Mad Men is as close at it gets to being the
ideal character examination - a flowing work of art that uses itās time period - primarily
the 60ās, to reflect the dynamic state of then contemporary culture to shine a light
on the multifaceted cast and the main ideas being examined in this crucial decade. And it does this with a calculated yet skillfully
effortless approach that lends a great element of lyricism to the show - with so many lines
of dialogue from the characters having dual meanings, so many character arcs mirroring
the state of America at that time. But while Mad Men remains poetically cohesive,
being truly consistent and masterful across the span of all of its seven seasons, for
me the peak of the story has always been itās fifth season. Itās just where all of the most compelling
characters were given emotional payoff and introspection, where the story reached some
of itās darkest and arguably most dramatic beats. And it does this through a few key methods. Season 5 of the show represented a little
bit of a style shift in terms of narrative presentation and writing. Season 4 contained the biggest change for
the now-named company of Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce, having them start fresh as a new agency. And although it began months after the opening
of the new firm, many of the characters were still sort of stumbling around and finding
their place. But in season 5, things are different and
more settled, with a lot of the characters having found themselves on stable ground. And this allows the story to focus in on them
in a more deliberate, stable way, to look in on where their lives are and how they feel
about their place in the world around them. Whereas the show has basically always done
this, and has always been a character piece first and foremost, in my opinion, this season
took this to an extreme to place an even higher focus on internal psychology within the cast. The primary two characters of the series - Donald
Draper and Peggy Olsen - had already been explored to a great degree, but Season 5 places
more significance on the characters that, while very contributory and significant, were
just a tad on the periphery. The likes of Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling,
Lane Pryce, and most significantly for the topic of this video - Peter Campbell. This change of approach worked to stunning
effect, allowing so many rich little stories to be told throughout the episodes and as
such, allowing this season to work as an encapsulation of Mad Menās greatest strengths. And to specify even further, I believe that
there is one episode that is an encapsulation of why I love this show, being a beautifully
directed, painfully written self-contained story that also progresses things and lends
deep insight into the views of one of the tortured souls of the story. Episode 5 of Season 5 of Mad Men is entitled
Signal 30, and though it is close, this is my favourite episode of the show. It primarily follows the story of Pete, and
makes him the - somewhat ironic - star of the show for once. And while the episode did progress some other
plot threads and reveal things about some other characters, there is a clear purpose
to this that far outshines the rest. Letās talk about how this episode is a 48-minute
portrait of Pete Campbell the man at this point in the story. Throughout the show, Pete is constantly thirsting
to prove himself and feel appreciated and special, because that isnāt something that
is granted to him easily. Instead of recognizing his merits and forming
a connection with him, in his eyes, others belittle him and dismiss him as privileged
due to the benefits he gets as the son of a prestigious family. So he festers a burning desire to prove himself
in order to ultimately find value and get the admiration and relationships he seeks. And the sad thing is that in progress towards
that goal, he becomes the exact type of person that will repel the type of attention he so
craves because of how directionless and obsessed he is with reaching that foreign place of
joy. And when he does reach places in life where
he thought happiness would suddenly spring up, heās met with the terrible reality that
he just canāt find what heās looking for. Heās the furthest thing away from peace
at this point in the story, and though the events here are relatively mundane, itās
one of the most disturbing episodes of television Iāve ever watched due to how it slowly takes
the man apart and shows how lost he really is. The episode begins with Pete in driving school,
watching a film on accidents and unsafe driving. He notices a very young woman in his class
and strikes up a rapport with her, attempting to impress her and, eventually, to seduce
her, which immediately indicates that heās at the very least not totally satisfied with
his family life. We then cut to him in bed at night, visibly
on edge and restless, as he canāt find himself able to relax due to the loud dripping of
his leaky faucet. This isnāt a novel interpretation Iām
sure, but I see this drip as representative of Peteās anxiety and desperation, that
nag in the back of his mind telling him that he isnāt happy. And itās no coincidence that he can only
hear it when heās at home, the one place where heās supposed to be fulfilled. He canāt sleep, canāt relax, and cannot
bring himself to be at peace with life due to this growing unhappiness. And notably, his wife Trudy tunes it out,
totally unbothered, joyful and satisfied with her life, deaf to this nagging feeling that
takes over Pete and leaves him feeling shallow. He seemingly fixes the leak, thinking that
heās solved the problem.. but if we jump ahead for a quick second, weāre reminded
that it was never actually fixed at all. It was a coincidence, and the problem was
still there. Itās symbolic of the fact that Pete constantly
strives to be in another place and initially feels like heās solved his unhappiness..
only to be reminded eventually that that pain and yearning.. that leak, that dripping..
never really went anywhere. At work, there is a meeting with the partners
where Lane says that heās befriended Edwin Baker, senior vice president of public relations
for Jaguar cars, which basically means that they have a chance at landing their first
car. This is a great opportunity for the company,
but Pete pours cold water on it, saying that this new business would likely require hiring
a bunch of new staff, causing financial constraints that may not be feasible. The rest rebuff his hesitancy, saying that
if he brought this in, heād be saying differently. This speaks of Peteās insecurities, of his
desire to stand out and impress, to make himself feel taller and more important by pushing
others down. Lane says that heāll take responsibility
for trying to wrap a bow on an agreement, to which the others are apprehensive. After the meeting, Pete gives Don directions
to his house for a small party being hosted by him and Trudy at his home. Don tries to get out of it, but Pete is confident
that his wife would only have acted on a certainty that him and his wife Megan were available. Don does try to worm out of it by calling
Trudy, but sheās prepared for every eventuality. Itās a charming little scene for Trudy,
but it also just reminds us how valuable Pete is to the company, even though that much is
blindingly obvious by this point in the series. But as we see in conversations with the girl
he consistently tries to pursue, this success doesnāt make him feel comfortable or accomplished. Pete has garnered praise and become significant,
heās achieved many of his own personal goals and heās proven his worth. But he still somehow doesnāt feel as if
he has a grasp of his own life. He doesnāt have control, and he feels like
heās being taken for a ride. The episode smoothly moves into the dinner
party, where weāre immediately introduced to the grandness of Peteās living abodes
through the eyes of others - the great house, the fantastic record player, the beautiful
wife.. all of this out in the luxurious suburbs. From an outsiderās perspective, Pete has
a great deal to be happy about. Yet when the Drapers arrive, he nervously
makes it clear to Don that itās a huge deal that heās there, and this makes it clear
to the audience that he still wants to prop himself up and force his way into being appreciated
by others. Years and years on from his days of naivety
and trying desperately to impress others in season 1, and this aspect of him remains unchanged. The dynamics of this party are really quite
a fascinating look into the psychology of all of these characters, where they are in
their lives, and how the office politics dictate how things play out. Itās clear to all that Don is the man. Everyone looks to please him and laugh at
his jokes, and he speaks with an effortless amount of authority and charisma even in this
more casual setting, with everyone entranced by every word he speaks. Pete has become secondary in his own home,
and itās probably not clear to him initially due to how organically he regresses into that
role - due to how naturally that comes to him, and how often it happens. But again, itās not something he is consciously
proud or satisfied with, and itās not how he likes to live. He wants to feel more significant, he wants
others to look to him with admiration and appreciation. And despite his important job, his new status,
his great life.. he doesnāt have that which he longs for, and I canāt imagine how frustrating
that must be. The conversation then moves to coworker Ken
Cosgrove, someone Pete is above in the pecking order yet has always considered competition. Ken has slowly been making some progress as
a writer, as his wife excitedly shares. Heās been able to turn this passion of his
into something thatās a genuinely big part of his life, and itās an exciting thing
to share. This draws attention at the party to him - people
are interested in his stories - both here and out in the world - and he begins turning
heads too. Kenās wife explains one of his stories,
a narrative that fittingly chronicles the tale of a robot that feels powerless in the
world he inhabits - not unlike our dear Pete. And in the process, we see that people are
interested in Ken. And Pete doesnāt like this and watches with
a dismissive demeanor - heās uncomfortable with Ken being seemingly reluctant to share
his passion, yet undeniably happy and at peace with his hobby. He doesnāt like that others are supporting
Ken and finding him impressive. As a result, he tries to downplay the deep
existential meaning of his story but others keep drawing attention back to it. Itās a very short sequence of lines but
it feels like an eternity for Pete. And so now he feels like the least important
man in the room, and that is something that doesnāt sit well with him - and by my reckoning,
this has risen to his consciousness by now where it hadnāt quite gotten there when
it was only Don who was being admired. As the host, itās arguably on him to allow
his guests to shine and feel important, but he doesnāt adhere to this, his pride and
ego dictate that it doesnāt sit well with him. And a lot of this is communicated by subtext
and beautiful subtle acting through facial expressions. He can gloat about his record music, but he
gets sour when Kenās life seems interesting. Itās bizarre - no one is measuring the impressiveness
of anyone else, and no one is counting.. except him. Because therein lies his loneliness. He has achieved, but his achievements are
not as noteworthy or sexy as being a writer or being Don Draper. They donāt grant him what he seeks. He stands unimpressive, surrounded by that
which he should be happy with, yet isnāt. He feels as if everyone else is finding the
happiness that he canāt grasp. And it drives him crazy. I May be looking into this a bit much given
how small this scene is, but given the type of man that Mad Men has consistently communicated
that Pete Campbell is, I donāt think so. I think this is genuinely where his mind is
at in this tiny moment, and the acting, behaviour and mannerisms drive it home. Towards the end of the party, the women find
that the faucet that Pete had apparently fixed is still a problem, as it explodes and showers
down on them. While Pete makes for the toolbox, Don is able
to fix things in a blink of an eye, and it again reinforces the idea that Don is the
man, that he is more than him. Pete is a pretender, he canāt do these things
and it doesnāt come naturally to him. This power, this air of confidence. So he fakes and forces his way through life,
and finds that these methods do nothing for him. He looks on with admiration and mingled bitterness,
stewing in his lack of control. But I reckon that the most painful thing for
him is the image after this of him and his beautiful wife and daughter, the perfect picture
of an American family - or so it seems to the onlookers. But in actuality, itās a shallow and hollow
front, an artificial mask of happiness. Back at work, Lane mentions that he hasnāt
been able to close the deal with Jaguar, so Pete, Roger and Don agree to take the client
out and have some fun with him for Lane to ultimately close the deal. Lane agrees, somewhat reluctantly but open
to admitting his own limitation here. And as we transition back to driving school,
we see that after gradually trying to make progress with the girl, a new boy joins the
class late and quote unquote steals her from Pete, as sheās immediately smitten with
his advances. The moment she begins talking to the newcomer,
itās visibly obvious that Pete knows his chance has slipped away. He loses, powerless once again.. and it makes
him feel pathetic. We then cut to the fated dinner with Edwin
Baker of Jaguar, where he confirms that he intends to give them his business, but just
wants to have some fun for the night. Ever the man for the job, Roger takes them
to a party of sorts - to what is basically a dressed up whorehouse. After a very significant look from Don - a
mix of disinterest and a slight disappointment, and a look in return of resigned frustration
yet acceptance, as if he knows heās doing something wrong, Pete makes off with one of
the women there, and she tries her best to find out what his kink is. She begins first with the eager-to-please
housewife routine, which he has no interest in as Iām sure it was at least somewhat
reminiscent of Trudy. She then plays the bashful virgin, which doesnāt
do much for him either. And then.. third timeās the charm. Pete just wants to be in control, appreciated,
admired. All the things that he feels that he doesnāt
have right now. His current life doesnāt fulfill him, and
he knows that it should - but this scene keys us into exactly what he desires. In the car ride home, Pete expresses frustration
at Don for his lack of participation in the festivities with the women, likely due to
his own bitter feelings of regret. Don is satisfied and disinterested in cheating
on his wife at this point in his life, and Pete, as always, admires, resents, and envies
his partner for everything he is. Don tells him that heās taking things for
granted, which eats at him because he knows he is, yet doesnāt FEEL like he is, and
itās a situation that plagues him. WHy isnāt he happy? Itās torturous. And I have a bunch of sympathy for Pete in
this moment, as flawed a man as he is, because being told that you have everything when you
feel like you have nothing must feel awful beyond words. The next day, Lane blows up on the partners
because Bakerās wife found out about the previous night and he got in trouble. They find it humorous, and Lane is understandably
very upset .. but things get serious when Pete makes a jibe at Laneās naivety and
poor closing skills. Something that once again is said in service
of his ego, in my opinion, downplaying Laneās importance to the company to make himself
feel bigger. And as a result, Lane challenges Pete to a
fight. Whatās so important to note here is the
shock and desperation on Peteās face - when challenged, Pete looks at his partners as
if begging for some sense of support and comeradery or defense of him.. and finds nothing. Not to blame them of course, itās an awkward
situation and Pete is far from innocent. But itās a sad moment for a man whoās
feelings of loneliness, sadness and weakness are backed up when those who he thought might
have been his friends donāt move a muscle to help him. And of course, he loses the fight. He canāt back up his words with action and
he lays defeated, appropriate for his mindset in this episode as he constantly dwells on
his unavoidable misery. When offered help, he says heās fine to
downplay his weakness.. again. But before he leaves, he looks at his partners
with a deep hurt as a result of them not supporting him when it mattered. He yearns for connection from people that
canāt provide him with it for one reason or another, and it destroys him. Again, he is in no way shape or form a blameless
victim in this situation, but that doesnāt mean that he isnāt sympathetic once you
put into perspective just how and why he is the way he is, and where this path has taken
him. Especially in comparison to how he wants to
be. Afterwards, Pete wallows in misery and eventually
leaves the office. He pours himself out to Don, and he returns
to a classroom that only now reminds him of his shame, to a home that doesnāt feel like
home, a wife he doesnāt truly love, and to a ceaseless dripping. A man powerless to even fix his own sink. Overlaying this montage is Kenās stab at
a story of a man living in the country possessed of an unbearable loneliness, who looks on
at the ordinary lives of others with an unbelievable envy and sadness, clearly reflecting the trials
of Pete in this moment as he is constantly faced with the silent, painful quiet of the
life he chose and now realized he wants no part of. With the beautiful bookend of the dripping
tap, ending the episode in the same way it started it - with Pete in driving school,
haunted by the sound of his own pangs of bitterness. Itās an episode that puts everything Pete
Campbell is at the forefront. His flaws, his insecurities, his unhappiness
and pettiness and pride and most of all - his need for others to help enrich his life. For the vast majority of the series, Pete
is always desperate to be somewhere other than where he is right now. In the beginning of the series, he seeks to
be like Don - to have a beautiful wife, to have women on the side, a job of status and
power, to have influence, and most importantly, to be respected for his true worth, to strive
past the label of the privileged guy given everything by his family. And yet when he gets what he seeks, he finds
it isnāt nearly as satisfying as he thought it would be. The grass is always greener somewhere else
for him, and his journey is a maddening search for that somewhere else, for that sense of
true purpose and peace. And what it truly revolves around is a desire
to feel worth through getting respect and affection and connection with others - all
of which he feels like he deserves. But many things about him - his flaws, his
time period, his coworkers - donāt allow him to do so. He doesnāt feel appreciated by Trudy despite
her love for him, heās shown up by those more handsome and interesting than him, and
he canāt seem to avoid this nagging sadness that slowly but consistently eats away at
him (drip, drip, drip). Heās lost - in no ways that matter professionally,
but in all the matters that truly mean something in actually. He canāt find the joy in life that he pursued
up until this point while everyone around him seems to have no trouble in being passionate
about things. He just wants to feel like heās living a
life of purpose of his own. Pete eventually does find his happiness, but
this episode is a brilliant capstone and picture of his true sense of isolation and emotional
wanderlust at this point in the story, his desperation and agony. Here, heās a broken man trying to feel whole,
and this episode is an understated yet overwhelmingly impactful character piece that compounds the
depth of Pete through such brilliant use of subtle characterization, visual storytelling
and clever direction. He has everything, from the outside. But that doesnāt bring him fulfillment,
just as it never brought it to Don when Pete looked through the rose-tinted glasses at
his life earlier on. None of it matters to him, and despite having
these things, he doesnāt feel in control. What does he want? What is he searching for? Is there anything that he genuinely wants? As the era moves into a period of true change
and scary progress, Pete feels taken on a ride that is his life, cursed to constantly
follow his instincts about what he believes will make him happy, only to never find it. Heās such an incredibly human character
that displays the painful existential uncertainty at this period of time, and Signal 30 is a
brilliant summation of this resonant concept. Many thanks for watching.
"Signal 30" is one of the best episodes IMO, good choice for a breakdown
"I have nothing, Don" always gets me
Also love Rogerās line to one of the women in the brothel: āListen, honey, Iām not going to bore you with complimentsā