Mad Men (TV Series) Commissions and Fees (2012) User Reviews

Great Episode, and Yes, It Is Plausible

[lorelcom · 10/10 · 24 July 2013]

Just refuting another reviewer's reasoning regarding Don's firing of Lane. Yes, it is probably true that Lane could take legal action and/or leave with the 50K he invested in SCDP. What the other reviewer didn't take into consideration, though, is that despite the personal strides Lane had taken to put behind him his childhood miseries -- i.e., being raised by an overbearing, domineering father who thought nothing of humiliating him and physically harming him -- this is one humiliation he literally could not live with. Lane staked everything on living in America, being a partner in SCDP, and always longed to be accepted by his colleagues. He destroyed his hopes for that. He could NOT in his mind return to England, much less under a cloud of shame (or pretense) and where his father would humiliate him further.

It is not only his upbringing that left Lane with no recourse but to kill himself, it is the fact that he is English. The English, particularly decades ago, are easily embarrassed and hate being embarrassed. Dishonor is impossible for the average Englishman to bear. Poor Lane. He really didn't stand a chance. I still miss him.

Best Episode of this Season-Mad Men ****

[edwagreen · 10/10 · 3 June 2012]

This episode proved the excellent writing and character portrayals in this hit show.

When Lane is confronted with the embezzlement, an unrelenting Don is forced to fire him, and asks him to write a letter of resignation.

I correctly predicted what this would lead Lane to do. This certainly brought all the partners down to a sense of reality as one would question what life is all about. Sometimes, it's a tragedy like this that leads to self-introspection and the need to examine our priorities in life.

A humbled Don drives home the boyfriend of his daughter and allows the young man to take the wheel.

This very good episode showed again how mysterious the Don Draper character may be and how he runs hot and cold.

Things caught up with Lane

[tforbes-2 · 10/10 · 3 June 2012]

Last week, we saw Peggy Olson leave SCDP.

And now, Lane Pryce's larceny caught up with him, and it eventually leads to his death. The signs pointed to this, and it came to pass. His botched suicide attempt in the Jaguar that his wife bought him was a lighter moment, but when that does happen, we see some very powerful performances from the cast.

Sally Draper provides the basis of another story line in this episode. She refuses to go on a ski trip, and spends time with Glen Bishop. That time ends abruptly when she experiences her first menstrual cycle. Freaking out, she takes a cab back to home and the arms of her mother. Her awkwardness is well captured.

Sally's reference to "The Wild, Wild West" is one of the few TV references made in this season, a pity, since "Batman" had made such an impact on pop culture at that time.

Overall, a superb episode, setting us all up for the season finale, as well as for Season 6. The turmoil continues.

A party no one wants to attend

[tbmforclasstsar · 10/10 · 4 June 2012]

We knew for works that something was going to happen. With dangerous plot lines laid out, Mad Men pushed on like an out-of-control locomotive on the verge of derailing any minute. From the partner's deception of Don, to the dirty dealings to sign Jaguar, to Don's personal aggravations, to Lane's financial trouble and subsequent forgery of Don's signature on a check, the show was moving to a major change. And change it did.

There really is no point in recapping this episode in chronological order. Let's get right to the business: Lane Pryce has killed himself. There is no nice way of putting this. A character we have come to like and respect on the show for his quality work, dedication to the firm, and solid morals and high sense of honor, Lane had become a staple in Mad Men as a senior partner in SCDP, but also as the person who punched out Pete Campbell, spent late nights drinking and making decisions with Don, and pulling the strings that needed to be pulled for SCDP to exist.

And, above all, this English gentlemen met his end in one of the most heartbreaking ways it could. Hanging himself in his office and leaving a note… of resignation.

When the episode opens and Cooper interrogates Don about giving Lane a Christmas bonus, Don looks at the check he supposedly signed and tells Cooper that it will be taken care of. Moments later, Don sits down with Lane and hands him a drink and the check. "What is this?" Lane tries to beat around it and convince Don that he really did sign it. Don asks Lane to confess before he has a professional take care of it, and to guarantee that it is the only check. Lane admits he wrote the check and Don tells Lane that he is going to need his resignation.

Just like that, we understand that Lane is out. Don has said what he has said. Though Lane argues, and convincingly, about what he has done for the company, the fact is Don can no longer trust Lane. Forging his signature on a check breaks any type of trust the two had, as co- workers and as friends. Lane pounds down a drink, takes another for the road, and leaves Don's office for the last time. He walks down the hallway to find Joan in her office and stops in for some quick talk. They are very cordial at first, but when Lane jokes about Joan running down the beach in a tight bikini, Joan tells Lane to take his party elsewhere.

Yes, Lane's party. His all too fun and exclusive party-for-one that no one got an invite to, but a party no one would have RSVP'd to regardless.

Challenging your perspective on *Happiness*

[ethanhunt-64000 · 9/10 · 30 March 2024]

One of those multi layered, multi faceted beauty of MadMen, an episode that makes you ponder about what happiness is.

In reality it is quite subjective and actually a ladder, No matter how high up you are on it, even a step down results in unhappiness and discontent.

Even when you watch the initial casting, you see a silhouette of a man falling down It depicts character and moral degradation, and that's happening to every character... slowly, gently until it hits like a freight train.

The events are tied up with Don's sales pitch to cosgrove's future father in law.

And that how every moment of happiness is followed by long periods of morbidity. Yes, periods. Got that?

Think... Sally.

I concur with both reviewers who claim its implausible and the one who claims its plausible.

In reality its not plausible because Lane is supposedly astute, and being an Englishman is super connving and thorough with this acumen and account keeping. He is shameless and very calculative. He could have easily dug dirt about and around and gotten his way back. He could have also found other ways to bankroll his loan than forge Don's signature. Don himself being an amoral person would have let go Pryce atleast once, given how even more immoral events happen in SCDP. I mean for God sake, Don has been forging his identity all along. Also, Pryce would be hired anywhere in New York in a heartbeat, he way like A million times better than Peggy at his JOB... Duh!

But the character of Lane from the writer's perspective makes this thing plausible and let me tell you why.

Lane has been a pain in the b*tt for the Sterling cooper since he joined there as a financial overseer. His job invited the ire of everyone and he knew that. He was never felt accepted by the Americans and But when he was double crossed by PPL, his descent in life had begun.

He was in severe identity crisis from there on. He was settling in NYC but couldnt let go his Englishness. He wasnt attracted to his wife or loved her but carried along for the sake of it. He wanted to get rid of her when she was in London but, his father authoritarian father humiliated him and forced him to reconcile.

Lane was never celebrated for his contributions.

And when he was, by his wife, he couldn't stomach it!!

Even though he made partner, he just couldnt fit into the ad agency way of life. Everytime he tried, he fell short. He aspired to be a philanderer, failed He aspired to date around (playboy bunny) failed Tried romancing Joan, failed Was disappointed at Joan's degradation which he thought he was responsible for He aspired to get rid of his wife, failed.

He couldnt even drink up as the others could (remember him being tipsy before suicide and when he barfed in parking lot) He tried salesmanship with Jaguar, failed He tried to earn more with the partnership, didnt earn much since last 3 years, failed He lost his gentlemanliness by fighting Pete, failed Lost his ethics during check forgery, failed Tried distributing bonuses, failed

He just needed a trigger to cave, Being discovered to be a fraud afterall by no another than Don, who blondly trusted him, did it.

Im writing this because Jared Harris completely epitomized this role, he left us all asking for more. He came uninvited, captured the audience and left in a silence.

Great Episode, but Not Plausible

[swatts1012 · 8/10 · 4 June 2012]

I love Mad Men for so many reasons. Without listing all of them, one of them is that the show is painstakingly invested in the details. From the wardrobes, to the sets, to the dialogue, to the details of the business. However, I find some of the details surrounding Lane's "firing" implausible.

Primarily being that Lane was a Senior Partner of SDCP, meaning he had a vested ownership interest in the entity. This was not a junior interest, but a large share of the company. Therefore, Don does not have the authority to tell Lane to resign. Lane would have known this, since he is the CFO for the company. Removing a partner would have taken the approval of all partners, and furthermore it would have required a payout to Lane for his interest in the firm. Lane invested 50K into the business. Someone with Lane's business experience and acumen would have realized that even accusations or criminal charges of embezzlement would have resulted in him receiving some sort of payout. Even if he went to jail, he would still be entitled to his share of the company.

In the real world, Don would have said, "You are going to have to resign if you do not want the other partners to hear about this". Lane would have then had the option to resign and be bought out in a lump sum by the other partners, retain his interest in SDCP, or receive his shares in a series of payments.

My point is, I loved the episode, but the business details of the plot line do not add up to a plausible scenario of events. Lane is smarter than this season has presented him as. Lane would have actually been in a position where his finances were about to improve (should he have resigned). This brings up the point that Lane should have requested his interest by bought out when he realized he needed the cash flow initially before defrauding SDCP, but that is another episode.