Mad Men 5x07 Reaction
Added 2025-12-31 19:08:42 +0000 UTCand we finish the year of with mad men, hope everyone has a good one and we’ll see you in 2026 🎄🥂
Comments
Didn't think to mention it before, but "At The Codfish Ball" was a song from the movie, Captain January (1936). In the movie Shirley Temple and Buddy Ebson sing and tap dance to the tune. Seems appropriate for Roger to give Sally a Shirley Temple to drink as she is every bit as charming as Shirley was.
Thomas Fahey
2026-01-08 02:46:55 +0000 UTC'when men explain how shrooms changed their life and it's just basic empathy and open mindedness' from that one tweet
on crip ...
2026-01-02 03:33:50 +0000 UTCdamn why didn't i grow up with a communist dad would've saved me a lot of disenchantment
on crip ...
2026-01-02 03:28:52 +0000 UTCI think it helps that the actor fully embraced the "secondary character" role, he didn't get pissy, he fully leant-in for now five seasons without envy or complaint and that let him build into this amazing thing.
Kara
2026-01-01 22:56:37 +0000 UTCIMO Mad Men always struck a good balance between serialized and episodic, it might feel stronger here but it's the same in S1 thru 3. It's part of what made it compelling "discuss around the water cooler" television, because each episode was mostly self-contained in terms of actual narrative. Some more than others of course but rarely do I finish an ep of mad men and not feel like they told a good self-contained 44 mins of story.
Kara
2026-01-01 22:55:35 +0000 UTCI've said before that I don't think of Mad Men as being "serialized" so much as an accumulating collection of short stories, and these last few episodes are basically Exhibit A. L&M discussed in the intro that they've felt like bottle episodes -- they aren't by the definition of "bottle episodes", but I think they're clearly feeling the purposeful, self-contained construction of each story. Maybe it's a bit of a contradiction to say that a season with these striking "standalone" episodes is my favourite season. But each of these episodes -- Mystery Date, Signal 30, Far Away Places, and At the Codfish Ball so far, with more to come -- in my mind, they are these beautiful, tonally distinct, ship-in-a-bottle stories that also accumulate into (imo) the best season of television I've seen. This one in particular is probably a top-5 episode for me, and that self-contained, short story construction -- drilling into expectation & disappointment, until that perfect "Dirty." beat at the end -- is about as good as the show gets. Also: Incredible episode for Kiernan Shipka. They've (correctly) identified that they have lightning in bottle here -- a child character who isn't insufferable and a child actor who can actually act -- and are pushing the chips all-in on Sally as a full fledged part of the ensemble. This show wouldn't be the same if Don's children (err, child -- though shoutout to Bobby ruining the carpet) weren't part of the tapestry.
Mike
2026-01-01 06:59:08 +0000 UTCI appreciate John Slatery's (Roger) work much better on rewatch. Oh Roger was always great but I was surprised at the time that the actor was nominated at the Emmys multiple (4?) times for this role. In retrospect, my surprise reflects the sad reality that dramatic acting gets more respect from audiences than comedic acting (same with dramas and comedies). To elaborate, audiences generally think the best acting is in big, sad, emotional scenes. But ask any actor and they will tell you that comedy is A LOT harder to perform. It's the vast consensus among them. And when you think about it, it becomes obvious: any decent actor can cry on cue. How many of those do you think can make you laugh? When the PPL people left Roger off the org chart in their presentation back in Season 2, a distraught Roger told Bert "everyone thinks what I do here is easy." I think that's the case for the actor as well. He didn't win those Emmys but I'm glad his superb performance stood out enough to get multiple nominations.
Julien
2026-01-01 05:37:10 +0000 UTCWhat’s the discord link?
nur
2026-01-01 05:27:29 +0000 UTCI don't particularly like Roger in season 1. He has some funny lines but is still rough around the edges as a character. Not endearing enough to make up for his sleaziness. But eventually his charm and sense of humor wins everyone over. I don't know when the change happens exactly as it's gradual. He's not only funny but also easy to sympathize with, very lovable despite his faults. It helps that he's seemingly matured a bit now and is no longer trying to sleep with 20yo twins.
Taya
2026-01-01 03:18:36 +0000 UTCI love the anti wish fulfilment this episode: the perfect ad pitch happening at the perfect time and with a pretty perfect concept, only for Megan to have this sinking feeling that it didn't feel as good as it should've. I remember being so disappointed (theme of the episode) with her reaction the first time I watched, the writers put the audience in Don's shoes by being impressed with how Megan can do it all, so the revelation that this isn't what she wants is a let down (like we want her to change to fit our wants -- the Don Draper effect). So often we know the story of someone who wants to do something yet lacks the skills for it. Here we get the opposite, with Megan excelling at something yet not feeling fulfilled by it. Consequently the end of the episode is not triumphant, you just get everyone sitting in misery; even Don's letter ended up backfiring.
Kev
2026-01-01 02:03:47 +0000 UTCDon got to jazz riff with Megan on the fly, like he's done with Peggy in the past. Only this time, its not with someone who isn't merely, "cute as hell". I think this has to be Don's happiest moment so far in the series.
tilden katz
2026-01-01 00:39:39 +0000 UTCIsn't it a wonder that a witty joke machine like Roger, and a dour, seif-loathing man like Don get along so well? When those two are at a bar shooting the shit, Mad Men can not get better. I've said that Don has a sense of humor, he just chooses to not brandish it, but still...... Maybe Roger is who Don would like himself to be somewhat. Light hearted, and carefree, with a Cheshire cat grin. It puzzles me.
tilden katz
2026-01-01 00:22:26 +0000 UTCHappy new year! I like this episode a lot, honestly might be my favourite of the season. Megan and Don working together makes me think of Betty in season 2, after going to dinner with the Barretts saying that she likes feeling like they're a team. It shows how different Don's two marriages are. It's great seeing them pitch the idea together on the fly, both with an unsaid understanding of what the other will do. I love Megan's parents too, and Emile understanding her dissatisfaction in spite of her successes. It's similar to Pete in Signal 30. His deliberate flattery of Emile is funny and shows how he's in the same boat.
Mark M
2025-12-31 23:45:33 +0000 UTCAbj V qba'g xabj vs gur nhgbcynl guvat rire tb gb gurz, ohg gurz gnyxvat nobhg Nor znxrf zr jbaqre vs jr pna fhogyl trg gurz gb svk gurve qvfcynl fb gurl pna frr Crttl fgnoovat Nor ng avtug va hygen UQ naq frr jung'f tbvat ba. Vg'f n frnfba njnl, ohg fgvyy. Bu, naq V nyzbfg sbetbg gb zragvba: Gurz wbxvat nobhg n Uneel fgbelyvar. Vs V unqa'g xabja jung guvf rcvfbqr jnf nobhg V jbhyq unir orra irel jbeevrq guvf jnf vg!
Kev
2025-12-31 23:04:36 +0000 UTCIt was definitely S3 when you started liking Roger, not S2. I don't know if they actually make him more likeable or if it's something that we as the audience just acclimatize to? Him hitting on Betty is bad, the stuff with the twins is icky, but it doesn't feel like he improves as a person after that or that he's "better", and the jokes were always there I believe? From my recollection, you were more disgusted every time you saw him in those first two seasons so you couldn't appreciate his jokes but then once you realized he could be a likeable character you found him funny. I would be interested in what others think, how different is Roger from S1-5.
Kev
2025-12-31 22:47:26 +0000 UTCIt was a shame they missed "Lots of people who haven't taken LSD already know that, Roger", that's the highlight for me because it's a perfect encapsulation of the absurdity of Roger's self-awareness. They found it more impressive I guess. I also wish they hadn't talked over Bobby destroying Don's carpet, I always found that slight hilarious.
Kev
2025-12-31 22:45:21 +0000 UTCHappy New Year!!!
Morgan Andrade
2025-12-31 22:32:03 +0000 UTCI fully believe Roger's transformation after the LSD trip. it's all anecdotal, but I've seen a lot of people who had extremely self-centered politics & morality who changed after a single drug trip because it made them imagine themselves in somebody else's shoes and it had never happened to them before. I saw one quote where the guy actually said (paraphrased) "I never realized other people had feelings". It was a moment of clarity because it forced that new perspective on them. I find this episode heartbreaking because it gets so close to Sally having a good evening with her father. Don praises her for how she handles the accident (Even if she lied about how it happened). His clothing-commentary wasn't too horrible, and he wasn't overly mean when telling her to take off her makeup. It's a glamorous evening out, and Don's friends are charming and fun to be around. it's going SO WELL....until it isn't. And that hurts on such a deep level. Joan & Peggy's scenes were very heartwarming, and I love how it shows a fundamental shift in BOTH of their personalities. Joan of two seasons ago -- maybe even last season -- wouldn't have accepted any life beyond Married With A Family. Peggy of two seasons ago never would have been self-assured enough to present it to Joan without getting preemptively defensive. But they've both grown. And I LOVE how confident Joan is in Peggy.
JBK405
2025-12-31 21:54:16 +0000 UTCReally keeping us on our toes for what days to expect Mad Men. One of the great episodes, so expertly wrapped together thematically and tone-wise. The end wide shot is so picturesque that it could end the episode, telling a story on its own, only for the final scene of Sally's call to really hammer that nail in about the filth lying under the gloss and glamor of the show's aesthetic, the outsider seeing it for what it is.
Kev
2025-12-31 21:49:04 +0000 UTCFeliz año nuevo Jack (voy a tomar bastante 😁)
HenryM
2025-12-31 21:39:51 +0000 UTCSee you next year everyone, have a good one!
HenryM
2025-12-31 21:38:15 +0000 UTCÚltimo comentario de este año… feliz año nuevo a los comentarios y a esta comunidad :))) no tomen mucho.
Jack SV
2025-12-31 20:57:26 +0000 UTCA few thoughts: Megan's red dress is STUNNING! I wish I had one just like that. Although I don't have anywhere fancy to go lol. Roger is so incredibly charming here in his interactions with Sally. We've never really seen him around children before but he's a natural. Anyone would fall for him, can't blame Marie one bit. This episode is chock full of amazing lines. "I thought you had married Jane because I had gotten old. But then I realized it was because you had." "Men don't take the time to end things. They ignore you until you insist on a declaration of hate." "You know it's very interesting, a lot of times you think people are looking at you, but they're not. Their mind's elsewhere." "Lots of people who haven't taken LSD already know that, Roger." "No matter what, one day your little girl will spread her legs and fly away." "I always thought you were very single-minded about your dreams. But then you skipped the struggle, and went right to the end." "This boy, he will use you for practice until he decides to get married and have a family. And he will, believe me." "You're lonely, get a cat. They live for 13 years, then you get another one. Then another one after that. Then you're done." finally I'll end with another line that's relevant but a spoiler: "V zrg ure guebhtu Zrtna Qencre. Fur'f byq rabhtu gb or ure zbgure. Npghnyyl, fur vf ure zbgure."
Taya
2025-12-31 20:40:33 +0000 UTCThis may be a boomer opinion of mine but her mom's not necessarily wrong. There are men who will stay with women for many years and never propose, then once they break up they're married to someone else within a year. If a man refuses to marry after a long time, something's up. (excluding the people who genuinely don't want to get married of course; though some will say that's the case but they don't actually mean it, they just haven't met the person they WANT to marry yet).
Taya
2025-12-31 20:21:51 +0000 UTCcya next year, everyone! Stay safe and have fun!
Isaac
2025-12-31 20:01:23 +0000 UTCThe last shot at the table is a call back to the last shot of the movie Diner, with Mickey Rourke and Kevin Bacon. "That boy will use you for practice." Might be the meanest thing said on MM, because you think Peggy's mom looks down on her. What is worse is that she might be saying it, cause she's trying to protect her from romantic disappointment. In her time, you were an 'old-maid' if you weren't married by 28. So 'Ma' said it out of love. Yikes.
tilden katz
2025-12-31 20:01:12 +0000 UTCMarie is one of my favourite characters her and Roger’s dynamic is so interesting to watch (HAPPY NEW YEARS!)
Jude G
2025-12-31 20:01:12 +0000 UTCHappy New Year! <3
bondbond53
2025-12-31 19:28:19 +0000 UTCHappy New Year! 🥳
Alex
2025-12-31 19:28:10 +0000 UTC--- THE CHANNEL --- - 60% of us have been here since 2021 or earlier - 72% watch the full reactions - 43% are currently watching 2 of the shows the girls react to, 28% watch 3 or more - 80% enjoy both on-going series and completed series equally (0% of viewers prefer on-going series over completed) - 67% engage with other viewers in the comments - The girls' emotional reactions ranks 8.48/10 for importance - The girls' intellectual reactions ranks 9.15/10 for importance - The intros rank 7.77/10 for importance - The post-show discussions rank 9.23/10 for importance - 86% said the amount the girls talk during the episodes is just right - The technical quality of the videos themselves rank 8.36/10 - The most liked aspects of the channel and the girls are their intelligence, emotional maturity, attention to detail, and empathy for the characters. - Most requested feature for next year are more movies, more anime reactions, and more communication regarding schedule changes Many results were essentially identical between the gender categories, so I've presented those that held significant difference only. The reason I've put girls and non-binaries into the same category is due to how similar their overall responses were to females, in contrast to males, throughout the entire survey: - Males are 26.78% more likely to engage with others' in the commments on Patron, YouTube and Discord - Males are 4.84% more likely to value the girls' intellectual reactions to the episodes - Females/enbies are 12.13% more likely to value the intros to the episodes - Males were the only ones to say the girls should speak somewhat less during the episodes - Females/enbies rated the technical quality of the reactions 9/10 against the males' 8.17/10 rating, which makes a 10.15% difference. Next up in the replies are 'The Patrons' results.
TeaDrinker3000
2025-12-31 19:26:16 +0000 UTCThanks to everyone who completed our 3rd annual survey, we had just under 100 responses! I'll be making this post on the next few uploads from the girls to make sure everyone sees. A PDF of the raw results can be found on our Discord (there's pie charts and bar charts showing off all the data!). Below are the results to the questions about the shows, I'm going to post the rest of the highlights in the replies to this comment. Without further adieu, here's the survey results for 2025! --- THE SHOWS --- MOST WATCHED SHOWS: 1. Breaking Bad (83%) 2. Attack On Titan (76%) 3. Arcane (69%) 4. Chainsaw Man/Death Note/Avatar: The Last Airbender [three-way tie] (68%) 5. Vinland Saga (67%) - Least Watched: The Fall Of The House Of Usher (8%) MOST WATCHED REACTIONS: 1. Attack On Titan (76%) 2. Breaking Bad (67%) 3. Chainsaw Man (64%) 4. Vinland Saga (63%) 5. Arcane (61%) - Least Watched: The Fall Of The House Of Usher (5%) MOST LOVED SHOWS: 1. Better Call Saul (9.56/10) 2. The Wire (9.47/10) 3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (9.35/10) 4. Breaking Bad (9.28/10) 5. Attack On Titan (9.22/10) 6. Vinland Saga (9.16/10) 7. Andor (9/10) 8. The Sopranos (8.97/10) 9. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (8.95) 10. Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (8.89/10) - Least Loved: The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power (5.47/10) - Average Rating for all 44 shows: 8.13/10 I've also broken down how these stats are different between male and female/non-binary Patrons, you can find this breakdown after the next two comments. Next up in the replies are 'The Channel' results.
TeaDrinker3000
2025-12-31 19:25:50 +0000 UTCCpenha Hoba Roanha!
tilden katz
2025-12-31 19:25:16 +0000 UTCHappy New Year!! This is another one of my favorite episodes! Season 5 is full of them.
Taya
2025-12-31 19:21:32 +0000 UTCThis episode gets us to let our guard down with those delightful Roger/Sally interactions only to pull the rug out from under her and us at the end. Just devastating.
Mike Conlin
2025-12-31 19:21:06 +0000 UTCHappy New Year!!
JojoPotato
2025-12-31 19:18:27 +0000 UTCHappy new year Lola and Milena. Thanks for all the incredible reactions, discussions, laughs, and analysis in 2025.
Damien Fenton
2025-12-31 19:11:14 +0000 UTCHappy New Year all!
My Toasty Toast
2025-12-31 19:10:10 +0000 UTC
