MAD MEN on AMC - Seasons 7(a) & & 7(b)

I think it was super weird for him because he's never been at the bottom of the latter in the ad industry. Wasn't he scouted as a car salesman for an immediate entry into a creative wunderkind job?

fwiw Mad Style confirms that Peggy was in Lane's office before Don

Oh, I was totally wrong. (I never rewatch previous Mad Men seasons once I've seen them.)

From wiki: "Not many details have been provided as to how Don Draper became the Creative Director at Sterling Cooper. Draper moved to New York City, where he worked as a fur salesman and attended City College at night. It was at this job that he met his future wife, Betty, a model who did a photo shoot for the company. Roger Sterling claims that he "discovered" Draper in this job and brought him to work at Sterling Cooper. In actuality, Sterling met Draper when he wanted to purchase a fur for his mistress Joan Holloway. After selling him the fur, Draper repeatedly lobbied Sterling for a job; Sterling declined Draper's repeated bids but accepted his offer to share drinks. Sterling became very drunk, and the next day, Don reported to work at Sterling Cooper, explaining to an astonished Sterling that he had offered Draper a job the night before."

that's maybe overselling the ambiguity a bit, but yeah it was not shown whether Sterling had actually drunkenly offered him a job (which, let's face it, is absolutely possible) or not

I'm sure Don admits it at some point, maybe in a drunken pit of self-loathing. Or was it to the woman in California that dies of cancer?

he does not

Fair enough, only watched the episodes once each myself.

http://madmen.wikia.com/wiki/Waldorf_Stories

It was bugging me so I looked it up. I was obviously conflating a number of events, and invented Don talking introducing the flashback, but Don's and Roger's faces in the last picture make it obvious (although not explicit) Don totally scammed it.

OK episode, although Don gets another hit on the charts.

Ginsberg blew my mind (and his own).

I was a little confused by Megan apparently chasing Stephanie out the door with the offer of money. Why did that happen?

i assume jealousy? like he was ready to drop everything and show up for stephanie, with a kind of enthusiasm he rarely shows for megan.

fucking ginsberg tho, how awful.

Yeah, that makes sense. It just seemed like Megan turned cold as hell on a dime.

Megan's been hardened by putting up with Don's shit these past few years. She's not the person she was in past seasons.

More than just that jealousy. She was fine until Stephanie said "I know all his secrets".

Yeah, I just caught that on the replay.

Sort of wish they went In a different direction with Ginsberg's character.

liked that episode a lot

iirc megan has trouble in the fertility department (she miscarried), so maybe there's some jealousy over the pregnancy too.

https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/465676115353546753

The final scene with the three dudes and the cab put this quote into my head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8_GVfPuw4M

Cutler has become quite a loathsome character, it's true.

this url

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/review-mad-men-the-runaways-its-my-nip-in-a-box

That was genuinely horrifying and sad

Loved the 2001 ref tho

WAYLON GODDAMN JENNINGS

Cutler has become quite a loathsome character, it's true.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, May 12, 2014 12:21 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Cutler was always loathsome--remember this was a guy who got off peeping on Stan fucking his freshly dead partner's hippie daughter, and even invited Peggy to watch with him.

#BettyDraperforPresident

Threesome + nipple + only daddy + 2001 = another great episode

I'm an Amy fan now

That was genuinely horrifying and sad

yeah when he offered up the box I said "please don't be a body part" and then oof

were computers really that threatening/game changing for advertising?

anyone buy the theory that Stephanie's baby daddy is the Wizard

Megan's turned into Betty :/

and just a year ago they were laughing at her swinging co-workers

i say this with no vindictiveness and it's totally cool if you are enjoying the show and yes, i can't seem to stop watching it either
but jeeeezus this show has gotten crazy stupid

it's gotten crazy - JUST LIKE THE 60s

this still had several irl LOL moments for me (Stan's "You?" Harry's "This is much more fun" etc)

The day after, I think the Sally/Betty showdown was my favorite scene of the whole night.

this show is now and always has been a dayglo fever dream and it's tremendous.

Molly Lambert, good as usual on a Monday morning.

I feel like this whole half-season has focused on the creative, at-your-own pace and we'll get you something great...eventually approach to the 25 tags by noon, campaign by Wednesday, on the to the next one routinization approach to things. Possibly because I ALWAYS find myself fighting that fight - I'm getting pretty good at my job, and am having a much easier time turning out consistently quality work that gets to what it needs to, but there are those occasional assignments that I drag my heels on because I can't bring myself to just DO THE WORK and then it becomes a last-minute stressful test to see if I can actually pull it off.

Don seems to be moving himself into a position where he can take advantage of some opportunity to move on from his forced stasis. To where and doing what? I have no idea. However, compare this Don to the 9 a.m. Draper staring at his expensive watch in a big, empty apartment, and he's looks to me like he's getting ready to move.

I'm really curious about Peggy - she's so obviously got a good heart, but also knows that it is both a huge asset and a giant weakness. She has to really be frustrated at her lack of real agency in her life, and that the only thing that keeps her getting somewhere is to just keep dealing with other people's shit and shenanigans.

And poor Ginsberg. Dude just couldn't make it in the world that is.

Peggy watching TV w the neighbor kid was lol, she is totally settling into old maid-hood

they definitely planted the ginsburg stuff a long time ago, he was always pretty bananas and not just "eccentric." at the very least you got a sense of a very busy and convoluted inner life.

yeah, that character arc was set in motion back with his first monologue about being a holocaust baby

...from outer space, iirc.

I prefer reading molly's recaps on grantland more than watching the actual show

so Don basically has to get rid of Cutler somehow right? cuz Cutler's gonna see intrusion on the meeting as an obvious grounds for firing, yes?

That's if he wants to stay. Cutler's deal is to either freeze out the old SCDP gang, or at least get them under his thumb.

Seems like it. Where's Don gonna go though? Doesn't seem very comfortable in LA, even if he wanted to just run off and start a new company with Pete and Harry

Philip Morris comes on board, Don becomes indispensable. Don't see how else they can play this.