Mad Men is finally back tonnight. Last we saw everyone Pete ditched Trudy to await WWIII in Manhatten, Peggy told him about the baby and left him alone with a shotgun, Don renconciled with a pregnant Betty (who just fucked a random stanger in a bar restroom), Roger’s being forced to buy of his wife so she’ll divorce him and he can marry Jane, Duck had his scheme to control Sterling-Cooper unravel in front the partners and the British, Joan is eagerly await her Yuletide wedding to Dr Rape, and a bunch of other stuff happened to less important characters.
From what I’ve read elsewhere we pick up 6 months after last season left of (intead of 2 years) in the spring of 1963. The merger has gone through and Ken & Pete end up in competition for the same job. It looks like some new characters from across the pond will show up too.
What do you want in season 3? I would like to see more of Peggy; particulary her social life (such as it is). I’d really love if she has an interracial fling with a black man. I think we can all be sure Don’s going to fall off the sex wagon again, but I want Betty to cheat on him too and have him find out. How’s her pregnancy going to fit in to all this? It’d be interesting of something turned out very wrong with the baby (perhaps due to Betty’s drinking) and seeing the Drapers having to deal with that. Is Sal finally going to be outed (& whatever happened to the gay Swede)? Are Pete and Trudy over? How’s Pete dealing with Peggy’s revelation? Is it going to come back to haunt her? How’s will marriage change Joan? Dr Rape isn’t going to like his wife keeping her job, but how else is she going to stay in the show?
I just finished re-watching the Season 2 finale in preparation for tonight. I’m annoyed with the six-month jump because I’d like to see how Pete reacts to Peggy’s news and how Betty and Don decide to deal with her pregnancy, but on the other hand I’m glad to miss the merger and the rest of the Missile Crisis. I think Joan’s one of the most interesting characters on the show, because on the one hand she’s capable of and seems to enjoy wielding power, but on the other hand she’s totally bought into the sexist power structures in her office and her relationship. She’s an interesting contrast to Peggy, who doesn’t have Joan’s natural confidence and sense of command, but is much more willing to subvert gender roles. Is it just me, or is there a subtle antagonism between them?
The antagonism between Joan and Peggy is hardly subtle. Remember that Joan had the Xerox machine installed in Peggy’s office. Part of the reason is that Peggy rose above the secretarial pool, while Joan is still stuck there, and is aging fast.
By the way, regarding the “gay Swede” referred to by alphaboi867, I assume that he means the European half of the Young Turks brought in to pitch for the coffee account. Were we supposed to read them as gay and not just hip?
Subtle? I think underneath the facade Joan’s much less confident than Peggy. All Joan has (at least as far as she’s concerned) is her looks and she’s terrified of what’ll happen when they fade. She covers up her insecurity by being passive aggresive (putting Peggy in with the copier, the way she told Paul he’s been pulled off the LA trip, her backhanded compliment of his girlfriend, etc). Peggy’s more confident that she realizes. Hell, she walked right up to a named partner, told him that it’s ridiculous for her to share with a copying machine, and asked a private off next doo the the junior partner. That take’s balls (Roger pointed out that there 40 men who didn’t dare do that).
Well he did anounce that he was a homosexual and clarified that he “make’s love with the man” in front of Peggy, Joan, Ken, & Sal. Then he gave Peggy a makeover.
They have a male secretary now. That’s just adorable. Is Mr [del]Nigel-Murry[/del] Hooker being subtly “put in his place” by Joan and Mr Lane going to be a regular thing? I sure hope so.
Don’s reaction to Sal’s little secret wasn’t surprising. Don has his own dark secrets and simply doesn’t want to think about Sal’s preferences it in any way, shape, or form. He sure as hell doesn’t want to actually have to do anything about it (which he would if anybody that matters find out).
I am really excited about this season. Loved the bit with Don & Sal in the plane on the way back- after Don saw Sal’s bellboy. Loved watching the different reactions (and noting the Brit seeing it too) of Ken & Pete to sharing Head of Accounts. Maybe I read the interchange wrong at the subway station between Joan & Peggy, but it seems like they might find common ground- being the only two women at the office with any kind of power. I think if Peggy wises up, she will cultivate Joan- as her frustrations with her secretary show, it is hard for her to be seen as an authority figure without some back up.
I’m pretty new to this show having Netflixed Season 1 & 2 when I heard it was good, but I really like it.
I think Don’s reaction to Sal is consistent with his reaction to Peggy’s pregnancy, so I didn’t really feel any tension about Don possibly “outing” him or something. But, poor Sal… finally about to get some, and then – denied.
What was Roger complaining about in Don’s office – was it ex-wife or new wife gone away?
I thought the difference between Pete and Ken’s responses was hilarious. Ken is such an optimistic guy that he was excited about the promotion, while Pete was annoyed and angry that he didn’t get the full promotion. I read an article about the show that pointed out that Pete is the opposite of Don. Don is so unflappable and unemotional, while Pete can’t hide any emotion.
I was a little disappointed not to see Pete promoted to Head of Accounts. He was a lot more sympathetic to me after Season 2 and with Duck obviously out the door, I thought he’d get the job. The ending scene in S2 with Pete and the rifle didn’t strike me as a potential suicide or shooting rampage but rather Pete hanging onto this one thing that was supposed to be “for him” and which he was forced to hide at the office because of his wife. I suppose his reaction to sharing the title with Cosgrove still showed immaturity but we’re getting to a point where I almost can’t blame him for being pissed.
Draper’s non-reaction to Sal’s fling was pretty classic Draper but I feel bad for Sal who is obviously on edge waiting for the shoe to drop. As long as you’re not sabotaging the company, I don’t think Don really cares what you do in your private life. Not that he’s one to judge.
Good to see that what’s-his-name’s TV department has taken off to the point where he’d have influence over what accounts Cosgrove & Campbell get.
Would the buy-out have been in cash? I find it slightly amusing to think of Draper having a half million in the bank (and Sterling & Cooper with easily over a million each) and having to put up with much crap from the Brits. A million bucks in the 60’s was a bit of walkin’ around money. I could see them still working – it’s what they do but they’ve got quite an out if it ever came down to it.
In the scene near the end, with Sally unpacking Don’s suitcase- I was sure she was going to pull out a bra or something and ask “what’s this, Daddy?” But then she puled out the straight pin and asked him “is this for me?” It looked like Don froze for a second- did it belong to the flight attendant?
I thought it was interesting that neither Pete nor Ken were told that they’d be sharing the position; rather it was presented to each of them that the position was theirs alone. Sort of mean and pointless to do it that way, and just sit back and see how they each handle it. I don’t really see what the advantage to the firm would be to create such turmoil.
Thought it was funny how he ended up with the name Dick.
The firm hopes that by setting up the two of them in competition, they will work harder and get better results because they will always be trying to one-up the other. And Pete is playing right into it.
I’m so curious as to what’s going on between Pete and Trudy. They seemed really happy, and god knows that wasn’t the case when we left off last season.
I’m pretty sure the wings were the flight attendant’s. Good thing Sally gave him an easy out by asking if they were for her.
I’ve already lost most of my sympathy for Pete again. I hope the Brits give him just enough rope to hang himself.
The flashbacks to Don’s birth were very interesting, considering that we were seeing them from his point of view. Were they accurate representations of what happened, or stories he’d recreated from what his parents told him about his origins?
Funny thing, I used to live just a block away from the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore. These days there’s a gay club around the corner; pity Sal didn’t have the chance to go there. And that damned fire! Just as things were getting hot in the bedroom.
I’m wondering about the timeline of the new season. Joan was supposed to have been married at Christmas, and you’d think she would stop working then, but she’s still there the following spring, and talking about how she won’t be there much longer. Maybe they’re having trouble finding a replacement for her.
Is there any way in the world that those London Fog guys will find Don’s “Flasher on the Subway” campaign idea acceptable?
I can understand how the firm would want to motivate the the two guys to out-do each other. What I meant was when they were each told they had the position, it was implied that there was only one person in the position, and they alone had been promoted to that position. I was just curious what the advantage to that tactic could be, rather than saying “Pete/Ken, now that Bert has been let go, we’ve decided to split the Head of Accounts position into two separate positions, each one to handle half of the accounts.” It ultimately accomplishes the same thing as each guy will try to set himself apart from the other, but it removes the secrecy about the fact that they were both given the job. I just found it curious.
Oh- and Joan’s gotten curvier, although not in a flattering way.
I was really pretty disappointed in this episode. (Although I can forgive much because bringing everything up to speed at the beginning of a season is like a pilot, and you have to cover a lot of ground quickly.) But I thought there were just too many cheap shots, like Betty comparing Sally to a lesbian. Really? Or setting us up to think Don is going to ask Sal if he’s gay. Since when does Don ask anyone if his idea is good? Didn’t like the beginning scene of his birth story, either. Too easy and obvious for my taste, the way they did it.
Meh. I know it will get much, much better, but I was annoyed.
I remember when I was a kid in the 70’s and my dad would fly for business. He always brought us back those wings…
I’m very fascinated by the Joan/Dr. Rape storyline. Can’t wait to see how that plays out.
I thought the horrible sound quality of the intercom was hilarious.
I felt that Trudy is just always chipper when she’s leading the married life (getting a call from her husband, visiting him at the office, etc) and Pete is chipper when he feels like he’s getting ahead. When Trudy visits him, Pete is back to being short with her after finding about about sharing the position and Trudy is back to trying to cheer Pete up.
Don wasn’t asking Sal about his idea to get Sal’s feedback on it. Don was asking Sal about his idea because Sal was waiting for Don to ask him about what had been going on with him the night before. Sal was obviously on edge, dreading what was to come; that was Don’s way of letting the matter drop without having to have any uncomfortable conversations. And once Don asked about his idea, Sal visibly relaxed, which was the point.
Yeah, that was definitely one of those “look at the craaaazy 60s!” lines that sticks out like a sore thumb.
corkboard, I’m curious to see how they’re going to address Joan’s obviously changed figure. They certainly didn’t shy away from the issue when Peggy put on weight, so I doubt they’ll keep mum about Joan. I wonder if it’s a sign she’s unhappy in her marriage, or simply doesn’t feel the need to look as attractive anymore. It didn’t look like early-pregnancy weight to me, but I could be mistaken about that, and a pregnancy would explain why she mentioned that she wouldn’t be working there much longer.
I think it was even more layered than that. I think he was using the slogan of the campaign to convey a message and advice to Sal: keep your exposure to a minimum. Do what you will - everyone likes a thrill - but make sure no one [else] finds out.
Betty’s lesbian line rang a bit false to me too - my mom was her age then and NO WAY she’d know the word lesbian. If Betty was in college, yes, but a suburban housewife - I don’t think so. At least not familiar enough to joke around about her daughter. I also wondered if Betty knew immediately what Don having those wings meant and just seamlessly glossed it over. He looked so stricken while he was remembering his daughter’s birth. I wonder if any of this stuff came up for him at all when he was having his two other kids.
I think Joan was always that size. She’s shockingly voluptuous to us now, but I think it would have been sexy then. Betty probably thinks she’s a cow, though.
Peggy has such an uphill battle in front her (I guess many of our moms did). Her secretary wouldn’t have been caught dead chatting up that guy unapologetically if Peggy were a male boss. And she certainly wouldn’t have expected him to relate! It’s not just male expectations and limitations she has to confront - it’s women’s too.
I think underneath the facade Joan’s much less confident than Peggy. All Joan has (at least as far as she’s concerned) is her looks and she’s terrified of what’ll happen when they fade. She covers up her insecurity by being passive aggresive (putting Peggy in with the copier, the way she told Paul he’s been pulled off the LA trip, her backhanded compliment of his girlfriend, etc). Peggy’s more confident that she realizes. Hell, she walked right up to a named partner, told him that it’s ridiculous for her to share with a copying machine, and asked a private off next doo the the junior partner. That take’s balls (Roger pointed out that there 40 men who didn’t dare do that).