Sterling Cooper: a Mad Men poll

I've only seen the first 7 episodes. At this point Joan seems closer to a caricature who's stepped out of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying than any of the others, what with the swaying walk, Machiavellian juggling of men, etc. I presume there'll be layers later on, fortunately or not.

*tiny spoiler*

There's a scene in which she sits in the bed, pulls a bra strap off her shoulder and rubs the welt underneath. Perfectly done, never forgotten it.

btw it was driving me crazy where i've heard Betty's/January Jones' vocal rhythms before, and then it hit me: Shelley Duvall.

oh yeah, Robert Morse's scenes are always a treat. And the Wellesian copywriter with the pipe.

whoah the Duvall comparison never occurred to me before but that is very true

really glad you've continued with the show, Morbs

And the Wellesian copywriter with the pipe.

Kinsey is consistently a hoot

I'm extremely ambivalent. The production design is the steadiest element, but there's enough wit and desperation, usually.

"Our" Pete Campbell at my first agency was the boss' son. I heard him trying to joke his way through a phone call with his wife in the next cubicle, and ten seconds after his last snorting laugh he quietly hung up, for she had given him The Big Click.

Did they have Peggy dally with Pete in s1 (i hope not after) just so we would hate something about her? cuz ewwwww.

She'll do worse in the coming seasons.

that sortas makes me want to abandon it.

since my childhood memories of pop culture wd begin around season 4, i am perversely curious tho. also from what i've heard about Jared Harris (and Zosia Mamet, right?).

Jared Harris is very good!

both are v good, Harris has the more substantial part

that sortas makes me want to abandon it.

I wouldn't recommend dropping the show, but WARNING: Peggy's just not good at relationships, and--not to get too spoiler-y--when a seemingly good and lasting one comes along she blows it in spectacular fashion.

It's endearing in a strange way.

so women CAN'T have it all, eh?

in this show nobody gets it all

every character is either stifled or self-sabotaged in some key way

The season 1 pan linked in that LRB piece is very funny, tho i disagree with it about Hamm's performance for starters. It places the show in the "We Know Better" genre.

i definitely think the series gets better as it goes on - 3 & 4 are gangbusters iirc

I think the writers listened to a lot of the criticisms of the first series. That "we know better" feeling fades considerably.
Season 1 is undoubtedly the weakest. Season 3 and onwards is gold.

I like season 1, on rewatch it was very very good. Can't remember season 2 at all. 3-5 is highpoint upon highpoint. 6-7 is very good, but not peak.

Season 1 is great.

I didn't mean to say season 1 was bad, I just find all the later ones much more enjoyable. Although in season 2 I find that holiday with the rich eccentrics a little nauseating even though it was interesting.

1 is a little better than both 2 and 3 imo. 4 and 5 are probably the best.

this is why i don't do TV series, goddammit

Finished s1, I will now be proceeding to the second season... of The Sopranos.

Man, Peggy in denial over her pregnancy til she popped proved that she is from Bay Ridge!

(she's kind of a drip, at least in 1960, tbh)

also the prosthetics on Moss' neck occasionally looked bad

excerpt of Matt Z Seitz critical guide: s1 e1

http://www.scribd.com/doc/289257859/Excerpt-From-Mad-Men-Carousel-by-Matt-Zoller-Seitz

i've restarted with s2... the "Flight 1" ep made Pete the dick more interestingly pathological by jumping onboard the pitch for American Airlines right after his dad bought it in their crash.

lol'd at Roger Sterling dissing John Glenn: "throw ticker tape at me when i drive my car around the block three times."

btw the Irish Catholic Queens vibe of Peggy's mom and aunt: PERFECT

"so-and-so was askin' for ya"

Peggy's family is fantastic, I was bummed that they basically disappear after season 5 iirc (altho it made perfect sense plot-wise)

So since I've now fulfilled my vow to wait until this was over to consider watching it (burned by too many shows that start strong and eventually go down the toilet), what's the final verdict? Worth it?

Stays consistently great till Season 5, drops into to cruising mode for the final two, but comes up for a strong finish. It never goes below 'pretty good'.

I do think they could have achieved what they were going for with one less season and it would've been a better run overall, but but it certainly never goes down the toilet.

I think as heir-apparent to Mad Men it maintained a similarly strong level of quality throughout. It never got bad, and was often incredibly great.

Heir apparent to itself?

Lol, you talkin' about Sopranos, Shakes?

haha yes lol sorry

mea culpa, the Olsons are from Brooklyn (Bay Ridge), not Queens

no surprise you guys would pick joan over peggy

from the orig locked thread:

(Draper) has a genuine soft spot for (Peggy) - not sure if thats anything more specific than theyre both outsiders trying to beat the system or if well find out she reminds him of his sister or whatnot - i guess maybe he just kinda likes her like people do

― ice crӕm, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 1:49 PM

she is quite likable

― ice crӕm, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 1:50 PM

She is, esp relative to the rest of the characters, but also sometimes unbelievably naive for a bright Brooklyn girl, even an Irish Catholic one from Bay Ridge.

I'm starting to enjoy things pop culture phenomena showing up in season 2 that I remember from toddlerhood.

also don't spoil it, but Duck Phillips seems like an imminent heart attack and/or suicide, whether he beats the bottle or not.

no surprise you guys would pick joan over peggy

Duck's character arc consistently delivers

xp

that fucking guy

I appreciate Peggy's character arc, in that she keeps progressing through life and having minor (and some major) successes but by the end she's still not sure what she wants or where she's supposed to go with what she has. Very relatable.

i like that Peggy's essential core of primness pretty much stays intact throughout the whole show. the way Moss lifts her chin a bit when she's standing her ground is a wonderful character beat.

i had the most sympathy for peggy

Peggy gets better and better as a character although by early Season 3 she'd yet to hit her full stride. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably vote for her (or Don) since Pete Campbell by contrast got less interesting.

Paul Kinsey revealed to be a dick w/ his whitesplain of "Marxism"/advertising on a Freedom Ride.

i liked how they didn't softpedal the general revulsion when the Funny Euro Gay blurted out his orientation.

It was shortsighted to lock the original seasons 1-2 thread.