Why ‘Mad Men’ Season 5 Sucked

Mad Men had its season 5 finale on Sunday and the consensus is that it wasn't great. In fact, the whole season was pretty boring. Every character moped around like sad sacks whining about their lives and wanting to die. All except Roger Sterling who is dropping acid and banging French chicks. The character that impels the story is anti-hero extraordinaire Don Draper (Jon Hamm). In this season, Don is monogamously married to horsey-faced Megan (Jessica Paré), tries to be a good dad, and keep a level head at work. No wonder he's unhappy. I'm unhappy too. Why? Because this is not what I want from Don Draper.

I want Don Draper to guzzle so many old fashioneds that I feel drunk at home. I want Don to bang every chick that comes his way. Don should abuse Peggy, crushing her soul a little more each day. The only time we saw the old Don is when he tossed some money in Peggy's face and told her to pay for a trip to Paris. I miss the Don that finger banged Bobbie Barrett to show her who is boss. This is exactly why Don is an anti-hero. He's the main character but he's not a good guy. We love him because he's such a dick. Don does things that most modern men would never do, myself included. The guy is a badass, and as a non-badass I admire his badassedness. I think most men feel the same way. I also think that women are secretly turned on by this kind of dickishness. Why do you think all the girls in high school went out with the jerks instead of you?  The reason Don is so unhappy is that he isn't being true to his true nature. Polonius instructed his son Laertes in Hamlet, "To thine own self be true." I'd tell Mad Men creator Mathew Wiener the same thing.