Dark Shadows (Mad Men)
| "Dark Shadows" | |
|---|---|
| Mad Men episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Scott Hornbacher |
| Written by | Erin Levy |
| Featured music | "Sweepin' the Clouds Away" performed by Maurice Chevalier |
| Original air date | May 13, 2012 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Dark Shadows" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 61st episode of the series overall. It was written by Erin Levy and directed by Scott Hornbacher and originally aired on the AMC channel in the United States on May 13, 2012.
As a toxic cloud of smog hangs over New York City during 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, in an attempt to cause turmoil amongst Sally, Don, and Megan. Don and Peggy are both 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) 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 polarizing 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 and jealousy. "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 Dark Shadows, 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.
Betty is making steady progress in her new Weight Watchers program as Thanksgiving approaches. When she visits the Draper home, however, she accidentally and covertly sees the youthful Megan getting dressed. Later, while helping Sally on a family tree project, Betty finds a love note Don had written to Megan. The note reawakens feelings of bitterness and discontent, and Betty passive-aggressively 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.
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