Mad-Men: 5.13 "Phantom" (open spoilers)

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

He specifically told Joan not to mention it to the other partners.

It's still on my DVR.

Don: How much did he put in for collateral after Lucky Strike left?

Joan: Fifty Thousand Dollars.

Don: We should pay that back.

Joan: Shouldn't we have a vote?

Don: No. Cut a check to his wife.

He did make a unilateral decision but didn't tell Joan to keep it a secret.

[ThelmaLou]

I haven't seen this addressed: wasn't it Megan's actress girlfriend who asked Megan to intercede with Don to get her [the gf] an audition for the Beauty and the Beast commercial? The next thing we know, Megan was asking for the audition for herself. Had Megan not thought of doing this until the gf suggested it? It seems like something was left out here. I'm guessing when the gf sees the commercial, she will never speak to Megan again.

[Acsenray]

Nothing was left out. She agreed ti ask in behalf if her friend but instead asked for herself.

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

Nothing was left out. She agreed ti ask in behalf if her friend but instead asked for herself.

Yes, and not only that, Megan wasn't even aware of it until her friend told her about it.

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by Zsofia

Definitely. My first cruise was in the mid-90's to Alaska and the food was amazing. (My dad accidentally sat through a silverware lecture, too, and since then has been prone to lecturing on the subject - you also used to get a TON more silver.)...

I don't understand, are you saying the waitstaff actually lectured your father on which fork to use, or he wandered into some kind of lecture on the history of serving utensils.

Originally Posted by ThelmaLou

I haven't seen this addressed: wasn't it Megan's actress girlfriend who asked Megan to intercede with Don to get her [the gf] an audition for the Beauty and the Beast commercial? The next thing we know, Megan was asking for the audition for herself. Had Megan not thought of doing this until the gf suggested it? It seems like something was left out here. I'm guessing when the gf sees the commercial, she will never speak to Megan again.

I don't think the blonde woman is that close a friend of Megan's, just someone she met recently in acting class.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

He specifically told Joan not to mention it to the other partners.

No, he didn't, says the guy who watched the show at 3 this morning while doing his hour on the treadmill. Joan told him about the check; he told her to cut a check to Miss Honey; she asked if the partners didn't need to vote on it first; he said no. Asserting the power to make the decision unilaterally is not the same as saying "don't tell our partners about this."

[Bob Ducca]

Anyone else wish Don had just looked at Mrs. Pryce and said "Give me some sugar, Baby."

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by Skald the Rhymer

No, he didn't, says the guy who watched the show at 3 this morning while doing his hour on the treadmill. Joan told him about the check; he told her to cut a check to Miss Honey; she asked if the partners didn't need to vote on it first; he said no. Asserting the power to make the decision unilaterally is not the same as saying "don't tell our partners about this."

It's probably a moot point anyway. Next season will likely pick up after nine or so months of Mad Men chronology so any comments or disputes about the check will be old news around SCDP.

[Zsofia]

Originally Posted by alphaboi867

I don't understand, are you saying the waitstaff actually lectured your father on which fork to use, or he wandered into some kind of lecture on the history of serving utensils.



I don't think the blonde woman is that close a friend of Megan's, just someone she met recently in acting class.

This is the wrong thread, but they had classes on how to properly use all the silverware (because at the time dinners were very formal on cruise ships.) Dad was meeting us in the Explorer's Lounge or what have you and he was half an hour early and one happened around him, so now if you don't look out he'll explain what fork you're supposed to use.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

It's probably a moot point anyway. Next season will likely pick up after nine or so months of Mad Men chronology so any comments or disputes about the check will be old news around SCDP.

This is certainly correct. And it's a necessity if Sally remains a major character in the next season (likely) and if the same little girl keeps portraying her (virtually certain if (a) happens).

[Bob Ducca]

Sepinwall has an interesting interview w/ Matthew Weiner about the fifth season and the finale.

[Tim R. Mortiss]

"What's a Regina?"

When Roger calls the apartment, pretending to be Megan's father and looking for a booty-call with Megan's mother, the old French chick drops a line about "Regina." After hanging up, Roger looks at the camera and asks, "What's a Regina?"

Does anyone have any idea what this exchange was all about?

[Sampiro]

Originally Posted by Tim R. Mortiss

"What's a Regina?"

When Roger calls the apartment, pretending to be Megan's father and looking for a booty-call with Megan's mother, the old French chick drops a line about "Regina." After hanging up, Roger looks at the camera and asks, "What's a Regina?"

Does anyone have any idea what this exchange was all about?

Megan's father is at a conference in Regina. When Roger called, Marie pretends it's her husband/Megan's father on the line and asks him how the conference in Regina is so that Megan will go away and not listen. Roger doesn't know/doesn't care where Marie's husband is so he just hears 'blah blah Regina yadda conference' until she starts actually talking to him.

[alphaboi867]

Originally Posted by Tim R. Mortiss

...Does anyone have any idea what this exchange was all about?

What Sampiro said, plus Roger was confused because he never hear the word before and it sound's like vagina.

[What the .... ?!?!]

Originally Posted by Absolute

This still leaves the question of Lane's 12.5% ownership of the company itself unresolved. This is certainly worth a lot more than $50,000 - but it also likely that the company is under no obligation to buy it out from Mrs. Pryce. Many partnership agreements simply change the ownership of deceased partners to a non-voting share, but this is by no means guaranteed, and Mrs. Pryce's comment to Don suggests that she believes they do actually owe her something for it.

You can't know that..... if the partners draw the money out as fast as it comes in then there is little value to the company....especially since an ad agency is not likely to have much goodwill if the key people leave.

Granted they seem to be rolling in dough and we don't know that they have been drawing it out.

Mrs Pryce (is she in Californication?) could cause quite a stink next season with regard to the finances and what has happened in the three months since he died.

[Jophiel]

I'm probably well behind the curve on this one, but it randomly occurred to me yesterday that Rory Gilmour's husband likely bullies into the electroshock when she's being unfaithful to clear her slate. He knew she was having an affair (even if it was just the once) and then off she goes to lose her short term memory again. He also said she's unfaithful on a regular basis and she said she's had the therapy multiple times before.

I assume she does have other issues she was originally seeing the doctor for but I feel like her infidelity is now treated as a symptom of those issues. "You cheated? Must be your disorder acting up. I'll call the hospital..."

[Bob Ducca]

Originally Posted by What the .... ?!?!

Mrs Pryce (is she in Californication?) could cause quite a stink next season with regard to the finances and what has happened in the three months since he died.

Yes, Californication. She's Embeth Davidtz who many around here might also know as the female lead in Army of Darkness.

[Acsenray]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

I'm probably well behind the curve on this one, but it randomly occurred to me yesterday that Rory Gilmour's husband likely bullies into the electroshock when she's being unfaithful to clear her slate. He knew she was having an affair (even if it was just the once) and then off she goes to lose her short term memory again. He also said she's unfaithful on a regular basis and she said she's had the therapy multiple times before.

I assume she does have other issues she was originally seeing the doctor for but I feel like her infidelity is now treated as a symptom of those issues. "You cheated? Must be your disorder acting up. I'll call the hospital..."

This might be an element of it, but from her own statements, she does seem to suffer from depression and does seem to acknowledge that she feels better after the treatments.

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by Acsenray

This might be an element of it, but from her own statements, she does seem to suffer from depression and does seem to acknowledge that she feels better after the treatments.

Yeah, like I said, I'm sure it originally stemmed from somewhere. But it would be "easy" to say "You're doing this because of your sickness. We're going to get you help."

She also wouldn't be the first to rationalize behavior, be it her own, her husband's or the doctor's. The whole "I knew she was cheating if not who with, now she's having electroshock which just happens to wipe her memory of whoever she's cheating with" aspect just seemed too happy a coincidence. Particularly when it's revealed that neither incident (infidelity, treatment) is happening for the first time. Hell, maybe part of feeling better is doing away with the guilt of her actions because they're wiped from her mind.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Originally Posted by Bob Ducca

Yes, Californication. She's Embeth Davidtz who many around here might also know as the female lead in Army of Darkness.

I prefer to think of her as Miss Honey in Matilda, but that's just me.

[choie]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

Yeah, like I said, I'm sure it originally stemmed from somewhere. But it would be "easy" to say "You're doing this because of your sickness. We're going to get you help."

She also wouldn't be the first to rationalize behavior, be it her own, her husband's or the doctor's. The whole "I knew she was cheating if not who with, now she's having electroshock which just happens to wipe her memory of whoever she's cheating with" aspect just seemed too happy a coincidence. Particularly when it's revealed that neither incident (infidelity, treatment) is happening for the first time. Hell, maybe part of feeling better is doing away with the guilt of her actions because they're wiped from her mind.

This predicates that ECT is some kind of Star Trek-era memory eraser, or the Harry Potter spell oblivio. In ECT you can't know, much less specify, which memories get lost. You lose some memories, often but not always short term memories, but they often come back from anywhere within a few hours to a couple of weeks post-treatment -- and again, there's no way to know which memories will be lost, or if any are going to be permanent.

She's obviously remembered Pete before, so it's not like she was bopping over to the hospital to get zapped every time she slept with him.

(Though frankly that's exactly what I'd be doing if I found myself sleeping with the guy, just on the off-chance I could wipe my memory of the incident!)

And if it seems a happy coincidence it's because it was -- pure coincidence, needed for the scene. Weiner wanted Pete to be honest, and so he gave Beth (was that her name? Such a dull freakin' character, who cares) convenient amnesia to allow Pete the confessional.

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by choie

In ECT you can't know, much less specify, which memories get lost. You lose some memories, often but not always short term memories...

Her comment on it, from her experience, was that she would not remember Pete after it happened. Whatever the medical reality of it is in the non-"Mad Men" world, that's how it was explained by the character. That was the whole reason she wanted one last time with Pete before she went in.

She's obviously remembered Pete before, so it's not like she was bopping over to the hospital to get zapped every time she slept with him.

There's no indication that she had treatment in the period between first sleeping with Pete and the season finale. Based on her certainty that she would forget Pete, I would say she did not.

That said, it's nothing I'm going to argue too strongly as I already laid out my reasons for thinking it.

[Acsenray]

But she wasn't certain. She was hoping ti remember the last meeting.

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by Sampiro

When Don walks away from Megan as she's on the set of the Beauty & the Beast ad, was the distance he walks from her intentionally surreal or are regular studios (the type where an ad would be shot) really that huge?

I didn't see this episode, because we were out of the country and because we have DishNetwork. I'm going to have to wait for Netflix. But the answer to this is yes - I've gone to a commercial shoot at Silvercup Studios in Queens, which used to be a bread bakery, and there is another studio just as large where the commercial was probably shot. (Silvercup was still a bakery back in 1967.) These places are enormous.

[Absolute]

Originally Posted by What the .... ?!?!

You can't know that..... if the partners draw the money out as fast as it comes in then there is little value to the company....especially since an ad agency is not likely to have much goodwill if the key people leave.

Granted they seem to be rolling in dough and we don't know that they have been drawing it out.

If they were drawing money from the partnership, then her share entitles her to do the same. That's the whole reason it is likely worth more than $50k.

If the company is generating profits, its value is certainly not reduced because it distributes those profits to its owners. That's sort of the whole point of owning an interest in a company in the first place.

[ftg]

Ah yes, Pete and Beth kissing. Just not on the show.

Wait, what?

I suspect a story planted by a PR flack. Like all of Johnny Galecki's "girlfriend" stories.

[Jophiel]

That photo looks like they just fished Vincent K. out of a drainpipe.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

That photo looks like they just fished Vincent K. out of a drainpipe.

So it looks like every other photograph of him taken in the last three years?

[Nunzio Tavulari]

There was a time when razors had only one blade. Yet men were able to get a clean shave. It seems that each time they add a blade, young men become less competent in their personal grooming.

[Acsenray]

Sarcasm about five-day beards has been obsolete since about 1985. Do you also still make cracks about Paul McCartney needing a haircut in 1964?

[Jophiel]

Originally Posted by Skald the Rhymer

So it looks like every other photograph of him taken in the last three years?

Could be. I don't follow the celebrity rags so I only ever see him in the context of the show.

[What the .... ?!?!]

Originally Posted by Absolute

If they were drawing money from the partnership, then her share entitles her to do the same. That's the whole reason it is likely worth more than $50k.

If the company is generating profits, its value is certainly not reduced because it distributes those profits to its owners. That's sort of the whole point of owning an interest in a company in the first place.

The firm was not in good shape when he died....his/her interest could have terminated at that point.

There is a dif between owning an interest in a) a going concern with significant assets (including a customer list) that will continue despite the demise of even the most important people, and b) a service business like an ad agency that could fold completely and very rapidly.

[Skald the Rhymer]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

I don't follow the celebrity rags so I only ever see him in the context of the show.

Likewise. He's looked scuzzy since about the third season.