Mad Men - General Discussion

[JudyObscure]

I loved seeing Jackie's tour of the White House.  I remember going to school the next day and doing an imitation of her breathy voice and blinking eyes, telling the kids the cafeteria china was a gift from the French ambassador. The year before, JFK had campaigned outside our school (he spent a lot of time in West Virginia) and most of us weren't interested enough to look out the window.  It's hard now to imagine that before the tragedy they were just ordinary politicians.

[cooksdelight]

When I saw all the excitement over the Xerox machine, it brought back a flood of memories from my first ad agency job. Ours sat outside my office in the hallway (something Joan didn't want) and the repairman was a hottie.

[cooksdelight]

"Flight 1" is on now and I can understand why there's been confusion about Peggy's son. She visits her mother and her sister reminds her to go in and say goodnight to the kids. The little girl calls her aunt Peggy, but there's a baby boy in the crib and the way Peggy looks at him made me think... hey, that's him! Because there's another little boy in the bed next to him who doesn't look much older.

[chlban]

Yes, the name does seem vaguely familiar, now that you mention it. When Glen was leaving for the Army a few episodes ago, he didn't mention the sister at all. Sally ended up becoming sort of a sister figure to Glen, so it probably worked better for the story if the actual sister just disappeared to the Great Attic of Abandoned TV Siblings, hanging out with Chuck Cunningham and Judy Winslow.

Do you suppose they are taking care of the missing dogs as well? I like to think so. 

[Sweets McGee]

"Flight 1" is on now and I can understand why there's been confusion about Peggy's son. She visits her mother and her sister reminds her to go in and say goodnight to the kids. The little girl calls her aunt Peggy, but there's a baby boy in the crib and the way Peggy looks at him made me think... hey, that's him! Because there's another little boy in the bed next to him who doesn't look much older.

They are even intentionally misleading with the "previously on Mad Men" teasers.

"You're going to be a mother!" "That's impossible..." (shot of Peggy holding crying baby in church)

[chlban]

I hadn't planned on watching this last night but, of course, I couldn't tear myself away. It reminded me how I got so hooked. The first three seasons were just magic for me. Not sure why, but I still love them, and have really always believed the show was at it's best then. 

 

What struck me last night, was I had forgotten how, especially in season 1, Betty was still so smitten with Don. Just the way she looked at him, how sweet she seemed to be to him. The show did an amazing job of showing how all those little disappointments, as well as the big ones, just chip away at a relationship until it's just gone....

 

Also, has anyone else caught the new add with the song "Remember"? Holy tearjerker, Batman. Especially now, knowing Betty's fate.  Maybe it's been shown before, but last night was the first time I caught that particular Gem.

 

Good grief, how I will miss this show.

Edited May 14, 2015 by chlban

[cooksdelight]

I am loving watching Sal, how I miss that guy. And dreading when Duck ditches the dog on the street.

[Sweets McGee]

I'm leaving it playing on the TV all day. I'm already bummed that I'm going to be gone at lunch during The New Girl.

[Sweets McGee]

Man, I love Bobbie Barrett. I really didn't like her on first view but have done a complete 180 on her. She's my favorite of all Don's ladies.

[Dejana]

Enter my least favorite MM character, Lois, telephone operator/secretary. I don't mind someone being a bit stupid if they try hard, like Meredith, but Lois was dumb and lazy, not to mention dishonest and careless. I could not believe she was till there after the lawn mower incident. Cooper fired a secretary for chewing gum. People were fired over a few dollars missing, with no proof, but Lois stayed on.

Lois singlehandedly derailed the entire PPL reorganization; Roger, Don and Cooper probably made sure she got a bonus!

[Constantinople]

Enter my least favorite MM character, Lois, telephone operator/secretary. I don't mind someone being a bit stupid if they try hard, like Meredith, but Lois was dumb and lazy, not to mention dishonest and careless. I could not believe she was till there after the lawn mower incident. Cooper fired a secretary for chewing gum. People were fired over a few dollars missing, with no proof, but Lois stayed on.

 

 

Lois singlehandedly derailed the entire PPL reorganization; Roger, Don and Cooper probably made sure she got a bonus!

Especially Roger since he didn't even appear in the org chart until after Cooper asked about it.

[cooksdelight]

"I'm very important to the agency. My abscence is felt." Pete, don't ever change. And he used the word donnybrook. Who talks like that besides Pete?

[JudyObscure]

I'll never forgive you, Duck.  Never.

[Sweets McGee]

Just got home from lunch & errands and found the cat parked on the couch watching The Gold Violin. He's hooked.

[small potatoes]

Just got home from lunch & errands and found the cat parked on the couch watching The Gold Violin. He's hooked.

 

My cat learned how to say "What if it's my time" from watching Peggy ask for a raise in S3. Whatever you do, don't let him see that episode. You'll never hear the end of it.

[TheLanai]

I seriously considered calling in sick this morning so I could continue the binge watching. I forgot about so much that happened during the first few seasons!

[moonb]

"I'm very important to the agency. My abscence is felt." Pete, don't ever change. And he used the word donnybrook. Who talks like that besides Pete?

 

When future Pete is a Very Important Citizen in Wichita, he can work himself into righteous outrage at all the public profanity. 

"Hell's bells!"

 

Season 2 used to really bore me, and season 4-5 were my favorite to rewatch. Now I think it's the reverse.

Edited May 14, 2015 by moonb

[cooksdelight]

I want to push Duck off the top of the Empire State building and take Chauncey home where he'll be loved.

Harry Crane was funnier when he was a nobody.

[Umbelina]

I have all the DVD's, and I've still got this marathon playing on my TV.

 

BTW, the DVD's are pretty cheap, and the extras are fantastic on all of them.  Everything from old political campaigns, to in depth looks at divorce law, and usually 2 separate commentaries per episode. 

[Constantinople]

I need step away for a while and get some Utz Potato Chips.

 

Take if from a nut.

Utz are better than nuts.

[Umbelina]

One of my favorite ending songs of all time on this show is the priest with the guitar...it was so perfectly done, and it fit SO well, and the blend between his voice and the recording was amazing.

[cooksdelight]

I have all the DVDs as well, but this is just.... there.... on my TV. I agree the extras are great. :)

We're now into the period of Betty that I don't like. She reminds me too much of my mother when she'd be in the same mood.

[Juneau Gal]

I hadn't planned on watching this last night but, of course, I couldn't tear myself away. It reminded me how I got so hooked. The first three seasons were just magic for me. Not sure why, but I still love them, and have really always believed the show was at it's best then. 

 

What struck me last night, was I had forgotten how, especially in season 1, Betty was still so smitten with Don. Just the way she looked at him, how sweet she seemed to be to him. The show did an amazing job of showing how all those little disappointments, as well as the big ones, just chip away at a relationship until it's just gone....

 

Also, has anyone else caught the new add with the song "Remember"? Holy tearjerker, Batman. Especially now, knowing Betty's fate.  Maybe it's been shown before, but last night was the first time I caught that particular Gem.

 

Good grief, how I will miss this show.

Oh boy, I am right with you on all of this. Especially The a Times Of Our Lives song by Paul Anka. Holy cow when I first saw that commercial and heard that song it took me right back to my childhood. Gotta admit the tears flowed and now I have to look away and distract myself when it comes on!

[cooksdelight]

How the hell did I miss this Joy chick from LA and Don's apparent abandonment of his job for her when he was out there? I must have been out of the country when this aired.

[Umbelina]

I kind of loved Joy, she was one of my favorites of his other women.  He could have so easily become one of that jet set, and no one would give a damn what name he went by, instead, he fled to Anna, one of the only people at that time who really knew him.

 

I also loved that Matt did an actual Tarot reading with thought into the cards he used, and where they were placed.

 

Don thinks he's alone in the world, but he's not, he's part of it, if nothing more, than because of his children. 

[cooksdelight]

The melding of the Cuban Missle Crisis and the "is there a new west coast office?" thing with Lois and the guys is borderline hilarious and scary at the same time.

[turbogirlnyc]

Rewatched the first 3 seasons on Netflix recently and a few things really stood out to me.

* Henry is not good looking & never was.

He's also way old for Betty. Creeper

for hitting on a pregnant woman.

* Don is a complete ass for repeatedly

cheating on & lying to Betty.

* I love Carla.

* I've been told by friends & strangers

alike that I look like January Jones

since 2008 & yeah, I can totally see

it now. I hate my slightly deep-set

eyes & because JJ has the same, I

take the comparison as an insult. I'm

also younger so... Oh, and my eyes are

green, not chillingly blue.

* I don't recognize any of the songs

and it makes me sad. It would make

the MM experience much richer.

* After reading recent comparisons of

Diana & Rachael, I was disappointed

Rachael wasn't more... stunning? I

guess that's why I didn't remember her

face. Actually, all of Don's flings

look frighteningly similar. Eww.

* Christina Hendricks has a beautiful

singing voice.

* Pete is A-okay with me.

I thoroughly enjoy reading the comments and stories here. Thank you for sharing.

My parents & grandparents never told me about my family history. I was 27 when I found out my maternal grandfather was Jewish & survived the holocaust before eloping to marry my German, cold as ice grandmother. It's comforting to read that others are in touch with their past. That, in my opinion, is very important.

[cooksdelight]

Pete and Trudy doing the Charleston.... priceless. Followed by Grandpa Gene helping Sally drive the car.

I just do not remember the two young creative guys, especially the French one. They didn't make an impression on me the first time around, I guess.

[suomi]

Watching The Arrangements. Grampa Gene wants pregnant Betty to read through his death/funeral arrangements, she doesn't want to. "Oh, smoke your cigarette," he tells her. She lights up. After he insists on going over the plans she tells him she doesn't know what he's thinking about and she doesn't want to know. It's morbid, she's his little girl, and he shouldn't force her into it.

Edited May 15, 2015 by suomi

[cooksdelight]

He also told her that her kids didn't want to watch her commit suicide by smoking.

Kitty is seeing her husband in a different light now, methinks.

[Umbelina]

That classic Kitty scene, so well done, her face said it all.  My heart broke for her.

 

Did you know that the hair cutting scene with Peggy was her real hair?  They had fake ponytails to use on subsequent cuts, but they used the first cut because it took him so much longer to cut through that ponytail than anyone expected.

 

I love Grandpa Gene and the stories there, and they really let Sally shine.  Too bad they couldn't hold on to that Bobby.  They new one is OK, but even if he is old enough, he looks SO much younger than Sally now.

[cooksdelight]

Oh geez, I forgot that Gene died at the A&P. One of my lifelong friends lost her dad there. He was produce manager at our local store, and I will forever remember him smiling at people as he stacked bananas.

I hate Peggy's mother.

[JudyObscure]

Cooksdelight  watched from 8:16 AM yesterday until 2:41 AM.  Awesome.

 

Betty and Henry are falling in love now.  I kind of forgot how all that started.  I think  Henry's conservative, reliability was a big attraction for Betty after living with Don's unpredictable behavior all those years.  I thought he was all about her looks at first but I'm glad I was wrong about that.

Edited May 15, 2015 by JudyObscure

[cooksdelight]

I'll be checking out when Megan appears, as I cannot stand that character. I missed the trip to Rome with Conrad Hilton first time around so it's interesting to see all of that happen. As well as Pete and the au pair. Why was Joan working in a department store?

[Sweets McGee]

Joan quit Sterling Cooper because Greg was certain he was going to get promoted, but then he didn't get the promotion so she had to go back to work. So, she got a job at the department store.

[cooksdelight]

Thanks Sweets, I missed several episodes....or a season.... apparently. :)

Watching her play the accordian and Greg's weird look on his face gave me the creeps.

[GreekGeek]

I re-watched some of "The Mountain King" last night. Now that we know Betty will die soon, everything she says and does earlier seems ironic. I'm talking about the scene where she gives Sally the riding boots and says something like, "You're getting to be such a big girl...Someday you may want something and I won't be there to give it to you." It was also ironic to see how sweet Sally was in that scene.

[cooksdelight]

I'm kind of hoping they might flash back to that, for Sally, when Betty passes.

[Sweets McGee]

In the past I worked at a collectible coin shop, so I always appreciate the period accurate money. In The Hobo Code, it's a standing liberty quarter (1916-1930) that Abigail places on the table. Betty has silver certificate $1 bills in her purse when she has to pay the mechanic when her car breaks down. And even the sound of money - pre-1965 silver coins make a distinct sound when they clang together, and I noticed that sound when Betty put the coins in the cash box after the Rockefeller fundraiser. They didn't even show the coins, but they still used the right coins so it made the right sound. It's the little things with this show!

[jnymph]

I re-watched some of "The Mountain King" last night. Now that we know Betty will die soon, everything she says and does earlier seems ironic. I'm talking about the scene where she gives Sally the riding boots and says something like, "You're getting to be such a big girl...Someday you may want something and I won't be there to give it to you." It was also ironic to see how sweet Sally was in that scene.

was just coming here to post the exact same thing.

[Miss Chevious]

Been watching the marathon too (saw all the episodes when they originally aired) and am struck anew how Betty tried so hard to be the perfect suburban wife and mother and Don just kept on cheating on her left and right. She did not deserve that. Even when she started being interested in Henry, she didn't settle for a quickie in his office or a motel room. (You just know Don would have if the situation were reversed.)

[cooksdelight]

Yes, I totally agree. Betty really did get the shaft in this series, smoking all those cigarettes when she was waiting up nights for Don...

[cooksdelight]

The look of total devastation on Don's face when confronted by Betty about the stuff in the drawer....man....

Arch is an unusual name, the name of the man Don talks about. It was the first name of Truman Capote's true father, which I just read about in his biography. Capote was the name of his stepfather, who adopted him. I wonder if they picked that name on purpose?

[sistermagpie]

Yes, her talk with Sally about first kisses in "Souvenir" made me tear up.

 

 

Didn't Betty tell Sally "You don't kiss boys, boys kiss you." And am I remembering correctly but doesn't Sally kiss the boy with the telescope, her first kiss that we see on the show?

[Dev F]

The look of total devastation on Don's face when confronted by Betty about the stuff in the drawer....man....

 

My favorite detail of that scene: For the first three seasons of the show, one of Don's go-to lines in times of conflict is "What do you want me to say?" He's always playing a role -- always willing to play any role to avoid dealing with uncomfortable realities. But in this scene, Betty reveals that she knows who he really is, and finally, defeated, he asks "Where do you want me to start?" He's not just playing a role anymore; he's finally admitting that there's something real beneath all the posing.

 

It's a turning point so profound that he will never utter the line "What do you want me to say?" again for the entire rest of the series.

[cooksdelight]

And the kicker at the end when they take the kids trick-or-treating and the man asks Don "And who are you supposed to be?" Stunning writing.

[sistermagpie]

(Yes, I think telescope boy is the first on-screen kiss that Sally has on the show.)

 

 

And she kisses him, not the other way around, right? 

[cooksdelight]

Was that the kid in the bathtub with her when they were pretending to be driving?

Kennedy has just died and Bobby asks "Are we going to the funeral?" The poor kids have had a lot of death already in their young lives.

[Inquisitionist]

Thanks Sweets, I missed several episodes....or a season.... apparently. :)

 

Joan's last day was in Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency, Ep. 3-6.  Hope you didn't miss that one!

[Athena]

And she kisses him, not the other way around, right? 

 

Indeed. Sally does things her own way: "Sally, I always worried about you because you march to the beat of your own drum, but now I know that's good. I know your life will be an adventure."