5G

After New Amsterdam's character-based drama, 5G returns to a combination of character and plot in terms of storytelling, going further in its attempt to establish Mad Men as a truly impeccable series. Needless to say, it succeeds.

The center of the story is, once again, Don Draper, who has already been approached by someone claiming to know him as Dick Whitman; this time, things get more complicated as his picture appears in a local newspaper and he is contacted by none other than Adam Whitman (Jay Paulson), who calls himself his younger brother. In a shocking turn of events, Don eventually admits that he has in fact changed his name, and then tries to buy Adam's silence. Meanwhile, Pete is envious when he finds out one of his colleagues managed to get a short story published, and subsequently discusses the matter with his wife, who suggests asking an old boyfriend for help...

Slowly but confidently, the drama is shaping up to become something really original, injecting some welcome mystery into the already gripping story of a very unhappy man. Beneath Don's shallow image of perfection lies something deeper, and Jon Hamm's mastery of those moments is one of the episode's highlights, alongside with the exquisite writing in what could have been a throwaway subplot and the consistently excellent visuals. A worthy "successor" - the term is employed loosely here - to The Sopranos in the "great TV" department, which makes it even more ironic that HBO failed to see the show's potential. Not that there's anything wrong with that...