One of the things I find interesting about the series is that Pete is usually correct, but the way he says things make people not want to listen to him.
Speaking of Pete, I loved that exchange when Ted calls Pete down and says he’s the “Head of New Business” and Pete turns to him with disgust and goes something like “When did this happen, I don’t want that!”
I think Matthew Weiner said that about Pete in an interview during an earlier season, that Pete reads all of the research and his ideas about the advertising are usually correct. Remember when he suggested that a client advertise in black magazines? (One argument was that the ads would be cheap.)
He prank-called Don, for starters. Otherwise, he went out of his way to look like a stalker when the two would meet around town.
Prank called Don as Kennedy when SCDP “gave up” tobacco, sent the African sculpture when the whole minority-hire thing happened [Edit: Oops, that was Y&R per Google. My error], I’m sure I’m forgetting some other jibes and taunts.
I never said he was unbalanced. But he was shown with more of a frat boy mentality in earlier instances. No worse than the rest of the advertising boys clubs but not as grindstone oriented as he is now.
I like Roger too, but I also feel that someone should have cock-punched him years ago.
I just noticed the typo in the thread title. It’s “Tale,” not “Tail.”
But I did look up the spelling of the episode title, just to make sure that it wasn’t a reference to Megan’s tail…
I think some of the problem is that Mad Men has finally hit the part of the '60s that people think of when they think of “The '60s” which can make some of it feel warmed over and hokey. So far they seem to be straddling the line pretty well.
What was especially interesting about the early seasons is that they were about an era that hasn’t been explored relatively as much in fiction. The late 60’s have been done to death so it’s difficult to be as fresh.
“Look, we’re sorry your last girlfriend hurt you.”
That line cracked me up. In context, it seemed a bit of a Hail Mary pass. It could have pissed off their clients even more, but Roger successfully de-escalated the situation.
Speaking of Ginsberg; on 2nd viewing I noticed he brought up the messages from space during his panic attack with Bob. That’s not good. When he told Peggy about them last season it sounded like he was joking; not so much this time. Schizophrenia, anyone?
They’ve been implying that Ginsberg is schizo almost since he showed up. Not just the comments about “voices”, and the sudden flip-outs, but his scenes with his dad all imply there’s something… off, about him. Also, he’s made comments about how drugs will “make you crazy” in every one of the seventy Very Special Drug Episodes they’ve shown this season.
It hasn’t exactly been subtle. Unlike, say, Sal where they played it a bit coy at first. Or whatever the heck is Bob’s deal; that’s been so subtle, no one can figure it out.
Roger’s level-headed about the merger but he doesn’t take work nearly as seriously. He’s too used to things falling into his lap or relying on personality over work.
There’s a place for personality, of course. But I think California showed there’s also a place for actual work and solid ideas over just schmoozing.
My theory: Bob Benson will turn out to be an alien bent on ruling the world through subliminal advertising placement. He’ll almost win until The Doctor happens to come in at the last minute and save the world, at which point it will be revealed that the entire series has been one really long Special Episode/Pilot for Doctor Who and Joan and Roger will be the Doctor’s new companions, leading to the new catchphrase “There’s no bloody smoking on the TARDIS!”
I didn’t read the whole thread, but no appreciation for Don coming in late to the meeting, sitting down, and immediately saying “Are we done yet”? I thought that was just perfect.
The drug scenes are kind of irritating, I agree. Still, they’re only a tiny part of the show.
Generally a good episode, some boring filler parts completely redeemed with the shot of Pete taking a toke in the creative office while Piece of My Heart played.
I think Cutler’s game (and it might have been his plan all along) is to split the company again, taking the prestige account of Chevy with them. I.e., merge, get prize account, spit. So he’s screwing up the SCDP part of the business in preparation.
This also can explain the name. SC&P having public issues wouldn’t hurt a revived CGC so much.
This plan is of course flawed. Gleason is dead. Ted probably won’t go along with it. And it could easily backfire.
Ginsberg being a paranoid schizo rather than having a bum trip is indeed a better explanation.
Joan is being set up on dates despite Bob being a regular in her life? Hmm.
Re: Megan as Sharon Tate. I would think a workable story line (next season) along the lines of: the Tate-LaBianca murders happen. Megan is pregnant. Don insists Megan drop out of acting. Conflict arises. Don or Megan getting killed would be too limiting.
Lots of little things in the California trip. Roger showed both sides of his personality well. Good to Carnation. Bad to Danny. (Factoid: Danny Siegel/Danny Strong is actually an award winning script writer. Most notably an Emmy for Game Change.) Car stuff: Did you hear a party goer ask them if they actually came by taxi? What’d I tell you about the car.
One thing many people forget is that the right wing of the GOP considered Nixon a moderate at the time! Forget his ethics, the guy wasn’t a Goldwater or a Reagan. Strongly despised within an increasingly large part of the party.
We saw Joan & Bob heading for the beach. So, they spend some time together.
But I didn’t see any romance. So it’s not so odd that she’d go on what she thought was a blind date…
A fun fact about that - Danny Strong is the only actor that has appeared on Mad Men to have won an Emmy since Mad Men has been on the air (even though it was for writing).
I have not only worn the exact same dashiki Danny was wearing in that episode, but I’ve known lots of other white southerners who wore them in the 1970s. (The things are damned comfortable and perfect hot weather wear; my mother loved them.)
This episode took place in August 1968, and the one before it woudl have been June or July 1968 (between RFK’s assassination and the DNC). Roger’s grandson is 4. His mother married the weekend JFK was shot in 1963. Unless it was the kid’s birthday, he would have been conceived before his parents were married. Was this mentioned during the wedding/JFK episode?
Somehow, Cutler and Chaough have become my two favorite characters.
What? They went to the beach together. That doesn’t mean they’re dating.