Lady Lazarus (6 May 2012)

Megan convinces Don that she should give up her job at the firm so that she can pursue a career on Broadway, while Peter has a fling with an acquaintance's wife.

Director:

Phil Abraham

Writers:

Matthew Weiner (creator), Matthew Weiner

Stars:

Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Hamm	...	Don Draper
Elisabeth Moss	...	Peggy Olson
Vincent Kartheiser	...	Pete Campbell
January Jones	...	Betty Francis (credit only)
Christina Hendricks	...	Joan Harris
Jared Harris	...	Lane Pryce (credit only)
Aaron Staton	...	Ken Cosgrove
Rich Sommer	...	Harry Crane
Kiernan Shipka	...	Sally Draper (credit only)
Jessica Paré	...	Megan Draper
Christopher Stanley	...	Henry Francis (credit only)
Jay R. Ferguson	...	Stan Rizzo
Robert Morse	...	Bertram Cooper (credit only)
John Slattery	...	Roger Sterling
Alexis Bledel	...	Beth Dawes

Storyline

Megan has been lying to her colleagues, including Don, about her whereabouts at certain times of the day. She is caught in the lie by both Don and Peggy. She is able to make up a credible enough excuse to Don, but Peggy confronts her on it. Based on that discussion, Megan decides to come clean to Don about what she's been doing. Don's reaction surprises her, which leads to a major change at SCDP. But Don's true reaction may actually be closer to what she had anticipated based on an encounter Don has with Peggy. Meanwhile, Pete is still feeling more fulfilled at work as clients, without even having met him, are giving him gifts. But he is feeling more and more restless at home, especially after he learns that his train commuting colleague Howard Dawes has embarked on an affair in the city. Taking a cue from Howard and given the opportunity, Pete embarks on a wannabe affair of his own, the "wannabe" part based on the insecurities of the other party.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Center Studios - 450 S. Bixel Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate Television, Weiner Bros.

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pete asks Beth to meet him at the Hotel Pennsylvania. The Hotel Pennsylvania was actually the Statler Hilton during this time, and in Season 3 while Don manages advertising for Conrad Hilton, Conrad explains that he wants Don to handle advertising for New York's three Hiltons, including the Statler.

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Goofs

Pete asks Beth to meet him at the Hotel Pennsylvania. The Hotel Pennsylvania (the hotel's original name) operated as The Statler Hilton during this time. It was not until 1992, after several change-of-hands, that the hotel was renamed to its original name, Hotel Pennsylvania.

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Quotes

Peggy Olson: [On the phone] Hello.
Don Draper: It's me. Is Megan there?
Peggy Olson: Isn't she with you?
Don Draper: Yes, we're playing a hilarious joke on you.
Peggy Olson: She left a while ago to meet you at the restaurant.
Don Draper: When?
Peggy Olson: I don't know, after you called.
Don Draper: I didn't call.
Peggy Olson: Oh. Well, she must be at home.
Don Draper: I'm at home.
[...]

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Connections

References A Hard Day's Night (1964)

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Soundtracks

"Tomorrow Never Knows"
Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Performed by The Beatles

User Reviews

Acting, Beatles, and Campbell the Want-to-be-Draper

Let's have a show of hands of people that assumed Megan was cheating on Don at the start of this episode. I'm going to assume the majority of you raised your hands. And why not? It is not like Megan's behavior is something foreign to "Mad Men." We have seen Don act this way dozens of times when he was cheating around on Betty in the earlier seasons. And with that said, Don had it coming to be cheated on, don't you think?

Well, in a way, Megan was cheating on Don, just not in the usual, sexual way. Taking acting auditions behind Don's back, Megan slowly started crawling back to her first passion. And suddenly, the last few weeks has started to make a little more sense. This is why Megan was so upset when she landed the Heinz account. This is why she snapped so quick on Don when they visited the Howard Johnson. Megan was not happy with her job at Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Pryce. Maybe it took her father reminding her to realize it, but Megan truly wants to be an actress.

And it makes some sense. This is what Megan was pursuing prior to working at SCDP. She has an undying love for acting…and drama, obviously. And most of all, she seems to be pretty talented. Sure we never get a glimpse of her auditions, but as she acts out an ad back and forth with Don, we can tell that she may in fact have some acting chops.

What is incredible about Megan's decision to confess this to Don is that Don has such a welcoming reaction to it. If you remember, Betty gave up her modeling career when she married Don and started a family with him. But things are different with Megan. Once again backing Don's comment to Pete several episodes ago, Don may have never been a cheating scum bag husband if he had met Megan first. He seems to truly care for her and is willing to make sacrifices for her.

To read the rest of the review (IMDb form too short) visit: http://custodianfilmcritic.com/mad- men-5-8-lady-lazarus/