Person to Person
- final episode
- mostly focuses on Don, Peggy, and Joan but just about everyone that is still part of the show gets at least a scene or two
- Don is still on the road; after talking to Sally he decides to come home but she wants him to stay away and he respects her demand; he heads to California where he finds Stephanie, the daughter of the real Don Draper; she takes him to a spiritual retreat but then runs off leaving him stranded there; at first he doesn't seem to know what to do but by the end of the episode he seems to have a break through and find some sort of peace at the retreat
- Joan gets bored being out of work, even though she doesn't need to work; after getting approached by Ken Cosgrove, who needs some help with a promotional film, she decides to go back to work; Joan sets up her own production business; this doesn't sit well with Richard, who leaves her once she makes it clear that what she wants is to go back to work; she also reaches out to Peggy to join her as her business partner
- Peggy wants to accept Joan's offer but decides to stay at McCann Erickson; Stan tells her he loves her; not crazy about the suddenness of this ending for Peggy and Stan; we don't know if they live happily ever after but in the absence of evidence to the contrary that seems to be implied
- As beautiful and moving as this episode is I'm a little disappointed that the firm was dismantled never to exist again in the last few episodes; on one level it seems appropriate and on another it is deeply disappointing; it is kind of like the death or end of a dream or an era; it couldn't go on forever and I can accept that but to see it happen on the screen removes some of the luster that I got used to seeing
Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Mad Men 7.13
The Milk and Honey Route
- Don continues his road trip and winds up stopping in Oklahoma for longer than planned when his car breaks down; Don meets Andy, an opportunistic young man, who gets Don into trouble with the local American Legion lodge after he spends the night drinking with them; they think Don stole the money from a fundraiser, but that was Andy's doing; Instead of turning Andy in, Don gets the money back, returns it to one of the lodge member, and then leaves town; he gives Andy a ride to the edge of town and then gives him his car
- Pete is approached by Duck who hasn't been seen since the final episode of Season 6 when he tried romancing Peggy; Duck sets Pete up on an interview with Lear Jet without telling him that's what it is; Pete isn't really interested but then starts to see the possibility of getting back together with Trudy
- Betty finds out she has lung cancer; it is beyond the operable stage; she is very calm about the diagnosis and wants to keep the information to herself but Henry doesn't respect her wishes and tells Sally; the truth of the situation doesn't sink in for Sally until she reads the note her mother gives her to read after she passes
- odd choice for the ending music, a Buddy Holly song: Everyday. Usually the songs are from the era that the episode takes place, which is definitely not here; there must be some coded message that I'm not getting
- not quite as satisfying for or interesting to me as the previous episode but it still had its moments
- one more episode to go
- Don continues his road trip and winds up stopping in Oklahoma for longer than planned when his car breaks down; Don meets Andy, an opportunistic young man, who gets Don into trouble with the local American Legion lodge after he spends the night drinking with them; they think Don stole the money from a fundraiser, but that was Andy's doing; Instead of turning Andy in, Don gets the money back, returns it to one of the lodge member, and then leaves town; he gives Andy a ride to the edge of town and then gives him his car
- Pete is approached by Duck who hasn't been seen since the final episode of Season 6 when he tried romancing Peggy; Duck sets Pete up on an interview with Lear Jet without telling him that's what it is; Pete isn't really interested but then starts to see the possibility of getting back together with Trudy
- Betty finds out she has lung cancer; it is beyond the operable stage; she is very calm about the diagnosis and wants to keep the information to herself but Henry doesn't respect her wishes and tells Sally; the truth of the situation doesn't sink in for Sally until she reads the note her mother gives her to read after she passes
- odd choice for the ending music, a Buddy Holly song: Everyday. Usually the songs are from the era that the episode takes place, which is definitely not here; there must be some coded message that I'm not getting
- not quite as satisfying for or interesting to me as the previous episode but it still had its moments
- one more episode to go
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Mad Men 7.12
Lost Horizon
- the principal players at Sterling Cooper have trouble settling in at McCann Erickson
- Don walks out of a meeting (that is being led by someone who is telling a story just like he tells stories) and heads for Wisconsin in search of Diana but comes up empty handed
- Roger doesn't want to leave the old building, so he stays at the old office for as long as possible; he hangs with Peggy who doesn't have an office yet at ME; they share a few drinks; he tells some stories and plays some tunes on an organ; they have a very real feeling conversation about what it was like working at Sterling Cooper over the years; there's a great, surreal moment when she skates around the office while he plays a tune, it is both funny and sad; eventually her office is ready and by the end of the episode they have both arrived at ME HQ
- Joan runs into a brick wall; I wish I could say this surprised me but considering how she was treated in the last episode I'm not; after complaining about one of her new employees who botches a conference call with a client (Avon) she gets a whole lot of unwanted attention from one of the principal players at ME, Ferg Donnelly; he says he is there to help but it is clear that he wants more from her; it is creepy, to say the least; Joan tries talking to Jim Hobart, the president of ME, about it but he doesn't want to hear it and doesn't respond well to her threats of legal action; in the end she takes half of what they owe her ($500K) to leave
- Pete and Ted only appear briefly in this episode and only have a few lines; Stan isn't in it at all
- another homerun
- I love the culture clash; seeing the difference between the two companies and how it impacts different people in different ways
- love, love this episode and this season
- I love the moment when Peggy walks in to ME with the painting Roger gave her, smoking a cigarette, and wearing shades; too awesome
- love the choice to use David Bowie's Space Oddity for the music at the end
- just two episodes left *sigh*
- the principal players at Sterling Cooper have trouble settling in at McCann Erickson
- Don walks out of a meeting (that is being led by someone who is telling a story just like he tells stories) and heads for Wisconsin in search of Diana but comes up empty handed
- Roger doesn't want to leave the old building, so he stays at the old office for as long as possible; he hangs with Peggy who doesn't have an office yet at ME; they share a few drinks; he tells some stories and plays some tunes on an organ; they have a very real feeling conversation about what it was like working at Sterling Cooper over the years; there's a great, surreal moment when she skates around the office while he plays a tune, it is both funny and sad; eventually her office is ready and by the end of the episode they have both arrived at ME HQ
- Joan runs into a brick wall; I wish I could say this surprised me but considering how she was treated in the last episode I'm not; after complaining about one of her new employees who botches a conference call with a client (Avon) she gets a whole lot of unwanted attention from one of the principal players at ME, Ferg Donnelly; he says he is there to help but it is clear that he wants more from her; it is creepy, to say the least; Joan tries talking to Jim Hobart, the president of ME, about it but he doesn't want to hear it and doesn't respond well to her threats of legal action; in the end she takes half of what they owe her ($500K) to leave
- Pete and Ted only appear briefly in this episode and only have a few lines; Stan isn't in it at all
- another homerun
- I love the culture clash; seeing the difference between the two companies and how it impacts different people in different ways
- love, love this episode and this season
- I love the moment when Peggy walks in to ME with the painting Roger gave her, smoking a cigarette, and wearing shades; too awesome
- love the choice to use David Bowie's Space Oddity for the music at the end
- just two episodes left *sigh*
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Mad Men 7.11
Time & Life
- Word comes down that McCann Erickson is going to absorb Sterling Cooper
- before meeting with their corporate overlords and after getting bummed out about it, Dom suggests they move to the west coast office
- so they drum up some new business to pitch to McCann Erickson only to discover that McCann Erickson doesn't want to discuss it and they promise all the top people (Roger, Don, Pete, Ted) top accounts; Joan is overlooked in this pitch
- Pete tells Peggy about the impending move to absorb Sterling Cooper; Peggy stews over Pete's news for a while; at first she thinks about leaving but a headhunter advises her that her best move is to stay for a few years and after mulling it over that's what she decides to do
- Peggy tells Stan about what Pete told her; she and Stan have an interesting chat in which she reveals that she had a baby who she gave away
- at first the top management at Sterling Cooper are knocked for a loop by McCann Erickson's statement, then they celebrate but then rumors start flying around the office and they have to say something to the staff, who don't take the news very well, which is where the episode ends
- another damn good episode
- I think this may have been the first time Peggy has admitted that she had a baby on screen; I found it to be very moving
- I noticed this one was directed by Jared Harris who was part of the cast for 35 episodes from 2009 to 2012 and played the part of the British CFO, Lane Pryce; not only is this the only episode of Mad Men he directed, according to IMdb it is his only directorial credit
- Word comes down that McCann Erickson is going to absorb Sterling Cooper
- before meeting with their corporate overlords and after getting bummed out about it, Dom suggests they move to the west coast office
- so they drum up some new business to pitch to McCann Erickson only to discover that McCann Erickson doesn't want to discuss it and they promise all the top people (Roger, Don, Pete, Ted) top accounts; Joan is overlooked in this pitch
- Pete tells Peggy about the impending move to absorb Sterling Cooper; Peggy stews over Pete's news for a while; at first she thinks about leaving but a headhunter advises her that her best move is to stay for a few years and after mulling it over that's what she decides to do
- Peggy tells Stan about what Pete told her; she and Stan have an interesting chat in which she reveals that she had a baby who she gave away
- at first the top management at Sterling Cooper are knocked for a loop by McCann Erickson's statement, then they celebrate but then rumors start flying around the office and they have to say something to the staff, who don't take the news very well, which is where the episode ends
- another damn good episode
- I think this may have been the first time Peggy has admitted that she had a baby on screen; I found it to be very moving
- I noticed this one was directed by Jared Harris who was part of the cast for 35 episodes from 2009 to 2012 and played the part of the British CFO, Lane Pryce; not only is this the only episode of Mad Men he directed, according to IMdb it is his only directorial credit
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Mad Men 7.10
The Forecast
- The year is 1970
- Don is trying to sell his unfurnished apartment; his real estate agent isn't hopeful about the prospect of selling it as is; the episode ends with Don coming home only to find that she has sold it to a couple
- Joan starts a relationship with an older retired gentleman; she meets him when she is in the Los Angeles office; he follows her back to New York; the ride is a little bumpy but by the end of the episode things are looking good
- Sally has to deal with her childhood friend (Glen) joining the army; he looks much thinner than he did the last time I recall seeing him but I recognized him right away; he tries hitting on Betty when Sally is away but Betty; later in the episode Sally snaps at Don for turning on the charm when one of her friends flirts with him
- Peggy tries to get Don to do her performance evaluation but winds up storming out of his office in frustration when he wanders off topic and gets philosophical on her
- John, one of the younger ad men, botches a sales pitch with a client and turns to Don for advice; Don counsels him on how to handle the situation; instead of following Don't advice John tries using a line from a story that Don told him and it blows up in his face
- excellent episode
- broke my heart to see the confrontation between Don and Sally at the bus terminal; the tragic part of that scene and the preceding one in the restaurant was seeing how quickly the old wound was reopened; the look on Sally's face as Don started to ooze charm said it all
- I was very happy that Betty didn't respond receptively to Glen's advances; for a moment there it seemed like what she wanted; in hindsight I think she wanted Glen's attention much more than she did a roll in the hay with him
- I completely lost track of time while watching this one, a sure sign that I was digging it
- The year is 1970
- Don is trying to sell his unfurnished apartment; his real estate agent isn't hopeful about the prospect of selling it as is; the episode ends with Don coming home only to find that she has sold it to a couple
- Joan starts a relationship with an older retired gentleman; she meets him when she is in the Los Angeles office; he follows her back to New York; the ride is a little bumpy but by the end of the episode things are looking good
- Sally has to deal with her childhood friend (Glen) joining the army; he looks much thinner than he did the last time I recall seeing him but I recognized him right away; he tries hitting on Betty when Sally is away but Betty; later in the episode Sally snaps at Don for turning on the charm when one of her friends flirts with him
- Peggy tries to get Don to do her performance evaluation but winds up storming out of his office in frustration when he wanders off topic and gets philosophical on her
- John, one of the younger ad men, botches a sales pitch with a client and turns to Don for advice; Don counsels him on how to handle the situation; instead of following Don't advice John tries using a line from a story that Don told him and it blows up in his face
- excellent episode
- broke my heart to see the confrontation between Don and Sally at the bus terminal; the tragic part of that scene and the preceding one in the restaurant was seeing how quickly the old wound was reopened; the look on Sally's face as Don started to ooze charm said it all
- I was very happy that Betty didn't respond receptively to Glen's advances; for a moment there it seemed like what she wanted; in hindsight I think she wanted Glen's attention much more than she did a roll in the hay with him
- I completely lost track of time while watching this one, a sure sign that I was digging it
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Mad Men 7.09
New Business
- a very Don and Megan focused episode with a bit of Peggy, Stan, and Roger
- Don tries to start a relationship with Diana, the waitress he met in the last episode; at first things seem good but eventually she can't handle it; Diana has secrets of her own, a child that she left behind (in Wisconsin) and another child who is died young; plus there is the class divide which seems to be an unspoken, unmentioned barrier that keeps them (Don and Diana) from staying together
- Megan comes to town with her sister and mother in tow; she is there to (a) pick up her stuff from the apartment, (b) meet with Harry about her career, and (c) finalize her divorce with Don; she has to leave her mother and sister to take care of collecting her stuff; her mother takes not just Megan's stuff but everything, but then because she is short on cash she calls Roger Sterling for help; Roger not only gives her the cash she needs but also has sex with her
- the meeting with Harry doesn't go so well as he tries to talk her into having sex with him in exchange for his help; Megan turns him down
- the meeting with Don over the divorce ends with him giving her a check for 1 million dollars; he just wants it over; she is confused but takes the check; her head is spinning from dealing with her mother, sister, and Harry
- there is a side plot involving Peggy, Stan, and a freelancer named Pima Ryan (Mimi Rogers); Pima is a photographer and older than Peggy and Stan; she seduces Stan in his dark room; she tries the same trick on Peggy in her office but doesn't get anywhere
- on the whole a bit of an inbetweener type episode; there is some progress made in moving the overall story forward but very little in the way of office politics, which I love so much; not as much fun or as meaningful to me as the previous episode
- a very Don and Megan focused episode with a bit of Peggy, Stan, and Roger
- Don tries to start a relationship with Diana, the waitress he met in the last episode; at first things seem good but eventually she can't handle it; Diana has secrets of her own, a child that she left behind (in Wisconsin) and another child who is died young; plus there is the class divide which seems to be an unspoken, unmentioned barrier that keeps them (Don and Diana) from staying together
- Megan comes to town with her sister and mother in tow; she is there to (a) pick up her stuff from the apartment, (b) meet with Harry about her career, and (c) finalize her divorce with Don; she has to leave her mother and sister to take care of collecting her stuff; her mother takes not just Megan's stuff but everything, but then because she is short on cash she calls Roger Sterling for help; Roger not only gives her the cash she needs but also has sex with her
- the meeting with Harry doesn't go so well as he tries to talk her into having sex with him in exchange for his help; Megan turns him down
- the meeting with Don over the divorce ends with him giving her a check for 1 million dollars; he just wants it over; she is confused but takes the check; her head is spinning from dealing with her mother, sister, and Harry
- there is a side plot involving Peggy, Stan, and a freelancer named Pima Ryan (Mimi Rogers); Pima is a photographer and older than Peggy and Stan; she seduces Stan in his dark room; she tries the same trick on Peggy in her office but doesn't get anywhere
- on the whole a bit of an inbetweener type episode; there is some progress made in moving the overall story forward but very little in the way of office politics, which I love so much; not as much fun or as meaningful to me as the previous episode
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Mad Men 7.08
Severance
- as usual the focus or spotlight seems to split between Don and Peggy but they don't have much in the way of interactions; to a lesser degree Ken and Joan also get brief spotlights
- Don is lost in the past once again; first he encounters a waitress at a diner who seems to familiar to him but he doesn't know why; he goes back to see her a couple times but she doesn't shed any light on his quandary
- Don has a dream about Rachel Katz, his girlfriend who owned the department store from Season 1; after making some inquiries he discovers she just passed away less than a week ago; he goes to a service for her but he gets a frosty reception from her sister
- Peggy turns down a blind date only to change her mind after she gets into an argument with Joan; she goes out with the guy and almost goes to Paris (her idea) with him, on a whim, but she can't find her passport; by the time she does find it (the next day) she questions her own judgment
- Ken gets fired; at first it pisses him off but then he sees the silver lining and gives up on putting up a fight; by the end of the episode Ken's future is looking much brighter
- Joan (and Peggy) have a meeting with some representatives from McCann Erickson who don't take them seriously; in particular they single Joan out for some very sexist comments; Peggy just brushes off their juvenile behavior but it isn't as easy for Joan to do the same; Peggy has trouble understanding Joan's indignation which leads to some pointed comments from Peggy about the way Joan dresses and presents herself which leads to a riff between the two; while Peggy goes on a date, Joan goes shopping for clothes
- it feels a little weird jumping back into the final half season of this series, even though I loved this episode; not many touching moments but I'm still loving this show and am sad that I have just 6 episodes left
- I noticed in the credits that Peggy's date was played by Devon Gummersall who played Brian Krakow on My So Called Life; I did not recognize him or think he looked or sounded familiar
- as usual the focus or spotlight seems to split between Don and Peggy but they don't have much in the way of interactions; to a lesser degree Ken and Joan also get brief spotlights
- Don is lost in the past once again; first he encounters a waitress at a diner who seems to familiar to him but he doesn't know why; he goes back to see her a couple times but she doesn't shed any light on his quandary
- Don has a dream about Rachel Katz, his girlfriend who owned the department store from Season 1; after making some inquiries he discovers she just passed away less than a week ago; he goes to a service for her but he gets a frosty reception from her sister
- Peggy turns down a blind date only to change her mind after she gets into an argument with Joan; she goes out with the guy and almost goes to Paris (her idea) with him, on a whim, but she can't find her passport; by the time she does find it (the next day) she questions her own judgment
- Ken gets fired; at first it pisses him off but then he sees the silver lining and gives up on putting up a fight; by the end of the episode Ken's future is looking much brighter
- Joan (and Peggy) have a meeting with some representatives from McCann Erickson who don't take them seriously; in particular they single Joan out for some very sexist comments; Peggy just brushes off their juvenile behavior but it isn't as easy for Joan to do the same; Peggy has trouble understanding Joan's indignation which leads to some pointed comments from Peggy about the way Joan dresses and presents herself which leads to a riff between the two; while Peggy goes on a date, Joan goes shopping for clothes
- it feels a little weird jumping back into the final half season of this series, even though I loved this episode; not many touching moments but I'm still loving this show and am sad that I have just 6 episodes left
- I noticed in the credits that Peggy's date was played by Devon Gummersall who played Brian Krakow on My So Called Life; I did not recognize him or think he looked or sounded familiar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)