newcritics - Latest Comments in Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Manny Maher — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:16:57 -0000

Hey Tom,
complete change of subject: the first two "Below the fold" links are messed up.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

cgeye — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:16:25 -0000

I think MAD MEN's doing something I haven't seen before on TV: Showing the tactic of gaining weight, by a woman being sexually harassed.

Think about it: We got so used to the idea of secretaries being hit on as part of their job description -- and ignored the constantly sobbing woman in "Ladies' Room" -- that we kinda forgot that those women were being hit on, every single goddamn day.

Peggy got her affair over with relatively quickly, and saw the downside immediately. Her danish and sammich eating was probably part of her coping-with-stress mechanism; she could do it in response to tons of work, as well as tons of (or no) Pete. In the meantime, she was learning how not to be part of the game -- be too silent, too thoughtful, get into the sister category instead of whore, then keep the weight on, to cement her status change with the fellas.

Note how she responded earnestly to the weight loss belt opportunity -- any one of us could have been sarcastic or insulted, at any stage of her pitch, but she kept her head on a swivel, and made one more successful account grab while the men were too busy snickering. What broad among us could sell a vibrator with her boss, his gang of drunken cronies, and her repugnant ex, in the same room? Not many, I tell you what.

Just because she went for the plain, and the chubby, we didn't see it was as much of a plan as a model-svelte woman going plain with makeup and hair, and wearing glasses with no RX lenses. We dissed her, not seeing that she'd rather suffer dissing than the complete lack of respect connected with being anybody's girl. If she can get out of Sterling Cooper with a career, and alive, yay, Peggy!

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

JamesS — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 21:18:17 -0000

I doubt that Pete the chinless wonder can take down Don. It can't
get any worse for Don than what he faced in Korea, Nietzsche-wise...

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Tom Watson — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:33:21 -0000

It's not the the cover of Ad Age will be splashed wit the headline:

Whore Child!
New Partner at Midsize Firm Unmasked

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Claire Helene — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:08:17 -0000

So I'm guessing that Pete's going to try and blackmail Draper into a promotion. I still don't understand why Don's childhood is something worthy of blackmail. Well, maybe turning the brother away who then commits suicide, but so what if his mother was a whore? He's an ad man, not a society man.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

cgeye — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 01:17:39 -0000

Is there any way the death of Don's brother could be deemphasized more?

Was there any reason why they couldn't spend more time with him, other than showing how callous Don was, in the first place?

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

blue girl — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 23:03:11 -0000

Of course the site popped right up the minute the show ended.

I thought tonight's episode wasn't half bad.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

M.A. Peel — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:58:15 -0000

Some kid is going to write their American Studies thesis on the symbolism of the glass of water throughout this episode

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Tom Watson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:53:31 -0000

Partner for Draper - $5 for Peggy.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Tom Watson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:40:34 -0000

Enjoyed the cigarette boys and their meeting, even the bit of drama.

Sorry about the server folks - appears to be a problem over at Yahoo with one of the big servers. Will try and fix it later, save your best lines or keep trying.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

steverino — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:29:43 -0000

All that talk about units...

(sorry - on 10 min delay here)

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

blue girl — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:29:33 -0000

Yeah, that was some sweet talkin' alright.

Tom -- yeah, the site is loading really slow.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Tom Watson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:25:58 -0000

Wow now that's heavy - making up the corpse for a presentation to the client. Nice touch. October, by the way.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Claire Helene — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:23:24 -0000

Wow. Sterling's little speech to Red is odd and crass. Did anyone see her in Life last night? I love that she's always a man-eater, like in Firefly.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Tom Watson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:17:37 -0000

Site a little slow, eh? Well they're moving the storyline very quickly this week - the vibrator stunt was, well, low and not humorous. I'm interested in what's happening at the firm, how they survive the loss of a partner. The AC salesman, not so much...

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

M.A. Peel — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:08:46 -0000

Nice intro Tom. I hate hangings. Poor bro.

Re: Live-Blogging Mad Men: Some Things Don’t Change

Claire Helene — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:08:13 -0000

Ha! I was wondering if it might do that...