|
Jerusalem posted:It's the late 60s, alright, those shorts combined with that shirt are INCREDIBLE I remember during the original run (not here, elsewhere) some people who had been ga-ga over the "sixties style" started whining about "eewww, the seventies" and it was funny to realize they weren't actually ever excited for the sixties, they were really in love with the fifties - because everything we saw in the first season, 1960, was really a product of the 50s.
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 17:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 18:17 |
|
|
kalel posted:who the gently caress is father Abraham and why did he have seven sons THAT Abraham, the one who's religious tradition is followed by half the planet.
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 19:16
|
|
|
Sash! posted:THAT Abraham, the one who's religious tradition is followed by half the planet. that's the one! although from what i was able to find (via wikipedia and some links from there) this might be an anachronism, given that the "Father Abraham" song seems to have been written by a Dutch songwriter in the 70s
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 19:40
|
|
|
Don sucks so bad this season lol. This episode is delightful tho
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 20:07
|
|
|
Farmer Crack-rear end posted:I remember during the original run (not here, elsewhere) some people who had been ga-ga over the "sixties style" started whining about "eewww, the seventies" and it was funny to realize they weren't actually ever excited for the sixties, they were really in love with the fifties - because everything we saw in the first season, 1960, was really a product of the 50s. Janie Bryant did such a good job in making sure that the fashions evolved realistically season-to-season. That idealized "Sixties Style" that people have in their heads of slim-cut tailoring and goovy-yet-tasteful colors/patterns only existed very briefly, if ever; we're in 1968 and you can already see how iterative takes on trends from the recent past are exaggerating design choices and will lead directly into the car crash that we associate with 70's fashions (Look at the size of Ted Chaough's shirt collars.)
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 21:15
|
|
|
kalel posted:but anyway, speaking of fathers and sons, it's cool that Don and Roger got to pretend to be decent dads for a day before the reality of their failures hit them in the face. I am super excited for when Jerusalem hits that moment 
|
|
#
?
Mar 10, 2022 23:48
|
|
|
come on, throw that in spoilers
|
|
#
?
Mar 11, 2022 01:53
|
|
|
technically there could be so many examples but yeah that should be spoilered
|
|
#
?
Mar 11, 2022 01:58
|
|
|
GoutPatrol posted:technically there could be so many examples but yeah that should be spoilered added spoilers - what's the moment?
|
|
#
?
Mar 11, 2022 02:21
|
|
|
Sally catching Don loving Linda Cardellini
|
|
#
?
Mar 11, 2022 02:29
|
|
|
i strongly feel we havent dwelled enough on HOLY poo poo PEGGY JUST STABBED ABE
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2022 05:30
|
|
|
his breakup speech in the ambulance is so god drat brutal, lol
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2022 11:28
|
|
|
Almost as brutal as "Ready to get back to work?!" 
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2022 12:07
|
|
|
kalel posted:Almost as brutal as "Ready to get back to work?!" That time he kissed her, he was complaining about how he doesn't like to be called nice, and man the nice way he enthusiatically told her,"It's a brand new day!" after the prior week dumping all his "I can't stop thinking of you!" poo poo on her was absolutely... well, yeah, brutal!
|
|
#
?
Mar 17, 2022 12:46
|
|
|
i love abe and the big dumb hole in his stomach
|
|
#
?
Mar 18, 2022 23:12
|
|
|
I thought Abe took a turn to "cartoonish moron" when he was apparently fine with someone taking a dump on their stairs.
|
|
#
?
Mar 19, 2022 02:12
|
|
|
Season 6, Episode 10 - A Tale of Two Cities Written by Janet Leahy & Matthew Weiner, Directed by John Slattery Joan Holloway posted:This is the only way I could do it. Don sits in the living room, bored but feeling a civil obligation to watch the broadcast of the Democratic National Convention, where they are running through the minutiae of agreed upon procedural changes for 1972. Megan enters the living room after Don was unable to hear her question shouted from the bedroom about packing his swimming trucks (yes, his wife packs his suitcase for him for his trip, its still the 60s), in disbelief that they're spending time on this instead of debating the Vietnam War. That omission doesn't surprise Don though, who points out they'll debate it endlessly.... but not in prime time, and they certainly won't go so far as to come out in opposition to it: America after all is still a country where the predominant mindset of the prior two centuries has been to ascribe hero status to military service. Grumpily Megan mumbles that Humphrey won't get any votes if he doesn't denounce the war, and an amused Don asks if she really thinks that when his opponent will be Nixon? What a difference 8 years makes. In Season 1, Nixon was a proven asset: a Vice President, a war veteran, somebody with a proven track record who Don saw a lot of himself in, and whose victory seemed assured. Now in 1968, Don obviously thinks of Nixon (but not himself!) as yesterday's man, with Humphrey ironically now the Vice President who is the heir apparent all but guaranteed a victory. Don was wrong about who would win in 1960 too. He motions Megan over to sit in his lap, the two sharing a kiss and lovingly teasing each other over Don's upcoming trip to California. Megan proclaims cheekily that their last trip to Disneyland made her make the worst mistake of her life, Don expresses "surprise" at the idea there might be actresses in Los Angeles when she "warns" him to stay away from them. All in all, it's a cozy and loving domestic scene, with Don having apparently flipped whatever switch he needed to in his head like he promised last week. He hasn't been present in their marriage for some time, even setting aside his constant infidelities with Sylvia under Megan's nose, but for now at least things are good between them again and he is no longer actively undermining their marriage.... and somehow blaming her for it.  The next day at work, the Partners are having a meeting in the Conference room where Ted enthusiastically tells them about the latest report from Detroit, where Ken was shown a brand new floor he'd never seen before, likening the security there to Get Smart. He also met an executive that he believes to be the source of the Agency's current brick wall with Chevy, a guy called "Jack Something" because they all seem to be called Jack, upset that nobody has kissed his ring. Pete of course happily volunteers to go kiss some rear end, but Roger grunts if anybody is going down to Detroit it will be him. Roger is on the ascendancy again after a rough year or so of feeling crowded out by Pete, but while Pete is currently the one feeling the pressure he hasn't quite gotten over his clear contempt for Roger. He points out that Roger is supposed to be going to Los Angeles, mockingly asking exactly WHY he is going at all, but it all proves moot as Ted - head of Creative on Chevy since Don dumped it in his lap - announces authoritatively that HE will be the one making the visit. Don bursts into the room, confused as to why Roger is in here instead of getting ready with him for them to leave for their flight. Roger, amused, points out that they'll be going as soon as the Partners' Meeting is over. Belatedly Don realizes that oh yeah, all the Partners are in this Conference Room presumably for a specific reason, having clearly forgotten himself he was supposed to be here! Or at the very least assuming that Roger, like him, would take any excuse to get out of a meeting. Before they can wrap things up though, there is some business Jim Cutler wants to discuss... or rather, some confusion he wants to clear up. As Don takes a seat, Jim asks Meredith to step out, showing them a letter he recieved that was labeled to "Sterling, Gleason & Pryce." The problem, as has come up multiple times since the merger, is that nobody knows what to call the newly merged Agency, and it has gotten to the point now where the decision is being taken out of their hands: clients (potential and existing) are deciding for themselves what to call the Agency, and in this case picked the names of two dead former Partners! Ironically, both Ted and Don - supposed masters of getting ideas and themes across invisibly to customers - express confusion respectively as to why they don't just go with Don's idea of SCDPCGC or Ted's insistence that secretaries answer the phones with "Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce, Cutler, Gleason & Chaough" every time they get a call. Joan has to audibly demonstrate how ridiculous the latter is, and the former comes with the baggage of name placement and the suggestion that SCDP is the primary Agency of the two. Now the bickering starts: Cutler insists that CGCSCDP rolls easier off the tongue, Ted is upset when Roger suggests SCDC as a compromise but chooses Cutler and himself as the Cs and leaves Ted off, Pete of course is told in no uncertain terms that Campbell isn't up for consideration as one of the names. Cutler thinks Don is happy with the overly long name because he's near the front, which again upsets Ted who points he is more at the back than Cutler is. As they jostle for position, Cooper offers to drop his name out of the running if it helps matters but Roger comes to his defense, pointing out that they don't want to damage the brand that comes with having Cooper - who has been high up in advertising for DECADES - in the mix. Instead they agree - mostly because of time - to table the discussion till after their respective returns from California and Detroit, and so Cutler can handle Manischewitz wine for Roger while he's gone. Cutler reluctantly agrees, asking Roger for some advice on how to deal with the people there ("pick an eye and stick with it" Roger notes in relationship to one of the top brass there) but reminding them that every delay means the wider world is deciding their name for them. Roger and Don leave, and Ted and Cutler said awkwardly at the table with Cooper, Pete and Joan, feeling very much outnumbered even with two of the other Agency's partners now gone.   On the plane, Don is trying to get in some research while Roger is trying to get in some heavy drinking and wants Don to join him. "We're executives!" he complains, claiming they can leave the actual work to underlings like... Ted Chaough! Yes, Cutler was right in one respect, they're somehow considered the junior of the two Agencies despite being roughly the same size and having roughly the same reputation as each other pre-merger. Roger insists he already knows everything he needs to for the businesses they'll be trying to woo while in California - Sunkist, Carnation and "the avocado people" - and his biggest job will be to keep Don from getting drunk enough that his "drawl" comes out and he accidentally offends what he clearly thinks of as the bumpkins running these businesses. Don points out that Carnation has 27 million in billings and aren't likely to be run by people who keep their pants up with a rope, but Roger insists that they should play up the fact that they're Big City Ad Men. He believes the West Coast based executives are going to be in awe of them and that is what they need to focus on, Don as the slick New York Creative who frankly intimidates people. They'll be conquistadors, getting everything of value from these people for "the beads in our pockets". He does finally agree to give Don the research he snatched out of his hands back though, but not before ordering two more drinks from the stewardess who laughs dutifully when he tells her to send one up to the pilot as well. Still in New York, Jim Cutler pops into the Creative Lounge at exactly the wrong time, asking Stan and Ginsberg what is going on. They're hunched over a radio, listening to a report that the Democratic Party has rejected an appeal by "doves" for a joint statement calling for an unconditional end to bombing in Vietnam. Stan listens pensively, but Ginsberg is in a fury, and when Cutler explains he was asking about the Manischewitz work, Michael sneers that he's for the war and probably trying to figure out a way to get into the bodybag business too. Despite this clearly inappropriate insult hurled at a Partner, Cutler laughs it off, simply stating he won't take a position on an event he has no stake or participation in. Stan rejects the idea that anybody COULDN'T have a stake in ending a war, but when Ginsberg again insults Cutler by noting it's because he doesn't have any sons, a now offended Cutler points out that he served in the Air Force so he can hardly be accused of not having faced his own personal danger in war, unlike Ginsberg. Now, to be fair to Cutler, it's not like anybody outside of Peggy knows that Ginsberg was literally born in a concentration camp! Michael leaps to his feet in a fury, calling Cutler disgusting, just as Bob Benson chooses this woefully bad time to enter the room. As Cutler, maintaining his composure, points out that he keeps his politics private but the Manischewitz presentation is not so THAT is what they should be talking about, Ginsberg accuses him of being the type of monster who only loves business and hates everything else including blacks and Jews. Wisely, Stan gets up and walks out of the room, while an irritated Cutler points out that the only people he hates are hypocrites, like "hippies" (meaning Ginsberg) who cash checks from Dow Chemical while ranting against the war. Ginsberg, frustrated and angry over the failure of the Democrats to even go through the motions of appearing to be anti-War, is venting though and saying stupid things he is likely to regret later. He complains that Cutler will get his work and he knows he will, and he'll take credit for it too, so he doesn't need to put a fascist jackboot on Michael's neck to get it. "So I'm a fascist because I gave you a deadline?" asks an amused (but irritated) Cutler, and Ginsberg throws all pretense out the door and demands to know if Cutler supported the Soviets in Prague too, calling him a Nazi. That is too far, and Bob tries to step in, snapping at Michael that he needs to recognize Cutler is his boss and this is completely out of line. But now Cutler is furious too, and Bob unfortunately stepped in right at the wrong point. "WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS DOWN HERE!?!" screams Cutler at an astonished Bob, demanding he go back upstairs. He storms out, and unbelievably Ginsberg - after one final yelled insult after the departing Cutler - turns on Bob now, complaining that he made things worse. Bob, who has barely any idea what was even happening, simply leaves himself, not understanding how he managed to end up attacked by both sides in an argument he wasn't involved in. Ginsberg, feeling no better after venting his frustation and presumably stinging a bit from Cutler's own not inaccurate insult about his own complicity, sinks back down into the chair to continue to doom-listen to the misery coming from the radio.   As Ted reviews artboards, Cutler joins him in his office, doing his utmost to keep his cool as he offers that while he is a man without regrets, he does believe they may have fired the wrong people after the merger happened. Ted, who knows Jim well, immediately picks up that he is upset, but Cutler insists he is fine because he's come up with a solution: Don and Roger are in California with Harry Crane... so they should just fire a bunch of the old SCDP people now and leave Pete Campbell as "the doorman"! Ted isn't interested in a coup though, making the valid point that they can't think of this as two opposing sides, because they're all in the one Agency together now. Cutler was serious when he made the suggestion, but he's also somebody who understands negotiation, so if his first position fell down then how about a less aggressive one: Ted is one of the Creative Leads, does he give Cutler permission to fire Ginsberg for gross insubordination and failure to meet deadlines? Even there though, he's got no luck: Ted has correctly identified (or perhaps just taken advantage of Peggy's insight) that Ginsberg is "lightning in a bottle" and somebody that Cutler is going to need to learn to work with.... after all, he'll be taking him to the Manischewitz presentation tomorrow. With a sigh, Cutler identifies this as "Sterling's Client and Draper's boy", exasperated as he identifies himself as the world's most expensive babysitter. "That's the spirit!" agrees Ted, who knows Cutler well enough to know that his Partner is exasperated but not to the point he can't be lightly joked with. He goes back to his Artboard and Cutler leaves the office, having twice in a row gone somewhere and not getting what he wanted. Joan meanwhile is out to lunch with a man from her friend Kate's work, so presumably she got the Avon job she was going for. He's an older man, not in the best shape but well groomed, with a pleasant voice and what appears to have a friendly enough demeanor. As they chat, Joan lightly flirty and he charming and open, she's surprised to hear him mention his wife, pointing out that Kate said he was divorced. Embarassed, he admits that he is but simply forgot for a moment, and that this says a lot about him. His wife told him he doesn't like asking for directions, but now in his own relatively new position at Avon he has to have a lot of face-to-face meetings with Ad Agencies and he doesn't mind admitting that he hasn't got a clue how to actually handle that... so what can SHE tell him about what to look out for. Finally the other shoe has dropped for Joan. She thought this was a blind date, set up by Kate, a chance to have lunch with a fellow executive and see if they hit it off - him recently divorced, her with a divorce pending. But no, this is a BUSINESS lunch, and Joan has just realized that one of the biggest beauty companies in the world may have just fallen into her lap as a potential client. So, after a moment's hesitation, she starts selling him on SCDPCGC (or CGCSCDP) and what they have that other Ad Agencies don't: they don't just lean on stylish Creative and market research, no they listen to the client... but they also find customers in places that the client may never have thought of. She credits Harry Crane as a genius in that respect, bullshits about a computer the size of this restaurant that helps them run through data, and when asked what SHE does, proudly obfuscates by simply stating she is in charge of thinking of things before people know they need them. The check arrives and he immediately arrives for his wallet. Fighting a lifetime of conditioning that the man pays, Joan leans into the Account role she has just forged for herself out of thin air and insists that SHE will pay, explaining that it is part of what she is paid to do. He accepts this, a client knows that the Agency always picks up the bill, and just like that Joan has found herself unexpectedly on the same path as Lane Pryce when Jaguar fell into his lap... just hopefully without the same disastrous results. On the actual Account Floor, Cutler is staring out the window when he spots Bob approaching carefully along the corridor, and notes he was just coming to find him. Bob can't help but observe Cutler wasn't actually going anywhere, but he simply declares he was going to until Bob just appeared. Fearing the worst, Bob explains that he hates disrespect which is the ony reason he spoke up, but Cutler - all calm self-control now - insists he doesn't know what he is talking about. No, what Cutler wanted to talk to him about was... him! He likes Bob, but he feels he is untested, so he has come up with a test: he wants Bob to handle "the parties involved" at the Manischewitz presentation tomorrow. When a thrilled but uncertain Bob asks if he means the client or Ginsberg himself, Cutler chuckles he sees little difference between the two, and a relieved Bob chuckles along, as always eager to mirror or pay homage to the Senior Account Men he is trying so hard to ingratiate himself with. With that the meeting is done, and Cutler motions to Bob that he can leave now. He walks away, excited but with understandable trepidation about being put under the spotlight. The camera stays in place, Cutler returning to staring out the window. Maybe it's nothing, just an accident of framing, but right in the foreground of the frame when Bob passed through, slightly out of focus but prominent in the shot, is the nameplate on Ken Cosgrove's office. Cutler was talking to Ted about wanting to get rid of most of SCDP's staff, is this opportunity afforded to Bob just a way for Cutler to get out of the Manschewitz meeting... or the start of identifying potential targets in SCDP's junior ranks and "turning" them at the ultimate expense of the entrenched seniors above them?  In Peggy's office, she's reviewing film footage when Joan pops in and asks if she is on a deadline, clearly wanting to talk. Peggy isn't busy (well, no busier than normal) and pours her a drink, listening first with polite interest and then excitement as Joan lets her know she just had a lunch with the new Head of Marketing at Avon and they may be a potential new client. There's just one problem, which is why she's come to Peggy: he's leaving town tomorrow which means she needs to strike now, but she doesn't want to risk getting "pushed off the diving board" and the only Partner she trusts not to do that is Don, who is out of town. Peggy can understand her trepidation, but she does have a solution: Ted Chaough. She insists to an unsure Joan that he loves new business and doesn't care where it comes from, and if Joan wants to be the "Account Man" on Avon she will be, so they should take it to him now before he leaves for Detroit and their only options are Jim Cutler, Burt Cooper or Pete Campbell. Excited, Joan follows Peggy out the door and they find Ted complaining to Moira about Chevy insisting on providing him with a driver when he wanted his own rental car. Figuring this good news will cheer him up, Peggy lets him know that Joan has a solid lead on new business. Ted tells Moira to fetch Pete Campbell before asking them for more info, and is very impressed when he discovers it is Avon Cosmetics, even more impressed when Joan says she wanted to introduce him to Peggy since he agrees Peggy would be perfect to lead Creative. Pete arrives asking what he is wanted for, getting upset and starting to throw a tantrum when Ted opens by saying he is now the Head of New Business (did Ted rethink Cutler's suggestion about making Pete the doorman?) until he learns that the new client is Avon. The problem is, Ted is already heading out the door for Detroid, and thoughtlessly and completely failing to read the mood or pay heed to Joan specifically saying SHE wanted to introduce Peggy, simply tells Pete that he has to reel him in before he leaves town tomorrow. With that he's gone, Peggy and Joan left feeling sick as they both realize Ted has in half-a-minute completely taken away Joan's role in this acquisition, gifting it to Pete instead. To be fair to Ted, Pete's is the Senior Account Man available given Roger is out of town, Cutler is supposed to be busy with Manischewitz and Cooper is largely a ceremonial role... but man it never even occurred to him that Joan deserved more than just a "Groovy" upon learning she'd potentially landed a whale. Even Pete, still a little surly about Ted giving him orders and assigning him new roles, has to admit he is impressed and intrigued about Joan getting them access to a Fortune 500 company. He asks for the Head of Marketing's name - Andy Hayes - and then instructs her to fill him in on everything about him, then set up a meeting for him tomorrow, essentially treating her like a secretary. When Joan and Peggy both try to stress that Joan should be there, is probably expected to be there, and should be the one making the introductions, he dismisses it and - as if explaining to a child - points out that her job is to talk him and Peggy up over the phone, they'll tell him how essential she is, and she can show him around the place when he comes to visit! Worse than all that though is that, he condescends - without meaning to - to her, assuring her she will get all the credit when this is done. He's not doing this maliciously, this isn't a situation like with Pryce where he objected so strongly to him wanting to handle the Jaguar seduction, because he clearly still thinks of Joan even after all this time as the Office Manager. Talented, yes. Smart, of course. A critical component of the office, absolutely. But not somebody who can move outside of that role, even if her handling of the Account Books after Pryce's death has been exemplary. No, to him Joan is the attractive, competent senior woman of the Agency who largely has a ceremonial Partnership because she allowed herself to be used and the Agency owed it to her. So when he walks away and calls Peggy after him, it doesn't even occur to him that she's hurt and pained by being set aside like this, that her push to be present was a push to expand her role and become an even more active part of the team. Peggy knows though, miserable that her assurances to Joan failed. So does Moira even with only the most basic awareness of the facts, as she stares sympathetically at Joan after Pete and Peggy's departure. Catching Moira looking, Joan forces herself to keep her face blank and returns to her office, back to checking papers and keeping the books, Avon now somebody else's business in spite of the fact SHE was the one who made it possible.   In Los Angeles, Harry drives Roger and Don to their hotel, the Vista Del Mar, in a convertible. Both and Don and Roger look the worse for wear in their suits after a long flight (and heavy drinking!), clearly not enjoying the California heat and looking far from their usual well-groomed selves. Harry though is like a pig in poo poo, ignoring Roger's complaint about getting a car with a roof and asking if they want to take a dip in the pool or go to the bar since both have "attractive scenery". He clearly thinks of himself as an old hand in California, explaining the bellman's failure to be right there waiting for them because everything here is "mañana". This is the life Harry wants, relaxed and laidback and just enjoying himself, despite the fact he is an incredibly uptight person who obsesses over every detail. Don wants room service, but Roger wants a shower and then for them to go to Sunset Strip so they can watch a girl dance in a cage! Harry though tells them to pace themselves, reveling in informing them that tomorrow they're going to a very hip party in The Hills, which he explains to Roger is NOT Beverly Hills, and that his friend in CBS tells him it will be crawling with movie moguls. Don again turns down Roger's plea they go to the Sunset Strip, pointing out that he would have slept on the plane if SOMEBODY has stopped talking. The two head inside as the bellman finally arrives, Harry passive-aggressively calling out after them not to worry and he'll handle the tip. In New York it is evening, and Joan is bringing laundry into the living room to fold it. But she becomes distracted by what is airing on television, coverage of a brutal police crackdown on protestors on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The footage is harrowing, police assulting protestors, beating them with truncheons, though they would not restrict themselves to only protestors, being caught on television attacking reporters, photographers and completely innocent bystanders. As Joan watches, the footage fills the screen before pulling out to reveal Don is also watching it in his hotel room, a neat little visual transition (Mad Men does these fairly regularly, but I think I notice it most in John Slattery directed episodes). His phone rings and he picks it up, Megan is also watching back in New York and was calling to see if he is seeing it too. Millions of Americans would watch it, taped footage that couldn't be aired live of Americans being beaten by their own police force, dragged down the street and for protesting among other things a deeply unpopular war, actions that would be denounced by some of the politicians whose convention was the one being protested as "Gestapo tactics". For now though, Don and Megan just share the horror of the moment together despite their geographic distance. Don tries to make light of the violence, saying he hopes Conrad Hilton is inside the hotel where this is all happening, but Megan doesn't want to joke about this. He quickly gets serious again, especially when she gets upset at him pointing out she can't even vote, reminding him that she lives in America regardless. She takes a moment to compose herself after he apologizes, then tells him to be careful in case riots break out in Los Angeles too. When he promises her he's staying in his hotel room and has no plans to go out, she is quick to assure him he can if he wants to but is clearly pleased to learn he wasn't going to. Realizing how much the call is probably costing, she says they should hang up. Amused at her being concerned about this given the gravity of the call, he warmly tells her to try and get some sleep and she does the same. They hang up, both feeling a little better for having talked to each other, the kind of support that should be a part of the bedrock of any marriage/partnership and which had been severely lacking for most of this season until the end of the last episode. But of course neither stop watching, though Don does lay back on the bed to rest his body as the sounds of "THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING!" is bellowed out from the television as the protestors move on down Balboa Street. The title of this episode could easily and simply be considered reflecting the fact it takes place in New York and Los Angeles, but there is I think a rather obvious parallel also happening here. A Tale of Two Cities is a story with the backdrop of the historical period before revolution, and that I think is what many Americans may have been feeling on this night. In recent episodes, Abe has talked about the coming revolution, of choosing sides, of how things are going to change. This wasn't just empty rhetoric, 1968 was a pivotal year for revolutions, many of which have been openly referenced in prior episodes and in this one: Paris, Prague, and now Chicago. Protest is nothing new in America, and indeed the decade (and previous seasons of Mad Men) had marked multiple protests occurring. But this isn't the "other". This isn't college students, or minorities, or "hippies" or "peaceniks". No, that night Americans watched what was largely other "normal" Americans being beaten. This wasn't something they could set aside - even if they disapproved of the violence against those "others" - as happening to somebody else, to groups who perhaps in some way they felt "deserved" it. Even Don's "they were throwing rocks" feels like a pathetic, half-hearted effort to try and justify American police openly and on record committing these violent acts. Ultimately there would be no revolution. There was no peace plank at the Democratic Convention. Humphrey got the nomination but would lose to Nixon, a revolting man who would drag the Office of the President through the mud and be long considered one of the worst American Presidents of all time... but at the same time, a President who would win a landslide reelection in 1972. But on this night, Americans watch in horror what was happening, the cry of THE WORLD IS WATCHING rang out loud, and the fear perhaps wasn't so much of a Revolution but the fact that maybe, just maybe, one was justified.   The next day in New York, Peggy is waiting in the hotel restaurant for Andy and is surprised but pleased to see Joan up, guessing she decided to invite herself along anyway. She gets concerned though when Joan lets her know that Pete can't make it which is why she is here, asking how they're going to handle this. Joan assures her everything will be fine.... then admits that the reason Pete can't make it, is because he wasn't invited! Shocked, Peggy realizes that Joan has cut him a fellow Partner, an Account Man AND Head of New Business for the Agency out of the picture, telling her she can't do this. "I just did," Joan informs her simply, but advises her that if she wants to cut and run now she won't hold it against her. That choice is taken out of Peggy's hands though as Andy arrives, apologizing for being late due to checking out. Joan is all smiles, pointing out they could have handled that for him if he was a client, introducing him to Peggy and referring to her as the Creative Department's dynamite. Caught in the meeting now, Peggy holds a fixed smile and plays her own talent down as they return to their seat, internally screaming as she waits to see how Joan handles the meeting despite having no (official) Account Man experience. It all starts well enough, with Joan charming Andy, talking up Peggy and laying out her track record in related Clients such as Clearasil, Pond's and Belle Jolie. Peggy gets into the swing of things, waxing nostalgic about her own personal history with Avon including their dedicated "lady", her mother's efforts to clean up to impress her and how Peggy and her sister would fight over the catalog. But Joan cuts her off, mildly irritating Peggy though it's for good reason: as a preamble to a Creative Pitch this might work, but this is a business meeting and Andy is here because the personal connection many American women have for Avon isn't getting them the business they want. The trouble is, there is no game plan between them. Pete and Peggy at least have a well-honed business relationship they can work with and lean back on, but Peggy's come into this meeting mostly unarmed and with an entirely different person backing her than expected. Her working relationship with Joan has been troubled at times, though the two have come to mutually respect and like each other over time... but they've also never worked together in a partnership like an Account Man and a Creative should have when courting a potential client. While it goes well at first, Joan charming as always and saying all the right things, after Andy lays out the issues Avon is having - more women are working and not at home, hippies don't wear make-up, and they don't know if they should embrace nostalgia or try to modernize - she's at a loss what to do next. Stifling her growing panic, Joan turns to Peggy for help, who lets her squirm for a moment before putting the ball back in Andy's court, setting things up so HE will tell them what the problem with his current Creative is. When even he struggles to articulate it, she gives him relief by offering a suggestion that he latches onto - it's unintentionally old-fashioned - and the ice is well and truly broken. He admits Avon is open to Peggy's idea of the Avon Lady coming into work offices, but not necessarily to advertising it, but he greatly enjoys Joan throwing out a tagline - normally Creative's job, as Peggy's glare makes clear - that offices don't have doorbells. It is an unusual meeting, not unfolding in the way these things usually do... but luckily Andy is also new to this kind of working relationship, and so Joan and Peggy mixing up the roles usually afforded to Accounts and Creative goes unnoticed.   In Los Angeles, Roger, Don and Harry are meeting with Carnation, and as they wait for the top man to arrive they chat with one of the other executives about Hubert Humphrey finally being picked as the Democratic Nominee for President. Roger jokes about how he missed the speech but Harry points out eagerly that early reports are there was an audience of 80 million. The Carnation Executive however is delighted as he points out that - presumably due to the shock of the televised protest/police assault the night before - the Democrats are finished, not just in 68 but perhaps for all time. They all laugh at this, including Don who seemed positive only a couple days earlier that Humphrey would win over Nixon. The top man arrives at last, Harry shaking his hand and introducing Roger and Don to Jack (maybe he should work for Chevy!) as they retake their seats. Roger happily explains that the other man, George, was just laughing about how the riots gave Nixon the election... and immediately the mood in the room changes. Jack is outraged that anybody could make light of the travesty that took place the night before, glowering at George and warning everybody that this room may sometimes be the source of light political chatter, THIS is a business meeting. He doesn't take his own advice though, thumping his fist on the table and complaining bitterly about the "long-haired fools" who made a mockery of the country last night. He demands to know if Roger thinks Nixon can fix any of that, and when Roger points out that Nixon is a patriot (what loving Presidential candidate ISN'T!?!), sneers back that Dutch Reagan is a patriot.... Nixon is an opportunist. "Dutch" Reagan is, of course, Ronald Reagan, the former actor who in 1966 became Governor of California. Obviously Jack is a big supporter, though it would be over a decade before he would see this "patriot" become President. Yes, Jack is far from the overwhelmed bumpkin Roger was apparently expecting, and he has no qualms about unloading his contempt for New York Ad Men on his captive audience now that they're in the room. He demands to know how they'll be able to take on their instant milk products without conflicting with Life Cereal, and seems determined to back them into a corner to admit they'd drop Life to get them, which of course they can't do purely on the basis of MAYBE getting Carnation as a Client. Don and Roger both try to lay out all the ways they'd promote Carnation differently and to a different market, while a confused Harry reminds Jack they already covered this potential conflict over the phone and he thought this meeting would be about pushing them into sponsorship and advertising on various media like game shows. George, relieved perhaps to get back on side with Jack, points out this would again put them side-by-side with Life Cereal, and then goes off on a little rant of his own about New York firms: the time difference means their morning is New York's lunch, and New York's afternoon is their lunch, and it's hard to communicate ideas back and forth as a result. More than that, George and Jack clearly have a chip on their shoulder, complaining about the New York attitude they get, the idea that somehow them in California are lazier and not as hard-working which they obviously don't feel is accurate. Thankfully, this IS what Roger is there for, the Account Man knowledge that knows when to kiss rear end and when to show a little flex. So sarcastically he notes that he's sorry that their last girlfriend hurt them, before flashing a winning smile and pointing out that THEY are in their office right now. Jack takes a moment, and then can't help but smile himself, perhaps feeling better now that he's vented a little, and leaning back he opens things back up, asking them to start telling them what their ideas are, much to Roger and Don's (and especially Harry's) relief.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 10:46
|
|
|
In New York itself, Joan and Peggy have returned, though not in a particularly good mood. Joan is angry at Peggy for not being more grateful at getting the opportunity of a lifetime, while Peggy is angry at Joan for throwing that opportunity away. They both stop their argument to smile and warmly greet Cutler as her and Moira emerge from an elevator and pass them by, then go back to their argument - Joan physically hauling Peggy back when she tries to leave! Peggy is adamant that Joan has ruined a golden opportunity, insisting that could have had everything she wanted but her impulsive decision has cost her, because she went outside of the process to do it and now she'll have to answer to that. Joan insists it was the ONLY way she could get what she wanted, complaining that she has been doing the work of an Account Man in some form or another since the day she started at Sterling Cooper. More than anything, she's offended that Peggy isn't supporting her, reminding her that she never told Peggy she couldn't make it when she shifted from filing papers to writing copy. THAT really angers Peggy, who points out that yes Joan did tell her that... every day! The worst part is that Joan made her feel like a fraud, like maybe she couldn't do it, but Peggy herself knows that Joan is more than capable of doing the job she wants... it's just that she isn't in the Accounts Department, and doing an end-run isn't going to get her there. When Joan acidly "congratulates" Peggy for letting Don carry her to the deep end of the pool, Peggy is outraged at the age old rumor raising its head once more, savagely whispering back that she never slept with Don... a line that carries a deeper connotation/implication which she only grasps too late: she didn't sleep with anybody to get her role, but they both know that Joan technically did. Joan coldly notes that Peggy really is just like "them" after all, insisting once again she'll be fine when Peggy warns that now she'll have to answer to the other Partners for what she did. They part angrily, both regretting things they said, their complicated dynamic as always caught between mutual respect, genuine friendship, and the fact they are in many ways polar opposites and form a volatile mix. Joan claimed she could never intimidate Peggy, a laughable claim given Peggy clearly feels intimidated by her constantly and - like many of the other secretaries and a fair few of the men - holds her in some awe. Peggy both looks down on her obvious use of sexuality but envies it, while also knowing Joan is an intelligent, savvy and highly competent administrator far more qualified than most of the senior staff. Joan never wanted the job Peggy forged for herself, but she does want to be able to forge her own path as well. They're destined to butt heads forever, that's just the kind of relationship they have, but moments like this strain it in ways both regret. Another person trying to forge their own path is Bob Benson, though he does it in hopelessly cliched ways beyond just kissing the rear end of his seniors. Sitting in his office, he listens to a self-help album, eyes closed and trying his best to absorb the information. His phone rings and he turns down the volume, picking up and listening in shock to what he is being told on the other end. Soon he is downstairs, let into Stan's office quickly and the door shut behind him. Stan was the one who called, because Ginsberg is having a nervous breakdown, sitting cross-legged on the floor rocking back and forth and insisting that he doesn't want to to go the Manischewitz meeting... that he refuses to go! "I am become Death, destroyer of worlds!" he laments, Cutler's words about him being a hypocrite having clearly hit him hard as he calls himself a pig and part of the problem. Bob immediately puts his self-help learning into motion, kneeling down and trying to give Michael (who angrily objects to being called by his first name, he prefers Ginsberg) inspiration, promising him that he's not a pig and he's certainly not death. Stan excuses himself, unable to stand watching Bob laying out largely empty but well-meaning phrases, while Ginsberg insists he hasn't smoked any "funny cigarettes" since they make you crazy... before also insisting that "they" are beaming the harm into his head! This is the closest Bob gets to losing his temper, though he never lets the familiar smile drop. Instead he talks up the fact that Manischewitz are good people, that they are Ginsberg's people! They sell a product that does no harm (well, technically....?) and that gets sold to ALL faiths: it's about as good a product as you can hope to be involved with. He insists that Ginsberg just needs to learn that you have to be in the right place ALL the time (clearly his own personal philosophy) and encourages him to stand up and join him as the intelligent, funny and creative person he needs to be at that presentation. Reluctantly Michael takes his offered hand and allows himself to be stood up, settling down at last. "Tell me the truth," he asks Bob,"Are you a homo?" Bob simply chuckles at that question and proclaims there is the funny guy he was looking for, and with a companionable clap on Ginsberg's shoulder leads him out of the room. It's the first time any question on Bob's sexuality has ever come up, and notably Bob doesn't answer it in any way. We saw him with Joan and the assumption was that maybe there was something there... but maybe not? Certainly Bob remains something of an enigma: it could be that he is simply what he appears to be, a brown-noser aiming to lickspittle his way to a promotion, but his desperate need to fit in plus his story to Pete about his desire to escape the confining drudgery of his family business might also be explained in some other way. Or maybe this was just a casual line in keeping with the 1968 mentality of assuming anybody that spoke nicely about another man's qualities must be "a homo"?   In Los Angeles, Roger leaves the hotel, turning to watch a blond in a short dress walking a very small dog before setting his sights back on the waiting Don. Don complains about the meetings Harry set up but Roger comes to his defense, pointing out that he got them meetings with three very high up figures as major companies, and Don needs to remember that not everything falls into your lap the way Chevy did (and which Roger, uncharacteristically, put a LOT of work into) you've got to hit them with a dinner and golf offense first usually. But any kudos Harry might have gotten are forgotten when he pulls up still driving the same convertible, Don angrily complaining that he told him to get them another car. Harry simply shrugs, untroubled, because he's in Los Angeles and he's living his fantasy of being a media insider, driving around with the top down and going to parties in The Hills. GoutPatrol posted:Don and Roger are more offended that Harry is driving a Mustang more than just a convertible. Thanks to GoutPatrol for the above note. They represent Chevy, but Harry is driving them around in a Ford car. That's where they go now, Harry leading them inside an expensive home and introducing them to his friend Cindy, who greets them happily and points out where to get refreshments, including tacos and booze but also marijuana just sitting out in the open on a candy dish on the coffee table: the times they aren't a-changing, the times have a-changed! Cindy laughs off Roger's basic come-on and saunters away, and the three look around the room at men mostly casually dressed or in very relaxed suits and women in sundresses or swimming costumes. Roger's outfit is "casual" but on the high end of the conservative side for this party, while Don - immaculately tailored as always - looks very much the square in spite of wearing yellow rather than gray. "It's a different protocol" observes Harry, who obviously far prefers this LA way of doing things, warning Roger to let him do the introductions since this crowd don't hand out business cards. Don though really has spotted somebody he knows, dismissing Harry identifying a Kodak Executive to point out a much shorter man chatting to somebody else by the pool... it's Danny Siegel! Yes, Jane's cousin who briefly worked for SCDP before being fired after the loss of Lucky Strike has apparently done VERY well for himself in the time since then, Harry explaining he goes by Daniel J. Siegel now and he produces movies, and the guy he's talking to is a Paramount Executive probably trying to buy one of his movies. Of course Roger doesn't particular care about the Paramount Executive, but the pretty young woman standing between them. As Harry moves forward to greet Danny, he spots them and happily welcomes them, a far cry from the determined but buttoned down little copywriter who only got hired because a drunk Don accidentally stole his idea and gave it to Life Cereal. They join Harry, Roger absolutely unable to help himself from cracking short jokes that make the pretty woman - Lotus, from Sacramento - giggle, though probably mostly because she looks stoned out of her gourd. Danny takes the jokes on the chin, clearly not liking them but feeling good and secure enough with his success not to be overly bothered. Whatever power Roger once had is beneath him now, Danny probably isn't as rich as him but he's clearly doing very well and keyed in to an exciting and energetic field of entertainment. Harry moves on to schmooze some more while Don departs for the bar, but Roger stays behind mostly because he's interested in Lotus. He corrects all of Danny's face-saving facts about his time with - and departure from - SCDP, and Danny lets it go, getting his "revenge" by showing off about the fact he's soon to make his first movie under a major studio, bragging about the connections he has made. But he's not without his insecurities, obviously, and makes a point of leaving with his arm around Lotus as he promises to introduce her to the President of Warner Pictures, who is also at the party. Roger isn't overly bothered though, taking in the scenery (read: the women in bikinis) and smoking, seeing the appeal that has clearly caught Harry's heart. Meanwhile Don has gotten caught up in a conversation at the bar with a musician, who admits that most movies nowadays are going without a score because the audience mostly want to hear hit pop songs. Don admits that things seem to be going that way in advertising too (remember his utter confusion about the appeal of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones?), listing of some of the Clients he represents "in the North East", and the musician notes he might just look him up one day since times are tough and he digs jingles... and more importantly he hears "the bread's out of sight" - this guy is more than willing to sacrifice his artistic dignity, after all, a man has to eat! Harry joins them as Don spots a pretty girl in a bikini emerging from the pool, focusing on her rather than Harry who is querying whether they should leave this part to follow Ben Kalmenson to another party in the Canyon. "You know Ben?" asks the musician, and Harry immediately leaps on him, asking if HE knows Ben. Because this is part and parcel of this whole "relaxed" scene, everybody is desperately looking for an in with somebody in a position of power or influence, and both Harry and the musician are clearly hoping the other is already an intimate of Kalmenson's so they can latch on. Don simply walks away to leave them to figure this out for themselves, certainly not interested in chasing some Hollywood Executive from party to party with Harry Crane. Upstairs he looks for a bathroom and instead finds a circle of guests, including Cindy, smoking from a Hookah. Cindy points out there is an extra "nipple" here for when he comes back, and amused he decides the toilet can wait and takes a seat, though not before removing his shoes as instructed. Cindy asks if he likes hashish and comments that he doesn't know yet before sucking deeply on the hose, nodding in appreciation as the affect quickly spreads through his body. As day turns to night, Roger sits outside by the pool with Lotus, noting she doesn't say much and he's not actually sure if she's hearing what he is saying at all... is she tripping? She simply nods, and with great pride he reveals that he has done so 5 times himself! Assuring her that she doesn't need to see through him, he explains that it's true... he really IS this handsome. And rich! Danny arrives, telling Lotus its time they split, and Roger laughs in disbelief as he realizes they're together, mocking Danny claiming she is going to be sleeping in his guesthouse, asking if that is just until the "audition", clearly knowing exactly what kind of quid pro quo Danny is looking for. Danny is calm and relaxed though, simply saying that what Lotus chooses to do is HER choice, and mocking Roger telling her to leave with him, saying the closest thing he could get to making her dream come true would be putting her lips on the side of the bus. Jumping straight back to the short jokes, Roger asks if he'll keep going West when he fails here too, pointing out Japan is a long way to go on such little legs. With a sigh, Danny tells him he's lucky he hates violence, and Roger of course in an effort to show off insists that he LOVES violence, that he was a boxer and there is nothing quite as sweet as finding the magic spot on another man that will bring him to his knees... unless of course he already started there. https://thumbs.gfycat.com/PowerlessDefiantHochstettersfrog-mobile.mp4 Roger doubles over in pain after Danny, absent only a "KIAI!", delivers a fast strike directly to his balls. Lotus bursts into giggles and Danny sighs that he hated to do that, clearly absolutely loving loving that he did it as he slips his arm around Lotus' waist and saunters away with her. Roger simply sits, gasping for breath, other partygoers moving by him amused or unsure why he's hunched over like that, but leaving him alone to do whatever it is he is doing. Upstairs, Don is getting to know Cindy better, because even when he's back to being devoted to his marriage again he's still happily taking every opportunity to cheat... after all, as he claimed to Betty sex to him isn't all that big a deal (now his wife having a sex scene on a television show? Oh that's beyond the pale!). But maybe there's some element of guilt to him after all, because as he kisses Cindy and reminds her that his name isn't Don (wow, he's REALLY high) he feels a tap on his shoulder and turns to see... Megan!?! Standing there dressed in hippy clothes and beaming a loving smile is his wife, and when Cindy asks if this is his "old lady", Megan smiles happily and assures them both it's fine, this is California and everybody shares! Don is caught between surprise and happiness, asking how she can be here, how she found him, confused but pleased by her saying she wanted to surprise him but also that she lives her. Cindy happily makes her exit, seeing the obvious connection between these two, even though said connection is purely based on how Don is: in reality this is just some stoned hippy girl who liked the look of Don and wanted to get in on the action, and has no idea who he is actually seeing as he talks to her, convinced that she is his wife somehow appearing from thin air to let him know it's totally cool and fine and cheat on her! "I quit my job, I couldn't bear to be apart!" Megan tells him, and motions to her stomach, telling him that she wanted him to share in this surprise too. Don is ecstatic.... she's pregnant? What does she think it is? "A second chance," moans "Megan", and leads him by hand downstairs and to the bar, Don following serenely, in utter bliss. As the bar he pulls out a cigarette as Megan sighs that everybody is looking for him, and then a lighter is proffered to him. He lights his cigarette, turning around and of course Megan has been replaced by PFC Dinkins, in full uniform but now short an arm. Surprised, Don asks if he is in the movies too and Dinkins notes he sure ain't playing for the Dodgers, before cheekily letting Don that his wife thinks he's MIA.... but he's actually dead! Don is shocked, not that he's talking to a ghost, but that the ghost doesn't have his arm back! He asks why he didn't get it back, and with a grin Dinkins explains - in another example of Mad Men being far too on the nose - that dying doesn't make you whole, and he should see what HE looks like. "MAN OVERBOARD!" bellows a voice from far away, and Don finds himself standing on the edge of the pool, looking down at a man wearing the same outfit as him floating facedown in the pool like Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard. It is, of course, Don himself, and he stares bewildered at himself as a dead man, not the first time he has been over the corpse of Donald Draper. But then suddenly he finds himself lying on the ground, spluttering up water, drenched through and with Roger Sterling crouched over him, having administered CPR. Yes, Don literally went into the water and was drowning until Roger leaped in and saved him. He lies coughing and hacking up water, confused but sober again from the shock. Roger tells everybody who had gathered around to give him space and that he's fine now, while Don simply lays there mind racing, trying to figure out exactly what just happened and how much of what he just saw and did was even real. The next day in New York, Cutler joins a returned Ted Chaough in his office and the two embrace. It's wonderful news, Chevy loved the latest pitch... or more importantly, "Jack" loved it, and he's high enough up the chain of command that he can sign off on it without having to run it through a whole other group of executives. Not only that, but they showed Ted models of the car at last, he at least knows what it looks like now: Chevy are happy, which means everybody is happy, and Ted is walking on sunshine. Moira lets him know over the intercom that Bob Benson is here to see him, and he opens the door himself to let him in, his good mood making him happy to welcome the Account Man in, even when Cutler points out that he IS interrupting when Bob tells them he didn't want to. Bob unfortunately has bad news, Manischewitz called and have decided to put the Agency in review. He admits that they barely listened to Ginsberg's presentation, apparently they haven't liked the work for months. That does dent Ted's good mood, why didn't Jim go to the meeting? Cutler insists he thought it was time to give Bob a chance, while Bob - a good kiss-rear end - insists that HE was the one who talked Cutler into it. Ted doesn't care whose idea it was though, Roger Sterling asked Cutler to "look after his dog and it ran away". But Cutler, thinking fast on his feet, turns this around, instead suddenly taking a kinder tone with Bob, telling him how much he appreciates him handling this like a man... and as a reward they're going to add him to the Chevy team! Ted is astonished, but quick to play along in solidarity with his Partner as Cutler conspiratorially lets Bob know that they're moving to the next level with Chevy and will require more than simply Ken in Detroit. Bob is, of course, over the moon. This is exactly the recognition and opportunity he has been looking for, and when Ted shakes his hand and welcomes onboard he couldn't be happier. Once he's gone, however, Ted shakes his finger at Cutler, though he can't help but smile while doing it, understanding exactly what Jim is up to. "They shouldn't have gone to California," shrugs Cutler, pointing out that with the Chevy success and the fact "they" (not Joan, them somehow) are bringing in Avon, the loss of Manischewitz is actually good news. In other words, more of the big clients are THEIR clients now, which gives them more power and influence in the merged Agency. Ted isn't happy that Cutler is still trying to split the place, especially not that he's doing it so unevenly and trying to take the lion's share for them... but he clearly doesn't mind so much that HE is also on Cutler's side. Besides, Cutler is no fool, he knows that they'll need to throw the former SCDP a bone so they don't grasp they're being sidelines... and he has an idea. Unaware of the political machinations happening at their work, Roger and Don are flying home, Don with a cold from his time in the pool but also acute embarrassment at how he got it. Roger though dismisses that, telling him to stop talking about the past, because what he learned from this trip is that New York is the center of the Universe, and the people in California will never truly understand what they do. Don offers the alternative view, that perhaps they understand all too well. But Roger is feeling satisfied with himself, after all he might have got punched in the balls but he also saved his friend's life. He explains that his shrink has told him the job of your life is to understand yourself, because only then can you start to love yourself. He points out that he's figured out he himself is a curious child with a full head of hair and a thriving business.... in other words, life is good, and he should be happy with that. Not exactly a stunning revelation for a guy who has spent his life being rich, but hey the whole point of therapy is to get to grips with the things causing you pain, and Roger appears to have taken that to heart. They sit quietly together, seemingly both at ease, Don taking some solace from Roger's statement... until he turns his head away and his face falls. Love himself? Some would argue that Don's problem is that he loves himself too much, but most understand that part of the issue is that he utterly loathes himself for a variety of reasons both external and internal. He told Cindy that his name wasn't Don, he saw Megan because he was feeling guilty but he also constructed a fantasy of her giving up everything for him and being happy with it, and he doesn't know if he fell into that pool by accident while high or if he tried to kill himself. Earlier this season Don's perfect fantasy of losing yourself entirely was interpreted by others as a suicide, did his drug-fuelled haze kick loose some of those thoughts again?   Joan is eating lunch when Meredith knocks on the door and tells her that Mr. Campbell wants to see her in the Conference Room. Joan has a moment of panic that she stamps down, keeping her voice calm as she asks what this is regarding. Meredith explains that Avon sent over a box of samples, then quickly explains that it was Diane who opened it, not her! Knowing the cat is out of the bag, Joan keeps her cool despite her fear, telling Meredith she'll be right in. She takes a moment then walks in trying her best to look calm and relaxed as Pete yells at the gathered secretaries to get out, Meredith remarking that box shouldn't be in here before quickly leaving too. Pete demands to know what this is about, motioning to the box, and Joan notes that it probably means that Avon is serious about coming onboard. "Oh they're serious, alright!" spits Pete in a fury, brandishing the note that came with the box, demanding to know what's all this about "a productive breakfast", accusing her and Peggy of freezing him out. Joan is quick to insist that Peggy had no idea, before trying to explain that there was a mix-up and it was too late to bring Pete in, and she went along purely because she was the source of the confusion. Pete isn't buying that, for all his faults he is no fool and he knows he was left out deliberately, though being Pete he thinks it is because of a conspiracy against him rather than Joan attempting to develop her position in the company in a more proactive fashion. Peggy arrives late, having heard about the package and Pete's reaction and knowing trouble was brewing. Pete accuses her of having come in to have a good laugh at his expense, and she bites back by pointing out he has no right to upset the secretaries the way he did chasing them out of the office. Joan points out that the important thing is that Avon is clearly happy, and Pete sneers back that he BETS she made Hayes happy, outraging Joan with the accusation since the only sex she ever had with a potential client was at Pete's instigation! "Better than being screwed by you," she growls back at him. In spite of Pete's own clear disdain at being relegated to junior status in the Partnership stakes, he is of course quick to appeal to authority when it suits him, and declares he's going to go and fetch Ted to see what he has to say about this. He storms out and straight for Ted's door, leaving Joan and Peggy behind with only moments to work out what if anything can be done. Peggy offers to handle Ted, but Joan is committed now and tells her it is too late for that, taking her seat at the table and setting her poker face, ready to face the consequences. A reminder. She's a PARTNER. Yes she went outside the normal chain of events, bypassing Accounts, but this entire episode she has been treated like she still an underling, and in many ways you'd think Pete would have sympathy for her... except of course he's Pete, the only indignity is one he suffers. Ted arrives with Pete, also outraged, demanding to know if it is true she met with Avon without inviting Pete. Peggy, in spite of Joan's warning, tries to speak up and explain it was all last minute, but Pete snaps that it doesn't concern her and Ted gives her a grim nod to indicate he doesn't want her speaking up either. With a worried look Joan's way, Peggy leaves, slipping into Joan's office (still marked Traffic) and closing the door, switching on the intercom to eavesdrop on the conversation, shushing Meredith when she bursts into brandishing lipstick and asking if the color looks good on her! Inside the Conference Room, Joan is defiant but imperious, but largely at a loss how to articulate or explain her reasoning. After all, she DID ignore Ted telling her to bring in Pete - an accomplished Account Man who does this as an actual job - and took on the meeting for herself without any of their knowledge. She may deserve more than she is getting, but she did "wrong" regardless and how can she explain that, especially when she herself has punished plenty of employees for not following the rules and processes themselves. Ted himself points out she of all people can't plead ignorance, and Pete admits that he actually does understand the desire to work a personal connection with a client... but she has violated the fundamental rules of this business: an account executive signs business and they send their junior to maintain it. He makes a rather tortured analogy about sending her out to buy a cake and her eating it before coming back, but Ted ignores that to get to the heart of the matter: did she squeeze Pete out? For once Joan is at a loss for words. She doesn't know how to explain herself, not to men at least. Peggy would understand, even if she disagreed. But these two? How to explain the need to carve out a role for herself? To do what she has seen others do that she knows she can do better, but has never been allowed to do because of her gender? How could they understand the maddening frustration of being hyper-competent at your work but largely being seen as a sex object or a glorified office manager/secretary? Peggy, thinking fast, scribbles a note and gives it to Meredith. Moments later Meredith knocks on the door and enters, giving Joan the chance to at least say SOMETHING as she snaps at her not to bother them now, both Ted and Pete bug-eyed at the interruption. But Meredith, performing the task asked of her, reads from the note, being careful to simply read it verbatim and not technically claim its contents to be true: Andrew Hayes from Avon is on the phone for Joan. Pete is disgusted, but in this moment fate is sealed. Ted Chaough might have a lot of problems, but he understands that you give the client what they want. If Andrew Hayes is on the phone asking for Joan, then he gets Joan, and that's simply the end of the matter, even if he is angry that Joan created this situation in the first place. Joan, barely restraining a satisfied smirk, stands and leaves the room, entering her office where Peggy motion for silence and they listen in to Ted telling a horrified Pete that possession is nine-tenths of the law: Avon is Joan's Account now. He can't believe it, but Ted insists that he play ball, after all it's business for the Agency, and all Agency business is HIS business. With a pat on Pete's shoulder, Ted leaves, while inside Joan's office Peggy turns off the intercom as Joan gives out a relieved thank you to the woman she has the most complicated relationship with outside of her mother. Peggy though has a friendly warning as she leaves the office... Joan better hope Hayes ACTUALLY calls, or all this was for nothing.   Pete isn't done yet though. When Don and Roger return they find him lurking by Dawn's desk, maddened further when Dawn welcomes Don back and asks how his trip was, wanting to get him into the office for a private chat. Roger chuckles that Don must be glad he didn't stop off at home first, and they all head inside where Pete starts his rant... only to be cut off again when Dawn buzzes in to let him know the other Partners are here. Don calls them in and a happy Cooper, Cutler and Chaough enter, Ted asking how California went. "It was a series of busts, and not the kind I like," grumbles Roger, but Ted says they have good news. Cooper points out they're one down and says they should get Joan, but on that Pete won't be denied, snapping,"No," and nobody bothering to argue in her favor. Ted opens with the best news: Chevy signed off on their pitch. Don is pleased, admitting it is a relief even though he has largely divorced himself from that headache. That's not all the good news though, Joan appears to be close to signing Avon, and if Pete was hoping for an uproar he's disappointed as Don just expresses mild surprise while Roger seems delighted, chuckling about what happens when the cat's away. Cutler follows up with the bad news, that Manischewitz has put them in review, but Roger isn't overly fussed, admitting he already knew they hadn't been happy for months (something he didn't tell Cutler or anybody else, was he hoping the failure would happen on his watch?) and showing just how much things have changed: there was a time when Manischewitz was his desperate last-chance scramble to prove he still had some worth to the Agency, but now he feels secure enough that potentially losing them doesn't bother him in the slightest. But the happiest news is for last, they've come up with what they think is a winner of a name for the Agency: Sterling Cooper & Partners. Ted and Cutler claim they came up with the name in the interests of fairness, sharing the blow along with Don of losing their names (and of course Pete and Joan never had that), with Gleason and Pryce of course no longer in the picture. Cooper is utterly delighted of course, and Roger admits that he and Cooper should stay out of any vote since their preference for the new name couldn't be clearer. Don considers it, asks if Ted is really happy with this, and when Ted agrees he can swallow it if Don can, Cutler notes that they chose the name because it was equally offensive to all. With that no vote seems necessary, Roger and Don shake hands with Ted and Cutler, and they all part amicably feeling like something was really accomplished here.... and of course, just as planned, not grasping that Ted and Jim are now the major driving force of this new Agency even if their names aren't on it. If anything, Roger thinks Cooper must have somehow worked some magic to get this compromise, congratulating him quietly for pulling it off, Cooper just as quietly remarking in wonder that he didn't have anything to do with it. Ironically only one person grasps that there is something more going on here, because his natural paranoia for once is well-placed. Pete Campbell closes the door but remains in the office, unable to believe that Don is okay with this, insisting the name is a compromise "a gravestone to our resistance." Don of course thinks he is being ridiculous, and 9 times out of 10 he'd be right. When he complains that this isn't the same business anymore, Don gives a little smile and says if he doesn't like the business, maybe it is time to get out? Pete leaves in a huff, Don watching him go believing he's being ridiculous (He is, but he's still right!), calling to Dawn to get Megan on the phone, wanting to let her know he's back, looking forward to seeing her again in another marked difference to his seeming disinterest in being around her for much of the season. In the Creative Lounge, Pete pauses and looks around, spotting Stan smoking a joint on the couch while copywriters are busy working at the table. He steps right up to Stan's legs and demands to know what he's doing, and usually you'd think this meant he was about to throw his weight around as a result of feeling emasculated by Joan and left out in the cold by the other Partners. But when Stan claims he is "working" and Pete snatches the joint from his mouth, it isn't go go on a rant about professionalism. Instead, Pete Campbell settles down on the couch, and in an act unthinkable not just 6 seasons ago but ONE episode ago, places it in his mouth and takes a deep drag. The times are changing, Pete Campbell can see the business he helped build being taken away from him piece by piece, and at this point what else is there to do but get high, watch a secretary walk by in a short skirt, and ponder how the gently caress things ended up like this?  Episode Index Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Mar 20, 2022 |
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 10:46
|
|
|
1. Don and Roger are more offended that Harry is driving a Mustang more than just a convertible. 2. You can tell exactly where the Republican party is going over the next 50 years from that Carnation meeting. Just an angry old white man banging on a table going "give me Reagan!" 3. This is the first time this season you really see the main characters react to the civil unrest in a way that connects to them, and you nail it - everything else was really outside of the realm of possibility/caring until you watch people like you get the Tokaii special.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 12:01
|
|
|
What are you referencing with the 'Tokaii special'?
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 12:24
|
|
|
Tokaii was an older goon posting here in the oughts who had been a police officer in Chicago during the 60s and made ask-me-anything type posts about it.Tokaii in 2004 posted:The riots of 1968. You don't exactly get the big picture when you're in the middle of it. I was in part of Chicago PD called Task Force and we were usually assigned to flood high crime areas, etc. We were the first to be called out when Dr. King was killed. Before long though the entire department was on 12 hour shifts. Once the riots really got going we'd be put on a bus and driven close to the scene and then assemble, move out and try to clear an area. It was pretty hopeless for the most part. We'd clear a block but they'd just move two blocks over. It seemed like everywhere you looked the building were either on fire or had been broken into and looted. I think he eventually got banned for saying it would be okay for an adult to have sex with a 16-year-old.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 17:05
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:what else is there to do but get high? This sure is a mood. Great write up, Jerusalem, as always.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 22:42
|
|
|
GoutPatrol posted:1. Don and Roger are more offended that Harry is driving a Mustang more than just a convertible. Oh man, I'm not a car guy at all so I had no idea that was a Mustang, thanks! I forgot all about Tokaii, I never really kept up with their threads but I remember people saying they had really interesting stories about that ti- ANOTHER SCORCHER posted:I think he eventually got banned for saying it would be okay for an adult to have sex with a 16-year-old. Oof. On a brighter note: GoutPatrol posted:You can tell exactly where the Republican party is going over the next 50 years from that Carnation meeting. Just an angry old white man banging on a table going "give me Reagan!" 
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 22:43
|
|
|
ANOTHER SCORCHER posted:I think he eventually got banned for saying it would be okay for an adult to have sex with a 16-year-old. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 23:04
|
|
|
Wasn't he also the guy who talked about always having a drop gun to plant on a guy who he knew was guilty? Not to make the thread about him.
|
|
#
?
Mar 20, 2022 23:21
|
|
|
That was in another country, and besides, the wench is dead.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 09:58
|
|
|
Sad that the Benson-Ginsberg creative partnership is seemingly over so soon. Also I was really hoping it was going to be Paul Kinsey at that pool party.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 10:49
|
|
|
Randallteal posted:Sad that the Benson-Ginsberg creative partnership is seemingly over so soon. Also I was really hoping it was going to be Paul Kinsey at that pool party. I always tend to think that the Manischewitz account was lost when it was just Bob and Ginsburg sent to that meeting. Cutler was sending it to their doom.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 10:59
|
|
|
 For all the corporate maneuvering and backstabbing and hash trips and near-death experiences in this episode, the final shot steals the show. GoutPatrol posted:2. You can tell exactly where the Republican party is going over the next 50 years from that Carnation meeting. Just an angry old white man banging on a table going "give me Reagan!" It's a fun ("fun") scene, watching two Rockefeller Republicans confronted by the actual rhetoric and attitude of the GOP outside of their exclusive little tristate enclave and being entirely unprepared to deal with it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 15:04
|
|
|
Jerusalem posted:When Joan acidly "congratulates" Peggy for letting Don carry her to the deep end of the pool, Peggy is outraged at the age old rumor raising its head once more, savagely whispering back that she never slept with Don... a line that carries a deeper connotation/implication which she only grasps too late: she didn't sleep with anybody to get her role, but they both know that Joan technically did. Everything with Peggy and Joan in this episode is so loving good, and Peggy's line here in particular is a magnificent bit of writing and plotting. It strikes at the heart of not just their relationship but also their respective experiences with misogyny. And it directly picks up the dangling thread left in the episode where Joan sells her soul to win Jaguar. She's the only one to see Peggy leave, which invites the viewer to compare their paths. Just like Peggy at the end of season 5, Joan has a chance now to go in a different direction on her own terms where she didn't before. Also, Ted and Cutler's scenes together are so deliciously efficient in giving the viewer everything we need to know about the texture of their relationship. The resigned condescension in Ted's voice when responding to Cutler's bitching and moaning is so funny. "  I'm the world's most expensive babysitter!" " That's the spirit."also also, love how the Sunkist/ocean spray conflict gets set up here. Pete gets so close to spilling the beans when he asks Roger "where are you going, exactly?" before getting cut off. Ted even complains that nobody read his memo! kalel fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Mar 21, 2022 |
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 16:00
|
|
|
Randallteal posted:Sad that the Benson-Ginsberg creative partnership is seemingly over so soon. Also I was really hoping it was going to be Paul Kinsey at that pool party. As beautiful as that would be, I can't see Paul having the kind of success Danny seems to have had. Now if he was at a lovely little apartment party somewhere in the shittier part of Hollywood, holding court with students in the writing class he'd somehow ended up running, THAT I could see. JethroMcB posted:It's a fun ("fun") scene, watching two Rockefeller Republicans confronted by the actual rhetoric and attitude of the GOP outside of their exclusive little tristate enclave and being entirely unprepared to deal with it. I have had to keep reminding myself through most of Mad Men's run that the "modern" Republican Party really fell into place during/post the Civil Rights era when all the Dixiecrats fled to the Republican Party (who welcomed them with open arms), but I do keep forgetting that the Republican crowd that the likes of Don, Roger and Cooper probably deal with are largely New York based and probably far different from the rest of the country. With that said, I think it was interesting seeing how a pleasant and nice fellow like Henry Francis when he recently started talking about how he wanted to do things "right" as a politician was basically on the razor's edge of outright racism with all his "thugs" talk. I bet he was impressed with Daley setting the cops loose on those protestors.
|
|
#
?
Mar 21, 2022 22:30
|
|
|
the historical revisionism as regards the 60s is almost always readily apparent in any media set in the era released decades later. now that we're many years removed and its nascent radicalism was throttled in the crib with the state-backed annihilation of the panthers, people can safely pretend they were always against the vietnam war and in favor of the protests. that gets reflected in characters who are wholly sympathetic to the new left, contrary to their social and class positions. in reality many, many people cheered on the cops and thought the kids at kent state had it coming. i've always enjoyed that carnation scene because it is a far more accurate portrayal of people's real views. you get this with stuff about mccarthyism as well, like good night and good luck and the abysmal being the ricardos. every character is vehemently against huac even though anticommunism was rampant. it's horseshit. the us is and was reactionary and any struggle for progress encountered massive resistance from every quarter.
|
|
#
?
Mar 22, 2022 06:11
|
|
|
I'd like to take a moment to recognize the guy who plays Avon marketing head Andy Hayes in this episode: Spencer Garrett.    This motherfucker is in everything. seriously, look at this guy's imdb page. Sure, you've got the usual suspects for TV character actors--Law and Order, The West Wing, NCIS, CSI, 24, Medium, Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy, Burn Notice--but he's also made an appearance in several Marvel films, limited series, video games, commercials, and other media. Plus, he's the spitting image of Johnny Carson. In a season full of "that guy/gal"-s, this is the that-guyiest guy of them all.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2022 15:07
|
|
|
Just wanna highlight the insanely sick tune that plays during the party scene in the episode.
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2022 18:27
|
|
|
kalel posted:I'd like to take a moment to recognize the guy who plays Avon marketing head Andy Hayes in this episode: Spencer Garrett. Spencer Garrett's IMDB Bio posted:Spencer is the son of actress Kathleen Nolan, a former two-term president of the Screen Actors Guild. Father is Richard Heckenkamp, former head of Film Artists Associates, a talent agency. Well, that explains that. (Not that he's a bad actor, but that is a hell of a one-two punch of industry connections.)
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2022 19:04
|
|
|
I mean you'd think with those connections he'd have a bigger career
|
|
#
?
Mar 23, 2022 20:27
|
|
|
I don't know if this would be considered an insult, a compliment, or just weird.... but he looks like he should be Seth McFarlane's dad.
|
|
#
?
Mar 24, 2022 01:12
|
|
|
didn't realize I stepped into the "Jerusalem roasts character actors that I enjoy" thread 
|
|
#
?
Mar 24, 2022 13:06
|
|
|
I'm gonna need some help with this one folks..... Why is there a poster of Moshe Dayan on Stan's bedroom wall? 
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2022 06:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 16, 2024 18:17 |
|
|
Iykyk
|
|
#
?
Mar 29, 2022 06:46
|
|
