Mad Men

**Rhyis.** · 2010-09-01 00:52

Now that's a bender you can be proud of.

**Alvein** · 2010-09-01 01:50

Spoiler: show

**ZarakiKujata** · 2010-09-01 06:53

Originally Posted by Alvein

Spoiler: show

I think one of the points of the last 2 episodes was to show us that Roger has become a petulant child thats holding back Pete/Lane/Don as they try to build the company with ep 5 and then his tantrum w/ Joan in 6 to reinforce his childlike emotional state. Last episode wasn't made to make us hate Don as much as to parallel Don's beginning with the new kid he hired and to parallel Don as he is now with Roger.

**Talint** · 2010-09-05 22:04

Jesus fuck that yanked my heart strings...

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-05 22:23

What an episode.

Spoiler: show

I love the way that Peggy is growing up and everyone around her seems to be standing still. She's still coming to terms with her place in the world, but every episode she takes another step of growth. All of the men in her life are pushing her around and pulling her in different directions. Don, Duck, and Mark. They each have different expectations and demands of her, and each know her in a different way. Mark thinks she's virginal and needs to be catered to, taken care of. Mark is just old fashioned enough to not see that she's an evolving woman. Duck needs her to remind him of youth and promise. He's quickly circling the drain clinging on to anything good, or convenient. As soon as Peggy rebukes him, she's just a whore.

Don is the only man in her life that she feels relates to him and it's because he demands the best from her. She loves her job and is on the cusp of being a very important person at the struggling agency. The one thing she knows that she wants is to be good at her job. Peggy and Don are crazy, driven, and competitive. They're the same kind of crazy. They accept that the tension and high emotions is an important dynamic to drive them to create the best product that they can.

One thing I really loved about the episode is the way that Don and Peggy opened up to each other. There's so much about this show that we, the viewer, get to know and understand that we might take for granted the fact that it's not info everyone has. The way they opened up might seem like normal exposition on any other show, but it was real growth to the characters of Mad Men. There's a really strong father/daughter aspect to their relationship that is starting to go beyond mentor/student. They understand each other in a way that both are longing for, but I dread the idea of them hooking up.

I'd love to say that this is finally the episode where Don has hit rock bottom. His throwing up in the SDCP bathroom really made me groan. I could almost smell it. That might be the least Don Draper thing we've ever seen him do. Think back to the pilot where he was practically the James Bond of ad agencies. I would love to say that it's time for the healing to begin for Don (and the symbolism of his door at the end would suggest that he's on his way) but there was something too clean and obvious about it for me to just accept it. He's taking steps in the right direction, but I still feel uneasy proclaiming that the dark days are behind.

**Baelorn** · 2010-09-05 23:32

Not a big fan of this show(well, S1 and S2 anyway) but that was an amazing episode. Peggy is my favorite character and damn you Tric for saying everything I was going to

.

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-06 00:05

Ha. It's one of my favorite shows to talk about, so I say a lot. I picked the show up in season 3 myself, but it grew on me quickly. My girlfriend got me into it.

**Laugana** · 2010-09-06 11:40

For a moment I thought Don was going to spill the beans about who he was to Peggy. To sort of pass the mantle to someone else now that no one else knows, well, except for Betty.

**ZarakiKujata** · 2010-09-06 13:46

Originally Posted by Laugana

For a moment I thought Don was going to spill the beans about who he was to Peggy. To sort of pass the mantle to someone else now that no one else knows, well, except for Betty.

He didn't have to, I took her response about it not being true that nobody else knows who he really is as her acknowledging the events of the last 8 hours and her assumption of that mantle. I also came to the realization watching last night that all this out of control alcoholism beyond whats normal for Don started after he got the bad news in California, even going back to his outing with Lane. It was never about his life being out of control but rather dreading her death. Now that she's gone he should be done with his bender since he has never been the sentimental type.

Anyways, I was in tears laughing at the revelations about his secretary being a hellcat (she seems too old/Roger's fighting in WWII makes him too young to have seen her when she was hot?) and that neither that nor Cooper having no balls is as startling as Roger writing his memoirs.. In general I've found the comic relief this season to be as great as the drama. Also, has anybody else noticed that this season has been much more about one on one conversations/situations that exclude 90% of the cast compared to previous seasons? I can understand not having Betty/kids in every week but Joan had 1 line, no Lane, Pete/Roger had 2 short scenes. I understand it was the 2nd part of a Peggy/Don centric storyline but this isnt the first episode this season thats barely utilized SCDP employees beyond Peggy/Don..

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-06 18:29

"If I wanted to see two negroes fight I'd throw a dollar out my window."

**Alvein** · 2010-09-06 23:52

I miss Cooper, he had a small role in the episode with Honda, but otherwise he has been practically invisible

**Rhyis.** · 2010-09-07 00:07

Originally Posted by ZarakiKujata

I also came to the realization watching last night that all this out of control alcoholism beyond whats normal for Don started after he got the bad news in California, even going back to his outing with Lane. It was never about his life being out of control but rather dreading her death. Now that she's gone he should be done with his bender since he has never been the sentimental type.

I agree with this assessment. I'm of the opinion that's what the final scene in the episode ("leave the door open.") was meant to represent. Don choosing to interact with society again.

**thestalkmore** · 2010-09-07 16:44

Last night's episode was phenomenal. Best of the series without question. Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss were so fucking on point and should sweep the Emmy's next year.

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-12 22:22

What a weird and wonderful episode.

Spoiler: show

I still feel like they have jumped the gun with Don's road back up. I feel like his chastity and responsible nature just feels a bit premature. I know that he lost something of great value to him in the last episode, but there's something that still feels unearned about it. Ironically, I feel like his nature in this episode is probably more realistic than my expectations. He's clearly shocked into making substantial change, but it feels like it came so fast. I feel like this episode really went out of it's way to highlight his vices and problems, as if we're discovering them with Don, and if that's the case, I kind of wish it was full tilt Don.

With that being said, I fucking love Don Draper at his most pimp. He's in this desperate fugue and hasn't even realized how much growth he's experienced compared to Betty. I felt like all of that was pretty amazing, but again, it felt very strange. He talked a lot in this episode about how lost he is via inner monologue, but I didn't really feel it. I felt it a lot more in previous episodes. I loved that Betty is growing up some because that character really, really, needed it. Henry's frustration was palpable dealing with a child in a woman's body who only knows how to act spiteful. He called her out on her shit, but lost it himself. Henry wants to be a reasonable man, but dealing with Betty turned him into a child too.

It all felt very strange to me. Not bad by any means, but strange. Instead of a breeze blowing in to make subtle changes to the world we have this tornado of change. The whole mood of the episode. Dr. Miller suddenly accepts Don's invite to a date. The chaste young co-ed wooing Don suddenly goes down on him. Don rejecting alcohol, then not, then again, then not.

The Peggy/Joan storyline was just as baffling to me. Joan is such a queen bitch and I have such a love hate relationship with just about every aspect of her character. I fucking hate her husband so much. I cannot express my desire for him to die in Vietnam. I really thought it was going to be marriage rape act two. I really felt for her grief at his leaving, but I know full well she does it to herself. Every opportunity other characters take (beyond a select few) to get close to her, especially Peggy, is rebuked. Then she goes home to her rapist husband to cry about him leaving. She's an amazingly lonely character.

I have such a love/hate relationship with the locker room boy's club in the bullpen of SDCP. They're usually really funny, but they're also the kind of guys who have always made my life miserable. I loved that Peggy put Joey in his place and I have to wonder how much of what Joan said to Peggy is true or if it's just the usual Joan bitchiness shining through. I loved the reaction of Peggy to the realization that she could fire somebody and I'm glad she did. That character continues to grow up in huge gains.

Overall it was a good episode, but it was definitely weird.

**Rhyis.** · 2010-09-13 14:30

The reflective tone in this episode was phenomenal.

**ZarakiKujata** · 2010-09-13 21:20

Really dug this episode, but holy shit are they jumping forward in time quickly... Next season is gonna be 67 at this rate, do they plan to go into the 1970s? Also, I was really expecting Don to get all advertising philosophical about Mountain Dew and ice cold beverages when he had the slow-motion on everybody drinking during the meeting. Also, I thought he was checking Peggy out until he looked at Joey..

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-13 21:36

That sig is fucking disturbing dude, lol.

**Rhyis.** · 2010-09-13 21:41

Sue Johanson would be proud.

**ZarakiKujata** · 2010-09-13 21:46

last frame could easily be used for a dat ass pic lol

**Trichocyst** · 2010-09-13 22:37

It really could. Ha. I loved Don's reaction to all that. "What a weird kid..."

I think of one of the things that made last week's episode so jarring was Don narrating. After thinking about it, it's the only time we've ever really been inside his thought process.

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