Mad Men (contains spoilers) - Page 6

hazey · 05-22-2013, 07:54 PM

-----------It's a lengthy post again.---------------

*Yep, this was a divisive episode; people either hate it or love it, there's very little middle ground. For me, it had some good things, some repetitive and redundant things, it was a bit hokey, but most of all I found it quite funny. The tap dancing and freestyle rapping Ken Cosgrove instantly became a self-contained entity, very much like the lawnmower accident from S3, which, incidentally, was also Ken's doing (he brought in the John Deere).

*Donald Francis Draper... that guy has died a thousand deaths. How much deeper into the pit of hell does Matthew Weiner intend on dragging him? There will come a point when he will no longer be able to resurrect him, and I'm thinking that's probably where we're headed; the point of no return. Weiner might want to consider stepping outside of the David Chase box for a little while. The view's different on the outside. There's sunshine there, flowers, kittens and stuff.

*The whorehouse flashbacks are especially awkward and painful. Firstly, they're unnecessary and incredibly on the nose. No subtlety whatsoever. We're a smart audience and could deduce what probably happened to young Dick growing up in an unloving and soul-crushing environment of a brothel once we've seen those recollections he's had a few episodes ago.

*Secondly, Weiner waited until S6 to "confront" Don (and us) with these horrible traumas from his childhood (and then hit us over the head with them), when that should've been made explicit much sooner in the story. Perhaps the idea is that Don was blocking out that specific period of his life and it only came up implicitly (calling Betty a whore when he found out about Henry, or having a prostitute repeatedly slap him in the face in S4). Nevertheless, the nightmares should've surfaced earlier than S6 because they're much worse and telling than the memories of an impoverished life in the country.

*Thirdly, the flashbacks make clear that Don has been around "whores" and violent mother substitutes for most of his adolescence, possibly even during young adulthood. It's a miracle he functions around human beings at all. Really, Weiner, do something about that. He has children that he's about to lose forever now that he's leaving them alone at night.

*That said, "The Crash" flashbacks are just as formative of Don's personality as the ones in the superior "The Hobo Code". Again, the theme of duality is prominent; the prostitute's name is Amy, but it's really spelled Aimée (I bet she's not even a real blonde); she cares for a sick boy but is a sexual predator at the same time; the boy is a child but also a (young) man, etc. The birthmark/head scarf motif was a bit of a stretch, I thought. Maybe because of the way it was presented, i.e. Don suddenly being frantically consumed (yeah, he was doped up too) by the image of a woman with a beauty mark on her right cheek and wearing the head scarf.

Also, in terms of Don losing track of time, this was a much more interesting episode than "Waldorf Stories".

*Peggy was wonderful. The voice of reason and a nourishing mother to all the menchildren high on speed and running rampant in the office. I suppose this is why they left out Joan in this episode because she would've never in a million years allow for that chaos to happen. She was mildly tipsy but Peggy saw right through all of Don's gibberish ideas for the Chevy ad (Ginsberg, who wasn't high or drunk, didn't even catch on that Don was babbling about a woman, not a car, in that last pitch. - Speaking of Ginsberg; the writers really are not doing anything with that character, are they?) At certain moments the episode had the makings of "The Suitcase" redux, but I'm glad they didn't go there. Don would've had a complete mental breakdown (not that he wasn't close to it anyway), straitjacket and all.

*Ida... Blackenship? Why that scene? They could've made clear that Don and Megan are terrible parents in any other way, but they chose the wildly improbable black burglar posing as a grandmother scenario. It could be a callback to creepy Grandma Pauline from "Mystery Date", but it's so random and absurd (the actress was great) that it defies any reasoning. Unless it's some sort of a set-up for Don telling his children about Dick Whitman and Korea. Or maybe she was the real Don Draper's nanny. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Gene: "Will you stop it, Viola."
Carla: "My name is not Viola."
Gene: "Do you know Viola?"
Carla: "We don't all know each other, Mr. Hofstadt."

*"Do you know Henry's running for office?"....oh, how I've missed you, you skinny, blonde, vitriolic acid spewing Betty Draper Francis.

*Jim Cutler = The Perviest SCDP/CGC Dweller

*Too many employees at the office currently. Get rid of the two CGC creatives.

*What is the matter with little Gene? He should be 5 years old by now, yet he doesn't speak, emote or walk. ??

*Did the writers inadvertently give Bobby Draper the best line in the history of Mad Men: "Are we negroes?"

*Yes, the merger is all kinds of "arghhhh!". Not just for Peggy, but for everyone involved. And it's all Don's fault. ALL of it. Deciding what's best for the business all on his own, ambushing other partners and co-workers under a pretense that it's the most logical progression in the agency's life. "I did this wrong once before", he tells Peggy when he asks her to join him, yet again, at a newfangled agency. Newsflash, Draper: you're still doing it wrong. And now he doesn't even want to actively work on the Chevy campaign anymore! The next fistfight should be between Don and Pete, and Pete should knock him out.

*Joan's signature pen necklace... yep, it's gone. She's dressing differently too now that she's a partner. Not as many figure hugging dresses, but more executive/business type suits and ensembles. The padding has gotten a bit out of hand, though.

*I recently rewatched the pilot episode, and good lord.... Don is a chronic sleeper! He comes into work after a night at Midge's, he has two brief meetings, one which is with Roger who mentions their 11 o'clock meeting with Menken's department store. He then lies down on the couch to take a nap and in the next scene Peggy comes in to wake him up because Pete is waiting outside for their 11 o'clock meeting. 11 o'clock! Don was taking an elaborate nap before 11 o'clock AM! And he knows he messed up too because he asks Peggy if Pete's aware that he's been sleeping all this time. Haha!

I think that's about it.

Joyful · 05-28-2013, 10:34 PM

I was not a huge fan of 2 episodes ago. It was crazy, a little hokey and heavy handed with young Don in the whorehouse.
This last episode however I loved. I was waiting or the Don / Betty moment, and it did not disappoint. And Betty's line about Don was perfect, cutting and so spot on. Betty's ego is a whole other thing, but I'm glad that she had that moment.

And then the actual cutting with Peggy. The ambulance scene was funny and tragic.

05-22-2013, 07:54 PM	#151
hazey Draper's Girl Friday Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Netherlands Posts: 1,910	-----------It's a lengthy post again.--------------- Yep, this was a divisive episode; people either hate it or love it, there's very little middle ground. For me, it had some good things, some repetitive and redundant things, it was a bit hokey, but most of all I found it quite funny. The tap dancing and freestyle rapping Ken Cosgrove instantly became a self-contained entity, very much like the lawnmower accident from S3, which, incidentally, was also Ken's doing (he brought in the John Deere). Donald Francis Draper... that guy has died a thousand deaths. How much deeper into the pit of hell does Matthew Weiner intend on dragging him? There will come a point when he will no longer be able to resurrect him, and I'm thinking that's probably where we're headed; the point of no return. Weiner might want to consider stepping outside of the David Chase box for a little while. The view's different on the outside. There's sunshine there, flowers, kittens and stuff. The whorehouse flashbacks are especially awkward and painful. Firstly, they're unnecessary and incredibly on the nose. No subtlety whatsoever. We're a smart audience and could deduce what probably happened to young Dick growing up in an unloving and soul-crushing environment of a brothel once we've seen those recollections he's had a few episodes ago. Secondly, Weiner waited until S6 to "confront" Don (and us) with these horrible traumas from his childhood (and then hit us over the head with them), when that should've been made explicit much sooner in the story. Perhaps the idea is that Don was blocking out that specific period of his life and it only came up implicitly (calling Betty a whore when he found out about Henry, or having a prostitute repeatedly slap him in the face in S4). Nevertheless, the nightmares should've surfaced earlier than S6 because they're much worse and telling than the memories of an impoverished life in the country. Thirdly, the flashbacks make clear that Don has been around "whores" and violent mother substitutes for most of his adolescence, possibly even during young adulthood. It's a miracle he functions around human beings at all. Really, Weiner, do something about that. He has children that he's about to lose forever now that he's leaving them alone at night. That said, "The Crash" flashbacks are just as formative of Don's personality as the ones in the superior "The Hobo Code". Again, the theme of duality is prominent; the prostitute's name is Amy, but it's really spelled Aimée (I bet she's not even a real blonde); she cares for a sick boy but is a sexual predator at the same time; the boy is a child but also a (young) man, etc. The birthmark/head scarf motif was a bit of a stretch, I thought. Maybe because of the way it was presented, i.e. Don suddenly being frantically consumed (yeah, he was doped up too) by the image of a woman with a beauty mark on her right cheek and wearing the head scarf. Also, in terms of Don losing track of time, this was a much more interesting episode than "Waldorf Stories". Peggy was wonderful. The voice of reason and a nourishing mother to all the menchildren high on speed and running rampant in the office. I suppose this is why they left out Joan in this episode because she would've never in a million years allow for that chaos to happen. She was mildly tipsy but Peggy saw right through all of Don's gibberish ideas for the Chevy ad (Ginsberg, who wasn't high or drunk, didn't even catch on that Don was babbling about a woman, not a car, in that last pitch. - Speaking of Ginsberg; the writers really are not doing anything with that character, are they?) At certain moments the episode had the makings of "The Suitcase" redux, but I'm glad they didn't go there. Don would've had a complete mental breakdown (not that he wasn't close to it anyway), straitjacket and all. Ida... Blackenship? Why that scene? They could've made clear that Don and Megan are terrible parents in any other way, but they chose the wildly improbable black burglar posing as a grandmother scenario. It could be a callback to creepy Grandma Pauline from "Mystery Date", but it's so random and absurd (the actress was great) that it defies any reasoning. Unless it's some sort of a set-up for Don telling his children about Dick Whitman and Korea. Or maybe she was the real Don Draper's nanny. Wouldn't that be a hoot? Gene: "Will you stop it, Viola." Carla: "My name is not Viola." Gene: "Do you know Viola?" Carla: "We don't all know each other, Mr. Hofstadt." "Do you know Henry's running for office?"....oh, how I've missed you, you skinny, blonde, vitriolic acid spewing Betty Draper Francis. Jim Cutler = The Perviest SCDP/CGC Dweller Too many employees at the office currently. Get rid of the two CGC creatives. What is the matter with little Gene? He should be 5 years old by now, yet he doesn't speak, emote or walk. ?? Did the writers inadvertently give Bobby Draper the best line in the history of Mad Men: "Are we negroes?" Yes, the merger is all kinds of "arghhhh!". Not just for Peggy, but for everyone involved. And it's all Don's fault. ALL of it. Deciding what's best for the business all on his own, ambushing other partners and co-workers under a pretense that it's the most logical progression in the agency's life. "I did this wrong once before", he tells Peggy when he asks her to join him, yet again, at a newfangled agency. Newsflash, Draper: you're still doing it wrong. And now he doesn't even want to actively work on the Chevy campaign anymore! The next fistfight should be between Don and Pete, and Pete should knock him out. Joan's signature pen necklace... yep, it's gone. She's dressing differently too now that she's a partner. Not as many figure hugging dresses, but more executive/business type suits and ensembles. The padding has gotten a bit out of hand, though. I recently rewatched the pilot episode, and good lord.... Don is a chronic sleeper! He comes into work after a night at Midge's, he has two brief meetings, one which is with Roger who mentions their 11 o'clock meeting with Menken's department store. He then lies down on the couch to take a nap and in the next scene Peggy comes in to wake him up because Pete is waiting outside for their 11 o'clock meeting. 11 o'clock! Don was taking an elaborate nap before 11 o'clock AM! And he knows he messed up too because he asks Peggy if Pete's aware that he's been sleeping all this time. Haha! I think that's about it. __________________ "We de-whimsified ourselves. Yep, we're normal now."

05-28-2013, 10:34 PM	#152
Joyful Eskimama Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: United States Posts: 1,276	I was not a huge fan of 2 episodes ago. It was crazy, a little hokey and heavy handed with young Don in the whorehouse. This last episode however I loved. I was waiting or the Don / Betty moment, and it did not disappoint. And Betty's line about Don was perfect, cutting and so spot on. Betty's ego is a whole other thing, but I'm glad that she had that moment. And then the actual cutting with Peggy. The ambulance scene was funny and tragic. __________________ "It's not perfect, but it's mine."