tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post6259688541877512959..comments2024-03-28T18:01:28.997-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Mad Men, "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency": Today's Tom Sawyer, mean, mean rideAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1337112135472107542010-11-11T10:57:33.894-05:002010-11-11T10:57:33.894-05:00Couldn't bring myself to watch the lawnmower s...Couldn't bring myself to watch the lawnmower scene more than once, but was it clear that Guy's foot was actually severed? I wondered if he lost his foot because Joan used a tourniquet to treat him. I was born in 1964, and by the time I was taught first-aid in the early 1970's, there was a large emphasis on using direct pressure instead of a tourniquet to avoid the unnecessary loss of a limb. Wondering if this was a great touch of authentic writing, to show the effects of 1963's medical technology?Christine Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07355846878727757903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-84022175216760073752009-09-30T18:50:30.176-04:002009-09-30T18:50:30.176-04:00So many great comments, I think almost all of it&#...So many great comments, I think almost all of it's been said. Several people mentioned that the "barbie" was in fact a Midge doll. And, of course, "Midge" was Don's beatnik/hippie mistress in episode 1.The doll even looks like Midge the Mistress. <br /><br />Maybe a stretch, but...<br /><br />This episode was full of foreboding of the horrors to come (Nam, Kennedy assassination, etc). Perhaps an additional horrific flash forward for Sally: her future of rebellion and uncertainty a-la downtown Midge. Surely her generation is about to see a lot more obvious turbulence than her parents ever did as young people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-19326443537894982042009-09-30T03:47:29.790-04:002009-09-30T03:47:29.790-04:00Sometime people speaking too much become funny. Fo...Sometime people speaking too much become funny. For example <a href="http://www.druckle.com/toons/misc/6" rel="nofollow"> See this Cartoon </a>Dave Rucklehttp://www.druckle.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61233300539896192892009-09-27T22:01:59.486-04:002009-09-27T22:01:59.486-04:00Oops.
And that, Pamela, is why I ask people to ma...<i>Oops.</i><br /><br />And <b>that</b>, Pamela, is why I ask people to make an effort to at least skim the previous comments, so they're not wasting their own time, or the other readers', or my own, by repeating things that have already come up.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-79122658843408272592009-09-27T21:24:45.425-04:002009-09-27T21:24:45.425-04:00darn, one more - BMW. was it implied that they did...darn, one more - BMW. was it implied that they didn't get an advertisement in the show? I mean that they didn't advertise on the show. I have seen a lot of their ads in the breaks. It's a big deal as my brother has an old BMW - it's always pointed out. (I have a Saturn... but those didn't exist back then)<br /><br />The "jokes" - we called them "the funnies"Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37777212709017125952009-09-27T21:21:57.356-04:002009-09-27T21:21:57.356-04:00and drat, now I see someone noted the difference i...and drat, now I see someone noted the difference in Betty's treatment of Gene to Bobby and Sally.<br />Oops.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-15940371598260029252009-09-27T21:20:45.922-04:002009-09-27T21:20:45.922-04:00There were a couple of things in the first few pos...There were a couple of things in the first few posts that I wanted to reply to, but only made it to the beginning of page 2 in reading.<br /><br />About Perez Hilton going to the Hilton or somesuch: I looked him up in wikipedia, and it's just an assumed name. He's not actually a Hilton.<br /><br />the other must have been me: thinking how much Betty is doting over Gene. Remember how badly everyone thought she treated Bobby? That she had a thing against boys? (it *was* Betty wasn't it? Not Kate Gosselin, who is currently backpeddling on that as fast as she can)<br />I guess since he's named after her father she can react differently to him, although it was she who did the naming. I've never seen her with a baby, so I don't know how she usually is with them. Did she dote on Bobby till he grew out of baby cuteness? Or did she always dislike him.<br />Close the lights - I've heard it somewhere. Pet the baby - interesting wording.<br /><br />I missed that Midge was Don's first mistress (during the show).<br />And I'd forgot Francie, apparently, in my listing of Barbie's "family" and friends.<br />Thanks for the barbie collector link. I don't, but I do have some of my childhood ones.Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-5226921547009972152009-09-27T15:06:46.594-04:002009-09-27T15:06:46.594-04:00Its Sunday - wonderful that AMC is re-showing all
...Its Sunday - wonderful that AMC is re-showing all<br />episodes from Season 3 .....getting us ready for <br />tonight.....cant wait.....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-83978800235482235362009-09-27T00:12:59.489-04:002009-09-27T00:12:59.489-04:00I made it thru the first two hundred comments...I made it thru the first two hundred comments...Pamela Jayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135379188588301400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-18570760393898131572009-09-26T20:45:54.689-04:002009-09-26T20:45:54.689-04:00jeff allen, you bring up some very good points abo...jeff allen, you bring up some very good points about Betty and motherhood then versus motherhood today. Mad Men is unerringly accurate in its portrayal of life in the eay 1960's. I was born in 1958 and had my children in the 80's. Moms of my generation were different from women of Betty's generation, and I see how different moms like my daughter-in-law today are from us. But even by the standards of her day, Betty is imo quite cold toward her kids. When she was playing bridge with Don, Francine and Carlton last season, she said Bobby was a little liar. Francine said the book said they tell fibs at that age and Betty replied she didn't need a book to tell her whar little boys are like. Even her best friend Francine seemed shocked.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705788002352470163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-32402448479770220892009-09-26T17:35:34.649-04:002009-09-26T17:35:34.649-04:00Ah, well. Didn't quite make it to 400 and a th...Ah, well. Didn't quite make it to 400 and a third page.berkowit28https://www.blogger.com/profile/08194317697552106140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-64276522075376419522009-09-26T09:28:46.253-04:002009-09-26T09:28:46.253-04:00Just to beat "thruppence" into the groun...Just to beat "thruppence" into the ground a tiny bit further: <br /><br />Threepence (pronounced thruppence) is what you pay, as in "I paid thruppence for that tour." <br /><br />Threepenny (pronounced thruppenny) is the adjectival form, as in "I gave the boy a threepenny bit" or "I took the threepenny tour." <br /><br />It's equivalent to the difference between "ten cents" and "ten-cent." Consider "I paid ten cents for that tour" vs. "I took the ten-cent tour."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-40051584224663244462009-09-26T04:39:31.755-04:002009-09-26T04:39:31.755-04:00Lets talk about Betty, and consider the time and w...Lets talk about Betty, and consider the time and where's shes from. <br />I was born in 1960 and as the oldest of a 20 year old I can recognize Betty as a mother. First she barely went from her fathers house to her husbands. Betty isn't invested in being a "good mother" the way women are today. Back then, you got married to leave your parents home. Children were something that happened as a result of this transition. Something expected. I think Betty see's being a mother the same way she she sees being a homemaker/wife/friend/daughter/sister/and even a woman. She really doesn't understand her own emotional immaturity. Remember there was no Oprah, internet groups, or even college educated peers. These women became mothers without planning, or consideration of the impact they might have on these future people. Raising children was another "chore" like housekeeping, cooking, dressing nice, and getting along with their husbands coworkers and their wives. And so children were treated as chores, either easy or difficult. Kids weren't treated as people, and certainly not people in the making. I don't believe Betty even considers that her relations with her kids now will have an impact on who they become, she is not that mature. Betty thinks about what is easy and what is hard. what makes her feel good and what doesn't. <br />This is the brilliance of January Jones and Matt Weiner that have captured what these mothers were really motivated by. Come on, these women could not have been happy. their husbands off to work daily, interacting with other adults, stimulated by adult competition, situations and constantly driven to challenge. The mothers on the other hand were left with the boredom and frustration with the keeping of the house and raising of children. In other words, left without stimulation and faced with "chores", frustrating, unpleasant, lonely work. So not only were they unfulfilled, but they had no support. Husbands refused to see how empty this work could be, and the women felt frustrated, trying to live a life in which your daily interaction was with children, children that offered you nothing in an adult sense and often only disapointment in their ability to fufill any companionship sense. It's not surprising that during this time, housewives turned to their doctors, tired, depressed and were treated with drugs, stimulants mostly. <br />I think January Jones has done a fantastic job in capturing the difficulty and depressing effects of growing into womanhood with only children around to validate or acknowledge the growth of that time.<br />Mothers were not possessed with the knowledge and support in the 60's that they have now. And there are quite a few of us that know that from experience. I applaud Jones and Weiner for trying to show something that is difficult and unattractive todayjeff allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14229959506420542068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-48791179892670510342009-09-25T16:32:22.162-04:002009-09-25T16:32:22.162-04:00By far the best show on TV. Besides the obvious tr...By far the best show on TV. Besides the obvious tremendous characterization, the attention to detail really impresses me.<br />I grew up in the 60s and I can't tell you how many times my mother told me to go bang my head against the wall.<br /><br />Also, when Betty gave Don a can of beer, she used a can opener to pierce two holes in the top. Flip-top cans did not become popular until (I think) the late 60s. I remember using a can opener for soda when I was a kid. I love the attention paid to little stuff like this.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74162094964432909392009-09-25T15:56:15.102-04:002009-09-25T15:56:15.102-04:00MacKendrick’s stricken foot may allude to the coil...<i>MacKendrick’s stricken foot may allude to the coiled snake on the Revolutionary War flag and its motto, "Don't tread on me".</i><br /><br />Brilliant! That'll learn 'em.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15025782058903139785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-50976253633789137712009-09-25T15:02:19.160-04:002009-09-25T15:02:19.160-04:00So having been alerted by someone (jenae) here yes...So having been alerted by someone (jenae) here yesterday, I eagerly turned on NPR at 11 AM (where I live that's when Fresh Air first airs on NPR) to hear the interview with Matt Weiner - only to discover that he had been transmogrified into Jane Fonda. One day too late. The interview with Weiner - which was actually a repeat and first aired a year or two ago - was on *yesterday*, not today.<br /><br />However, as of today, indeed, it's available online at npr.org. So since I never heard it a year or two ago, I'll go listen to it now. It should remain up there for several days.berkowit28https://www.blogger.com/profile/08194317697552106140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-18411856419426460112009-09-25T01:29:03.250-04:002009-09-25T01:29:03.250-04:00I was surprised by how evocative that Barbie box w...I was surprised by how evocative that Barbie box was. The shape and size of that iconic box wrapped in the "the jokes" (as we Chicagoans used to call them)pointed to only one possible present. Over forty-five years later, "the box" still resides somewhere in my gray matter. Pretty scary. A kind of 60s madeleine.Donnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10348480498360834642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66607925060108107152009-09-25T01:02:07.069-04:002009-09-25T01:02:07.069-04:00Drake Lelane got me thinking along these lines. T...Drake Lelane got me thinking along these lines. The writers always seem to group plot elements in an episode. <br />http://drakelelane.blogspot.com/2009/09/mad-men-guy-walks-into-advertising.html<br /><br />For instance --<br /><br />Replacement Theme<br /><br />1) Guy MacKendrick will replace Lane, who is rewarded with a new job in Bombay. After reading some of “Tom Sawyer”, Lane remarks, "I feel like I just attended my own funeral. I didn't like the eulogy."<br /><br />2) Roger Sterling doesn’t get a eulogy – he just gets left out.<br /><br />3) The new management structure for Sterling-Cooper pushes almost everyone down a notch. "One more promotion and we're going to be answering phones," quips Pete.<br /><br />4) Joan leaves her job as office manager, to be replaced by Mr. Hooker.<br /><br />5) Baby Gene replaces Grandpa Gene, as Sally learns.<br /><br />6) The episode ends with Bob Dylan’s “Song to Woody”, Dylan being the folk music heir-apparent to Woody Guthrie. <br /><br />Hey, hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song<br />‘Bout a funny ol’ world that’s acomin’ along. <br />Seems sick an’ it’s hungry, it’s tired and it’s torn. <br />It looks like it’s adyin’ an’ it’s hardly been born.<br /> <br />Reversal of Fortunes Theme (“’Oliver!’ – a tragedy with a happy ending.”)<br /><br />1) Joan’s husband isn’t going to become a surgeon;<br /><br />2) Instead of retiring, Joan learns that she’ll be looking for a new job; <br /><br />3) Don and Betty aren’t going to move to London;<br /><br />4) Guy MacKendrick isn’t going to replace Don Draper and will need to pursue other work, apparently because a good account man must be able to play golf;<br /><br />5) Lane won’t be leaving Sterling-Cooper for Bombay.<br /><br />6) Roger learns that he can’t do as he pleases anymore. “We took their money,” Cooper reminds him. “We have to do what they say.”<br /><br />Unwanted/Unappreciated Gifts Theme<br /><br />1) Lane doesn’t want the stuffed cobra anymore than he wants a new assignment;<br /><br />2) Sally doesn’t want the Barbie doll anymore than she wants baby Gene in the house;<br /><br />3) Joan doesn’t want her retirement party cake;<br /><br />4) Don doesn’t like the champagne;<br /><br />5) Conrad Hilton doesn’t seem pleased with the free advice he solicited from Don. <br /><br />6) Bobby doesn’t appreciate his mother’s advice on how to deal with boredom. “Go bang your head against the wall,” says Betty.<br /><br />Snake Analogies<br /><br />Sometimes snakes represent change or an event that brings about change.<br />Pryce is assigned to Bombay, where the snake-charmer plays a flute to get a cobra to dance to his tune. As the man who does what he's told, Pryce works his magic at businesses like Sterling-Cooper to bring them into abeyance. In Greek mythology Mercury is the god of trade, profit, merchants, travelers and deception Two snakes form a caduceus, Mercury’s trademark emblem.<br /><br />A serpent’s image appears in "The Cask of Amontillado", Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of petty and bitter vengeance. The vindictive Montresor displays his family coat-of-arms to his intended victim: "A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushing a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." The family motto, “Nemo me impune lacessit” means “No one attacks me with impunity.” Poor Fortunato has no idea that Montresor hates him, doesn’t see vengeance symbolized in the coat-of-arms, and literally walks into Montresor's trap.<br /><br />Likewise Guy MacKendrick has no idea that Sterling-Cooper employees are anxious about his visit Several are distressed to learn that the British are coming, an invasion which threatens the July 4th Holiday and compromises Joan’s going-away party. MacKendrick’s stricken foot may allude to the coiled snake on the Revolutionary War flag and its motto, "Don't tread on me".Alannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-80152153865701227182009-09-24T18:08:26.668-04:002009-09-24T18:08:26.668-04:00Jenae, maybe we will learn at some point what happ...Jenae, maybe we will learn at some point what happened with Betty's analysis. I often wonder about something on Mad Men and then it comes up again and the mystery is solved. Don was unhappy with the lack of progress (I believe he told the doctor Betty was becoming more unhappy) so maybe he stopped if. I would be interested to know if the doctor spilled the beans, which was Betty's intention.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705788002352470163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62644314992892860412009-09-24T17:21:04.435-04:002009-09-24T17:21:04.435-04:00**Mathew Weiner will be on NPR's "Fresh A...**Mathew Weiner will be on NPR's "Fresh Air" tomorrow.**<br /><br />Re: Dr. Wayne, it may be true that focusing on Betty's mother would have been fruitful, but I was struck throughout his appearance on the show by what a condescending and wooden posture he took. I think he typifies Freudians of that era. My husband was educated by such men (he's a psychologist), and it lead him to rebel and join the 60's movements for change. (He was appalled by how one psychiatrist teacher operated at home with his wife and kids, talking down to everyone.) Those Freudian analysts were all-too-often condescending and oppressive. <br /><br />When Wayne got excited by Betty's revelation of Don's infidelity, I thought maybe he was realizing he had failed to comprehend Betty's life and he was going to forget his orthodox Freudian protocol (only early childhood matters), but we never saw more from him, so...?<br /><br />Maybe I'm over-generalizing about Freudian therapists. I read "In the Freud Archives" and was appalled when a group of Freudians tried to convince Jeffrey Masson that whether a child is actually sexually abused by an adult, or has only had an illicit fantasy about sexual contact with an adult, from the psychological point of view, it makes no difference. That's as inane and appalling as saying that a rape fantasy has the same consequences as actually being raped. They were really trying to tell Masson that if someone was abused as a child, it's not particularly important. Only ideas in the mind matter, and fantasies are the same as real events. <br /><br />Anyway, enough of me ragging on the Freudians; I'm sure there have been and are some good ones. Is it a gap in the show's narrative that we never find out why Betty left Dr Wayne? Or was that explained and I missed it? It would seem an important question whether he failed her, or she, as imamarilyn is suggesting, couldn't handle examining her life. (Maybe it was both.)jenaehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17454223874257032929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57828663652782778142009-09-24T16:22:29.603-04:002009-09-24T16:22:29.603-04:00"Betty has so many reasons to feel isolated, ..."Betty has so many reasons to feel isolated, depressed and trapped, I could write for pages listing them all."<br /><br />I suppose that's why I sympathize with her so much. Her plight seems to resonate with me on some level, more than any other character on the show besides Joan. She's very much a product of her upbringing and conditioning. So is Don, but as a man he has much more freedom and opportunity to pursue his wants. Not so for women at that time -- which is what makes Peggy's arc interesting. She is part of a movement to break those constraints that, for various reasons, Betty and Joan either couldn't or wouldn't dream of joining.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064401003295451271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-66880329721227210962009-09-24T16:11:06.935-04:002009-09-24T16:11:06.935-04:00mmjoan, great thoughts on Betty. To me, she is the...mmjoan, great thoughts on Betty. To me, she is the perfect example of the unhappy, trapped housewife of her day. January Jones does such an awesome job portraying her. Another poster a while back said Don and Betty share an inability to be happy and that is so true. Don said in Season 1 that he thought only people who were unhappy went to psychiatrists, then asked Betty if she was happy. Betty replied something like of course, I'm happy, look at all this. She does indeed have many things she could be happy about...beautiful home, beautiful children, lots of money, successful husband, she is physically gorgeous, she has lots of leisure time, she can engage in an expensive hobby like riding, Don is at least making an attempt to be a better husband. Even if Don became the faithful, perfect husband it would not make Betty happy, because she is at her core an unhappy person. <br /><br />She is a very intelligent woman (while being a child emotionally) so at an intellectual level even she thinks she should be happy. She has the money to go to a psychiatrist, something other women of lesser means could not do, and that imo only increased her unhappiness. She was in so much denial that when Dr. Wayne touched on one of her core issues -- "you're angry at your mother" -- she accused him of "provoking" her. She was paying him to help her and when he actually started with something that would have been helpful to explore, she became defensive and shut him down.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12705788002352470163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-27865051160485220632009-09-24T11:41:34.779-04:002009-09-24T11:41:34.779-04:00Jed,
I have learned that only women whose lives r...Jed,<br /><br />I have learned that only women whose lives revolve around their husbands (intentionally or otherwise) can truly understand women like Betty. <br /><br />It is easy to say she has no reason to be unhappy or feel trapped. It is easy to suggest she get involved in the community or on a board via the help of her husband as a means to stay busy and feel useful. But it is never that simple. <br /><br />Of course Betty feels lonely and sad. Her whole life revolves around Don. Yes, when you get married that tends to happen. But Don goes to work and is surrounded by people who respect him. He eats nice meals and has adult conversations. And in previous seasons he even hops in the sack with a mistress. All while Betty is home raising his kids and preparing his meals. <br /><br />My heart broke for her when she convinced him she wanted to work as a model again for the coke ads. Finally, she had her chance to accomplish something separate from Don (or so she thought). And then he took that away from her, even if she doesn't know he's the reason they fired her. <br /><br />In S2 she took up riding and it was obvious it gave her something to look forward to. When she was finally assertive enough to tell Don to leave and considers a life after divorce like Helen Bishop's, she gets pregnant. Once again, the decision is made for her. You can say she could have left him anyway, but that is completely unrealistic. <br /><br />Betty has so many reasons to feel isolated, depressed and trapped, I could write for pages listing them all.<br /><br />Imamarilyn, you were right on. Betty cannot even consider leaving Don right now.mmjoannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-7644749211518907662009-09-24T11:38:14.248-04:002009-09-24T11:38:14.248-04:00I was hoping that the tractor was a John Deere so ...I was hoping that the tractor was a John Deere so that it might be reversed to read Dear John, given the fact that there were so many relationships getting the heave ho. But alas my wife tells me it was International Harvester.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18393950118940551151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-74410729989290753222009-09-24T09:50:42.584-04:002009-09-24T09:50:42.584-04:00Here's what Wikipedia says:
The threepence o...Here's what Wikipedia says: <br /><br /><i>The threepence or thrupenny bit was a denomination of currency used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound in 1971.<br /><br />Before decimalisation brought about a new currency with new coinage, the sum of three pence was pronounced variously "THROOP-ence" "THREPP-ence" or "THRUPP-ence" reflecting different pronunciations in the various regions of Great Britain. Likewise, the coin was usually referred to in conversation as a "THROOP-nee" "THREPP-nee" or "THRUPP-nee" bit.</i><br /><br />I guess we are all partially right.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15025782058903139785noreply@blogger.com