Why on earth would Tom Cruise be interested in moving to SF? I mean, economically, geographically or culturally . . . what of SF could possibly be of interest to Mr. Cruise?
I was particularly proud of Peggy in this episode. She's gone from carrying a baby to term without even realizing it to upwardly mobile career girl. And yay for the return of Joan! #madmen
What did anyone else make of Don's little speech about everything -- includng selling -- being different after Dallas? I wonder how will it change his approach to advertising? Any advertising scholars out there know whether there really was a change in approach, or -- just like 9/11 didn't really mean The End of Irony -- was there no lasting effect? #madmen
Oddly, I got this real strong family vibe from the closing scenes in the hotel room, and it makes me think the whole damn season has come down to Don trying to find a family where he belongs. (I'm sure others have gotten there before me, but hey . . .)
He has failed so often -- sometimes its been his fault, other times not -- that with his home life going down the tubes, he was willing to make amends and eat substantial crow to gather his new loved ones around him.
@naugahydeinplainsight: I think you're exactly right. Don can never get his personal life to work, but his professional life has finally become his personal life. It's triumphant and a little bit sad at the same time. #madmen
Next season could start almost a year in the future...as they pointed out it was December 1963......so they could jump ahead almost to 65 where styles etc are starting to change...and the Drapers, well into divorce. Should be fun. #madmen
@Z und Vielpunkt's chick: I don't know if it's been brought up here, but they took Lucky Strike with them, so Sal can't come back, at least not to the new agency. #madmen
@Z und Vielpunkt's chick: They'll have to get rid of Lucky Strike first. Believe me, I thought of this the second they decided to bust into the art dept. #madmen
@Products Will Save Me: It's 2/3 of their billings; they can't lose that acct. So Matt is just going to have to kill off Lee Garner Jr (the guy who made the unwanted advances to Sal and then had him fired), or no Sal. #madmen
@AlmostDream: That does destroy the dream. But I have to admit that I didn't know that because I haven't watched the episode yet. I'm cheating by reading this post. Yes, I also used to snoop in my parents' closets for my Christmas presents. #madmen
@registered: Maybe Bert or Roger will use his newfound balls to tell Lee Garner, Jr. if he wants the best work, Sal's the man to be on the account. Would make for a nice storyline in the season opener, no? #madmen
Loved, loved it. Not as shocking as last season but nicely woven and poignantly put together.
Best line for me: "Peter can I see you for a minute?" That chick is badass. Wouldn't have guessed that doing the Charleston at Roger's wedding would be foreshadowing of Trudy and Pete's teamwork. And damn it, if Pete hasn't really been the most progressive this season. Don nailed it on the head when he complimented Pete's foresight.
Yay Joan! Genius reentering of our favorite office gal. Was dismayed a little when they didn't elevate her role a bit for the forthcoming firm. Or maybe she just revels in running the show from behind the scenes so to speak.
Don and Betty...sigh. Knew it was coming, but damn, didn't expect Betty to be swayed so easily. She really is just a large child, and doesn't Carla have her own family to care for?! Blech!
Nice end scene with the new firm participants cramped in a small room with excited anticipation on their faces. An ending to one chapter and a start of another for all. Maybe we'll see Cooper be a Mad Man for once. Can't wait. #madmen
@Spirit Fingers: Betty has been this character that I've wanted so desperately to feel for... now I just couldn't fathom it - leaving the kids behind (except the baby) was absolutely terrible. Poor kids (and Carla).
Trudy is turning into quite the powerful one, but it makes sense, when you look at how Pete's shrewdness can often become unhinged and too all-over-the-place to do any good for him. #madmen
Also, who else was excited that they poached off Harry Crane?? He is my favorite most under-appreciated character on the show...although, I love it how they always make a point to show how he "basically created" the Media Department, on his own. And Paul Kinsey's face when he see's he's been left behind by his would-be mentor Don in favor of Peter and *gasp* Peggy...priceless. What a badass episode, to be sure.
And who else is hoping that they save poor Salvatore from propositioning strangers in Central Park in Season 5? They still need artists, you know...maybe when the SCDP earns more rupees.
@randomnessish: I don't know how they're going to do that, though. The guy who asked to fire Sal is the Lucky Strike guy that is the new firm's biggest account. #madmen
@Z und Vielpunkt's chick: I'm assuming that the cast wasn't really slimmed down. This might be naive of me, of course, but I have to assume that either A) they'll poach more of the old Sterling Cooper gang once business grows, or B) we'll see them in scenes of competition or similar scenarios between SCD&P and McCann, like how Duck's been back a bunch of times. #madmen
@DahlELama: I can't see the cast staying that small, but I seem to recall some disputes between Weiner and AMC over per-episode costs. Smaller cast means smaller budget . . . . #madmen
@pureblarney: You mean, like when he was jerking off in his office or talking down to the janitor? I've never liked the character. Remember when he had the black GF just to prove how liberal he was? #madmen
@naugahydeinplainsight: Ah, sad. Maybe it's a Scrubs-like situation: everyone stays in the cast, they're just not in every episode. I would hate to think that Ken and Kinsey would just completely disappear, even if all my favorites are still with us. #madmen
@DahlELama: DahlE, You are many things. Naive isn't one of them. I this as an opportunity to get rid of some characters that never really held my interest (Paul, Ken, Don's secretary) and introduce new ones next season.
I also hope that annoying Betty moves to Albany with Henry and gets no further face time. (I can dream, can't I?) #madmen
@registered: Who cares if he shot one off in his office? That wasn't what I was talking about. And from what I understand, he went down to Alabama to march with that girlfriend, which gives him a +1 in my books. He wasn't kosher all the way around, but neither is anybody in this show. I just liked his style. And he's certainly less of a boyscout than Harry. #madmen
@scouts honor: Are you sure? I didn't know if Lucky Strike stayed or not...I guess they did, since Roger brought them in. Aww, no! Seeing the gang all together again made me hope for Salvatore to make a glorious return, riding a unicorn on a brilliant rainbow...one can only hope. #madmen
@registered: Ugh, one can only hope. I'm sorry, Betty's all pretty and sad and everyone loves a conflicted housewife, but January Jones is just so...clumsy and wooden. The breakdown that I was waiting for to bring my interest back never came...it's like the series was building up for some Sylvia Plath type biz, but instead we just get to see Betty hanging on. I want to see Betty get interesting, god dammit!! #madmen
So well done. Such emotional delicacy, graceful writing, and so many nuanced performances. This was Don's Day of Atonement, and Hamm pulled it off without hyperbole. I must say I love the way Fred Crane always looks as if he showed up at school when there's a surprise quiz, and he just shit his pants. Something that has been nagging at me: in the real world, didn't the conglomeratization of ad agencies take place several weeks later, and isn't it too soon (again, in real world terms) for these guys to set up a boutique shop? Any ad guys out there know? #madmen
Last night--is it just me, or is there something a little bit strange and mannered in Vincent Kartheiser's performance? For a while I've been chalking it up to Pete's UES-ness, but I'm not sure.
In that scene with Peggy and Don, I couldn't tell whether he was going to offer her a job, or profess his love and make out with her. It was... pretty awesome.
Thank you for crowning Joanie "St. Joan," Brian. It's one of the many reasons I love you. #madmen
@pureblarney: What you see as mannered in Kartheiser I actually think is Pete Campbell being a poor actor. He is constantly acting in life, trying so hard to fit in even if it means not being himself. #madmen
@Lymed: And isn't it brilliant how Kartheiser makes you root for Campbell. You know that he got shafted about his assessment of the "negro market" and he deserved some praise, even though he is a sexual predator and all-around creepo. #madmen
@pureblarney: Don lives a lie, but he doesn't necessarily act. His personality is him. Pete tries to take on the personality he thinks will get him accepted. He is also just awkward with people. #madmen
@pureblarney: I've always had a problem with Vincent Kartheiser's performance. The way he delivers his lines always makes me feel like he thinks he's on stage. People constantly tell me that this is just "Pete Campbell's personality," but it seems to me like forced acceptance of bad acting from an actor you want to like. But hey, if it works for most people, he's obviously doing something right. #madmen
@DahlELama: What I've heard about his off-camera "preparation" hasn't impressed me, either. Usually, the more esoteric an actor has to be to get ready, the less impressed I am by the performance (and having worked with actors, I've seen some weird shit).
Oh well. The least we can do is sit back and hope for a Peggy tryst. #madmen
@HaysiFantayzee: I agree. Kartheiser is playing one of the biggest villains on this show, and yet some part of me roots for him. He'd be easy to hate yet some insecure part of my psyche (my brain, perhaps, adrift) said Yessss! when Don recruited him for the new firm. #madmen
Excellent post as always, Mr. Moylan. I sincerely appreciated "Henry Francis—who barely knows you but wants to marry you!!" because this drives me insane. I love As The World Turns, but I prefer to leave that sort of thing to weekday afternoons.
Also, the Peggy and Don scene was utterly fantastic. The power and self-awareness that woman has drawn into herself over three seasons is inspiring to watch. #madmen
@DahlELama: Do we know that Henry Francis wants to marry her? Or did he tell her that so she would get a divorce and he could be with her with no fear of scandal. #madmen
@son of spam: Right? I can't quite understand how we're supposed to feel about him. Should we find him attractive or alluring? Are we supposed to understand what draws Betty to him, other than that he's a replacement father figure for the one she lost? Does she realize he's old enough to be her father? I can never tell how much credit we're supposed to give Betty... #madmen
@Lymed: My assumption is that he genuinely wants to marry her, especially after he convinced her not to go for any of Don's money last night. It would certainly not be in his interest to have a completely broke girlfriend to support, and if he were planning on making it anything less than permanent, I have to think he would have advised her to take Don for everything he's got so he could eventually dump her guilt free. I believe that he believes he's in it forever. What I can't understand is why?#madmen
@DahlELama: I've no idea how wealthy HF is, but men don't generally undertake enthusiastically to support a woman and her children by another man when there are other options.
I've come to the conclusion that Betty Draper captured his heart much the way January Jones landed this role: by looking the part. I can't believe JJ was cast for a pivotal role in this series w/o someone waking up to the fact that she cannot act. She can't even pull off a crying jag, which leads me to suspect that she is possibly not even female.
Similarly, I can't believe that HF proposed to BD without having had sex w/her or observed her with her children. If Roger Sterling is disillusioned with his child-bride, one only wonders how HF will feel in two years.
Well, actually, I don't. Neither is interesting and I hope they both bug off to Albany. #madmen
@registered: I'm still having trouble making up my mind about January Jones. I don't think she's supposed to go off on a crying drag. I think she's supposed to have a cold, stony expression on her face at all times. I think. But I'm not sure. It's kind of how I feel about Ashlee Simpson-Wentz on Melrose, or, as someone aptly pointed out to me recently, Mischa Barton on The OC. Sometimes people are successful on a show because their "neutral" is exactly what the character is supposed to be like. I suspect JJ/BD is a similar case.
Either way, I'm very curious to see how she performs on SNL this weekend. I'm hoping it'll give me more insight into how much she's really acting on the show and what she's like when she's not--if she's ever not--Betty Draper. #madmen
@DahlELama: Agreed. I'm just not able to write her off. Part of that is, I heard Weiner is crazy about casting. I cannot imagine him hiring anyone that isn't giving him exactly what he wants. I can't wait to see her on SNL, just so she can prove everyone wrong. In addition, I would absolutely love further evidence that Ashton Kutcher is an asshole that has no clue what he's talking about. #madmen
Loved your summation of Joanie's glorious entrance, Brian. Hearts everywhere went soaring, coolly saving the day, they couldn't pull off this rather exciting caper without her. Her gleaming golden pen, symbol of her superpowers.
Loved that whole urgent, secret meeting of the minds, an all star team for sure. It was such a fantastic thing to watch, the rapid forward momentum of all the character's lives, taking a risk, and giving us an idea of what's to come. Even in the cramped suite at the Pierre, the optimism was lovely. Exhilarating turn of events.
Sal's absence sort of registered as an unspoken presence. And Don's breaking open the door made me wonder if it was an allusion to another locked door of Sal's, the closet. He'll be back.
Just a superb finale, above and beyond. Hurry up, August. #madmen
@Baroness: since you are easily top 3 in commenters, i want to hear your take on why people hate betty more than don. i tried to have a civilized convo on jezebel and ended up with an oversensitive, wounded commenter on my hands. #madmen
I don't; I like some of her dreamier sequences, she's a complex character. It was a very Betty-heavy season, I must admit I would have liked more office intrigue.
I suspect- and have read- that people dislike her because the find her petulant, sulky, childish. Not a great mom. Been in a bad mood for a few years. I thinks she has qualities and potential though, like in Rome.
Ultimately I do think it's that so much of this season was devoted to Betty's malheureusement. It seems repetitive, maybe. In smaller doses, perhaps people wouldn't mind her so ..pointedly. Don't know, just a thought. #madmen
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I just don't see it. #tomcruise
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Pete: I have to admit I'm a little scared... #madmen
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He has failed so often -- sometimes its been his fault, other times not -- that with his home life going down the tubes, he was willing to make amends and eat substantial crow to gather his new loved ones around him.
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Best line for me: "Peter can I see you for a minute?" That chick is badass. Wouldn't have guessed that doing the Charleston at Roger's wedding would be foreshadowing of Trudy and Pete's teamwork. And damn it, if Pete hasn't really been the most progressive this season. Don nailed it on the head when he complimented Pete's foresight.
Yay Joan! Genius reentering of our favorite office gal. Was dismayed a little when they didn't elevate her role a bit for the forthcoming firm. Or maybe she just revels in running the show from behind the scenes so to speak.
Don and Betty...sigh. Knew it was coming, but damn, didn't expect Betty to be swayed so easily. She really is just a large child, and doesn't Carla have her own family to care for?! Blech!
Nice end scene with the new firm participants cramped in a small room with excited anticipation on their faces. An ending to one chapter and a start of another for all. Maybe we'll see Cooper be a Mad Man for once. Can't wait. #madmen
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Trudy is turning into quite the powerful one, but it makes sense, when you look at how Pete's shrewdness can often become unhinged and too all-over-the-place to do any good for him.
#madmen
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Also, who else was excited that they poached off Harry Crane?? He is my favorite most under-appreciated character on the show...although, I love it how they always make a point to show how he "basically created" the Media Department, on his own. And Paul Kinsey's face when he see's he's been left behind by his would-be mentor Don in favor of Peter and *gasp* Peggy...priceless. What a badass episode, to be sure.
And who else is hoping that they save poor Salvatore from propositioning strangers in Central Park in Season 5? They still need artists, you know...maybe when the SCDP earns more rupees.
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It is an interesting move to slim down the cast like that. Was there some contract dispute that wasn't publicized? #madmen
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I also hope that annoying Betty moves to Albany with Henry and gets no further face time. (I can dream, can't I?) #madmen
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In that scene with Peggy and Don, I couldn't tell whether he was going to offer her a job, or profess his love and make out with her. It was... pretty awesome.
Thank you for crowning Joanie "St. Joan," Brian. It's one of the many reasons I love you. #madmen
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Oh well. The least we can do is sit back and hope for a Peggy tryst. #madmen
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Also, the Peggy and Don scene was utterly fantastic. The power and self-awareness that woman has drawn into herself over three seasons is inspiring to watch. #madmen
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I've come to the conclusion that Betty Draper captured his heart much the way January Jones landed this role: by looking the part. I can't believe JJ was cast for a pivotal role in this series w/o someone waking up to the fact that she cannot act. She can't even pull off a crying jag, which leads me to suspect that she is possibly not even female.
Similarly, I can't believe that HF proposed to BD without having had sex w/her or observed her with her children. If Roger Sterling is disillusioned with his child-bride, one only wonders how HF will feel in two years.
Well, actually, I don't. Neither is interesting and I hope they both bug off to Albany. #madmen
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Either way, I'm very curious to see how she performs on SNL this weekend. I'm hoping it'll give me more insight into how much she's really acting on the show and what she's like when she's not--if she's ever not--Betty Draper. #madmen
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Loved that whole urgent, secret meeting of the minds, an all star team for sure. It was such a fantastic thing to watch, the rapid forward momentum of all the character's lives, taking a risk, and giving us an idea of what's to come. Even in the cramped suite at the Pierre, the optimism was lovely. Exhilarating turn of events.
Sal's absence sort of registered as an unspoken presence. And Don's breaking open the door made me wonder if it was an allusion to another locked door of Sal's, the closet. He'll be back.
Just a superb finale, above and beyond. Hurry up, August. #madmen
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I don't; I like some of her dreamier sequences, she's a complex character. It was a very Betty-heavy season, I must admit I would have liked more office intrigue.
I suspect- and have read- that people dislike her because the find her petulant, sulky, childish. Not a great mom. Been in a bad mood for a few years. I thinks she has qualities and potential though, like in Rome.
Ultimately I do think it's that so much of this season was devoted to Betty's malheureusement. It seems repetitive, maybe. In smaller doses, perhaps people wouldn't mind her so ..pointedly. Don't know, just a thought. #madmen