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 Campbell starts an affair with Beth Dawes. Vincent Kartheiser and Alexis Bledel, who play Campbell and Dawes respectively, would later announce their engagement on March 20, 2013. They met and fell in love during the filming of the fifth season.

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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: That takes a lot of guts.
Michael Ginsberg: I'll tell you what takes guts: never having money for lunch. She owes me, like, $15 at this point. What am I gonna do - ask Don? Call her? I think it's clear why she left.
Peggy Olson: That's not why.
Michael Ginsberg: Well, why?
Stan Rizzo: Come on, reality got her. You work your ass off for months, bite your nails - for what? Heinz Baked Beans.

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Connections

References The Birds (1963)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

You Can Be Late for 5.8 **1/2

Very disappointing episode here.

Megan gets the acting bug back and quits the agency to pursue her dream. Don, as always, is the loving husband who is quite gracious about this.

The demonstrations showing the Cool Whip commercial ad with and without Megan's presence was inane to say the least.

The episode also deals with infidelity when one guy sleeps with his train friend's wife. Are all executives subject to this kind of behavior? The whole thing was utterly ridiculous to say the least.

The writing for this episode was choppy at best. There was little to no excitement as I looked at my watch in anticipation of this bad episode to be over and done with.