"Mad Men" on AMC (US) - (Spoilers Within)

[fortworthgal]

Last night we started re-watching season 1, and I realized I had forgotten what a total jerk Pete was when the series first started. I like his character much more now, but I am interested to see how things develop. I like the way he's matured.

It also made me realize how much I miss Sal and Paul!

On another note -

If anyone's interested in picking up the series on DVD, Target has a pretty fantastic deal right now. Regular price, each season is $19-$23. Right now through 4/7 Target has each season on sale for $9.99. There's also a $5 off coupon available on coupons.com, and you can print 2 per computer/person, so you can pick up each season for $4.99.

http://www.totallytarget.com/2012/04/02/great-deal-on-mad-men-dvds-4-99-each-thru-47/

We picked up the first 4 seasons yesterday for $20 total. They're selling out quick though. I think the sale is the DVD sets only, not blu-rays.

 

[Young fogey]

Who else saw Christina Hendricks on Conan O'Brien's show last night saying she loves it when men wear fedoras?

 

[AmateisGal]

I rather like Megan - she seems pretty genuine. But yet she is still naive and childish in a lot of ways - I'm thinking of the "clean up" scene where she was acting petulant. Then again, I think she knew what she wanted...

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's episode. I hope Joan is back! She puts the zing and zip into every episode she's in.

 

[Young fogey]

fortworthgal, I just rewatched the third episode of the show; not only was Pete a jerk but it seems to me the writers and actors were still figuring out how to play him and many of the other characters such as Peggy. They seemed a bit contrived, very different from now. (Reason to give new shows like 'Pan Am' a chance to get their groove.) Now they seem real. Don was always Don.

Melissa, I wasn't attracted to Megan last season but of course appreciated that her being good with Don's kids won his heart (an endearing thing about him). Now I see the appeal; the musical number being the best-known part of that. (Reminded me of Laura Petrie but with the temperature raised: remember Mary Tyler Moore's house-party calypso number on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'?) Joan? Of course.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Yep, you can't take that away from Don, despite all that's going on, you can tell he loves his kids.

appreciated that her being good with Don's kids won his heart (an endearing thing about him).

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Did Don just kill someone!?!?

 

[fortworthgal]

Okay, I cannot believe this, but we completely *forgot* about Mad Men tonight and missed it!

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Ok, that Don thing freaked me out! We sat here stunned until he woke up. And please tell me Sally is OK!

Wow...

 

[PADDY]

Pete just needs a good shaking - As far as maturing is concerned, some guys are just 'born' to be jerks, and 'he' seems to be one of them. I wouldn't miss him if they just made him disappear, as his petulance and self importance is grating for a little man who has been promoted well beyond his competence & likeability.

Roger, well...is just 'Roger!' He's a boy in a man-suit and has the money behind him 'not to care' what people think of him. But there's something endearing about him and I daresay that at some point, he and Joan will hook up.

Don and Megan? That 20 year difference in their ages 'shows.' Sadly, it will be their downfall. In many ways, he is in love with her 'free spirit' (think of previous series, like when he was out in CA and went walkabouts with that family of free spirits). But it won't be enough to cement them.

Laine the English Gent, is a fun guy trying to burst out of his reserved British / Public School upbringing that he has been imprisoned within for so long. You just 'know' he wants to smoke pot and play with the ladies. He's one to watch!

Peggy..? I'm just not sure where the writers have her heading right now. But she is 'so central' to the 'Don Plot' that there are 'big' things in the air for her as the season unfolds..no doubt! But she needs to settle down somewhat, as right now she is coming across as a rather 'catty' young lady.

Betty..? she needs some serious medical help, but I'm not sure that the medics were so up on eating and psychiatric disorders/conditions in those days.

 

[Young fogey]

The plot pulls you in, doesn't it? That's what soaps do. I agree about Pete, Megan, Don and Lane. Don being broody and neurotic is part of what critics like. Good writing and acting regarding Lane and the shocking visit from his father. Lane's a bit of a creep (Robert Pryce was actually defending Lane's wife and son, trying to do the right thing, however wrongly) but, given he's abused, you understand why. Peggy's OK but she's part of the show's plausible deniability. A writer I like, Steve Sailer, has explained the show's appeal. It's porn for high-class women bored by today's PC weenies. (Other classes read romance novels: same thing.) The plausible deniability is the shock, shock, I say, at the drinking, smoking, adultery, sexism and racism. Most of those viewers would say they're cheering for Peggy but really want to be Betty, Joan or Megan. Zou bisou bisou. Why they and we like it is it's not a satire putting down the past. It lovingly re-enacts it to titillate the viewers he describes.

 

[tonyb]

Ok, that Don thing freaked me out! We sat here stunned until he woke up. And please tell me Sally is OK!

Wow...

Yeah, that dream sequence stuff is indeed odd. It retrospect, it seems almost too obvious that Don's demons (well, one of 'em, anyway) were (almost) literally swept under the bed. Out of sight, out of mind, at least momentarily.

 

[AmateisGal]

Missed this episode last night, but just watched it on Amazon on Demand - WOW. Best episode of the season, so far! I was cheering for Joanie - throw the bum out (after what he did to her in the past, it was high time).

The whole thing was terrific - I loved how Peggy made Roger pay for her extra work. Atta girl, Peggy!

 

[Lily Powers]

The parts of last night's episode I found intriguing were the references to the Chicago murders of the 8 student nurses and how one of them survived by hiding under the bed vs. Don's dream sequence murder and shoving the corpse under the bed, and then his daughter - afater reading about the murders and becoming scared - sleeping under the couch after grandma dosed her with Seconal and then fell asleep on the couch herself.

What I didn't quite qet was when Peggy brought out blankets for the coworker and then picked up the beer bottles to throw away. Was there an underlying suspicion from Peggy that the coworker would take the money from her purse or was it something else?

 

[Wire9Vintage]

Yes. Peggy caught herself being suspicious and then tried--too late--to straighten up. I'm not sure if Dawn just left after Peggy went to bed or left before she got up.

And yes, all of the under-the-bed stuff was really well done. Really brilliant.

And the Joan thing. Finally that whiny creep gets the boot. Joan goes from doing what she thinks she is supposed to to doing what she should have done all along. And i love the mother/ daughter relationship there.

 

[Kirk H.]

I too loved the part with Joan standing up for herself. I did not see that coming. After watching the first episode I got the feeling that Joan would end up being a single mom, but I thought that she would get a telegram from the Army informing her that her husband was K.I.A. I guess I thought that would happen after watching the party scene in the first episode of the season where Bert Cooper says something about the boys coming home in body bags.

I also loved Don's dream sequence, that was well done.

 

[Young fogey]

The parts of last night's episode I found intriguing were the references to the Chicago murders of the 8 student nurses and how one of them survived by hiding under the bed vs. Don's dream-sequence murder and shoving the corpse under the bed, and then his daughter - after reading about the murders and becoming scared - sleeping under the couch after grandma dosed her with Seconal and then fell asleep on the couch herself.

Thanks for telling me what year it is: 1966. July.

 

[AmateisGal]

The parts of last night's episode I found intriguing were the references to the Chicago murders of the 8 student nurses and how one of them survived by hiding under the bed vs. Don's dream sequence murder and shoving the corpse under the bed, and then his daughter - afater reading about the murders and becoming scared - sleeping under the couch after grandma dosed her with Seconal and then fell asleep on the couch herself.

This is what I find so brilliant about the show - the symbolism and deeper meanings are just so well done. It's a thinking person's drama.

 

[PADDY]

Joan's hubby would have abused her - she made the right move.

Peggy with Rodger - she did well & maximised on her opportunity .

Under the bed symbolism - inspired writing!

Roll on the next Episode

 

[Lily Powers]

I'm just a little embarrassed to admit that I never really caught on to "Mad Men" before - maybe it was all the hype that turned me off, or that whenever I wore vintage invariably someone would mention how I must love the show because I look just like the people in it; I tried watching it a couple of times but I just wasn't interested. This season it came on and I somehow got hooked on the season opener. It's fascinating and interesting to me now - the eye candy, the storyline... even without having the real background of each character, I can get an inkling of their pasts enough to follow along. I really like it.

So there you have it! My boldfaced admission of trepidation into the addicting realm of "Mad Men."

 

[MrBern]

Politics?

What was up with business call that Henry Francis took? He made a comment about Romney being a bore or something?
Just wondering what the comment was about considering the current elections & the name Romney.