Mad Men Season 6 (1 Viewer)

[Aaron Silverman]

I don't know about the premiere. I feel like they were trying so hard to be deep that they forgot to tell a story. There were a few funny lines, but nothing ever made me care what was going on. Which just makes the "deep" stuff feel contrived.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Haha to Pete's predicament.

Damn, Don is headed for some major romantic and emotional damage.

No Betty, Yes!

Wished Joan could have been in the room to see Don work his magic with Jaguar.

 

[ScottH]

No Betty, Yes!

Yes! Not a great episode, but any episode sans Betty gets a boost.

 

[mattCR]

I did love Pete getting whacked at both the home and work fronts; so fitting.

I really enjoy everything about the Peggy storyline as well; we're kind of seeing a transition of Don coasting while Peggy is the hungry tiger, so to speak to get the work she wants.

Still, Don basically getting what he wanted with Jaguar was classic. It was time for them to tell this clown: look, we got the deal, you're not the only person that matters here.

 

[TravisR]

I feel oddly bad for Pete even though he's a total asshole. While he can only blame himself for getting into this position and he continues to screw his own, his wife and his kid's lives up, he's a very unhappy individual (and probably in the throes of deep depression) and I guess I hope to see him get it together.

 

[Quentin]

All of the leads are very unhappy individuals who can't figure out how to get it together!

It's just that Pete is such a small-time version of Don that I can't help but despise his snivelling self and revel in every moment that he fails. He and Don are doing the exact same thing - having affairs right under their wives' noses...but, Don confidently pulls off the "I'm going to take off your dress" speech that leaves his mistress splooshing (nod to Archer) and Pete fumbles the entire situation hilariously.

 

[ScottH]

All of the leads are very unhappy individuals who can't figure out how to get it together!

It's just that Pete is such a small-time version of Don that I can't help but despise his snivelling self and revel in every moment that he fails. He and Don are doing the exact same thing - having affairs right under their wives' noses...but, Don confidently pulls off the "I'm going to take off your dress" speech that leaves his mistress splooshing (nod to Archer) and Pete fumbles the entire situation hilariously.

This is true, except Don is now getting sloppy like Pete - he's sleeping with not only a neighbor, but his friend's wife. In the past, wasn't it always someone in the city or completely unlinked to his "home" life? The only one I can think of that was linked to his home life was that teacher, and I don't even remember if he slept with her or not.

 

[Quentin]

This is true, except Don is now getting sloppy like Pete - he's sleeping with not only a neighbor, but his friend's wife. In the past, wasn't it always someone in the city or completely unlinked to his "home" life? The only one I can think of that was linked to his home life was that teacher, and I don't even remember if he slept with her or not.

He did sleep with the teacher. That was close. This is closer. He is getting sloppy...and, reckless (visiting her with Dr. Rosen home). Self-destructive Don on display. I think he just can't handle the miscarriage confession.

 

[TravisR]

It's nice to see the wonderful character actor Brian Markinson getting a high profile gig as Dr. Rosen.

 

[Matt Hough]

Don seems on a slow, downward spiral and desperately unhappy.

Pete deserves every bit of unhappiness he gets.

Did not miss Betty even one little bit.

 

[doug zdanivsky]

Glad I'm not the only one who finds Pete's lechery and self-loathing hilarious..

"Can you hurry it along, dear?".. Geez, Pete! LOL

 

[mattCR]

This was the kind of Mad Men episode we haven't seen since Season 1 or 2, an episode where the pitches really came to center stage.

We started with a pitch to Dow Chemical, to help revamp their image and get people thinking about them as a home and friendly company with a TV Show they would sponsor.

And then we had Don's pitch meeting of "Pass the Heinz". I really loved everything about that pitch meeting, especially him standing at the door and listening to Peggy give her pitch. But it was the fact that the pitch either didn't work or was up in the air.. but it definitely cost them business; that was the part that really hit home. It was a high wire act, and in the end a potentially very costly one.

Again, I have to add the previews for next week on Mad Men are one of my favorite parts every week; whoever cuts those should get their own award - they tell you absolutely nothing and often make you think something completely not true about the next episode.

 

[Patrick Sun]

It was hilarious when Zach Galifinakis's great uncle flipped off Peggy.

 

[mattCR]

Oh, and no Betty again this week.

 

[Quentin]

Flipping the bird to Peggy! I imagine Stan will eventually forgive her. In fact, watching both firms hang out in defeat makes me think it wouldn't be a bad idea to combine the firms. I wonder if Teddy, Don, or Roger would consider such a thing? The combined firm would be an instant big time firm more capable of landing a Heinz ketchup. I still can't believe neither did - Don and Stan's pitch was sublime. No bottle? That's short-sighted. But, then Peggy comes in pitching Don's "change the conversation" line and a huge bottle and I thought they would go for that. Wonder what J. Thompson showed them that they bought on the spot...


Curious that this whole episode sort of revolved around the definition/perception/idea of whoring yourself out and the pros/cons of that. Don is so predictably hypocritical - he's a cheating whore in his private life...getting away with it every day. He's a cheating whore in his work life (what happened to 'dance with the girl who brung ya'?) and he pays for it by losing beans. And, he basically calls his wife a whore for doing her job and not really cheating at all!

Joan whored herself out and has created a self-loathing/victimization identity that causes her to lash out at others.

Harry takes the money like a whore...but, he just wants respect! (yeah, good luck you weasel)

Megan's boss and wife are open swingers - whores for anyone willing to play! I loved the shock and rejection from Don and Megan. Don...gimme a break...Joanna Going is just the type of woman you'd sleep with on the sly. Can't be open about it?

 

[Josh Dial]

...

Wonder what J. Thompson showed them that they bought on the spot...

...

Harry takes the money like a whore...but, he just wants respect! (yeah, good luck you weasel)

I assume he simply wanted the (mostly personal) prestige that goes along with having the biggest ad agency in town. That, plus it's clear he doesn't actually have an eye for good advertising, so he's just relying on the fact that "biggest must mean the best."

Regarding Harry, I don't see him as a weasel really--he did essentially build their entire television department from the ground up by himself. If the business does grow, he really ought to be given a seat at the table.

 

[TravisR]

Regarding Harry, I don't see him as a weasel really--he did essentially build their entire television department from the ground up by himself. If the business does grow, he really ought to be given a seat at the table.

I could be forgetting something but it seems to me that Harry's talent or ability is second to just having been lucky enough to start the agency's TV department at a time when TV advertising was somewhat new and growing. In other words, I think anyone who was even remotely competent at that job could have gotten SDCP's TV department to where it is simply because of the growth of the firm and because advertisers all want TV ads.

I don't blame him for feeling that he should have a partnership- especially when he sees that Joan has one- but I don't recall Harry doing anything that makes him look that good at his job (unlike when we've seen Don, Pete, Roger or Peggy be great at their jobs).

 

[Patrick Sun]

So, this season is all about hypocritical infidelity? Piper going to have to be paid!

 

[mattCR]

I could be forgetting something but it seems to me that Harry's talent or ability is second to just having been lucky enough to start the agency's TV department at a time when TV advertising was somewhat new and growing. In other words, I think anyone who was even remotely competent at that job could have gotten SDCP's TV department to where it is simply because of the growth of the firm and because advertisers all want TV ads.

I don't blame him for feeling that he should have a partnership- especially when he sees that Joan has one- but I don't recall Harry doing anything that makes him look that good at his job (unlike when we've seen Don, Pete, Roger or Peggy be great at their jobs).

In the end, about 1/2 the people I know in the corporate world fit this description; they stumbled into the right position at the right time, when almost anyone in their department could have done it. But they are still rewarded - and fairly - because they could have done it much worse.

 

[ScottH]

But didn't Harry at least have the initiative to want to start up a TV division when no one else did? I think that counts for something.