Mad Men

[Temis the Vorta]

Has everyone given up watching out of utter boredom? Hey something happened this week!

I liked Don talking with the prison guard and Pete talking with the elevator guy - so dya think that was the first time in Pete's life he ever had a conversation with a black person that was focused on trying to find out something about them as a person? Even if it's just what brand of TV they prefer.

What this show is missing, other than having some sort of apparent point to it, is the scenes with Don and Peggy. Really loses something when they go several episodes without interacting.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Don and Peggy? That's what interests you about Mad Men? I think watching Milo has dulled your senses there, Temis.

 

[darthraidr]

i'd like to see the show focus more on them trying to advertise and get clients... but i also thought Six Feet Under should have dealt more with the business end of things (like season 1 did). I don't care for most of the people's private lives, as they aren't that interesting, or they spend so little time covering it that it's hard to really care (too many characters to focus on)... of course they could also just have a lot more Joan...

this last episode had a music track that really bothered me. during Betty's dream segments they played a tune that sounded like "Married Life" from Up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaLegF2hAxI i couldn't get past thinking of Up during those segments...

 

[Dick Whitman]

ummm given the general level of discussion on this forum it does not surprise me that this show is not "exciting" enough for many members.

The majority of current tv dramas, whether genre shows or not, are basically prime time soap operas. Not really that different than the likes of stuff like Dallas and Dynasty from 20 years ago. Regardless of the pretension of the creators and fans of this current style of tv drama.

Mad Men which plays by its own rules and is about true character drama and not about contrived plotlines, If you want the later there are plenty of alternatives for you.

 

[Sakrysta]

You know, I really wanted to like Mad Men, but in the end I just couldn't get into it. I'm glad so many people enjoy it, though.

Did I see correctly that Christina Hendricks had to play the accordion recently? How very droll!

 

[Dorian Thompson]

What I liked was that when Betty was wearily walking down the hall to Eugene's nursery, the pattern of light on her nightgown looked like prison bars. She's so trapped. She didn't want another baby with Don, and she wasn't raised in a way where she could handle being a single mother with 3 kids. She's from a different environment and era. She thinks of herself as a lazy housecat. It's sad. You see where her depression and anger stems from. It's not that she doesn't love her kids. It's that she doesn't love Don. Oh, when she finds out that they aren't even legally married the shit is going to FLY.

Ummm....I was just kidding about Milo, Temis. You know I love to tease about Milo V. And Don pisses me off. He may have promoted Peggy, but he sure won't rock the boat enough to go to bat for her. I can forgive Pete, but I just can't seem to cut Don any slack. I try, but I can't bring myself to do it. I endlessly analyze why Don's character ticks me off so much.

 

[Deckerd]

Wait. This is a show that Temis likes?

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Temis likes it. Yes. It's a great show if you don't have ADD.

 

[Bad Bishop]

I'm still watching it. I like the program, but its languid pacing is not really a virtue.

As usual, every scene begs to be analyzed. What was the point of Don's scenes with the other man at the hospital? Were they written to remind us that Don is a very guarded man who is uncomfortable with strangers? Who knew?

Betty's dream was very Twin Peaks-ish. Was the caterpillar supposed to symbolize something?

A couple of episodes ago, Don kept looking at his daughter's teacher during Sally's school event. Now we have the teacher calling Don at his home to "apologize." I don't like where this is going.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Surely not even Don would be dumb enough to bugger his daughter's teacher. I hope. I think Don's scenes with the prison guard demonstrated just how false his persona is. The other guy "could tell he was an honest man," which he of course is not. He isn't even Don Draper. It's all a house of cards waiting to fall. I think Betty was holding an inchworm.

 

[Bad Bishop]

Surely not even Don would be dumb enough to bugger his daughter's teacher. I hope.

Gasp! To bugger is to have anal sex with. Surely, men did not try that on women in the early 1960's.

I think Don's scenes with the prison guard demonstrated just how false his persona is. The other guy "could tell he was an honest man," which he of course is not. He isn't even Don Draper. It's all a house of cards waiting to fall. I think Betty was holding an inchworm.

I was afraid that the prison guard's wife or new baby would die, and then we would see how difficult it is for Don to comfort a stranger.

 

[Kelso]

Gasp! To bugger is to have anal sex with. Surely, men did not try that on women in the early 1960's.

I'm not an expert- as much as I would like to be- but I think guys have probably been sticking it in any available hole since time began.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Don and Peggy? That's what interests you about Mad Men? I think watching Milo has dulled your senses there, Temis.

Don and Peggy are the main characters and despite the fact that they are usually apart in their own little plotlines, and seem like 180 degrees different, they have an odd kinship - they are both outsiders and have to constantly fight the nagging fear that they are frauds and at any moment, everything they've managed to assemble in their lives will come crashing down. If this show has a point, and I'm far from certain it does, it has something to do with Don and Peggy and till-now extremely undeveloped but incipient relationship between them.

And if you don't see that, I guess watching Dean and Sam has dulled your senses.

Wait. This is a show that Temis likes?

Man oh man I gotta participate in Dexter threads more if people think I "hate all TV shows." Then you can see me in full-on embarrassing gush mode. (For that matter check out Lost, or hey even Heroes, which I am far too easy on.)

Ironically, Mad Men is far from being one of my favorites. I could probably name a dozen shows I like better.

i'd like to see the show focus more on them trying to advertise and get clients... but i also thought Six Feet Under should have dealt more with the business end of things (like season 1 did). I don't care for most of the people's private lives, as they aren't that interesting, or they spend so little time covering it that it's hard to really care (too many characters to focus on)... of course they could also just have a lot more Joan...

If the writers can't make the characters interesting, they should pack it in. They already spend enough time on the nitty gritty of the ad biz, but it would be an admission of failure if that's the only aspect of the story that works.

I can forgive Pete, but I just can't seem to cut Don any slack. I try, but I can't bring myself to do it. I endlessly analyze why Don's character ticks me off so much.

He reminds you of some guy you hate. Don't sweat it. But it's not a valid reason for critiquing the character. After all, none of us know that guy you hate, so it makes no sense to us.

As usual, every scene begs to be analyzed. What was the point of Don's scenes with the other man at the hospital? Were they written to remind us that Don is a very guarded man who is uncomfortable with strangers? Who knew?

Well it's interesting that with any other show a) the guard's baby and/or wife would have died or b) Don's baby would have died (can't kill the wife, she's a main character). Instead we had ominous build-up to...nothing. So it's good to see that once again this show doesn't do the expected, I just wish they'd do more of the unexpected instead of just kinda...hangin' around...

 

[Kelso]

If this show has a point, and I'm far from certain it does, it has something to do with Don and Peggy

Well, I think the point is that Peggy (and possibly Pete) is on her way to replacing Don and neither of them know it.

We've seen hints of it this season with the Patio thing... which she saw coming and he didn't.

 

[Strider]

Has everyone given up watching out of utter boredom?

Hardly. If anything, Mad Men is getting even better. The writing is tighter, the actors are more confident in their characters. There's a huge difference between boring and slow burning. Mad Men is definitely the latter, and I'd expect no less from a series creator who cut his teeth on The Sopranos. I'll say it, Mad Men is a head and shoulders above Sopranos in it's third season.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

If this show has a point, and I'm far from certain it does, it has something to do with Don and Peggy

Well, I think the point is that Peggy (and possibly Pete) is on her way to replacing Don and neither of them know it.

We've seen hints of it this season with the Patio thing... which she saw coming and he didn't.

I'm not sure she saw the Patio thing coming. Her objection was that the ad targeted men, for a product targeting women. But they never got to the point of seeing whether the ad would be effective because it was vetoed, as far as I can see, because they chose a buxom actress to play the Ann-Margaret role, thus destroying the illusion of her as the perky adolescent. Since nobody really wants to admit they prefer an underage girl to an actual women, nobody actually said why the ad was a failure.

 

[Top41]

I'm still watching it. I like the program, but its languid pacing is not really a virtue.

That's kind of how I feel. Slow is okay sometimes, but this episode just felt dull.

As usual, every scene begs to be analyzed. What was the point of Don's scenes with the other man at the hospital? Were they written to remind us that Don is a very guarded man who is uncomfortable with strangers? Who knew?

That felt somewhat repetitive to me. Overly friendly person who talks to Don, tries to draw him out and fails because Don is a big old cypher... I feel like we've seen that before. And the guy was annoying.

A couple of episodes ago, Don kept looking at his daughter's teacher during Sally's school event. Now we have the teacher calling Don at his home to "apologize." I don't like where this is going.

Surely not even Don would be dumb enough to bugger his daughter's teacher. I hope.

But see, he is I think. Because Don seems to drift into an affair with any woman who throws herself at him--and quite a lot of them throw themselves at him. It's so routine and repetitive at this point. We get it--he's not faithful, and there are lots of opportunities out there for him to be unfaithful.

I think his most interesting scenes this season so far were when he stormed out of the budget meeting and when he kissed Betty after seeing how foolish Roger's behavior was.

I like the show, but there are times when I feel it could be more interesting than it is--especially when it comes to Don. I like that he's still a closed book for the most part, but the endless affairs are the least interesting thing about him.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Don's a dick, no pun intended. That's why I was amused at the Don/Rachel "shippers" that sprang up. Little girls, it's not true love. Yes, Don would have run off with Rachel if she'd said "yes" to him and yes, he would have cheated on her, too, eventually. That's who Don is. I see no potential for growth in him. It's a huge part of the reason he pisses me off.

I'm not sure she saw the Patio thing coming. Her objection was that the ad targeted men, for a product targeting women.

Why is why Peggy is the future. Why is why she's smarter than Don. Targeting a product for women and tailoring the ad campaign to appeal to women? Shocker, eh? It didn't occur to Don, did it? What seems to us is basic sense didn't occur to Don. Don is slowly going extinct. Peggy and Pete are the future.

 

[BolianAuthor]

I love Mad Men... I got into it during the first season, and still watch when I can, though I have gotten used to seeing the show on DVD. I know the show is getting better, but for me, my favorite episode was the finale of season one, where Don confronts his past... I would love to see that explored more.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Don's got a lot more to explore, but he's stagnant. He won't do the work because it's too painful. He knows his brother Adam would still be alive if Don hadn't been such an unfathomable asshole that he couldn't even be bothered to have a cup of coffee once in a while with a poor, lonely guy who had no prospects or family who was obviously a little slow in the head. The kid wasn't looking to blackmail him. He wasn't looking for money. He just wanted his family, but no go for Don. I suppose I've never forgiven Don for that. Adam was like a lost dog wandering around in the rain with nothing to eat and Don couldn't be bothered. Just throw some money at the kid to salve your conscience, you coward.