S5E5 – 'Signal 30'

About this episode

The episode unpacks the complexities of Pete Campbell's character in Mad Men's Season 5, Episode 5, 'Signal 30'.

Pete Campbell takes the wheel and crashes straight into an existential pileup in one of Mad Men ’s sharpest, saddest hours. On this episode of Mad Men Men, Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, and Mike Overhulse unpack Season 5, Episode 5, “Signal 30,” directed by John Slattery and co-written by Matthew Weiner and Frank Pierson ( Dog Day Afternoon ). We break down Pete’s slow-motion unraveling, the infamous office fight, and what Ken’s sci-fi side hustle really says about corporate life. In case you’re new here, Mad Men Men recaps Mad Men through the perspectives of three different types of viewers: a first-timer, a first-time rewatcher, and someone who thought the best way to deal with their feelings about Don Draper was to start a podcast. EXTRA CREDITS Matthew Weiner created  Mad Men , which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Mike Overhulse

Topics covered

• existential themes
• corporate life
• character analysis
• Mad Men recap
• office dynamics

Keywords

• Mad Men
• Pete Campbell
• existential crisis
• office fight
• corporate life
• Season 5
• Signal 30

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: InBetweenDrafts, AMC

Books & works: Mad Men, Dog Day Afternoon

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