Great interview with Jared Harris (Lane Pryce) about the episode...

(Spoiler alert: If you haven't watched Sunday's episode of Mad Men, read no further.)

Sunday night's episode of AMC's "Mad Men" packed a heavy load of sadness and regret, with the graphic suicide of Lane Pryce (Jared Harris), the British financial officer for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

For Harris, whose character decides to hang himself in his ad-agency office, the moment was a bittersweet one. But he says he's happy his character gets to leave the show "with a bang instead of a whimper."

The suicide takes place after Pryce fails to asphyxiate himself with the exhaust from a Jaguar, which refuses to start (a running gag the past few episodes), and after Don Draper (Jon Hamm) fires Pryce upon discovering he's embezzling from the agency.

"He (Pryce) was vindictive. He was angry. It was a passive aggressive act," says Harris. "His choice of doing it there was an f-you to the office, the people who work there, particularly to Don." The passive side of that, he says, was in the suicide letter -- a boiler-plate note that explained nothing.

"He was trying to dig a hole for the people there, particularly Don, and make them feel bad about what he'd done. It was a cowardly thing to do. He did it to try and hurt them the way that he feels they've hurt him."

Harris says it took two hours in the makeup chair to give his face the ghastly gray color of death, and then he was sneaked onto the sound stage with an umbrella hiding his face so none of the actors could see him. He was then strapped into a safety harness and hanged from the ceiling.

When the other actors were brought in to discover his body and cut him down, it was the first time they had seen him "dead" -- so their shocked and chaotic onscreen reaction, Harris says, was in part based on this initial look.

And, says Harris, there was no time for gallows humor on set.

"There's so little time to shoot," Harris says. "I just wanted to break into that Monty Python song, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, while hanging there and start dancing, but it would have put them off because they were trying to act their reaction in a genuine way. I didn't want to be disrespectful to how they felt. My job was a lot easier than their job -- I just had to hang limply from the door and stick my tongue out."

Harris says he loved playing Pryce, and cited two of his favorite moments: One was the fist fight Pryce had with Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) earlier this season, and the other was the failed suicide in the Jaguar. "I laughed when they told me the Jaguar was not going to start. I fell off my chair."

Read more: Jared Harris talks about his shocking 'Mad Men' exit

Just finished the season finale - twas good, not great though. A little anti-climatic and felt almost as if it could have been a series finale? Don seemed to come full circle to his old self, a la season 1.

Will be interesting to see how it plays out with Peggy at another agency - there is the possibility for some really good story lines next season. Hopefully it's not a two year wait this time.

God dammit. I had no idea it was out already. Thought they said something about fall 2012?

Anyways, downloading the season as we speak. Hopefully it'll be good.

What was up with Ginsberg? He was all worked up over the client not like their ad pitch. Then he had the balls to raise his voice and talk back to Don.

Also disappointed by the finale. Last weeks was crazy...this week was just Megan whining about being too rich.

I like how her mom called her an "ungrateful little bitch". "Not every girl gets to do what they want. The world could not support that many ballerinas. Thank god my children aren't my whole life".

Pete needs to put on some weight before he goes and starts fights with people.

Heads up. New season of Madmen starting Today.

2 hour premiere tonight!!!

Stoked! I've been anxiously waiting for Mad Men to return, should be good. 2 hour premiere is nice too.

my favourite scenes so far

Betty Draper pulling out a gun on the pigeons
Don takes the kids to trick o treating and the guy at the door asks Don "and who are you supposed to be?" [credits roll]
fist fight btw Pete and Lane
Lane Pryce's suicide attempt in the E-Type...very emotional and comical at the same time I was speechless

Many seem to like the tractor scene...I thought it was very out of place.
http://madmen.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_...nts_of_Mad_Men

My thoughts on the Premiere...

I'm with you that the episode didn't quite strike as much as others have but I was also having a hard time remembering what happened last season leading up to it.

I thought last nights episode was great.

Holy SHIT this week's episode was great.

So whats the top secret car?

If that's the case then...

Odd episode, but:

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vu.../a_560x375.jpg

/nuff said.

6x10

...was that fucking Jimi Hendrix?

haha I noticed that too in the party.

The last shot with Pete was so damn good. Solid episode of business and drama, but felt too cramped with so much going on.
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I thought it was a great episode. It's all about the detail with Mad Men and this ep had tons. They're really setting up Don for a big fall.

Hendrix, Joplin...Jim Morrison? And who was that that Don was talking to? Ringo?

Past couple episodes this season have been great, I've been enjoying it every week.

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vu.../a_560x375.jpg

http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vu.../a_560x375.jpg

This is why you have to learn how to drive a stick shift

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18rt.../ku-xlarge.gif

That season finale was really great - what a piece of writing and television. There were so many moments that mirror'd back to Don in season 1 - Ted sneaking back into bed with his wife, Pete looking at his child with Trudy watching from the doorway, etc. I also thought it was really great how, despite Don's world falling completely apart, I was left feeling hopeful for the guy. From the Hershey meeting and onwards, Don chose honesty, which is something we haven't seen from him in the past. Nice moment with Sally and him at the end as well. Looking forward to S7 already!