'Mad Men' finale, 'The Phantom' recap

And so we come to the fifth season finale of “Mad Men," "The Phantom,” with Don sitting on the chair he's most comfortable in - the barstool - staring into the middle distance and possibly taking up an offer he couldn't refuse.

The fourth season ends with Don proposing to Megs; the fifth ends with the realization that the marriage is over.

The meaning of the title, “The Phantom,” is reasonably obvious: the reappearance of Don Draper half-bro Adam Whitman, played by Jay Paulson, last seen in the first season before he committed suicide.

He appears as a phantom in various scenes- a manifestation of Don's guilty conscience. But “phantom” also in the broader sense - of chasing dreams that are ever receding. I guess the episode could just as well been called “The Mirage.”

How good was this finale? On a scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being just flat out incredible; one being pretty flat out awful - I'm going with a six.

Not great, certainly, but proof again that we, the fan, invest far too much in season finales.

This really was, just another episode... What was lacking however has been much the same as the rest of the season - a certain passion, or emotional resonance. It all felt terribly chilly and remote - characters in service of Matt Weiner's grand overarching themes, as opposed to an episode in service of their hearts.

 Everyone is chasing phantoms, and that's just what they are. It all started to feel like a finale that told viewers, “just in case you didn't get what was going on the previous twelve episodes, this should make it clear..."

There was a certain remoteness to the whole affair - Pegs sitting in a darkened theater because someone told her that's how “to clear the cobwebs” and - unsaid - where she can find some other lonely soul for a sexual liaison.

And who should sit down next to her just as the cobwebs start to clear? Don... (At least it wasn't Bert.)

So, let's break this all down quickly and move on with our day, shall we?