Mad Men, Season 7: Discussions, spoilers, reactions

[Corran Horn]

It was an eerie scene - but what I took was that really neither gives a shit that they're leaving their 'men'.

I think we are getting a little too far down the path in the season for Megan to be murdered in some horrible way.

 

[the G-man]

I don't think Peggy will ever be done with him. Ultimately the entire thrust of the series has been that Don and Peggy are the loves of each others lives [even if not] necessarily...in a sexual or romantic sense.

And with this weeks episode, ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution rests.

 

[ALF]

I think Don and Peggy may both end up a platonic couple, possibly starting a new agency.

 

[Lord Garth]

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.

Harry's a wild card. He gave valuable intel to Don.

Jim believes he has Joan, Bert, Ted, and Harry on his side. That leaves Roger, Don, and Pete (who's pro-Don) as who he sees to be his adversaries.

Harry being made Partner is going to push Joan out of the Jim Camp. Ted doesn't like to see the company divided, because in S6 he tried to get Jim to embrace SC&P as one company. So all Jim will have on his side are Harry and Bert who, when you think about it, are both wild cards.

 

[the G-man]

I was also thinking that Ted may not be in Jim's camp. Ted and Don have had their differences but Ted respects talent and Don is the one who gave him the chance to move to LA to be with his (Ted's) wife. There's also a certain loyalty from Ted towards Peggy.

 

[Jonas Grumby]

If it eventually breaks down into a battle for control of the agency, I'd expect the teams to line up like this:

Don Draper's team. Roger Sterling, Peggy Olsen, Pete Campbell and Stan Rizzo. (And, cheering from the bleachers, Freddy Rumsen.)

Jim Cutler's team. Lou Avery and... Actually, that's about it...except maybe for Bert Cooper and Joan Harris, both of whom will side with Cutler as long as he's winning and not a moment longer.

Wild Cards. Harry Crane and Ted Chaough. Cutler seems to have been fairly good for Harry recently, but he (Harry) still apparently feels some loyalty to Don. I've no idea what Ted will do.

Did I miss anybody?

 

[gblews]

Why was Joan so against Harry being a partner?

 

[Snaploud]

Why was Joan so against Harry being a partner?

I can think of four reasons:

1) Harry is portrayed as being irritating and somewhat dense.

2) Joan didn't have the easiest time becoming a partner. It's easy to see her resenting somebody being handed a partnership.

3) There was a plotline back in season two involving Harry and Joan: Harry had an opening in the tv department. Joan read all the scripts and gave a great sales pitch. Unfortunately, Harry decided to hire somebody else (never even considering Joan as an option). Joan probably never got over that experience.

4) Harry once complained that Joan slept her way into a partners' meeting.

 

[the G-man]

Yep

 

[Lord Garth]

Lou
Water-Lou
Jim Cutler's Lou-Tenant

Posted by myself on April 27th:

Lou torpedoing himself is too easy and isn't as likely as Don. Don only has Roger on his side

It's starting to look like I might've guessed wrong. Not that I'd complain.

 

[ALF]

Why was Joan so against Harry being a partner?

I can think of four reasons:

1) Harry is portrayed as being irritating and somewhat dense.

2) Joan didn't have the easiest time becoming a partner. It's easy to see her resenting somebody being handed a partnership.

3) There was a plotline back in season two involving Harry and Joan: Harry had an opening in the tv department. Joan read all the scripts and gave a great sales pitch. Unfortunately, Harry decided to hire somebody else (never even considering Joan as an option). Joan probably never got over that experience.

4) Harry once complained that Joan slept her way into a partners' meeting.

I've got another for your list:
5) Harry is condescending, mean spirited or revoltingly entitled toward Joan in nearly every scene they've shared together since the beginning.
Harry is kind of a sloppy pig.

Have we discussed that silly comic strip Lou was working on two episodes ago?
I can't recall which storyline it was moving forward with. Sort of something that happened, although the scene with Stan making a mockery of it was pretty hilarious. The look reminded me of Beetle Bailey.

 

[the G-man]

5) Harry is condescending, mean spirited or revoltingly entitled toward Joan in nearly every scene they've shared together since the beginning.

Yep. I was including that in "1", but your description of how he treats her is much more apt.

 

[Warped9]

A question occurs to me. Since they've divided this season in two I hope that doesn't mean they'll sell the final season in two separate season sets.

 

[Lord Garth]

I bet they'll have a Part 1, a Part 2, and a Full Season set.

I stopped caring about the DVD sets when Season 6 didn't have commentary tracks. It was the season of all seasons that should've had them.

 

[Warped9]

I will miss this series when it's finally over. Yeah, at it's most basic it's a kind of soap opera, but something about its style really clicks for me.

 

[Shurik]

A question occurs to me. Since they've divided this season in two I hope that doesn't mean they'll sell the final season in two separate season sets.

With Breaking Bad, they called the first part set "The Fifth Season" and the second part set "The Final Season". Both were sold at full price, IIRC. I bet it will be the same with Mad Men.

 

[Warped9]

^^ That strikes me as slimy.

 

[dansigal]

^^ That strikes me as slimy.

Yeah, it's ridiculous, but it's become an industry standard by now. Battlestar was doing it 7-8 years ago and a dozen other shows have followed suit

 

[Data Holmes]

Back in the first season I thought that Peggy and Pete represented Don's "work children". The "this is the family table" line with the three of them sitting there made me think that again. If the partners push out Don, I could see him taking Peggy, Pete, and Stan with him to start his own perhaps stealing Buick as their first client.

 

[ALF]

5) Harry is condescending, mean spirited or revoltingly entitled toward Joan in nearly every scene they've shared together since the beginning.

Yep. I was including that in "1", but your description of how he treats her is much more apt.

I've been rewatching some past episodes, looking for instances when Joan was unfavorably treated by her male co workers. I lost track. If it were a drinking game, I'm afraid I'd be dead!
Although in the one where he nails Paul's hippie concubine (Mother Lishka?) I was thinking he certainly has some misogynistic traits for sure.

Back in the first season I thought that Peggy and Pete represented Don's "work children". The "this is the family table" line with the three of them sitting there made me think that again. If the partners push out Don, I could see him taking Peggy, Pete, and Stan with him to start his own perhaps stealing Buick as their first client.

I'm not so sure about Stan joining Don's side though. Stan just wants to punch the clock, he's not necessarily in it for the satisfaction of the work. Only Don and Peggy are. And I think it'll be the Burger Shot (isn't that from GTA?) account that will be their first client.

The finale is set to air in my neck of the woods in about 3 hours. Anyone have any predictions for tonight? I'm hoping for another major shake up to give us something to think about until... yikes, next summer! I'm hoping to see the end of cigarette advertising with the firm getting busted up.

Sadly, I think Roger may leave Don Draper for nicotine. He loves the money.

And something crazy has got to happen with Betty... her storyline (making her kids miserable and her husband angry) hasn't been very interesting.

What would become of Dawn? The office assistants should get a spin off web series for all the waiting we are in for.

The computer? I'd love to see some more of how that is affecting the business. So far all it's done is reduce the art department by one member.

The promo for S07E07, Waterloo, is "It's all up in the air." I wonder if the plane actually disappears instead of crashing or being hijacked? I'm hoping it's neither but it is interesting that they would use that specific choice of words to promote the midseason finale.