Posted: 5/4/15 at 11:16am
I can't decide which gif is my spirit animal.
Posted: 5/4/15 at 11:17am
We really have reached Peak Peggy. Just delightful.
Posted: 5/4/15 at 12:39pm
Loved this episode...but where the f*ck did those roller skates come from? Have we ever seen them before?
Posted: 5/4/15 at 12:44pm
I didn't catch it, but apparently they were visible in the scene where Peggy tried to make Sanka and then dropped it on the floor.
Posted: 5/4/15 at 12:57pm
Thanks!!
Just checked the DVR...yup they are in plain view.
Updated On: 5/4/15 at 12:57 PM
Posted: 5/4/15 at 1:04pm
Another acting master class from Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks in this episode. Moss' scenes with Roger were a delight, that image of Peggy skating as Roger played the piano is pure MAD MEN genius. It's the kind of scene that is earned by years of meticulous character development, and boy does it work.
I thought the writing of Hendricks' big scene was spectacular. With every line the power shifted from one character to another. Whenever I thought Joan was done, she would respond with something that would make her seem more powerful, only to be put down again. It was an impressive scene. I want Joan to succeed so badly, she's earned it, but I think Weiner's point that these characters are victims of forces much larger than them (misogyny, capitalism, etc.) was always going to inevitably lead to this type of ending for the character.
Posted: 5/4/15 at 1:15pm
I'm gonna be so sad if that's the end of Joan's story, but at least they gave her one hell of a moment to go out on. I would have never expected such a monologue from Joan, but it was a beautiful moment and perfectly acted. And of course, Peggy's walk into the agency was possibly my all-time favorite moment on the show.
Overall, these episodes have been really satisfying, and if the last few continue like this, I'm happy the show will be going out on such a high note.
Posted: 5/4/15 at 4:57pm
Posted: 5/4/15 at 10:16pm
I'm highly invested in Peggy's story, probably because in many ways, she is me, albeit twenty years earlier. There were ominous hints that things won't go well at McCann (such as Hobart saying he wasn't sure her status as copy chief would last long), but I'm hoping Weiner sees her as the only true winner of the bunch.
My take on Joan differs from what most in this thread have stated. She got to where she was by trading on her sexuality, and then when she tried to co-opt the women's movement, it failed as inauthentic. Of course, the whole environment in sales was total sexist b-s, and hasn't necessarily changed. If she hadn't been in such a rarified situation at SCDC, and had to work up from the bottom, however, she would not have been so thrown by what she encountered. By contrast, Peggy knows where she stands, and knows she's just using them to get her to the next level, so "screw them!"
That said, I can see the trajectory of a character like Joan as she marries the wealthy developer, moves to Cali, where she is able to be entrepreneurial and ends up the head of a wildly successful company.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 12:00am
Magnificent ep. Real return to form the last two weeks. Joan made me literally clap and cheer and then broke my heart. I would not have predicted that her story would be the most compelling of the final season - thus far.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 11:04am
I don't think it's really fair to reduce all of Joan's accomplishments down to trading on her sexuality. She has utilized her sexuality, particularly in early seasons and, of course, most notably in gaining her partnership. But she also earned that partnership by being freaking good at her job. At no time has her sexuality been a tool to make up for her competency -- it's been a recognition of the reality of her position as a woman in her kind of life and the fact that there comes a certain point where her competency doesn't matter. (I was actually just reading this article, which I feel more eloquently describes what I'm talking about.) And the real sad thing is how she would have crashed and burned had she actually tried to take legal action -- the world is still several years away from successful sexual harassment litigation.
In unrelated news, I had a fantastic dream Sunday night after the episode where Joan and Peggy ran off and created their own all-female ad agency, and it was awesome.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 3:21pm
^The linked article doesn't really contradict my point. Joan tried to co-opt the women's movement when she would up until that time likely have denied its importance. There were, actually, a couple of high profile sexual discrimination claims making news at that time, at least in NYC. One involved Ladies Home Journal and the other Newsweek. There's an excellent fairly recent book about the Newsweek situation. Joan tried to scare Hobart with a vision of the women at McCann doing the same thing--except she had no idea whether they would or not because she wasn't part of their experience. That's my point about her rarified situation at SC. Sure, she's changed from her earlier, blatantly sexual approach, but she always held herself apart. That's why her attempt to use the women's movement to her advantage here was inauthentic and she crumbled. I am sympathetic to the crappy situation she faced (and probably would have represented her in a lawsuit against ME), but her story is not the one I find most compelling.
I don't expect to persuade anyone for whom Joan is the favorite character. I appreciate being able to express another view on it.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 3:39pm
I think what you see as a co-opting of the women's movement seemed to me (and, I think, others in this thread) the realization by Joan that what's being addressed by the women's movement is completely applicable to her. It didn't feel inauthentic at all...it felt new. It felt like a shifting of position based on new facts. It's that kind of growth that's handled so well on MAD MEN.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 3:59pm
Posted: 5/5/15 at 4:41pm
"^The linked article doesn't really contradict my point. Joan tried to co-opt the women's movement when she would up until that time likely have denied its importance. "
I think that's a little too simplistic. I think I'm getting what you're saying, and certainly think you have a fair point, but for a while now Joan has seemed increasingly open to ideas from the women's rights movement. Of course what's so fascinating is seeing how she and Peggy, especially, react differently (shown particularly with that elevator scene earlier this year.)
Finally am all caught up--I really have nothing new to add, except I loved these past two episodes (actually I didn't mind the one with Sally nearly as much as some here seemed to--it was certainly worth it to me for Sally's final exchange with her dad about him and Betty and how due to their looks and/or charisma they don't understand what it's like for others--and his rely to her.)
This last episode was especially great for all the dream-like moments--DOn and his literal ghosts, Peggy wandering through the empty office to horror music organ chords (since Mad Men rarely uses non-deigetic music except usually for the final scene and end credits, whenever it seems like they are, it's especially noticeable. Of course then I remembered the organ in the previous episode,) the roller skating, etc.
It was disappointing that Roger didn't fight for Joan's position but, of course, he probably was right in his advice giving the time, and Roger has made it pretty obvious that he has zero fight left in him. Speaking of, I kinda loved the new execs so quickly realizing how DOn's seemingly lack of doing anything, etc, are such a bad fit (Roger can probably pretend to act busy long enough to stick around.) EVeryone seems pretty miserable by the move--I wonder how long the glow will last for Peggy and Ted.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 4:50pm
I think Joan's growth is particularly relevant given how in early seasons she told Peggy to pretty much keep quiet and suck it up. Like, I remember commentary -- maybe Tom & Lorenzo? -- talking about how Joan's attitude in early seasons was antithetical to how sexual harassment would eventually be successfully combated -- by women kind of joining together and being vocal about it.
But now we have a Joan who has in fact been taught by the social growth of a decade and the growth, IMO, of her own self-worth that she and women at large are actually worth more than that.
Posted: 5/5/15 at 11:15pm
I had dropped out of MAD MEN a while ago. I thought Seasons 5 and 6 were lazy, lazy writing, lazy character motivation, oddly inconsistent direction.
But Season 7 is back to the high levels of Seasons 1 and 2. I thought the most recent episode was brilliant. Nice to know that the series will end on a high note.
Posted: 5/6/15 at 9:07am
Loved that obit, Addy! Thanks for posting it.
Posted: 5/6/15 at 10:50am
Funny how that obit leaves out his changing his name again, growing a beard and starting an apocalypse cult...
Posted: 5/10/15 at 10:38pm
Fifteen minutes into this evening's new episode, and I was dying. First was Pete's comb over, and then Betty. BETTY! January Jones did beautiful work in this one. She's never been better.
Very excited for next week's finale.
Updated On: 5/10/15 at 10:38 PM
Posted: 5/10/15 at 11:17pm
Of all the characters on this show, I never thought the one to reduce me to tears would be Betty Francis. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle next week.
Posted: 5/11/15 at 6:19am
And it looks like the one character who WILL get a "happy ending" is... Pete. Somehow, that makes sense...
Posted: 5/11/15 at 10:57am
Posted: 5/11/15 at 11:45am
I know I'm in the minority on this board, but I thought the show jumped the shark last season, and while this season has had some fun final moments for some of our favorite characters (Joan, anything Peggy, and fare thee well Pete) in general the writing is way too overwrought for my taste.
Introduction of that useless waitress character to spark the lifeless "How low can Don go," storyline... poor Betty, such a "Lifetime" contrived ending. I think they deserve better story resolutions with more thought behind them.
