Mad Men! (Read 2,168 times)

[Kpatch]

Did you sense any G&L undertones, Kazz? I'm talking bout Peggy and Don's new secretary, and about Joan's husband. And I agree that date rape scene from the first season was unforgettable.

I wonder if Joan will tell Greg that Kevin isn't his son.

What about Sally? I hate one of those mystery date games when I was little. I loved it. But now that image of a handsome man is mixed with the image of those nurses being murdered by a handsome man, thanks to Henry's mother.

As for our Don Draper, I interpreted the dream differently than you did. I caught that it was a hallucination/dream from the beginning. I think that woman represented Don's past indiscretions as well as his sexual temptations. He was able to hold her off and ultimately kill her, killing his desire to cheat. The next morning, Don told Megan "you don't need to worry about me." It was his way of telling her he won't cheat on her.

[Tom Horton]

G&L as in Gay/Lesbian? No, I didn't pick up on anything with Peggy & Dawn ... but Joan's husband? I can't tell. I've never liked him so it's hard for me to see pass that and notice anything else about him. Once he raped Joan that's all I've ever seen him as since.... well that, and a giant whiny baby.

I don't think Joan will tell Greg about Kevin, simply because of the stigma that would be attached to Kevin back in that time period. I do wonder though what this may mean for Roger and Joan and if she will let him spend time with Kevin as he gets older. I have a feeling that "Uncle Roger" will step in to fill the shoes of Kevin's absentee "father"... and hopefully give Joan some financial help on the side as well.

I agree with your interpretation of Don's dream/hallucination. I didn't think he was dreaming when I was watching it and felt sick that they had taken that path with his character so I think my initial take on it, even after I realized it was just a dream was colored by the shock & disgust I felt watching him choke Andrea and then callously kicking her dead body under the bed. But yes, dreams are symbolic and I agree that Andrea represented a part of his past that he wants to kill and dispose of.

Sally's step-grandmother is a piece of work. I can't believe that after refusing to let the kid hear/read the news report, she then went into such graphic detail about later on.

I adored Peggy in the moment that she told Roger "dazzle me". She was so channelling Don Draper in that scene ... oh and the follow up line of "do you want me to take your watch too." What I took from the Peggy/Dawn conversation is Peggy realizing how comfortable she has become living in the "man's world" and resents that she had to adopt their personality traits to succeed in it ... and I think she feels a comraderie with Dawn because she realizes that in a sense Dawn also has to adapt to a different world in order to succeed. And from the perspective of a career woman 50 years later, I'm not getting her point. We all adapt to our career worlds and take on certain traits from 9-5 that we don't necessarily choose in our "real" worlds. That's life. Men do it too ... and so do people of whatever race/ethnic background.

[Tom Horton]

Can't wait to discuss this week's MM when you get a chance to watch it JKJPatch. It is very good! I'm surprised by and proud of Don and Lane both.

[Kpatch]

I've only watched the first 20 minutes so far. I'm watching it in stages. Meanwhile, I came across this interesting tidbit about Jon Hamm from Parade Magazine.


Ever imagine Don Draper serving sandwiches? Actor Jon Hamm, 41, spent much of the 1990s going on auditions and waiting tables (earning $14,350) to pay the rent. He now earns $2.3 million for his role on AMC's Mad Men [for which he's paid $175,000 per episode]. "I loved the original script, but i thought, 'Who's going to watch this kind of show on some random cable channel?'" Millions of people, it turns out.

[Tom Horton]

^^ Interesting; thanks for posting. I'm surprised he's only 41. I would have guessed closer to 51, not because of his looks exactly, he just seems older, what some might call an "old soul".

[Kpatch]

I finally got to see last week's Mad Men and I'm ready to discuss it.

I loved the plumber scene! I felt the same way Megan did about it.

I didn't understand Pete's classroom scenes. What was he doing there? What kind of class was it?

Two shock and awe scenes:
1. The duel between Lane and Pete was fantastic. I was rooting for Lane too. Pete more than had it coming. I loved how the other execs stood around, feeling like they should stop the fight, but wanting to let it play out. I loved it.
2. Lane kissing Joan. I loved how she handled herself. She didn't embarass him. She merely opened the door. What a class act she is. I wonder if that kiss foreshadows something more serious between the two. They're such an unlikely couple that I'd sort of like to see it play out. I wonder how Roger would react.

As for this week's episode, I've watched the first 20 minutes so far.

[Tom Horton]

Pete was at a drivers education course being taught at a high school. The girl he was lusting after was just that, an underaged girl who it turns out was much more interested in the handsome high school jock than the middle aged creep-o Pete.

I loved the way Joan handled the kiss from Lane too. I like their relationship, if it changes, it changes, but I like what they have right now.

My favorite part of the Lane/Pete fight was the reactions from Roger & Don, esp. when Don pulled down the shades, LOL.

[Tom Horton]

Have you watched the rest of this week's episode yet?

[Kpatch]

I've watched 2/3 of it so far. I ride my exercise bike for 20 minutes every morning and that's when I catch up on Mad Men. I'll watch the last third tomorrow.

[Kpatch]

Okay, finished watching.

Each 20 minute segment had a shock and awe type moment.

First third: Peggy beating off some stranger in a movie theater.
Second third: The LSD party, although it bored me. But I'm glad Roger and Jane are over. Will he turn to Joan?
Final third: Don driving off and leaving Megan at Howard Johnson's. I was shocked by that. I saw that part Tuesday, and it wasn't until a day later that I saw that he came back.

I can't fathom why they hired the actress who plays Megan. Her acting is so weak compared to the others on the show. And her role is really important because it is altering Don's whole personality. Frankly, I liked him better before.

However, it is interesting to watch the women's movement take hold little by little, with Megan and Peggy asserting themselves.

So what did you think, Kazz, and anyone else who's into Mad Men?

[Tom Horton]

I found the entire episode very odd. The LSD effect on Roger made me laugh because I was thinking when it started that the last thing Roger needs is to add any more chemicals and then when it seemed to have no effect on him at first, I was thinking of course not, his body is immune.

It seems like Don is on the fast paced version of Roger's path. He married the young secretary just like Roger, went through the initial phase of blind bliss like Roger did and is now heading into the toxic era just like Roger and Jane's marriage became. I don't find the actress who plays Megan to be a poor actress; I think the character is being revealed as having some daddy issues. Don was such a jerk to do what he did, but what Megan did by not answering his calls knowing he would think she was in danger or maybe dead was even more cruel IMO.

Peggy seems to still be on the journey to discovering how to be a professional woman in a man's industry and she made an error in thinking she could pull off the classic Don Draper move with the beans client. Even in 2012, there are things men can get away with that women can't.... and vice versa. Peggy's got to keep exploring and chalke this one up to experience of what not to do.

[Kpatch]

Hey Kazz and any other Mad Men viewers. Did you watch last week? We didn't debrief.

I do believe Sally grew up in last week's episode. And not in a good way. The City is dirty.

[Tom Horton]

I know, poor Sally. I'm trying to remember the rest of the episode now because I just watched the newest one last night and having a hard time separating what happened in which episode.

I was pleasantly surprised by how gracious Peggy was over Megan's "win" with the Heinz dinner meeting.... and later was unpleasantly shocked that Peggy thought her mother was going to be happy about her living with her boyfriend. Peggy's mother threw a fit about her moving to Manhatten - what made her think she would be able to accept her "shacking up"?!

I can't remember which episode it was that Peggy had the convo with Ginsburg after she saw him with his father - regardless of when it happened, we never discussed it. My co-worker and I got opposite impressions from it and I'm very curious to hear what you thought of it.

All I will preview about this week's episode is that once again, I adored Peggy's parts. She is killing me this season (in a good way).

[Kpatch]

I have now watched the entire episode. I almost didn't recognize Alexis Bledel. I recognized her voice before I recognized her face. She is the first one who I've liked Pete with. That was a surprise. I don't see her with commuter guy. Bleh.

I think they're foreshadowing Megan's death. When they showed her in acting class at the end, just lying there ... I think she's going to fall down the elevator shaft.

Peggy was great! I loved her standing up to Don that way. Wow. She's come a long way baby (that was a cigarette slogan in the 60s or 70s).

As for Ginsberg, I thought he was embarrassed about his father and made up that story.

Your turn.

[Tom Horton]

My co-worker interpreted Ginsberg's story as his way of trying to tell Peggy about himself but being so uncomfortable that he mixed it into a fantastical sounding story so she wouldn't know if it were true or not and/or so that he could later deny it being true if she asked him about it later. I interpreted as true - mostly true. I think maybe the part about him being a child in Nazi Germany is true and that his father adopted/rescued him. If he did in fact spend his early childhood that way it would explain why he has so much trouble relating to others and why he was so upset over the murder of the nurses while the others were being so callous about it.

I hadn't considered Megan's acting class position as foreshadowing but I could definitely see that being true. I'm just envious/annoyed at her for having everything and the financial freedom (because Don is providing it) to do whatever she wants to notice much else about her story. I liked what Peggy said to Megan. .... And I loved what Peggy said to Don!!! I was nearly crying from laughing so hard that she actually told him to shut up and that she wasn't the one he's mad at. I couldn't believe she said that to him and in front of Ken at that.

I hate Pete a little more with each episode. I think he's going to stalk that girl.