Mad Men (contains spoilers)

[Joyful]

Booooo, is right.

[hazey]

Yep, everyone's worst fear (well, second worst fear, the worst being the show never returning again) ...disgusting that it's all because of money.... *grunt grunt grunt*

Guess we'll have to keep ourselves busy with rewatches and I've also ordered this...





Should be an interesting read.

[hazey]

Oh and, if this drags on they might have a problem with Kiernan Shipka's age. She won't look no twelve years old in 2012. The writers might have to take a big(ger) chronological leap into the late '60s.

[mariaoran]

^Not to mention yet another Bobby!

[hazey]

Gotta love this collage:




I could live with a new Bobby, but a new Sally (not that Weiner would ever go there) would definitely test my patience. I always wonder what would happen if circumstances conspired and they had to let go or replace a vital character like it happens on soap operas. I remember fans mourning the loss of Sal, and later resenting the writers for ditching even Paul (never much cared for him myself). I can't imagine what would happen if a character like Pete or Peggy had to go.

[mariaoran]

Pete I could live without, Sal on the other hand, I'm still a bit upset about. But yeah, I don't think sally is a character with actress replacing potential.

[hazey]

Oh, I love me some Peter Dyckman Campbell. Next to Don he's probably the most fascinating character on the show. Although I do miss the slimey, greasy, coniving weasel and borderline psychopath that he was in the earlier seasons. God, he was so relentlessly cruel and vicious to Peggy, observing and stalking her around the office, like a predator about to jump its prey. I think it’s great that he has leverage over Don knowing his real name and whatnot, because, now with Cooper presumably gone, somebody needs to keep the loose Draper cannon in line. I loved, LOVED the way Pete dropped the $4 million NAA account, ostensibly saving Don’s ass (but really saving his own), and Don subsequently paying Pete’s SCDP share when the agency was about to go under. Amazing interaction between the two.

[mariaoran]

Deal made! We;ll get two more seasons with an option for a third, and episodes that are two minutes shorter than they have been.

In a compromise of sorts, the length of the show may change, but only on television. Mr. Weiner’s new contract specifies that the first and last episode of each season will remain 47 minutes long, the same length as the episodes in previous seasons. For the episodes in between, Mr. Weiner said he will create a 45-minute version for AMC to televise, and a 47-minute “final cut” that will be available in digital formats, like in Apple’s iTunes store.

Of course, we still need to wait all the way until March 2012....Le sigh!

[Joyful]

^ Phew! Thanks for sharing that. We still have to wait a year though. Boo!

[hazey]

^^ Yeah, I saw that the other day, but forgot to post here. All in all, good news I suppose. I don't want a seventh season, though. I don't even want a sixth season. I would've been perfectly fine with S3 finale as the end of the show, but okay.... if there simply must be twice as many seasons, then there shall be that many. And they better be friggin' awesome. If this show goes on long enough for us to see the birth of Sally and Glen's baby I will be mad.

[hazey]

Still a long way to go till S5 premiere, but here's a few recent piccies from the set:





Megan does not look happy! Me like.




Lady Francis




Lady Olson

[cille]

I've missed you madly, Haze!

[Joyful]

Me too!! LOVE the new pics! Thanks for sharing! So exciting! What is the start date again?

[hazey]

^^ & ^ Aww, sweet dear Cille and Joyful... thank you ladies.


The show starts again in March, fingers crossed it's early rather than late March. Also, Jon Hamm is apparently directing the season premiere.

[mariaoran]

Oh yes i miss this show so much. I also miss this thread and talking about the show... March can't come soon enough!

I can't link to it right now, but kiernan shipka (sp?) recently did a a funny video for some website (funny or die i think), and it has given me some serious sally draper withdrawal ... Google it, i think it's 'sally draper child psychologist', or something like that.

[hazey]

Yeah, early spring is such a strange time to be watching this show. It will be bright outside when it's time to tune in. I don't want that. I like the dark and cold autumn days when the only light and warmth comes from the tv screen with Mad Men on it.


Little Shipka looks easily 13/14 yrs old from this angle. I wonder how they'll tackle Sally's growth in the next season.

[mandarific]

I actually just finished watching the entiiiiire series; I started season one on netfilx on a whim and couldn't stop til I was finished! I'm looking forward to the new season, but I actually agree about the timing - Mad Men doesn't feel like a "springtime" show.

I also wasn't really surprised by Don and Megan's engagement; maybe it was because of the way we were watching it, but from about the second time they interacted I was like "She's gonna be it. She's going to be his new lady."

I'm kind of glad - I really hated Faye =/

[Joyful]

Originally Posted by hazey

Yeah, early spring is such a strange time to be watching this show. It will be bright outside when it's time to tune in. I don't want that. I like the dark and cold autumn days when the only light and warmth comes from the tv screen with Mad Men on it.


Little Shipka looks easily 13/14 yrs old from this angle. I wonder how they'll tackle Sally's growth in the next season.

She really does look like a young teen. Would they ever replace her?

As far as the timing for the start of the show goes, Spring is still largely gray and rainy over here, it works for me.

I am also happy to see that it looks like there is trouble in paradise with Don and Megan. Yeah, it's not surprising, but it sure makes for good tv. Looking forward to seeing the conflict with all of the couples and their various combinations. Liking that Peggy gets brightened up too!

Loving the new pics. Please keep them coming. I am getting excited!

[mariaoran]

So apparently Miss Shipka is only eleven (!), which makes her still Sally Draper appropriate... she doesn't look it though. Maybe a combination of being too made up and wearing grown-up type clothes makes her look older in that skit? In any case Rox, I don't think she would be replaced, Sally is an integral part of narrative of the show, unlike, say, Bobby.

Originally Posted by mandarific

I'm kind of glad - I really hated Faye =/

Really? I kind of loved Faye's character. She's was certainly way better than Don ever deserved.


BTW, I'm guessing Don moved Meghan in to his old Ossining house, huh? That would be just the worst, but something I can certainly see Don doing....This is all to say, I'd look unhappy too!

[hazey]

^Yeah, when in character, mademoiselle Shipka seems older, but she usually looks her age in non-show pictures.


Don and Megan in Ossining.... jebus, that certainly is a possibility. I hadn't thought of that at all. But yeah, it would be a new LOW. Even for Don.

I love the old Draper house and will miss it if it's gone, but I don't like seeing Megan in it, just as much as I didn't like Henry living there. A feeling of sadness overcame me when I saw they had replaced the turquoise bed in the Draper bedroom with an ugly dark brown one. Or when Carla answered the phone with "Francis residence"..... now, that one hurt.

I don't particularly like Faye either. I thought both the character an the actress who played her were kind of dull and lifeless. My favourite Draper lady friend will always be Rachel Menken. She saw right through him and called him on his BS: "You don't want to run away with me, you just want to run away. You're a coward."

[cille]

^was she his first one (on the series) - the boho one?

Of all carachters I miss Salvatore the most.

[mariaoran]

^Hah, I doubt the hippie type one from the village was his first... But no, Rachel Menken was the owner of Menken's department store. Or actually, the daughter of the owner, If you remember they made a big deal about her being Jewish.

Originally Posted by hazey

Don and Megan in Ossining.... jebus, that certainly is a possibility. I hadn't thought of that at all. But yeah, it would be a new LOW. Even for Don.

I'm thinking it's the easiest option and, like i said, I would totally see him do that. He's no better than Betty, especially now that he just got the house back... But I guess it also depends on what kind of wife Megan is going to be. She did express the desire to do what Peggy does but I really can't see Don working alongside his wife. It's even hard to imagine him having anything but a short lived relationship with a working independent type woman (Menken, Faye). Don has so far been a kept woman kind of man... no?


I have two dream scenarios of upcoming Mad Men twists. One where Don and Megan moving to Ossining if only for the possibility of Don hiring Carla back for when he has the kids over. And two, Salvatore coming back to the agency (if there's still one) now that the Lucky Strike account is dead and gone. Either would be good. Both would be best.

[cille]

^Ah i didn't like her that much.

Ok I had some pretttttty detailed dreams about Jon Hamm the other night. Bout time with a new season.

[hazey]

^ I'm still slightly puzzled why the boho Midge had to be a heroine addict upon her return. It didn't really further the story unless you count Don using her addiction to write the "Why I'm Quitting Tobacco" article.


I too have two dream Mad Men scenarios! They concern the show's finale. Both are very different, but I would be very happy with either one of them happening.


One involves Don's departure from the agency and New York. In a classic Dick Whitman fashion, he just packs up and leaves without leaving word with anyone (including his children) and we don't know where he heads off to. Ideally, this would happen offscreen so we wouldn't even be aware of his decision, he would simply just disappear. In the second scenario he ends up with Peggy as his life partner, both in business and love.

It would be fascinating if some version of the former happened. It would all depend on the degree of ambiguity and gloominess in Matthew Weiner's creative mind. I've never watched his previous hit The Sopranos, but I've heard it ends on a dark note?


(ps. Slightly jealous of Mandarific's avatar if that's her with Lisa in the picture.)

[mandarific]

Really? I kind of loved Faye's character. She's was certainly way better than Don ever deserved.

I'm actually not sure what it is about her I didn't like, I just didn't like her from that very first time we met her and she goes "Ugh, my name is spelled right." Even if it was clever, I just hated her. That said I honestly haven't been fond of many of Don's women to begin with - I did really like Rachel and the Teacher I guess, but that first bohemian lady...wasn't really a fan.

I love the old Draper house and will miss it if it's gone, but I don't like seeing Megan in it, just as much as I didn't like Henry living there. A feeling of sadness overcame me when I saw they had replaced the turquoise bed in the Draper bedroom with an ugly dark brown one. Or when Carla answered the phone with "Francis residence"..... now, that one hurt.

Same here!! I loved that house and I'm not sure how I'd feel about them moving back in - it would make sense, but at the same time... I think it would be majorly uncomfortable. I really hated it being Henry's house though.

I have two dream scenarios of upcoming Mad Men twists. One where Don and Megan moving to Ossining if only for the possibility of Don hiring Carla back for when he has the kids over. And two, Salvatore coming back to the agency (if there's still one) now that the Lucky Strike account is dead and gone. Either would be good. Both would be best.

YES. THIS.

(ps. Slightly jealous of Mandarific's avatar if that's her with Lisa in the picture.)

IT IS. She was so wonderfully friendly.

[mariaoran]

Midge never bothered me. The one I actively (and probably irrationally) could not stand was Bobbie Barrett. Uggggggghhhhh that woman was horrible! I couldn't roll my eyes further back when she came on screen.

^^Peggy and Don together romantically is a Mad Men plotline peeve of mine. Just no.

Originally Posted by hazey

I've never watched his previous hit The Sopranos, but I've heard it ends on a dark note?

Yes quite literally a dark note...



I can't confirm if it was 'dark' plot-wise, because I never watched it, but the ending did cause a big media uproar over in the states.

[hazey]

^ Heh. Holy random abruptness, Batman. No wonder the fans were pissed off. Maybe if the daughter learned how to park properly, Tony would've seen her one last time before the lights went out.


I don't think anybody liked Bobbie Barrett. She was only there for Betty's finding out about Don's philandery and for cementing Don's relationship with Peggy (so yeah, Bobbie did *some* good in that respect). "How could you, Don? She's so old." ...pwahaha. It's amazing how quickly Betty changed after that. Midway through S2 she was a drastically different character.

At the end of that season I'd grown tired of Don's mistresses in general. Season 3 hadn't even started properly and, bam, there was the air hostess. I was hating the show's writers a lot by the time Suzanne Farrell made her entrance. It was getting so old, Don having two new mistresses every season. We knew none of them would last long while he was still married to Betty, yet they kept introducing new vixens over and over again. If it continues in the next season, I will be mad at Mad Men. There's no one out there to take him down a notch... if Bert Cooper really is gone, Pete is the only other regular in Don's daily life who's got the Dick Whitman leverage over him, and wouldn't be a pansy to put it in practice. Or Faye may come back to take revenge, although her knowledge of Don's past is limited.

[mariaoran]

This:

Bonus: How Mad Men Will End

When asked if he had an end point in mind for Mad Men's seventh and final season, Weiner answered in the affirmative: "I do know how the whole show ends," he told us. "It came to me in the middle of last season. I always felt like it would be the experience of human life. And human life has a destination. It doesn't mean Don's gonna die. What I'm looking for, and how I hope to end the show, is like … It's 2011. Don Draper would be 84 right now. I want to leave the show in a place where you have an idea of what it meant and how it's related to you. It's a very tall order, but I always talk about Abbey Road. What's the song at the end of Abbey Road? It's called 'The End.' There is a culmination of an experience of people working at their highest level. And all I want to do is not wear out the welcome. I was 35 when I wrote the Mad Men pilot, 42 when I got to make it, and I'll be 50 when it goes off the air. So that's what you're gonna get. Do I know everything that's gonna happen? No, I don't. But I just want it to be entertaining, and I want people to remember it fondly and not think it ended in a fart."

To which I say, huh?!

[Joyful]

^ Seconded. Huh?

[cille]

^ / ^^Huh what?