Mad Men

Started by Gold Trumpet, January 21, 2008, 12:51:38 AM

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Pwaybloe

I'm not exactly sure what I felt after the premiere.  It seemed like a lot of filler trying to catch the audience up to what the characters have been up to since the last season ended, which I guess was necessary.  The laid back attitude of Don was a surprise, but I am completely confident that it is only temporary. 

I guess I didn't take much from this episode, but I am curious to see how Lane develops throughout the series.  I think he has been underused. 

©brad

I liked the premiere but I can understand why even avid fans were bored by it. I'm all for deliberate pacing but good christ, you have a 2 hour episode and your A-plot is Don pouting because he hates surprise birthday parties. Lane finds a wallet and um, returns it. There were some fantastic set pieces and hysterical bits with Roger. I just hope there's some real stakes to this season that don't involve the agency going under again or being bought out. 

RegularKarate

Were you guys watching the same episode that I was watching?  I saw a LOT going on with plenty of stakes.
DON IS HAPPY!  What the fuck is going on?  He doesn't care about his job, he DOES care about his woman!  It seems he's not Don anymore, he's Dick (who seemed to have secretly been a good guy).

I think that Pete Campbell is the one to watch this season.  He's the only one moving with the times.  He's getting sick of the old fashioned mentality of the company... he also seems to be the only one taking the company's future seriously (other than Peggy).

polkablues

Here's how much on the hook this show has me: I gasped out loud when we found out that Megan knew about Dick Whitman. GASPED. "Stakes" on this show means something very different than on Breaking Bad or The Wire.

Also, who noticed the parallels between the little power-play sex game when Megan was cleaning the floor in her underwear and the Glo-Coat commercial that Don won an award for last season? This show is to mommy issues what Lost was to daddy issues.
My house, my rules, my coffee

modage

I wrote an epic 3000 word "Mad Men" piece for The Playlist! Please read and um, proofread...

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/when-is-everything-going-to-get-back-to-normal-we-look-ahead-at-the-upcoming-season-of-mad-men

Did I leave anything important out?
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

diggler

Great Writeup! Thanks

I'm very interested to see where they go with Pryce this year, in a show packed with great characters he's my favorite to watch. 
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

polkablues

Quote from: ddiggler on March 27, 2012, 04:14:34 PM
I'm very interested to see where they go with Pryce this year, in a show packed with great characters he's my favorite to watch.

I'm intrigued by the confluence of his marital dissatisfaction and the imminent hiring of a black secretary.  Let's not forget who his favorite waitress at the Playboy Club was.

And that is a great article, mod.  I have to ask, though; does some small part of you die inside every time the Playlist forces you to write in the plural first-person?  Every royal "we" like another little dagger to your heart?
My house, my rules, my coffee

modage

Ha ha, I've gotten used to it for the most part. It's easier for feature type pieces like this than it is for reviews where you have to figure out how to reword something or use the clunkier "this writer."
Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort.

JG

Why are you disappointed to see Pete in the suburbs? I'm super excited by where his character is at, emotionally and geographically.

Pubrick

Quote from: modage on March 27, 2012, 04:36:48 PM
Ha ha, I've gotten used to it for the most part. It's easier for feature type pieces like this than it is for reviews where you have to figure out how to reword something or use the clunkier "this writer."

considering the amount of typos and grammatical errors often found in playlist articles, getting rid of the hivemind pluralisation and just sticking to normal-sounding "i" would actually be an improvement.
under the paving stones.

Brando

Finally got through with rewatching the entire series and got to watch the first two episodes of season five.


I didn't care for the premiere episode.  I think a previous post mentioned it had too much filler.  that was the same impression that I got.  this was an hour long episode stretched out to two hours. But I read a comment where someone mentioned that this was an reintroduction to mad men.  It's been off for so long this episode was meant to reintroduce us to the world of mad men.  in hindsight it does seem that's what it was.  There was just too much of non mad men-esque things in the episode. Roger calling out "there's my baby" when he sees Joan but is carrying his secret child. Or Pete's look when Peggy is pushing the stroller. And too many of Roger's jokes. I just watched the entire series so didn't need the reintro so I didn't care for the reintro approach.

I think the first two episodes have set up the theme or direction of this season.  I think it's going to be about the changing of the guards. Or the Up and coming challenging the old guard.

Roger is clearly feeling the pressure from Pete. We saw last season with Roger's fall and Pete's rise with a hint of things to come. Roger lost his one account the most important account at the agency in Lucky Strike. Pete used his news of Trudy's pregnancy into getting all of his father's business. I could see Roger trying sneak his way onto an account like this.  The difference is Pete.  In the beginning, Pete was "the Kid" who was always overreaching. In the pilot, Pete tried to challenge Don in a very similar way with Lucky Strike. Pete "I have ideas too" He even pitched them an idea that Don rejected. But I don't think anyone on the show or the audience saw Pete as a threat to Don. Now, we all have seen Pete grow and is now a serious threat to Roger. Even after Roger was able to push his way onto the account Pete only pushes back embarrassing Roger. Pete knows his power and willing to use it.  a couple of years ago instead of pushing back against roger, Pete would have just wined to Trudy or Don


Don is getting old and turning forty with his white beard of shaving cream and his fear of the rolling stones' influence on young people. Don seems to be the happiest we've seen him outside his trips to cali visiting Anna. There also seems to be a lack of interest or focus on his work. He doesn't seem to be on his game. He went along with the client's idea of using the rolling stones' as a jingle. The idea Roger said was "Client's idea if he's ever heard one." In the past, how many times has Don gone along with a Clients idea? Not many.  Is this because he's getting old or is he off his game and distracted? The scene of Don standing backstage suggest it's age.  First, Don and Harry couldn't get backstage. But the young pot smoking girl was able to get backstage. This is the opposite of season one when the cops are outside Midge's apartment.  Don is able to leave in front of the cops where Midge and her pot smoking friends had to hide inside the aptarment. We have seen Don have these conversations with young girls before but in this scene backstage the girls looked so much younger than Don.  The scene was also important cause these young girls were the ones in control or power over Don and Harry.  The girl knew the Rolling Stones would never do that commercial a fact Don only knew afterwards.  Don has had to deal with the younger generation. "young people don't know anything, especially that they're young." He was forced into hiring Smitty and Smitty to have some young creative. But they were never a threat to Don.  but is Don more vulnerable now?

How long does Don's new found happiness stay? Don is always looking for the exit but maybe he expects this to last since he's told Megan about his Past.  One of the last things Dr Miller said to Don last season referring to the news of his engagement was "I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things." this is important cause Dr Miller was also the one who told Don he would be married within a year at the beginning of season four. 


Peggy hires the very talented copy writer against the advice of Stan to go with a mediocre copy writer so you don't have to worry about your job. Peggy is very hip and young in her personal life but not in her work.  She is tied to Don creatively and professionally. Also, She came off as a prude being so worried how the new eccentric copy writer was going to be viewed by Don.

Joan is scared of being replaced when she sees the ad in the paper.

and is anyone surprised that Betty is jealous of Don's new 25 year old wife but who Betty tells her friend is 20.  While Betty was awaiting the results, there was a lot of talk about Betty being replaced as the mother of Don's children by Megan. The older Don knows how upsetting this must be for Betty while it's lost on the young Megan. Megan's lack of comprehension of being replaced is similar to peggy and her willingness to hire someone talented.

I think its a great start for a season. It'll be great to see some conflict arise other than a merger or being sold or losing account being lost as being the big conflict. You can't write a letter and put it in the times and make yourself younger. Sorry. I didn't mean to write so much.  I can't sleep. does anyone know why the first episode was called the Kiss?  Unless it has to do with the lyrics to the song Megan sung, I am at a complete loss or missed the meaning to the name.



If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

ono

So Don's hallucinating affairs and moider~! (hot), Peggy's scheming and helping the po' black folk, and Sally is making friend with the creepy old woman.  I kinda dug their interaction, though at first I shuddered at the path I thought it was going to take.  I do love seeing these old generation mindsets juxtaposed with the forward thinking of a child like Sally.  As forward as it is, it can't quite get beyond the boogeymen in the closet.  All children inevitably sleep at the feet of their caregivers in light of such dangers.  Yay for Joan for kicking her creep husband to the curb.  Now for Roger to do the same for his SO -- though right now Joan deserves better.  If only t'were that simple.  Though it unreeled slower for me (I kept pausing) I enjoyed it thoroughly.  At one point it seems as if Joan's mother and Sally's caregiver looked similar +/- 100 pounds.  I don't think there was anything to that.  Random.  Bygones.  My wishes: More Sally, More Peggy, more of Don decomposing into a sloppy, sick mess.  That's the ticket.

tpfkabi

So Joan and her husband had sex in a reasonable window in order for him or Roger to be the father, or the husband just never thought about it or brought it up? Her mom? Or am I forgetting something?
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

Brando

Quote from: tpfkabi on April 09, 2012, 08:32:46 PM
So Joan and her husband had sex in a reasonable window in order for him or Roger to be the father, or the husband just never thought about it or brought it up? Her mom? Or am I forgetting something?

It's Roger's baby. She got pregnant by Roger something like seven weeks after she last saw her husband. The husband either believes it's his baby or doesn't want admit it's not his. Roger had a line last season about a bunch of GI's coming home to find a baby but never doing the math.
If you think this is going to have a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.

diggler

It almost seemed like Joan was hoping he would tell her he cheated on her while he was overseas so she could ease her guilt, but after she threw the rape in his face I suppose she didn't feel guilty about it at all.
I'm not racist, I'm just slutty