[CrankyJay]

yeah i don't blame don lane really should have just sucked up his pride and told the partners his situation.. but i guess its that british stiff upper lip thing

No kidding. Even Don said "Why didn't you come to us first?" lol

[hamchan]

FUCK!

That was the most horrific episode of Mad Men ever. I really liked Lane too so his death hit me hard.

Don will of course feel guilty about this but I don't think he was in the wrong at all. It was the right thing to fire Lane over his cheque fraud. He even tried to let Lane retain some dignity by letting him resign instead of just telling the other partners and then tried telling him a fresh start was still possible.

Holy heck I still have chills from that ep.

[WillyFive]

Fantastic episode, this season is the best in the show.

I will miss Lane, he was one of my favorite characters.

[CrankyJay]

Fantastic episode, this season is the best in the show. I will miss Lane, he was one of my favorite characters.

I thought it was kind of tainted by Glenn. I swear they're going to end the show with him murdering everyone or pushing Don out the window.

*cue music*

DAA DAAAA DAA DAAAAA DAA DAAAAA

[Bryant]

So that's how you win an Emmy!

What an emotional episode.

[i_am_ben]

eh i didn't care for the episode.

The impact of lane hanging himself was undermined by him failing to kill himself earlier in the episode.

[Cornballer]

Content round up:



Reviews:
- Onion A|V Club
- Sepinwall
- Maureen Ryan
- Tom & Lorenzo (style report will be up on Wednesday afternoon)
- Slate.com
- Grantland

AMC Content:
- Inside the Episode (youtube)
- Preview for next week's finale aka "Promo for Pyros" (please spoiler tag any discussion, youtube)
- AMC Q&A with Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper)

[hamchan]

eh i didn't care for the episode. The impact of lane hanging himself was undermined but him failing to kill himself earlier in the episode.

It did the opposite for me. I was shocked when he tried to kill himself in the car and then super relieved when he failed because I thought that was it. The second successful attempt and then seeing his body surprised me greatly.

[shadyspace]

It did the opposite for me. I was shocked when he tried to kill himself in the car and then super relieved when he failed because I thought that was it. The second successful attempt and then seeing his body surprised me greatly.

This. People don't realize that after someone fails a suicide attempt their chance of having a successful one drops way down. Lane had to be super determined to end it to even try it a second time.

[pigeon]

You think Jaguar knew they'd be portrayed as shit when they signed on to be featured in the show?

I think they'd have to expect it. Weiner is a stickler for historical accuracy, after all, and, well, I've read other places that Jaguars were pretty unreliable then. They still got a hell of a sales pitch from Don though. And as the show points out, in some marketing situations, being a little impractical is an asset rather than a liability.

I think Don did a great job of handling the situation. If anything, he was lenient.

I can't get behind this. Don lying nearly blew up the company with NAA last year -- in multiple ways, he's the reason the agency is broke to begin with. Nobody loves keeping secrets more than Donald Draper. If people treated him the way he treated Lane, he'd be out in California by now.

The way I read that scene, Lane just handled Don all wrong. Don's aggressive at first, but Lane did everything possible to get on his bad side in that meeting -- first sticking to his lie even when it means insisting Don forgot that he signed an eight thousand dollar check, then yelling at him in self-justification (not to mention his obvious attempt to appeal to Don's ego by calling him "the only decent one," which even Don probably knows isn't true). It's not surprising, because Lane's pride is how he ended up forging the check in the first place, but it's sad. RIP Lane :(

Also, I guess this means they have a $50,000 loan they're about to find out about.

[hamchan]

Time to rewatch the episode where Don and Lane have a fun drunken night together. :(

[Superimposer]

What is with Sepinwall's 'reviews'? I swear they're just a list of everything that happened every week.

Also this was probably my favourite Mad Men episode. A lot of people saying it was good but I expected a bigger reaction to this one. Ah well, different strokes for different folks.

[CrankyJay]

I think they'd have to expect it. Weiner is a stickler for historical accuracy, after all, and, well, I've read other places that Jaguars were pretty unreliable then. They still got a hell of a sales pitch from Don though. And as the show points out, in some marketing situations, being a little impractical is an asset rather than a liability. I can't get behind this. Don lying nearly blew up the company with NAA last year -- in multiple ways, he's the reason the agency is broke to begin with. Nobody loves keeping secrets more than Donald Draper. If people treated him the way he treated Lane, he'd be out in California by now. The way I read that scene, Lane just handled Don all wrong. Don's aggressive at first, but Lane did everything possible to get on his bad side in that meeting -- first sticking to his lie even when it means insisting Don forgot that he signed an eight thousand dollar check, then yelling at him in self-justification (not to mention his obvious attempt to appeal to Don's ego by calling him "the only decent one," which even Don probably knows isn't true). It's not surprising, because Lane's pride is how he ended up forging the check in the first place, but it's sad. RIP Lane :( Also, I guess this means they have a $50,000 loan they're about to find out about.

They were ready to extend their credit $50,000 anyway for Joan.

[Bbaj]

Anyone have a pic of Don doodling a hangnoose from earlier in the season?

[CassSept]

So, there it is...

While he started out pretty bland, Weiner made him yet another great character, from S3 finale onwards. He was one of my favorite characters throughout Season 4 (especially for his night out with Don).

Now I feel bad for making "Lane on suicide watch" joke after he started having problems with the taxes. That actually brought him down indeed.

Goodnight sweet prince.

[blame space]

i thought lane was coming up with some inspired idea after he failed to kill himself but nope he just killed himself again.

[Fuu]

This was so damn depressing, so many emotions with this and last week's. Not sure if I'm prepared for the finale.

[Vyer]

What is with Sepinwall's 'reviews'? I swear they're just a list of everything that happened every week. Also this was probably my favourite Mad Men episode. A lot of people saying it was good but I expected a bigger reaction to this one. Ah well, different strokes for different folks.

A list? I have to disagree. IMO he's one of the best reads of these reviews Cornballer is posting.

[giga]

Roger: "You gonna tell me what you're gonna talk about or is my liquid surprise part of the sales pitch"

Had me rolling.

[pigeon]

They were ready to extend their credit $50,000 anyway for Joan.

Right, but as far as they knew, they didn't do it. Unless Bert noticed and just didn't bother to mention it, nobody knows yet that Lane had already borrowed an extra $50,000 -- and spent it on Christmas bonuses for everybody else.

[Cornballer]

- Sepinwall Interview: 'Mad Men' co-star Jared Harris on Lane Pryce and 'Commissions and Fees'

When I talked to Jared Harris about the huge developments for Lane Pryce on last night's "Mad Men,"he reminded me of one of Lane's most important earlier scenes. In season 3's "Guy Walks Into an Advertisement Agency," Lane is on the verge to being banished to PP&L's offices in India when Guy suffers his unfortunate accident with the lawnmower, and Lane tells Don, "I feel like I just went to my own funeral. I didn't like the eulogy." Lane's premonition of his own death two seasons ago helped inspire him to quit PP&L and help Don and the others start up their renegade firm, but it never changed some basic facts about Lane's life: that he was a stranger in a strange land that he wanted to love more than it wanted to love him, that he was in a chilly at best marriage, and that he was never going to get the respect, or rewards, he felt he deserved. And when the world came crashing down on him in the form of Don telling him to resign because of the embezzlement, Lane made his death happen for real this time. I spoke with Harris about how and when he found out, what it was like to film the scene where the others find Lane's body, and more.

Interview via the link.

[Mangotron]

What was so interesting for me about this episode is that I actually had a lasting reaction to it. I just sort of brushed it off initially, but later last night I had kind of a "oh my god he's really gone" feeling. Them going in there and cutting him down was really powerful.

People might not feel like this episode was particularly great because Lane's death feels cheap in a lot of ways, but I think that's how suicide really feels.

I felt like the episode really limited its potential including the stuff with Glenn and Sally. Shipka gets fairly wooden when she's expected to carry scenes, and the kid who plays Glenn isn't very good and isn't given much to work with in his lines. I felt like the only reason they were even included was to get the closing scene, which could have easily been done without Glenn.

[CrankyJay]

People might not feel like this episode was particularly great because Lane's death feels cheap in a lot of ways, but I think that's how suicide really feels.

The saddest thing about it for me was the boiler plate resignation letter. Nothing personal in there...that's so...Lane.

[Fuu]

Joan must have felt pretty bad about her last conversation with him too. Last thing she gave him was a head shake.

- Sepinwall Interview: 'Mad Men' co-star Jared Harris on Lane Pryce and 'Commissions and Fees' Interview via the link.

Making your eyes go dead, that sort of glassy look. That one, we looked at lots of pictures of people who had hung themselves, the makeup department. There's that weird thing where the tongue sticks out. That's not a makeup thing, you've got to do that yourself. You have to make sure your tongue doesn't twitch. The hardest part was not breaking into a Monty Python song, like, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" while I'm hanging there in the middle of their shot. And they didn't see me. When they literally pushed through that door and saw me hanging, that was the first time they had seen it. They didn't see a rehearsal or anything like that. That was their first look at it, and that was pretty genuine shock on all their faces. They knew, of course, because they had read the script, but those guys did a brilliant job, the makeup department. And they hadn't seen that.

Damn.

[CrankyJay]

Joan must have felt pretty bad about her last conversation with him too. Last thing she gave him was a head shake. Damn.

Why? He was drunk and being a pig to her. LOL.

[Fuu]

Why? He was drunk and being a pig to her. LOL.

Yeah but I don't know, that's not how these things work. It's common to feel bad for not noticing a cry for help and attention after you get to know someone killed themselves the same day they spoke to you, even if they weren't being nice. Lane certainly didn't make it easy for anyone to become aware of anything though, no one could guess he was about to do that.

[bsb]

man, and I thought the last episode was depressing. I've felt crappy ever since last night because of this one. Now I'm kind of dreading the season finale.

[Dominican Power]

[sammich]

Im going to watch the whole show again after the season finale. Ugh.. the wait for next season is going to drive me nuts.

[tearsofash]

Top-notch episode. Can't wait for the finale.

I forget though, was Don ever privvy to Sally's "friend" that she was banned from seeing? Or does he just not remember?

[Cornballer]

- THR: 'Mad Men's' Jared Harris on Lane Pryce's Shocking Episode

After a season of financial troubles and the secrecy that accompanied them, Jared Harris' Lane Pryce ends Sunday's Mad Men episode hanging on the back of his office door. The British veteran, who counts The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sherlock Holmes and Steven Spielberg's upcoming Lincoln among his many film credits, acknowledges that there were tears shed when creator Matthew Weiner broke the news that Harris' character would be taking his own life. The action came after Jon Hamm's Don Draper finds out that Lane has forged a company check in Don's name. In a heart-wrenching scene between the two actors, Don insists Lane must resign. Harris spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the dreaded conversation with Weiner, the flurry of emotions that accompanied the news and the hardest part of being killed off the critical darling.

[f0rk]

The suicide foreshadowing was laid on so thick it made me think it was too obvious to happen. Not particularly good writing.

[CrankyJay]

Kinda wonder what he was writing on that legal pad now in his apartment.

[Kano On The Phone]

The suicide foreshadowing was laid on so thick it made me think it was too obvious to happen. Not particularly good writing.

How do you figure? It wouldn't have made sense to have someone walk by him and say "Hi Lane!" at the beginning of the episode and then not show him again until he was dead.

[Fintan]

Was Glen's appearance in this episode a bit of a reference to Catcher in The Rye? You know the whole sneaking out of school and the visit to the Museum of Natural History?

[f0rk]

How do you figure? It wouldn't have made sense to have someone walk by him and say "Hi Lane!" at the beginning of the episode and then not show him again until he was dead.

I mean through the whole season.

[Kano On The Phone]

I mean through the whole season.

But if anything, it was foreshadowing for Pete, so I'm still not seeing how that's bad writing.

[CrankyJay]

I mean through the whole season.

Why does everything have to be a surprise or a twist?

[Deified Data]

Tough episode to watch - I knew the thread would be torn over "who to blame", so to speak. Of course, there's no one person to blame. The fact is, Lane killed himself over shame at being caught. That said, he was driven to it by Don, who was strangely adamant that Lane resign. I'm inclinded to believe that the firm really did owe Lane more than they gave him - at least enough to forgive this one petty transgression. Why does Don have no sympathy for this man suffering under the weight of a secret he kept? Doesn't he have ample experience in that area?

I don't blame Don, but I can't entirely blame Lane either. I feel Don was a bit merciless, and weirdly judgemental besides.

[Kano On The Phone]

Tough episode to watch - I knew the thread would be torn over "who to blame", so to speak. Of course, there's no one person to blame. The fact is, Lane killed himself over shame at being caught. That said, he was driven to it by Don, who was strangely adamant that Lane resign. I'm inclinded to believe that the firm really did owe Lane more than they gave him - at least enough to forgive this one petty transgression. Why does Don have no sympathy for this man suffering under the weight of a secret he kept? Doesn't he have ample experience in that area? I don't blame Don, but I can't entirely blame Lane either. I feel Don was a bit merciless, and weirdly judgemental besides.

Lane was embezzling money. That's the sort of the thing you're judgmental about when you own a business.

[SickBoy]

I think it's a shame that Lane went out as such a jerk... grovelling to Don, being a pig to Joan (twice -- his last in-office interaction with Joan and also prodding her self-prostitution to, in part, save his own ass).

All in all, I really like Lane and feel dreadfully sorry for him because of how he sort of let his whole world drive him into a corner.

As for Don, I thought he said it best, in four words, why he was so adamant that Lane resign: "I can't trust you."

[Slo]

LOL you can't really just turn the other cheek when the guy running your books is embezzling money. And maybe Lain did deserve better compensation, but you can't just take that shit off the top!

[mightynine]

Kinda wonder what he was writing on that legal pad now in his apartment.

I'm guessing he was going through all his assets, accounts, etc. and making sure there was enough money to cover his family's expenses.

Though any life insurance policy probably wouldn't cover suicide...?

ETA: I thought it was a nice touch of those three peeking over the office wall - I believe it was Pete, Harry and Ken doing the same thing way back in an earlier season, spying on Don I think.

[Deified Data]

Lane was embezzling money. That's the sort of the thing you're judgmental about when you own a business.

His money, or money that would soon be his regardless. He made the same sort of amoral hiccup that just about everyone at SCDP has made at some point, only he was dumb enough to get caught.

I don't believe Don was wrong for demanding his resignation, let's make that clear - Lane put him in an impossible position and he did what he thought was right. In the best case scenario, Lane would have prostrated himself before the partners and pleaded his case long before he forged Don's signature. But he made a mistake.

Don's made mistakes. I don't think Don is to blame for anything, but I expected him to have a bit more sympathy. Why would embezzlement make Lane any less trustworthy than the other partners, namely Pete who has actively strived to backstab him in the past?

[SickBoy]

I'm guessing he was going through all his assets, accounts, etc. and making sure there was enough money to cover his family's expenses. Though any life insurance policy probably wouldn't cover suicide...?

I think that might actually be why he did it, actually. You'll remember that when the insurance guy on the train was pitching to Pete, Pete mentioned how he had a great plan through SCDP... "even covers suicide after two years"

[f0rk]

But if anything, it was foreshadowing for Pete, so I'm still not seeing how that's bad writing.

Between the many examples it involved every character, just the first included Pete. Even so, a bait and switch wouldn't be smart either.

Why does everything have to be a surprise or a twist?

It doesn't, but having blatant suicide imagery every other scene was just overbearing.

[Slo]

His money, or money that would soon be his regardless. He made the same sort of amoral hiccup that just about everyone at SCDP has made at some point, only he was dumb enough to get caught.

:jnc It's not his money until it's given to him. You don't work in the corporate world, do you?

I don't believe Don was wrong for demanding his resignation, let's make that clear - Lane put him in an impossible position and he did what he thought was right. In the best case scenario, Lane would have prostrated himself before the partners and pleaded his case long before he forged Don's signature. But he made a mistake.

I disagree. I think admitting to stealing thousands of dollars from his employer would have ruined his career. Lane's career was at a high point, he'd just gotten a very public award, he probably could have had a new job within a week.

Why would embezzlement make Lane any less trustworthy than the other partners, namely Pete who has actively strived to backstab him in the past?

There is a HUGE difference between competing/backstabbing your coworkers while acting towards the good of the company, and outright stealing from the company.

[Kano On The Phone]

Between the many examples it involved every character, just the first included Pete. Even so, a bait and switch wouldn't be smart either. It doesn't, but having blatant suicide imagery every other scene was just overbearing.

Name some instances where there was blatant suicide imagery every other scene. I feel like you're being hyperbolic because you heard someone complain that it was too obvious but don't actually believe it enough to back it up. If anything, I'm sure there's a lot of scenes that seem to contain suicide imagery in retrospect, but the viewer was hardly beaten over the head with it.

:jnc It's not his money until it's given to him. You don't work in the corporate world, do you? I disagree. I think admitting to stealing thousands of dollars from his employer would have ruined his career. Lane's career was at a high point, he'd just gotten a very public award, he probably could have had a new job within a week. There is a HUGE difference between competing/backstabbing your coworkers while acting towards the good of the company, and outright stealing from the company.

All of this. Lane embezzled and forged Don's signature. That's a much bigger offense than Pete just being a prick.

[Deified Data]

:jnc It's not his money until it's given to him. You don't work in the corporate world, do you? I disagree. I think admitting to stealing thousands of dollars from his employer would have ruined his career. Lane's career was at a high point, he'd just gotten a very public award, he probably could have had a new job within a week. There is a HUGE difference between competing/backstabbing your coworkers while acting towards the good of the company, and outright stealing from the company.

I meant he should have come to the partners before he forged the signature and stole the money - that would have been ideal, regardless of the consequences.

And no, I do not work in the corporate world. I'm not really here to argue, either. Just saying that, by and large, Lane was one of the more trustworthy and benevolent individuals at the agency and it's a shame to see him go. Don did what I would have done in his situation, but I feel it's still appropriate to hope that he would have shown a bit more sympathy. It would have been a good humanizing moment for a character who's been on a miles-long douchebag streak of late. Not in any way implying that Don allowing Lane to resign as opposed to firing him outright was being a douche, of course.

[giga]

I meant he should have come to the partners before he forged the signature and stole the money - that would have been ideal, regardless of the consequences. And no, I do not work in the corporate world. I'm not really here to argue, either. Just saying that, by and large, Lane was one of the more trustworthy and benevolent individuals at the agency and it's a shame to see him go. Don did what I would have done in his situation, but I feel it's still appropriate to hope that he would have shown a bit more sympathy. It would have been a good humanizing moment for a character who's been on a miles-long douchebag streak of late.

Of late? Surely you're not talking about this season. Don's been the best he's ever been relative to the past.