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Sometimes I wonder if I’m in love with MadMen, the drama on AMC, because I work in the advertising industry. I mean, people do tend to love watching their own reflection, especially when they’re as vain as I am.
I tried to get my Mom into the show a few weeks ago when she was here visiting and she gave it a big “Eh?” I guess it’s not Reality enough for her. But to me, it’s pure adulterated Sunday night goodness.
Maybe it’s because I don’t work 9-5 in an office every week anymore. Maybe I miss the pointless gossip, the backstabbing, the false niceties, the fashion parade, the meetings, the Creative Director dismissing your ideas by barking, “What else ya got?!”
Nah, that’s not it.
If you have not seen last night’s episode, but plan to watch it later, you might want to stop reading now.
I may have to talk about MadMen here on Monday’s. And yes, it IS because I am working from home this week and therefore have no one to say “OMG! Did you watch MadMen?” to in person.
First of all, can we talk about Don’s wife Betty growing some balls? Last week she finds out at a party about his latest affair and does nothing to mention it, save for vomiting in the car on the way home, ending the episode in a brilliantly awkward way. (It seems in every episode, somebody gets hammered, and last week it was Betty.)
This week, when she puts together the perfect little dinner party for her husband’s business partners and their wives, she is made to feel silly when she falls victim to a little marketing scheme to prove to their client, Heineken, that they are reaching housewives just like her. Just like they’d planned.
She confronts Don later for humiliating her, and uses this to segue into finally bringing up what she knows, what we’ve all known all along, that he’s having an affair. Gasp!
Of course he denies it. He’s spineless. Exactly what you’d expect from someone who is cheating on his wife, and not for the first time by far. So she does what any woman should do in that situation. She kicks his ass out! She calls him at work the next day and says “Do not come home.” And the show ends with him enjoying a nice, cold Heineken in the sterile kitchenette at the office, not a trace of guilt on his face.
Will he ever come clean about his philandering? Will Betty forgive him? Have you seen how hot she is? Especially in last night’s dress, which she continued to wear for days on end as she drank herself into oblivion (again!). A nice touch that I found hysterical. It was a gorgeous dress and they certainly found a way to milk it for all it was worth. Anyway, she is turning into the kind of protagonist that we want to see dump his sorry ass and find herself a deserving husband. It is 1962, after all. Divorce is about to come into fashion and she may be just the one to light the way for all the other disgruntled housewives in her bucolic Westchester neighborhood. How will this affect the kids? We can’t be sure, and we still won’t know in 2008.
Then there’s Peggy. She’s fought her way from secretary to junior copywriter only to still be called “sweatheart” and be expected to “go fetch the boss” when he’s late or “turn the tape player on” in meetings. Do men not have legs? And now she is being taken advantage of by a priest no less, who has asked her for the second time to offer up her marketing expertise with no exchange of pay. Now she’s writing headlines for a church dance that are being shot down repeatedly without any regard to her professional insight. (Another thing that still happens in 2008, as it just happened to me last week, but that is another story.)
Will Peggy ever win the respect she deserves from the men on this show? After all, she’s made the ultimate sacrifice for her career. Remember when she had a baby? And what happened to it? The priest seems to know her secret. Is that why he thinks it’s okay to take advantage of her “good heart?” I never get tired of watching her remind us how far we’ve come in some ways, while going nowhere in others.
Then there’s Joan, the office vixen, who tried to belittle a rookie secretary last week, then had some karma returned to her this week when she was asked to help out temporarily, did the job well, and with a flawless attitude, only to be “replaced” by a permanent hire who didn’t seem nearly as qualified. Oh, wait a minute, he did have a penis!
Even though she’s a complete bitch, I can’t help but love Joan, even as my husband keeps remarking shamelessly about her obnoxiously large boobs.
Then there’s the closeted gay art director, whose name escapes me. He reminds me so much of my friend Erich, not only because he’s gay, but because he’s tall, dark and handsome. And very good at acting straight when he has to. Sadly enough those instances also still happen in 2008. Anyway, this guy is clearly in love with a fellow colleague, an account guy who writes stories for The New Yorker on the side. Will he ever make a move and embarrass himself? Will his wife ever get a clue?
All this and more is yet to be seen.
Sorry if this was the most boring post ever, but I just HAD to talk about MadMen.
I know some of you must be watching.
Mindy?
Vanessa?
Monday, September 15, 2008
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4 comments:
Oh I am SOOOO watching...weekly and with alacrity! BUT, as you question yourself, pre-momdom, I was in video-post with LOTS of agency clients, and my husband is still in broadcast marketing...it's our weekly ritual!
I actually was proud of Betty last night for standing up more than I thought she would, and praise heaven she didn't "forgive" but she walked out of the room in that fabulous robe.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Joan....(as does my husband, too ;)) can hardly wait to see how she makes herself indispensible in the TV dept. role.
Doubt that engagement will last...fun to see a glimpse.
You go ahead and write on Mondays...I'll come read! ;)
HOW I love the clothes and set design...and even their bumpers in and out of the ads within the show!
Genius.
Have you signed up for twitter updates from Betty, Don, Joan? Seen these wallpapers:
http://kottke.org/08/09/mad-men-wallpaper
I'd sit an talk about it with you for hours. Wanna meet at Shady Grove this afternoon? I wish.
I watched Mad Men last season but sadly, this season I just haven't found the time. But the in-laws are swinging through town this weekend as part of a long road trip, and they've asked us to Tivo the last two episodes so they can catch up while they're here. So maybe I'll catch up a little then.
Wait - that would involve me actually sitting down with my mother in law for a solid hour... even with the distraction of the show that might not be a good thing.
Yeah, never mind. Maybe you can catch me up at our next lunch.
I loved this episode and the last one, too. I loved the power plays between the super-hot Joan who is now engaged. And the new "available" hot secretary. It was reeeally interesting to see Joan realize the limits of her power because of her engagement. Also interesting to watch her struggle with housewife stuff.
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Sometimes I wonder if I’m in love with MadMen, the drama on AMC, because I work in the advertising industry. I mean, people do tend to love watching their own reflection, especially when they’re as vain as I am.
I tried to get my Mom into the show a few weeks ago when she was here visiting and she gave it a big “Eh?” I guess it’s not Reality enough for her. But to me, it’s pure adulterated Sunday night goodness.
Maybe it’s because I don’t work 9-5 in an office every week anymore. Maybe I miss the pointless gossip, the backstabbing, the false niceties, the fashion parade, the meetings, the Creative Director dismissing your ideas by barking, “What else ya got?!”
Nah, that’s not it.
If you have not seen last night’s episode, but plan to watch it later, you might want to stop reading now.
I may have to talk about MadMen here on Monday’s. And yes, it IS because I am working from home this week and therefore have no one to say “OMG! Did you watch MadMen?” to in person.
First of all, can we talk about Don’s wife Betty growing some balls? Last week she finds out at a party about his latest affair and does nothing to mention it, save for vomiting in the car on the way home, ending the episode in a brilliantly awkward way. (It seems in every episode, somebody gets hammered, and last week it was Betty.)
This week, when she puts together the perfect little dinner party for her husband’s business partners and their wives, she is made to feel silly when she falls victim to a little marketing scheme to prove to their client, Heineken, that they are reaching housewives just like her. Just like they’d planned.
She confronts Don later for humiliating her, and uses this to segue into finally bringing up what she knows, what we’ve all known all along, that he’s having an affair. Gasp!
Of course he denies it. He’s spineless. Exactly what you’d expect from someone who is cheating on his wife, and not for the first time by far. So she does what any woman should do in that situation. She kicks his ass out! She calls him at work the next day and says “Do not come home.” And the show ends with him enjoying a nice, cold Heineken in the sterile kitchenette at the office, not a trace of guilt on his face.
Will he ever come clean about his philandering? Will Betty forgive him? Have you seen how hot she is? Especially in last night’s dress, which she continued to wear for days on end as she drank herself into oblivion (again!). A nice touch that I found hysterical. It was a gorgeous dress and they certainly found a way to milk it for all it was worth. Anyway, she is turning into the kind of protagonist that we want to see dump his sorry ass and find herself a deserving husband. It is 1962, after all. Divorce is about to come into fashion and she may be just the one to light the way for all the other disgruntled housewives in her bucolic Westchester neighborhood. How will this affect the kids? We can’t be sure, and we still won’t know in 2008.
Then there’s Peggy. She’s fought her way from secretary to junior copywriter only to still be called “sweatheart” and be expected to “go fetch the boss” when he’s late or “turn the tape player on” in meetings. Do men not have legs? And now she is being taken advantage of by a priest no less, who has asked her for the second time to offer up her marketing expertise with no exchange of pay. Now she’s writing headlines for a church dance that are being shot down repeatedly without any regard to her professional insight. (Another thing that still happens in 2008, as it just happened to me last week, but that is another story.)
Will Peggy ever win the respect she deserves from the men on this show? After all, she’s made the ultimate sacrifice for her career. Remember when she had a baby? And what happened to it? The priest seems to know her secret. Is that why he thinks it’s okay to take advantage of her “good heart?” I never get tired of watching her remind us how far we’ve come in some ways, while going nowhere in others.
Then there’s Joan, the office vixen, who tried to belittle a rookie secretary last week, then had some karma returned to her this week when she was asked to help out temporarily, did the job well, and with a flawless attitude, only to be “replaced” by a permanent hire who didn’t seem nearly as qualified. Oh, wait a minute, he did have a penis!
Even though she’s a complete bitch, I can’t help but love Joan, even as my husband keeps remarking shamelessly about her obnoxiously large boobs.
Then there’s the closeted gay art director, whose name escapes me. He reminds me so much of my friend Erich, not only because he’s gay, but because he’s tall, dark and handsome. And very good at acting straight when he has to. Sadly enough those instances also still happen in 2008. Anyway, this guy is clearly in love with a fellow colleague, an account guy who writes stories for The New Yorker on the side. Will he ever make a move and embarrass himself? Will his wife ever get a clue?
All this and more is yet to be seen.
Sorry if this was the most boring post ever, but I just HAD to talk about MadMen.
I know some of you must be watching.
Mindy?
Vanessa?
Mad Men Monday
I tried to get my Mom into the show a few weeks ago when she was here visiting and she gave it a big “Eh?” I guess it’s not Reality enough for her. But to me, it’s pure adulterated Sunday night goodness.
Maybe it’s because I don’t work 9-5 in an office every week anymore. Maybe I miss the pointless gossip, the backstabbing, the false niceties, the fashion parade, the meetings, the Creative Director dismissing your ideas by barking, “What else ya got?!”
Nah, that’s not it.
If you have not seen last night’s episode, but plan to watch it later, you might want to stop reading now.
I may have to talk about MadMen here on Monday’s. And yes, it IS because I am working from home this week and therefore have no one to say “OMG! Did you watch MadMen?” to in person.
First of all, can we talk about Don’s wife Betty growing some balls? Last week she finds out at a party about his latest affair and does nothing to mention it, save for vomiting in the car on the way home, ending the episode in a brilliantly awkward way. (It seems in every episode, somebody gets hammered, and last week it was Betty.)
This week, when she puts together the perfect little dinner party for her husband’s business partners and their wives, she is made to feel silly when she falls victim to a little marketing scheme to prove to their client, Heineken, that they are reaching housewives just like her. Just like they’d planned.
She confronts Don later for humiliating her, and uses this to segue into finally bringing up what she knows, what we’ve all known all along, that he’s having an affair. Gasp!
Of course he denies it. He’s spineless. Exactly what you’d expect from someone who is cheating on his wife, and not for the first time by far. So she does what any woman should do in that situation. She kicks his ass out! She calls him at work the next day and says “Do not come home.” And the show ends with him enjoying a nice, cold Heineken in the sterile kitchenette at the office, not a trace of guilt on his face.
Will he ever come clean about his philandering? Will Betty forgive him? Have you seen how hot she is? Especially in last night’s dress, which she continued to wear for days on end as she drank herself into oblivion (again!). A nice touch that I found hysterical. It was a gorgeous dress and they certainly found a way to milk it for all it was worth. Anyway, she is turning into the kind of protagonist that we want to see dump his sorry ass and find herself a deserving husband. It is 1962, after all. Divorce is about to come into fashion and she may be just the one to light the way for all the other disgruntled housewives in her bucolic Westchester neighborhood. How will this affect the kids? We can’t be sure, and we still won’t know in 2008.
Then there’s Peggy. She’s fought her way from secretary to junior copywriter only to still be called “sweatheart” and be expected to “go fetch the boss” when he’s late or “turn the tape player on” in meetings. Do men not have legs? And now she is being taken advantage of by a priest no less, who has asked her for the second time to offer up her marketing expertise with no exchange of pay. Now she’s writing headlines for a church dance that are being shot down repeatedly without any regard to her professional insight. (Another thing that still happens in 2008, as it just happened to me last week, but that is another story.)
Will Peggy ever win the respect she deserves from the men on this show? After all, she’s made the ultimate sacrifice for her career. Remember when she had a baby? And what happened to it? The priest seems to know her secret. Is that why he thinks it’s okay to take advantage of her “good heart?” I never get tired of watching her remind us how far we’ve come in some ways, while going nowhere in others.
Then there’s Joan, the office vixen, who tried to belittle a rookie secretary last week, then had some karma returned to her this week when she was asked to help out temporarily, did the job well, and with a flawless attitude, only to be “replaced” by a permanent hire who didn’t seem nearly as qualified. Oh, wait a minute, he did have a penis!
Even though she’s a complete bitch, I can’t help but love Joan, even as my husband keeps remarking shamelessly about her obnoxiously large boobs.
Then there’s the closeted gay art director, whose name escapes me. He reminds me so much of my friend Erich, not only because he’s gay, but because he’s tall, dark and handsome. And very good at acting straight when he has to. Sadly enough those instances also still happen in 2008. Anyway, this guy is clearly in love with a fellow colleague, an account guy who writes stories for The New Yorker on the side. Will he ever make a move and embarrass himself? Will his wife ever get a clue?
All this and more is yet to be seen.
Sorry if this was the most boring post ever, but I just HAD to talk about MadMen.
I know some of you must be watching.
Mindy?
Vanessa?