Mad Men Season 6 Episode 5: "The Flood"

A sad and somber episode, which is appropriate given the historical material that the show is trying to tackle.  I sometimes forget that Mad Men is a show set in history, but then an event like the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. finds itself intersecting with the Mad Men plotline, and I’m reminded that this is a show woven into America’s history.  This was an interesting episode, in which it dealt with the reactions of the characters to the assassination and how it molded each of their personal dramas. 

For Don, the news of the assassination made him reevaluate his relationship with his children, as he was unsure on how to approach the topic with them, primarily Bobby.  I think for the first time in Mad Men history, Bobby gets an actual story arc as a character.  Their scene at the movie theatre was the most important scene in the episode, with Bobby communicating to the janitor that he feels his loss and sympathizes with him.  The scene is followed by a drunken Don, explaining at first horrifically that he sometimes feels like he is faking love for his children, only to have it be proven real and true.   

For many of the other characters, news of the assassination found its way changing their personal lives.  Pete actually wasn’t a despicable and annoying character this episode, reacting to the news as a tragic event and reaching out to Trudy to see if she was ok.  Their exchange was caring but distanced, it seemed as Trudy was almost about to give in to Pete’s offer to come over but had to remind herself not to at the end.  He followed that by almost getting into an office fistfight with Harry, who viewed the news through a business standpoint and feared that it may affect the airing of his television commercials.  Burt’s attempt to make the two apologize to each other was one of the only comedic parts of the episode. 

Overall, a solid and quietly compelling episode about national tragedy and how individuals may connect and cope with it.

Observations:

- The first real characteristic we learn about Bobby is that he is not a fan of mismatched wallpaper. 

- Don seemed overly interested in where Sylvia and Arnold were going, to the point it was even joked about.  Not smooth Don, not smooth.

- SCDP’s only two nominees at the awards, Peggy and Megan, no longer work there.

- That girl Ginsberg was setup with was way out of his league.  She also talked like Peggy.

- Joan and Don comforting Dawn was uncomfortable, seemingly making her feel more like an outsider despite them trying to be compassionate towards her. 

- That sideways hug Joan gives Dawn was hilariously awkward.

- I like the fact that Don and Bobby enjoyed Planet of the Apes and seemed blown away by the ending.

- “Everybody likes to go to the movies when they’re sad”.  Well said, Bobby.