Mad Men- Season 5 (TV Series)

This season of 'Mad Men' has been one of the most potent since its inception, and for me, one of the most solid shows on television this year. AMC & Sky Atlantic’s stellar drama set in the mid-1960s has seen its fair share of chaotic moments this year, with sordid affairs, forced resignations, and the unexpected death of two characters.

l-r: Joan Harris (Hendricks), Roger Sterling (John Slattery),
Lane Pryce (Jared Harris),Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser),
Don Draper (Hamm), and Peggy (Olson)

Huge shifts have occurred since the last time we saw our favourite characters 17 months ago- Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has relocated to a swanky apartment in Manhattan, along with his new wife Megan (Jessica Pare), series standout Joan (Christina Hendricks) has a baby boy, and the civil rights movement plays as a backdrop for the events in the first half of the season, leading to ad agency Sterling Cooper Draper Price hiring its first ever black employee in the form of Dawn (Teyonah Parris). Oh, and Don’s daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka) is morphing into a quite a sneaky pre-teen lil’ lady.

What’s interesting about the show is that it doesn’t patronise its audience, as 'Mad Men' simply details the (normal?) lives of Don and his co-workers. Every episode has twists and turns, along with clever banter between the protagonists, but communicates it in a way in which the audience is forced to pay attention. For this reason 'Mad Men' is not a show that you can simply have on in the background, as key dialogue and plot points can easily be missed.

'Mad Men' has had it all in the 13 episode 5^th season, setting up more potentially major shifts when it returns next year. But as one great cable television show ends, another one begins. Now on to True Blood…

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Key Episodes: "Christmas Waltz", "The Other Woman", "Commissions and Fees"