I guess “douche-a” is a play on the name Bob Ducca, who referenced that Greece line in post # 39 (on preview, I see I’m right), but I don’t get what the anger’s directed at, either. Those fiery Greeks!
Heh, this is why I needed to see it immediately all over again – I had to experience it without tensing up anytime he looked at her remotely like he might be about to make a pass at her.
It also feels like this is the only episode this season where, when we (collectively) yell out, “DON’T DO IT, DON, NOOOOOOOOO,” he actually listened.
Well said, GameHat, and exactly how I reacted to it. One of those episodes that stands out for the difficult task of saying a lot without saying too much. Restraint in the writing and acting, and yet poignant to the point of Truth. Rarely attempted, even more rarely achieved. As I said earlier: Emmy worthy!
My interpretation:
“I’m so offended that people are laughing at an anti-Greek slur in a way that they don’t laugh at the anti-Black and anti-Jewish slurs in the same show!”
Except that we do laugh at the latter, for exactly the reason Captain Amazing gave, and for that matter Don and Peggy were actually complimenting Greece (“I want to go there because it’s pretty”) while ribbing American Greek restaurants.
I don’t get how, “all the good cooks stayed there,” is an insult to Greeks.
Yeah, it’s hardly an insult to Greece. He’s saying that he wants to visit the country because the food is great there. OH NO!!!
Greek diners were springing up around the country around the time of “Mad Men” and they weren’t much differerent than they are now. Good greasy spoon type food, but not what you’d hold up as a great example of Greek cuisine. According to this Wiki pageon the history of Diners, Greek immigrants opened more than 600 diners in NYC from the 1950s-70s. Chicago has some great Greek diners around still but if I want real Greek food I’ll go to Greektown and get something more authentic. Gyros were first introduced to the United States via Chicago in 1965 so they may not have spread to NYC by the time Don and Peggy were enjoying their meal.
Sincerely,
Bob Douche-a
Nor I, but considering the offended party found it neccessary to resort to mocking another poster by warping his name (in a totally lame way, I might add) I really have to ask myself if it’s worth pondering. It is not.
I feel compelled to post as many anti-Greek jokes as I can come up with, and I have a few good ones up my sleeve, but I’d be dangerously close to violating the “don’t be a jerk” rule so I’ll defer to my better judgement.
Now, don’t get me started on Macedonians!!!
If all the good cooks stayed in Greece, it follows that Greek restaurants in America are not good.
Calling someone a douche is totally inappropriate for this forum. Don’t do it again.
Also, the Parthenon has roaches.
The size of dogs!
This just came to me this morning- I think Peggy’s critique of the Ali referencing Samsonite ad is a call back to earlier in the episode when she confronts Don about the Glow-coat ad.
Her pitch was a kid locked in a closet which Don pointed out didn’t work for a TV ad, and the idea had to be tweaked into what it became. Peggy coming back at the end with the same mode of thinking, shows that while she still is learning from Don, she’s now stepping up to a more even level with him. Shes’ looking at things not just as a copy writer.
I may need to watch it again, but Don’s dismissal of her concerns didn’t read to me as a boss dismissing an underling.
That’s a very good point, Push You Down. Also, I found it interesting how Don mentioned earlier in the episode when they were in the bar (or was it the Greek restaurant?) that when you see a good ad, you just know. Yet, when Peggy saw his Ali/Liston take-off, she immediately honed in on its flaws. It’s obviously not a great ad. Yet, she demurs in her criticisms when Don is obviously hurt, since she knows that he’s in a vulnerable place at the moment. Don recognizes the kindness (one that he never extended to Peggy), and reaches out to hold her hand.
This would be a loaded imagery just because of its parallel to the season one episode where he rejects her hand, but because we know Don is such a loner and we’ve seen in this episode that he feels utterly alone in the world, the gesture feels as if he’s finally reaching out for a meaningful relationship.
Anybody catch the fur shop poster model in the fur buying scene? Yep… that’s her.
I’m not sure why Greeks were so drawn to the restaurant business, but there are at several Greek owned restaurants in Montgomery AL that date to that time, none of which are Greek restaurants. One is a locally famous hotdog place, one’s a deli, the others are Italian or southern with occasional Greek dishes on the menu. Irks me because I love Greek food.
I wonder if Joan knows about Miss Blankenship’s past or her fling with young Roger. It seems that she didn’t just pick her from the steno pool but actually brought her out of retirement to work with Don, so I wonder if that’s part of the joke. It’s also about time for a Joan episode; other than the one where her husband doctored her hand they haven’t really had one this season.
My main complaint about this season is that most of the supporting characters have been cipher. Joan’s scene with the doctor-rapist-hubby, Pete and Trudy’s baby, and Roger’s Japanese meltdown are about the only times they’ve really been front and center. I’m sure Peggy’s psychoogist sessions will come into the fray but the season lacks both a major arc and minor arcs, going more into character studies, which are good but they don’t propel a series.
Roger definitely knew her well. When Blankenship appeared, Roger said that she had been working in Cooper’a house. And that Cooper works at home without his pants on.
I thought it was all a joke. Roger was clearly making up a year in which his “fling” with Miss Blankenship occurred. Can we believe anything at all from that tape as literally true?
I think it’s all true, at least from Roger’s point of view.
Yeah, the stuff on the tape is Roger telling the truth. That’s definitely how Peggy and Don take it.
Plus, the tape is what will eventually become his autobiography or whatever.