Mad Men, Season 7: Discussions, spoilers, reactions
- Thread starter the G-man
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I think it's a bit broader. Cigarettes, alcoholism, infidelity, child neglect, mental breakdown leading to self-abuse...Self-destruction has always been a strong theme of this show (one character's suicide, for instance), and it's just gotten stronger since they hit the end of the 60s.
Sure, those things have always been around in the show, but this season there's been a lot of forshadowing that something is going to happen regarding cigarettes and fire. In the first episode Megan tells Don not to smoke on the balcony because of how easy the fires start. In the second episode Pete's real estate gf tells the story about how the house she was about to sell went up in flames when someone tossed a cigarette on the lawn. In the third episode Betty wasn't allowed in the barn full of flammable hay while smoking a cigarette. Not so much in the 4th episode. But then last night the whole thing with them using cigarette account to oust Don...
Cigarettes and Manson imagery. Either there's a payoff to both or Weiner's dropped the ball.
Other observations:
Other observations:
- Meredith reminds me of Lucy from Twin Peaks.
I snorted along with the group when lou asked who had a ridiculous dream and he replied you.
The reason Betty is evil isn't because of how she responds to her husband. It's how she treats her children.
Sorry about Ginsberg. I feel a little like they wasted the character. Although I suppose with the show winding down they can't give everybody a proper ending.
Funny how Hamm recently said that doing softcore porn was dehumanizing. Given the pseudo-Cinemax three-way.
The last scene made it all worthwhile
I was loving the Ginsburg plot right before before he cut his nipple off, then I realized it was his swan song. I thought that he served up some much needed levity on this show.
There's too much happening off screen vis a vis Don and Megan making it difficult to connect the dots. I guess every time Megan "breaks up" with Don, we'll have to ignore it.
No Roger, Joan or Cooper this time around, interesting. It was refreshing (?) to see Henry blow up at Betty showing his patience does have boundaries. I can't believe how subtle but effectively they are allowing Don's kids to grow up. I figured if you weren't Sally, you were being written off the show, so to speak but the scene between her and her brother was very touching. Sally shows remarkable strength and clarity of thought. Incredible at how she manipulates Betty with ease!
There's too much happening off screen vis a vis Don and Megan making it difficult to connect the dots. I guess every time Megan "breaks up" with Don, we'll have to ignore it.
No Roger, Joan or Cooper this time around, interesting. It was refreshing (?) to see Henry blow up at Betty showing his patience does have boundaries. I can't believe how subtle but effectively they are allowing Don's kids to grow up. I figured if you weren't Sally, you were being written off the show, so to speak but the scene between her and her brother was very touching. Sally shows remarkable strength and clarity of thought. Incredible at how she manipulates Betty with ease!
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In her own way, Megan is as much a deva as Betty was/is. Her and Don's reuniting after the "it's over" speech to me was further indication of just how much the two of them are into one another.
This. As they wheeled Ginsburg out of the office, I was remineded of a scene from that old X-Files episode where Mulder ends up in a mental ward strapped to a bed. Scully walks in and Mulder says something like, "you had to have seen this coming". They could have taken Ginsburg in a couple of directions given the character's wackiness; he could have remained the quirky, funny, outsider, or he could have taken a darker turn. Ginsburg went down that dark road.
Megan's thresome seemed a natural progression with her getting further and further into the prevailing counter culture lifestyle of 1969 Hollywood. I think our first glimpse of it was when she asked Don to listen to Tomorrow Never Knows. When she pur her hand on Don's crotch, I thought "wow, MM is getting out there in these last episodes.
Megan is moving faster and more deeply into the lifestyle that led to the demise of so many celebrties and wanna be's. She seems to be getting closer and closer to the fire.
Yeah, that was a very direct reference. Possibly the most direct 2001 reference of the past two episodes. And the past two episodes contained a lot of 2001 references.
This show paralleling real life events, I much doubt that Megan will be murdered Manson style. How can they realistically play that out with the Manson trial happening that summer? It's too macabre. The "fire" is obvious. The firm's going to go under.
How much of their revenue is cigarette advertising? The law banning TV and radio ads for cigarettes was signed into law in 1970. And isn't the project they're working on for Chevy a Vega? Vega ended up being a massive money loser for its parent company. SC&P is doomed. It's only a matter of time. No literal inferno but down in flames, yes.
How much of their revenue is cigarette advertising? The law banning TV and radio ads for cigarettes was signed into law in 1970. And isn't the project they're working on for Chevy a Vega? Vega ended up being a massive money loser for its parent company. SC&P is doomed. It's only a matter of time. No literal inferno but down in flames, yes.
Huh? They're still in early 1969, the Tate etc. murders haven't happened yet. Though I don't see Megan going out that way, either.
Vega was a successful car to begin with. Losses to GM came not form poor sales from recall and warranty work down the road because of quality problems. But that wouldn't come back on the ad firm for work it had done four or five years earlier.
Yeah, the scene with Don and Peggy was great. Don's fears were interesting; fear of not having accomplished nothing and not having anyone. But the bigger deal was that he actually admited them to Peggy.
Does anyone ever not want to punch Pete after any episode in which he appears? What could Bonnie see in him?
We finally get an answer to the great Bob Benson debate; he IS gay. I think I fell on the "he straight but weird', side. Nice to see that Joan has not lost a shred of hard earned self respect and dignity.
Well, next week should be the set up for the series finale. Really hate to see the show go.
Does anyone ever not want to punch Pete after any episode in which he appears? What could Bonnie see in him?
We finally get an answer to the great Bob Benson debate; he IS gay. I think I fell on the "he straight but weird', side. Nice to see that Joan has not lost a shred of hard earned self respect and dignity.
Well, next week should be the set up for the series finale. Really hate to see the show go.
I just realized how confusing that was. I meant to say, next week's season finale would be a set up for the next and final season heading into the series finale.
^^ So, yes, setup for the midseason finale then.
Family was a central theme here, it came off really strong. Peggy and Don now have much in common. They both care for the work but are you can see where this is going.. dumbass Lou is going to hate their new pitch about having the family dinner at the burger place.
I thought Bob Benson, like Gingberg before him had sang his swan song as his role as confidant to Joan is now complete by warning the firm about losing Chevy. However, interesting sub plot as he and one of the executives (Mr. Goulia from The Wedding Singer!) appear to be in some sort of "homosexuals rehab" for lack of a better term. Good on Joan for calling foul on that play (marriage of convenience).
There were some critical developments that show danger for SC&P. If they drop everything and form another partnership without Don to go after the cigarette account and put all their eggs in one basket so to speak, that spells doom for the firm in the next year. As another in this thread indicated, cigarette advertising became illegal in 1970 so having the main client be another Lucky Strike will cave in and bankrupt the firm. I kind of hope that the firm fails, Don is happiest at the beginning of things and would relish starting his own ad agency, I believe. With Peggy. Could this be the premise of the final half season? The show started with cigarettes, maybe it'll die with it, too. And maybe all of that will happen next year in the final half season.
Harry Crane won't side with Don, and I believe Joan, Bert and even Roger will cut him loose as they see the cigarette account as more valuable. But little do they know it will end up a dud! I just wonder if Ted will end up siding with Peggy/Don or what is going on with Peggy/Ted if anything. Those two really should meet up next week. And Betty should make it clear why we her story is still relevant to this series. I never thought her kids' storylines would be more interesting than hers.
I found something sinister in that last short scene showing Pete's squeeze as well as Megan on the plane. Is there something there foreshadowing disaster or am I reading too much into it? The tagline for the midseason finale "it's all up in the air" suggests to me an air disaster. I'm not on the bandwagon who thinks the Megan character is being set up for an execution but... it was on my mind as the show ended last night. It would be especially eerie for Pete as his father was killed in a plane crash, too.
I've been loving how this half final season turned out. Great stories, good pacing and always something different... Don as a subordinate is very fascinating stuff! And that last scene pullback inside the completely furnished restaurant (in and out) was magnificent. In a way, Pete, Don and Peggy have no family but maybe that last shot was supposed to underline that they are a family.
Family was a central theme here, it came off really strong. Peggy and Don now have much in common. They both care for the work but are you can see where this is going.. dumbass Lou is going to hate their new pitch about having the family dinner at the burger place.
I thought Bob Benson, like Gingberg before him had sang his swan song as his role as confidant to Joan is now complete by warning the firm about losing Chevy. However, interesting sub plot as he and one of the executives (Mr. Goulia from The Wedding Singer!) appear to be in some sort of "homosexuals rehab" for lack of a better term. Good on Joan for calling foul on that play (marriage of convenience).
There were some critical developments that show danger for SC&P. If they drop everything and form another partnership without Don to go after the cigarette account and put all their eggs in one basket so to speak, that spells doom for the firm in the next year. As another in this thread indicated, cigarette advertising became illegal in 1970 so having the main client be another Lucky Strike will cave in and bankrupt the firm. I kind of hope that the firm fails, Don is happiest at the beginning of things and would relish starting his own ad agency, I believe. With Peggy. Could this be the premise of the final half season? The show started with cigarettes, maybe it'll die with it, too. And maybe all of that will happen next year in the final half season.
Harry Crane won't side with Don, and I believe Joan, Bert and even Roger will cut him loose as they see the cigarette account as more valuable. But little do they know it will end up a dud! I just wonder if Ted will end up siding with Peggy/Don or what is going on with Peggy/Ted if anything. Those two really should meet up next week. And Betty should make it clear why we her story is still relevant to this series. I never thought her kids' storylines would be more interesting than hers.
I found something sinister in that last short scene showing Pete's squeeze as well as Megan on the plane. Is there something there foreshadowing disaster or am I reading too much into it? The tagline for the midseason finale "it's all up in the air" suggests to me an air disaster. I'm not on the bandwagon who thinks the Megan character is being set up for an execution but... it was on my mind as the show ended last night. It would be especially eerie for Pete as his father was killed in a plane crash, too.
I've been loving how this half final season turned out. Great stories, good pacing and always something different... Don as a subordinate is very fascinating stuff! And that last scene pullback inside the completely furnished restaurant (in and out) was magnificent. In a way, Pete, Don and Peggy have no family but maybe that last shot was supposed to underline that they are a family.
That felt like a calm before the storm episode. Trouble is brewing, old tensions are put aside, and Don, Peggy, Pete, (forming a "family unit" at the end) and Roger are in it together. As slimy as Pete is, his business instincts are pretty sharp and he knows to get behind Don.
I'm hoping there will be some good Don & Roger scenes coming up, I really get a kick out of those two onscreen together.
No, you're not, she reminded me of Lucy too.
I didn't find it foreboding that way, but certainly it could be seen as implying Megan might not make the final cut in Don's life.
I'm hoping there will be some good Don & Roger scenes coming up, I really get a kick out of those two onscreen together.
No, you're not, she reminded me of Lucy too.
I didn't find it foreboding that way, but certainly it could be seen as implying Megan might not make the final cut in Don's life.
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