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Mad Men
May 24, 2008 12:57:36 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on May 24, 2008 12:57:36 GMT -5
Season 1, Episode 12: Nixon vs. Kennedy
Hmm. My recording starts in the middle of a meeting with Cooper. I hope I didn’t miss much
Election night.
Pete confronts Don. Puts all the cards on the table. He’s going to get shot down.
Pete’s been working there 2 ½ years. That explains why he’s so bitter.
Peggy’s the only one not partying.
Explaining the electoral college is not an appropriate conversation for children?
Secret Box. Apparently it’s a man thing. Oh, it’s the package Don’s brother sent him.
Absinthe
Kinsey. Like the Kinsey report?
He’s writing a play. Enacting the play.
Joan looks very regal.
Office romances.
About a recount. “You don’t want to do that.”
Pete confronts Don about his secret past. Pete did some digging around. Ooh!
Dick Whitman died in Korea in 1950; Donald Draper dropped off the map (huh?) and was much older. So Don’s assumed some one identity.
Pete tries to blackmail Don.
Is Don a deserter?
You should realize that if this information is powerful enough you think they will do what you want, what else can it make them do?
Contents of the box: family photos, and?
Flashback time! Secret Mission in Korea
This sergeant guy is the real Donald Draper, I’d guess.
Don seeks comfort from Rachael
Don wants to run.
Innocent people get hurt, and other people, people who are not good, get to walk around doing whatever they want.
Pete is a little punk.
Cooper doesn’t care about Don’s secret past.
Purple Heart medal.
Yep, that’s how Don got his new identity. A very passive thing.
His brother recognizes him.
You’ve got your whole life ahead of you; forget that boy in the box.
Nixon’s concession speech.
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Mad Men
May 24, 2008 12:58:02 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on May 24, 2008 12:58:02 GMT -5
Season 1, Episode 13: The Wheel
Aftermath of the election
Oh, these are Pete’s in-laws.
The in-laws want grandchildren.
Thanksgiving time.
Betty: I don’t understand why you can’t make my family your family.
Nice One’s wife threw him out?
Rachel’s gone to Paris.
Wow, Francine’s in a sorry state. She and Betty are reversed from the way we’ve seen them all season.
Francine’s husband was cheating.
What women answer their own phones?
Oh, the Draper’s have a maid.
Betty checks her own phone bill. But she doesn’t open it.
Oh, Duck is Hey It’s That Guy.
Radio ad for the vibrator. Peggy gets to be in charge of the whole thing. Cool.
Annie belongs on TV with Rita’s voice dubbed in.
Don, you are such a hypocrite.
Doesn’t this all mean anything? No one knows why they do what they do.
Slide projector.
I guess Blond Guy was right and Peggy should have gone with Rita?
A woman like that will never sound confident because she isn’t. So Beauty x/= confidence?
Peggy lets Annie go and goes with Rita.
Don plays with the slide projector. And looks at The Box.
Don tries to contact Adam. And finds out he committed suicide.
Adam left his money to the hotel. But why did he commit suicide.
Betty finds out that Don has been talking to her psychiatrist!!!!! Dayum!
Don sees Nice One is sleeping in the office. In his tidy whiteys!! BWAH!
So they talk business in middle of the night. The Wheel. It’s mechanical.
Nice One is a photographer.
Handprints. Blown paint handprints. Some one reaching through the stone. I was here.
Don curls up in the fetal position.
Both Glen’s mother and *father* don’t want him to speak to Betty?
Betty and Glen have a little bonding moment. Betty’s seeking validation from Glen?
Peter brings the firm Clearasil.
Peter got the bonus and the Ayn Rand book. Heh.
Peter wants Don’s approval?
Betty’s therapy session. About Thanksgiving. About Don’s infidelity
Don is kind inside, but not outside. She’s saying all this deliberately to get back at Don, right?
About making love. Sometimes its what she wants, sometimes its obviously what some one else wants. Oooh!
Working the wheel into it.
Don’s first job was at a fur company.
Creating a bond with the product.
Most important idea in advertising is “new.” Also, nostalgia.
Pictures of Don’s family.
Love how the smoke is floating across the screen.
Don’s version of his life with Betty, juxtaposed with Betty’s version of things.
It’s not called The Wheel; it’s called The Carousel.
Nice One breaks down and leaves. Everyone else is speechless.
About the Clearasil account. Giving it to Peggy, not Peter.
Peggy is made a copyrighter. Yay!
Peter is- wait for it- sour grapes.
Although, sometimes when people get what they want they realize how limited their goals were.
Joan is also sour grapes.
Just because you know have a door, don’t forget that once you didn’t. Think of the girls, or else they won’t think of you.
Is Peggy pregnant? Yeah… And about to give birth?
Peggy gives the baby up for adoption?
Party on a train!
Don changes his mind about spending thanksgiving with his family? Oh! It was a fantasy sequence. Don comes home to an empty house. He just missed them, I guess?
Don is all alone, and he doesn’t like it. I love all the expressions that flit across his face.
SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mad Men
May 26, 2008 20:30:39 GMT -5
Post by Sara on May 26, 2008 20:30:39 GMT -5
Mad Men season 1will be released on DVD on July 1Extras include: - Mad Men series commentary: audio commentaries on all 13 episodes
- Establishing Mad Men featurette: exploring the world of Mad Men
- The Desire of the American Dream: featuring the 1960's creative revolution in media
- Pictures of Elegance: photo gallery with commentaries from the costume, hair, and production designers
- Scoring Mad Men featurette
- Mad Men music sampler
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Mad Men
May 28, 2008 8:31:39 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on May 28, 2008 8:31:39 GMT -5
Mad Men season 1will be released on DVD on July 1Extras include: - Mad Men series commentary: audio commentaries on all 13 episodes
- Establishing Mad Men featurette: exploring the world of Mad Men
- The Desire of the American Dream: featuring the 1960's creative revolution in media
- Pictures of Elegance: photo gallery with commentaries from the costume, hair, and production designers
- Scoring Mad Men featurette
- Mad Men music sampler
I am really excited about all the episodes having commentaries.
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 21:01:14 GMT -5
Post by Sara on Jul 27, 2008 21:01:14 GMT -5
Slightly different opening credits, yes?
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 21:01:54 GMT -5
Post by Sara on Jul 27, 2008 21:01:54 GMT -5
And excellent choice of song.
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 21:02:37 GMT -5
Post by Sara on Jul 27, 2008 21:02:37 GMT -5
Holy crap, that was Tasha Yar teaching horseback riding lessons.
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 21:44:33 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Jul 27, 2008 21:44:33 GMT -5
**shivers in happy anticipation as the opening credits roll** Joan!! Red dress Joan!!!! **swoons and ogles, shamelessly** Everybody primpin' and gettin' sharp. Betty is riding? Interesting. Don at the doctor's office. Well. Blood pressure is high, and the doc is getting on him about drinking too much and working too hard, telling him to relax more. Well, this season is starting off differently right away. Betty is looking much more . . . elegant and adult and . . . cool. Whoa! The arrival of a xerox machine! So, the ep is all about changes - time marching on. Whoa. They think Peggy was sleeping with Don? Peggy rips Don's new secretary a new one while Don is getting dissed in a bar by a guy who thinks he's got him pegged. Which makes me think Don is feeling all antsy and uncomfortable with his life. Feeling like fleeing again, maybe? Or feeling not as happy with the person he's created? Joan has a serious guy, marriage-ready? And Roger is back at work. When last we saw him, there was doubt he'd ever be back. So, some things are changing and some not so much. Oh! Except they're talking about how they need some younger folks on staff - need to be moving with the times - that everything out there is about youth now. Change is coming! Interesting to hear another version of what Roger thinks about Don when Don isn't in the room. "Don's talent. You know how to deal with that, don't you? Just assume that he knows as much about business as you do, but inside there's a child, who likes getting his own way." Don late to his own meeting. Interesting how they still keep trying to put Peggy into the box of their link to the other "girls". Client is an airline - hook (to Don) is about adventure. Heh. "Means if you want to go somewhere, hike up her skirt." "That's the impression I got." Yeah, Don is definitely dissatisfied, the various ad guys are someone at odds and ends, not knowing how to move forward, and Peggy is trying soooooo hard to seem indifferent to all the little slights and smirks while still being SO very proud and happy about her job. Betty doesn't see the point of valentines if everyone has to be give one. So, still in the idea of affection as a competition. Interesting perspective that Don has. Ad success comes from being different, not fitting in. Which is right. But he also resists the idea of getting younger staff in, sees it as a fad. When really, moving that way and going even further with it, would be the way to stand out. "Young people don't know anything." And Roger is the one suggesting they might have a perspective worth listening to - joy, for example. Beautiful Betty. And she is beautiful, isn't she. Like a movie star or a magazine or something. In other words, like something not really real. Meeting an old friend. Who seems like she's likely a, well, some type of escort or hooker, to me. High end, but a hooker of some type. Yay for me! Don confirms. And he got a room. So, romantic surprise? Trying to keep things exciting in the marriage or is this just something they do? Wow, indeed. Underthings like that could definitely help keep things exciting. Oh, Pete. Brings his wife candy and tells her to open it right away so he can have one. And his wife is not happy they don't have a baby yet. Don having trouble in bed? Part and parcel of his general lack of happiness with life, I'm thinking. Everyone watching Jackie showing a reporter around the White House. Whoa. Sal has a girlfriend? And there's Joan's guy.
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 21:45:20 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Jul 27, 2008 21:45:20 GMT -5
Holy crap, that was Tasha Yar teaching horseback riding lessons. Damn!! I missed that! I'll have to keep an eye open when I re-watch.
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Mad Men
Jul 27, 2008 22:10:09 GMT -5
Post by Lola m on Jul 27, 2008 22:10:09 GMT -5
Yay! Cut-throat bitch Neighbor lady! Lying about how nice things were with Don and that she was the one who figured out her old roomie was a hooker. Heeee! I like neighbor woman. Fooling her gambling daddy to get money. ;D Interesting, the different theories the ad guys have about Don and Duck. Duck is making Don interview young staff or Don is really in charge. And then the guys? Heeee! Joan is really struggling with the copy machine, she's struggling with change herself. Ooooh. And now Joan rips Don's secretary a new one too. There's no crying in business!! Oooooh, tension between Duck and Don. Is Duck not bringing in enough business? Peggy is young, but she "doesn't count". Oh, well, that wasn't awkward. Pete asking if Peggy wants kids someday. Sex sells? No, feeling something sells. Peggy takes off with new ideas soooo much faster than the rest of them. A few words from Don and we have "what did you bring me, daddy". The office workers are in love with the new machine. As well they should be! Soooo much easier. Only, it also means not all of them will be needed in the future. Change is a comin'! Don in the elevator - the whole "take your hat off". Thematically charged metaphor, anyone? Loved how their maid just runs her eye over the huge drink Don is pouring himself and gently turns down a ride to the station. OMG, Betty. Are you trying to play the sort-of hooker with the Esso guy? Why? Because you want to see what it's like, what your old roomate is doing? Because you want to play around like you know Don has? Because you always want to be reassured you are attractive? That was . . . actually a bit not-smart, Betty. Heh! And Don soooo doesn't want to be the guy he is that he's reading the "edgy" fiction and mailing it to . . . . who? To Rachel, maybe? Oh, what a lovely ending song. Holy crap. Scenes from next week? Damn!
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Mad Men
Jul 28, 2008 10:00:36 GMT -5
Post by KMInfinity on Jul 28, 2008 10:00:36 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.
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Mad Men
Jul 28, 2008 21:26:31 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 28, 2008 21:26:31 GMT -5
Ep 2.1
The Twist. Which puts a datestamp on the episode. But I already know it's 62.
Who was that riding the horse?
Ah, an insurance physical.
160/100 Yikes.
Medical history. Things are a starting to change.
It'll hit you all at once. Is that foreshadowing?
Don is 36.
Ah, Betty was on the horse. Huh.
A photocopier. A ginormous photocopier.
Staff meeting.
Peggy as an ex-secretary.
Don and Peggy.
About Peggy's "sudden weight loss."
Tensions between Peggy and the new secretary.
Don's definitely done with his physical. So does he just not care about the staff meeting?
Roger and Joan.
About America's youth.
About Don: Assume he knows as much about business as you do, but inside he's a child. Interesting.
Don's back and he really did forget about the meeting.
Advertising people who don't have a sense of humor. Where's the fun in that?
I like observing these brainstorming sessions. And the mindset is still hetero male oriented, I see.
The Drapers have a maid or cook now.
Don and Roger.
About young people again.
Don meeting Betty at the hotel. This is like something out of a movie.
Betty's maiden name was Hoffstadt.
A party girl.
Oh, so it is actually Valentine's Day.
Pete and his wife.
Pete's wife *really* wants a baby. And Pete seems to be totally clueless.
Don and Betty. Impotency problems. Due to the stress.
Is Don heading for a major meltdown.
Anything special, out of season.
Jackie O on tv.
Describing all the colors on a black and white tv.
What's his name with his beard.
Joan and her doctor.
All about presentation.
Betty and the divorcee.
Chocolate ice cream or blood. Can't you be a bit more discerning.
Ah, that was the Savoy.
Betty was spinning her version of events.
Ah, there's the "young people." Cleverly disguised in a fisherman's sweater.
Office politics.
Are these just partners or a gay couple?
Crying in the breakroom erodes morale. Do that in your apartment.
Peggy doesn't "count."
Just because it has sentiment doesn't mean its sentimental.
Don coaching Peggy. Don just went against everything he was saying before.
But I like how Don's mentoring Peggy.
Photocopying faces. Wait till they realize that they can photocopy other things.
Meditations in an Emergency. Don's sending the book to whom?
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Mad Men
Jul 28, 2008 21:29:20 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 28, 2008 21:29:20 GMT -5
I'm afraid that my stream of consciousness musings aren't very inspiring. I'm tired and there was a lot more going on that I could write down.
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Mad Men
Jul 30, 2008 10:35:27 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 30, 2008 10:35:27 GMT -5
OK, I rewatched the episode.
The episode did a good job of reintroducing our characters and the time period. They’re building up to something really explosive this season, I think.
Major themes: Peggy somewhere between being accepted as a writer and not being a secretary anymore.
Peggy’s pregnancy
Youth people. And babies. And sex.
Betty spinning things in her favor when to talks.
Commercialization isn’t really alluded to, but I thought by including it the creators may be
And of course, the usual themes about image and presentation. And the idea of “the time before” with the reference to a time when Americans could just casually plan on visiting Cuba.
Other thoughts: Loved the running gag of the photocopier
Did Betty mention horseriding in the first season? Cause I don’t remember it.
When Don gave the info about his parents, was he talking about his real parents or the parents of the guy whose identity he took?
OK, the guy in the bar was reading Meditations in an Emergency and then Don later read it. And I’ve watched this twice and I still don’t understand what that scene was supposed to be about. Who was that guy supposed to be anyway?
Is the comment about Bonnie from Gone with the Wind also foreshadowing?
Wonder what is going to happen with the “young talent.”
Interesting in all of Don and Roger’s discussion about needing younger talent and they don’t mention that they already have one- Peggy. Of course, there’s the blatant “you don’t count” moment from one of the other writers later, but Don seems to respect Peggy’s talent a little more than the others.
There is suggestion that Don is a younger version of Roger, what with the heavy drinking and the hypertension. And of course, there are Don-Pete parallels.
I still don’t think I get the elevator scene. Unless Don was just remarking about the guys lewd conversation in the presence of the woman?
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Mad Men
Jul 30, 2008 10:47:18 GMT -5
Post by Spaced Out Looney on Jul 30, 2008 10:47:18 GMT -5
Also, Roger referring to Don as a child reminded me of Betty's shrink (I think?) who referred to her as a child. Hmm.
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