Mad Men II: A Man For All Seasons

[mobvok]

Matt Weiner talks to the NYT about the 12 episodes so far, and will talk again tomorrow about the finale

This has sort of been strange to me, because it’s one of these things where my intentions and what the audience wants is thwarted by Jon Hamm’s charisma and acting. But his speech to Dow [Chemical] was supposed to be ugly. It was supposed to be a voracious representation of dissatisfaction – what does this man have to complain about? That greed for the sensation of victory is ugly, and that’s kind of who he is. But the reason Jon Hamm got this part was the way he made cigarettes sound like something to get excited about.

My guess is that Lane's financial juggling starts catching up with the firm.

 

[corianderstem]

Season finale in 15 minutes.

This season went by WAY too quickly.

 

[trojanchick99]

This season and episode just flew by.

It was interesting to see The different reactions to depression. My heart just broke for Megan and Rory Gilmore. Then I swooned as Don was watching Megan's reel.

I find it funny that I went from rooting for Pete to cheering when he was punched in the face.

And finally. Thank you for showing us the glory that is Roger Sterling's ass.

 

[corianderstem]

1. PEGGY!

2. Can Jessica Pare be filmed in black & white every week? Stunning.

3. Loved the shot of the partners spread out in front of the windows in the open office space.

4. LOL. Guess Roger took another trip. That was hilarious.

5. Liked that ambiguous ending.

 

[Irvine511]

Great episode, makes me feel lucky to be around while a series like this continues to unfold. There's likely a lot to unpack and I'll need a think before I can do so.

As grand themes go, I think it's about dissatisfaction at the core of modern existence. Which is what advertising does -- it makes you feel dissatisfied so that you will purchase a product to alleviate that dissatisfaction.

The Euros stole this episode for me. Julia Ormond ("thank god my children aren't my whole life") and Lane's wife. That was some well-written drama.

Bring on 6 & 7.

 

[trojanchick99]

Great episode, makes me feel lucky to be around while a series like this continues to unfold. There's likely a lot to unpack and I'll need a think before I can do so.

As grand themes go, I think it's about dissatisfaction at the core of modern existence. Which is what advertising does -- it makes you feel dissatisfied so that you will purchase a product to alleviate that dissatisfaction.

The Euros stole this episode for me. Julia Ormond ("thank god my children aren't my whole life") and Lane's wife. That was some well-written drama.

Bring on 6 & 7.

Julia Ormond is perfection.

 

[Imperor]

2. Can Jessica Pare be filmed in black & white every week? Stunning.

I'm still in the process of picking my jaw off the floor.

 

[mobvok]

Bert Cooper wants an office, damn it!

My guess is that Lane's financial juggling starts catching up with the firm.

So, the inverse of this? In retrospect, it makes sense that SCDP already passed its financially turbulent phase in the Season 4 Christmas Party episode.

Magnificent images:

Spoiler

Image #3? Beauty and the Beast

 

[deep]

the whole money thing with the company never adds up

 

[Irvine511]

Did anyone think anything of Megan using her Maiden name in her audition reel? Seemed like Don noted that and it informed the last shot of the show where he gave that classic Draiper look to the possibly existential question "are you alone?"

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Another excellent episode. I wonder if Roger will become an LSD addict. I wonder if Don will cheat. I wonder what the meaning was of Peggy seeing the dogs

Anyone know when the next season starts?

 

[Irvine511]

interesting, the folks at Slate didn't like it so much.

but then there was this that made me smile:

As Salon’s Willa Paskin noted on Twitter, the long shot of the SCDP principals surveying their new offices would make a great poster for “the forthcoming Mad Men action hero movie.”

 

[corianderstem]

So are we supposed to assume that Don helped Megan get the role? Or she just went ahead and threw her hat in the ring regardless of what he would or wouldn't do?

And I admit, I'm a little confused about the money/office space thing. How did this space become available? And why do they have money to get it? Not because of Lane's payout, right? I got the impression that the office thing was already in discussion before Joan got the check.

 

[deep]

So are we supposed to assume that Don helped Megan get the role? Or she just went ahead and threw her hat in the ring regardless of what he would or wouldn't do?

And I admit, I'm a little confused about the money/office space thing. How did this space become available? And why do they have money to get it? Not because of Lane's payout, right? I got the impression that the office thing was already in discussion before Joan got the check.

they called her, 'Miss Calvert' not 'Mrs Draper', this is 1967, if they knew she was married, they would not call her Miss. I'd say Don looked at her reel, saw the real talent and put it in the mix. Yes, they, the company guys would have known of the relationship, but for the most part she got it on her own merits.
Also on the set, she was the innocent Beauty, and Don had a bit of a shadow, a la Beast.

The money thing on this show is really bad. If one wants to analyze it the whole thing collapses. Lane has a partnership, so his wife now owns 25% or is it a half share 12.5 % of the company. Did lane leave his Ins to Joan? Really, he has a child in school and his family is so broke he can not even pay his bills or back taxes? His wife never asked about the Ins? The company was so broke it could not pay any bonuses yesterday, but now Joan says they just had our most profitable quarter, ever!!! And the next quarter will be even bigger??

 

[PhilsFan]

I am pretty sure Don got her the part.

There were a lot more people working in the office when Don was walking through. I am assuming that they have gotten more business along with Jaguar (Pete alluded to the tire company for example) and that they simply have expanded in order to meet that workload. It seemed like most were happy except Don, who wanted to land a huge, signature account like Dow.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I find it funny that I went from rooting for Pete to cheering when he was punched in the face.

Three times this season he was punched in the face (twice last night).

I like how Joan is practically running the place now and Harry's begging her for an office. And did we decide what his "is it true?" comment was referring to?

The company finances are so confusing to me I haven't even tried to make sense of it.

And yeah, I assumed Don had a hand in getting Megan the part by handing over the reel, as deep described.

 

[corianderstem]

And did we decide what his "is it true?" comment was referring to?

They had been talking about Lane, but it was pretty vague.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Yeah, he had a look almost of bemusement which made the comment hard to read.

 

[LemonMelon]

Hmm, that was a decent episode.

I think the last two episodes suffer from the same dual problems: a lack of theme at its center and being too explicit about the themes the episode does pick at. Overall, I think these issues were slightly less prominent than they were with last week's episode, but I think the writers bit off more than they could chew here. There were, what, six different plots happening at once? And most of them left a very small mark. They all kind of had to do with "covering a wound with a bandage" (Roger taking acid just to feel content, the physical expansion of SCDP accounting for their lack of morality), but Don and especially Peggy's plots felt a bit detached. I have no idea what's going on with Don or what that ending was about.

I did enjoy Pete's plot, although I feel no sympathy for his character. Alexis Bledel knocked it out of the park as always; what a dark twist. It was great to see Peggy, even though I have no idea what her purpose was, and I really loved Don's hallucination until his brother made the hanging joke. The makeup around his neck was really more than enough. I have no idea where that plot is going, but it was an interesting diversion. Also, Roger was hilarious and sad simultaneously. Good shit.

Now, what questions are we left with?

-What's up with Don's brother?
-Is Don going to start cheating on Megan soon, because why not?
-Will Pete kill himself?
-Will Peggy come back to SCDP?
-Will Roger get burned out before season 7?
-Will Joan PLEASE never wear those glasses again?

And I guess that's it. See you next season, guys!

Oh, and as always, great song choice at the end. Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood were quite the team.

 

[mobvok]

The company was so broke it could not pay any bonuses yesterday, but now Joan says they just had our most profitable quarter, ever!!! And the next quarter will be even bigger??

Remember the Easter reference though, this means the show jumped forward ~3-4 months or so from last episode.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Things didn't feel very Season Finale-y there for a long time, I thought.

Of course, this has never been a conventional show, so, that's fine. But hot damn did things pick up there in the last 5 or 10 minutes. Everything from when Don started watching Megan's film to the end...just perfect. The use of You Only Live Twice as he's walking away from the commercial set. One of my favorite musical moments in the show's run. And the final shot of the season is one that will definitely stick with me.

And Sterling's bare ass!

 

[lazarus]

El Mel: What's up with Don's brother?

Umm, I think he's still dead. And since this isn't LOST, he'll still be dead next season.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Yeah, I thought the connection with the two deaths-by-hanging and Don's guilt was clear.

As for the last scene, remember what Don said to Peggy in the movies - that you help people and then they move on. So maybe he's thinking he helped Megan, now she'll get successful and leave him, so he's contemplating the pre-emptive strike.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

As for the last scene, remember what Don said to Peggy in the movies - that you help people and then they move on. So maybe he's thinking he helped Megan, now she'll get successful and leave him, so he's contemplating the pre-emptive strike.

I thought the symbolism of her standing in the light while he walked off into the darkness was pretty clear.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Yes it was. I just wanted to point out the comment he made to Peggy because normally that stuff just goes right past (passed? why am I suddenly confused?) me.

 

[LemonMelon]

Yeah, I thought the connection with the two deaths-by-hanging and Don's guilt was clear.

After reading about it a bit more, I noticed the parallel, clear as day. Note that Don throws money at Lane's widow in the same manner that he does his brother, only it's a larger sum. In either case, it didn't soothe his conscience.

 

[joyfulgirl]

So in addition to helping people and then they move on to greater success, they also move on by hanging themselves. I can't recall exactly how it went down with the brother but wasn't it another thing Don was doing "for his own good"?

 

[lazarus]

Yeah, I thought the connection with the two deaths-by-hanging and Don's guilt was clear.

As for the last scene, remember what Don said to Peggy in the movies - that you help people and then they move on. So maybe he's thinking he helped Megan, now she'll get successful and leave him, so he's contemplating the pre-emptive strike.

That would seem like a lazy character arc to me, Draper just going back to his old ways. And that kind of petty move doesn't seem like Don's style. It would be a lot more interesting to see Megan's career get bigger and watch his reaction to not being the Big Cheese around the household. Will she leave him for another man? Simply grow tired of him? Seeing a Don afraid of these possibilities would be an interesting twist, and perhaps would be the catalyst that will cause him to finally adapt to the changes going on around him.

I'm guessing that the next season will open with Megan's star already on the rise. Not like she'll be the new Hollywood It Girl or anything, but perhaps is on a television show, or on a Broadway play, and not at home waiting for Don every day like now. Obviously at some point it would be necessary for her to move to Los Angeles if she does well enough; the series has done some interesting things with its L.A. episodes in the past and the glimpses of a future that could be Don's. It will be interesting to see if that comes into play again.

 

[LemonMelon]

That would seem like a lazy character arc to me, Draper just going back to his old ways. And that kind of petty move doesn't seem like Don's style. It would be a lot more interesting to see Megan's career get bigger and watch his reaction to not being the Big Cheese around the household. Will she leave him for another man? Simply grow tired of him? Seeing a Don afraid of these possibilities would be an interesting twist, and perhaps would be the catalyst that will cause him to finally adapt to the changes going on around him.

One million percent agreed. I realize that the closing 5 minutes were well-shot, but it suggested a return to the norm. I would much rather Don be squashed like a bug and have to deal. This will provoke some legitimate character development.

 

[joyfulgirl]

I totally agree as well. I didn't mean that I thought he was going to go back to his old ways but just that that's the question posed in that scene (obviously).