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Just last week, while in the office discussing last week'sphenomenal episode of Mad Men , one question caught me off-guard: "So who do you think theFalling Man is? Who do you think's gonna jump?" I admit, it wasn't something I had seriously considered upuntil that point. There was, of course, a bit of controversy whenthe promotional posters for season five were first released. Theimage of a man plummeting headfirst bore a resemblance to theiconic "Falling Man" photo from the 9/11 attacks. Itwas presumably, however, a reference to the show's openingcredits, where a silhouetted businessman sinks slowly through theair, past Madison Avenue and flashes of ads. In other words, Ididn't think the poster was implying that there'dactually be a suicide this season. The "Falling Man" ofthe Mad Men universe wasn't anyone specific—just a repeated imageto represent the plight of many of its characters. I was wrong—sort of. Don finds out Lane's beenembezzling funds from the company and fires him. He doesn'ttell the other partners and offers Lane the opportunity to resign.Lane's distraught, and Don offers him a nugget of partingadvice that absolutely reeks of the "it'll shock youhow much it didn't happen" Don of seasons past."You'll tell them that it didn't work out becauseit didn't," he says. "And you'll tell themthe next thing will be better because it always is." Lane then stops into Joan's office and makes an inappropriatecomment about imagining her in a bikini before returning to hisoffice and gazing out of his window at the snow and the cold,unforgiving skyscrapers on Madison Avenue. "Is he…is heactually gonna jump ?" I found myself asking my TV. He didn't jump. It's not because he wasn'tdesperate and broken—no, we'll get to that. But LanePryce didn't jump because he's not the Falling Man, andMatthew Weiner and company made sure we knew that with two of theshow's most arresting scenes. After his wife surprises himwith a Jaguar (not knowing they can't afford it), Lane hopsinside that symbol of both his company's greatest successesand some of his own greatest failures, plugs the exhaust pipe, hasa drink and breaks his glasses. It's dramatic and absolutely poetic , but it's not to be. The car won't start, becauseafter all, as Bert Cooper (and nearly everyone else) has remindedus all season, Jaguars are lemons. No, poor Lane Pryce can'teven get the suicide he's dreamed of. Instead, he heads back to the office and—after penning aletter of resignation that he leaves for the partners tofind—hangs himself. It's not exactly the opposite offalling (that'd be climbing), but it's not too far off,either. In one of Jon Hamm's more subtly brilliantperformances, Don rolls into the office laughing with Roger after afew too many as we've seen them do a thousand times. But theoffice is empty, save for Bert, Joan and Pete. They break the news,and guilt immediately washes over Don's face (after all, thisis the second person to hang himself as a result of somethinghe's said). When he finds out Lane's still dangling inhis office, he becomes frantic and insists that they cut him down.We see Lane bloated and discolored after hanging for days, andit's easy to see why Don doesn't want to leave him likethat. It's undignified, but, perhaps even moreso, it'sscary. He's frozen, suspended in air and time, and it'sjarring. After all, it's not the falling that'sterrifying—it's those moments right beforehand, whenyou're peering off the ledge, watching your toes slip outfrom under you and anticipating the monumental collapsethat's looming just seconds away. This week's episode left us with that feeling, that awfulfear of what's to come. There's a fall coming, andit's not Lane. Don's getting antsy, and we saw bits ofhis old personality peeking out again this week. When he tries towoo Ed Baker, he admonishes him for being content with a 50 percentmarket share. "What is happiness?" he asks."It's a moment before you need more happiness."Sure, it's a pitch to a client, but it's also a signthat Don's getting restless—he craves new business (hetells Roger earlier that he's "sick of piddlyshit" and wants to chase bigger clients). Does this also meanthat that happiness Don finally seemed to achieve this season withMegan is only fleeting? It sure seems that way. The episode's kicker hammers thatpoint home when Glen Bishop asks Don, "Why does everythingturn out crappy?" "You're too young to talk thatway," Don replies, but Glen doesn't let up. Instead hedelivers the one line that could very well sum up this entireseason: "Everything you think's gonna make you happyturns to crap." Don asks him what the one thing he wants to do is, and we cut toGlen driving himself home with Don in the passenger seat guidinghim. It's a striking image, Don surrendering control tosomeone else, but he's tired. He's no longer in thedriver's seat, and, for the time being at least, his fate isin the hands of someone else. He seems resigned to the fact,perhaps even strangely OK with it—almost like the awfulanticipation's over, and now that his descent's begun,there's no use fighting it. Almost like The Falling Man. Stray observations: -Who would've guessed that Sally's storyline this weekwould wind up with a heartwarming moment between her and Betty? Shecan talk to Megan about boys like she would with a sister, but whenit comes time for major stuff like her first period, she needs amom, not a friend. And the look of satisfaction on Betty'sface when she calls Megan to tell her where Sally wound up ispriceless. -The Glen/Don moment also felt a bit parental. After all,Glen's dad's been out of the picture for yearsnow—he doesn't have a father to teach him how to drive,so Don's the next best thing I guess? -Interesting that Ken doesn't want to be partner. All hewants is for Pete to not be on his father-in-law's account. -No Peggy in this episode. While it makes sense (there was a LOT of plot to squeeze into this week), I'm still dying to seehow she's settling into her new job. -It's fitting that Joan found Lane, as she seemed to be hisonly friend. How will she fare as a partner without one of herstrongest allies? -"What happened to your enlightenment?" "I dunno.Wore off." Was this whole season just some bizarre acid trip?No, of course not, but it kind of feels that way. Don and Rogerseemed to make great personal strides, only to throw them out thewindow. Don seems to be back on his "ruthless ad man"path, and Roger's dating a 25-year-old coat-check girl. Theirenlightenment wore off. 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