Mad Men

[Art Vandelay]

Confirmed.

Roger Sterling > Don Draper

I did get a happy birthday wish from marsup, for the first time this year (unlike most the rest of you, she is nice). My impending silver foxery is beginning to work its magic.

[HauteCoug]

Haute just confirming what I coming to learn more and more, each year - chicks dig quick witted silver haired men. This will likely be my biggest challenge, to avoid the groupies, for years to come.

I'm not sure how I feel about the new, mature, committed family man Don. It is good to see he has grown and seems to care about Megan and their marriage in a way he never did towards Betty - if January's mom, September, looked and acted like Megan's it would have been Don 'relaxin' in the easy chair, not Roger. However,I miss alpha male Don- the guy who said and did things the normal guy could never do. Ironically, even potential customers like the new Don, but don't want him on their accounts.

No question: the silver fox is the finest of them all.

[HauteCoug]

Tonight's wasn't my favorite for some reason.

Spoiler for spoilers:

maybe it was Pete getting it on with Rory Gilmore, or maybe it was Megan's secret actually being acting, which is a total letdown. The one thing that I did enjoy about Megan's choice is that I can connect with it a little bit, not in the sense that I want to be an actress, but in that I understand the internal struggle of choosing a career that makes sense and choosing a career that fulfills you and brings you joy. There is a lot of pressure when you are from a family that is filled with intellectual and successful people - you want to fit into that demographic with them, but all the same you want to find your own measure of happiness and meaning regardless of their choices.

In this case she obviously was extraordinarily talented, and for whatever reason didn't love it (which I find a little crazy, because I'd love her job - but that's besides the point), but I wonder if her husband's involvement in her career was a part of it?

Okay fine. I didn't like it as much because Roger was missing the entire time. NOT ENOUGH SILVER FOX.

[wuapinmon]

Where the hell is Pryce? he whopped Peter's butt, and then nothing since he kissed Joan.

[HauteCoug]

Where the hell is Pryce? he whopped Peter's butt, and then nothing since he kissed Joan.

I was wondering that too. I so wanted to see awkward banter in the fall-out of that amazing event.

[STLcoug]

Pretty cool they used an actual Beatles song though...first time ever on a television show.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ve-and-250000/

[wuapinmon]

Was the open elevator a nod to the opening credits? Is a fall coming?

[pelagius]

Was the open elevator a nod to the opening credits? Is a fall coming?

Well, death has been a theme of about every other episode this season. Don even draws a noose at the beginning of one episode. Death is circling all around Pete: the driver's ed movie, his rifle from season one has been talked about I think a couple of times (although clearly that rifle is a symbol of things besides death for Pete ... themes that also showed up in this last episode), the conversation on the train at the beginning of this last episode (well that storyline hinged on death imagery), etc. The writers seem to be crudely hitting us over the head with death images (particularly with respect to Pete but Don to a lesser extent as well). I think in part it is a fake out; I don't think it can be Pete; too obvious at this point. Maybe someone else, but not Pete. Also, maybe not a literal death or fall.

[wuapinmon]

Well, death has been a theme of about every other episode this season. Don even draws a noose at the beginning of one episode. Death is circling all around Pete: the driver's ed movie, his rifle from season one has been talked about I think a couple of times (although clearly that rifle is a symbol of things besides death for Pete ... themes that also showed up in this last episode), the conversation on the train at the beginning of this last episode (well that storyline hinged on death imagery), etc. The writers seem to be crudely hitting us over the head with death images (particularly with respect to Pete). I think in part it is a fake out; I don't think it can be Pete; too obvious at this point. Maybe someone else, but not Pete. Also, maybe not a literal death or fall.

I agree. I wonder how fruitful reading the NYT from the 60's, looking for reports of suicides by add executives could be? I'm not going to do it, but I'm guessing that there's someone out there (UncleTed could probably find it) who has done it and written about it.

[pelagius]

I agree. I wonder how fruitful reading the NYT from the 60's, looking for reports of suicides by add executives could be? I'm not going to do it, but I'm guessing that there's someone out there (UncleTed could probably find it) who has done it and written about it.

Besides Pete I think the most obvious candidate is the following:

Spoiler for discusses most recent episode:

Beth ... The Betty clone (even the name is the same) that Pete hooks up with.

I would be disappointed if they go that direction as well. It also seems kind of obvious and a little heavy handed for Mad Men.

[Art Vandelay]

A couple of interesting things about this season: Megan being much more complex and interesting than she first appeared to be (remember she started the relationship with Don willing to be his office jump off). As Peggy said, someone "who is good everything".

Don seems to be much a more morally driven person, and is obviously trying (and mostly succeeding) to be a good husband and better father. But I miss impulsive, occasionally angry, always charming Don Draper. I'm guessing, by the end of this season he will start to drift back that direction.

The writers and Vincent Kartheiser do a great job of making Pete more swarmy and pathetic with each passing week. His increasingly reckless behavior will likely reaching another boiling point (I bet Trudy could kick both Pete and Layne's a@#) before long.

[pelagius]

Don seems to be much a more morally driven person, and is obviously trying (and mostly succeeding) to be a good husband and better father. But I miss impulsive, occasionally angry, always charming Don Draper. I'm guessing, by the end of this season he will start to drift back that direction.

Relative to when? Just two episodes ago Don engaged in physical abuse of Megan. And there was plenty of angry and impulsive behavior (not any charming behavior though) that went along with it. Sure, he is trying not to cheat on his wife, but that was pretty vile behavior in Howard Johnson episode. I'm not sure two episodes represent a real change.

[Mormon Red Death]

Was the open elevator a nod to the opening credits? Is a fall coming?

there was a split second where the elevator shaft said "the future".

[Mormon Red Death]

I agree. I wonder how fruitful reading the NYT from the 60's, looking for reports of suicides by add executives could be? I'm not going to do it, but I'm guessing that there's someone out there (UncleTed could probably find it) who has done it and written about it.

according to Slate... Lady Lazarus (the namve of the episode) is a Sylvia Plath poem about suicide.

[HauteCoug]

Tonight bored the hell out of me. With the exception of that gorgeous Jewish boy at dinner. Maybe Viking is onto something.

The best part about tonight's episode?

Spoiler for duh: