Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Just want to say that we have watched the first three episodes of this series and we have enjoyed it. Don't know if it will be our Sopranos replacement but it is so far compelling if not quite addictive.

Looking forward to joining in the discussion once we get through a few more episodes.

One question though is there a "Return of Martin Guerre/Sommersby" sub-plot going on with Don Draper's past?

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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I haven't written about Mad Men on this site but I was recently posting (about a Soprano's movie via Frank Santorelli) and came across Mad Men discussion.

Excellent show! This weeks episode was truly one of the best shows of the series. I too, felt bad for Freddy. But you just can't "cross that line" in the work place. I think sooner or later, Freddy would have embarrassed the agency. If he is pissing his pants in his office, what else could happen? He had to be let go.

Pete Cambell continues to be a backstabbing piece of garbage. I think Don is going to get him back for his disloyalty. I hope anyway.

I think Sterling's current situation allows Don to take a closer look at his situation. Should he follow Roger's lead and leave his wife? (Obviously he wouldnt bring it to work like that idiot weak Roger did) But I thought Don was disgusted with Roger at the end of the episode.

Don is questioning whether he should move forward. Is there more out there? Or is this it? The family, the job, the wife, the life? Major questions facing Don Draper.

Also Peggy is quickly moving up the corporate ladder. Apparently following Don's philosophy of "forgetting it ever happened" has worked well...so far..
I'm sure Matt Weiner is going to create some great twists for this character.

I love this show...But a Soprano's movie is what is on my mind!

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Totally agree. i'm sure they'll be uber secretive about any movie info- so we can speculate to our heart's content! i soooo hope it's true!

Meanwhile on MadMen- not sure i quite get the disappointment from Don at the very end. i watched the re-cap analysis from Weiner on amctv.com (on the "inside madmen" video tab), so it does seem that disappointment is what they intended to convey.

But even though i'm a little too young to have been working in the 60's, later in the 80-90's when i was coming up in my career, there were a bunch of oldtimers in this conservative NY-based broker office i worked in, who still held court in a very similar manner, risking lawsuits from their blatant sexist behavior. i always felt i was like in a timewarp from an old 60's sitcom. We even had an older 60-70's style office with some of the original old furniture and IBM Selectrics around for the older non-computer literates. I loved 'em all- they even wore perfect old hairdos and meticulous skirts and makeup. Priceless and inspiring in their own way. The fun part was that no one gave me evil stares if i grabbed my male boss a cuppa coffee or even flirted a bit! We had a good time and got the job done-(no crime to be young and female, imo...Viva La Difference!). I truly do feel like i can relate to alot of this show on a personal level. i'm fairly certain that some of the older guys might have had some legal action over situations with their secretaries from the past in the 70's.

My take is that it seems more likely, at that time anyway, that the men of Sterling Cooper would circle the wagons around Roger Sterling, and not pass judgement about him leaving Mona. They'd be comisserating at some bar by lunchtime, only returning to the office to make an appearance by 4:55pm, then returning to the cocktail lounge after work. i say this because i actually observed/participated in this sort of gathering more than a few times at that point in my career, as i was included in a kind of Peggy sort of way, only without the dorky pony tail and frumpy clothes (hot skirts and stilletos for me!). Alot of the real business accomplished did actually occur after hours at local watering holes or taking clients out to dinner, baseball games, other perks, etc. Alas, most of my current crowd would not even recognize me from then! It was a different time...not so long ago....:icon_rolleyes:

For all the advances of modern labor law, i must say that i have many more fun memories of working then, than now. There truly seems to be a much unhappier office demeanor now, in general, everywhere- in many different places i have worked. i have read articles on studies that bear this out. More stress, open competition and backbiting between women now than i ever recall from earlier times. That being said- of course there were many bad and sad things about the previous eras, and i am not advocating a return to it at all. Its always easier, per Tony and AJ, to 'remember the good times' of the past. Its just that perhaps we threw out the baby with the bathwater in some ways (literally, via Roe v. Wade, etc.), and so maybe the pendulum might swing back a bit towards center. Just some thoughts.

Now i will prepare myself for some possible flamemail coming my way! :icon_biggrin:

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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How 'bout that last episode- talk about redemption! (Don entering the cleansing ocean waves at the end). SInce no one's really interacting on this at this point- i won't go into too much detail for now.

Just a reminder: MadMen Season Finale NEXT WEEK!!! Can you believe it!? :icon_biggrin:

I'm already worried about withdrawal symptoms. :icon_frown: i plan to download the remaining eps and keep my i-pod handy. Re-watching them never gets old- just like with Sopranos eps.

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

You said it: Phenomenal! Here are some good links on some discussion of this amazing show- including detailed interview with Matt Weiner:

-Mad Men Talk Forum/thread Links (about Peggy’s pregnancy and the now-revealed fact that her baby is gone forever; adopted out to strangers; and people’s misconception that her sister Anita was raising ‘him’), from amctv.com and Chicago Trib’s The Watcher:

http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/talk/200 ... e-stor.php

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... ggy-b.html

-Here is The Watcher’s review on final ep:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... amm-1.html

-And finally- really good to read this-
"Some thoughts on Season 2 (and Season 3) from 'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner"
=Link to Matt Weiner’s extensive interview about the show and this finale episode; clarifies a lot of important points. Also, he makes tiny mention of a connection to The Sopranos!:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... ggy-a.html

Re: Mad Men General Discussion Thread

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Here is the latest interview with Matt Weiner on the final ep of Mad Men. The second part will be posted next Monday, November 3rd. Really worth reading- gives huge hints about the next season and future of the show- i know all of us Maddicts are craving any info we can get, since next episode for Season 3 isn't until something like May 2009! :icon_biggrin:

http://blogs.amctv.com/mad-men/2008/10/ ... part-1.php

In Part I of AMCtv.com's exclusive interview, creator Matthew Weiner addresses the issue of sexual violence in Season 2 and explains Don's damaged psyche.

Log onto the Mad Men blog on Monday to read the second part of AMCtv.com's interview with Matthew Weiner.

Excerpt:

Q: What themes from 1962 did you try to incorporate into Season 2?

A: I was interested in materialism and the fact that the pursuit of objects and money can be very empty. I wanted to talk about the corporate struggle between artistic themes, which is the product that makes all the money, and the people who are in charge of administering that and collecting the money. Part of the theme of 1962 was youth: The Pepsi campaign was the campaign of the year, and this was a concentrated effort from Madison Avenue to tap into a bunch of people with money in their pockets and to adults that wanted to indulge them. The clients became obsessed with getting to the youth market, and the agencies became obsessed with getting young people who understood the youth market. It's the beginning of the baby boom and it's completely driven by young people -- and by old peoples' desire to embrace young people. Bob Dylan is 20 years old and everyone thinks he's the wisest person in the world.

Q: There's a perception that Season 2 featured a heightened amount of sexual violence, first with Don's interaction with Bobbie, then with Greg's attack on Joan.

A: I don't buy that. Certainly the thing with Joan was a reality that had been existing for a very long time -- it still exists -- and it was something we ignored on the show because I didn't know if I wanted it in this world. But it was par for the course for women then: Yes means yes, no means yes. In terms of Don, what I really wanted was for the audience to see that he was frustrated and bored. He's sworn off camera to Betty that he's going to be a different person -- he's home on time, he tells Betty when he's coming home. Then this thing happens with Bobbie, and he's intrigued that she's in it for the same reasons he is. Don's not trying to stick his hand under the dress of every client. That was their relationship -- she was using sex against him and he basically said "I'm in charge here," and she loved it. Don's a very different man than her husband, and it was a turn-on for a woman who's so powerful. It's a sexual thing, not a political thing.

...more at the link...
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