Dark Shadows (Mad Men)
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"Dark Shadows" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series ''
Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...
'' and the 61st episode of the series overall. It was written by Erin Levy and directed by
Scott Hornbacher Scott Hornbacher is an American television producer and director. He has worked in both capacities on the AMC drama series '' Mad Men''. He shared the Primetime Emmy Award for Best Drama Series with the production team when they won in 2008 and 20 ...
and originally aired on the
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
channel in the United States on May 13, 2012. In the episode, set in the weeks approaching Thanksgiving 1966, Betty's bitterness over her weight gain and Megan's youth, beauty, lifestyle, and adoration from Don lead Betty to tell Sally about Anna Draper, to cause turmoil amongst Sally, Don and Megan. Don and Peggy are irritated by Michael Ginsberg's rising star and Don takes a devious approach to clip the wings of the cheeky young copywriter. Roger gets handed a new client (
Manischewitz Manischewitz (; ) is a brand of kosher products founded in 1888 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and best known for its Matzah, matzo and kosher wine. It became a public corporation in 1923 but remained under family control until January 1991, when it was ...
) by Bert Cooper but Roger's decision that he needs more Jewish input to help him prompts him to involve his estranged wife Jane Siegel, with unfortunate results. Pete continues to resent the ending of his brief affair with Beth, the wife of his commuter-acquaintance Howard. "Dark Shadows" received a polarized reception from television journalists, with some criticizing its treatment of symbols and themes as being too heavy-handed. The episode's themes were pinpointed by many critics as
insecurity Insecure may refer to: * Lack of security, in an objective sense: ** Risk ** Data security ** Computer security * Food insecurity * Insecurity (emotion), lack of confidence or self esteem Media * ''Insecure'' (TV series), a television series ...
and
jealousy Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of Emotional insecurity, insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, he ...
. "Dark Shadows" was viewed by 2.125 million viewers on the night of its original airing and drew 0.7 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic. The episode is titled after the gothic
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American Gothic fiction, Gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulatio ...
'', and features a scene of Megan helping her best friend Julia (Meghan Bradley) prepare to audition for a role on the show. The episode aired the same weekend that a film adaptation of the same name opened.


Plot

Betty is making steady progress in her new Weight Watchers program as Thanksgiving approaches. When she visits the Draper home, she accidentally and covertly sees the youthful Megan getting dressed. Later, while helping Sally on a
family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...
project, Betty finds a love note Don had written to Megan. The note reawakens feelings of bitterness and discontent, and Betty
passive-aggressive Passive-aggressive behavior is characterized by a pattern of passive hostility and an avoidance of direct communication. Inaction where some action is socially customary is a typical passive-aggressive strategy (showing up late for functions, s ...
ly tells Sally to include Don's first wife (Anna Draper) on the family tree. Sally is taken aback, as she was unaware of her father's secret wife. When Sally questions Betty about Anna, Betty snippily tells her to ask Megan. While staying with Megan and Don, Sally scolds Megan for lying to her. Later that night, Megan tells Don about Sally's knowledge of the late Anna Draper. Don becomes furious at Betty, but Megan tells him to let it go—Betty wants to ruin the marriage and Sally's relationships with Don and Megan from afar. Sally overhears this conversation, and to get back at her mother, she acts as if the revelation meant nothing. Don becomes competitive with Ginsberg on the Sno Ball account after covertly looking through Ginsberg's private work, which shows many ideas that Don realizes are better than his own. The creatives agree to pitch both Don's and Ginsberg's ideas to the Sno Ball executives. When it comes time to pitch the two ideas at the Sno Ball office, Don commits an act of sabotage by leaving Ginsberg's idea in the taxi cab. After Don's idea wins the account, Ginsberg confronts Don in the elevator and tells Don that he feels sorry for him. Don replies that he doesn't think about Ginsberg. Don leaves the elevator and a frown emerges over his face. Bert enlists Roger to dine with the Manischewitz executives and tells him to bring his wife, Jane Siegel. When Roger protests that Jane is now his ex-wife, Bert feigns surprise. Roger agrees to Jane's request that he buy her a new apartment, free of old memories, in exchange for her help wooing the client. The client dinner goes well, and the client's son (who is the decision maker in the client's firm) is smitten with Jane. Afterwards, Jane and Roger have sex in Jane's new apartment. Jane wakes up the next day, despondent over what she perceives as Roger's "poisoning" of the new apartment by creating new memories there associated with their love. Megan and Don prepare their Thanksgiving meal, as a toxic cloud of smog hangs over New York City. At the Francis household dinner, Betty gives thanks for having "everything I want".


Reception


Ratings

"Dark Shadows" was viewed by 2.125 million viewers on the night of its original airing. It drew 0.7 million viewers in the 18-49 demographic.


Critical reception

The episode received polarized reactions from television journalists and bloggers, ranging from positive to negative. Emily VanDerWerff of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' gave it a "B" rating, calling it the fifth season's most "scattered" episode. VanDerWerff argued that "the ameracut from the hovering smog to the Francis Thanksgiving is not exactly subtle, and I tire of when the show presents Betty as this bruised monster who's not in control of her own impulses ..the show has always been at its best when it can harness some degree of sympathy for the woman."
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
writer Eric Goldman gave the episode an 8 out of 10, and pinpointed the episode's theme as "insecurity". ''
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'' writer Bonnie Stiernberg criticized the episode, saying: "It's not that 'Dark Shadows' wasn't a good episode—it was. But this week's theme felt a little heavy-handed; nearly every character's storyline was dominated by it in an obvious manner." Maureen Ryan of the ''
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
'' called "Dark Shadows" the worst episode of the season, saying: "It was a bad episode of TV. And it was not in a special class of mediocrity that allows it to still somehow remain elevated above the fray. It made the mistakes that much less brilliant shows make. It repeated a lot of themes that we're already very familiar with, it didn't add to them in compelling or imaginative ways, and it featured a character ettythat just doesn't work." Tim Goodman of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' was more forgiving towards the episode, noting: "I'm sure that some of the elements in 'Dark Shadows' will be table-setters for future storylines. It was an episode that seemed to gather itself, make a point while setting up plotlines, then end on time. That's all. There's no harm in that; such episodes come along at least twice in the season run of very good shows. But there was a heavy-handedness to the thematic illustration of self-interest in the episode – like the writers backed up a truck full of references to selfish behavior and dumped them into the room for ease of use. ''Mad Men'' can do better than this, of course. It has, and it will again. Just put the anvil down. We get it."


Accolades

Ben Feldman Benjamin Feldman (born May 27, 1980) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has undertaken roles on stage, including the Broadway play ''The Graduate'', along with more prominent roles in television series such as his role as Jonah S ...
who plays Michael Ginsberg received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a guest st ...
for the
64th Primetime Emmy Awards The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2011, until May 31, 2012, were held on Sunday, September 23, 2012, at the Peacock Theater, Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Ame ...
.


References


External links

* {{Mad Men episodes, 5 2012 American television episodes Mad Men season 5 episodes