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Mad Men
Jul 30, 2008 10:48:40 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 30, 2008 10:48:40 GMT -5
Slightly different opening credits, yes? What was different about the opening credits? Cause I didn't recognize anything, but it has been a while since I've seen the first season.
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Mad Men
Aug 2, 2008 13:28:40 GMT -5
Post by Squeemonster on Aug 2, 2008 13:28:40 GMT -5
So, I'm re-watching season 1 right now. I don't know how, but I had forgotten just how great this show is. They do such a hood job conveying all these emotions underneath the glossy, pristine surface. Don is one messed up individual. I love the character of Rachel Menken. That is one cool lady. No wonder the late sixties and seventies happened the way they did. With that much pent-up emotions across the country, it was inevitable, really. Culture was like a bottle of soda pop being shaken and shaken until finally it busts open and spills everywhere. I swear that metaphor sounded really insightful in my head. Anyhoo, this is such a brilliant show. And very very pretty.
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Mad Men
Aug 2, 2008 13:30:32 GMT -5
Post by Squeemonster on Aug 2, 2008 13:30:32 GMT -5
Oh! And cut-throat bitch is in it!! The first time I watched this season, I had not yet started watching House, so I had no idea who she was. ;D I really love her. ;D
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 11:39:31 GMT -5
Post by Becky H on Aug 3, 2008 11:39:31 GMT -5
I'm always amazed at the amount of story and character exploration MM packs into an episode. I agree the theme is change....big changes ahead, and most don't see it coming, and those who do sense the changes are nervous.The scene that sticks out in my mind the most is the one with Don in the elevator. It shows that in his heart, he's old fashioned, with traditional values and boundaries....yet he's clearly very unhappy throughout this episode. I think you've hit the nail on the head here. When I think about this episode, I remember the metaphor of the frog in hot water, who doesn't realize he's about to be boiled because the temperature has risen so gradually. Think about all of the things that are coming down the pike (the Cuban Missile Crisis, Griswold v. Connecticut) and just imagine the impact they're going to have on the unsuspecting frog.
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 21:27:28 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 21:27:28 GMT -5
Oh, Paul! So very much the hip guy wanna-be. ;D (Heee! And he looks like pictures of my dad in his '20's - with the pipe. ;D ) And the wives of the other young ad guys are not liking this party. Heee! Love Sal and his wife?girlfriend? totally laughing at Ken. Oh, interesting. Paul has a black ?girlfriend? Interesting little by-play between her and Joan. Joan is definitely not as happy about her life as she's been saying she is. That "office manager" comment and the fact that she's snarky about Paul. (But I love how she snarked about Paul not having a couch.) Kind of a rockin' party, isn't it? With the pot and the interracial mix and the necking in hallways and so on. Oh I like this confident and sexy version of Peggy. "I'm in the pursuasion business, and frankly I'm disappointed by your presentation." Interesting juxtaposition, Glenn with the connotation of space travel and then the plane crash. Interesting. Duck says they need to tell Don to pull the Mohawk Airlines ads and Cooper knows right away that Don already knew to do this. What news did Pete get? I bet someone he knows was on the plane. Relative? Oh. His dad. Whoa. And he went to see Don, first thing. Looked around the office and went to see Don. Because he doesn't know what to do. Inside, he really looks up to Don and sees him as the guy who'll know what to do. "Go home and be with your family." "Why?" "Because that's what people do." "Is that what you would do." "Yes." "Really? "Yes." Whoa. That's shock alright. And a bit of truth being shocked out of both of them. There's life and there's work. Yeah, might want to take your own advice there. Oh my. And American is possibly looking for another ad agency. Don has problems with this "foothold". And Don's right that American hasn't signed yet. But this just shows us the widening gap between Don and Duck. Wow. This is an uncomfortable time at Pete's parent's place. And revelations of the money troubles we heard about earlier.
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 21:28:37 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 21:28:37 GMT -5
I'm always amazed at the amount of story and character exploration MM packs into an episode. I agree the theme is change....big changes ahead, and most don't see it coming, and those who do sense the changes are nervous.The scene that sticks out in my mind the most is the one with Don in the elevator. It shows that in his heart, he's old fashioned, with traditional values and boundaries....yet he's clearly very unhappy throughout this episode. I think you've hit the nail on the head here. When I think about this episode, I remember the metaphor of the frog in hot water, who doesn't realize he's about to be boiled because the temperature has risen so gradually. Think about all of the things that are coming down the pike (the Cuban Missile Crisis, Griswold v. Connecticut) and just imagine the impact they're going to have on the unsuspecting frog. **nods** And the true explosion of youth culture. ETA: Heeee! I swear I typed this before I read Monnie's soda-pop bottle metaphor thingee.
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 21:30:06 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 21:30:06 GMT -5
Oh! And cut-throat bitch is in it!! The first time I watched this season, I had not yet started watching House, so I had no idea who she was. ;D I really love her. ;D Heee!! I only recognized her on re-watch of season 1. And then I was all - Hey! That's cut-throat bitch! First time thru, I was just "hey, that's YoSaffBridge and Connor".
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 21:48:54 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 21:48:54 GMT -5
Card party, which Don is not wanting. He's trying to do this "normal" thing, and the effort is showing. Plus, not the best day he's had.
Heh! Carlton. Don is not impressed with you.
Peggy visiting her mom and so on. Oh, she brought the vacum cleaner for her? They're proud of her, but they're not happy about her life totally. Oooooh. Hints about what happened to the baby. "I'm capable of making my own decisions." "State of NY didn't think so, the doctors didn't think so."
So, they took the baby, then? Maybe she wanted to keep it but they didn't allow that?
Heh! The kids on the stairs, listening to the grown ups at their party! I remember doing that! ;D
I love Don's little smiles at Betty - he likes seeing her so in charge and collected and kicking Carlton's butt at cards. ;D Interesting. She says when she was a kid she would have been way more scared of her dad than of going to sleep.
Heee! Tracing - a fraud or not? And did the kid trace or did he reproduce from a picture he knew?
Oh! Her sister is raising the kid as if it were hers?
Don doesn't approve of Carlton, but he won't rat him out.
Oooooh. "I'm not gonna fight. I'll say whatever you think I should say, but I'm not gonna fight with you." Did they ever actually talk about his affairs or is it all still just assumed yet hidden by both of them?
Then peeking in on the kids. Contrast and compare to Peggy, eh?
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 22:05:10 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 22:05:10 GMT -5
Fighting about facts. Arguing about something that is actually one thing or another. And Pete was wrong in that last fight with his dad. Which probably to him feels like, well, the way things probably went with him. Oooooh, Joan. Something tells me Paul never saw this totally evil side of you before. Interesting. Duck wants to be the guy that Pete would have come and talked to. Offers comfort, and then. Hey - business! We'd like to do business with the airline that just caused your dad's death and we'd like you to help. Go Pete! I think I am uncomfortable. Innapropriate? Yeah, Duck, you think? Oh, crap. They're tossing Mohawk just to try for American Airlines, but no guarantee? Why do I think this is a bad idea? I suppose image is everything in advertisin, but still. Methinks this is gonna actually be a bad business decision as well as being tacky. Pete is totally lost . . . looking at Peggy . . . . Don snapping at him . . . hmmmmmm. Oooooh, revenge on Joan. Showing her age. Very interesting, what she chooses to say to Peggy. "Is it so hard to just leave everything at the door and do your job?" and "They just want you to be as miserable as they are". Hmmmmmm. This is new. Mad Med stylized factoids about the various companies that are advertising on the show.
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Mad Men
Aug 3, 2008 22:15:14 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 3, 2008 22:15:14 GMT -5
What a crappy job that Don has to do. Cutting loose a client, doing something that he knows is the wrong thing to do. "I'm glad you picked this place. Reminds me of Pearl Harbor, for many reasons." Ouch! Stirling Cooper is Don Draper, that's what they said. Well. If that isn't a challenge, I don't know what is. Oh, Duck. You are not getting American Airlines for Stirling Cooper. You're jus not. Oh, hell. Pete is there. This is how he hopes to get them. "There will be someone on your account who knows exactly what you're going through." Oh holy crap. Damn. I. I am actually speechless here. I. I did not see that one coming. Oh, Don. Pete subsumes his depression in drink and then in hard cold business. Are you gonna take your usual path of losing your troubles in a woman? Apparently not. But you're tempted, aren't you? Peggy making her mom happy by going to church. But not communion. Because she can't, being an unwed mom? Or because she doesn't want to? I don't know enough to know.
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Post by Sara on Aug 4, 2008 9:41:29 GMT -5
What a crappy job that Don has to do. Cutting loose a client, doing something that he knows is the wrong thing to do. "I'm glad you picked this place. Reminds me of Pearl Harbor, for many reasons." Ouch! Stirling Cooper is Don Draper, that's what they said. Well. If that isn't a challenge, I don't know what is. Oh, Duck. You are not getting American Airlines for Stirling Cooper. You're jus not. Oh, hell. Pete is there. This is how he hopes to get them. "There will be someone on your account who knows exactly what you're going through." Oh holy crap. Damn. I. I am actually speechless here. I. I did not see that one coming. Oh, Don. Pete subsumes his depression in drink and then in hard cold business. Are you gonna take your usual path of losing your troubles in a woman? Apparently not. But you're tempted, aren't you? Peggy making her mom happy by going to church. But not communion. Because she can't, being an unwed mom? Or because she doesn't want to? I don't know enough to know. The way I understand it (and I did double-check with a few sites to make sure I was on the right track), the short answer is that when a person has any known sins that are unconfessed and unforgiven they are considered unworthy of taking communion. It's almost certainly what Peggy's mother would have believed, making it a smart decision on Peggy's part—regardless of what she herself believed—to remain seated. However, the Bible is a bit fuzzier on the subject. From 1 Corinthians 11:27: Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. In fact, from my brief reading I'd say many people are now of the belief Paul meant that being unworthy isn't at all about the sinner and what they have or haven't confessed—as long as you are mindful of Christ's sacrifice while receiving communion, then you are receiving it worthily. However, if you see receiving communion as validation of your piety or do so not believing Christ was the son of God, for example, then you are receiving it unworthily. Slight birdwalk there, I know, but I thought it was interesting stuff nonetheless.
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Post by Sara on Aug 4, 2008 9:45:32 GMT -5
Slightly different opening credits, yes? What was different about the opening credits? Cause I didn't recognize anything, but it has been a while since I've seen the first season. I thought some of the images you see in the credits were different from last season. I could be totally wrong about that, however.
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Mad Men
Aug 4, 2008 10:56:39 GMT -5
Post by Squeemonster on Aug 4, 2008 10:56:39 GMT -5
Card party, which Don is not wanting. He's trying to do this "normal" thing, and the effort is showing. Plus, not the best day he's had. Heh! Carlton. Don is not impressed with you. Peggy visiting her mom and so on. Oh, she brought the vacum cleaner for her? They're proud of her, but they're not happy about her life totally. Oooooh. Hints about what happened to the baby. "I'm capable of making my own decisions." "State of NY didn't think so, the doctors didn't think so." So, they took the baby, then? Maybe she wanted to keep it but they didn't allow that? Heh! The kids on the stairs, listening to the grown ups at their party! I remember doing that! ;D I remember doing that, too! ;D Boy, that scene brought back some memories.
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Mad Men
Aug 5, 2008 12:10:40 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 5, 2008 12:10:40 GMT -5
What a crappy job that Don has to do. Cutting loose a client, doing something that he knows is the wrong thing to do. "I'm glad you picked this place. Reminds me of Pearl Harbor, for many reasons." Ouch! Stirling Cooper is Don Draper, that's what they said. Well. If that isn't a challenge, I don't know what is. Oh, Duck. You are not getting American Airlines for Stirling Cooper. You're jus not. Oh, hell. Pete is there. This is how he hopes to get them. "There will be someone on your account who knows exactly what you're going through." Oh holy crap. Damn. I. I am actually speechless here. I. I did not see that one coming. Oh, Don. Pete subsumes his depression in drink and then in hard cold business. Are you gonna take your usual path of losing your troubles in a woman? Apparently not. But you're tempted, aren't you? Peggy making her mom happy by going to church. But not communion. Because she can't, being an unwed mom? Or because she doesn't want to? I don't know enough to know. The way I understand it (and I did double-check with a few sites to make sure I was on the right track), the short answer is that when a person has any known sins that are unconfessed and unforgiven they are considered unworthy of taking communion. It's almost certainly what Peggy's mother would have believed, making it a smart decision on Peggy's part—regardless of what she herself believed—to remain seated. However, the Bible is a bit fuzzier on the subject. From 1 Corinthians 11:27: Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. In fact, from my brief reading I'd say many people are now of the belief Paul meant that being unworthy isn't at all about the sinner and what they have or haven't confessed—as long as you are mindful of Christ's sacrifice while receiving communion, then you are receiving it worthily. However, if you see receiving communion as validation of your piety or do so not believing Christ was the son of God, for example, then you are receiving it unworthily. Slight birdwalk there, I know, but I thought it was interesting stuff nonetheless. Thanks for the info, Sara! On my second watch, I think I'm of the opinion that she is choosing not to take communion, regardless of whether or not they would let her. Something about the look on her face and so on seemed to be saying here is someone going along with her mom to keep peace/make mom happy, but only so far. But I'd be interested to hear how others read the scene.
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Mad Men
Aug 5, 2008 12:16:01 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Aug 5, 2008 12:16:01 GMT -5
Card party, which Don is not wanting. He's trying to do this "normal" thing, and the effort is showing. Plus, not the best day he's had. Heh! Carlton. Don is not impressed with you. Peggy visiting her mom and so on. Oh, she brought the vacum cleaner for her? They're proud of her, but they're not happy about her life totally. Oooooh. Hints about what happened to the baby. "I'm capable of making my own decisions." "State of NY didn't think so, the doctors didn't think so." So, they took the baby, then? Maybe she wanted to keep it but they didn't allow that? Heh! The kids on the stairs, listening to the grown ups at their party! I remember doing that! ;D I remember doing that, too! ;D Boy, that scene brought back some memories. The excitement of staying up late, and listening in on the party and hearing/seeing your parents in a different role (not focused on you as a parent, but as a grown up with other grown ups) and so on. It always seemed so glamorous and exotic and cool. Even if it was nothing more than a cocktail party in the basement, or a few people over for dinner. There was just something different and cool about it, different than say a summer get together, where all the kids are running around, playing games and eating watermelon while the grown ups sit in lawn chairs and talk and drink beer. Mom would have on a dress and perfume and dad would look different than when he went to work and it would feel . . . fancy and special. When looked at it through a kid's eyes.
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