5G (Mad Men)

Last updated
"5G"
Mad Men episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 5
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter
Written by Matthew Weiner
Original air dateAugust 16, 2007 (2007-08-16)
Running time48 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"New Amsterdam"
Next 
"Babylon"
Mad Men season 1
List of episodes

"5G" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men . It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 16, 2007. It is the first episode to deal with the series' long-running story arc of Don's dual identities.

Contents

Plot

Don wins the "Newkie Award" for his work, and his picture appears in Advertising Age . This attracts the attention of a man named Adam Whitman, who shows up at the Sterling Cooper offices, surprising Don. Don feigns ignorance of who Adam is, and initially insists he is not Dick, the man's long-lost half brother. Adam, a janitor, is confused but later at a diner Don admits the truth, but he refuses to share any information about himself. When Don asks about the rest of the family, Adam reveals their mother Abigail has died due to cancer, to which Don coldly remarks "Good," and emphasizes that she never let him forget that she was not his mother. Don leaves without eating after telling Adam that he has no place for him in his life.

The advertising campaign Don is working on this week is for Liberty Capital Savings. He and the team come up with the idea of men opening up secret discretionary accounts that the women in their life won't know aboutthe Executive Account. Don is then surprised by a call from his mistress, Midge, and Peggy accidentally overhears them making plans for a nooner (sex during lunchtime).

Meanwhile, Ken Cosgrove announces that he has recently gotten a short story published in Atlantic Monthly : "Tapping a Maple on a Cold Vermont Morning". This news causes a great deal of jealousy among Ken's co-workers. Pete is scornful of Ken, as he is from nowhere and without family of any note. Bohemian Paul is resentful, and contemplates writing a fictional story about meeting and getting along with some "negroes". Pete decides to use his connections to get a story published. He pressures his wife Trudy to visit her ex-boyfriend Charlie Fiddich, her first lover, who now works in publishing, to get him to publish a story that Pete has written. Their meeting goes awkwardly, with him trying to start an affair with Trudy, but Trudy resists his advances, and thus he only agrees to publish the story in Boys' Life . Upon hearing the news, Pete is outraged, saying that his story was good enough for The New Yorker and that Trudy should have done whatever it took to get him published there. In response, Trudy is crushed and asks him "why would you do that to me?"

While Don is with Adam, Betty and the kids arrive for a family portrait, and a desperate Peggy, thinking he is with his mistress, has to cover for his absence. She reveals the existence of the mistress to Joan, who advises her how to handle the situation.

Don receives a letter from Adam containing a room number ("5G") at a single room occupancy hotel, and a photo of the two of them when Adam was a child and Don a soldier. Don burns the photograph, then calls Adam and sets up a meeting time. At the hotel, Don coldly dismisses Adam, but gives him $5,000 to leave New York and never contact him again. Adam is heartbroken, but Don explains that he has too much to lose by revealing his past. Adam embraces him, then Don leaves, having severed all ties to his earlier life. He tells Betty that they will have to wait until they are financially able to afford a summer home.


First appearances

Cultural references

Midge calls Don at work under the guise of jazz musician Bix Beiderbecke.

Reception

The episode was received positively by critics. Alan Sepinwall, writing for New Jersey's The Star-Ledger , was a fan of the episode, praising the mystery of Don's identity and writing that the subplot involving Ken's short story left him "delighted". [1] Andrew Johnston, writing for Slant Magazine , also praised the deepening of Don's backstory, and wrote that the series was finding its voice as "a comedy of manners". [2] Emily VanDerWerff, writing for The A.V. Club in 2013, praised the emotional core of the story, but called the episode "over-obvious and [lacking] the subtext that really makes this show sing when it's working". [3]

Related Research Articles

"Marriage of Figaro" is the third episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Tom Palmer and directed by Ed Bianchi. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 2, 2007.

"New Amsterdam" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Lisa Albert and directed by Tim Hunter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 9, 2007.

"Red in the Face" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Bridget Bedard and directed by Tim Hunter. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 30, 2007.

"Babylon" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Andre and Maria Jacquemetton and directed by Andrew Bernstein. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 23, 2007.

"The Hobo Code" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Chris Provenzano and directed by Phil Abraham. The episode originally aired on September 6, 2007, on the AMC channel in the United States.

"Shoot" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Chris Provenzano and series creator Matthew Weiner and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 13, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Campbell</span> Fictional character

Peter Dyckman Campbell is a fictional character on AMC's television series Mad Men. He is portrayed by Vincent Kartheiser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waldorf Stories</span> 6th episode of the 4th season of Mad Men

"Waldorf Stories" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 45th overall episode of the series. It was written by Brett Johnson and series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner, and directed by Scott Hornbacher. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on August 29, 2010. This was the same evening that Mad Men received the award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards.

"Blowing Smoke" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 51st overall episode of the series. It aired on the AMC channel in the United States on October 10, 2010. At the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, Robert Morse was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in this episode; Andre and Maria Jaccquemetton were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for their teleplay.

<i>Mad Men</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on July 19, 2007, and ended on October 18, 2007. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 47 minutes. AMC broadcast the first season on Thursdays at 10:00 pm in the United States. Actors Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Batt, Michael Gladis, Aaron Staton, and Rich Sommer receive main cast billing.

<i>Mad Men</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on August 16, 2009, and concluded on November 8, 2009. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the third season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States.

<i>Mad Men</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on July 25, 2010, and concluded on October 17, 2010. It consisted of thirteen episodes, each running approximately 48 minutes in length. AMC broadcast the fourth season on Sundays at 10:00 pm in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency</span> 6th episode of the 3rd season of Mad Men

"Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American television drama series Mad Men, and the 32nd overall episode of the series. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith, and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 20, 2009.

Signal 30 (<i>Mad Men</i>) 5th episode of the 5th season of Mad Men

"Signal 30" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 57th episode of the series overall. It was written by series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner and writer Frank Pierson, and directed by main cast member John Slattery. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on April 15, 2012.

"Lady Lazarus" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 60th episode of the series overall. It was written by Matthew Weiner and directed by Phil Abraham. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on May 6, 2012.

"The Other Woman" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 63rd episode of the series overall. It is co-written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner, and directed by Phil Abraham. It aired on AMC in the United States on May 27, 2012.

"The Phantom" is the thirteenth episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 65th episode of the series overall. It is co-written by Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner and directed by Weiner. It originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on June 10, 2012.

"Long Weekend" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by Bridget Bedard, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton and series creator Matthew Weiner. The episode was directed by Tim Hunter and is set within the increasingly close 1960 United States presidential election, with TV commercials emphasising Kennedy's energy and Nixon's lack of leadership. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on September 27, 2007.

"Ladies Room" is the second episode of the first season of the American television drama series Mad Men. It was written by series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Alan Taylor. Weiner has stated that the interval between writing the pilot and the second episode lasted seven years. The episode originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on July 26, 2007.

"The Grown-Ups" is the thirty-eighth episode of the American television drama series Mad Men and the twelfth episode of the show's third season. It was written by Brett Johnson and series creator Matthew Weiner and directed by Barbet Schroeder. The episode originally aired on AMC in the United States on November 1, 2009.

References

  1. Sepinwall, Alan (August 17, 2007). "Mad Men: I don't want to be a Dick". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  2. Johnston, Andrew (August 17, 2007). "Mad Men Fridays: Season 1, Episode 5 '5G'". The Star Ledger. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
  3. VanDerWerff, Emily (December 11, 2013). "Mad Men: '5G'". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 2, 2014.