Tyler Clementi

We fans of Mad Men have spent many hours on this Forum expressing our admiration and concern for the fictional character, Sal Romano, bemoaning his fate and the circumstances of his departure from the storyline. Please let us now, if not on this Forum, at least in our hearts, spend some time grieving the loss of Tyler Clementi, a real person.

I am 60 years old....to know that this young man took his own life at the age of 18 years is heartbreaking to me. The further knowledge that he did so simply because he could no longer take the the abuse dished out by his peers is to me both shocking and enraging. 18 years of life.....a mere wink of an eye to his mother and father, I am sure.....their memories of their baby boy are probably just as fresh to them today as the memory of the 18 year old son they sent off to college. Oh, how I ache for them. All the wonderful years of life he had ahead of him....if only......if only......

Matt Weiner can bring Sal Romano back to life with the stroke of a pen.....would that we could do the same for Tyler Clementi. Rest in peace, dear, dear young man.

English Characters

As a fan from the UK, I think the programme is superb but I do get annoyed by the language the English character Lane Price uses. Just watched Episode 4 of S4 and he asked whether Don "was done" with something. Somebody from England would always ask whether he "was finished"... I understand that these shows are made for US audiences and only about 14 people each week watch it over here on the BBC, but the character is wrong. If Lane was working in NY in 1964, he would still talk UK English, not US English in these circumstances. For years I have watched ER (my wife is a nurse) where two principal characters (Corday and Rasgotra) have been Brits, and the writers have given them US rather than UK dialogue. I know that this makes me sound like a pedant, but I have read that the producers of Mad Men are really keen on getting things RIGHT! So, GET IT RIGHT... ask Jared Harris if Lane would really use this dialogue in real life, he'll know. Mind you, he may have been written out by now!

Music from Season 2 Episode 12

I was wondering if anyone knew the name of the song the little boy is playing on the piano when Don comes into Anna's house on Season 2 Episode 12. I know the little boy says the name, but I can't understand what he says! LOL I have been looking for this piece of music for awhile and never knew the name of it. Thanks!

Need to put more "Ad" back into "Mad Men"?

Do we want to see more advertising campaigns on our show? I know that has always been the biggest attraction for me.

Lane and The Playboy Bunny!

There is somethnig very charasmatic about Lane. Yes, he seems somewhat dour, nerdy and awkward in a number of ways, yet he seems to have a latent seductive charm that some hip, urban women seem to go wild over!

I wonder where this relationship will go.

Don Draper's comeuppance, long time coming

All right maddicts, bear with me. It's time we looked this show straight in the eye: Don Draper has it coming, big time. How long can we turn the other cheek? How fair is it that he's apparently gotten over addiction like it's nothing? How fair is it that he had three kids with a woman he cheated on, if not every day, then every week? A panic attack is not enough to bring this man to his hands and knees. When are we going to accept Don is a bad person who needs a seriously real dose of the G Men? That sultry look at Megan just about sealed the deal, especially after what he did to Allison. Don: you haven't hit rock bottom yet, and I hope the writers of this show give you what's coming to you.

"Mad Man" Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzEBus8npXo&feature=player_embedded

Season 4 Episode 10 - Favorite Quotes

Got a favorite line from Episode 10, "Hands and Knees"? Post the exact quote below, including the character who said it, and it might end up on the character's profile page and the episode page on the Mad Men website.

Maddicts as Comedy Writers

You Maddicts should apply for jobs as comedy writers on Mad Men. I am like a New York critic when it comes to laughs. You'd better be good. But I've laughed out loud so many times at some of your posts so you deserve kudos. Of course, Roger's are right up there too.

The Significance of Episode 10 throughout the seasons

I may have mentioned in this in a previous post but has anyone noticed the significance of Episode 10. I like to refer to it as the set up the future perhaps...
Episode 10 from seasons 1-3
Season 1: The Long Weekend - Roger's Heart Attacks thus setting up the paradigm shift in the agency hierarchy - Advantage Draper!
Season 10 - The Inheritance - Betty's Dad is ill and we see the disfunction of Betty's home life but she is still angry with Don for his affair (among other things) with Bobby Barrett. Baby Gene may have been conceived on this episode (advantage Betty, for now).
Season 3 - The Color Blue - Betty finds out about Don's past thus confirming her suspicion that she has no idea who Don is (Advantage again Mrs. Francis!)
Episode 10 is a pretty important episode in the seasons of Mad Men thus far and tells you where the show is headed for the next season.
This whole season has been a roller coaster of emotions - Pass the Maalox Roger I think I am gonna be sick (Cue image of Peggy not knowing which bathroom to take a nauseated Don to "upchuck").
Any Thoughts?

Forum Improvement Project Attn: Moderators

Member Bootanall started a post on the Open Thread page asking how to proceed with forum improvement suggestions.

It turned into a landslide of comments, suggestions, technical problems, site navigation questions, search and archive questions, traffic problems, protocol and policy questions, and desired features, among other things.

Many members participated in the discussion and a few proposals were made. This post is a culmination of that discussion. The thought process being, that all the information could be gathered concisely in one area that both members and AMCtv.com Moderators can access in lieu of multiple, separate email requests.

Our goal is to provide a thread that allows all members to post their comments in one place for easy access, allow the flow of information to flow to reach AMCtv.com in a timely manner without relying strictly on email exchange, and to alleviate some of the traffic on the Open Thread page.

Thank you

Our Sally was voted one of best dressed at the emmys...

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.
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http://www.thefablife.com/nggallery/post/the-20-best-dressed-at-the-emmys-from-snoozeville-to-sizzletown/page/41389

Pretty dress and, yep, very age appropriate.:)

Thank You

It was my pleasure to serve as your moderator this weekend, along with Tipsi. It was a very easy task, and it was also great fun reading so many great posts, from both familiar and unfamiliar posters. I think only two threads were cited the whole weekend. a fitting matter of fact to the quality of the posters here. Someone mentioned on the main thread, that reading the insights here are almost as much fun as the show, and lend great amplification to the show, it's characters, and storylines. I agree. Again thank you all for making this voluntary task so easy.

A Protest of the '60s Non Violent Kind

Seriously now, I must protest.....while reading through the threads last midnight, I was compelled to post a somewhat strongly worded comment on the Open Thread against the pestilential poppycock provided us by our resident loathsome lunatic. Now, in the bright and glorious sunlight of this lovely September morn, I thought perhaps I might have been a tad too vehement. I decided to delete my post, but when looking for it, I discovered it had already been removed by AMC. Well, needless to say, I am somewhat miffed.....no, I am quite a bit miffed....actually, I am very much miffed. Why, AMC, did you removed my little missive.....there were no offensive words, unless you count the one in quotes, which was in quotes because I lifted it from one of the said lunatic's own Threads. I see his wretched maunderings have been allowed to remain, and yet my innocent plea for a "loathe and detest" button with which to voice an opinion without actually having to engage the mental midget in conversation gets axed? This is just plain wrong. I've a good mind to hurl a rotten tomato or two.....

Blowing Smoke

Glen will be back and will burn down the Francis/Draper house.

Mad Men at Expo67

I would like to suggest that Mad Men incorporate Expo 67, one of 1960's largest advertising, architecture, fashion, and cultural showcases into at least one of its episodes.

Held in Montreal (close to New York City) between April and October 1967, Expo 67 attracted several million visitors to its fair grounds. The fair reflected a multinational city of the future, featuring the pavilions of 62 countries, numerous large corporations, as well as several American states, including New York State. (Significantly, each pavilion featured its own staff of young, attractive, and fashionably dressed hostesses.) The fair also attracted many significant individuals of the time, from Robert Kennedy to Princess Grace.

As an international fair that attracted millions, it generated significant advertising possibilities and innovations. This advertising was specifically targeted at Canadian, American, and overseas markets. It was featured in the print and broadcast media of those separate markets, as well as at the fair itself, where members of many different international communities converged for a six month period.

The legacy of Expo 67 in the worlds of advertising, fashion, and architecture has been enormous. As the the largest World's Fair of the 20th century, which reflected the ideas, images, and politics of the time, it would be a great oversight if it was not highlighted by the television show which has been so successful at capturing those elements of the late 1950s and 1960s.

People who visited Expo 67 included:
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Lyndon Johnson
- Princess Grace
- Jacqueline Kennedy
- Robert F. Kennedy
- Ethiopia's leader Haile Selassie
- Charles de Gaulle
- Bing Crosby
- Harry Belafonte
- Maurice Chevalier
- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- Marlene Dietrich

Events that happened at Expo 67:
- Visit of General de Gaulle
- Threat of assassination of LBJ
- First public North American broadcast of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (June 1, 1967 at the Expo 67 Youth Pavilion)
- The Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast live on May 7 and May 21 from Expo 67. Stars on the shows included America's The Supremes, Britain's Petula Clark and Australia's The Seekers.
- Musicians who performed for crowds at the fair included Thelonious Monk, Grateful Dead, Tiny Tim, and Jefferson Airplane entertained the crowds.

Influential Aspects of Expo 67:
- International, multilingual advertising
- Ultra-Modern architecture (geodesic domes, monorails, space frames)
- Celebration of Multiculturalism

Did Don tell Rachel his secret?

I have seen posts on this board and others in which the writer mentions that Don told his secret to Rachel Menken. I don't recall Don doing that. I remember him panicking when Pete found out his secret and he asked Rachel to run away with him. But I don't recall Don telling Rachel exactly why. Can someone please confirm this?

Mark Moses on Desperate Housewives

Paul Young, Mark Moses' (who plays Duck) character on DH is returning after a stint in prison for something (who can remember with all the crazy sh** on that show) with his jailhouse bride Beth (played by my friend Emily!) No matter what we do we just can't keep her from sending letters to male prisoners!

How Much Padding Does Joan Have?

I'm sure a lot of that has to be padding because she's looks too fat. "full figured" females means the typical Playboy model with big knockers but a small waist and arse. It doesn't mean fat with a big booty. Even that infamous perverted chubby chaser Rubens didn't have them that fat. btw, the guy was just a fat freak because fat was never viewed as desirable at any time in history. Fat females remind men of pregnant females and that's disgusting and gross.

Moderator Alert

the front board is multiplying. i posted a topict hours ago and it just recently duplicated. Other posts seem to be spawning too.

Last shot of Don/Megan: Iceberg, straight ahead?

Maybe it's kinda like, "iceberg, straight ahead".

Depsite the bad for him in this episode, two good things happened. Betty was more than just cordial with him on the phone in the beginning. She actually smiled. And given she has made it clear she wants him dead, she had every chance and decided to do the opposite. And the second thing is his being relationship-oriented toward Faye which is usually not him. Faye is responding generally well to that. Don is in fact in need of a home. It seems, maybe, on this front, the bell curve has bottomed and is begining to climb upward?

So here he is, the beaten down man most of the season. And with Betty not engaging in the kill shot and instead sort of saving him, and things looking solid and not just one nighter with Faye, it's different in a positive way for Don. And this is all when he was so close to his own sort of mortality in that we almost saw the second death of Don Draper if you will, but he escaped.

But what do we end with? An Angel on one shoulder and the Devil on the other? Megan now in front of him every day, vs, this new part of Don. ( Don's lawyer saying, tell me you're shtooping that, Megan being girlie right in his view, and in an earlier episode Peggy's ponytail gal pal saying she'll come up to the office to Peggy bc her friends want to see Megan, all means the character is presented for a certain motif).

Iceberg, straight ahead.

Will he steer around it, or, fall back into what he is used to? Many people in a crossroad go back to what they know. Like a mental struggle, like an addict seeing and saying I know that's bad for me, but I'm not looking away either. Don's looking.

I think they meant us to think. But thats what we love about it. They give us these avenues to go down, so let's go there. All differing opinions are great because they give us the means to do so.

Weiner Confirms That Gibson Will Appear On Madmen

http://www.hollywoodtalk.com/

You're Doing A Good Job Ignoring Me lol

Keep ignoring me girls haha It's typical of the misandrist female to believe she has to get the last word which is why no matter how much they "ignore" me my posts are loaded with comments lol

The contrast between Don's apartment and office.

I was just struck by something when watching Inside Mad Men.

There's been a good deal of discussion about how dark his bachelor pad is but in the clips they cut from an office scene to an apartment scene and the difference is remarkable.

The office is bright, pure, clean white with daylight streaming in from 2 walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything is streamlined, sleek and perfectly in place.

The apartment is dark and not elegant-cozy-dark. It looks more like 40-watt-bulbs-under-grimy-thrift-store-lampshades type of dark. It almost seems like a mildewed sepia print.

Is this meant to symbolize something? Like his career is bright and shiny and in order and his personal life is dank and grim (and illuminated with 40 watt bulbs).

Or am I making to much of it and just unfairly attacking his home decor style choices.

Who is Don Draper

All this time I've been under the impression (you know that voice in your head) That is was Don asking the question Who is Don Draper. So i based all my observations and opinions on that POV, watching the events of the season through those glasses and seeing a journey of self discovery and reconciliation.

But what if it's not Don asking the question? What if it's someone else entirely?

Okay so which 1960s actress does Megan look like?

As I was watching the episode "Hands and Knees" I thought that Megan looks like somebody but who?. Then she looks a lot like ..... Jane Birken !! the English French actress who sang Je T'aime with Serge Gainsbourg. Thoughts? (both of are French extraction as she said in the Rejected episode). Mr. Draper has a type and it is of course thin, petite (in frame), brunette.. for some reason he moves towards this type , although he may say he likes the blonds... he really digs brunettes.

Don's Revolving Door

So one thing I have noticed since Don's divorce from Betty is how it is affecting the kids. They say that a divorce is rough on kids but how much of Don's revolving door of women affecting his children? I think for Sally in particular its hard. She cuts her hair and her mother thinks she is fast (!) is it just her daddy's attention that she needs? and if Don were a good father to his kids (whatever that means in 1965) is his revolving door of women his kids' business? Obviously he can't introduce the hooker that slapped him in episode 1 and 3 to his kids but at what point does Daddy's vice of having a revolving door of women affect the kids and is it any of their business? really. I tend to think yes (but maybe I am not all laissez faire about it). Roger's daughter Margaret certainly thought it was her business after all Jane is almost the same age as Margaret Sterling and Peggy Olson (anyone notice that these two have the same first names - weird huh?)

Loss of Lucky Strike

Is it at all feasible for SCDP to continue the agency without Lucky Strike? i have assumed that they would be able to work out a deal or replace that account with more a lucrative one. But if they could have gotten more accounts, they would have. So far don has lost a big account, Roger is in the process and there is always the chance that Pete would lose Vick if his father in law ever discovers his bastard child.

In lieu of some miraculous salvation from an unnamed source, could SCDP rebuild 'again'?

Even while they were bare-bones at the hotel to start, they still had those millions in billing coming in, and that barely supported the skeleton crew.

But we haven't heard what the latest figures are, other than Lane saying that they were on "solid ground even wtihout NAA".

To make a long question short, barring any miraculous intervention; Can SCDP survive the loss of Lucky Strike alone or even with a merger?

...a poem

Joan's knocked up
From an alley walk escapade
Did she get another abortion
And get rid of what they made.

Lucky Strike is out
They're sick of Roger & crew
Who wouldn't be with this plot line,
It makes me want to go, too.

Don is losing his cool
Puking up his brains.
The only one with any power
Is Betty, who holds the reigns.

Beatlemania hits,
Sally is off her rocker,
If she screams or kicks once more,
I'll really want to sock her!

Hopefully next week will get better
This show goes up and down,
Get those Madmen plots a goin
And leave Mel Gibson out of this town!

New Season

There are three episodes left...will that be that for MM or will we get at least one more season?

Don on the couch

A lot of maddicts would love to see Don on the therapist couch and his panic attacks are just one more reason for people to think that's what Don needs. I'm not too sure. Don knows what his problem is: he lives a lie. The reason for his panic attacks are no mysteries to him: he really is in danger. What would he have to talk about in therapy?

How did Pete find out?

How and when did Peter Campbell find out about Don's secret? I must have missed that one

The Beatles and MADMEN

Rubber Soul was released in December 1965. It is conceivable that Sally will put that record on during the holiday episode - my vote for song : I'm looking through you.

And just think, coming up in a few seasons, : Sgt Peppers

Background Checks and Investigations

Back at the time Jet Set was shown a discussion started about how Pete and Don were allowed to attend the "Rocket Convention" where Pete met the NAA clients.

A couple of pages back following Hands and Knees there is a topic Red Flags. Those interested might care to scroll back and read that.

Perhaps we will want to continue this discussion here. Who knows, we might also like to discuss differences of opinion between Wiki and Matt Weiner about the birth year of Dick Whitman. We also might like to discuss Lt Don Draper, especially how he told Dick he had only a few weeks of US Army service left late in 1950?

Don Draper vs. Tony Soprano: Really?

There've been some comments comparing Don to Tony Soprano. I do see a few similarities: both men want to be perceived as "men" and have old fashioned ideas of what that means. Both cheat on their wives and have affairs, are charmers and liars (and are attractive to women). Both have secrets that they guard and keep, and don't understand the idea of therapy and expressing their feelings. Both had at least one awful, abusive parent, both feel out of place in the modern world. Both want respect and love. Both have panic attacks.

But the primary comparison that I see in most posts is the assertion that Don is a sociopath like Tony. And this confuses me. Tony was a career criminal in a criminal family, while Don was a "criminal" of opportunity and accident, not intent. I really don't see anything deliberately criminal in Don, and I especially don't see anything of sociopath/psychopath.

Which makes me interested to know what others see between these characters that makes them feel that Don is a sociopath/psychopath like Tony.

Granted, Don's no saint. He fires Sal, bullies Peggy and other innocents when he's angry or frustrated, can't always be relied on to be there or do what he says he'll do. His charm and lying do seem similar to those of a sociopath, BUT we know he feels a great deal of shame, guilt and remorse, which sociopaths don't. And unlike a sociopath his love, warmth, compassion are genuine. He doesn't rape or abuse and, when not drunk, he does have a strong work ethic.

Are Tony and Don really comparable on that more brutal level? Remember, Tony strangled men with his bare hands, beat them to death, chopped up bodies, ruined lives. Has Don done any of that? Could he do it (deliberately and with intent)?

Accounts to Replace Lucky Strike.... Ideas??

Any ideas about what happens now? What accounts could SCDP go after at this point?

'Who cares?', Bert Cooper

This rhetorical statement from season 1, Nixon v. Kennedy, hangs in the air and is being revisited in 'Hands and Knees'.

The answer seems to be the FBI G-men who showed up at Betty's door with questions about Don, 'is there any reason to think that he's not who he says that he is' (or something like that).

MW says season 4 is about identity, consequences for actions etc.

It's also about the changing times and 'who cares?' about those things that we felt comfortable with in our lives. We are forced to revisit our assumptions, facts forgotten, under the threat of the bomb, civil unrest and the inquiring Feds.

Bert told Pete that there was more 'profit' in forgetting about what Pete knew about Don's identity. Now, SCDP's potential for profit is threatened by Don's identity, and his answers to 3 out of 8 questions on a govt. form.

Clearly, Don cannot continue to be someone who signs documents without reading them. It may also be time for him to finally confront the question 'who cares?'

Blackmail, Blackmail, Blackmail

From the second season on, I've seen at least one post per episode here proposing that someone would or should blackmail someone. Lately, however, it seems like every episode gets several such suggestions: Pete can blackmail Don, as can Betty and Betty's brother (if he finds out) and Anna's sister (if she finds out) and Stephanie (just cause?) and now Faye. Peggy can blackmail Pete (though how she'd prove she had a baby by him I've yet to figure out. Sealed records, no blood test, no child...) and Joan can now blackmail Roger (couldn't she do that before? they were having an affair) and Roger can blackmail Lee, jr.

Etc. etc. etc....

Now I don't know what's going to happen on MM and theoretically any of these blackmails could happen. But what I'd like to know is why it's a favorite plot point for so many. Does it have something to do with fantasizing about avenging yourselves on others by blackmailing them? Or is this a 21st century malady...since everything is on the internet and almost nothing can be kept secret, it's all exotic and sexy to to imagine a time when there were secrets that could be used for blackmail?

Why do viewers never think anyone will just keep another's secret rather than use it to blackmail someone?

beatles close credit song

I added the song from the closing credits last night to my wrap up of the episode.
http://elisesramblings.blogspot.com/2010/09/mad-men-episode-10-season-4.html

Boardwalk Empire

OK so I knwo thsi isn't the place to post this but.... Although MM is my favorite show I just saw teh first episode of Boardwalk Empire with steve Buscemi as 20's political boss Nucky Thompson and I must say that show is very very well done and is now at my number 2 spot. Highly recommended!

Lucky Strike - The gay angle

Didn't the ultra macho lucky strike guy come on to Sal prompting Sal's dismissal??? Could this information and or Sal be used to leverage Lucky Strike?

Crazy Crazy Monicker

Okay so if you had a crazy mad man/ moniker what would it be?
Here's one
M.C. Sterling

Some Of You Kaffe Klatch Girls Need To Get A Life

And stop running to some lamebrained "moderator" and making complaints every time yopu read something you don't like.

Don Draper: Hopeful? Hopeless?

It's interesting to me that this particular episode, which I found to be a very good one, seems to have been the straw to break the camel's back. Meaning that it's led some to assert that the show and especially the character of Don are beyond redemption. That it's all repetitive nihilism.

While I fully admit my bias may be blinding me, I'd like explain why I feel Don is still moving up even if he's relapsed, this episode, into a selfish coward. I think this whole season has been Don in a form of therapy, not unlike AA. He's being cured, little by little, of his addiction to lying, cheating, hiding, denial. But there are fifteen years of secrets and self-deception for him to shed. Also, as with alcoholics in recovery, one can fall off the wagon back into bad habits. Going forward rather than back is a constant struggle. A man doesn't always win against temptation. It's especially hard when one reaches a most sensitive point.

The "No!" point that all therapy hits eventually.

Could everyone take a moment and think about their own "no" point. You can go just so far in talking or doing something sensitive, and then you shout "NO!" and won't budge. That's what the idea of shedding Don Draper is to Dick Whitman. It's not just the fear of what will happen to him if the truth comes out (jail, shame, etc.), but of losing an identity that has been his life raft for fifteen years. He has a panic attack at the thought of being revealed, exposed, of being shoved back into Dick Whitman.

This is a powerful point in therapy. And it's not gotten past in one session. But I think some viewers saw in this episode only the "failure" of Don to get past it, not the small progress he made. He did things this time around that he'd never been able to do before. He thanked Betty for her discretion, and managed to keep a civil tone with her. He didn't beg Faye to run away with him. He didn't forget about his children. In fact, he finally provided for them. Meaning he finally thought about the effect of his secret on them, not just on himself. He looked to the future.

He admitted the truth to Faye, even if he kept quiet at the table and let Pete take the bullet. He admitted that the secret was sapping his strength rather than giving him strength. Which doesn't mean he'll let it go--he's not ready to yet--but at least he admitted it was a problem.

IMHO, Don isn't and probably will never be as he advertised himself to us in that first episode: Gregory Peck in "High Noon." That's his fantasy self, his act, it isn't really him. But there is more to him than the coward, the scared little boy, the cheat, the liar, the man who bellows to hide his own mistakes, guilt and shame. There is more than that. And with each new exposure, he learns this. It's therapy and it's slow, and sometimes he won't do it, and sometimes he falls back into hiding. But he is making progress.

The question: will what you get be enough? If a hero is what you want, even a courageous man, then no, it won't be enough. If a more honest, self-aware, and intimate man will do, then stick with the show. Keep in mind, life is ups and down. None of us can shine all the time. It's enough if we learn how to shine now and then. Enough to learn to hold someone hand and cry in front of them. Enough to learn to brave a room of strangers to hold a son on his second birthday. Enough to trust someone with the truth rather than stringing her along with lies.

These seemingly small changes might be huge if you're Don Draper and trying to wean yourself off fifteen years of a deceptively easy and successful survival technique. The Don Draper that will come out of all this will be flawed and problematic, but I have hopes that he will also be interesting and different. Which is why I have not lost faith in this show. Not a jot.

My wish in posting it is, by the way, is not to make anyone stick around and watch more if they're not enjoying themselves. If a show's direction has lost you, then it's lost you. I only wanted to indicate why I don't feel the same. To any who are thinking of parting from us, thanks for coming this far with us on the journey and I hope you find something new to take Mad Men's place.

Lane Pryce

I can't remember where I got the idea from, but I was under the impression that Lane's son was a teenager, or at least someone older than an ideal recipient of a Mickey Mouse doll and balloons.

Any thoughts on Lane's immediate future? If he leaves SCDP, that would be almost a big a blow as if Don left. Is his father expecting him to patch things up with his wife, or finalize a divorce and head back to the US?

Decent Wiki on Don Draper :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Draper

For instance, Don was 19 when he went to Korea

Hasn't Joan Figured Out How To Use Birth Control Yet?

There are like a dozen methods a female can use but yet she's too dumb to use even one. Her reply to the woman in the doctor's office was right. She has the mentality of a 15 year old

Could a military equivalent of an Attorney General prove Dick Whitman Impersonated an officer?

Wouldn't the military first have to prove that Dick impersonated an officer for the expressed purposed of evading the war before charging him with desertion? Can they charge him for desertion if they are the ones who sent him home due to the head injury? As long as he presents himself as Don Draper he is still technically impersonating an officer, yes?

I tried looking for some solid info online for realistic possibilities. The military court system is stranger then I thought. The are still pressing court martial charges for soldiers who defected, but is that considered the same as desertion?

The few answers I found online from genuine military sources stated that depending on the circumstances, the penalty could be as low as a dishonorable discharge, maybe a fine, to a few years in prison.

And then there might be civil charges, granted in that era the USA wasn't as litigious as the present.

What do you think realistically would be the best and worse case scenarios?

Good interview with the Director of last night's episode, Lynn Shelton:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/09/humpdays_lynn_shelton_on_last.html?mid=agenda--20100927

The series finale where I think this may be heading...

Ep10 was a total surprise! Don needing security clearance didn't even occur to me!! He scraped by this time -- how much longer. Corporate take-overs, corporate 'disloyalty' to employees, "greed pays" practices really stared by the end of the 60s. With Vietnam, the moon, etc. government work will be the big frontier. Where's an ad-man, with the gift of story-telling, a wrtier in essence who has a past to hide from the G-men to do? Where can u reinvent yourself, take on a new name ... Hollywood. I think Don will see the writing on the wall in more ways than one -- the limitations that his secret impose and the changing times & changing ad industry -- and move out west. Creative director of a new movie studio? Reconnecting with Sal? Do Harry's trips/contacts set up the future?

Could this happen?

Don takes Dr. Faye's advice and turns himself in, asking for clemency. The army says ok but you have to serve the rest of your time in Viet Nam...or...Pete re-thinks Don's statement that Pete could run the agency by himself, and turns Don in. Or - Pete thinks he holds the whip hand over Don, but Peggy tells Don who fathered her baby and Don restores the equilibrium to the relationship.

Smoking and Losing Lucky Strike

I wonder if there will be a mention at some point, about the link between smoking and cancer? These statistics have been around long before the Mad Men era, but I wonder if despite the huge loss in revenue for SCDP, it might ultimately, be a blessing in disguise NOT to have to create these ads. Also, since alcoholism has been addressed on some level, well, only sort of!), I also wonder if smoking is going to be shown in a negative light as well? After all, we saw Roger taking his nitro. His heart isn't benefiting from smoking, is it?

Why is Episode 11 not on the AMC Mad Men schedule?

Re-runs of Episode 10 are listed on the schedule. So are Episodes 12 and 13.

However, Episode 11 is not listed. In fact, nothing is listed for next Sunday, October 3.

See for yourself:
http://movies.amctv.com/schedule/originals.php?category=Mad+Men

What's going on?

Betty Came Through for Don

Betty showed some growth in the latest episode. She covered for Don, was loving to Sally and was quasi truthful with Henry. I could see some warmth between her and Don.

Will Sal Return?

Does Lee Garner Jr's firing SCDP pave the way for Sal's return?

The Fab Four: Draper, Campbell, Pryce & Sterling

I think we'd agree that Don is John, Pete is Paul, Lane is George and Roger is Ringo ;-) And I fear Bert Cooper's become Brian Epstein. A manager who no longer manages.

Like the three women last episode, these four have a lot in common. Here's my list. They all have...
(1) Secrets, obviously.
(2) Big "tickets" that they flash around (Don's literal tickets to the Beatles, Lane's Playboy key, Pete's Defense contract, Roger's Lucky Strikes Account)
(3) The desire to appear gallant and heroic (Don kissing Faye's hand, Tony telling Lane he's so gallant). Yet...
(4) They all end up being vulnerable, afraid, cornered, and not in control. Forced to go along with something or someone. All, if you like, on hands & knees, humiliated.
(5) All show concern about their "child" (or children in Don's case). Roger's concern about Joan's potential child is obviously not quite the same, but he also mentions his daughter. Obviously this scandal would affect not only him and Jane, but Roger's daughter, too.

Other similarities?

Pete, you've got one coming

At the end of the elevator scene when Pete tells Don (in his most snobbish way of speaking) I found myself waiting for the moment he would grab him by the back of his collar and slam his face into the elevator buttons console. If anyone on the show is deserving of a good beating, its Petey. Then Lee Jr.

Little Things to Hate

Women posing in front of Don's desk as if he were some debauched satyr of a Hollywood producer

Grown women who talk like little girls.

Obvious use of shock value: Lane's father cracking his son's skull? They couldn't find any other way to write him out?

Waiting for years for a black character and we get a Playboy bunny who fancies a white man, natch.

Betty and Henry in bed, again. We get it, she's longing for Don. Isn't everyone? Ho hum.

Being manipulated by Don's Big Secret, over and over again leaves such a bad aftertaste.

Pete's blue suit. Don's grey suit. Men wore seersucker in summer. And brown sometimes.

Being blinded by all that Brylcreem.

So many conversations in restaurants. How about a park, or the beach? It's summer, isn't it? Even soaps use location shots sometimes.

Joan - Did she or Didn't She?

That is the question. Who thinks she went through with it?

Did Joan Get another Abortion or Not?

Reading these threads, people say "maybe she did, maybe she didn't?" Anybody have an actual guess that they will stand by? It's a 50/50 chance you're right!

LITTLE THINGS TO LOVEY LOVE

Season 4, Episode 10, "Hands and Knees."

(In No Particular Order)

1. BEATLES Tickets for Sally !!!!!!! Maybe..........
2. "BUCK - UP"
3. A Real Doctor !!!!
4. Joan though the window, Joan on the Train........
5. Trudy's Crazy Pink Tiered Nightie!!!!!
6. Closet -Case Lee Gardner's Mid-Sentence Belch!!!!
7. Dee-Groovy Playboy table top lamps....
8. Severe Anxiety Attacks!!!!!!
9. Pete's "Down The Nose" glare at Don's pad.......
10. "I don't have to live with your shit over my head"
11. VALIUM
12. Don's defeated look at Pete in the elevator......
13. Megan's lipstick pose/silhouette bewitching Don.

Red flags...

The whole Don Draper identity mess got rolling again last night after Megan filled out incorrect info on Don's security clearance check forms. I was a bit baffled as to why the info would be "wrong" if she based it off of SCDP's records. I cannot fathom why Don would have his work identity be different than his "official" identity. Was Don using Dick's younger age and birth date at work? What happens when he files taxes or something and the info doesn't match up? I just can't see any reason why the SCDP info would be "wrong" except through Don's own stupidity in not lining up his identities.

Another thought: we all know that Betty didn't sell out Don to the G-Men, but what about Anna's sister? I'm sure the FBI would've approached both of "Don's" ex-wives, possibly not knowing of Anna's passing since it was very recent. They look for Anna, but find her sister, who has no reason to defend Don, especially not from a surprise visit from the Feds.

Finally, what if some of the red flags on Don's security clearance were from the real Don Draper himself? We know very little about the man; perhaps he was a communist sympathizer in his college years before Korea, or at least a left leaning activist. These are things Dick/Don would know nothing about.

The Vomit Comet

Yes, it may be childish, but I got such a laugh at the SOUND of Don vomiting in SCDP's men's room as Pegs marveled at urinal technology.

And darn it, if he doesn't do it again with Faye. Perhaps that's something he shares with the meaningful women in his life. (Or it's Karma for making Roger ruin the lobby carpet.) :0)

Loathing Myself for Watching This

I may not get any responses, and if I don't, that's all right. After last night's episode and the abortion storyline, I hate myself for ever starting to watch this show. I am not a pro-lifer. I am not an activist. I just need some character to root for, and after last night's episode and the treatment of a third unplanned pregnancy for the character who was my heroine, and the repulsive reaction to it by the character who was my hero, I have none.

Sally can't be the savior of the series or a reason to watch a bunch of debauched 60's-somethings. I watched enough of them in the 60's.

Every lead character has sold out in one way or another. Everyone is self-centered to madness. Yes, I realize the title of the series is Mad Men. Anyway, if you all don't hear from me again, thank you very very much for the opportunity to interact with you all. You're all uniformly intelligent, engaging, and the cream of internet chat folk.

They Changed Dr. Faye

What would be the reason for changing Faye from harsh to soft? He clothes are more colorful, her makeup and hair is softer and the biggest change is her voice. She dropped the accent, her diction is smoother and her voice is softer. She seems like a totally different character then she was just a few episodes ago. Why the sudden change?

Joan

Look at these situations together:

- Joan's talk with her ob/gyn at the beginning of the season about wanting to have a baby and his not knowing that she had already had two abortions.

- The scene in the waiting room where the woman assumed that Joan had a daughter getting an abortion.

- Roger did not go with her.

- She returned to work soon after going Upstate.

Is it possible that Joan actually didn't have the abortion? She might have been worried that another procedure might render her unable to have children or that Greg might die in Vietnam.

Roger fails basic humanity test

Roger's reaction to Joan's pregnancy and his subsequent words and actions confirm once again his basic self centeredness and complete lack of ability to really love anybody except himself. How long has he been sleeping with Joan? Five, ten years or more? And he thinks "maybe" he feels love for her? This is almost as bad as when he told her tenderly that she was the greatest piece of ass he ever had.

And finally, Joan has to comfort HIM after the abortion. How can anybody say they hope those two end up together? She deserves so much more than this giant wuss.

the end is coming

typical for a series, when all main characters chip in major unexpected events all together, that signal the end of the show.
i guess this is the last year for mad men. if so, thanks and take care, for all.

Pete and Trudy: Ah, the Irony!

Anyone else catch the irony of Pete complaining about people carrying around secrets that affect the innocent even as Trudy stands there, uber-preggers in that pink babydoll?

I mean, that's what I call being totally blind to ones own hypocrisy. Pete gazing at a woman that pregnant, yet being so honestly outraged that someone else's secret is messing up his life. One would think Trudy looking like that might remind him that he has his own secret that he'd rather others never knew, and how much it would mess up his life and those of innocents like Trudy and that baby if it was known.

Thumbs up for for Mad Men for the comedic way they tipped their hat to that secret.

Who Am I?

Matt Weiner said at the outset this would be the theme of the season, and this episode brought it to a dramatic climax. Lane is faced with the realization that while he's changed so radically, he has a long way to go in his silent rebellion from his life at home. Joan and Roger are getting even closer to living the way they were meant to be (together). But the two characters that I think have come to terms with themselves the most are the two that have been struggling in parallel since the first episode of the series: Pete and Don.

Let us recall Season 1's "Nixon vs. Kennedy" episode, in which Pete tries to force Don's hand to get a promotion. See, self-centered and greedy Pete Campbell has discovered Don's secret identity (using his friend at the US DoD), and brings it all the way to Bert Cooper, attempting to get Don fired. This, of course backfires miserably, because Cooper trusts Don and hates how slimy Pete was about it. The key is that Cooper trusts Don, no matter who he really is.

Don Draper/Dick Whitman of course is not as confident in his identity as he appears to be, and for the course of the next two seasons, he slowly unravels, until Betty discovers the truth, and he begins to admit to himself that this part of him needs to come out. Meanwhile, Pete falls in love with Peggy, only to have his world shook by the news that she gave birth to his son. This, and JFK being assassinated, makes Pete come to terms with his life, his marriage, and his identity. And holding onto Trudy as his constant (that one's for the LOST fans), Pete emerges ready for change.

Which brings us back to tonight's episode, in which Don's identity is again at the forefront. On this occasion, though, it is Don's failure, not Pete's, that brings everything down; quite the contrary. While Don has done a lot of soul searching lately, he makes a very selfish decision to force Pete's hand to cover up his past. Pete, the now amazingly loyal man he had never been before, falls on the sword for Don, and gets berated by Roger (with an F-bomb!) in front of the partners. My, my, how times have changed...

I love the parallel here, and I love that Pete Campbell really steps up to the plate on this one; it's good to see that some people are changing for the better. Now the question of the season still remains: who is Don Draper? Will he own up to the lies he's covered up for so long? Or will he continue down a dark path that can only have a very bad ending?

Listen .. Do You Want To Know a Secret?

So many secrets so little time. Such an appropriate Beatles song to close the show. Here's what I can tell...

Secret #1 - Joan - She's pregnant by an affair with Roger and has an abortion ( OK so that's kind of a triple secret)

Secret #2 - Roger - He has gotten Joan pregnant - knows she had the abortion - Oh and has lost his cash cow and major source of his clout - Lucky Strike

Secret #3 - Betty - Betts kept Don's secret when the feds cam a callin.

Secret #4 - Lane - He has a hot black Playboy Bunny GF. (Damn English dads don't screw around when it comes to keeping their kids from doing impractical things.) Lane snapped to.

Secret #5 Pete - He is speaking to his very pregnant wife about people living lies when he has a child with Peggy. But he did jump on the grenade for Don taking the blame for losing the blame for losing the Government acct. to keep Dons secret safe.

Secret #6 - Don and Faye - the secret is out of the bag about ol' tricky Dick Whitman, We all saw him checking out sexy Megan who saved the day at the last minute again in this episode. ( Don's lawyer even advised him to nail her) Faye is now becoming too close and caring , its zapping her original sex appeal . He needs a fresh kill to stay Don Draper and I think Megan is on deck.

Aside from secrets my foreshadowing of the week:

In the scene right after Roger ( of heart attack fame) pops a nitro. Don sees the G- men and starts having "Chest Pains". More evidence that Don is becoming more like Roger all the time.

I love this show

R.I.P. SCDP?

Cooper: No balls, no clients.
Sterling: No Lucky Strike, no options.
Draper: No where left to run.
Pryce: No personal sovereignty. Impressed like a seaman during the War of 1812 back to England. He won't be back.
Campbell: Only non-named partner, yet has best shot at new business blown up by Don's radioactivity. Has baby on the way. Might be time to explore new employment opportunities.

All in all, looks like this is the end of of Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce...

Ep 10 The power of mortality, thank you and kissing the hand

Interesting that after the G men talk to Betty and she tells Don, he makes it clear despite their differences to thank her. Remember Peggy saying you never say thank you.

Here's something I didn't think mattered in other episodes but it was here again tonight. Betty and the phone about the Beatles tickets: you clearly see Bobby's picture on the bottom left of the screen but it is half cut off. Back when Don and Peggy spent the night together in the office more than once you saw the kids pictures were never clear, they were always cut off. Don had Anna's picture cutting off his own kids pictures by being in front. So between that, and here, you more than once have the kids pictures cut.

"Hands and Knees" Layne, Roger and Don all cut down. (the 3 girls in the elevator last episode, this episode about 3 men).
Layne emasculated as a grown man with Mickey and balloons, then by his own father. Roger once emasculated by Lee G junior with the Santa suit and now again of sorts again under the thumb of Garner. Don, on his knees with everything.

Joan yet again caught behind some sort of curve. She's assumed to already be a mom here when asked about her assumed daughter, and before when she was teased as being old in the office, calling her mom at the vending machine.

So we have a continuing theme of Don is losing it, Joan is losing it, Roger and Bert are losing it, beginning with Blankenship last week. "Losing it" can constitute any number of things, but the concept is rearing it's head as of late.

Roger is fighting for his life with Lee G jr. He smacks the table, fighting. Usually he fights the idea of mortality with sex. But here he does so with business. Again Roger stares death right in the face as he has a history of; through the war, coronaries and business. The end of Lucky Strike could mean the death of business. Meanwhile Joan is assumedly ending life that is literally Roger.

Pete again this season is seemingly at a crossroads. Pete is questioning everything nearing the end here. And he did so last year at this time last season at the Kennedy episode. Notice the scenes for next week where he is in the office without the suit and tie? He was like that last year on the couch with Trudy at the Kennedy episode.

Don and Dr. Faye:
More exploration of the idea of pseudo-Betty.

Don has a history of confiding in blonde wedding cake images being he's the wedding cake male. Here he gives his past up to Faye. That's big. (and of course he still says "they mixed us up" so he's still lying even in telling the truth; a mirror to the box episode last year) Also, earlier in the episode in all the chaos, he still actually kisses her hand here.

The hand kiss is a show of affection, a show of intention, but more importantly an actual effort of a male toward a female is what the kiss on the hand is about. Showing her, not just telling her, that it's about her is what the hand kiss is about.

the hand kiss is about meaning. And he in the midst of his misery, kisses Faye's hand.

But he also in the same episode says thank you to Betty. Remember Peggy screaming at him he never says thank you. Remember he put his hand on Peggy's which was probably all Allison the prior secretary was looking for; an effort from him. But he says thank you to Betty, that he apparently learned from Peggy.

Don say's the line, "We'll figure out what to do."

Is that meant for Faye or really is it meant for Betty?

But..... not to ruin it, but, the episode ends with Don eyeballing the brunette hot secretary. Mr. Draper who has again had a blonde confiding thing in him, lucky that he's out of his bind, is now eyeballing the brunette as she's being girly. He doesn't look away. The episode ends.

The Beatles "Do you wanna know a secret" musically closes the curtain. Great choice.

09/26/10

OMG!!!! This weeks episode was a runaway train....waiting for the wreck....Roger/Joan, Don/Dick, Pete/Roger, Lane/Father....heart attacks, anxiety attacks, babies, Beatles, Bunnies and the DOD...and
yet Don's roving eye doesn't miss a beat...god I love it!!!!
MM never disappoints.....

Pete vs. Don

Pete was determined to put Don in his place in the first season and was ready to quit in season 3. Pete had the perfect opportunity to ruin Don, but he didn't. Do you agree with what Pete did and what would you have done if you were him?

A Shout-Out to Minkos for Predicting Shea Stadium

Let me be the first to tip my hat to Minkos for being absolutely right about Don taking Sally to Shea Stadium to see the Beatles.

I don't know if it will repair their relationship, but Sally will certainly have a memory to last a lifetime :-D

Lucky Strike Account Worth

How much was Lucky Strike worth to SCDL, 17 million or 7 million?

Ruh Ro...

On the "Controversial Dr. Faye" thread, me and one other poster are discussing the significance of the title of next week's title--"The Chinese Wall."

Tonight's preview concerns the U.S. military. Could Dick Whitman be about to come back and bite Don Draper on the ass?

Is Season 4 the "Season of Adam"?

Is Season 4 the season of Adam? Adam's rejection and subsequent suicide are the elephant in the room for Don. Don pushed Adam away because he "couldn't risk all of this" with Betty. And in S4, "all of this" is gone. So Don basically sent Adam to his death for nothing. Alone now, what would Don give to have Adam with him? Is all the self loathing and drinking regret over Adam? Through out the season there seems to be direct and oblique references to Adam and his mother Abigail.

E1 The fist spoken line of the season is "Who is Donald Draper?" This is exactly what Adam asked Don in the diner. The line comes during an interview for a newspaper, Adam found Don by seeing his picture in a newspaper article. The reporter lost a leg in Korea, Adam basically lost Don in Korea.

The episode starts right before Thanksgiving, Don heard of Adam's death right before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the holiday for family and Don is basically alone because he drove Adam away.

E2 Again Don is alone on a family holiday. Allison wanted recognition, Don gave her money instead, just as he did with Adam.

E3 Don hears his surrogate mother Anna is dying of cancer. In 5G Adam told Don his stepmother Abigail died of cancer. Strangely, the episode is called "The Good News." But then I remembered, when Don heard the news Abigail was dead, he said "Good," hence "good news." So why the connection?

In S1, Don called Abigail a "sorry person," said "good" when he heard of her death, and said she never let him forget she wasn't his mother. But since Adam's death he hasn't said a bad word about her, he hasn't even mentioned her name just as he never mentions Adam's name. And we know by S4 that Don is a bit "lose" with the truth.

Abigail was kind to the Hobo. We never heard her call Dick "whorechild." She kept Dick after his father died, after she had her own son, after she found a new man, and received and touched "his" coffin. In "The Arrangements," after Don is disgusted by the inhumane way Gene viewed war and enemy soldiers, he can't sleep and looks longingly at a picture of Abigail. So was the discord between Don and Abigail something unforgivable? Or was in a family dispute that could have been healed with wisdom and growing up? Is Don now comparing how Betty rejected him once she found out about his background while Abigail took him in knowing his background? If Don is seeing Abigail in a new light, then the word "good" might burn in his throat in a way no amount of liquor can wash away.

After returning to NY, Don takes Lane on a "brotherly" outing.

E4 "The Rejected" Adam was the rejected. Don loses Allison permanently due to his callousness.

E5 "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" is a book about guild and shame. Don's greatest guilt and shame is how he treated Adam.

E6 "Waldorf Stories" Others have noted how it resembles 5G (starting with references to hotels). Don wins an award, the last one he won was right before he met Adam. Jane's cousin comes looking for a job, he says he sweeps the floors in the building. Adam was a janitor and needed Don's help too, but unlike Roger Don didn't help him. These two similarities aren't just thematic, I think Don himself notices them and that's what sends him on his mega bender.

At the Clio's, Don tells Faye, "Mom called, she was looking for us." Pick up line or something Adam used to say to him? During his blackout, Don goes to a diner, says he is with his sibling, calls himself Dick, and brings the waitress home. In 5G Don goes to a diner, is with his sibling, and is basically Dick. The only difference is that he does not bring Adam home. Is bringing the waitress home a subconscious way of trying to right his wrong? Also, the waitress' uniform is the same on worn by those in the diner from 5G. So may be Don went to the exact same diner.

E7 Don hears of Anna's death. In 5G Adam tells Don of Abigail's death. Even though Don should be recounting things regarding Anna, most of his conversation with Peggy revolves around growing up on a farm, being a yokel, Uncle Mac, and Korea. All these have more to do with Abigail than Anna.

After hearing of Anna's death, Don doesn't give her name to Peggy, just as he didn't name Abigail to Adam when he was told of her death. Don then tells Peggy the person who died was the person who knew him the best. But could that really be Anna? Anna got the essence of Don, that he's a good person at his core, but she knew very little of his life and she hasn't seen the darker aspects of his personality. The only person who knew Don from cradle to "grave" was Abigail. So was Don not only mourning Anna, but finally correctly mourning Abigail?

E8 As Don is throwing away all the boxes with "Draper" on them he says the following lines, which I've interpreted this way.

When a man walks into a room he brings his whole life with him. (Don has accepted his past and rejected "This never happened.")

...he'll tell you how he got there, how he forgot where he was going, and then he woke up. (Don left his family for a better life, got lost in his marriage with Betty, woke up with Adam's death)

... he'll tell you about the time he thought he was an angel, or dreamt of being perfect (Don was 100% good/Abigail 100% bad, Don thought he could be perfect once he left his background behind).

And then he'll smile with wisdom, content that he realized the world isn't perfect. (Don got his "perfect" life and found it to be empty and fake. Real life and love are imperfect, like with Adam, Mac, and may be Abigail)

We're flawed because we want so much more. (Don was flawed because he wanted more than his family and abandoned them for it)

We're ruined because we get these things and wish for what we had. (Don got what he wanted, his "movie perfect life," and then realized it was hollow. He now wishes for the love he had from Adam, which is now gone, thus he is ruined).

Again, as he is saying this he is sticking the boxes with the name Draper on them unopened and in a dumpster, as if he doesn't even want to see what's inside, doesn't even want to bring them to his home to throw away, as if his life as DD was essentially garbage. Don's slow drive by of the house is similar to the one he does when he bails on Sally's b-day with the cake. In this ep, there's Gene's b'day and Betty is baking a cake. In MoF Don is alienated from his DD life, perhaps the drive by implies the same now.

E9 Don's treatment of Sally mirrors what he did with Adam. Adam came to Don's office unexpected and uninvited, so did Sally. Don was interrupted during a meeting by a secretary in both cases. Both Sally and Adam desperately needed Don to take care of them and Don disappointed and rejected both.

The title of E10 is "Hand and Knees." This give phrase implies begging, as in forgiveness, and the total abandonment of pride, false to otherwise. Could this be the episode where Don comes to terms with what he did to Adam?

A moment of silence for Miss Blankenship...

Blankenteers....this will be the first week without our beloved Miss B.

"Don's Desk" is empty....but our hearts are not.

RIP Miss B. When I hear a typewriter DING! as it comes to the end of a line....I will think of you.

When I see a piece of 81/2 x 11 carbon paper, I will think of you.

When I hear an intercom rasp, I will think of you.

When I see one of those typewriter ink erasers with the brushy thing at the end, I will think of you.

When I see Pica or Elite type, I will think of you. (and I still remember Elite was 12 characters per inch and Pica is 10 characters per inch...and I did not look that up; our typing teacher taught us well).

And when I see the word "hellcat" or hear it, I will definitely think of you.

RIP.

The Movies of 1965

Just finished watching "Patch of Blue" on TMC and that movie was from 1965.

Here are some other movies from 1965
"Darling"
"Help"
"The Knack.. and how to get it"
"The Sandpiper"
"The Sound of Music"
"Shannandoah"
"The Spy who came in from the Cold"
"Thunderball"
"Dr. Zhivago"
"Cat Ballou"
"Bunny Lake is Missing"
The Cincinnati Kid"
"The Collector"
"A High Wind in Jamaica"
"The Ipcress File"
"Life at the Top"
"For a Few Dollars More"
"Girl Happy"
"That Darn Cat"

Is there a moderator on for this weekend?

It was so nice having moderators on the job for the last two weeks - made such a difference.
Wondering if that's going to continue - anyone know?

Interesting Podcast (Mad Men v. Boardwalk Empire)

http://www.slate.com/id/2265307/

Controversial Dr. Faye

One of the MM commentators at Slate asks his fellow commentators if they thing Dr. Faye gives off a "crazy vibe." I hain't gonna comment on that comment. I just thought it was interesting.

GET ON YOUR HANDS AND KNEES!

Each title is usually repeated by the characters in different situations. Tell us what they will be doing when they say "hands and knees" (the more inaccurate the better)
Example:
Bobby: Mommy, Mommy I fell and scraped my hands and knees!
Henry and Betty rush to him concerned
Henry: Poor little Bobby...
Betty: (Pleasing Henry) Yes, poor little Bobby
Betty: (Thinking, " I wish it were Sally falling on her hands and knees")
Roger: (To Twins auditioning for the "Pussy and Pooch" Commercial) "Get on your hands and knees!!"
Don: (to Faye) I'm already on my hands and knees, what else do you want? I'm sorry, I'm sorry I made you talk to my daughter. I don't know what else to do...want me to show you something interesting?
Stan to Peggy: You want me, you want me. I know you want me.
Peggy: I'm giving you the hand Stan or better, here's my knee!
Pete to Trudy: (as she delivers) There are the hands! There are the knees! There's, it's a BOY! I get $1,000.
Megan: I never use soap on my face either, but I do scrub my hands and knees!
Harry: My father used to drive the bus. Sometimes with his hands and after a few drinks with his knees.
Duck to Don: I used to put my hands in a funny looking knuckle form and my knees to their chests until my enemies would say "uncle"!
Megan: I'm so good with children..."Put your hands on knees and clap your hands, Put your hands on your knees and clap your hands"...I'm so good with children. No, no children don't put your hands in your mouths! Only I can fit my whole hand in my mouth!
Sal: I'm waving my hands! See like in "Bye, Bye...I've been fired...I Kneed you to bring me back!

It's Confirmed- Gibson Will Appear

Mel will be on the last episode of Madmen playing Howard Hughes, just as I said.

OMG that was Jennifer Aniston's Daddy!

Not sure if anyone noticed but wasn't the emcee at the Clios Jennifer Aniston's Daddy ? (John Aniston) from Days of Our Lives? I watched the episode again and screamed "That's Jennifer Aniston's Daddy!"

Rich Sommer on Chris Hardwick's podcast

Rich Sommer talks about comedy, board games and the lastest season of Mad Men. http://www.nerdist.com/2010/07/nerdist-podcast-28-rich-sommer/

Interesting Article (Vincent Kartheiser)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/apr/25/vincent-kartheiser-mad-men-interview

Season 4/Episode 10 Opening Scene Predictions

This is for those who do not see the preview b4 it airs...not everybody goes into every part of this site. Don't be a spoiler! The very opening scene including characters & location.......

Is Joan from the South?

We know very little about Joan (or her husband), except that she attended college, (maybe a woman's college?), plays the accordion, sings, in French, has excellent diction and manners, and certainly knows how to present herself well in her dress, style and manner.

Some may have opined that Joan could be French-Canadian.

If Joan is from the South, that might explain her reaction to Paul's relationship with an African-American (not that Joan's a racist, but she recognizes knows the class/race divide well), and her reaction to her husband's suggestion that they could move to Alabama.

Season 4 Episode 9 - Open Thread

Talk about Season 4, Episode 9, "The Beautiful Girls."

What you'd love to see on Mad Men (but probably won't)

1-A one man/one woman episode: It would be interesting to see Joan (or perhaps Sally) be the subject of a one woman Mad Men episode; for the guys, Lane would be a good choice for a one man episode

2-A "prequel" episode. WE've already seen how Don weaseled his way into SC -- it would be interesting to see how Joan, Pete, Lane et al got their jobs.

3- Don takes a trip back to the hollow to revisit his roots. what happens?

4-A "how Betty and Don met" episode: we know how they met -- did she play hard to get? Was she taken at the time? Did she flatly turn Don down and did he keep trying? or perhaps they disliked each other intently at first sight -- how was that resolved? Was it perhaps a "blind date" with Betty, connived by Don -- he got one of the guys he worked with to do the dirty work of fixing them up.

5-Betty's life immediately after the separation and then the divorce -- what was it like living in a "divorce camp" in Reno --- somebody posted about "divorce camps" (I think that's what they were called) that were in Reno, expressly for women and men to fulfill the 6 week residency requirement before a divorce can be granted in that state.

French Toast and Rum Anyone?

French Toast and Rum? Or how about Grand Marnier over Waffles? Amaretto over Pancakes? Thoughts?

the sadist or the masochist?

the fight between megan vs. faye has drawn lots of attention on the board lately. especially since dr. faye's now famous prediction that don would be married within the year, but what about Mrs. Blankenship's quip to peggy about being a sadist or masocjist, "you know which one you are"? she was definitely poking fun at don and peggy's work relationship, but could this be foreshadowing something else, something a little bit more. after all, who would know better than the Queen of Perversions herself ;-)

Reruns?

We're catching up and just finished seasons 1-3 on DVD - stupidly haven't been recording new shows until recently. Does AMC rerun the season before DVD release next summer, or will we have to pay iTunes or someone to watch the first five or six episodes until we catch up?

The Mad Men Cast: Anti-Celebrity?

SInce the discussion on Mel Gibson started, I thought about Jon Hamm's unknown status (at least to me) when I started watching Mad Men. Hamm has gone to great lengths to say, possibly too many times, that celebrity is a bad thing. (It probably is, but it's not as if celebrities are bad people because the media turns actors and actresses into pulp fiction.)

With the exception of John Slattery, who seems at ease with being a well-known and recognized actor, does anyone else get the impression that the cast of Mad Men as a whole are kind of Garbo-ish?

I wonder if actively avoiding "stardom" is the next big thing for...stars.

Bobbi Barrett -

waht episode of ehat season was she in?

Watts riots

The infamous L.A. riots took place in August 1965. Wonder if we'll see or hear anything about it on the show next week. Maybe word of Stephanie being involved?

What Will You Watch After October 17?

For me it will be snow, Indian chief test pattern, Mahalia Jackson, Jack LaLanne, Davy and Goliath, the next Gemini launch at Cape Canaveral, and-- Oops! Wrong millennium!

Seriously, will you detox by rewatching Season 4? Rewatching all the Seasons? Watching anything on DVD from the 60's? OR totally blocking MM out of your mind?

Since it will just be October 18, and since AMC usually has an Alfred Hitchcock Month every October, maybe the Hitchcock canon is a good place to start.

Crazy Rumor - Will Mel Gibson join MM?

http://www.studiobriefing.net/2010/09/mel-gibson-may-join-mad-men/

MEL GIBSON MAY JOIN MAD MEN

September 22, 2010 by admin · View Comments

Mel Gibson, who has rarely appeared in an acting role on TV -- a notable exception was his role on The Simpsons in 1999 -- has been in talks with Mad Men creator-producer Matthew Weiner about taking a role in a story arc on the AMC drama next season, syndicated columnist Liz Smith reported today, citing no sources. Commented Smith: "Mel is a huge fan of the series and really wants in. Most experts agree that Mel's movie career is kaput. I don't quite agree on that myself, but some close to Mel assert that he thinks so himself."

Megan , Megan, Megan!!

Perhaps I missed something but who is Megan and why is she now somehow significant? Yes she comforted Sally and she is a hottie but all of a sudden shes the one for Don in this forum??? Who is she , has she had a speaking role before this episode.. And where was Pete this week?

Mad Men is like the Mad Magazine fold-over puzzle

Every time I look at a Mad Magazine fold-over puzzle I'm bound and determined to figure it out without folding. It's all right there before my eyes so how can I miss it? But never, not once, have I been able to get it without folding.

Mad Men is like that, too. I think MW lays it all out for us but we don't always pick up on all the clues or connections until the season is complete and everything has been folded together. You can go back and watch previous episodes and see something that you know will be HUGE later that somehow you just casually caught before.

If Miss Blankenship said it, it's true.

List your favorite Miss B quote.

Re Dr. Faye Miller (and professional women in general), Miss B said, 'She's pushy that one. I guess she has to be.'

Season 4 Episode 9 - Favorite Quotes

Got a favorite line from Episode 9, "The Beautiful Girls"? Post the exact quote below, including the character who said it, and it might end up on the character's profile page and the episode page on the Mad Men website.

Is this the WORST managed site on the Internet??

I think so. It is deadly slow. It seems my computer is constantly fighting pop-ups and malware. None of my comments in the past month have been posted and yet I'm a member in good standing.

What's going on? Thoughts?

Faye vs. Megan or "Do You Really Want Bambi for a Family of Wolves?"

I've seen a lot of threads favoring Megan as the perfect wife for Don because of how naturally and sweetly she handled Sally. And everyone is right that, hands down, Megan won our hearts with that scene. There has also been a "we hate Faye" thread where I put up some defense of her and was asked by Reno what I saw in her. I thought it might be worthwhile to explain. Let me count the ways....

(1) A see in Faye a woman with a poor, tough background, an "outsider" who worked her way inside like Don. She'll understand exactly where Don came from and why he's done what he's done. She won't be shocked or reject him. Will Megan?

(2) I see in Faye a woman with a temper who can give as good as she gets. I don't see that in Megan.

(3) I see in Faye a woman who grew up with gangsters tangentially in her life. Can you see Don trying to pull that "I'm mean and dangerous" act on her? No way she'd buy it. But he could easily scare Megan.

(4) I see in Faye a woman who, repeatedly, has said "no" to Don and made it stick. She doesn't let him push or bully her. She's also been belittled by Don yet taken it coolly. She knows which fights are worth fighting, and she knows her strengths and weaknesses. I'm not sure Megan knows herself so well.

(5) I see in Faye a woman who can match Don's with ideas and thoughts. Who can keep him interested. In addition, she is not going to be impressed or intimidated by Betty's college education, political husband or ability to speak Italian. She can deal with Betty. Can Bambi-Megan do that? Can Megan even have a good conversation with Don about anything other than marriage and kids?

(6) To that end, I see in Faye a woman who can, if she gets beyond seeing Sally as a little girl, can teach Sally about being a smart, tough woman in this world. Sally's going to need more than hugs and kisses. She needs someone who, like grandpa gene, can teach her how to use her gifts, won't be intimidated by her smarts or temper, can deal with Betty (mom from hell) and demand Don do right by his daughter. Can Bambi-Megan do that?

(7) I've seen in Faye a woman who has, repeated, performed end-runs around Don. He will be mocking her (which is always his defensive response when he feels insecure) and she'll say something that stops him dead, makes him think, and say, "You're right." This means she can change Don's mind, and change Don. Can Bambi-Megan do that?

If Don marries Megan he'll get a secretary, a mom, and a Carla-like baby-sitter/nanny as well as a pretty, Jane-esque trophy wife. Perfect, you say? In a way, yes. But re-watch season one and see what he does when he thinks he has that kind of wife. And while Megan works well with little children, what will she do with teen Sally? How will she answer Sally's penetrating questions about Vietnam, dinosaurs and sex?

I don't ask anyone to like Faye or want her as Don's wife and Sally's step-mom. Who knows if she'll even last the season? But I do think we need to look beyond what we saw in this episode in judging both Faye and Megan as candidates for those roles. Because what I'm seeing is a choice is between a woman who will let Don fall right back into his old lifestyle (Megan), or a one (Faye) who can challenge him, keep him honest and be his partner in an ever changing future. Megan is an easy and alluring pick which, I think, makes her a trick question on the test. Remember the tortoise and the hare. The hare is an obvious pick, but what about long term? Who can out-last the other and win the race?

Eulogy for Miss Blankenship (with video!)

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-09-20/mad-mens-miss-blankenship-a-eulogy-for-don-drapers-secretary/

Retro ads during Mad Men

I know this has probably been talked about already. I meant to mention it a few weeks ago. I am getting a kick out of the retro ads for Suave etc. being run during breaks for MM. Anyone else?

...a poem

Blankie, oh Blankie-
Answer the phone!
Uh oh, she ain't movin
Not even a moan!

It's sad we all know,
And they feel real bad,
But get her out quietly-
There's a deal to be had!

Don's secretary is dead,
We'll mourn her ever more
But Sally needs some tending
She's getting to be a chore.

Yelling, whining,
Screaming & falling.
What is going on with her
That could be so utterly appalling?

Roger & Joannie
Go out to get some grub
Then got mugged in an alley,
That turned into a good rub!

Crane can't sleep on his sofa,
Cuz he donated his blankie to blankie.
Guess he'll have to go home
And not get any hanky panky.

Peggy, however, is rockin
With both boys and girls to boot.
Which one will she fit in with
Hopefully not another old coot!

Don & the Doctor-
Too hot in bed to spoon,
They better eat them sandwiches,
Or better yet, hit the saloon.

Peter, oh Peter
Where for art thou,
Home watching his wife
Becoming a small cow.

Thirteen - Everything Can Be Replaced

Thirteen you are always awesome at seeing these things. I'd like to see Joan with Roger, maybe knowing what they lost will be the gue that gets them and keeps them back together. I think the characters of Jane and Mr. Joan don't have much emotional investment from viewers, perhaps purposely so that we will cheer for Joan and Roger. MW doesn't like to be predictable and there is just way to much foreshadowing and speculation about the Dr. dying in Vietnam. Who knows .. more surprises strange and beautiful I hope

If Sally wrote a poem.....

Being Sally's age in the 60's I can so relate...
Even though my parents stayed married there were lots of issues. I saw this poem in a SEVENTEEN magazine back in 66 and identified with it. I've kept it all these years. It also reminds me of how Sally might feel...

'All The Cardboard People"

All the little cardboard people...living in a paper world
light a match it's all in blazes,
scortched with all the edges curled

Choose a person, love him truly,
heaven lasts a month or two
Life seems all so temporary..
What is real except for you?

Is your paper castle standing?
Is it filled with those you love?
You can't keep them there forever...
What have you been dreaming of?

Then I turn to look at your side,
why aren't all your dreams come true?
I am wrong to think I'm special,
I AM MADE OF CARDBOARD, TOO

Question for Baby Boomers

As a GenXer, I've always been fascinated by the Boomer generation. No other generation has ever existed as yours. It created such a huge change in the social structure. I just have a question for the Boomers only. How do you feel about your generation? If you could go back in time, what would you have done differently. Go to Woodstock? Waited to have children? Just curious.

"Everything Can Be Replaced...."

Or so says Roger after the robbery. Is this true? He means the things that were stolen, of course, even the wedding ring, but can that ring be replaced, the one put on a woman (or man's) finger during their wedding?

And what about meaning it in another way? It does seem all too easy to replace Miss Blankenship (though, I think her irreplaceable ;-) ), and it seems like the next generation of ad men are already replacing the old. But what about Joan's husband if he dies in 'Nam? Can he be replaced? Roger thought he could replace Joan with Jane and clearly, that's a failure.

Who is trying to "replace" what? And is Roger right or fooling himself? Can anything really be replaced?

Mad Men: The women and the real-life Don Draper

Interesting read

Budget cuts

Is it me or did this season come with quite big budget cuts?

Should Matt Weiner create a new Series based on the culture of the 60's

There seems to be a hunger for a more in-depth look at the 60's counter-culture revolutions.

How many threads are talking about race relations, gender, war, ect asking for a deeper look into those issues and times.

West Wing had a good run at it, and I believe that a similar show based in the 60's would too.

Do you hear the hungry hordes, Matt?

The Elephant in the Room...

All I know is that next week at this time, I would prefer to be saying adieu to two lovers who "went together" then to be sad about someone else. Hopefully two appearances by gurneys in two weeks will not take place.

Sally - me thinks there's a lot more going on.

I am not sure if Sally is just rebellious or if there is something more going on at home, "no, I won't go. I hate it there" Is something happening to Sally that isn't as yet being broached in the series? Is there molestation occuring? Is Glenn sexually harassing her?

The character of Sally always greets the character of Henry or when the subject of Henry or Glen comes up with doe eyes ..and I don't mean soulful and tender, but fearful. She does this with Betty too, but given the relationship between the two - that is understandable. Betty stated in the first season that she could never please her parents, or felt like she could; she is just revisiting on her child what was done to her. All in all, I think there is a lot more to Sally's rebellion than simply preteen rebellion. It has been bandied on a few other threads that Sally is hitting "pms".. I really don't think so, because I think that area would have been talked about.

Remember an episode or two before when Sally was "touching herself" and the friend's mother relates that she didnt now what goes on at the Francis house. Given that, the being sent to a psychiatrist for behavior problems, and the increasingly strained relationship between Sally and Betty ..I would hazard a guess that in an upcoming episode a darker side to Henry and/or Glen will be shown. My guess is the former.

She was "scared" before with different things in the house after Grandpa Gene's death. Now, she's terrified and very angry.

Roger's Validity and Future Happiness

rick rick brought up a very interesting idea about Roger that would be perfect for discussion. In his comments, he noted that even though Roger was doing his memoirs, there weren't any takers who found it interesting enough for publishing. Also, that in the current state of the agency, Roger seemed to be eclipsed by Don, Pete, Peggy and the younger set in terms of production, recognition, and value to the firm in general, and maybe to society at large in another sense (a whiff of what's to come for the older generation as the '60s demolishes the social order in business and personal lives).

So, rick rick's question was whether Roger's future would be a happy one, and whether he would (and had) lost the luster of his former prominence in business and society. (Hope you don't mind rick rick - your comments really deserved being a topic of discussion).

What do you think? Is the kind of man that Roger embodied already a moot point and of no value in business or society? Will Roger's life-ending be a happy one? There are hints that Roger is not as happy as he used to be, and maybe for quite a few reasons besides his impulsive marriage and the new firm.

Sally doesn't want to go home.. are there issues other than what is being broached?

I am not sure if Sally is just rebellious or if there is something more going on at home, "no, I won't go. I hate it there" Is something happening to Sally that isn't as yet being broached in the series? Is there molestation occuring? Is Glenn sexually harassing her?

The character of Sally always greets the character of Henry or when the subject of Henry or Glen comes up with doe eyes ..and I don't mean soulful and tender, but fearful. She does this with Betty too, but given the relationship between the two - that is understandable. Betty stated in the first season that she could never please her parents, or felt like she could; she is just revisiting on her child what was done to her. All in all, I think there is a lot more to Sally's rebellion than simply preteen rebellion. It has been bandied on a few other threads that Sally is hitting "pms".. I really don't think so, because I think that area would have been talked about.

Remember an episode or two before when Sally was "touching herself" and the friend's mother relates that she didnt now what goes on at the Francis house. Given that, the being sent to a psychiatrist for behavior problems, and the increasingly strained relationship between Sally and Betty ..I would hazard a guess that in an upcoming episode a darker side to Henry and/or Glen will be shown. My guess is the former.

She was "scared" before with different things in the house after Grandpa Gene's death. Now, she's terrified and very angry.

A Thousand Reasons Why Faye is So Irritating

This week's recap from Best Week Ever

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2010-09-20/mad-men-recap-99-problems-but-a-bitch-aint-one/

don and sally need to go to shea

don and sally's interaction in ep 9 bordered on heartbreaking. don needs to grow the hell up and start being a parent, especially to sally at this particular time. the way to start? that former dance hall band from liverpool will be appearing at shea stadium soon, don should take sally on a father-daughter outing to see them.

Sally Hates Blondes

Oh how I love Sally!!! If the underlying theme of this episode is women in various stages of the sexual revolution ( juxtaposed cleverly against the modern civil rights movement without comparing them as they are/were both urgent and not in competition) Sally then represents the future. We see women of the more conventional days literally "dying off" (Mrs. Blankenship) or choosing to stay behind ( Joan) or be left behind and women of the present in between emerging professional gender roles moving forward at different paces. Sally is the future. Defiant -"I will not!"- and at the same time uncertain of her place, much like Peggy. Oh and did anyone else notice that she only takes to the Brunette women on the show?( sorry Faye) No mother of the year awards for Betty. As a personal aside , albeit sad, I am glad to see Mrs. Blankenship go. She was a bit too comic relief for my taste on the show. A bit cartoonish and Jar Jar Binksy. But she had an important symbolic role to play in the overall structure and the part was well acted. Just my two cents

Race Matters: Does Mad Men have a race problem?

While I've given this show the benefit of the doubt on lack of characters of color and marginalization of what few black characters the show does employ, "The Beautiful Girls" episode raises troubling concerns.

First, read the title carefully. If we are meant to understand the title to some extent by the final image, these are three white women in the elevator. Images of female beauty are a powerful weapon of oppression.

More problematic, and this has been discussed already all over the internets, is the new black character in the episode was a mugger. TV has a troubling heritage of suggesting colorblind casting by hiring actors of color only to have them enact cultural stereotypes. I don't want to get caught up in some argument about whether or not a black man has ever robbed somebody, that is infantile and reductionist. The problem is that the show, now deep into 1965, has still failed to explore race in any way other than cultural touchstones, political theater or social marginalization.

I love the show. And far be it from me to tell Weiner and the production staff how to tell their story.
And, Don Draper is right from a professional perspective: it is not their job to teach Fillmore Auto Parts to like African Americans. But, we do not live in their time. And, after the appearance of the mugger last night, my days of making excuses for the show's obsession with white privilege and classism are over. We've said, "Well it's gonna have to change with King's speech." But it didn't. "Well, it's gonna change now with the killing of those little girls at 16th Street Church." "Well, now, at last, things are going to be different with the passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act." Nothing. We get more dreadfully boring repackaging of Roger and Joan scenes long past their sell-by date. Roger's nostalgia is not interesting. It is pathetic.

What's next MM apologists (a group in which I counted myself recently)? Must change with Vietnam? 1967? Season Five? Six?

I look forward to your thoughtful remarks.

The Elevator Ride

Peggy's friend left first. She walked out of the reception area and took the first elevator on her left. Joan and Faye follow but miss the first elevator. They get the next elevator -- the one on the right -- and Peggy scampers after them. Did anyone else find it significant that those three are taking the same ride, but their ride is delayed, and they are not going as quickly or in the same direction as Joyce. A clear distinction.

What else did these three women have in common other than their obvious connections to SCDP, the fact that they are all career women, and that they are all troubled and feeling alone on their journeys, despite the fact that we see them all in the same boat, so to speak, even if the boat here is an elevator?

Testing, Testing? Is this thing on?

Did Faye fail a test?

Did Don fail a test also? (for all those liking Megan more and more, check out the look on her face after Don says thanks).

Ida Speaks!

Randee Heller Interview from EW

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/09/20/ida-blankenship-speaks-actress-randee-heller-on-the-mad-men-loopy-secretary/?xid=rss-feed-todayslatest-%27Mad+Men%27%3A+Ida+Blankenship+says...

Why is Caroline crying?

Been reading all your posts and thought you could help answer I question I have....why do you think that Caroline was the only one showing emotion at the death of Mrs. Blankenship? Is she the only one allowed to react with a human response?

Single Dad TV Show (aka Could Betty Be Right?)

There was a post here wondering why Sally had run to Don as he's hardly been around much in her life. I pointed out that Betty's hasn't been around much either (Carla does it all), and when she is, she's usually scaring the kids. Don may not be around, but when he is, he doesn't (usually) frighten the children. He does show them a measure of love and affection.

Thinking about it, however, it occurred to me that Don has something else on his side that he might not even know he's got: Advertising. Look back at all those television shows Sally might be watching: "My Three Sons," "Bonanza," "The Patty Duke Show" and, in one year, "Gidget."

All shows with single dads raising the kids and doing very well at it. The message of all these shows is not only that Father knows best, but doesn't need mom to create a happy family.

Which brings me to Betty who says, "You think it's so easy!" and dumps Sally on him to make a point. Now Betty thinks Don is living it up while she's burdened with the children, and she's wrong there. This has been a miserable year for Don and now that he's sobered up he's working a great deal, only getting a short lunch for any fun with Faye.

BUT, Betty certainly does have a point that Don is as clueless about fathering as she is about mothering. This is not entirely their fault. One did (or tried not to do) what ones father/mother did. But it seems like both Betty and Don are lazy about putting in time and effort to raise their kids. Betty hands the kids off to Carla, and Don hands them off to any female who might be close at hand.

So, is Don riding on his advertising as a dad? Is Betty right that he thinks it's so easy? He only has the kids four days out of the month (!!!). Of course, we don't know who made up this arrangement. If Betty did, is Don to blame if, seeing his kids so rarely, he has fun with them rather than parents them?

Is It "Wrong" to Root For Infidelity (Roger and Joan)?

I feel-- No, I don't feel guilty, but I should, because they're being unfaithful to their spouses. But I don't.

And I'm not being flippant. It's as if these two committed infidelity by being unfaithful to each other with Jane and Greg.

I think I should say three Our Fathers, a dozen Hail Mary's, and swear off Mad Men. But I'm afraid I can't... :)

Meghan anyone??

Probably because I still miss Rachel Mencken for Don, I'm excited about the possible matching up of Don with Meghan. We knew she's smart and capable. And beautiful. Now we also know she's kind and compassionate.
I know she's young, but I really like her. Anybody else?

Joan and Paul

This episode added another layer of complexity to the relationship between Joan and Roger. The more I see of them, the more difficulty I have of envisioning Joan in a relationship with Paul Kinsey. Not only do I have trouble picturing it, I can't think of exactly when it took place. Obviously before the first season, but was it after Roger bought her the fur from a young Don Draper? It seemed like their relationship wasn't a secret, but I can't imagine Roger being okay with Joan being with both him and one of his employees.

I'm thinking that the early writers may have made a past between Joan and Paul in hopes of one day exploring it, but never did.

Scholarship fund in Ida's honor

A memorial scholarship fund has been established in the name of Ida Blankenship at Miss Deever's Secretarial School in Brooklyn.

Carla

My first thought when Betty told Don that Carla was supposed to pick Sally up was DID ANYBODY LET CARLA KNOW SALLY IS OKAY?? Knoing that good woman she was probably beside herself wondering where Sally had disappeared to.

Who will be the unexpected visitor to the Francis' household that rattles Betty in epi 10?

The first person I thought of when I heard the description of next week's epi, was the guy from the bar a couple of season's ago that Betty hooked up with before she told Don about being pregnant.

For some reason, I always thought that little dalliance was going to come back to haunt Betty some day. This season, MW has been all about his characters paying for past sins. Don's life was certainly in the toliet for awhile, at least personally, but showed some glimmer of recovery in epi 9. So maybe it's Betty's turn.

Certainly we are seeing the effect in an increasing manner of her "Mommie Dearest" approach to parentling.

Also, in one of the promo scenes for next week, it showed Betty lying in bed with Henry saying that there is something she needs to tell him. Now my guess is that while it may very humiliating for the "ice lady" to have to admit to such a tawdry act in the back of a bar with a complete stranger no less, especially considering she had told Henry early in their affair that she didn't want to go to a hotel with him because of the impropriety of it all, I expect Henry will not be to upset about it.

I think his biggest concern right now is Betty's apparent unwillingness to continue to let Don stir her emotional pot so much. And if Don's relationship with Dr. Faye Miller contiues to blossom, I think it wil really get to Betty. Although, I'm not sure if deep down she's still carry a torch for Don or she just can't stand to see him move on with his life and be truly happy with someone else...or both.

Mad Men as Therapy for Fifty-Somethings

Watching last night, I thought, "Wonder how many other female types find this series better than church on Sundays and a shrink on Mondays."

No need to comment if you don't want to. I just needed to say it "out loud." Thanks.

The Hobo theme is back!

Check out Sally the hobo, riding the rails without any money - fantastic!

Don and Dr Faye both handled the situation badly; the scene when they were forcing Sally to leave the office was painful to watch.

Megan might make a good mother. Thoughts?

little things to love.........

Season 4, Episode 9, "The Beautiful Girls."

(In No Particular Order)

1. Sodie Pop and Subs!!!!!!
2. Don's little side wave.
3. Sally's Duffle Bag.
4. The Desk Blotter... (The Shroud of Blankenship)
5. Arriving in a cake!!!!!!!
6. Cooper and Blankenship doing crosswords....
7. "My mother made that"
8. Something nicer in return......
9. Domesticated Suburbanites!!!!!
10. "She knew you had peanut butter"
11. French Toast with Rum.........
12. "Oh Daddy!!! I do it all the time"
13. Confronting Betty in Reception......
14. Joyce's Lesbian Hijinks!!!!!
15. Cherry Cheesecake
16. Go Sally Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joannie in the family way?

We know that when she saw her ob/gyn she was off the pill and anxious to get pregnant because it was the thing to do? now that she is married and Greg is off to war will she keep the baby after her moment with Roger?. there is that possibilty that it could be Greg's baby right?. Anyway if she is does she keep the baby or give it away? Will l'enfant terrible Roger step it up ?and why isn't Jane in the family way yet?

why is Black man portrayed in the holdup?

Your Post

Sally: Adult or Child

In this whole "either/or" episode, Sally search for identity was perhaps the most poignant. She tries so hard to show her dad that she can be adult. She takes the train by herself to see him, makes him breakfast, and even offers to watch over her brothers. She tries to talk and act like a grown-up.

But in the end, when she falls down, we see that she is still a child and wants to be a child, hugged and cared for by adults as a child ought to be.

Is part of this whole "ether/or" search for identity simply realizing that in some ways we are what we are? That even if we want to be "That" instead of "This" (or even if others want us to be "that" instead of "this") we can't be, just like Sally, however hard she tries, can't be an adult?

This or That...Either/Or

Throughout the episode, Don keeps saying, "This or That." He says it to the motor company men about the ad--either one about this kind of man, or that kind of man. He says it to Sally: either the zoo or the dinosaurs. And Faye is right that this episode seems like a true/false quiz. Down to Abe bringing in his "homework" to Peggy to see if he got her right. (he got her entirely wrong, as it turns out).

I found this episode interesting both in the way that some people felt they had to make up their minds (either/or), and yet others had made up their minds quite strongly. Sally, for example, knows exactly what she wants, to stay with Dad, and "No, no, no, no!" she does not want to go back. Faye, as well, knows that she's no good with kids, and though she tries, she quite clear she's not the mom type and never will be.

What other either/or's and "this or that?" choices were there? Who passed tests, failed tests, and who knew what their choice was as compared to not being at all sure?

Roger's painting/Blankenship/The bell tolling

Roger's painting/Freddy/Blankenship/the bell tolling

I thought a lot of Roger and Bert's reaction to Blankenship was sort of symbolic in that her passing was the beginning of the end. As in she's the first one to go, but they're all gonna go, but not go necessarily through death however.

Isn't that kind of what the difference between 60 now-65 is? The beginning of the end of the Rogers of the world? Isn't that one of the slow Mad Men themes?

That's why I think everyone there took it in a normal form of sadness and shock, yet Roger and Bert took it harder. Bert for obvious reasons we found out 2 episodes ago but even outside of that. (suddenly Roger has feelings in taking Joan's hand. Suddenly Cooper has feelings too). It's like Blankenship's passing is the first shot fired, if you will, in the end of the Rogers and Coopers. That's why they took it harder than everyone else.

I was reminded of when Freddy shows up this season. He says to Roger about the painting the new guard Jane put in his office, "I feel like I'm gonna get sucked into that".

To me that was about foreshadowing, something outside yourself that you can't stop that is coming to suck you up and eliminate you. A vacuum. A black hole. Something that is new, and not you, that will get you. That's the spiral function of the painting. That's the "sucking me into it" aspect. The sucking me into it aspect is metaphorical of the generation that made the painting, that's going to suck up and spit out the Freddys (and Rogers and Berts {and Dons?? we'll see} of the world.

That's what I thought the painting and Freddy's comment were both about. Something coming to get you, that you can't stop. Freddy back looking at the youth in the new office, dealing with young Peggy who now has authority. "I feel like I'm gonna get sucked up into that" as in bad change is coming for him in due time and he will not win.

And now, Blankenship is gone. She's the first of that ilk. Who is next? Could have and should have been Roger more than once.

Is it about the end of an era, the end of a people? Is that kind of what the painting is about? I think so, per Freddy's comment. "I feel like I'm gonna sucked into that thing", as in a looming professional and personal death. There's something new guard about to suck you old guard up to eliminate you and your kind.

Also, then Peggy later yelled at Freddy telling him he's old. After that... we haven't seen much of him.

Do the Freddys of the world feel like they're about to be sucked up? All the while Roger has had the reaper coming. Blankenship is now dead.

Is the bell tolling?

Hello, Petula! Music, Books, Television

I recognized Petula's Clark's "I Know a Place" playing at the bar Peggy and friends are at. Did anyone pick up on what Don and Sally were watching while waiting for Pizza? And what book was Sally reading?

Was she or wasn't she?

Does anyone else think that Miss Blankenship was already dead when Don came out of his office and said "I don't want to hear it" and the phone kept ringing before he went back to his meeting? I'm thinking yes because she died looking up with her mouth open! Poor Mrs. B! I'm going to miss her!

Ep 9: very deep exploration of identity, great episode

Ep 9: More Exploration of Identity.

So we have a core MM thing going on, in the exploration of identity.

Peggy is still between the proto-hippy and the old guard. Yet again the proto-hippy guy disrespects her and cares not for what she her own self cares about, her work; of course thinking and insisting he's right and gentle and righteous but is really nothing other than a bully. In addition, Peggy needs not nor wants a Superman, but he tries to be, not well rounded enough to know that's what he's really doing to her. He's wrong but insists he's right.

Sally is at the same time a rebel from Betty, yet a model of Betty.

Dr. Faye is down a certain path, having identity come in to play with her about what she feels Don is assuming she's supposed to be vs who she really is.

Joan is getting a little bit of it as well. Joan is caught somewhere between the identity of Blankenship, and Peggy; She was the somewhat proto-Peggy but she's still closer to Blankenship.

Then Blankenship dies. Bert and Roger are a bit tore up. It's the beginning of the end of the old guard.

Roger has stared death in the face before. His war experience. His 2 coronaries. And now, the mugging could have gone that way. He dealt with the coronaries through Joan and sex. He dealt with it also through marrying, and more likely sex, with Jane. Here, the mugging, he deals with it through sex yet again.

Identity again with apparently from last episode Don telling Faye Gene thinks his Daddy is someone else. Now here Sally is getting along fine with Faye as a surrogate Mommy, and in the end also hugs greatly, and affects, Megan the hugging secretary. Sally doesn't like her Mommy yet right now seems ok with someone else being her identity Mommy as long as she's connected with Daddy.

What's also interesting is Don had said to blonde Anna he wants her to meet his kids, and after there is no more Anna, suddenly Don is all sweetheart on blonde-semi-Anna/Betty clone Dr. Faye. And here he trusts her with his kid in a home-y sorta way. Don is still searching even if it isn't overt and our attention was directed elsewhere.

Probably nothing: But, Roger after Blankenship dies, in being with Joan, takes her hand. Roger's confiding usually consists of telling her she's the best piece of ass he's had. Here, he takes her hand. Don took Peggy's hand in a different way, but still, after Don should have done that with Allison. Roger should have done that before instead of parakeets and jokes, if you remember season 1. He's doing it now though. They both Roger and Don should have been able to offer that before and didn't; but they're both at that point now.

The new young guard is busy angry philosophizing in their moments of angst, the old guard is embracing hands in their moments of angst. Differences.

Two great edits: Don at the end, when you didn't think he'd take that drink but he does; and the edit is immediately to Peggy doing the same.

Also, the end shot in the elevator. The 3 women, Don's women and their differences yet all connected by him. Joan: the old guard. Faye: the seemingly Betty surrogate he apparently needs. Peggy, the one who is most mirrored to him; Peggy, the porridge in the middle we all actually want.

It's another exploration of the idea of 3 they've done before and the idea of identity this episode. Great episode. Makes your brain hurt but it's worth it.

"Don't do that."

Ken makes fun of the autoparts guy's stutter. Don cuts him right off-"Don't do that." Why? A sign of Don's compassion for vulnerable people? A reminder of someone from his past? Rarely do things like that get said on Mad Men without an explanation.

The Beautiful Girls

This was all about the women. Finally! It didn't just focus on the men and their issues, as usual, and, just as the world is about to do as well in the coming years. This female-centric episode was all about the inner and outer lives, and feelings of powerlessness for Peggy, Joan, Faye, Sally, Mrs. Blankenship, Megan and Betty. And, Sally, my favorite character in the series, is so desperate for her father's attention, she's ready to explode. I've been predicting since last season, that she will head straight into the counter-culture like a speeding bullet, needing to find a place to carve out her identity. Haight Ashbury, here she comes?! Another amazing cocktail of an episode from MW and company. What did you think?

Epithets for Mrs. Blankenship's Obituary...

RIP

The real world in the 60s

When are the writers going to recognize there are other races with stories to be told in the 60s? I love this show but it's only showing one side of a multi-faceted era.

Totally like National Lampoon's Vacation w/Imogene Coca

I'm laughing so hard I am actually crying. I will watch this over and over again!

Mad Men is following me everywhere!

Yesterday we went looking at houses and found a 50's "Moderne" - built in 1954 but with the futuristic Jetson's look that is so right in the 60's. Almost everything had been perfectly maintained in the house, light fixtures like rocket ships, Sputnik chandelier, rooms slightly on an angle. It was so perfect for a mid-century house. Even the formica counters and oven with around glass door were just right. I kept looking around, expecting to see some of the Man Men characters walking in.

Then today we went to an antique swap meet and I saw a LOT of people walking around in vintage dress and makeup. Lots of men's hats being worn and people buying crazy vintage lamps and stuff. Have I fallen into a time warp or is the influence of MM everywhere?

Demographics: Do Young Men Watch "Mad Men?"

I didn't realize until a few posters announced how young they are that the show attracted as many young women as it does. I think there are at least two male regulars here on this board. Do you know any twenty-something or early thirty-something men who like it?

IS DON INTIMIDATED BY HENRY FRANCIS?

I've always thought of Don as a highly confident type of man, yet he allows Henry Francis to treat him in a disrespectful manner. Ordering him to pick up his boxes, staying in a house Don is paying for, making Don feel unwelcomed to see his children. I'm sure Don is trying to keep the peace but I still don't understand why Don doesn't act more aggressive with him. Is it because he feels less than Henry because Betty left him for this guy?

Any Sunday Mad Men rituals you do before the show?

For me , I am usually in bed ad I watch the show at 10:00 p.m. Then every Monday (I work out of my home) I take my lunch time and watch the show again. Our cable company does not give us the East coast feed at 7:00 like some areas on the West coast get. If it did...I'm sure I would watch it twice on Sunday! So...my rituals are fairly boring. Anybody else want to share??

The "Mad Men" of the New York Jets

An article from today's The Wall Street Journal "Speakeasy" blog:

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/09/19/ines-sainz-and-the-mad-men-of-the-new-york-jets/

The Romance That Never Was...

I just posted on another thread about Pete Campbell's hiding in plain sight this season. His character has had less to do (and probably less dialogue) than Mark.

I don't believe there ever was a romance between Pete and Peggy, but the themes introduced in Season One: 1) Don and Betty; 2) Roger and Joan; 3) Pete and Peggy; ALL gave dramatic weight to this series. All three "couples" dealt with 60's sexual issues in different ways. There was the married couple straight from Revolutionary Road (Don and Betty). There was the shipwrecked "madcap office fling" with Roger and Joan/Marilyn and Jane (that could have been Fatal Attraction if it happened twenty years later). Finally, there was the "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" one-night-tragedy with Pete and Peggy.

If--If--Vincent Kartheiser leaves the series or is consigned to the kind of continuity dialogue/extremely minor subplots that he has been consigned to this season, and if he for some reason should leave the show, I would/will feel very cheated.

I won't feel cheated because there was anything else to develop between Pete and Peggy (there wasn't). I'll feel cheated because if the story of the stereotypical "po' Cat'lic goil" from Brooklyn who makes good deserves to be told, so did the redemption of the stereotypical rich uptown naif whose reaction to just about every sexual situation he ever found himself in--ugly or otherwise--has never been told.

His character deserves much better than it has been given.

Would You Go To A Mad Men Theatrical Movie--

Once the series is complete? Like the Star Trek or X Files movies?

Who were the big nightclub comics of the 60s?

I wonder how the Barretts are weathering the culture shift? Not sure his style of humor would hold up - come to think of it, who were the big comics in the 60s? I know the 50s had Don Rickles, Shelly Berman, Lenny Bruce etc. And the 70s had George Carlin, Woody Allen, Robert Klein, etc but I can't think of who the 60s comics were - I know of the comedy shows, like Laugh-in but who were the big club comics of that era?

The only guy who comes to mind is Allan Sherman, (who was sort of the original Weird Al Yankovich).

Why am I drawing a blank?

Anybody up 4 another game...

Write one scene, that you would like to see happen, and that's even doable, in 5-10 lines ONLY without contradicting your own idea in it. Then at the end of the season, we can look back & see if any of it transpired. Maybe we can get a prize donated.

Would AMC Ever Try a "Knot's Landing" With Mad Men?

Ah, the 80's. Ted Shackleford... Spin-offs...

Because of Mad Men and the series' influence of women's fashion, I have spent more on clothes, shoes, and fabric and dress patterns this year than maybe in the past five years combined. The idea of the series coming to an end, with so many neglected characters, is tough to handle. If you could pick one character and ask AMC to start a spin-off, which would it be? To make it easy, list your top three.

Mine: 1) Rachel Mencken; 2) Sal Romano; 3) Paul Kinsey.

Jon Hamm on NPR with Terry Gross

Jon discusses "Mad Men" beginning at 7:30. Transcript also available at this link.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129904576

Bewitched

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU765SErkw4

The drinking, the smoking, the ad agency. Did the creators of "Mad Men" get their inspiration from Larry Stephens and Larry Tate? Is Sterling Cooper an offshoot of McMahon & Tate?

Jon Hamm co-starring in "The Town"

Did anyone get to the opening night last night? Curious to see how our Mr. Hamm did. The reviews look great, I'm hoping to make it tonight. It'll be interesting to see him on the big screen in an intense role-----

Casting Call Gallery

I was disappointed as well in the castng call contest. So many creative and well composed entrees will not be recognized...and they had "honest" votes. The judging criteria should change to value period correct themes, composition and creativity first...not votes. I wish they would go back through and highlight some of the really awesome pictures and create a gallery of those as there were some great ones that were far superior to the "winners".

Predictions for Episode 10: The Agency Deals with a Shocking Loss.

A supposed spoiler was previously posted, stating that Bert would die in S4 E10. The poster claimed that he was given information by an actor portraying a "gurney guy" for the NYC Coroner that the "shocking loss for the agency" referred to Bert.

First of all, this "shocking loss for the agency" may very well not be a person, but rather an account. In that case, Lucky Strike would be my guess.

On the other hand, if the "shocking loss" is a person, my guess would be that the person is not Bert. At E10 of a 13 part season, I think that it would be a character less likely to die. Even the death of Roger would hardly be a shocking loss at this time. However, the death of Joan would most certainly be a shocking loss.

As a romantic, I envisioned a pregnant, widowed Joan rescued by a knight in shining armor, Sir Lane Pryce. This scenario is most probably highly unlikely. Instead, after viewing The Summer Man, I foresee a very different and unfortunate ending for Joan. A couple of season's ago, I predicted that Joan would commit suicide, foreshadowed by the suicide of her idol Marilyn Monroe. Joan's goal in life was to marry well, and in the end, Greg did not fulfill that goal. At the time, posters were outraged. Joan is not suicidal, they said. How about now? Joan has no friends and no one to talk to once Greg goes off to basic training. She has become a laughing stock at work, an anachronistic sex kitten.

FWIW, my predictions have never been right. Here's hoping that my record is not broken, and that Joan will be fulfilled in the role of happy housewife and mother when Greg returns from military service.  

Casting Call

Only the people who comment here should have their vote considered. Contestants should be in period dress whether it's a suit, sports clothes or even mod..Simply posting a pic and then getting 1 k votes is meaningless. In fact, anyone getting 50 votes is a top contender and as I said only the people here should vote. Post your choice here and the reason for it.

Casting Call- Please Don't Let Us Down

I really hope that the top 10 people with the highest votes aren't actually the ones that will be semifinalists. I'm not complaining about auto voting, of course that's going on, but despite it being against the rules, nothing's really getting/going to be done about it. Given that fact, AMC, at LEAST give us the 10 best-dressed out of the top bot users. Basically, with entries where you can't see an outfit, that have 0 composition, and feature styles you'd never see on the show- moving them to the semifinals is just ridiculous. Looks that aren't appropriate to the period- or worse, headshots- are a slap in the face to the fabulous people who actually made an effort to put together a look. Featuring semifinalists who missed the boat on style- simply because they have a strong server- is a blow to the contest's integrity.

Please spoil episode 9 for me

I can't view the previews (outside the US) so I don't now what's in it but I'm really curious. Pretty pretty please tell me!

Season 4 Episode 8 - Open Thread

Talk about Season 4, Episode 8, "The Summer Man."

Halfway Point of Season 4

After participating in another thread, I read the Wikipedia blurbs for each episode still to follow this season. I don't believe that Bert Cooper's dying would by any stretch of the connotation be "shocking"; despite tales posted here, I'm wondering if it will be someone whose death will blindside the audience.

Roger Ebert, in his review of "The Town," said something I consider brilliant. He claims that, from about the halfway point of the film to the conclusion, it becomes clear (I paraphrase) that "a particular character is deprived of impulse and committed to an acceptable ending."

What I have loved in previous seasons about Mad Men (beside the time period it depicts and the clothing) is a feeling that the series is not committed to an acceptable ending. I'm no longer sure that that's the case. I think it's silly and time-wasting to debate likes or dislikes of particular characters; we all have characters we love and characters we hate. However--hate or love--if a television series wants to garner out respect, it has to be, for lack of a better word, "true." With the exception of "The Suitcase," the truest episode of this series and a competitor for all-time best single episode of television, I consider this season to be...other than true.

A.O. Scott has an essay in the New York Times about the demise of film-going in favor of watching Mad Men (among other television series with cult or cult-like followings). Because "Mad Men" will presumably end in 2012, there are approximately thirty episodes remaining to learn more about and care more about the characters we were introduced to in Season One.

With the exception of "The Suitcase," this season doesn't give me much hope that these beloved (or "behated") characters will be treated the way I think we'd all like to see them treated.

Thanks for the opportunity to post this.

Does Mad Men achieve "Midnight Cowboy" status?

This is a question for regular posters on this forum.

Do you believe that Mad Men has achieved an equivalent status as a TV show to the legendary movie "Midnight Cowboy"?

This question is posed in terms of cinematic art, character development, and just being an experience that makes peiople think and feel?

I am interested in what others think about this. I am of the opinion that it does.

What did you think of Joan's smackdown speeches?

The first one to the boys and the second in the elevator to Peggy

Peggy's Gift in Episode 9

The Mad Men Main page shows the following for Episode 9: "Peggy receives a romantic gift that could compromise her career."

O.K., Maddicts, let's hear your best guesses for what this "romantic gift" could be and which of Peggy's male acquaintances are still feeling romantic enough towards her to want to send a gift. Do dead flowers from a disgruntled beau mean he still cares? And just how is her career jeopardized?

Helpful Links

Helpful Links

Please add any links that you find helpful to Mad Maddicts, like where you can watch episodes online, ect. Thank you ~

I apologise to those people I instructed to "clear their cache" without supplying the instructions.
This comes in handy when you have something like a missing button (like, delete ect) or other quirky malfunctions.

LOG OUT of Mad Men Talk
Click one the browser specific link. The instructions are easy to follow and only takes a moment.
LOG IN to Mad Men Talk

FIREFOX: http://www.helpwithpcs.com/tipsandtricks/clear-cache-firefox.htm (Recommended by members)
IE7 http://www.viscott.com/esupport/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=51
GOOGLE CHROME http://www.viscott.com/esupport/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=51 (Recommended by members)
SAFARI http://support.verio.com/documents/view_article.cfm?doc_id=4069 Originally designed for Apple Computers

*Please let me know if you use this technique, which browser, and if it worked, for the weekend of 9/17 - 9/20 I am keeping a technical log and will be reporting.

Thank you, I hope this is helpful.
renro

Season 4/Episode 10 Opening Scene Predictions

This is for those who do not see the preview b4 it airs...not everybody goes into every part of this site. Don't be a spoiler! The very opening scene including characters & location....

Episode 9 Moderator

Hi All,

It's renro and I will be Moderator for this Sunday/Monday with appearances starting Friday, using this moniker.

MadMModerator@gmail.com

Please use the above email for questions, comments, concerns. I will respond as soon as I am able starting today.

I am open to heated debate, but please refrain from personal assault. If anyone is unclear about the agreement made upon registration with AMCtv.com, please let me know and I will supply the information.

If anyone feels an immediate need for a moderator, and I have not yet made an appearance, please start a post. I will be on the boards and checking email for Sunday/Monday

Thank you all,

AMCtv's Mad Men Rocks, and I can't wait to see this week's episode, 9.

renro

Elisabeth Moss interview: the transformation of Peggy Olson

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/09/16/elisabeth-moss-of-mad-men-on-the-suitcase-and-the-transforma/

Mad Men Unvarnished

This may have been posted before, I'm not sure.....very interesting article from Brandweek magazine about MM
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/creative/critique/e3if92a9f797ed3bf6bed91952b20c3f9bd

Forget "Who is DD?" Instead it's "Who is DD?"

The first 3 seasons had Dick Whitman becoming Don Draper. Someone he did not know much about and dreamed up on his own. Wanting to becoming the man he envisioned. Starting from scratch. The outside man. What others' saw.

But this season, especially leading up to and in episode 8, it is more about "Who is Don Draper" but not that way. Don is now looking within himself to find out who he wants to be in morals - an inside job. Who does he want Don Draper to REALLY be now? Not the superficial outward appearance of DD, but deep down...what makes DD a man? With all these life changes - divorce, new company, Anna's passing, and hey - let's throw in aging, he can again arrange, or rearrange, the new DD.

What is your take?

Summer Man

Were some of the scenes filmed in Barbettas NYC

Season 1 Episode 1 - Song played when Draper visits Midge

Hi,

I'm desperate to find out which song is played in the background in the scene where Draper goes over to Midge. You know, when Draper talks about the Lucky Strike campaign and Midge hands him a glass of brandy or whatever, and then goes over to the record player and puts on something with a beautiful slide guitar. Does anyone have any idea which song this is?!

Season 4 Episode 8 - Favorite Quotes

Got a favorite line from Episode 8, "The Summer Man"? Post the exact quote below, including the character who said it, and it might end up on the character's profile page and the episode page on the Mad Men website.

Roger's little mermaid lunch

A comment of one of the maddicts in another thread did me think of the oyster lunch Roger and Don had in the first or second season. Back then I was wondering:

1. Did Don make a sexual joke when he said he liked oysters because it was 'like eating a mermaid'? I had never heard him making jokes of a sexual nature. I thought that was Roger's job.

2. How was it possbible for Slattery to throw up so much liquid? Where did he keep that amount of liquid?

Henry asking Betty "Do you know what you want?"

When Henry asked Betty this question, I think he was channeling Betty's subconsious. I think Weiner gave us an obvioius clue as to how Bettty was feeling at that moment. She doesn't know what she wants. Seeing Don with Bethany has left Betty very confused. I think she will always see Don as HER man. I think it's a competition/challenge for her to see if she can win Don back from the younger version of herself. What Don and Betty share most is their huge egos that drives them in all of their decision making. Betty will end of ruining Henry's career which will be the end of that. I only hope he doesn't put Don and Betty back together. It just wouldn't seem right. How many people divorce and remarry. Not many.

Baby Gene's party...I wanted more

I would have really enjoyed seeing a little more of the party after Don arrived.Having him hold up the baby with Betty looking at him was alot for such a quick scene but...
I wanted at least one OR two minutes at the party.
Sally/Francine/Henry/other neighbors....just wishing!
Any one feel the same?

Joan's Nasty Wish

I am sure in a moment hurt feelings, Joan imagined the boys away to Vietnam, getting shot at in a year in a hot nasty jungle. Reminded me of the Twilight Zone Ep/movie, where the little boy, played by Billy Mumy in the original series, wishes his Uncle or someone who bothered him into the dreaded cornfield. That is how immature Joans Rant Against the boys was. Well those guys don't get drafted into Vietnam Mrs Harris.

Tonight's the night! Jon and Jon on The Daily Show!

The Big Question from Mad Men.

Was Joan right? Did my mom really not care about those two scarves I gave her when I was a kid? She said she was saving them for special occasions. So special they haven't come yet I guess. :(

"Ratso" Rizzo

You know, I'm starting to like Stan. Pegs stood her ground with him. He's almost turning out to be a caricature of a hard guy that's really harmless. Pretty funny, too. What say you?

What was happening on November 15, 1965.

East Coast Blackout

Disneyland East announcement

Vietnam - Battle at la Drang

Summer of '65

Summer of '65

How it looked and sounded.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yngF9iSMCOk

Roger

One of the most appealing characters of MM to me is Roger Sterling. He's probably the most self-interested person in the series and just two times in 4 seasons I remember him doing something what a decent human being or probably just a qualified professional should do: When he de-fired Pete he suggested to Pete he had Don to thank for still having a job and during his daughter's wedding (I can't wait for that girl to be another mans problem) he held a rather nice speech and tried to limit the whole catastrophe. I really can't remember any other positive words or behavior on behalve of Roger.
I really think he's sharp and funny beyond limits but, come on!
This guy gives the expression 'he thinks the world revolves around him' a whole new dimension. Where did it all go wrong?

"Satisfaction" on Mad Men

I was thrilled to hear the classic Rolling Stones hit on Mad Men episode 8.
The genius and the humor of the timing of the song, particularly the lyrics, was fantastic.

Close up of Don (the ultimate MM, while the lyrics
"I'm watching my TV and a man comes on and tells me how white my shirts should be, but he can't be a man cuz he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me..."
One of the many reasons I love MM!

Message From Monty

A number of very rude people (or perhaps it was just one) have posted crude remarks and apparently they've been deleted. Stop accusing me of these things because I only post under my own name. You may not like my remarks but I do it under my name.

Rock Candy Mountains & Two-Bit Hoods

Haven't seen this mentioned in any of the threads yet...I had an older friend from New York who once told me that, yes, indeed, it was no stereotype: most of the best Italian Restaurants were owned by the mob, at least back in the 50's and 60's. Don takes Dr. Faye to what seems to be an Italian restaurant with signature melding candles in wine bottles. When he mentions that it's hard to get a reservation here, she says that he should have come to her.

It seems that Dr. Faye's Dad owns a candy store (we'll get back to that!), and has done a little shady business for the mob. I took this to mean that while the candy store was probably legitimate, the mob likely funneled stolen cigarettes and liquor to Dad which he sold for them in his candy store (would he sell them outright or under the counter?).

When Don asks Faye what her father was like she says, "A handsome, two-bit hood like you."

Now, Don is no criminal (well, not like that) but there are different kinds of "hoods" in the world. Dr. Faye is calling the advertising world a kind of racket.

Which brings us back to the song "Satisfaction" (which accuses advertising of being a racket) as well as the musical chairs song at the birthday party: "Big Rock Candy Mountain." BRCM is about a hobo paradise where there are cigarette trees, lakes of gin and whiskey, as well as no work, eternal sunshine, and, yes, candy. In the song a hobo tells others he's going there and to "come with me." He then describes this lazy place (remember Don saying he was lazy?), effectively selling it to them. Hobos and two-bit hoods seem to go together like candy and liquor ;-)

Other thoughts? Things I've missed?

Don: from hobo to honcho

In line with all the hillbilly references in the episode, at the end of Episode 8 at baby Gene's party the kids are playing a game and a song is playing in the background. I looked up the lyrics that played from a song called Big Rock Candy Mountain and thought i'd share them. Sounds a bit like someone we know, doesn't it?

One evening as the sun went down and the jungle fire was burning
Down the track came a hobo hiking and he said boys I'm not turning
I'm headin for a land that's far away beside the crystal fountains
So come with me we'll go and see the Big Rock Candy Mountains

Pretty cool huh? How do you think Don did so successfully reinvent himself anyway? How did he go from a hillbilly without a high school education to refined dapper ad man?

Season 4 Scrapbook

Where is the "While you were out" message from California?
Re Highlights Magazine Sally was reading. I remember the Goofus, Gallant feature
Imagine if it were Dick/Don instead or are they both bad and good?
would it be Dick leaves his kids alone with a babysitter on visitation days/
Don attends his son's birthday party. or is it vice versa?

Draper Boxes

Perhaps this post says more about me than Don Draper, but it is really bothering me that Don dumped those boxes....did he even look inside? When he moved into his apartment at the end of last season, we see him with his suitcase. I'm sure he went back to the house and retrieved other belongings. What did he leave behind. I can picture Betty going through the house with a fine tooth comb gathering up everything with Don Draper cooties on it and handing it all off to Carla to box up. I know dumping the boxes is supposed to show us that Don has moved on and wants none of the detritus from his life with Betty to clutter up his new one.

But what was in those boxes? His old army uniform that he wore when he took "Dick Whitman" home for burial? That old suit he wore when he conned Roger into giving him a job? Everything from his old desk in the den? What about the box of slides he used in the Kodak Carousel presentation....are they in his apartment or in the dumpster? Or does Sally have them hidden under her bed to take out and look at when she can't sleep at night? What would a man leave behind that would fill all those boxes? Honestly now, Maddicts, am I the only nosy Parker in our little group to wonder about this? C'mon, don't you want to know? Pretend you were there when Betty....excuse me, Carla packed them.....what went in to those boxes?

You ever get something stuck in your head?

Like Peggy's

"Take it
Break it
Share it
Love it"

It came out of no where and its driving me crazy

Don Draper meets Stonewall in 1969?

In episode 8, Don Draper tells the cab driver to take him home: to Waverly and 6th. Check out on a map where that is in NYC: a mere 2 blocks from the Stonewall Inn, site of the first famous gay protest/riot.

If MM the series carries on into 1969, will we see that as part of the storyline?

Betty's chasing her tail. Dinner's out are always a nightmare for her!

Thinking back on Betty freaking out in the ladies' bathroom in episode #8, and the subsequent ride home with her head against the window, it reminded me of her condition when viewers first met her.

Remember the episode (#1?) when she dines with Don and is expected to make a good impression on Roger and Mona? She escapes to the bathroom and cannot get her hands to work. In a later episode she is sick on the ride home after learning of one of Don's affairs. (Season 1 seems like so long ago, I'm having a hard time with the details.)

At any rate, Betty is keeps enduring these stressful dinner scenarios where she is expected to put on a good show, except this time with a different partner. I wonder if Betty will realize the path she is on and make a decision to step off. In other words, we see Don trying to make personal changes and I wonder whether Betty will ever do the same.

She seems to struggle with what today we would probably call anxiety disorder. If her fictional experiences echo what a lot of real women lived through, no wonder the stereotype exists of the upper-middle class housewife popping "mother's little helpers"!

Jon Hamm on Today Show

Jon Hamm will be on the Today Show this Thursday. Set your alarms for 7 a.m.

Time Moving too Fast

Does anyone else feel like time is passing by too fast on Mad Men? I like the idea of seeing the changes that are happening and definitely bound to continue as we move through the 1960's, but I really don't have any interest in seeing the show hit the 1970's. I really think of Mad Men as an early to mid 1960's show. What do you think?

Don and Roger Parallel

I think it's fascinating that Don and Roger are both spilling their guts to themselves, one into a tape recorder and one into a spiral notebook. Both are good methods for self-discovery, but I prefer the recording, because it captures more free-flowing, less self-conscious thought, along with voice inflection, accent, mood, etc. It can be quite enlightening, especially if you've never heard yourself talking before.

Do you think their characters will change as a result of self-examination? In what ways?

Joey's disrespectful hits

RIP Joey (we never knew ya' sayanara!) what did he do to get fired a few of Joey's "disrespectful hits (he had it coming!!)
1) Calling Donald Francis Draper "pathetic" really? your boss? he signs yer paycheck kid and he's a partner at a small firm you could go far kid far I tell you.
2) Making fun of other Mr. Draper's personal life in Public Relations episode. That's not funny joey, not funny.
3) Saying that he would so get Trudy Campbell Pregnant? Who raised you? a pack of wolves?
4) Calling Joan a Shanghai Madam? Really and what does that make you the errand boy of the brothel?
5) Disrespecting his Mama - yes he said his mother walked around like "Joan" wearing a pen around her neck so that people could look at her **ahem** assets? you know bad things happen to little boys and girls who disrespect their Mamas. To the left Sonny Boy..
6) Thinking that Harry Crane was hitting on him. Dude you are cute but not that cute!.
7) He is such a baby. You knew you did not want to work as a freelancer forever but did you have to trash Ms. Olson's office. Don't mess with Peggy else you will end up like one Mr. Herman "Duck" Philips. Peggy gets things done and don't bet against Peggy she is moving up!!.
8) Pick up after yourself! The office is not your play room.
9) If Don calls you Jody - your name is Jody!. and if he calls you Buffy then you're Buffy and Jody!.
10) Don't use your talent to draw some lewd picture of the Office Manager and one of the partners. You might end up with less money on your check or whoops paying city taxes for Edison NJ!. You're young but a rep is not that easy to rebuild!. Then again you could take Harry up on the offer to star on Peyton Place.

Joan

I'll probably get stoned here by saying this, but i don't really like Joan's behavior in general. Joey's reference to a Shanghai Madam surely was disrespectful, but the way Joan treats her staff is very condenscending most of the time. And what about all those weight-related remarks she makes all the time? And the way she walks? Really? I've never seen women walk like that in offices.
I don't know about women in offices in the sixties, but when a woman would act the way Joan does in offices today, the men would be the least of her problems. The other women would eat her for breakfast.

Technical camera effect question - Don's Office

When Don is in his office he looks around the room at the glasses people are holding, what they are pouring in them, etc. When the image comes back to Don they use a visual effect where the foreground and background don't seem in sync; as if either the background is moving toward you and the foreground away or the reverse. I think it is meant to make the viewer feel unsettled. That's certainly the effect it has on me. Two other examples I can remember - Tim Burton used it in Sleepy Hollow when we are looking down a dark spooky trail through the forest and the Cohen brothers also used it when they filmed the long, creepy hotel hallway in Barton Fink. It's pretty commonly used now. Does anyone know what that is called and how it is done?

Peggy's office art

I'm intrigued by the pop art dandelion poster behind Peggy's desk. Anyone know the source/origins on that?

"Summer Man" clues? Joannie's Pregnant

My guess based on various clues in another brilliant episode, "The Summer Man," is that Joannie is soon to discover she's pregnant.

Have to watch the tape again. And no doubt I will -- this season is turning out exceptional and I've watched most episodes 2/3 times. But, Don, while watching a TV news report on Vietnam, writes about Gene (and subconsciously, himself), we hear in voice-over narration something like, "Conceived in a time of desperation, born into a mess," then we cut to Joan arriving home to see Greg off to basic.

Either this is a strong clue that Joannie is about to become impregnated, or the writers have blown their own thematic set-up.

We'll see, I guess. If I am correct, I do wonder if the child would be on some level compensation for Joan losing power around the office.

Bethany and Henry Francis

I just thought of something else some what related. If Bethany is Jane's friend and Jane is friends with Henry Francis's daughter , (thats how he ended up meeting Betty at the ill fated Nover 22nd wedding) wouldn't Bethany have recognized Henry Francis at the restaurant?? maybe not?

Mad Men "Boys" and the Draft

Joan, in her anger at the SCDP juvenile delinquents, really let them have it in her speech about Viet Nam. I realize that she was also venting her private fears and frustration over her own husband being sent to fight in this very unpopular war. I am ashamed to admit that I can't really remember much about the draft at that time and who would most likely be called up and who would not. I grew up in the '60's so I should recall this, but I do not. My brother joined the Navy voluntarily, and I had no other male relatives affected by the draft. Just how likely was it that someone like Joey, Stan, Danny or even Ken would get drafted in 1965? Could someone please refresh my memory?

Long time reader, first time poster. Don's a shark.

Hello! I have been enjoying reading everyone's insights for some time now and have finally decided to chime in. With 1893 comments on this episode so far, I can't be sure whether someone has touched on these couple of ideas.

To me, Don is like a shark who must continually swim or die. Remember his line from season 3, "my life has one direction-- forward." His swimming symbolizes not only cleansing as has been stated, but moving on. So far, his rootlessness has made it easy to slip from one life/vocation/persona to the next. Maybe plumbing his psyche through writing his journal will help him solidify the real Dick Whitman or Donald Draper or whoever he wishes to be in the next phase of his life. Either that or he is on whatever that step is of Alcoholics Anonymous-- Step 3 or 4-- the "fearless and searching" moral inventory.

About Joan and Peggy, this is not a matter of simple jealousy as so many people have stated. It is classic dramatic tension. Each character is placed in a circumstance that demands action and they can each only go by what their life experiences tell them to be true. The fact is, they are both right... and wrong. This episode highlights how women in the workplace were, and to a certain extent are, in a catch-22-- damned if they do, damned if they don't. Joan was right in her assessment of informal authority and how the office really operates. Peggy was right about her official duty to dismiss an employee demonstrating blatant insubordination.

Cute Margaret Mead reference when the "boys" were going all primitive on the vending machine.

Will You Go to See "The Town" *ONLY* For One Reason?

Just asking :)

... Joanie gets things done or Maidenform 2

Wow this episodes like the others deserves a repeat viewing (the sound is kind of low and its hard to hear then the commercials come on full blast) . I now understand why Joan was so angry with Peggy. It wasn't about good samaritan Peggy but Power drunk career driven Peggy. Peggy is still trying to negotiate her place in the business world and as a a woman has so few role models in the work place. She sees Joan as a role model (how to command respect - they took her to the Clios! ...to the Clios!) and now Dr. Fey (she is "married" - and has it all but peggy has no idea about her fake hubby). Don said it best if I handle it they'll think you are a tattle tale and they won't respect you. But Peggy is still learning how to relate to people. Or to paraphrase. I think Joan had something in store for our Pal Joey (RIP). Tina Fey on SNL "Secretaries and humorless b*!#%e$ get things done". Now if only I could get that on a t-shirt I would be set.

Finally Don's on the mend

Here's my recap of last night's episode.
http://bit.ly/9mZRVW
I forgot to say something about the elephant Don got Gene for his birthday. Could it be to remember?

I can only post new topics and like. I can't post to the main thread or reply. When I try to post it tries three times and then says it can't post. Someone said I should try Firefox, but I'm not willing to do that. Any other suggestions?

The innocence of Baby Gene Draper

I guess one line stuck in my head from this episode - "Born into a Mess" (or something like it). Baby Gene was the Betty and Don's child of hope they put all their money on this baby but it just could not save their marriage. What does Baby Gene mean? is he just some sort of blank slate that Don and Betty can pin all their hopes and dreams to? Sally and Bobby are damaged goods they witnessed their parents divorce first hand but baby Gene well he is a blank canvas. Betty does not want Don to corrupt Baby Gene. Don regrets that Henry Francis is this child's Father Figure/Step Father. Does Don see himself in Baby Gene - Only its Baby Don/Dick who is the grown up mess.

Beverly Hillbillies?

We know that Don thinks of himself as a hillbilly (he mentions to Peggy being on a plane to Korea with a boy even more of a hick than himself--and there was the episode where he envisioned his father, talking to him and making a hillbilly joke). Is there anything to make of the two references to Hillbillies in this episode?

Mountain Dew has a hillbilly as it's logo (see here: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=mountain+dew+%2B+hillbilly&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 ...But the company doesn't like the ad with the hillbilly and the still that SCDP has created.

The second Hillbilly we see is an autographed photo of Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies in Harry's office.

Any thoughts on these?

"I Can't Get No....Satisfaction!"

At one point in his thoughts Don lists things he wants to do including climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (how very Hemingway of him!), and to "wake up" and "be *that* man." He also mentions, later, that "we're flawed because we want so much more. We're ruined because we get these things and wish for what we had."

If there is a key to the entire show this, of course, is it. Advertising, as the "Satisfaction" song tells us, is all about not allowing people to be satisfied.

Don wants to "wake up and be that man." But wanting to be that man doesn't make him that man. Don wore all the trappings of that man--had the house, the wife, mowed the lawn, etc. He wanted it all, but when he had it, he wanted to be free of it. Now, free of it, he wishes for what he had. No satisfaction.

And if Don realizes anything in this episode it's that he needs to cut down on his wants as much as he does on his drinking. That includes wanting people to be what he wants them to be rather than what they are.

Other thoughts on those who get no "satisfaction" this episode? Or realize that they should be satisfied with what they've got?

When is it time to be a "good sport" at work....

and when is it time to decide otherwise?

I was in a similar situation where a rather nasty cartoon was drawn and directed at 2 coworkers; it was drawn by by girls and directed at another girl and a male coworker.

We had a group of student interns and the said group of interns were hell bent for leather out to get Lisa.

Who knows why? For some reason they just didn't like her. So they had a little fun with cartoon art.

They left the cartoon in our lounge. It was tacked to a bulletin board for all to see.

They all had a pretty good look at it, I guess -- my shift started at 3 and I saw it at quarter of.

Unless the comic artist just got done putting her finishing touches on the drawing late in the afternoon.

I took the damn thing down and ripped it to shreds and chucked the shreds into the wastebasket.

I hate this "boys will be boys" garbage and "girls will be girls" garbage --- and I've found that women are worse than the men when it comes to vindictive hijinks.

If that was here and now, Joey and the rest of the boys, you know, boys being boys -- would probably have set up a nasty FB page to go along with the comic art.

And accompanying the art and the FB page, a nice sexual harrassment lawsuit.

Aesop's Fable "The North Wind and the Sun"

Joey, baby...

Don't get crazy.

Any thoughts on Joey's development of a character? He hasn't been on very much but he has certainly made an impression on me.

"Gayest" episode yet

Well, it's getting tiresome. Straight-white-male: bad, women: victims or bitches from hell, or both. Giveaways as to the gay world view here: locker room humor runs rampant, images and acts of fellatio the same.

Were there no straight white men with integrity before... well, EVER? Not by the characterizations here. It's getting absurd. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the show a lot, and it is often very well written, the actors are brilliant. But this pounding away with the same cliches is getting boring.

Go ahead. Let me have it.

Is this Don Draper in the future?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA622OwgHCA

Beware the Rebound!

There are several people in this episode who seem to be reacting to a broken romantic relationship. Don is treading carefully around Dr. Faye Miller after overhearing her giving her boyfriend the boot on the telephone at work. She is suddenly eager to get intimate with Don, but he keeps her at arm's length and tells her he's not ready.

Peggy has broken up with Mark recently. Does it show in her behavior at the office?

Betty's rebound marriage-- or call it her lifeboat-- seems to have hit a snag. Did they marry in haste and are they repenting at leisure, as the saying goes?

Gaps, Gaps, Gaps!

As the first episode noted about the bikini, the gap between top and bottom keeps getting wider, and this episode is filled with growing gaps (many of which we've noted in past seasons):

The generation gap: Don vs. the young men at the gym, Don vs. Bethany, Betty vs. Bethany, Henry vs. Don, Joan vs. Peggy.

The gender gap: Joan & Peggy vs. the guys in the office, Betty vs. Henry.

The East Coast/West Coast gap: Joey (East coast) mistakes Harry talk of putting him in movies as a gay come-on. But Harry is becoming very "west coast" and is trying to play agent. If Joey had been west coast he'd have jumped at the chance. As he's east coast, he misunderstand it.

Other gaps? And, of course, the greater the gap gets, the more that is exposed about both sides of it.

Six months pregnant?

By my calculations, Betty had to be at least 71/2 to 8 months pregnant when she met Henry at Derby Day in order for Baby Gene to be born in the middle of June.
Also the encounter at Betty's Dad's house probably took place in September of 1962 for her to deliver in June 1963. that would be 8 months pregnant in May 1963.

MUFFA FUDGIN LlTTLE THINGS TO LOVE

Season 4, Episode 8, "The Summer Man."

(In No Particular Order)

1. THE BIG RAGU !!!!!
2. Born into a Mess......
3. Flushed or the other problem.
4. Betty's silver purse.
5. Cool patches to roll onto......
6. A liquor and cigarette storeroom!!!!
7. The Science of Wet Blanketry.
8. "Is it time to go yet."
9. Smoking and Chopping Vegetables!!!!!
10. No Friends At Work !!!!!!!
11. Don trying to get "Well".
12.Joey in the pool.....
13. Peggy's Blue Dress with Red Slits.
14. The Lopsided Cake.
15. Terrible Luck At Entertaining....
16. Say Hi To Daddy.............

I want him dead!

A strong emotion and and well deserved...for Henry! He may reserve such strong feelings for Nazis, but I hate Henry.

I have defended Henry as the provider of a roadmap and lifeboat for Betty and the kids. He promised Betty that he could take care of her and her children without being dependent on Don.

Liar!

Now, we learn (I believe) that his prospects are up in the air and not without risk. Far from a mansion with servants, Henry pays Don rent to continue to live in his dirt! Is this a forced economy because Mother Pauline holds the purse strings and thinks Betty's silly woman?

So much for full disclosure. Betty was duped again!

Saddest Episode Yet?

Maybe it's just me and the start of autumn, but I found this the coldest and most anti-summery, and SADDEST, episode of the series--for so many reasons.

Of course everyone is entitled to his/ her own tastes in characters, but, for me, the only discordant note was the preposterous and unbelievable Dr. Faye character, whom I have found preposterous and unbelievable--as a woman of the 1960's--from her first appearance. She is a creation of the twenty-first century squeezed into a time period her "type" does not belong to.

But with the exception of the gibberish dinner scene at the end of the episode, everyone--even Kiernan Shipka--in silence, yet!--was so darn sad.

Draper

Does anyone understand why Don makes an effort to get his stuff from his house just to throw it away afterwards? Why didn't he tell Henry to get rid of the stuff?

Don's Inner Monologue

The theme of "exposure" continues. And what's most startling in this episode is that Don exposed himself to...well....us!

We actually got a glimpse into his head. As he talked intimately to Peggy last episode, so he talked to us this episode in the only way a character can talk to those viewing his story: by talking to himself. By way of a journal/diary where he opened up to himself and searched to know himself better.

We learned he likes to swim and sleep alone. That he never finished high school, and that he is, indeed, a poet/ad man because he hates writing anything long. Like Aesop, he admires brevity.

What else did this amazing glimpse inside Don's head tell us?

Miss Blankenship Fan Club Meeting: URGENT!

Greeting all Blankenteers! We've called this emergency meeting because, as you may have heard, our beloved Miss B. had eye surgery!!!! :-O

And yet, like the trooper she is, she has gone right from her hospital bed back to the office! Yes, that's right, she's shelping liquor bottles to and from the store all by herself, fetching coffee, placing phone calls. Whatta gal! Is it any wonder she has a fan club?

We've gotten her a card, a big one that she ought to be able to read even though she is still recovering from the surgery. I hope you all will sign it. Remember to use you're very best penmanship--Miss B's a stickler for that--and add on a personal note or two to show her that we're all thinking of her.

Get well soon, Miss B!

Betty's reaction to seeing Don on a date

I'm wondering what people's interpretation of Betty's reaction to seeing Don on a date. This is the first time she's seen him with another woman since the divorce, while Don has obviously seen her with Henry numerous times. I think that seeing him with Bethany, a young attractive woman much like herself, left her feeling a bit envious that he was out on this 'date' while she was on a business dinner - much like the ones she went to with Don. But was she feeling anxiety because she realized that she still may have some feelings for him or because her own ego was bruised by seeing him out with a younger woman? And what about the look she gave him at the end at Gene's party? Was this a look of pity? Compassion? Longing for what could have/should have been?

Ep 8 relationships vs.being lost and the webs that are woven

Very different episode, very interesting.

Was it about relationships? Was it about Don searching for home? Are they related?

Earlier we had Don combating then confiding later a little bit while she is doing dishes in the office with Dr. Faye. The home motif. We had the surprise waitress call him Dick so apparently inebriated he at least was honest to some degree. We had him visit Anna and actually be affected. He has a home both in actual real estate there, and within her herself. And last week we had him lay his head in Peggy's lap; a man trying to find home. And now, in the end tonight... he goes home.

So we have had a current theme of Don losing his place in life. And here, we have a parallel in Joan, seemingly losing her place. She's losing her command of the office, and losing her man at home as well. Don and Joan, more emphasis tonight of the theme of being lost. Joan is now starting to get lost. And then later, so is Betty as well.

Enter Peggy. She formerly of the new artsy side of things, yet hasn't been back there. Last week she spends the day with Don, the old guard. This week she sides with the old guard again in the form of Joan. Peggy is yet still searching, and so is Don, each in their own way.

Two weeks in a row now, Peggy told a guy off. Last week with her weenie boyfriend, and this week firing the guy. And both weeks she got schooled; last week by Don in that relationship metaphorical argument and here tonight also by Joan. Peggy who has embraced young, has now rejected young. Peggy fires the guy this week and in essence, fired the boyfriend last week. But she has also in her embracing of the old guard the past two weeks felt it's rejection as well. Peggy, like last season, is still caught somewhere in the middle.

And Peggy and Joan's relationship is similar to Peggy and Don's in that it's both honey and vinegar. The young guy this week was joking about Joan the same way they all joke about Peggy and office sex. She acted like Don in telling them "give me three ideas...." like Don would say to her. Then, Peggy takes the porno picture to Don, for Don to take charge of it. Similar to the mouse last week, wanting Don to take charge of it. Peggy again, caught in the middle of her own self.

This time instead of standing on the chair saying eek! like last week with the mouse, she now takes Don's go-ahead and puts her hands on the issue and kills the guy, firing him, unlike the mouse last week where she needed Don to do it. That's what I think the mouse was about.

And we come back to Mr. Draper.

Bravo Mr. Draper:

Don's date was not exactly full of laughs. Betty shows up with Henry, with Henry trying to be Alpha male. Don plays it cool. (and of course the irony of Betty saying about Bobbie Barrett.. ."she's so old" when you see Don's date's reaction to Betty)

Predictably, Betty looks over more than once. Yet Don never does the same. Also, coincidentally, Don's date began rather lame yet suddenly when Betty is here and he knows she'll be looking, suddenly he apparently had turned on the charm because he now has the girl laughing basically in front of Betty. Don doesn't need the cue, he knows who and what Betty is. Don's date did not suddenly turn interesting, he's turning on the charm with his own date playing Betty's game. Don is not the first one of us to have to relegate himself to this crap. But, it does in fact work.

And of course, in the end, Betty is in fact somewhat welcoming to him when he comes home. She at least smiles and that's a start.

Well played Mr. Draper. Betty wants to play games, Don will play games. We've all been there and done that.

However later now we have the contradiction. Don was just bad but now tries to be good with Dr. Faye. He had no interest in being good with the younger blonde date. He said yes to she who not matters yet acts like now Dr. Faye matters. Will she buy it? Is he real? Does he mean it?

He is in fact looking for a home this season since he has none after being tossed by Betty. He in fact has no home in losing Anna. Is he legit with Dr. Faye, or is he still just Don Draper?

The end was terrific. We have his usual history of affairs being with brunettes and home being with blondes. 3 blondes accept him tonight. The young date finally "accepts" him in the cab, Dr. Faye accepts him as a real date, and in the end when he comes home, (

Baby Gene has a different Daddy now with Henry. Don always had a different Daddy. Don comes home and picks up Gene, and not Sally.

(Interesting, given last week in a quick shot with Don at his desk vs Peggy you see his family pics of his kids; only Sally and Bobby though. And they're both blocked by that pic of Anna and Don in a frame however, ( [where Don is playing Roger's book tape] ).

Who was Don writing to?
Anna?
Is he actually writing to Betty the same way he wrote to Betty from the hotel room before?
His own self, a diary? Is it him coming home to his own self?

He sank deep, arms spread in the pool. He walked in the ocean, arms spread in Cali. His own self is an unknown.

Who is he writing to?

What really is home for Don? Is it really coming home to responsibility, or is beautifully simply a woman's lap to lay your head on?

Tonight episode- can't post to main thread

Here's my post for The Summer Man
http://bit.ly/9mZRVW
Thank god things are looking up

Closing Credit Song?

I always look forward to the closing credit song. This week it was silent ???

Here's a little music that I think fits :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Ug_-DBbhM

A Summer Man - The Sun and The Wind

Rock bottom was inevitable for Don to begin to make his comback. It would seem he's on his way and that the death of Anna punctuated his transformation. The lovely blonde Dr. has been forwshadowed as the woman who could truly be Don's match but of course he wasn't quite ready for her and she knew it. So my interpretation of Aesops fable of the wind and the sun is this:
Two beautiful blonde woman (the Dr. and Bethany) presented in the same frames with Don (dinner and a taxi cab) subtle linking them. The young Bethany is "The Wind" vying for Don's affections by "pushing him" scolding him for their infrequent dates , accusing him of seeing others, and finally blowing him in a taxi cab. The true hard sell , which reveals her desperation at landing a wealthy man. And teh Dr. - Teh sun who has been warming Dons heart for some time now. Patient and warm , he will go to her.

Roger's Wife Jane in Commercial?

The Korean Air commercial has several beautiful models in it. The first one strongly resembles Jane. The commercial airs several times a day on HLN (Headline News) which is next to CNN on my TV. What do y'all think? Is it her?

Don's Angst - back to Dick & Archie?

Don's self-loathing and drunkenness would be more interesting if we could get more insight into the psychological underpinnings. How about bringing Archie back and having him interact with adult Dick/Don? We just heard how Archie died, and Don retreated from thinking about Archie when he refused to take part in the focus group that began with a question about his dad. Let's get into a supernatural scene with Don and his dad, to get deeper into his psyche.

A Poem...

It was a Sunday afternoon,
And all through the house
Not a Maddict was stirring
Except our favorite louse!

With Nora on patrol
To keep out threads clean
She's zapping out the bugs,
With a delete button that's keen.

What's in store for tonight,
Only Weiner can really know
But you can be rest assured,
That we'll all be watching the show.

With Don & Peggy,
Roger, Joan & Bets-
The characters we all love
Even as bad as they get!

Cheating, drinking, smoking & sex-
We can't stop watching, this show's the Best!

What Exactly did Roger Sterling do at Sterling Coo?

Way back when Roger had his heart attack, and Cooper talked to Don about hiring his replacement as head of account services, but then Roger came back, what was his new position?

Draper-esque Parody on You Tube

Hey fellow Maddicts, check out the MM parody on you tube and also check out the related image on the casting call site and vote every day until the 17th. Thanks!!!

http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/HG7UBB

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvExqf6yjas

NORA PARADISO MODERATOR FOR MAD MEN TALK

Hi, fellow Maddicts! I've been asked to be West Coast Moderator for this weekend, September 12 and 13. I'm to start after the 10 pm West Coast showing. I would like to be of help now if needed though.
Please let me know of any alerts or problems you may be experiencing in the MM Talk Forum.
I'm willing to listen to all sides and hope that we can come to an understanding here so that we can enjoy talking about our wonderful show!! Mad Med!! The Best Dramatic Show on Television!!!

The Jet Setters

I asked this somewhere else but can't find the post anymore.
In the Jet Set episode Don ends up in a house in Palm Springs. A group of people are staying there. I don't really get what they were supposed to represent. Anyone?
And does anyone know more about the house? I would love to know more about it.

AMC: Please Moderate This Group Starting TODAY

It's probably in the small hours that the offensive and now filthy stuff is happening. I believe that moderation is already in place (i.e., a post I made on a controversial topic I feel strongly about appears when I read this board on my account, but the post does not appear on a friend's computer). However, language and aggression so bad as is apparent this morning, September 12, needs to be stopped, for the sake of all the well-intentioned people for whom it is a place of enjoyment, socializing, and relaxation. Thank you.

Dress Patterns (for Those Who Sew)

For several years, the major pattern manufacturers have made available select retro (and, I assume, extremely popular) patterns from as long ago as the 40's. Just a head's up for anyone who sews.

The ANTI-SPOILER!

Several of us contributed to a very, very silly thread the other evening where we made up fictional spoilers. I have woven many of them together here into a somewhat linear format if you'd like to have a look.

Warning: If you did not read or participate in the thread in question (It starts with Renro posting "Thank you, disgruntled employee"), this post will make no sense at all to you.

So here it is:
The ANTI-SPOILER
Based on the postings of:

Renro
Madison Avenue 432
Zerelda
Marmacat
and
Zina

With a possible sequel by Bluestreak

Matt Tribute relating to Sopranos

This is a bit of a personal tribute to the work of Matt on the Sopranos...

I am writing about a time and place which might be familiar to our hero scriptwriter, Matt Weiner.

In 1973, I landed in Montreal, PQ (la Province de Quebec), after participating in a foreign exchange program. It was cold and snowy. I ended up staying with a Quebecois amie in l'est de Montreal and I got a job in a mens suit factory in north Montreal where I ended up working side by side with the sons of the Montreal Calabrese mafia. It was a bizarre atmosphere. At first I didn't see much unusual besides the fact that my co-workers best friend, Frank, was extremely rude to the management class that ran the joint. As time passed on, I got more familiar with the Italians I worked with. I was a guy working on the bottom level of the factory cutting out custom undercollars for mens suits. I remember all the cardboard sets of patterns we used. He was a nice guy, not a smart ass like his friend. One day Paulo talks to Frankie and Frankie says he has a gun, he wants to show Paulo. Paulo says no, because the bitch supervisor will get upset. I am thinking like do I really know these punks?

Anyways, one afternoon after coffee, Frank comes up to me and demands that I "loan him five dollars. I am thinking that he must have seen that that is all the money I have in my wallet when I paid for my coffee. I needed the money for Metro tickets, so I say no to Frankie and he gets real upset. He tells me if I won't pay him I should show up out back later in the evening and I should bring my friends and some guns because that is how he will be meeting me. I am stupid, and I think Frankie is joking with me and this is what I tell him, but Frankie responds by calling to a nearby cutter, a forty year old Italian a couple tables over and says to him, Hey, Luigi, my dad is the head of the Mafia in Montreal, eh? But Luigi pretends he doesn't hear Frankie so I know Frankie is probably telling me the truth.

Anyways, I give Frankie the money. He wasn't really that bad a guy, as he was young and felt forced to do his "collection" by his dad. He told me his dad had shot him in the leg. That night I sprained my ankle by sliding down the up escalator at the Metro subway station. When I got back to work a week or two later I felt like every thought that Frankie had broken my ankle or something as I still had my cast on. I quit the job very soon af6ter. The last time I saw Frankie is I was standing on a platform at a metro station near Park Avenue, and he saw me from the other side. He seemed happy to se me but I didn't want to get caught up with him or his family.

Sorry Frankie. If you have ever seen "Goodfellas" you would know Frankie's uncle because he is the guy doing the great Italian cooking in the slammer. Frank was named after his uncle, who was a big shot in the Montreal mafia who published a cookbook after getting out from prison.

Bert Cooper dies in episode 10, "Hands and Knees"!!!

http://western-slope.livejournal.com/

This guy plays a gurney guy for the NYC coroner's office in episode 10. I persistently harrassed him for details about his role and asked if Cooper was the one he was wheeling out, and he finally gave in and confirmed that it was! Later in the episode, there's a funeral scene that involves several ad men mourners - one of them who posts on a forum also confirmed that it was Bert Cooper's funeral he was attending!

Missing Don and Betty

i must admit that i have been missing betty and don. there, i've said it.

i know that they weren't right for each other and MW has said there is no way they will reconcile, but i really liked seeing JH and JJ together. so i thought we could remember some of our favorite don and betty moments or maybe just some things we loved about them.

The running gag

Is the ham-thing in Mad Man a running gag?
For example when Glen Bishop is cozily watching telly with his gal Betty Draper he says out of the blue: I don't like ham.
When Bobby asks Don what his father likes to eat he says: ham.
Peggy comes up with the tagline: We like our hams!

I think Matthew Weiner has a man crush on Jon: was sich liebt, das neckt sich.

Polar Bear Ad

No wonder you did not have time for us this year:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/10/nissan-leaf-polar-bear-ad_n_712714.html?ref=fb&src=sp

What is your most and least favourable episode?

Glen's Lanyard

I know this is long past, but I just happened to get a closer look at Glen's lanyard and I realized it is just like the ones we made in scouts in the early 1960s. They were made by weaving these long flat colored plastic laces. It was sort of fun and I guess it was one of those "crafts" that was there and gone. Nice little detail. Brought back memories.

The Full Skirt vs. the Shift

I wonder when did the dresses with the full skirt (a la early 50s? early 60s) go out of style. Is it me or does the look seem a little dated?. I think that the men's look appears to be evolving what with the slimmer suits and skinny ties (the better to show off Don Draper's uh hamm?) I know my only reference is Audrey Hepburn movies and old photos from vogue but wasn't the look a more narrow dress? i.e. a shift dress? wasn't that the look that all the women wore at the time?. I know people don't normally get rid of their older clothes just sort of incorporate them into their wardrobes until they well fall apart right? Thoughts (IMHO I think it seems a little dated to me)

Something's missing...or I miss

Mad Men has done a great job so far chronicaling the 60's.

What do you miss seeing or would like to see more of?

Do we ever learn to know (or already know, but i missed it)....

To whom Don send the copy of 'Meditations in an Emergency' in the season II finale?

(feel free to add your own questions ;))

Characters Who Have Never Interacted (With Each Other)

Have Joan and Betty ever had a scene? I forget whether Joan or Peggy does damage control when Betty and the kids visit the office, and Don is meeting--Rachel? His kid brother?

Have Pete Campbell and Roger Sterling ever had a scene of any significance? They come from the same background but seem to be unaware each other exists. Almost decking Pete after the Honda fiasco doesn't count.

Don and Joan (as a new thread here discusses) aren't attracted to each other. Pete and, well, the entire corporation aren't attracted to each other. Joan and Pete Campbell originally were very compelling characters (love them or hate them), but both seem to be disintegrating in terms of the series' development.

Is it that Joan and Pete are TOO "early 60's?" (I don't think they are, and for as great as "The Suitcase" was, if Joan and Pete continue to languish, MM is really going to suffer for it.)

At The Beginning: How Were the Five Leads Envisioned?

I just got finished reading a nice essay (here) on the meanings of suitcases over the seasons, and the author refers to Pete Campbell as Don Draper's "then-nemesis" in the series' early years.

It got me to wondering if there are any online articles available from 2007 that described how Matt Weiner originally envisioned the five leads. I do not understand why Vincent Kartheiser has been a lead from the start--unless the relationship between his character and Don was originally meant to be much more complicated and developed than it has turned out.

Do You Know Anyone Who Dislikes "Mad Men?"

The first time I saw Christina Hendricks/Joan Holloway, I thought of a teacher from my old high school. This woman still smokes and drinks in her late 60's. I bumped into her recently while she was wearing a Lilly Pulitzer-style shift and a wide hairband.

I asked her if she watched "Mad Men," and she said that she had tried but just couldn't "get into it." I didn't tell her whom she reminded me of, but I haven't stopped pondering why certain people definitely age-appropriate and with all the traits of the MM generation *wouldn't* like it.

Where will this suitcase take him?

I turned 40 this year, and I received a new Brighton charm bracelet. I decided to use it to commemorate my 40th year and have been filling it with charms representing various themes of my life at 40, kind of a wearable time capsule. One charm I put on is a carousel. I consider it a representation of my devotion to Mad Men, giving a nod to "The Carousel," probably my favorite episode prior to this season. Now I'm thinking I need to see if there is a Brighton suitcase charm to add to it!

My goodness, does it get any better than "The Suitcase?" Mighty fine craftsmanship is what this latest episode was.

The title is not ambiguous, and yet it is rich and multi-layered. Let's start with the surface level first. Don and Peggy are creating a new ad for Samsonite luggage -- a suitcase -- and Don is using the opportunity to distract himself from his rock-bottom personal life. One of the things he wants to be distracted from is the reality of Anna Draper's impending death. He gets a message on the morning of May 25, 1965 (Peggy's birthday), to call Stephanie in California. He knows what Stephanie is going to say, so he doesn't call. He considers calling several times throughout the day and into the evening, but he doesn't call. He learns for certain Anna's gone when he awakens suddenly from a drunken slumber, head in Peggy's lap in his own office, and sees an apparition. Anna is standing in his office door, suitcase in hand, smiling knowingly at him, saying goodbye. He drifts back off, waking up again at daylight and placing the call. When Stephanie tells him Anna is gone, he says he knows. She says Anna's in a better place; he responds, unconvinced and unconvincingly, "That's what they say."

So, we've got the suitcase in the ad (the present object in the future ad), the suitcase in the hand of Anna's ghost headed to eternity (the past relationship with Anna, the present realization of her death, and the journey into her eternal future) and a haunting, lest-it-be-forgotten hearkening back to the past: Season Two's "The Jet Set."

Remember Betty had kicked Don out, so Don kicked Kinsey off the planned trip to L.A. and headed out there himself. He arrived in California without his suitcase, which the airline had lost. The suitcase showed up on the doorstep of Betty's house at the end of the episode. Meanwhile, Betty, who had recently returned with Don from visiting her ailing father, mentioned somewhere along the way, "I've been dreaming of suitcases." Hmmmm.....

Fast forward from Season Two to Season Three, which began with Don and Sal on a flight to London Fog's headquarters. Don had been back at home, reconciled with the pregnant Betty, behaving himself. Away on this business trip, which Sally had been afraid for him to take, he succumbed to the temptations offered by the lithe, blond stewardess, who called him by his brother-in-law's name because it was the name on his (you guessed it) suitcase. He didn't bother to correct her.

Now here we are at a heretofore dismal point in Season Four's depiction of the post-divorce Don Draper, and what shows up again? That's right -- the suitcase theme. So what do all these suitcases have in common? Timing. Timing is everything.

Each of these suitcase episodes marks a new fork in Don's road. In Season Two, he leaves New York and all that is in it -- his career, his family, his mistress (Rachel Menken), his nemesis at the time (Pete Campbell) -- for California, only his suitcase never makes it. He leaves, but it's temporary. We think he's made a break and a breakthrough -- after all he practically baptizes himself in the Pacific waters as he ponders what Anna has revealed to him in the tarot cards, which was something to the effect that the only thing holding him back was his sense of being alone in the world. He decides to go back, back to where his suitcase is, and we think maybe he's going back a new man with a new perspective, ready to have a real relationship with Betty. But no, Season Three opens, and it is clear that Betty at least has had no breakthrough, and the relationship still isn't real. Betty's still primarily concerned with appearances, wanting to make sure everything is "perfect when the baby comes." Don is back to playing Daddy, much like Carlton and Francine's son is doing when he plays house with Sally. Sally, afraid Daddy will leave again, breaks the lock on the suitcase, but she can't stop what's already in motion.

Inevitably then we see the suitcase again. This time, it's mislabeled, and it's got the attention of the perky and persistent stewardess. It marks the time Don fell off the fidelity wagon, so to speak, and winds up being privy to the stewardess' striptease. We had thought, hoped maybe, he would wind up in a better place with Betty, but instead he winds up scampering down a hotel fire escape. He goes back home and hooks up with Sally's teacher. Real intimacy with Betty is not to be.

Now in Season Four we see Don wrestling with the suitcase. On the surface level, he's wrestling with how to market the Samsonite. Not far from the surface, he is wrestling with reality, with increasingly evident signs of alcoholism, with loneliness, with abandonment, with the changing times, with fear and uncertainty. The heavyweight champion of the world, Sonny Liston, can't even maintain his position as The Mountain King -- how can he?

This time, "The Suitcase" marks another fork in the road for Don, or maybe several. He is confronted with his drinking issue; he's puking in the bathroom of the office in the early morning hours, then requesting another drink from the one person (Peggy) honest enough to ask him, "Really, Don?" He's confronted with the loss of the old guard; Liston's knocked out, and he himself is on the floor cyring "uncle." He's confronted head on with his loneliness; he confides to Peggy that he has lost the only person who really knew him, and then weeps openly in her embrace before later, more composed, pressed and starched, he caresses her hand, acknowledging that maybe some real intimacy has been achieved after all.

Where does he go from here? We'll see. I don't know what he's going to do, but I know he won't be able to stand indefinitely in the fork in the road. Will he go right, left, or retreat? I'm still hoping and betting on the path toward integration, but that doesn't mean it will be a straight and narrow path.

Ah, this episode was so rich! I haven't even touched on Peggy, but I'll post this for now and hope to get back to it prior to Sunday at 9 p.m. CST.

Don - RE: Who knocked up Peggy?

After last week's episode's scene in the bar, where Peggy is talking about her baby (in not so many words), do you think Don is now extra curious about who dunnit, what happened, and is he going to find out in some way?

I don't remember the exact lines, but he asks Peggy, "Do you ever think about it?" and Peggy says (I think), "I try not to, but everyday there are reminders". Reminders, meaning of the baby? Of the unnamed (to Don) father? Of conception-event? It left me with the impression that her answer could leave Don wondering about the circumstances around her pregnancy, something sinister even (even though it wasn't). If he thinks someone took advantage of Peggy, he may go on the hunt... What do you think?

Peggy Should Have Watched This Film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8rTzW9Gb6Y

A basket of kisses

Remember that episode when the office girls were testing the lipsticks? Check out this link - learn what your lipstick print says about you. Have fun!

http://glo.msn.com/relationships/what-your-lip-print-says-about-you-5353.gallery?bingQuery=1>1=49015

Movie titles you can think of with the word "summer" in them.

Another exercise for you. Post all the movies you can think of with the word 'summer" in them, in homage to this week's episode of "The Summer Man."

Moss: Acting? Or Hot For Hamm?

Take a good look at her in those scenes. Her pupils are as dilated as a kid in a candy store. Unless Weiner is putting belladonna in her eyes for those scenes this girl is sexually aroused. Females are very bad at hiding this sort of stuff. She's hot to trot for Hamm.

Songs with Summer in the title

In honor of "The Summer Man" how many songs can you think of with the word "summer" in the title? I've got some, but I'll let others post theirs instead. Go!

Jon Hamm: The Last Alpha Male

Are you tired of reading about Jon Hamm's personal life? Nah, me either. Great story and even better pics!

http://www.details.com/celebrities-entertainment/cover-stars/201010/mad-men-actor-alpha-male-jon-hamm

Clickable link below.

Jon Hamm on Jon Stewart Weds. 9-15

Set your DVRs!!!

Season 4 Episode 7 - Open Thread

Talk about Season 4, Episode 7, "The Suitcase."

Blankenship Club?

Friends, countrymen, Blankenteers, lend me your ears. It was a sad day for many of us when our beloved Ida said that thing about the dollar. Will we forgive her? I don't know yet. I'm a little sad about it. How are you guys holding up?

January Jones on Project Runway next Thursday

Saw a little preview and January will be one of the judges. Thursday, 9-13-2010

Season 4/Episode 9 Opening Scene Predictions

This is for those who do not see the preview b4 it airs...not everybody goes into every part of this site. Don't be a spoiler!
The very opening scene including characters & location.

What Preview is the person talking about who started a thread telling us someone dies because Betty and Henry are at a funeral home?

There is a thread here that tells us someone dies in the next episode because it features Betty and Henry at a funeral home. When I look at the previews for "The Summer Man" I find nothing about a funeral or Betty and Henry. Only Don and Blankenship at the offices of SCDP. Blankenship is relating her eye surgery and Don asks her to get the number for Bethany. Some posters on the other thread that claims Betty and Henry are at a funeral home have asked the original poster of that claim to tell us where she saw it. So far, we've heard nothing. Again, the only preview I am seeing is the aforementioned one with Don and Blankenship. Anyone?

Someone Dies in the Next Episode

The preview scene with Henry and Betty is at a funeral home. Could Henry's mother have passed on already. I was hoping for a huge confrontation between her and Betty.

Don and Joan

Why hasn't Don ever hit on Joan, she's beautiful, sexy, smart and he's a womanizer

Betty's education

I'm not from the US and when they mentioned Betty's education, i didn't know where they we're talking about. Does anyone know what college she went to and what kind of college it was?

S03E03 My Old Kentucky House-question

In this episode Roger gives a party at the country club. When they start dancing Betty says she can't because she is pregnant but that Don loves to dance. I could not help thinking: Don loves to dance? Really?
Then Pete and Trudy started dancing and they we're really good! I don't really know what i could make of it. Was it supposed to be corny that Pete was good in dancing? Would it be something his collegues could use to make fun of him? Because everything in this show seems to have a certain meaning, i can't just see it as a fun scene.

Season 4 Episode 7 - Favorite Quotes

Got a favorite line from Episode 7, "The Suitcase"? Post the exact quote below, including the character who said it, and it might end up on the character's profile page and the episode page on the Mad Men website.

The WOMEN

I'm sorry, the new season started in the UK last night, and the thing I've missed most: the women. They are all so stunningly beautiful. Maybe I'm in love with the decade of the Sixties or maybe I'm just crazy about Ms Hendrix. Anyone else think it's the best looking TV cast ever assembled?
Need proof?... http://www.shortlist.com/women/article/the-women-of-mad-men

The return of Sal?

I would LOVE it. The show has not been the same without him.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-Mad-Men-1022515.aspx

Pete and Myself as Bitter Wallflowers

Reflection on the dance scene in The Hobo Code

Ibsen Again

Getting some music ready for a Halloween party I came across In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg. That's the piece the Anna's student playing in the Season 2 episode The Mountain King. I noticed that is was labeled as being part of a work called The Peer Gynt Suite: incidental music to be played during performances of the Ibsen fantasy play. So there's another allusion to Ibsen. I think I should look into that more but not tonight...this morning...whatever.

Music from Christmas Party (S04E02)

I'm looking for the name of the song played around the 25 minute mark of S04E02. It's a traditional Christmas song that I know I have heard before, but I can't find a name or specifically place where else I've heard it.

Thanks in advance if anyone is able to help me out!

Roger's New Therapist: His Tape Recorder??

Maybe he should see Betty's/Sally's therapist since according to Lane, he's a child.

I Want Cheapo Knock-Off SCDP Furniture!

I didn't win the Design contest, surprise-surprise. Why can't I go to Tar-jay and buy a snow-white vinyl recliner, eh? Why can't I get one of Roger Sterling's Jetsons chairs in white vinyl? Please, God, someone start mass-producing white vinyl furniture for the Great Unwashed.

Who is the Summer Man?

Episode 8 is titled "The Summer Man". I'm asking for predictions on who the summer man or men may be?
I think it will be Don being a summer Dad by taking his kids on vacation. Also, it could be that Trudy has her baby and it's a boy. He's a little summer man. Thoughts?

Sports Guys Love Mad Men

Michael Wilbon said to Tony Kornheiser on "Pardon the Interruption" (a sports gossip show) tonight that this past Sunday's episode of "Man Men" was the best thing he has ever seen on television. Usually Kornheiser is the one to rave about the show.

RICH SOMMER AND "THE BOY".....ADORABLE PIC!

Here's a little tidbit from Rich's Twitter page....cute li'l punkin!

http://yfrog.com/1q7v4cj

Clickable link down in the comments:

Duck Phillips and the Lost Art of Over-Acting

I wish someone would direct an episode where every character over-acts the way Duck did in his scenes with "Peg." There isn't enough melodrama on Mad Men! (There really isn't.)

Toughness Is... What?

Remember the catch-phrase "Happiness Is... a warm puppy"? Or what have you?

Can you finish Don's sentence for him?

1960's - A Trip down Memory Lane

My mom sent this to me knowing what a huge fan I am of Mad Men and the 60's. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Make sure you have the sound on.......

http://objflicks.com/TakeMeBackToTheSixties.htm

Peggy and Don

Could it be so simple, that Peggy needs a father figure, and Don needs some mothering (which Betty lacks the skills for), so together they make a 'family'?