Another great one had Ginzberg deliver his own pitch for a Cinderalla campaign for a shoe company - a great pitch, that provoked Don's ire, and jealousy. One really strong episode ended with all of the main characters sitting around a table at an awards dinner, all glum and depressed, but each for a different reason. The season is uneven, but the show continues to fascinate - it's like a car wreck - nasty, gruesome, impossible not to watch.