tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post7982520636546970311..comments2024-03-25T19:18:14.047-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Mad Men, "The Benefactor": Hey you, get your damn hands off her!Alan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-61026363150682803302012-03-30T06:19:41.775-04:002012-03-30T06:19:41.775-04:00Was I the only one who was more shocked and awed b...Was I the only one who was more shocked and awed by Don bee-lining it to the sink to, erm, wash his hand (hand, singular, kids) after his tryst with Bobbie than by Don sticking his hand up her dress at the dinner?mommacharbearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01513502160327813838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-90591024144748296012009-08-11T13:24:10.813-04:002009-08-11T13:24:10.813-04:00I'm new to the show but having just read the c...I'm new to the show but having just read the comments - I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the Bobbie / Don scene as a homage to Al Swearengen and Deadwood.chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00098290764554181807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-13701307746697054792008-08-25T00:11:00.000-04:002008-08-25T00:11:00.000-04:00@anon, beyond the fact that I saw tonight's episod...@anon, beyond the fact that I saw tonight's episode?<BR/><BR/>Men who can pass as women without surgical or hormone assistance (or even with it) are almost non-existent.R.A. Porterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851961356321735388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34081085585534109952008-08-25T00:06:00.000-04:002008-08-25T00:06:00.000-04:00r.a. porter:Why are you so certain of Bobbie's gen...r.a. porter:<BR/><BR/>Why are you so certain of Bobbie's gender? Doesn't her stereotypically "male" behavior (direct eye contact, strong business savvy, very aggressive, very bold in initiating sex, used to having her way, dismissive, controlling, confident that she can make Jimmy do what she wants) seem out of place in 1962? And in very strong contrast to the other "true women" in Don's life?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-75150130095851894402008-08-24T23:21:00.000-04:002008-08-24T23:21:00.000-04:00@anonymous...um, no. It's *possible* that Bobbie i...@anonymous...um, no. It's *possible* that Bobbie is Jimmy's beard and he puts on a show of being a ladykiller, but she's a woman, baby.R.A. Porterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14851961356321735388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44693656666622408292008-08-24T23:16:00.000-04:002008-08-24T23:16:00.000-04:00Rewatch "The Benefactor".Clues dropped all over th...Rewatch "The Benefactor".<BR/>Clues dropped all over the place (from Jimmy's opening commercial monologue referring to "putting your face in a plate of nuts"; Don rinsing out his mouth when he comes home, before kissing Bettty; the crotch grab at the end -- how Don says to Bobbie threateningly at that point "I will ruin him." How that threat trumps Bobbie's effort to extract 50k from Don ...) I think Bobbie is a man. Don is grabbing him by the balls at the end and reminding him that if he leaks the information, Jimmy'career could be over. that explains why Bobbie, and in turn Jimmy, capitulate so quickly in making the apology Don wants.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-36961991381806178162008-08-23T07:25:00.000-04:002008-08-23T07:25:00.000-04:00I, for one, did not read Harry's comment to his wi...I, for one, did not read Harry's comment to his wife as evidence of heightened sensitivity. During the meeting with Belle Jolie wherein he attempts to sell the controversial television show about abortion, Harry states something to the effect that many women "today" (meaning, of course, "thenday") are modern and intelligent, and would surely enjoy watching a television show that made them think.<BR/><BR/>Alas, I do not think it merely coincidental, then, that Harry goes home and tells his wife that <I>she</I> would not be interested in such a show. She is pregnant, certainly, but I believe it is all too important to note that also, in <I>Mad Men</I>, wives are not supposed to "think."<BR/><BR/>Given my film studies background, I tend to assess the show with a radical feminist critic's eye, and I am often of the opinion that, at heart, <I>Mad Men</I> can be read as being a show about patriarchy-on-parade. Week after week, the show offers its viewers a well-written, self-aware, very dark -- and very stark -- picture of what men can do when they are at their most insidiously (and even quietly) despicable state.<BR/><BR/>Kudos to shows that make us think -- women, men, and indeed, everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24028328202276628612008-08-18T13:40:00.000-04:002008-08-18T13:40:00.000-04:00Do we know for certain that Bobbie is Jimmy's wife...Do we know for certain that Bobbie is Jimmy's wife? In scene where she's bringing the tuxedo, Don expresses surprise that she's there, and that he thought she was Jimmy's wife, not his manager. I don't remember Bobbie saying definitively that she's Jimmy's wife, but got the impression she lied to bein on the previous business meeting.<BR/><BR/>So I took her as just pretending to be Jimmy's wife in order to be better accepted as his manager.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88160436037976606602008-08-15T23:38:00.000-04:002008-08-15T23:38:00.000-04:00Well, I really want to read all the cogent comment...Well, I really want to read all the cogent comments that must be making Weiner cream his jeans in glee that this many people love his writing this much...<BR/><BR/>but all I have time for tonight is this:<BR/><BR/>where *did* they get that clean a print of that show? It wasn't shot on IO or iconoscope; it was clearly film, and that print is equally clearly not a kine; did they get a print from the Museum, or hunt down the original archives?<BR/><BR/>The DVDs I see on Google are certainly boots, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-69862617906288655092008-08-15T21:09:00.000-04:002008-08-15T21:09:00.000-04:00Just noticed this from Da Mayor of Television, in ...Just noticed this from Da Mayor of Television, in reference to this episode:<BR/><BR/>"If something Don does in Sunday's show surprises you, wait 'til next week."<BR/><BR/>Oh, my.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-6877188749713130382008-08-14T17:04:00.000-04:002008-08-14T17:04:00.000-04:00*That's* why it felt off regarding the derision SC...*That's* why it felt off regarding the derision SC boys made about those who wanted to be writers, or those who watched and followed TV series.<BR/><BR/>In any other large agency, Paul wouldn't be derided; he would have been serving his apprenticeship under other experienced radio/TV packagers, to one day head up his own version of an anthology series, with sponsor-friendly topics and a NYC cast, if he could keep the costs down.<BR/><BR/>It's as if Weiner didn't want to tackle 60s TV that much, because he knows that eyeballs go to the screen, rather than the people behind the screen -- a mistake that THE SOPRANOS might have fallen into, with Christophuh's excursions into Hollywood.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28303564969033574412008-08-14T16:47:00.000-04:002008-08-14T16:47:00.000-04:00mo, yes, SC is behind the times. ad agencies were ...mo, yes, SC is behind the times. ad agencies were writing TV programs in the 50s. networks needed programming, agencies needed programs to place advertising.<BR/><BR/>it's hard to tell (and i'm beginning to think i missed some episodes in season one now) how big SC is, they have several floors at least in their building, but they still are what i'd consider a small- to mid-sized agency of that era.pixelwaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029556288989983833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-9037943924560915422008-08-14T13:08:00.000-04:002008-08-14T13:08:00.000-04:00To the person who suggested that the film was La N...To the person who suggested that the film was La Notte. I too thought it was La Notte or La'avvenutura but I checked the ending neither of them end with the hand in the air as it did in the film Don was watching.<BR/><BR/>Someone in another group said that they checked and that It was Last Year at Marienbad.Barbarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08657490052389251254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-71262387421161832172008-08-14T00:36:00.000-04:002008-08-14T00:36:00.000-04:00I am surprised people get offended by Don Draper's...I am surprised people get offended by Don Draper's behaviour. The writers and director have been painting a picture since the first episode of a rather cold, manipulative individual who uses people and lies to them. He turned away his own brother, you will recall, and that's pretty cold. I think the idea is that Draper's good looks and charm hide or disguise his flaws, just like advertising tricks people. They don't want us to like Don, they want us to be fascinated by him. After all, good-looking flawed characters are more interesting that good-looking sensitive characters.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09334982697254488628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-55720274493551627282008-08-13T14:48:00.000-04:002008-08-13T14:48:00.000-04:00Pete's in his same office, but when he mentioned t...Pete's in his same office, but when he mentioned there was plenty of room in his office in Ep 1, I think it was a reference to the fact that he's not doubling up like a lot of the others are now, Harry included. Harry had his own office last season (when he got with Hildy), and this week we see him sharing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-880288839812456532008-08-13T14:43:00.000-04:002008-08-13T14:43:00.000-04:00oh, and cgeye, I'm not savvy enough about the adve...oh, and cgeye, I'm not savvy enough about the advertising industry of the era to know if SC not having a television dept meant it was behind the times. I'd bet the agency was behind the times in that respect, just based on other stuff we've seen on the show. They seem to be sort of slow about that sort of stuff. <BR/><BR/>Hope Harry's promotion means we see a lot more of him in coming episodes seasons. <BR/><BR/>I still don't like his wife, Jennifer, much. I guess given how much I like Harry I was predisposed to like her too. Something about her put me off.Mo Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685367085407381479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53751110775467078342008-08-13T14:38:00.000-04:002008-08-13T14:38:00.000-04:00@portiaslegacy -- good point. I think the Defender...@portiaslegacy -- good point. I think the Defenders ep touched on a lot of things going on with Peggy. I can imagine she got a similar reception from her family when she had the baby. And thus, her family may have "control" over her -- they pull on her reins every chance they get. <BR/><BR/>@andrew johnston:<BR/><BR/>wasn't there some casual remark about Pete's "new" office earlier in the season? but then we saw him in his old office in Flight 1. There's something hinky about the office, I think there must have been some office shuffle in that year we didn't see. We'll find out at some point, I'd guess. <BR/><BR/>Patrick Fischler has also done some great stuff in the Middleman and Burn Notice this summer. <BR/><BR/>One last thought -- I can't wait to see Don and Joan interacting more. Wonder if she'll be a permanent replacement for Lois? Otherwise Joan just sort of floats around the office, it might make it easier to bring her into scenes if she's outside Don's office...Mo Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01685367085407381479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43595705207360753322008-08-12T21:22:00.000-04:002008-08-12T21:22:00.000-04:00About Peggy watching The Defenders - When the scen...About Peggy watching <I>The Defenders</I> - When the scene Harry was watching earlier involved the trial and the number of time the word "abortion" was used to the horror of anyone skittish of the word. The presentation scene that Peggy saw was the one she more likely lived a similar version of; where the father of the girl who had the abortion berates her, saying that he used to feel sorry for other girls who got pregnant without wanting to but is positively repulsed that his daughter would put herself in that position. Last weeks scenes with her family were more tense then dramatic, but it makes you think of what that Thanksgiving must have been like at the Olson home.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-33497442874923567412008-08-12T20:13:00.000-04:002008-08-12T20:13:00.000-04:00amy: Betty a short walk away where she could have ...<B>amy:</B> <I>Betty a short walk away where she could have easily stumbled upon trying to escape Bobbie's horrible husband.</I><BR/><BR/>No way would Betty have left Jimmy alone at the table with the Schillings.<BR/><BR/><B>dennis:</B> <I>On the the point of Betty reacting to the smell of other women: wasn't there a part of her post finding-out-that-don-speaks-to-her-shrink<BR/>"confession"...</I><BR/><BR/>Confession in quotes is right. I think she <B><I>suspected</I></B> Don of affairs and had been chalking up any smells of perfume on him to greeting-goodbye hugs. Even in repeated viewing of that scene I don't get the impression from her she knew for certain let alone smelled sex on him. If anything, it looks as if she thought she was exaggerating to her shrink to drive her point home and ensure Don heard it from the psychiatrist.pixelwaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11029556288989983833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-88927679475556285292008-08-12T19:31:00.000-04:002008-08-12T19:31:00.000-04:00I too am with cgeye. I didn't see the banter goin...I too am with cgeye. I didn't see the banter going on between Bobbie and Don as anything that had to do with sex but more so about power. She kept trying to tell Don how it was going to be with Jimmy, and even when they were in the car and she put the moves on him: she didn't take "no" for an answer. <BR/><BR/>So when he grabbed her (maybe he was looking for the cojones she acted like she owned??), it was shocking, but not really so because of how their "relationship" had been developing. Power! I say "Tit for Tat" (no pun intended)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-37964813191233251522008-08-12T18:58:00.000-04:002008-08-12T18:58:00.000-04:00I've been thinking about the true New Yorkers we'v...I've been thinking about the true New Yorkers we've seen so far, and I have to say the worker bees of SC aren't in that set.<BR/><BR/>Peggy's mom, her sister, Bobbie and Jimmy, *those* people remind me of the people shoving their way on buses and cabs, getting the good rump roast at the butcher's, not hurrying home on the commuter train when the ball drops, but spending the night at a favorite bar or club, where the after-hours curfew is ignored a bit.<BR/><BR/>I see most of the SC crew as being happy in any metropolis. Give them adequate jet and commuter train travel, and a generous relocation budget and/or language training, and the execs would make their way anywhere they were assigned. Bobbie and Jimmy would die before leaving NYC permanently, even if their sunny summer homes tempted. Peggy's family would struggle leaving their neighborhood behind, simply because moving costs money. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if the association of B/J with crassness was the writers' way of clueing us in that the old way of being bound to the city was also going away, a foreshadowing of the stresses NYC would face in later years and the globalization that would allow corporations to consider anywhere but NYC to be their next headquarters....<BR/><BR/>... just wanted to get my head clear from the bobbing for Bobbie thing....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-45024463699514915202008-08-12T17:26:00.000-04:002008-08-12T17:26:00.000-04:00@JustJoan re: Barrett...I suppose the insult humor...@JustJoan re: Barrett...<BR/><BR/>I suppose the insult humor was more Rickles than Jerry Lewis. And, true, Lewis was never in the Rat Pack like Joey Bishop. But Barrett's schtick of eating the chips straight from the bag was pure Lewis. As was his obsessive attention to detail. As was his catchprase. ("Take it from a nut!...") And the names..."Jimmy Barrett"/"Jerry Lewis." No exact correlation was intended, I'm sure, but it seemed a pretty straightforward 80% Lewis, 20% others to me.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15582136184196524214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-34415458444633290322008-08-12T16:44:00.000-04:002008-08-12T16:44:00.000-04:00Sorry, I meant to say his reaction to the abortion...Sorry, I meant to say his reaction to the abortion show in general, not just his reaction of not telling his wife the show's topic. Like Peggy, Harry had a pretty strong reaction to the show, and maybe it's as simple as being worried about having a baby with as little money as they have, but it certainly brought up some strong feelings for him. (I read one recapper who made a gigantic leap and assumed his reaction was because Hildy must have had an abortion, but I don't know where she got that idea.)Nicole Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04614303467784537814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-24202896561584094942008-08-12T16:37:00.000-04:002008-08-12T16:37:00.000-04:00I totally read Harry not telling his wife about th...I totally read Harry not telling his wife about the topic of the show differently. To me, it seemed like Harry's reaction showed that he was ambivalent about having a baby, and that was why he didn't tell his wife the topic of the show. <BR/><BR/>Harry did not seem happy at all during the episode, and if one of the themes was about control, i.e., taking the reins, it seemed that Harry's wife definitely holds the reins in that relationship.Nicole Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04614303467784537814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-78998150031896513852008-08-12T15:38:00.000-04:002008-08-12T15:38:00.000-04:00When Don washed his hands after the car tryst w/Bo...When Don washed his hands after the car tryst w/Bobbie, did anyone else see him also rinse out his mouth w/that dish soap; spit it out; wipe his face on a towel? Then, I almost fell off of the couch when Betty asked if he was hungry and he said, "I already ate." <BR/><BR/>I thought the foreign film, deep look when he gets in the car w/Bobbie had to do with whomever he sent that package to at the end of the first episode of the second season.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com