Cool News
‘When Don Shows Up He’ll Fall In Line!! He’ll Have To!!’ Meditations In An Emergency!! MAD MEN Season Finale!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
“I can’t do it. What am I going to do?”
“Tell the truth. Don’t worry about the outcome.”
“Sometimes I feel He called me to this parish to reach you.”
“They don’t care about us. We’re just a bunch of salaries on a ledger.”
“I like this company the way it is.”
The last time we saw Dick Whitman, he was wandering into the Pacific.
AMC says:
Things at Sterling Cooper don't run as smoothly while Don is away; Betty receives some upsetting news.
Variety managing editor Kathy Lyford, a big “Mad Men” fan who once worked as an ad agency copywriter, breakfasted recently with series mastermind Matthew Weiner, posing questions from readers (including one of mine).
Highlights:
* Weiner says he does not yet know which date will be on Don’s desk calendar when season three resumes.
* Weiner indicates Don Draper’s story comes from a screenplay Weiner wrote 16 years ago called “The Horseshoe.”
* Weiner discusses his use of contemporary music by The Cardigans and The Decemberists.
* Weiner says if he read Richard Yates’ “Revolutionary Road” before he wrote the “Mad Men” pilot, the series would never exist.
* Pants-peeing advertising vet Freddy Rumsen (played by Bill Murray’s kid brother Joel) will be back. (Presumably Rumsen returns in tonight’s season finale, since Weiner says he doesn’t “even know what [season three] is yet.”)
Find all of Lyford’s interview here.
10 p.m. Sunday. AMC.
The Book That Could
Have Killed Mad Men!!
Two DVDs For $10 Sale!!
HD Clockwork For $8.50??
Two-For-One Blu-Ray Sale!!
-
+ Expand All
-
it would be about the same.
-
I noticed, when rewatching the season opener on Hulu, that the Decemberist's opening track had been replaced by Chubby Checker's The Twist.
-
The Infanta was the opener for the 3rd or 4th episode. The premier started with The Twist.
-
You're right! I must have been confused by the montage ofpeople getting ready being used again. Good to know.
-
It could even be better.
-
John Hamm is Superman!!! Eh? Captain America would be good too, but like... I'm not too keen on that hero in general, and as fucking pumped as I am for a period superhero film (it's about time! Wish they had done it with supes), I wouldn't like to see Jon Hamm get regulated to being the "handsome period actor." And yeah, I thought Brandon Routh was great, but John would be much, much stronger. I mean... I don't think you can argue that casting. I want to see it happen. I want a shot of Don Draper staring in joyous yet concerned wonder at the bottled city of Kandor in his hands. Or holding Bizarro by the throat. Or telling some foe to "Burn!" as his eyes glow red. And we all know his Clark would be flawless. Just can we please fucking leave the Donner series behind already!
-
The man was born to play Superman, especially if they did a New Frontier/ Golden Age type series. Can't see him as Cap tho, he's just too dead on perfect for Superman
-
Wow, I'm really gonna miss Mad Men after tonight but look forward to stuff like Breaking Bad & Damages. As good as the others sometimes are, Mad Men is one of those shows I have to watch the very first time the new episode airs. Roll on July 2009! Yep, Hamm would be a terrific Superman but I honestly can't see a moern day studio casting someone over 35 as Superman. But maybe I'm wrong...perhaps the success of The Dark Knight will make 'em realise there's a huge audience for 'adult' comic-book films.
-
"modern day studio"
-
You know that picture of the character, before Ford was even cast, where he's standing in front of a Jeep, with a cigarette clenched in his teeth? I think Hamm looks ALOT like that.
-
That would be a perfect fit. Just like Bale is as Batman. So what if he's 35? You could get a trilogy done in 7 years. He'd only be 42 at the end of it all.
-
or so says Weiner....i belived he used the words "getting hit with a sledgehammer" to describe how its gonna feel when its over.....unreasonable predictions:Freddy kills Duck.
-
Hamm as Supes, Avery Brooks as John Stewart GL, Catherine Zeta Jones as Wonder Woman, Daniel Craig as Green Arrow. Let'em cast some young 'it' guy as Flash. It'd be fucking spectacular
-
He's definitely got the acting chops to pull it off.. but how is his port-modernist, self-referential humour?
And with regards to Superman, absolutely. He definitely has the features for it. But the script better be worthy, lest his career take a hit.
-
....because he knows if AMC will not pony up some good money to keep him onboard of an award-winning show, he's not going to give whatever half-witted wannabe just waiting for the chance to take over the control of an extremely popular and lauded show *anything* from his own creative mind to work with. The fact that he offers up NOTHING about season three means he's not giving them any rope to hang him with if they will not pay him what he's worth. I cannot believe for a second that he doesn't have his own ideas for season three yet, especially with season two in the can and season three's pre-production just months away.
You just KNOW that there are all these hacks right now sending emails back and forth to the corporate heads, telling them that they can out-weiner the Weiner when it comes to 60's advertising America. The truth is, almost all of them (most likely) would just end up driving the show into the ground in a season or two. The show is very unique, and despite what people think, good ideas and creative vision are as rare as water in the Gobi. -
AMC pony up the money to keep Weiner and Weiner give the home town discount. Keep thngs rolling on Mad Men one of the very few good shows on TV. I very much heart Don Draper. If they fuck the show up I will be very angry. I might have to write a strongly worded letter.
-
"Revolutionary Road" is a masterpiece. I very much recommend it. It is very satirical.
-
That would work. I think Hamm is more suited to be Batman than Supes.if they ever recast for Indy I agree that they could a lot worse then Jon Hamm. If they do reboot Indy perhaps we could see some stories from WW2 when Indy was in the OSS.
-
Weiner knows all about season three. This is just negotiating. He learned a lot from David Chase.
-
I'm really looking forward to tonight's finale. It's hard to believe we've already arrived at the end of Season 2. This show has been on such a roll that I have no idea what program will fill its hiatus void (BSG is still a few months away...)Here's to a good MAD MEN Talkback, kids.Cheers!
-
http://tinyurl.com/6s6zmt
-
best skit of the night, sums up the show so well
-
Check 'em out online if you want to kill time waiting for the finale. Some interesting stuff, "How Joan's Rape Changed Everything", an interview w/Weiner and cast (in which we discover Kartheiser is a stoner) and "The Don Draper Likeability Index".
-
Our A-Channel has always played the season 2 episodes of Mad Men on Sundays at 10pm at the same you Americans get the new episode. But tonight they're showing 40 Year Old Virgin! Why??????? I see they're showing Meditations in an Emergency next week Sunday at 11pm though!
-
great tie in w/ the missile crisis...
-
in Pete Campbell.
-
holding the shotgun?! that peggy-pete scene was one of the best of the season. wow, i'm still taking all of this in.
-
I love that Don noticed Peggy's haircut immediately.
-
Duck totally screwed himself by freaking out like that. Was the whole merger for Duck about taking out some perceived slights against Don? Don was the one who brought Duck to Sterling Cooper in the first place! Anyways, I totally forgot that Don didn't have a contract to be held to...so awesome...
-
Too much to comment on and everything seemed perfect. Don's letter to Peggy was perfect. I don't know why, but watching Betty cheat on Don makes me feel very sick. I felt bad when Don would cheat, but this is an entirely different feeling. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I feel like I'm being cheated on. It's just seeing this so very damaged character acting out and it makes me uncomfortable as hell. Duck losing ground at the meeting was also great, as was Don's response. Definitely Pete's best episode. Kartheiser deserves an Emmy nomination for it. The scene with him and Peggy was just pure acting and a pleasure to watch. The only recent thing that I've seen that this episode reminded me of was The Wire's series finale.
-
I thought January was the premiere date, and that was long enough!
-
I also liked how Campbell displayed loyalty to Don by telling him about Duck's plans. Pete did that without knowing what the outcome could be. I wonder if that will soften Don towards Pete in the future. Also, if Duck totally screwed himself out of the presidency, who gets it? Don???
-
What a fucking image to hold onto until next season. I love Pete a ton, but I feel the dramatic impact it would have had to see Pete kill himself might have made it worth it. Just seeing the toll it would do on Peggy and Don.
-
but that scene with him and Don speaks volumes. He respects Don. He just knows Duck. Pete says some stupid things, and acts ridiculous sometimes, but he's not trying to be an asshole. He says some of the most true statements about himself to others than anyone else in this show. He's told incredibly personal things about himself to Don, Peggy, the fetility doctor, in situations where I think many other characters would lie. He's just interesting to watch if only to see how he'll respond, as he seems so counter to everyone else.
-
I always thought of him as a weasley opprotunist, but that scene showed a whole different side of him. Then to offset it with the shotgun scene, damn....
-
Holy fuck, I can't believe we have to wait till June. Fuck. FUCK.
-
I love AMC's scheduling.
-
With the Shield wrapping soon and BSG going out next spring, I was wondering with my TV crack would be going forward...
-
Oct 26, 2008 10:32:24 PM CDT
"I'm just very stoned. Is that a bad thing to say to a magazine?
by danielkurland
Just commenting on how that is EXACTLY the type of thing that Pete would say.
-
I thought I was watching the show closely tonight. Could someone please enlighten me about that?
-
Just last week I believe ... I said Pete is a weasel but you get the feeling he can be redeemed. His overt gesture to Don showed he has matured, as did his talk with Peggy.Speaking of which, can someone tell me what the fuck she was talking about, with the part of you being gone, etc etc. Seriously.My only other comment right now is both season finales have made a somewhat contrived reach for additional drama via broad strokes. Now, this being Mad Men, it's still more subtle than any other show on TV but it's noticeable. I thought the whole thing about Don's contract was sort of out there. Maybe non-compete contracts existed but it seems kind of unlikely. Plus it wasn't set up before hand, was it?Anyway still the best TV drama I think I've ever seen.
-
Isn't it funny Pete has a gun in his office?
-
He's just been told he fathered a son. He is pleased with himself. The imagery is obvious.
-
Here's my take on Pete's storyline tonight. When Don told him he left him in LA because he was ready and he believed in him that was all the praise Pete needed to hear. Don represented the Father figure who didn't give his son that kind of moment...when Don gave it to him, it filled him up with a sense of pride. Don treated him like an equal for the first time in 2 seasons in that moment and Pete wants his wagon hitched to Don, not Duck. His tipping Don off was completely in character for what had happened in that moment Don accepted him. I also think the final scene with Peggy and Pete was one of the best of the season. On first blush I thought Peggy was telling Pete that the part of her who wanted him was gone...but I'm not sure. I do think that his reaction to her to start that scene came again from the scene where Don finally acknowledged. That and he knows his wife is more loyal to her parents than him and he knows the Peggy he knew would have been loyal to him no matter what...his character is very interesting considering we get so little of him to watch. As for Betty, that scene made me sick too and I turned to my wife and said, "she's turning into Don and Don is turning into her"...her eating the chicken out of the fridge like she didn't have a care in the world after fucking that guy was a total Don Draper move. I think after she has the baby, she's going to be drawn to having casual affairs with men like Brenda did on Six Feet Under and I think it's going to end up with her getting caught in it and Don leaving her down the road and taking the kids. I think she's doomed to be alone.
-
The shotgun scene was brief - near the end, after Don came home and sat on the couch next to Crazy Betty. They did a slow pan of Sterling Cooper and Pete was sitting in his office caressing the shotgun (the shotgun, if you recall, made an appearance earlier this season). Immediately after that they showed Peggy in bed doing the sign of the cross.
-
so incredibly well written. Definitely the most moving scene of the two seasons.
-
I just re-watched the scene. I also didn't know what she was talking about the first time, I thought maybe the baby (a part of her being gone...). But after a repeat view, I think she was talking about Pete. That she kept holding on to the idea that someday she'd have that "part" back, but finally she just gave up on the idea, and now it's gone. I'm still floored at Pete's total soul-baring moment. I actually ached for him.
-
This is the second time in a row that they've ended a season of this series with a pregnancy at the center of everything - first Peggy's, which didn't even get played out until tonight, now Betty's, which must be by someone other than Don, perhaps that man at the stables. I'm not disputing the show's quality here - not that it matters, but I agree that it deserves its acolades - I'm just surprised at the... redundancy... in plot devices.
In any case, it's obvious that producer Wiener (or is it Weiner?) has close to carte blanche when it comes to running the show (literally), and that may not be a bad thing considering how many shows suffer the sort of turbulent highs and lows in their first two seasons while they establish writing and producing staffs - something this series seems to have avoided (I think). I do wonder how long it can sustain itself as one great big metaphor for the decade of the 1960's - one which seems perhaps overly analyzed as it is in spite of any perceived parallels to the present (i.e., Vietnam War, civil liberties issues, etc). I could be lynched for saying this, but as believable as the characters are, the actual plotting is thin. It might not seem that way since there are so many characters and the plots are played out over such a long period of time, both within the seasons and on the show in the way time passes for the characters. Maybe I'm missing something, but episodes this season, in particular, advanced the same plots at precise, if not ultra-slow speeds, but introduced few, if any, new ones. Even Don's sojourn to California and experiment living life as his original identity seemed little more than an exploration of things we knew and had learned by the end of Season 1 - fascinating as good storytelling but, again, thin in plotting. Yes, other characters got promoted or let go - one got his own television department - but what did any of that really change? Did any of those minor characters actually change or did they just FINALLY exhibit the sort of behavior that they were set up to exhibit from the points of their introductions last year?
Anyway, I just thought they could have chosen to end the season with a surprise other than a pregnancy, even Betty's. And, as for Betty herself, I never found her to be a very interesting character, let alone sympathetic, even considering what some would say about women's status in those times. Obviously, she's the show's Grace Kelley - it was pretty much said in character dialogue at some point in the first season - but Grace Kelley, as an actress in a role, was at least likable. January Jones, even in interviews about her character, seems as cold and, well... flat as her character in the show. I think there are times when understatement is a bit overrated, and in my opinion, this might be one of them. -
I always feel as if someone has snatched a good novel away from me before I've finished reading. It's incredibly frustrating to have to wait until Summer 2009 for the continuation. Even more so because of the jump from '62 to '64.
-
Of course Don could be the father. They slept together when they visited her dad. I assumed this bar fling was Betty's first time cheating. And her attitude afterward (eating the chicken) implies how easy it is for her, and she'll probably do it again. Also, Andre, I'm not sure the gun was meant to be a phallic symbol of Pete's pleasure at fathering a child. I'd be surprised if his feeling at that moment was anything but devastated.
-
Since Betty told Don, I assume she's keeping the baby and staying married? Couldn't Pete and Trudy somehow adopt Pete's son? Since it was a merger, does that mean the 4 partners still own part of the company, just a smaller portion...wouldn't that make Draper (even as a minority shareholder) still part of the company, even if he isn't head of creative? Is Duck finished, and if so, who will be the new president? TUNE IN...8 MONTHS FROM NOW, JERKS!!!!
-
When Pete's father was killed in the airplane crash earlier this season he came to Don. He wanted to be comforted by Don. And later, when he sought more comfort and was rejected, he seemed more upset than when he heard his real father was dead. It clicked for me. The whole outing Don's secret to Cooper: he was just trying to get his father figure to notice him. I'm sorry, these characters are way too complex for normal TV. Oh, right. Its not TV. Its...AMC...?
-
I think that the shotgun is a call back to last season (or was it this season) when Pete was explaining to Peggy his hunter fantasy about how a male/female relationship should be. CONTEMPLATION!
-
re watch the episode where he first gets the gun. Then take into consideration the fact that he thinks he might be shootin' blanks. Maybe pete isn't "pleased" but the imagery is there. His subconcious and/or ego are delighted.
-
First season. Couple of Times. Specifically when he gets a raise/promotion. Don never wanted a contract. Sterling made a joke about how you can trust that kind of man. Interesting Roger.
-
She's talking about her baby. Think about it, she's not even using a complicated metaphor - she's explicitly referring to her baby.
-
cause bitch be crazy..
-
Agreed that Kartheiser deserves a nod - this is not an easy part to pull off so effortlessly and the scene with Peggy - he nailed it. And Elizabeth Moss just kills me. Peggy's speech, coming after the priest's talk with her, as much as she doesn't want to believe that God works in that way, she still feels that there's a part of her that she gave up by not acknowledging this child. And I think she just doesn't see a way of making it right or undoing it, and so she tells Pete in that way to say the same thing - that their time already passed and there's nothing that can be done about it. I am just fascinated by these characters. I can't wait to see how everyone emerges in a few months out of my imagination to see where they really have ended up. I fear for the boys and their jobs, I am concerned for Joan and the kind of life she might have, but I am chilled to think of where Betty will be and what she will become. Fucking brilliant.
-
DRAPER.
-
I had a completely different take on Pete telling Don about the merger and Duck. It came after hearing that people who take sides get thrown overboard. I think Pete was playing both sides against the middle to make sure he had a place at Sterling Cooper despite who won control.
-
I also thought of that interpretation, and it's not inconceivable. I just want to give Pete the benefit of the doubt. I had forgotten about Betty's chicken eating and nonchalantness after her affair. I don't know if I'll be able to watch this show if season 3 is full of Don being faithful and helping raise a baby while Betty is constantly fucking around, not worried that much if she'll get caught, as she can just say Don did the same thing. Don's letter is very important. I know Don's job is to persuade, but I feel he was incredibly genuine in it. Don DOES love Betty, and at the moment, I really don't know if Betty loves Don. She obviously enjoys the perk of being married, but that's something else entirely. But deciding to keep the baby, AND drinking shows what sort of mindset Betty is in right now. I really don't want to see Betty abusing Don psychologically, always holding his past above him. I can't believe she never opened that drawer, after that scene of her trying to episodes back.
-
Comparing Betty to Brenda on SFU. I forgot all about her, but that's the one other occasion where I've felt really sick over infidelity. I suppose it's because Nate and Don, while hardly perfect are both people you see so much of and feel definite personal connections to. This combined with the fact that you see absolutely no remorse on Betty and Brenda's side. The cheating is so natural. I know we never saw a ton of remorse on Don's part with his infidelities, but Hamm conveys so much just with his eyes, you could tell he did feel bad. Maybe also how Don was not having affairs to make himself feel good, or because he felt inadequate, or because he was trying to have control over Betty, whereas these are the exact reasons Betty is doing it. Fuck, this episode is so good in terms of giving TONS of details in regard to everyone, but Betty and Pete especially. I really hope season 3 has Pete in a more dominant role, which I suppose it would if he is still made Head of Accounts.
-
Don't forget Betty had been refusing to eat, feeding instead of her own hatred. After her casual fuck, she was liberated from hate, and thus could eat again.
-
Draper's "I don't have a contract." and Duck's hissy fit recalled the moment from the last Presidential debate:
Obama: ZERO.
McCain: Zero?! (blink blink blink)
Obama: Zero.
-
conjure Da Vinci's The Last Supper for anyone else? To me the imagery seemed striking in this respect. Makes me wonder if this is the end for Betty and Don despite the baby. Or perhaps it's meant to be a rebirth for the two.
-
Someone a week ago or so mentioned about the brilliant use of foreshadowing this series employs, and last nights finale paid off in spades. Betty's men's room tryst, recalls the moment between her and the tow truck driver that repaired her car. Did I see tears in Pete's eyes after his denial from Peggy? The man who couldn't cry for his dead father. And the whole season of Pete and his wife trying to concieve, and his refusal to adopt, came to a head with Peggy's admission. The season beginning with "The Age Of Camelot" and great promise, and ending with apocalypse and potential doom. It's not coincidental that Sterling Cooper meet with aerospace clients just prior to the Cuban missile crisis.Next year cannot come soon enough.
-
His scene with his wife went along these lines as I recall:
Trudy: If you really loved me you would want to come with me to my parents.
Pete: You're right, honey......I'll help you pack the car.
WTF? Trudy is in major denial. LOL. -
Love The Wire, Love The Sopranos, love many high brow shows but just can't get my head around this show... I've watched every episode in the past month and it just feels so unfulfilling... Like The Wire but without the involving storylines... and like Brotherhood just mildly less depressing... Ater watching that last episode I'm like... "Is That It ?" Talk about anti climax....
-
Events of 1964:
11/63: JFK assasinated
1964:
Barry Goldwater begins his campaign for President.
Plans to build the World Trade Center are announced.
U.S. starts patroling South China Sea and later begins sending troops to Vietnam.
First Beatles album is released in U.S. Beatlemania begins
Cassius Clay becomes heavyweight champ.
First Ford mustang released.
The Rolling Stones release their debut album
Shea Stadium opens
The 1964 New York World's Fair opens
Nelson Mandela imprisoned
Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law illegalizing segregation
Race riots in Harlem
Final Looney Tune shows :-(
China explodes first atomic bomb
Second Vatican Council meets
Che Guevara addresses the UN General Assembly -
And I don't know about an anti-climax. This show rarely does what you might expect it to do. But it was interesting that the final scene, while being a revelation to Don, was not a shock for us. Peggy and Pete was the more major development, I think. She finally tells someone about the baby, Pete says he loves her. Good stuff.No one seems to have brought up the Cuban Missile Crisis as seen here. That served as motivation for some of the truth being told in this episode. In reality, people really were afraid back then and thought that nuclear war was a very immediate possibility. Even today, some will tell you that was the closest the world got to nuclear war. That probably did make some people think of what to do. In fact, was part of the reason Pete had his gun to defend himself in case of the looting his wife was overly-worried about?While Pete isn't as horrible a person as he first seemed, I think he's just extremely self-centered. That's why he didn't even consider the nukes would really fly.
-
Actually, I think he was contemplating suicide. He can't have children with his wife, the one child he did have with Peggy was given away. He has no heir.
-
this season was great. looking forward to watching season 1 (i still haven't seen it). and can't wait for season 3.
hbo has to be kicking themselves in the ass for not having madmen. -
I just hope that the Prisoner mini meets the same standards as MM and BB. HBO and FX are probably regretting passing on both shows.
-
So, so good. And I think Pete and Trudy are through.
-
I have to point out that I like how this show is handling the priest. He's not being shown in the greatest light, but it seems like every priest you see on TV now is creepy and/or a child molester. I thought for certain that he was, ya know, "into" Peggy. But for all his faults, he at least seems sincere and genuinely interested in helping out Peggy. His "you'll go to Hell" comments may not have been very helpful, but burdening herself of her lies, etc, wasn't such a bad idea. I mean, assuming Pete doesn't eat that shotgun. But since I doubt the new season will start without Pete, I guess he'll be ok.
-
I don't think Betty's pregnancy is a retread of Peggy's. I mean, I disagree first that it's "at the center" of this finale ... Peggy's wasn't necessarily either, but was more central to the finale by far - particularly since it was a BIRTH, not just a pregnancy. I think it remains to be seen what Betty's pregnancy means, though I don't think it should be inferred that it's not Don's kid.(I do find it funny that some of you guys are so bugged out by Betty's tryst, while Don's serial cheating doesn't bother you. At least in her case there is a very specific emotional underpinning; there's no mystery as to why she does what she does.)Finally, the idea that the show is "thin" in the plot department is no surprise, nor is it a fault or flaw. Plot is not the end-all be-all of a television show, and Mad Men's adherence to a slightly different take on how to use the medium is what makes it fresh. As I've said before, it's definitely not the show for plot junkies, and there's nothing wrong with that.
-
I didn't know it was a shotgun for sure, but I don't think the point of that shot was that he's contemplating suicide NOR feeling potent. Whatever's going through Pete's mind isn't clearly either, and could be a vague combination of the two.
-
about "writing poems to potato chips!" *snickers*
-
Maybe, as viewers we are so taken in by the early '60s presence, that, of course, a man that sleeps around is a stud. A woman that sleeps around is a whore.Wait, that's changed?
-
I think that's more out of fondness for Betty peopel get upset. Because we know she's sort of been driven to this after being faithful to Don knowing that he wasn't to her. I think we were all just used Don doing it since we saw it from the start. It's feeling bad that she sunk to that level.
-
Duck's reaction to Don not having a contract was priceless. The way he slumped in his chair as if to say "FUCK!" Though he was badmouthing "creative" he knew he still needed Don and figured but that he now finally had power over him. He was just waiting to use it and happy the opportunity came so soon. What I'm not clear on is whether or not Duck is out of the deal. Don't the Brits have an obligation to make him president.They've said the seasons will jump ahead two years or so? Personally, I hate that idea cuz I wanna see what happens next!
-
What's really funny about that scene between Trudy and Pete is that Pete pocketed the $100, and kept right on talking......classic Pete
-
Part of me hopes the next jump is only 7 or 8 so we can see Betty lose the pregnancy and introduce a reason for her devolution (other than her emotional immaturity). Actually, Betty might be bipolar, it wouldn't surprise me. Her actions definitely suggest something else is going on. I hope they don't dwell on JFK's assassination for more than one episode and swiftly move into the civil rights era. More MLK, less JFK.
-
a bit of a cop-out and a huge cock-tease?
Am I wrong about the two year jump after each season? Didn't this site link an article in Variety saying Mad Men would run for 5 seasons and end in 1969? -
Yeah, Mr. N, I can see it going that way, too. I thought the doctor telling her to take it easy (including "no riding") and then, a few scenes later, seeing Betty on horseback right before she meets Don indicated that maybe she was trying, consciously or otherwise, to miscarry.
-
The way I see it happening is Betty will keep the baby and it will force Don to keep his position at Sterling Cooper in order to maintain a stable home. We'll see.
-
I think Pete wanted to rip into Don for abandoning him in LA, but Don turned it around into a compliment. And I think Pete told Don about Duck, not just as a favor, but to gain a bit of leverage, knowledge being power. And his smile as he was leaving Don's office implied, to me, he was thinking "Oh and I'll be taking Duck's position, thank you very much..."He may view Don as a father figure to a degree, but his competitive nature views Don as a threat also.
-
I didn't feel sick due it to being a woman cheating, or due to the time period. I've seen tons of examples of female infidelity in TV and movies, but am not left feeling sick over it. Here I am because Betty is just incredibly damaged. Like how she refused the guy at the bar first, just so he'd feel bad and like he wasn't worthy of her when she eventually did go to him. She's just vindictive and insecure and fucked up, and a lot of it is due to how she was raised as a child. Don's cheating wasn't nearly as callous, especially when you look at the letter Don just sent to her. I'm sure Betty would fucking love a miscarriage so she's not unable to continue to have these trysts. It's just watching a human unravel. Slowly losing those who cares about her, as she continues to act, hoping something will work, but is only further implicating her. January Jones' mannerisms in season one about her acting like a child are no accident.
-
That the guy who plays Pete played Connor in Angel. What a difference a few years and a hair cut makes.
-
First off, Duck's line about Don falling into line, because he has to showed Duck to be completely out of touch with reality. His actions have been desparate since losing the American Airlines opportunity. He abandoned his dog. He started drinking. When he had his big chance to lay out his direction as president of the new firm, he said he'd focus on television and be the low-cost provider. Clients chose S-C for creative and the resulting increase in sales, it's not about cost. If he had his head on straight, he'd have had a good speech prepared talking about how he'd lead the organization to new heights. Instead, he used the role power of the president immediately which was the wrong thing to do.
I expect the president to be the Brit with the bowtie. No other reason to have the guy at both meetings.
Pete and Don: Pete comes in to rail on Don for leaving him in California. Don tells Pete he does it b/c Pete's ready to fly solo. Especially funny when Pete says he can't even drive. That was just another lie from Don to defuse the situation and cover his ass. It scored major points with Pete who craves approval from Don. Pete repaid the favor by telling Don about Duck.
I think Pete with the shotgun was misinterpreted by most folks or at least one factor has been left out: this was the height of the Cuban Missle Crisis. It was a very scary time. Pete was holed up in the offices of S-C with a gun ready to defend himself, also probably thinking about how screwed up his life was. It was a very scary day and he chose to be alone at work in the dark. He's a complete whackjob.
I saw Betty's tryst as the only thing she could do to get even with Don. She needed Don back since she was pregnant. The only way to handle it was to even the score. Very childish of her and it will come back to haunt the family later. Last ep, she locked her daughter in the closet. I like the idea of her being mentally ill, though bipolar may be off the mark.
-
This show is not the 1960's as we see them in reruns, this show is about how the upper-middle class and the upper-class lived in 1959 to (where the season ended) Oct 1962. I'll point out more shortly.Why was there a Feminist Movement? Look at Betty's neighbor and the guilt she feels over her affair. And Roger Sterling's wife wanting to destroy him for wanting a divorce. And in the office a few weeks ago one guy was drunk, had the secretary on his lap at her work station, and was dry humping her.Peggy is also starting to "turn into a man" and may become one of the "ball-busting super-bitch women" from the late 1970's-1980's who had money, but nothing else.Betty's father treating her like a child plays up the old Victorian "shelter the woman from the real world" dynamic in families. Pete's father-in-law treating him as an 8 year old plays up the dynamic of those who fought in World War I and WW2 (Sterling, Cooper, Don, Pete's in-law) and Pete (who was born in the 1930's). Pete sees Don as a father. While only 5-10 years apart, there is a generational divide between the 2 men. Also, Pete and his wife just seem to be "playing house." They look and act like children. All those books in the 1980's and 1990's about the damage of divorces among the rich in Connecticut were written by the children of the world shown in Mad Men. There is a reason why they say the 1960's changed everything. Mad Men is showing you why.-----later-----m
-
sabotages duck via don. makes you wonder if pete really wanted to be don's boss. or pete is just that dumb.
-
Don fought in Korea
-
I dont think Pete had anything except good intentions when he told Don. Pete has always shown a pretty large amount of respect for Don. Sure, he wants to be in charge, but as he said early one "there's plenty of room at the top" I think Pete was hoping Don would do something....Pete would rather be at the top with Don than Duck i think.
-
Yeah I think it was strategic on one hand - he bet on Don, because he knows Don is the horse to bet on. Of course this is also tied to his father/son relationship (at least in his mind) with Don and need for Don's approval. Which he just happened to finally get at the beginning of the episode ... hmmm. I think there probably is also a Groucho Marx quality, where Duck choosing him makes him doubt Duck inherently. His father and Don gave him such a a hard time; acceptance must seem dubious to him to a degree.
-
I don't think it's a cop out. I kind of like each season to be more self-contained, and knowing that there's not gonna be any melodramatic pay-off to hanging threads. Not that that's a bad thing, but as I've said a million times, the show is less about plot progress than it is character progress and how that reflects social changes.
-
Just got into the show a few weeks ago and they have never stated where Don served. Giving his age, 36 in 1962, my guess was WW II (18-19 in 1944-45). But since it was said "The Real Don Draper" was married for 7 years I should have moved the timeline up to Korea. Now I have a very good reason to watch the DVDs.-----later-----m
-
Okay, maybe she's not bipolar (but she has her depressions and maniacal tendencies). Here's what I can recall about the odd things (ones that stand out against rational behavior) she's done: -Shoot the neighbor's birds -Slapping Glen's Mom, even if deserved it's still a rash action -Set up friend for an affair (maybe not a mental thing, but her evil plot nonetheless) -Lock daughter in closet (odd, even for the 60s) -Going riding after Doctor says don't -Affair in seedy bar and chicken leg fetish Summation: She's ill in the head. I bet in a couple seasons she'll be on prescription meds. Didn't Valium and a few other meds first pop up in the 60s anyhow? Also, can we please keep this TalkBack going until the next season starts? I really love discussing this show...
-
Pete's gun is from season one when he exchanged it for a wedding gift- A chip-n-dip. He got two.
-
By the way, it is Betty, not Betsy. Don calls her Bets, but that's short-slang for Betty.
I think that faced with the problem of her pregnancy, while trying to reconcile herself to the idea of life without Don, the affair was the balance. Since she could see no easy way out, it was easier to have a fast affair to balance the scales than have an abortion or pursue life as a single mom. Too bad Fear of Flying wasn't written till 1973, what we saw was a zipless f*ck.
The minute I saw her go into that men's room with that man was the moment I knew she was going back to Don. -
drove her car into someones front lawn. and couldnt put on her own earings was it? or lipstick. I dont know if they dropped the betty has serious mental/physical health issue of if there just gonna let it simmer for 10(in their time) years and then in the final season betty is climing a clock tower with pete's rifle.
-
Now I remember Pete getting the gun as an exchange for the chip 'n dip. Isn't it a pellet gun? I'm thinking now that it represents his freedom from his marriage. And Pete-fans out there are right: I hated him at first but now I see he's one of the most well-developed and nuanced characters out there.
And Betty and the chicken... there were several comments about how Betty doesn't eat. Even her daughter Sally said that when Don asked her to stay with him and the kids for dinner in the hotel. Sally says "Mommy doesn't eat anymore" Her eating the chicken drumstick after the affair shows that in some ways, she's "recovering" somewhat from the trauma of dealing with Don's several affairs. Since they have a relationship where they can't actually talk honestly or communicate and resolve problems, the only way Betty could move on is if she also had an affair. And I don't even think she consciously knew that. She just went with it then started to feel "better", realized she needed some food and then took Don back. And for those of you who were like "oh, she just ate that chicken as if she didn't care", well, Betty's whole problem is that she doesn't understand or process her own emotions. That's why she's so childlike and confused all the time. And that's what leads to all of her unhealthy or bizarre behaviour. So she's not a cold hearted slut.
-
I'm sure it was odd for the times but I always thought the reason Don didn't want a contract is he didn't want to be tied down to anything. Don Lockwood, I agree with you. I too saw Pete as playing both sides, hedging his bets.
-
Oct 28, 2008 12:20:30 PM CDT
"they have a relationship where they can't actually talk honestl
by big jim
... or communicate and resolve problems"Much like last season when Betty would use her psychiatrist, who she knew was relaying their sessions back to Don, to "talk to" Don about his affairs.
-
Negotiations haven't been going well...http://tinyurl.com/6dxg5l
-
Those new developments certainly are interesting. I think it makes sense that Lionsgate agrees that he deserves the money, they just cannot afford to give that much money to him, but he won't back down. Maybe he just thinks they're holding out. Anyways, I would totally be against Weiner leaving. I mean, he has the show planned out, he's been sitting with it for 10 years, and he basically wrote every episode this year. Weiner is the show. That being said, if this article is right, and Lionsgate actually spoke to AARON FUCKING SORKIN to take over, I may actually kind of be excited...
-
...as Captain Marvel. He would be prefect for it. He would suck as Superman.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 159 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 155 total posts 140 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 45 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 34 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 32 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 118 total posts 27 posts