mad men

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Spoilers from here on out for "The Benefactor":

I'm not sure what to say about tonight's episode quite yet--it caught me by surprise in a bunch of ways--but I suppose those complaining (on other forums) about Don's lack of mojo will stop after tonight.

Also, Don name-dropping the Medicis seemed out of character for him: he doesn't go for the high-falutin' reference without grounding it in something more homey.

[Rhom]

Ah hell... I was watching Olympic swimming last night and completely forgot about Mad Men. :tantrum:

When does AMC usually show reruns of the most recent episode?

[Blaine]

"I will ruin him." Best line of the night. Good to see Don hasn't completely lost his alpha gene... though at the same time it was completely disturbing too. That's what makes this show so great.

All in all, not as tightly written as the last few episodes have been. Some of the dialogue and plot seemed more forced than usual. Also a really good episode for January Jones. That scene with her trying to light the cigarette after turning down that guy in the stable was a nice touch. I also liked the comedian's having to literally bite his hand after Mrs. Utz said she "didn't have the stomach" for his kind of humor.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

After some more thought, I've decided that "The Benefactor" is my favorite episode of the season, and quite probably one of the top three of the year. The easiest reason why is because I've been thinking about it over and over again since I saw it last night, and because it seriously forced me to re-evaluate what kind of person I think Don Draper is, without really ever thinking that he was acting out of character. Recall Don's line from The Hobo Code last season, where he told Ken that there was a time where "seduction is over and force is actually being requested." I never got the comparison between Tony Soprano and Don Draper before, but I certainly do now.

I read an interview with David Chase where he said (I'm paraphrasing from memory here) that when your lead solves a problem he has, there's an satisfaction to that for the viewer that's completely independent of how morally questionable the means to solve it were. That's the principle that The Sopranos made its bread and butter on, and it's also at work here. From the viewer's POV, Don has two problems: Roger's on his case to resolve this thing someway, because there wouldn't have been a problem had Don been at work rather than playing hooky at his local art-house watching Alain Resnais; and Don has been very submissive lately, losing a lot of fights work and getting bossed around at home. So when Don attacks Bobbie, it's both satisfying to watch and really terrible. You want him to win this one, but you don't at the same time.

I thought the other subplots were fine as well. Harry's position felt very relatable at a host of levels, and there were a lot of things about the story that I loved: Sal's line that "you can't doing anything about it; that's why you don't tell your wife", which of course isn't just about Harry's salary; Harry not telling Jennifer what the [i]Defenders[/i] episode is about, because he doesn't think that she'll approve; Roger pretending not to know Harry's name, and then lying to him about the payscale (which of course Harry can't refute without mentioning that he was snooping); and mostly that we saw Harry acting as an ambitious guy, not just the local 'nice guy' of the office.

And finally, I can't get enough of the line, "That nut is important to Utz, and Utz is important to us." It's a thing of beauty.

[quote name='rhombencephalon' post='1475003' date='Aug 11 2008, 07.35']When does AMC usually show reruns of the most recent episode?[/quote]

There's another airing at midnight tonight, and then again at 9:30 tomorrow morning, and then again at ten am on Sunday morning. Alternatively, it will be on iTunes, if it isn't already.

[Rhom]

I got a chance to see it this morning... and also discovered that it is available On Demand. So that's good to know. If I miss future episodes, I can track them down at my leisure during the week.

I liked the episode. Betty still confuses me. She obviously didn't want Sally with her so she could be alone with the guy at the horse farm, but then she completely rebuffed him... I was expecting some sort of flirting on her part. Her break down at the end and convincing herself that this really is what she wants seemed a little forced. Don's "threat" to Bobby near the end was interesting; what exactly was he doing there checking her fluid levels? Seeing if she was a quart low? Its an interesting direction for the character, but not one that I saw coming. I also enjoyed watching Peggy squirm in discomfort during the pitch to Belle Jolie.

The episode came with more commercials than I have been accustomed to this season. Particularly for Progressive... with their erstwhile saleswoman Flo, which reminded me that we havn't seen the switchboard ladies all season. Wonder whatever happened to Flo's role on the show?

[Commodore]

So was Betty crying for the reason she said?

[Blaine]

I think Betty didn't expect the guy at the horse farm to come on quite so strong and it shook her up, obviously. Maybe she expecting a subtler advance, like the AC salesman or the mechanic. Either way, she's playing a dangerous game and I'm fairly certain she doesn't know what she wants out of it... other than some excitement.

I also think she was crying in the car because she's happy. She felt like she and Don were a power couple and they saved the account together. She wasn't just a trophy who wasn't allowed to speak.

The irony is that she was the distraction for the comedian while Don saved the account with his move on his manager. And if Betty had known exactly what Don had done, she would've been mortified, hurt and furious.

Like last season, their marriage seems to work best when its built on lies.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Spoilers for episode 2.4, "Three Sundays", starting now:

This is the first episode to make me think seriously that it must be a pain in the ass to work for Don Draper. "I've had a sudden revelation that requires you to throw out weeks of work. Figure out what it means! And don't forget to babysit." Conversely, Duck's position seems more sympathetic; he might not have a lot of scruples, but he's also responsible for smoothing over a lot of discontent that nobody else really cares about.

Also, and Peggy is my favorite character, but I absolutely can't get upset with her sister for her confession, even if it was manipulative. Anita's complaint seems basically justified; she's picking up the slack for Peggy and her husband (lying on the couch two weekends in a row?), and not getting a lot of support for it. Father Gil's response is interesting; he's definitely more reserved, but he doesn't seem condescending or judging, and there's a genuine rapport with Peggy that seems more friendly than sexual.

[Rhom]

I liked the episode overall. I was wondering how the interaction with Don and his family was going to play out. I suppose this is probably the most he's ever told Betty about his past. It will be interesting to see how much he starts to open up to his wife about things from here out.

Was this the first time we've seen Cooper this season? It almost seems like he's gone from eccentric grandfatherly source of wisdom to the precipice of being hidden from public view. Maybe I was reading more into it than was intended though when Duck thanked the girl for getting rid of him.

Also, wasn't Don the one who brought Duck on board to begin with? His comment of "I thought he came here to bring us new business, not lose old business" seemed aimed at Roger.

[Tears of Lys]

[quote name='rhombencephalon' post='1484056' date='Aug 18 2008, 07.24']/snip

Also, wasn't Don the one who brought Duck on board to begin with? His comment of "I thought he came here to bring us new business, not lose old business" seemed aimed at Roger.[/quote]

Yeah, that's what I remembered too. I admit to being slightly confused as to what's going on with Duck.

[Blaine]

[quote name='Spiro T. Agnew' post='1483816' date='Aug 17 2008, 22.29']This is the first episode to make me think seriously that it must be a pain in the ass to work for Don Draper. "I've had a sudden revelation that requires you to throw out weeks of work. Figure out what it means! And don't forget to babysit." Conversely, Duck's position seems more sympathetic; he might not have a lot of scruples, but he's also responsible for smoothing over a lot of discontent that nobody else really cares about.[/quote]
One thing I like about this season is the tension between Don & Duck. There's two sides to every agency. One is the creative, the other is client service. If the creative talent gets too involved with the clients and starts trying to create work just to give clients what they want - then you ruin the process and end up with crappy advertising. They showed some of this last year with Pete pitching his "backbone" idea to the steel company. If the account service gets too involved with the work, believing in it, defending it - then they lose their gift at keeping clients happy.

As much as it sucks to have a guy like Don call a lateral creative move late in the game - it's also exactly what a good Creative Director should do. Find the right vision for the campaign and make sure everything reinforces it. Even if it means throwing out the old ideas at the 11th hour. Weaker CD's have trouble making those decisions or don't want to stick their necks out that far if it doesn't work out. Don's sudden revelations are what's made the agency a success thus far and everyone there knows it. He's made a career of having the right instincts and getting clients to buy in. I'd rather work for a guy like Don than someone like Paul - who just does what it takes to get by. Or a Salvatore who doesn't see the big picture beyond the graphics.

Duck may have his differences with Don, but his line to the account guys about following Don's lead and their role in picking the fruit from the tree is dead on. Account service should never dictate the creative direction. It's not their job.

Just like it ultimately isn't Don's job to decide whether to drop Mohawk and go after American.

[quote]Also, and Peggy is my favorite character, but I absolutely can't get upset with her sister for her confession, even if it was manipulative. Anita's complaint seems basically justified; she's picking up the slack for Peggy and her husband (lying on the couch two weekends in a row?), and not getting a lot of support for it. Father Gil's response is interesting; he's definitely more reserved, but he doesn't seem condescending or judging, and there's a genuine rapport with Peggy that seems more friendly than sexual.[/quote]

One thing we still don't really know about Peggy and her sister is exactly how the whole baby thing went down. We know Peggy was deemed unfit to make decisions and that her sister ended up with the baby. But we really don't know whether Peggy tried to give the child up for general adoption and the family intervened. That seems the most likely course of events to me.

And if that's the case, then Anita's confession is all the more suspect. If Peggy tried to give the baby up for a general adoption and the family wouldn't let her, then complaining about taking care of Peggy's child is completely unfair. Plus, it's obvious she did her best to make Peggy sound worse than she was: A seductress who slept with a married man. Not a girl who made a mistake on her first week and slept with an engaged man who pursued her.

It seems like her real motivation is that she is jealous of Peggy's career and her freedom. She's done everything the way women are supposed to. She's stuck taking care of kids. She's stuck with the Mom and the useless husband. And she wanted to tarnish Peggy's rep with Father Gil, who paid more attention to Peggy than her. All in all, I thought it was pretty cruel.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

[quote name='Blaine23' post='1484463' date='Aug 18 2008, 12.28']One thing we still don't really know about Peggy and her sister is exactly how the whole baby thing went down. We know Peggy was deemed unfit to make decisions and that her sister ended up with the baby. But we really don't know whether Peggy tried to give the child up for general adoption and the family intervened. That seems the most likely course of events to me.[/quote]

Well, I guess this probably comes down to how we interpet what went down already; my suspicion is that Peggy said nothing, or as little as possible, about the pregnancy, and as of the end of "The Wheel" it certainly didn't seem that she was up for making decisions about the child. Based on how she treats the child even now, she's got some kind of mental block on the subject. My guess is that she didn't make any decisions at all concerning the child, and that there was no small amount of pressure from Peggy's mom to ensure that the baby stayed with the family somehow. If your version of events is correct, then I agree that it sounds more suspect.

RC & ToL:

I think Don's hypocrisy is deliberate (on MW's part, anyway). It's like when a child screws up and suddenly he's YOUR son, not MY son. Don's basic complaint may be justified, but going after Roger (who was at the time convalescing) for the hire he made is pretty silly. And the decision to drop Mohawk and go after American wasn't only Duck's.

[Commodore]

Don is always either angry or tired and he lets his emotions affect his behavior, very childlike and not very Don-like. What's changed this season?

[Blaine]

Well, this the angry and tired part really isn't that new. This is the same guy that skipped his own child's birthday party to get drunk and sleep in a car. But the frustration and behavior I would say is Don trying to adapt. I think last season was about him realizing his compartmentalizing was ruining his family. Now he's trying to atone for what he's done and change his ways. He's also always had a soft spot for the boy, who he obviously sees as a chance to correct his own upbringing. The two scenes they've had together were both incredibly poignant - last season had the late night "I'll never lie to you" talk. I think the scene between them in Three Sundays is even better. I got choked up when the kid said "we need to get you a new daddy."

Speaking of guys going through changes, what's up with Roger? At first I thought they were playing Sterling as becoming as out of it as Cooper. It seemed weird to me that he wouldn't understand that Mrs. Hasselback was really a call girl. The more I think about Roger's scenes, it seems like he's strongly considering divorce. His kid doesn't need him anymore. He had a heart attack so he knows time is precious. He assumes that the call girl is a second wife. And then he pays extra to kiss her and take her dinner.

But its really his line, after Don's "we hired him to get new business, not lose old business" when he waxes on about the chase, the lightheaded feeling and all that. I think Roger will leave his wife. Maybe for Joan.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

[quote name='Blaine23' post='1486012' date='Aug 19 2008, 12.40']But its really his line, after Don's "we hired him to get new business, not lose old business" when he waxes on about the chase, the lightheaded feeling and all that. I think Roger will leave his wife. Maybe for Joan.[/quote]

I don't know. Once Roger actually catches another woman (and I tend to think that the Joan ship has sailed, but I could be wrong), she'd quickly become old business. I don't think he wants a second wife as much as a second (or third, or fourth) adolescence.

Commodore:

Among other things, I think he feels really out of place. He's always felt that way at home--see "Marriage of Figaro" from last season--but increasingly he feels that way at work too. And also, he's lost his escape route. Women like Midge and Rachel represented the possibility of escape from his life and his obligations: the day of his Lucky Strike pitch, when he wants to be anywhere else but where he is, he half-jokingly proposes to Midge; when Pete threatens to blow his secret, he asks Rachel to run away with him. Obviously, he's not more faithful to Betty now; but I really don't see him fantasizing about running away with Bobbie Barrett. He doesn't even seem to like her very much. So while he's feeling more out of step at work, he doesn't have a Plan B. I don't think he feels like he can skip out on his life right now, even if he wants to.

BTW, here's Matt Weiner in [url="http://www.multichannel.com/blog/1300000330/post/1570015957.html"]an interview[/url] from right after the season one finale:

[quote]If you read John Cheever - there’s no one who charts the inner workings of the male mind [better]. And the women are amazing in his books too. They’re AMAZING. Every once in awhile there’s this current of selfishness and deep want and need and he’s just amazing.

At a certain point his characters – they keep changing and they leave Shady Hill – and end up in Rome, then back in NY, and then in Los Angeles, in the 70’s and then he basically stopped writing. I always felt that that journey, that is Don [Draper].

I wouldn’t blow it but I always said that this man in 1966 probably will be in an ashram. Or something like that. He will be expanding his mind. How could you NOT see this man needs meaning?[/quote]

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

[url="http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2008/08/tv-this-weeke-3.html"]Vague-ish spoilers[/url] about Sunday's episode "The New Girl", which looks to be fairly big, plot-wise:

SPOILER: Mad Men

"Pity anything that goes against the Olympics on Sunday. But if you want first-rate scripted drama, try AMC's "Mad Men" at 10 p.m. Sunday. The episode provides crucial insights into Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss, pictured) -- information that fans have wanted since last season's cliffhanger. We learn more about the relationship of Peggy and her boss, enigmatic Don Draper (Jon Hamm). We learn about Don's new secretary and latest lies. We hear Mozart as it has never been played before. And Moss gives a brilliant, subtle performance."

I take this to mean that my speculation that Don knows about Peggy's baby is true. But this show is hard to predict; I was certain that American Airlines and Shel Kenneally would be around, client-wise, for the rest of the season.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

This is the first episode with a sole writing credit for Robin Veith, once Matt Weiner's writing assistant (and co-writer of the finale last year) and she knocks it out of the park. Spoilers for "The New Girl" starting now:

Blaine said a few weeks ago that he thought Don wouldn't think kindly of Peggy for getting pregnant, because it would remind him of his mother and the circumstances of his birth. I guess we can take from this episode that he sees it slightly differently--he looks at Peggy, committed and under observation, and sees Dick Whitman trapped in a cage. He doesn't see a whore, he sees himself. And so he gives her the most helpful piece of advice he knows, the one he got from the hobo almost thirty years ago: get away from all this anyway you can. The Don-Peggy relationship is unique in the show for the depth of caring and mutual respect without an overabundance of lies, and to me that was easily the most profoundly moving moment in the series, even more so than Don's pitch in The Wheel. For the first time, watching this show, I was blinking back tears.

Unlike other emotional whoppers ("The Wheel", "The Hobo Code", "5G"), this was also a hilarious episode: Freddy Rumsen playing Mozart, Ken's "Title? I'm Ken! ...Ken Cosgrove?", "Pitch your tents elsewhere," and Sterling-Cooper's oldest fourteen-year-old, Pete Campbell. From "I'm a red-blooded American male!" to the odd inclusion of an issue of Time on Pearl Harbor to the sudden cut to (oh lord) Roger on the ball-and-paddle... my god.

And then there was Bobbie; I'm surprised and grateful for the glimpse of her relatively-kinder side, because she's listed for the next episodes and probably a few more after that, and I'd hate to think that she'd make me squirm the whole way through the season. She still seems damaged (she as much as admits to being a victim of domestic violence, which fits her character), but she gives Peggy valuable advice and generally seems more human. There's a lot in her scene with Don in the car, when they're acting so happy and he says, "I feel nothing"... actually, scratch that. There's a lot in this episode, period. "The New Girl" is in the top three episodes of the series, undoubtedly. Maybe even the best one yet.

[Blaine]

I was definitely totally wrong on whether Don knew about the PeteSpawn. But I liked that scene with he and Peggy quite a bit. It also looks like I'm likely to be wrong about whether Peggy tried to give up the kid for general adoption. From the looks of last night's episode - she just went into some sort of shock state or catatonic shutdown.

As for the rest of the episode, I wasn't sure what they were trying to show us with Pete... other than likely set up a situation for him to learn he already has a son.

Same thing with Don's new secretary and Joan's engagement. Felt like setup material. Even Don's wreck seemed like fuel for whatever is building between him and Betty.

I'm not sure I'd rank it quite so highly. But that might have a lot to do with the fact that I don't care about the Bobbie Barritt relationship. Unlike Midge or Rachel, Don doesn't seem to have much of a connection with her at all. Even though he'll apparently ditch work and drive to a beach in order to try feel something. And most of her scenes with Peggy didn't seem to go anywhere. Except for the last one.

The New Girl feels like more of a plot buildup than anything else. Somewhat transparently so. Whereas midseason episodes last year like Hobo Code, Shoot, etc - felt more like well crafted short stories.

[Rhom]

Missed it last night... but I checked the On Demand at lunch and it is ready to go at my whim. I'll check it out tonight.

[RedEyedGhost]

[quote name='Blaine23' post='1493681' date='Aug 25 2008, 09.30']The New Girl feels like more of a plot buildup than anything else. Somewhat transparently so. Whereas midseason episodes last year like Hobo Code, Shoot, etc - felt more like well crafted short stories.[/quote]

I agree this episode was all buildup. But I don't mind because it was still very enjoyable, and I think the set up will pay off in big ways later. It is too bad that is wasn't as masterfully done as last season, but they were able to sneak in many more laughs than I've ever expected in an episode.

Does Don know that Peggy's son is Petespawn?