Mad Men, Season 7: Discussions, spoilers, reactions
- Thread starter the G-man
- Start date
Nice to see the Don and Sally moments. I enjoyed that.
The stuff with Pete, Ted and Peggy made me laugh. Some good comic relief there.
The scenes between Don and Sally were very touching. Don's kids have always been a redemptive force in his life even when he doesn't accept that redemption.
Good for Joan. I'm glad somebody finally realized her importance to the office.
The scenes between Don and Sally were very touching. Don's kids have always been a redemptive force in his life even when he doesn't accept that redemption.
Good for Joan. I'm glad somebody finally realized her importance to the office.
Peggy, Peggy, Peggy. Girlfriend, I know you're unhappy but you let it beat you and made a fool of yourself. Don't be Don. Don't take it out on your secretary and let your insecurities beat you, woman. I like Peggy, but I wanted to smack her. Is Ted worth all this? I can see why working for Lou pisses her off, but Ted isn't worth the time to get upset over. Still a sign of the times. A woman turning 30 who isn't married devalues herself while a man doesn't. Get with it, Peggy. You don't even really want to be married. You'd get bored, fast.
Crap, she is getting to be just like Don.
Crap, she is getting to be just like Don.
^ Yep, Peggy's feeling left behind, I think. Romantically (not to mention geographically) by Ted. And professionally by just about everyone. Even by Joan. Even, from Peggy's POV, by Freddie Rumsen, for cryin' out loud! 
Still, the fact that she's taking out her frustrations on anyone and everyone who comes within twenty feet of her goes a long way toward canceling out any sympathy I might have for her. I'm not liking Peggy very much so far this season.
Still, the fact that she's taking out her frustrations on anyone and everyone who comes within twenty feet of her goes a long way toward canceling out any sympathy I might have for her. I'm not liking Peggy very much so far this season.
I think it was a mistake to not air these first two back to back. I was confused a bit by the premiere and kind of meh about Mad Men in general. In other words after that long wait, I wasn't particularly stoked on next week's show until it was Sunday night.
For example: Peggy has had an unbelievably shitty time being dragged back to SCP against her better judgement (it took a lot for her to quit working for Don and now she's there working for Lou, who is a real asshole) and her constant string of loneliness and bad luck. Keeping the season premiere in mind you feel a lot more sympathy for Peggy, who was an emotional wreck this week. So hilarious that her messages to Ted soared over his head! Maybe all the airplane glue?
The storyline with all the office assistants was brilliant. I was reminded of TNG's Lower Decks and how fascinating it can be in a long running, ensemble show to focus on the secondary characters can really enrich the experience.
Great to see Joan (and Dawn) get much deserved promotions. The conversation between Dawn and Shirley in the kitchenette was the highlight of the episode for me... as others mentioned, probably a reference to the rest of the staff confusing them, both petite black women with short hair. Such fantastic time travel TV. Now I'm counting down the days till the next one, as it should be.
Too bad to find out Bert Cooper is a bit more racist than we thought, but then again he's really from a different time, out aging everyone else in the office.
That's two Joan classics in a row. I adore the Joan-focused episodes. I watched "Christmas Waltz" again because of the scene where she throws the airplane at the front desk ditz, Meridith. "Here's a surprise! There's an airplane here to see you!"
"It's not my problem!" - Lou Avery. He's not wrong, but what a arrogant jerk. You know it's bad when you know Don is a saint by comparison! Don knows how to treat his competent workers well.
For example: Peggy has had an unbelievably shitty time being dragged back to SCP against her better judgement (it took a lot for her to quit working for Don and now she's there working for Lou, who is a real asshole) and her constant string of loneliness and bad luck. Keeping the season premiere in mind you feel a lot more sympathy for Peggy, who was an emotional wreck this week. So hilarious that her messages to Ted soared over his head! Maybe all the airplane glue?
The storyline with all the office assistants was brilliant. I was reminded of TNG's Lower Decks and how fascinating it can be in a long running, ensemble show to focus on the secondary characters can really enrich the experience.
Great to see Joan (and Dawn) get much deserved promotions. The conversation between Dawn and Shirley in the kitchenette was the highlight of the episode for me... as others mentioned, probably a reference to the rest of the staff confusing them, both petite black women with short hair. Such fantastic time travel TV. Now I'm counting down the days till the next one, as it should be.
Too bad to find out Bert Cooper is a bit more racist than we thought, but then again he's really from a different time, out aging everyone else in the office.
That's two Joan classics in a row. I adore the Joan-focused episodes. I watched "Christmas Waltz" again because of the scene where she throws the airplane at the front desk ditz, Meridith. "Here's a surprise! There's an airplane here to see you!"
"It's not my problem!" - Lou Avery. He's not wrong, but what a arrogant jerk. You know it's bad when you know Don is a saint by comparison! Don knows how to treat his competent workers well.
I'm calling it right now: The only way Don Draper will survive 1969 is if 7B does any skipping and crosses over into 1970. Either way, he's not surviving the series.
He has Lane's office, he'll slip eventually, and he'll die of thirst.
Lou torpedoing himself is too easy and isn't as likely as Don. Don only has Roger on his side and the only reason he's back is so SC&P doesn't have to buy out his Parternship.
Lou torpedoing himself is too easy and isn't as likely as Don. Don only has Roger on his side and the only reason he's back is so SC&P doesn't have to buy out his Parternship.
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I found last night's ending thrilling!!
Very much an OMG moment for me, anyway. I thought for sure they were going to send Don packing. Great to see Roger throwing his weight around and whining like the good old days. I love it when Roger gets his way!
Exchange of the night:
"I can't say that we missed you." Peggy, to Don.
"Thanks, Peggy."
Very much an OMG moment for me, anyway. I thought for sure they were going to send Don packing. Great to see Roger throwing his weight around and whining like the good old days. I love it when Roger gets his way!
Exchange of the night:
"I can't say that we missed you." Peggy, to Don.
"Thanks, Peggy."
I hope they're setting up the scenario I suspect they are. It would be nice to see Don and Roger doing something besides just moping around and deteriorating this season. A good, rousing struggle for control of the agency would be just fine by me. I've always enjoyed the "office intrigue" much more than the more personal, "relationship" storylines (especially since the only kind of women Don seems attracted to are mentally-adolescent drama queens).
^^ You mean that Don and Roger would form their own agency? Or simply that they would bond together against the rest of the office?
I think Joan is done with Don. Peggy obviously is, and Lou's skin crawls around him. Don better lighten up on Dawn or he'll alienate his one key player left in that office. I don't think any of the creative team are particularly loyal to him. Oh man, only four left!!
I think Joan is done with Don. Peggy obviously is, and Lou's skin crawls around him. Don better lighten up on Dawn or he'll alienate his one key player left in that office. I don't think any of the creative team are particularly loyal to him. Oh man, only four left!!
Either one would work for me, but the second one would be a lot more fun.
Despite all the partners' bluster and laying-down-the-law in that meeting, Don knows the very last thing they want to do is fire him and see him go to another agency.
I haven't liked Peggy at all so far this season, but I think the showrunners are too fond of the character to let her end up as just a frustrated bitch. I expect she and Don will be allies again--however strained--before it's all over.
Lou is a lightweight--even though it will probably still be fun watching Don slice him up. I'm actually more hoping to see Roger turning the tables on Cutler. Roger does delight so entertainingly in his revenges.
Roger argued logically and powerfully for Don to the point that he made Cutler's position sound trivial. I was shocked, especially from what we've seen of Rog so far this season and much of last season.
But when he called for a vote, I was wondering who would side with him, Bert maybe...
Absolutely agree. Don and Roger together against Cutler, Ted, and surely, Lou, sounds great to me.
My question is; how is Lou going to function when one of the voting partners is his "subordinate'. I would consider resigning under those circumstances. Don is technically Lou's boss.Lou is a lightweight--even though it will probably still be fun watching Don slice him up. I'm actually more hoping to see Roger turning the tables on Cutler. Roger does delight so entertainingly in his revenges.
This also puts Peggy in the position of possibly ending up working for Don again. How's that going to work?
John Hamm played the final scene perfectly. His face seemed to me to indicate that he was contemplating tearing up the offer, but suddenly and with startling nonchalance, says simply, "Okay". Totally shocked me. Obviously someone has an agenda here.
Interesting prediction; I'm not persuaded things will go that way, myself.
It was something to see Don humbled, nervous, and in basically subordinate positions through most of the ep. The older generation (except for the detached Cooper) are starting to feel their age, and maybe a little desparate. Roger and Don want to try to put the band back together and recapture their old magic, while Jim Cutler wants to get ahead of them all by embracing the computer.
I can't hold much against Peggy right now because she's so unhappy. Even Don coming back made her mad, because he's a reminder that she did her best work under him and she hasn't been able to recapture that without him.
Megan stood up for herself in a mature way, but I felt bad for her because underneath she seemed like a tender-hearted kid who just wanted her husband to love her.
I didn't know quite what to make of the thing at the end between the partners and Don. The consensus seemed to be to get rid of Don but not have to buy him out. Then they loaded up the deal with conditions they don't think he can live up to, that can take away his partnership at no cost to them. I guess they figured he was desperate enough to agree to any deal, but that's a fairly big gamble: If he didn't take it their firm will still be somewhat directionless and they're still paying Don to look for a job with the competition if they can't afford to buy him out. The arrangement with Lou seems like it will be unworkable, but why are they so attached to him? Surely they can see he's mediocre at best, and buying out his contract must be cheaper than Don's.
Why don't Betty's kids love her? Hmm. She wouldn't drop making her son feel bad all day and into the evening, for trading away her sandwich to a poor girl who didn't have one.
So how much of Don's "Okay" was confidence, and how much desperation? I'll say about 60-40 confidence. But much lower than the "old" Don would have had.
I get a strong feeling that Don witnessed, in all that time that he waited, how bad things were getting at SC&P and the only reason he didn't take that offer and wipe his ass with it is because he wants to view the train wreck first hand. He wants things to get so bad that they'll be begging him to return to his old position.
His replacement, Lou, is an ass. I didn't care for the way he treated Sally when she stopped by to see Don. I've heard other people say that they hired him to replace Don because he was safe. I can definitely see that. We haven't gotten to know him very well yet, but he doesn't seem to have the gift that Don has creatively.
Peggy used to be one of my favorite characters, but so far this season she's been dropping several points. The way she handled the Valentine's Day fiasco last week was pretty bad. And I think she has a right to be mad at Don, but for her to bluntly tell him that nobody missed him was going too far.
I enjoyed seeing Francine again. I was just thinking this past week about characters that we saw frequently in the early seasons, but sort of dropped off the face of the Earth since then. Betty is so old fashioned. You could tell she was looking down on Francine for having a job. And then later when she claimed her day was ruined because Bobby gave away her sandwich to a girl who didn't have one was just being petty.
His replacement, Lou, is an ass. I didn't care for the way he treated Sally when she stopped by to see Don. I've heard other people say that they hired him to replace Don because he was safe. I can definitely see that. We haven't gotten to know him very well yet, but he doesn't seem to have the gift that Don has creatively.
Peggy used to be one of my favorite characters, but so far this season she's been dropping several points. The way she handled the Valentine's Day fiasco last week was pretty bad. And I think she has a right to be mad at Don, but for her to bluntly tell him that nobody missed him was going too far.
I enjoyed seeing Francine again. I was just thinking this past week about characters that we saw frequently in the early seasons, but sort of dropped off the face of the Earth since then. Betty is so old fashioned. You could tell she was looking down on Francine for having a job. And then later when she claimed her day was ruined because Bobby gave away her sandwich to a girl who didn't have one was just being petty.
Didn't they hire Lou through Duck Phillips?
Good point about Don wanting to enjoy the train wreck first. I'll bet he starts to pull out some of his best work again now that he kind of has to re-invent himself again. He lives for that shit.
If this is really the last of Megan is Don going to find a new flame or is there a reason that Betty's storyline continues well past its due date?
Good point about Don wanting to enjoy the train wreck first. I'll bet he starts to pull out some of his best work again now that he kind of has to re-invent himself again. He lives for that shit.
If this is really the last of Megan is Don going to find a new flame or is there a reason that Betty's storyline continues well past its due date?
^ Despite trying to convince himself otherwise, I think Don has essentially been finished with Megan ever since he realized she wasn't going to be his permanent advertising protege. Could they really be winding down the Megan character? Probably not, although I really wouldn't mind if they did. Her Hollywood ingenue storyline really doesn't interest me at all.
Betty continues to be a child in a woman's body, yearning for the storybook life of a loving, big-shot husband, loving children and a big house in the suburbs. I wonder if they're planing on actually doing anything with her character before the end. I'm not sure just watching Henry finally getting fed up with her would really be worth the limited remaining airtime it would cost.
Betty continues to be a child in a woman's body, yearning for the storybook life of a loving, big-shot husband, loving children and a big house in the suburbs. I wonder if they're planing on actually doing anything with her character before the end. I'm not sure just watching Henry finally getting fed up with her would really be worth the limited remaining airtime it would cost.
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