I’m going to disagree with the crowd on Don and Megan. Don never previously respected her attempt to launch an acting career, but by season’s end he has begun to do so. Watching the screen test crystallized that for him, and he decided to help her. He doesn’t disrespect using connections and working in advertising; that’s his whole life. I think that’s precisely what he does respect; it shows him that Megan’s treating this as a career, and not just an artistic lark.
That comes with being French.
Trudy is completely self-absorbed. Which, admittedly, may be the only way to get by when you’re married to someone completely uncommunicative. She’s concerned by Pete’s injuries and unhappiness basically because it makes him clash with the decor.
Trudy’s stupid like a fox. She’s managed to get everything she’s wanted: from her first newly-wed luxury apartment in city to her family home in the suburbs, soon to be complete with pool.
They ended last year in trouble because of Lucky Strikes leaving (which was most of their billing). They fired about a third of the staff, picked up a bunch of smaller jobs and then Mohawk to get themselves stabilized. No one was seriously shocked when Lane said they could afford bonuses but they wouldn’t have been if he said they couldn’t… they were in that area between “just barely making it” and “starting to get ahead”. Jaguar (and Mohawk ending the strike) pushed them firmly into “Getting ahead”.
I’m a little surprised no mention was made of Dow. Come to think of it, we never saw Ken for the finale.
I agree that Trudy is more self absorbed, or at least highly spoiled, than stupid. She managed to get Don Draper to come to her party- that was unheard of and showed not just some scheming but some pretty open scheming hidden behind a cute smile (and behind Annie’s Boobs).
I think one reason this season worked much better than last season was the downgrading of Betty to a secondary character. She has more screentime than Trudy, but not much more. Frankly I hope she never has another major arc; January Jones just can’t handle it.
Now that office space isn’t a problem, I predict Lane’s office will always go to the newest guy with an office worthy job. Or perhaps it will be the official “bad things happen in there” office. Though I can also see Ginsburg taking it- I don’t think it would bother him.
Apparently in real life advertising people in the '50s/'60s (and to a lesser degree now, but particularly then) were notorious job hoppers; it was how you got raises: You do a good job at Firm A and get paid $12K, you go to Firm B when they offer you $14 K, two years later you leave them for Firm C and $16K, two years later you’re back at Firm A for $20K. It’s very easy and believable for Peggy to come back, but I wonder what the takeaway will be from her time at Chaough.
I wonder if Mrs. Price will sue the company. It’s possible she’s somehow forbidden to under the incorporation. I did like that as cold as she was to Don she kept the check (“but I took the money, I’m not crazy!”).
I got the sense (based on two minutes of TV time) that she’s getting along okay. Probably still feels like a fish out of water between the new co-workers and being a woman in her position but getting along. Although dumping all the research on her and saying “Get it done” seemed a little abrupt, for $130,000 in today’s cash, I’m guessing they expect quite a bit out of her. She’s stepped out of Don’s shadow into the big leagues and now she needs to roll with it. But it looked like she was doing just that.
I think the shot of her looking at Lane’s empty chair at the meeting was the key to us seeing her realizing that with Lane gone–SHE is the one who is the one who has to worry about HOW this all gets paid for. Draper is Creative and everyone is accounts–she’s Finances.
I didn’t think she is actually happy there. I got the impression it was “same shit, different office” but without the pull of the relationship with Don.
I took that as grief. She was giving good news to the firm that would have pleased him, that once would have been given by him. He was her friend. She misses him.
Peggy will never be free of Don. She both loves and hates him, as she both loves and hates herself.
Sure, but that’s not all that’s going on there. Her next line is something akin to “I feel like someone should point out that..etc etc.” If Lane had been sitting in that chair, he would have pointed it out. But he’s not, so it’s up to her.
I forget whether it was Don or Peggy who brought up Paris during their movie theater meeting. I wonder if it ever occurred to Don that his throwing money in her face was what triggered her leaving. (I know it was based on many other things, but that was the catalyst.)
It was resolved a long, long time ago. Peggy gave the baby up for adoption. The baby seen with Peggy’s sister was her own kid, not Peggy’s. Peggy told Pete about the whole thing during the Cuban missile crisis.
I think it was intentional misdirection at first. After that, if you paid attention to the dialogue, you would understand that the baby was Peggy’s nephew. But it was explicitly dealt with at the end of the season. Weiner often resolves questions like this indirectly, but you have to be paying attention.
Ginsberg is losing it, like I thought he would. He’s got to much of an artist’s temperament (at least the stereotypical artist’s temperament) to allow his work to be judged by other.