One of the most curious scenes in Mad Men

I’ve started another rewatch of the show. I watched season 5 episode 8 yesterday, and it contains a curious scene I’d forgotten about. It’s the scene where Megan quits advertising, and Don says goodbye to her for the last time by the elevator. But it’s a sweet scene and just a small goodbye, as the lovers are sure to see each other later that evening. The elevator doors close, then Don suddenly decides to go down too and hits the elevator button again. The doors next to Megan’s elevator open, and Don, distracted in thoughts and emotions starts walking towards it, only to stop in surprise. The doors have opened to an empty elevator shaft. If he’d been more distracted, he could have walked right in to the shaft and fallen to certain death, instantly turning their’ “see you later” in to a final goodbye. It’s such a strange scene in the calm and predictable world of Mad Men, and almost reminds me of David Lynch. Out of nowhere, in the midst of daily life death appears. The shaft that Don peers down at is so dark and ominous. A sudden and stark reminder of the obliviousness of the universe, death is random and can come at any moment, perhaps at the “hands” of an unthinking machine (the elevator).