tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post3692592466309437183..comments2024-03-19T03:23:06.738-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Mad Men: Matt Weiner speaksAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80040791900389168022009-11-19T09:03:30.352-05:002009-11-19T09:03:30.352-05:00Plus she's already acquired the habit of drink...Plus she's already acquired the habit of drinking alone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74933990959689477012009-11-18T22:33:21.892-05:002009-11-18T22:33:21.892-05:00Anonymous at 8:36: Absolutely; Betty seems like a ...Anonymous at 8:36: Absolutely; Betty seems like a textbook case of an alcoholic mom. She's ripe for it: unhappy, plenty of disposable income, and not much to do (other than be a full-time mom, which she seems to detest).Magentanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-14874618845427206822009-11-18T20:36:56.264-05:002009-11-18T20:36:56.264-05:00While I dislike Betty for being a spoiled child wh...While I dislike Betty for being a spoiled child who hates her children, I can't really criticize her for having another relationship lined up before she leaves Don. Many of us don't have the courage to leave without feeling secure that we won't be alone, and all the more so for a woman with 3 kids in the early 60s. Further, she has waited to leave the marriage before sleeping with Henry. However, I do think she's simply falling into another fantasy of a handsome, adoring protector, and the fantasy will end badly. Don will always survive--he's learned to do so out of necessity and desperation. Not so for Betty, who has no resources beyond her beauty. I see possible alcoholism/pill addiction in Betty's future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-60389379603757922202009-11-18T20:26:58.607-05:002009-11-18T20:26:58.607-05:00Favorite moments from the finale:
Sally telling D...Favorite moments from the finale:<br /><br />Sally telling Don: You say things and you don't mean them and you can't just do that," showing more insight into Don than Betty has ever had.<br /><br />Roger asking Peggy to get him coffee and Peggy responding No without even looking up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85165816754196202782009-11-18T00:40:18.655-05:002009-11-18T00:40:18.655-05:00One more observation: Don keeps the photo of "...One more observation: Don keeps the photo of "Dick and Adam 1944" but burns the 1950 photo of Adam with Dick in uniform.PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70403349329105534432009-11-18T00:32:48.646-05:002009-11-18T00:32:48.646-05:00Depending upon which timeline you are going by, Di...Depending upon which timeline you are going by, Dick was either 18 or 24 when he enlisted in the military. I personally believe that he was 24. However, even if he was 18, he did not have to return home post Korea. Dick was escaping something much worse. His panic whenever he was confronted with his past, and his reaction to Adam's turning up far exceeded just a fear of the identity switch being known. And of course, Don does have a way with words. "There was a mix up." That doesn't sound so bad.PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-12244581139938212122009-11-18T00:11:11.205-05:002009-11-18T00:11:11.205-05:00I do not believe that Dick's family was all th...I do not believe that Dick's family was all that poor. In "The Hobo Code" they looked like they were doing OK, especially for depression times. Abigail set out a nice meal for the family and the hobo, and even was going to give the hobo a quarter for work not yet completed.PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-71826900080273960092009-11-17T23:57:14.410-05:002009-11-17T23:57:14.410-05:00I really do not foresee "Mad Men" giving...I really do not foresee "Mad Men" giving any time to the 1964 Presidential campaign. We have to to move further ahead than that. I wouldn't expect every little detail to be filled in. After all, we probably only have two more seasons to get us through the 60s, as well as to uncover the mystery of the six years in Dick's life prior to his military service in Korea. Remember that S1 ended with the birth of Peggy's baby, and S2 began 15 months later.PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-21148914261186480782009-11-17T23:43:27.780-05:002009-11-17T23:43:27.780-05:00Maura said: RE: Adam's timeline. It's tot...Maura said: RE: Adam's timeline. It's totally off, and I don't think MW ever gave an explanation for it.<br /><br />I simply cannot believe that a show with such great writing and meticulous attention to detail could make such a blatant error. Also, it seems to me that a very deliberate point was made by having Adam state that he was only eight years old when he spotted Don/Dick on the train in 1950. Then there is the photo of Dick and Adam that we have been shown numerous times. On each occasion, the photo has been turned over to show the inscription "Dick and Adam 1944." Adam certainly did not look like he was two years old in that photo. He looked like he was eight years old in 1944.<br /><br />Likewise, Dick did not look like he was twelve in the 1944 photo. It would make more sense for him to have been 18 in 1944 and 24 in 1950. That would make him 37 in 1963, which is what he told Suzanne his age was. The real Don Draper would have been 46, so he was not using the age of his alias. Assuming that Dick went to Korea at the age of 24, there is a six year gap in his life that we know nothing about. Therein lies the mystery!PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-49791834807383854022009-11-17T17:21:27.541-05:002009-11-17T17:21:27.541-05:00Interesting speculation, Anonymous at 4:27. I won...Interesting speculation, Anonymous at 4:27. I wonder how much of an opportunity Rockefeller's candidacy would give the new SCDP firm. Rockefeller ran in the primaries. I'm not sure how many resources were devoted to the primaries in 1964. Wasn't that still the era of candidates being nominated in smoke-filled rooms at the convention? In the general election that year, advertising played a big role, with the "daisy" ad that scared people into thinking that Goldwater would lead the country into nuclear war. Anyway, I kind of hope that Henry doesn't have a big role. He is my least favorite character, after Suzanne.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53898571486841769562009-11-17T11:36:44.246-05:002009-11-17T11:36:44.246-05:00PanAm said: I am surprised that no one (to my kno...PanAm said: <i>I am surprised that no one (to my knowledge) has ever mentioned the contradictory timeline involving Adam. The photo showing Adam with Dick in 1944 cannot be the same Adam who was eight years old during the time of the Korean war. The questions to be answered in future seasons are "Who is Adam?" and "What terrible occurrence prompted Dick to run away and become someone else?"</i> <br /><br />I think the terrible occurrence is the whole of Dick's childhood. The son of a whore and a miserable SOB, the stepson of a religious zealot (who, interestingly enough, "took up" with Uncle Mac. Don never said they were married), Dick was psychologically (and maybe physically) abused, dirt poor, and had no way to get out other than to grab an opportunity when it presented itself. He was desperate not to go back to his family.<br /><br />RE: Adam's timeline. It's totally off, and I don't think MW ever gave an explanation for it. I've chosen to believe it was written in The Gilmore Girls space/time continuum, in which there can be two Saturdays in a week, Friday and Monday are consecutive days, people can be in two places at once, and it stays light out until 9PM in the middle of a New England winter if it fits the plot. Anything else gives me a headache. :)Maurahttp://occasionalblond.vox.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88772752239188949622009-11-16T17:29:09.133-05:002009-11-16T17:29:09.133-05:00Thanks Alan for another great season full of discu...Thanks Alan for another great season full of discussion and insight!<br /><br />I can't help, like the rest, try to speculate what the big changes mean for the lesser, side characters. One of my favorite parts of the last episode was seeing Kinsey look into Peggy's office and yell "damn it!" I thought what a perfect last scene from a character whom I wouldn't mind if I ever saw again. When I realized, during the last episode, what the big caper was, I was hoping so badly that they didn't ask Harry to come. Unfortunately he had put himself into a position where they needed him, but I find Harry completely annoying. I honestly wouldn't mind not seeing Kinsey, Sal, or Ken in MM ever again. Not that I don't appreciate their stories, but I think that it would just open up time for new characters and more depth with the ones we really care about. I loved season 3, but really wished that Peggy's story wasn't ignored as much. <br /><br />Althought, I have been thinking about one possible scenario that would keep these side character in the picture: What if the PPL-SC sale was cancelled because of the SCDP coup? What if PPL couldn't sell SC, so there only options are to shut it down or to use as their American division, as envisioned at season two's end. Then maybe we could see Ken, Kinsey and everyone else under the direction of the peg-legged brittish account man, Guy Mckendrick. <br /><br />I, again like everyone else, will/would miss Sal but I hate it when shows can't let dead characters be dead (see Heroes*) I just can't see a plausable way to bring him back into the fold that isn't too much of a cosmic reset button thing.<br /><br />*god, what an awful show, I can't believe I made it all the way through season two before swearing it off.<br /><br />Anyways, I can't wait for next season.Tim HWnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-8270177219455253312009-11-16T16:27:58.208-05:002009-11-16T16:27:58.208-05:00We can pinpoint when the Draper marriage ended: wh...We can pinpoint when the Draper marriage ended: when Betty told Don that he was inferior to her, and he in turn called her a whore. Her expression of superiority mirroed the contempt that Abigal and Archie Whitman felt torwards young Dick. The self loathing that resulted from this parental rejection has been driving Dick/Don ever since. There is no way he can live under the same roof with a wife that regards him in the same way.<br /><br />Contrary to Betty's statement that she no longer loves Don, her expression of emotion during her last conversation with him demonstrated that she has considerable feelings for him. When Don told her that he would essentially let her go, she realized that the marriage was actually over. Even though the words had been said, it still came as a shock to her.<br /><br />Many have wondered how and why Betty married Don while knowing so little about his background. Now we are asking the same questions about Betty and Henry. Another blogger on another site calculated that they have spent 13 min together on screen. They have exchanged letters and were likely were in contact between episodes, but the fact remains that these 2 are ready to get married without really knowing anything about each other. Why ? The clues we have about Don's courtship of Betty is that they met while she was modeling a fur coat for Don's employer (Teddy the Greek ?). Don later gave her the coat and essentially swept her off of her feet. She responded to a grand gesture. Henry in turn has offered to marry her, making their relationship respectable rather than tawdry. A marriage proposal is a surprising and grand way of expressing one's feelings. What are Henry's motives ? As viewers we know very little about him other than he is from a Blue Collar background (accent, annecdote about moving furniture) and has a reputation as a lady's man (implied comment from elder Junior League member during the meeting in Betty's living room). What does he want or expect from Betty ?<br /><br />I think Betty will continue to be a character on MM for 2 reasons. She is the mother of the Draper children, and Don does care about them, thus they will have to interact if only to facilitate his spending time with his children. The other reason is Henry Francis. We know that Rockefeller runs in the '64 Presidential Election and that Rockefeller, Francis and Roger Sterling (and probably Bert Cooper) are connected to each other. Lets see... a compaign that will spend some money to get their message out and an ad firm just getting off of the ground... Easy conclusion is that SCD&P do some work for the compaign putting idea man Don in direct contact with compaign manager Henry. What are the odds that Betty tells Henry about Don's secrets? What are the odds that an experienced political operative like Henry doesn't try to use that information to his advantage ? Plot developments between Betty, Don and Henry will be a significant part of S-4.<br /><br />MW has said on several occasions that he writes backward, meaning that he knows the ending then creates the sequence of events that leads to his chosen conclusion. He has also stated that ep 1 of S2 contained many clues as to the trajectory of the S2 story arc. Since ep1 of S3 is available online, it may be worth the effort to revisit it to look for clues as to the arc of S3. For example the opening shot of Don's feet can be viewed as Don standing on his own two feet- which is where the end of the season found him- striking out on his own and standing on his own two feet. <br /><br />It will be along 9 odd months.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-87259046486297689082009-11-15T23:44:58.362-05:002009-11-15T23:44:58.362-05:00It has taken me three seasons to fully realize tha...It has taken me three seasons to fully realize that what takes place during the 60s on "Mad Men" has very little to do with plot development. Rather, "Mad Men" is about the changes that occurred during the 60s, and how those changes affected Don Draper and the people in his world. Anyone, myself most definitely included, who predicted major dramatic plot developments involving the characters in the 60s was on the wrong track.<br /><br />The Season 3 finale was so strong mainly because now, with the changes that have occurred, it is possible to begin Season 4 at any time in the future. This would be the perfect time to jump ahead to 1967 or 1968. We really have no need to see how SCDP gets to where they will be in the late 1960s, or how Betty and Henry's relationship progressed.<br /><br />The plot is essentially found in the back story of Dick Whitman, how he became Don Draper, and how his actions affect everyone in his world. There is still much more to be revealed about Don's past life as Dick. <br /><br />I am surprised that no one (to my knowledge) has ever mentioned the contradictory timeline involving Adam. The photo showing Adam with Dick in 1944 cannot be the same Adam who was eight years old during the time of the Korean war. The questions to be answered in future seasons are "Who is Adam?" and "What terrible occurrence prompted Dick to run away and become someone else?" What occurs in any future relationship between Betty and Henry is irrelevant. And yes, Don and Betty are over.PanAm53https://www.blogger.com/profile/13133526724573682036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-86182932193681805542009-11-15T05:30:56.238-05:002009-11-15T05:30:56.238-05:00Day Late iTunes Girl:
I both love and hate that W...Day Late iTunes Girl:<br /><br />I both love and hate that Weiner says "I'm not big on giving the audience what they want.." <br /><br />I want Sal back,I want Betty to be around,etc. <br /><br />But only because Bryan Batt and January Jones are amazing actors.<br /><br />But Weiner is right,people don't always stick around in our lives. If their stories lines are used up it would be foolish to force it. <br /><br />..and at least we aren't losing Joan Holloway Harris or Harry Crane!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26954477511422872992009-11-13T16:54:32.117-05:002009-11-13T16:54:32.117-05:00Betty didn't decide she didn't love Don un...Betty didn't decide she didn't love Don until she found out who he really was. Weiner made it clear in his interview that she couldn't accept this. She is either a very shallow character or a very unrealistic one. In either case, she is not someone I want to spend my time watching on the show. and that goes double--triple, actually--for Henry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1058904408571852992009-11-13T15:30:14.441-05:002009-11-13T15:30:14.441-05:00Weiner specifically says that he wanted the Draper...Weiner specifically says that he wanted the Draper marriage to end not because Betty found out who Don was but because she doesn't love him. He also says Betty is going after the romantic attachment she was missing from Don. Whether or not she'll find it in Henry, we will see. <br /><br />He wrote Betty as a woman who sees love as being worshipped and adored, and Don did not love her that way. Henry said he would do whatever it took to make her happy well before she found out about Dick Whitman. Henry's words seduced her back then. Her decision to leave Don is not simply the result of learning his mother was a prostitute. <br /><br />If Betty does marry Henry between now and S4, I hope they make each other happy. And I hope Don doesn't get married again period. Some people aren't meant to be married, and I think he is one of them. I see nothing wrong with him being a perpetual bachelor and ladies' man.mmjoannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36854195910710956312009-11-13T02:41:41.117-05:002009-11-13T02:41:41.117-05:00First I'd like to say I really enjoy your blog...First I'd like to say I really enjoy your blog, and the extensive analysis in particular. (Looking forward to the last The Wire rewatching seasons! :P) <br /><br />Second, just a couple of small things... I guess you could call them complaints, but that doesn't matter: The call was a disappointingly short read and did not have a lot of content. Seconds, you should have (and should, now) make it clearer that there are spoilers in it. (Specifically, one, you know the one I'm talking about.)<br /><br />Anyway, good day!Orihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06467842739859533468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-65608131934202966122009-11-13T02:03:53.020-05:002009-11-13T02:03:53.020-05:00I hope Kim Hill asks better questions then she did...<i>I hope Kim Hill asks better questions then she did at the conference. "Do you think Don is stupid?" was a cracker. Weiners response was crackup.</i><br /><br />Oh, dear, she didn't did she? What was his response?Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196372589248892579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9774810244826633612009-11-12T23:50:54.150-05:002009-11-12T23:50:54.150-05:00I hope Kim Hill asks better questions then she did...I hope Kim Hill asks better questions then she did at the conference. "Do you think Don is stupid?" was a cracker. Weiners response was crackup.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64552782969333611662009-11-12T23:33:06.896-05:002009-11-12T23:33:06.896-05:00It is ironic that the real Mrs. Don Draper was abl...It is ironic that the real Mrs. Don Draper was able to forgive Don, but Betty wasn't. I remain disappointed with the way the Draper marriage ended and wonder if the writers won't live to regret the apparently finality with which they killed it off. There was incredible chemistry between Don and Betty, even when things were going badly between them. I'm really not interested in seeing Don dating. And I definitely don't want to see Henry again. He and Betty are truly an odd couple. If anyone doesn't believe it, try to imagine Henry with Betty in her Roman outfit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-17976368644348056522009-11-12T17:33:50.291-05:002009-11-12T17:33:50.291-05:00When you said Matthew Weiner was on holiday, I did...When you said Matthew Weiner was on holiday, I didn't realise he was on holiday here in New Zealand. He's giving an interview on Radio New Zealand tomorrow morning, probably a fairly susbstantial interview of half-an-hour or more. You'll be able to hear the interview after it airs at http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturdayMatthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08196372589248892579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-58179530267524463882009-11-12T14:34:22.391-05:002009-11-12T14:34:22.391-05:00Matthew is currently in New Zealand. I had the pri...Matthew is currently in New Zealand. I had the privilege of stalking him to the toilets at a conference and talking about season 3 on the way out :)<br /><br />He didn't really say much about season 3 as it's only just started here. He talked about how Don having no contract at the end of season 2 was a reflection of what was happening with him at AMC. 2 Weeks before the final he still had no contract. Apparently they played hard ball and even threatened using another writer. <br /><br />Really interesting guy who has a great all round knowledge about TV. Right to the apples 'being too perfect for the shot, apples weren't like that back in the day.'<br /><br />Also I doubt Mad men will reach the 70's, he suggested the 60's had to much depth to make it that far.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53291997385752362092009-11-12T12:34:53.038-05:002009-11-12T12:34:53.038-05:00Alison Brie (Trudy) was on Fox News' "Red...Alison Brie (Trudy) was on Fox News' "Red Eye" last night. The host, Greg Gutfeld, seemed to be a fan of "Mad Men"; at least he knew a lot about the past season and its characters. He asked Alison why Betty would leave Don Draper for Henry Francis and Alison said something like, We women want something besides good looks in a man. He also asked her about the Charleston that she and Pete did and she said she and Vincent K. had to take six weeks of dance lessons, twice a week. Lance Reddick, of "The Wire" and "Fringe" was also a guest. "Red Eye" usually has interesting guests; not the big stars, but sometimes the more interesting ones.CarolMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06357698369178272616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64473231899858117342009-11-12T11:58:48.436-05:002009-11-12T11:58:48.436-05:00Hi. Remember what I said about deleting any future...Hi. Remember what I said about deleting any future comments that were full of complaints about other commenters, rather than about the show itself? <br /><br />I meant it. <br /><br />Behave. People disagreeing with you is not a calamity. It is not a personal attack on you. It is a <i>discussion of a TV show</i>.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.com