Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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The episode tonight (August 31) made me laugh out loud. Between the "braditions" and Don tying up Bobbi Barrett and stoically leaving as he says, "I told you to stop talking"--a quintessential Don Draper move. Good for Peggy for insisting that she be included in the "Good Ol' Boys" network. I liked the parallel between Pete looking at her resentfully any time Peggy looks or acts like an adult woman exhibiting sexuality and the way that Don talked to Betty when he saw her in the bikini. They are both thinking, "I have marked her as my territory, and now she's flaunting herself like she's available to other men."

There have been many references now to the fact that Don completely blocks things from his mind that he doesn't care to think about. By Peggy's bedside in the hospital, he says something like, "You will be shocked at how little it will affect you." When Peggy loaned him money to get out of jail, he completely forgot that she was there for him and owed her money until she brought it up. In this episode, Bobbi asks him if he thinks about the crash, and he says, "Why would I"? He is scary in his ability to compartmentalize.

Oh, and poor Chauncy! What a jerk! I can't wait to see Duck completely destroyed.

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Warning- spoilers ahead...

Yeah- i have to say the Chauncy scene cut into my core. i had to force myself to stay okay and remember its just a show on t.v.; however, if there was alot more of that sort of thing in this season, i'd have a hard time staying with it, because it just felt too bad to see it. i right away fantasized that someone was going to find him and he'd be living in a much better place with an air-conditioned doghouse for the summer and all the dogbones he could desire! Any sort of animal cruelty is off limits to me- like the Pie O' My scene in the Sopranos. However,- made it easier to say adios to Ralphie.

Meanwhile, you mentioned about Don's cold treatment of Bobbie after she spoke too much- but imo, the whole point of that strange scene at the very end of the episode was to show us exactly that he is gaining a conscience about that: He stared at himself in the mirror after he heard his daughter Sally telling him how she would stop talking to him while he was shaving so he wouldn't cut himself. He let his own reflection speak back to him, and he got it that he had somehow ('sub-conciously'...) trained Sally into thinking that talking to him should be avoided in order to stay in his good graces. Sally adores her dad, and now Don realizes how he has suppressed her,and he didn't like what he saw in the mirror. Thats the first painful step to his self-realization of who he really is, and how his behavior/way of being might hurt a young innocent person whom he loves. i thought that last scene with its dark ending music was incredibly powerful. Weiner has done it once again- a truly amazing episode, and just when i was getting a tiny bit fearful that it would go soap opera-ish.

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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The show is really starting to remind me of mid-period Sopranos, where the writers seemed to be more focused on inward-looking character study than plot development. But by the time The Sopranos really delved into that kind of storytelling, there was such a history and weight to the characters that the approach worked as a way to fine tune and add nuance to what was already built over years. It's curious that we are not even halfway through the second season, and Mad Men is already taking this approach.

Just curious if anyone is anticipating a bit more of a "bang", plot-wise, or is this the pace that you think Weiner will keep? Granted, I know that this is not the Sopranos, but there are so many things that remind me of it that I wonder what's in store.

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Yes, I thought the same thing about Don's moment of conscience at the end. That's what makes this show so compelling--and very like the Sopranos for that matter. No matter how much of a complete bastard Don is most of the time, it is clear that he is a man of conscience who loves deeply and who is a product of his time and culture. He wears the Don Draper mask because with it he commands respect, attention and authority--things he never had as a boy or a younger man. It's addictive, but the writers let us see the cracks in the mortar where Don seems afraid he is losing himself or his soul by playing this part.

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Geez! Talk about inward character development, etc....What an episode last night! I had sort thought that they'd be phasing out the Jimmy and Bobbie Barrett storyline, and ZING- Weiner used them to skewer Don Draper like a laser! That ending was incredibly powerful. And for the second time, a character used giving too much alchohol to someone on purpose, to make them sick. And in the sacred car no less!! Seems to me that this is sort of the pace Weiner is setting for the long haul. It would be hard to top the first season's unexpected cliffhanger ending; but since its still got a lot of unresolved issues associated with it- hard to say where this season is going. LOts of loosed ends hinted at for the next ep- i can't wait!

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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I haven't been on the site for awhile and just discovered this post. I love the show and your discussions have been great. I hope more folks join. Just like the Sopranos, I started watching the show, and was distracted by the genre. Your posts about characters, symbolism, etc. is refreshing and bringing me back to the good old Chase Lounge posts after Sopranos episodes.

Hope it keeps up

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Me too. --It is hard to carry on a conversation without more participants. i have been checking into the talk forum at amctv.com, but the format is so lame, its almost impossible to find posts, and they keep losing posts. There are some fairly interesting observations there- when i have a chance, i might try to reference some of them here. Without a doubt- like Sopranos, Madmen is one for the ages.

Re: Mad Men WINS 6 EMMYs! Best TV Drama!

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Mad Men Wins 6 Emmys Including Best Drama on Television


per amctv:

It's official. Mad Men is the best drama on television. The show won an Emmy saying as much, in the process beating out contenders Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, House and Lost. Creator Matthew Weiner got his own statuette as well for Best Writing, Drama Series for the pilot "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." ...Four other Emmys were awarded to Mad Men as part of the Creative Arts Prime Time Emmys last weekend, giving the series a grand total of six Emmys. The other awards were as follows...
The episode "Shoot" won an Emmy for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series; the pilot episode "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" won an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series. The series also won for Outstanding Main Title Design (click here for interview), and Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series (also in relationship to the pilot episode). To learn more about the show, be sure to check out AMC's Mad Men minisite. Click here for bios of the stars, photos of previous episodes and a video sneak peek of next week's show.
If you're a newcomer to the series, you can check out the Season 2 Premiere in its entirety online.

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Seeing as how they skipped a new episode this past Sunday due to the Emmy's, - i plan to get back on track over here after this coming Sunday's new ep: "Six Month Leave". Really intriguing sneakpeak video on amctv.com...Looks like Don is going down a whole new road!
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