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

[Ace Fedora]

"Hell's Bells, Trudy!"

Love or hate Pete Campbell, you have to admit he has a way with a phrase.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

They'll be back for a third season. It's the only money-maker show AMC has. Everything else they do just lies there flat.

 

[PADDY]

Pete Campbell...'who?'

"Hell's Bells, Trudy!"

Love or hate Pete Campbell, you have to admit he has a way with a phrase.

He hardly features on my radar when I'm watching the show. That's probably a good sign of great acting by the chap who plays the part. But the actual 'character' is pure wallpaper and shouldn't have been released out of Kindergarten yet.

What I am hoping is, that they may 'beef up' his currently 'empty' character role, give him some 'man genes' and...offer him almost a Don Draperesque twist if that's at all possible (maybe he was adopted by the woman who is portrayed as 'mother'[huh] ). The 'only spark' to this otherwise 'limp and featureless' character is his potential to 'self destruct.'

I really-really 'hope' the writers make him more interesting, because up to now he's been a waste of airtime and I'm surprised Sterling-Cooper still have him on their books.

 

[Mr. 'H']

For me he is the character you just love to hate.

I detested that guy at the start, now he makes me laugh he's such a crud!

 

[Barbigirl]

I must disagree

He hardly features on my radar when I'm watching the show. That's probably a good sign of great acting by the chap who plays the part. But the actual 'character' is pure wallpaper and shouldn't have been released out of Kindergarten yet.

What I am hoping is, that they may 'beef up' his currently 'empty' character role, give him some 'man genes' and...offer him almost a Don Draperesque twist if that's at all possible (maybe he was adopted by the woman who is portrayed as 'mother'[huh] ). The 'only spark' to this otherwise 'limp and featureless' character is his potential to 'self destruct.'

I really-really 'hope' the writers make him more interesting, because up to now he's been a waste of airtime and I'm surprised Sterling-Cooper still have him on their books.

Paddy?! That is what makes him interesting, he is an immature man and he is floudering through his life. He makes mistakes, 50% of the time he is wrong but he thinks he is a swell as sliced bread. He is just OK at his job, not that thrilled about his marriage and frustrated with wife, fertility issue, father in law and work. He is a normal average guy. I think he will have a twist like finding out he has a child with Peggy and consequences involved but I hope the twist is NOT Draper-like. The differences between D/D and Campbell need to remain carefully delineated.

Ok that is all I have to say about that!

 

[carter]

Dick/Don to Anna, "People don't change".

Pete Campbell is an emotionally detached person. He doesn't seem to have the ability to really connect with another human being on any meaningful level.

He is a user. He uses Peggy and makes no acknowledgment of responsibility for her/their child. He uses his wife for social standing and a nice apartment. He uses what he knows about Don Draper/Dick Whitman for whatever leverage he can get.Beneath it all, Pete Campell is a self-serving, insecure, immature little cretin.

In many ways, he seems to have been denied emotional warmth as a child as much as Dick Whitman was. His public personna is as much a suit of clothes as Dick Whitman's Don Draper personna is. They may be more alike than we perceive only with different window dressing.

There is an essential difference between the two. It is that of control. Dick/Don as Draper has a great deal of perceived control and is in the process of losing it or abandoning it as he reverts to the Whitman personna. Pete strives to control his I'm-the-center-of-my-universe reality but he cannot. It's always just beyond his grasp, frustrating him at every turn.

Dick Whitman is trying to reconnect in an elemental way with the real world without subterfuge and shadows. He wants to be at one with the world. Thus a symbolic baptism and rebirth in the Pacific.

Pete Campbell is increasingly disconnected. He is spiralling out of control. We may ultimately see Pete brought low among the soaring skyscrapers and manmade canyons of NYC.

Control runs rampant through this series. Who's on the way up? Who's on the way down? Who will be set free?

 

[MrBern]

It also mirrors the time in Korea when Dick and his OC are hit by incoming fire. Remember, Dick becomes unconscious, and on regaining consciousness discovers his OC (a Lieutenant Draper) has been killed. This is where Dick Whitman is re-born as Lt Don Draper, and the first part of his new fabric (the draper at work) are the dead Lieutenant's dog-tags (I/D tags) draped around his neck. He feels the tags represent liberation from the old life and a key to a new life. But as his life continues, the tags become more of a millstone, almost a ball and chain in their symbolism.

isnt there some more guilt in that situation? Didnt they survive the shelling, but the young Whitman lit a cigarette & that ignited leaking fuel causing the explosion & death of the Officer, LtDraper?

I recall once in the 1st season, Campbell was kissing up to Draper & said somethign to the effect of, "I'd follow you to the gates of hell!"
Which really irked Draper , who relied 'Dont ever say that again!'
But that was before we knew about the war.

Now of course we know why it bothered Draper. Back then I thought it was a reference to TheSopranos. Christopher would often say that line to Tony Soprano, offering his solidarity.

 

[RitaHayworth]

My Season 1 of Mad Men turned up yesterday - but after seeing how long this thread is (I didnt read it)

I cant wait to watch it!!

 

[MrBern]

He is a user. He uses Peggy and makes no acknowledgment of responsibility for her/their child. He uses his wife for social standing and a nice apartment. He uses what he knows about Don Draper/Dick Whitman for whatever leverage he can get.Beneath it all, Pete Campell is a self-serving, insecure, immature little cretin.

Does he actually know that Peggy had his child? I thought she had completely covered that up with Draper's help. Wasnt there a rumur of a fat farm floated?

Did anyone notice the Popsicle artwork that Peggy presented to the clients? How they seemed to recognize it but she said it was an original. The mother in the artwork had a huge orange halo. Peggy's selling Catholic imagery. The mother as madonna. Ironic considering her own rejection of her child.

 

[MissJeanavive]

Mountain King

Wow! I really loved the Mountain King; watched the Sunday late night showing. The depth of the characters and depiction of the era is getting so very deep. I am so happy that they have introduced Hot-Rods; now I am fulfilled on many levels watching this. Its great as well getting outside of the studio shots and seeing the characters outside. The scene with Joan and her "fiance" rapping her was certainly gut wrenching to watch as a woman. I think we are going to see a lot out of Joan. There is going to be a lot of gender role challenges as Peggy stirs it up for everyone and the question will be how much self she will loose playing the 'mad man' game.

OnDemand makes it great to watch them over and over as well.

If anyone is in the Bay Area perhaps we can get together and watch...

 

[PADDY]

Mountain King.

Just seen it (online). It 'chuffed' me seeing the baptism imagery of Don/Dick being cleansed and reborn in the surf of the Pacific (as I hinted in earlier threads during the JET SET that I felt something 'like that' might have happened at the pool when Don lost consciousness), so I seem to have been on the write track with the writers!! yay!

Great to see Madonna Peggy's ascension in the world of work. One wonders what price she will pay though [huh] But 'I hope' she makes it in this man's world. As Sterling commented, she has more balls than most of the men in the office

Dick is really reaching out to 'grass roots' America with the Hot Rod crowd - and doesn't he seem so much more relaxed. Is this what the West Coast sunshine does to a person? and so much more 'at home' with the 'real' and 'homely' Mrs Draper. We 'never' saw this character in Manhattan.

Joan's rape. This is sparking a lot of issues and I dare say has many narrative layers/interpretations to it in the series (as nothing is ever black & white in MM - despite the logo!).

Keep watching!!!

 

[RitaHayworth]

My Season 1 of Mad Men turned up yesterday - but after seeing how long this thread is (I didnt read it)

I cant wait to watch it!!

OMG!! Now I know where sexual harassment laws came from!!!! As i watch, I am trying to imagine people in my office acting like that and women just accepting it!!

 

[Spiffy]

What I am hoping is, that they may 'beef up' his currently 'empty' character role, give him some 'man genes' and...offer him almost a Don Draperesque twist if that's at all possible (maybe he was adopted by the woman who is portrayed as 'mother'[huh] ).

I hope he's adopted. I've got thirty dollars riding on it!

 

[scotrace]

Does he actually know that Peggy had his child? I thought she had completely covered that up with Draper's help. Wasnt there a rumur of a fat farm floated?

Did anyone notice the Popsicle artwork that Peggy presented to the clients? How they seemed to recognize it but she said it was an original. The mother in the artwork had a huge orange halo. Peggy's selling Catholic imagery. The mother as madonna. Ironic considering her own rejection of her child.

Pete most definitely does not know he has a child by Peggy.

And they were obvious about the Catholic imagery. The "take, break," was a direct lift of the communion ceremony.

 

[Feraud]

OMG!! Now I know where sexual harassment laws came from!!!! As i watch, I am trying to imagine people in my office acting like that and women just accepting it!!

And yet the show is so beloved. Go figure.

 

[Beowulf67]

Loved the latest episode! There is so much going on.

But I saw this on Foxnews about them not having a contract for the next season yet. I hope they get this settled soon, I'd hate to lose the show.

 

[Barbigirl]

Does he actually know that Peggy had his child? I thought she had completely covered that up with Draper's help. Wasnt there a rumur of a fat farm floated?

Did anyone notice the Popsicle artwork that Peggy presented to the clients? How they seemed to recognize it but she said it was an original. The mother in the artwork had a huge orange halo. Peggy's selling Catholic imagery. The mother as madonna. Ironic considering her own rejection of her child.

I got the Catholic aspect but I didn't get the madonna aspect of the advertisement. I thought the woman in the advertisement was wearing something that looked like a maternity dress. At that time wasn't it completely out of line to show a pregnant woman in the media?

 

[Barbigirl]

~

Loved the latest episode! There is so much going on.

But I saw this on Foxnews about them not having a contract for the next season yet. I hope they get this settled soon, I'd hate to lose the show.

Well that article makes me a little ill!

 

[scotrace]

Draper drowned hisself, sez eye.

 

[Ace Fedora]

For most of the series, I too had no use for Pete Campbell. He was (and is?) little more than a sniveling weasel who had coasted through life based on who he was, and not what he was. He came from the old rich, probably never had to work a day in his life... the very definition of a silver spoon baby.

Lately, however, I'm finding myself increasingly sympathetic towards the little turd. He's finally striking back when people do things despite him (Trudy and the adoption agency, Don leaving him in the lurch in CA, his mother and brother's condescension), and it's something that I can personally relate to.

He has shown to be a visionary at work, but is consistently shot down and ridiculed. He's learning what he needs to do in order to get somewhere in this world -- in S1 he resorted to blackmail, in S2 he's playing his cards close and trying to advance by closing new deals.

And I cheered when he told his father-in-law where he could stick the Clearasil account.

Campbell's redemption hasn't come yet, but I think it will.