"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Monday, May 21, 2012

Mad Men 5.10: "The Negron Complex"

Having delved into the meta-realms of unreal science fiction with Ben Hargove some five episodes ago, Mad Men 5.10 continues the enjoyable indulgence with "The Negron Complex," a fictitious spec script written for the real science fiction Star Trek - now known as Star Trek: TOS (the original series), back in 1966 of course just known as Star Trek.

Paul Kinsey, a real fictional character on Mad Men, is the author.  I've been wondering what happened to Paul, bearded with pipe in seasons past, a civil rights activist, dating an African-American woman (who leaves him), and to some degree the conscience of the previous firm.  He's joined the Hare Krishnas - his luck went from bad to verse - but has penned this script.  He was a fan of The Twilight Zone, so this makes sense.  (The Twilight Zone and Star Trek are two of my all-time favorite shows.)

Paul asks Harry to get the script to someone at NBC who might get it to Gene Roddenberry.  Harry (deftly played by Rich Sommer) still looks a little like Isaac Asimov to me, so this makes sense, too.  But the script apparently is a turkey - I have to take Harry's word for this - so what's Harry to do?

All of this serves as nice set-up for Harry to have another round of good sex in the office, as Paul's girl friend shows up to talk Harry out of helping Paul - talk Harry out of this by way of seduction.  Her motives are to keep Paul for herself and the Krishna movement.   But Harry, in a combination of rare selflessness and more comprehensible not liking to be manipulated, sends Paul out to Los Angeles (gives him $500 for air fare) to sell his script.   Alas, we know in our reality that no Star Trek episode titled "The Negron Episode" was ever made, but knows about alternate realities ... wait, no, that's Fringe.

Meanwhile, Lane takes some money from the company on his and Don's forged signature, and Joan gets about as angry in the office as ever we've seen her - justifiably calling a receptionist an "idiot" - and there's a priceless scene (Lane wasn't there either) with Joan and Don in a bar.   Good stuff indeed for our people living on the razor's edge.

Hey, check out my essay in this book about Star Trek:




See also Mad Men Season 5 Debut: It's Don's Party  ... Mad Men 5.3: Heinz Is On My Side ... Mad Men 5.4: Volunteer, Dream, Trust ... Mad Men 5.5: Ben Hargrove ... Mad Men 5.6: LSD Orange ... Mad Men 5.7: People of High Degree ... Mad Men 5.8: Mad Man and Gilmore Girl ... Mad Men 5.9: Don's Creativity 

And from Season 4: Mad Men 4.1: Chicken Kiev, Lethal Interview, Ham Fight ... 4.2: "Good Time, Bad Time?" "Yes." ... 4.3: Both Coasts ... 4.4: "The following program contains brief nudity ..."  4.5: Fake Out and Neurosis ... 4.6: Emmys, Clio, Blackout, Flashback  ... 4.7: 'No Credits on Commercials' ... 4.8: A Tale of Two Women ... 4.9: "Business of Sadists and Masochists" ... 4.10: Grim Tidings ... 4.11: "Look at that Punim" ... 4.12: No Smoking!  ... Mad Men Season 4 Finale: Don and -

And from Season 3: Mad Men Back for 3 and 3.2: Carvel, Penn Station, and Diet Soda and 3.3: Gibbon, Blackface, and Eliot and 3.4: Caned Seats and a Multiple Choice about Sal's Patio Furniture and 3.5: Admiral TV, MLK, and a Baby Boy and 3.6: A Saving John Deere and 3.7: Brutal Edges ... August Flights in 3.8 ... Unlucky Strikes and To the Moon Don in 3.9 ... 3.10: The Faintest Ink, The Strongest Television ... Don's Day of Reckoning in Mad Men 3.11 ... Mad Men 3.12: The End of the World in Mad Men ... Mad Men Season 3 Finale: The End of the World

And from Season Two: Mad Men Returns with a Xerox and a Call Girl ... 2.2: The Advertising Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ... 2.3 Double-Barreled Power ... 2.4: Betty and Don's Son ... 2.5: Best Montage Since Hitchcock ... 2.6: Jackie, Marilyn, and Liberty Valance ... 2.7: Double Dons ... 2.8: Did Don Get What He Deserved? ... 2.9: Don and Roger ... 2.10: Between Ray Bradbury and Telstar ... 2.11: Welcome to the Hotel California ... 2.12 The Day the Earth Stood Still on Mad Men ... 2.13 Saving the Best for Last on Mad Men

And from Season One: Mad Men Debuts on AMC: Cigarette Companies and Nixon ... Mad Men 2: Smoke and Television ... Mad Men 3: Hot 1960 Kiss ... Mad Men 4 and 5: Double Mad Men ... Mad Men 6: The Medium is the Message! ... Mad Men 7: Revenge of the Mollusk ... Mad Men 8: Weed, Twist, Hobo ... Mad Man 9: Betty Grace Kelly ... Mad men 10: Life, Death, and Politics ... Mad Men 11: Heat! ... Mad Men 12: Admirable Don ... Mad 13: Double-Endings, Lascaux, and Holes

20-minute interview with Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) at Light On Light Through




"As a genre-bending blend of police procedural and science fiction, The Silk Code delivers on its promises." -- Gerald Jonas, The New York Times Book Review








The Plot to Save Socrates


"challenging fun" - Entertainment Weekly

"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book




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