Here are some photos of the cast of Mad Men (minus Peggy & Joan) yesterday The Paley Center, where they participated in a discussion about the new season of Mad Men. I don’t think Jon Hamm is going commando, but it doesn’t even matter because I only have eyes for John Slattery, because I would marry Roger Sterling in a f—king heartbeat.
I’m really just writing about these photos because now that we’re three episodes into the season (I’m counting the two-hour premiere as one episode), we have enough material to really discuss what’s going on what we hate and what we love. So… let’s talk about it. I’ll just put up the spoiler warning for this season:
SPOILERS FOR THIS SEASON OF MAD MEN BELOW.
*It really feels like Joan and Peggy are being underutilized. That was the case last season too, especially for Peggy. In the end, Joan ended up having a rather meaty role last season, and I want that for her again this season. I want Joan and Peggy to succeed on their own terms, to carve out their own paths in advertising. And that’s exactly what they’re going to have to do – they are the female pioneers of Madison Avenue. Their stories need to be meatier, that’s all I’m saying.
*I wanted to punch Harry Crane in the face when he stood in the partners’ meeting and bitched about Joan sleeping her way into a partnership. What was weird/funny/interesting about it though was that none of the male partners really gave a sh-t. They accept that Joan slept her way into a place at the table. I also feel like they all respect her and understand that she deserves it and earned her place.
*Doorways! Remember Roger’s speech to his therapist in the first episode? Doorways. Doorways, open doors, closed doors and listening at doors. That’s the theme this season. Voyeurism, closed doors, inability to walk through literal and proverbial doors. DOORS. Will they start to use Doors songs?
*Roger is simply the best, isn’t he? MORE ROGER. Please.
*I’m okay with Dawn the Secretary’s increased role. I like her. I think she’s a good secretary and I think one night, when Don is drunk, he’s going to kiss her. And it’s going to be HOT.
*I LOVED DON’S FACE when he listened to Peggy’s pitch for Heinz. That destroyed him more than seeing his wife kiss another man. But Don didn’t seem to feel betrayal… he was stunned, he was devastated, and there was a dash of pride too. He loves Peggy. He’s proud of her. She is going to usurp him and he knows it. Do you think Peggy will ever come back to Don? Maybe if they offered her a partnership…?
*But really, this is what I wanted to discuss: how much does Don suck this season? I’m not saying Jon Hamm sucks at playing Don, and I’m not even saying that the writing is bad or off-side. I’m just saying that Don Draper sucks as a person this season. He’s awful. He’s petty and complacent and he’s a coward. Before, his redeeming qualities added dimension – he loved Peggy and she brought out the best in him. He loves his daughter and he wants to be part of her life. But nowadays he just seems so… out of touch and small and mean. He’s turned into an awful man.
*I’m fine with the lack of Fat Betty, by the way. She and her “rape jokes” can take a backseat.
*Oh, and Pete? Mini-Don, only WORSE. I was shocked by the scene of his mistress coming to his door after her husband beat the hell out of her.
*I loathe Megan Draper. She’s such a child. But somehow, Linda Cardellini’s mistress character is worse. I really hate her.
Photos courtesy of WENN and PR Photos.
I don’t get why a lot of bloggers/reviewers have so much Betty hate? Yeah the rape “joke” was terrible, but that’s Betty… take her or leave her. She’s gritty and as effed up as Don and that’s why they worked/self-destructed/rinse and repeat. I may be in the minority..but I am SO ready for more Betty.
Have to disagree
Maybe if the actress brought more I would like the character more. The robotic speaking of betty is not feom a flaw or design in the character…it’s the actress. She speaks that way I real life and we know this feom interviews and ither roles. Betty as a character could have been great, but the actress chosen may have been right in season one, but not so much in these later seasons. She’s now just wrong for the role.
I agree completely. I just do not think January Jones is a good actress, even though she is perfect for the role in terms of physical appearance. I think a lot of the disagreement between fans of the show over who and what Betty is would not be as acute if the role were handled by a better actress. I get that the character of Betty is sometimes vapid and bland, but a good actress could even make her vapidity interesting. Because this show is written so well, it is dependent upon the right casting and the right talents. The casting has been amazing for everyone but Betty, Glen Bishop, and yes, even Megan. I don’t hate Megan as a character, and I even kind of like Jessica Pare’s acting in comedic roles, but I don’t think she has the depth for the darkness that Megan is clearly going to have to manage if her storyline is going where it seems to be going.
I want more Betty too. I know it’s popular to hate on the character and the actress, but I find Betty, even in that ridiculous fat suit and with the increasingly crazy lines the writers give her, to be 1000x more compelling than Megan and her teeth.
Totally agree. Betty is much more interesting by far. You never know what she’s gonna do (besides act kinda bitchy… 😆 ). I think JJ does a great job with her.
That fat suit is the worst one in existence, right? Lol. I like Betty and I’ve always liked Betty but I also like Megan. I dislike how it seems like the Internet is crazy harsh on the women who are in these stunted societal roles while giving the men a pass for everything.
Yup.
I wonder what kind of Megan will emerge now that’s he has affirmed she’s Child Bride To Kick Around Part II.
First season Betty? Totally awesome. I think she’s an interesting character– I like getting a glimpse into the lives of the women at home. As the seasons have gone on, Betty has becoming less interesting and, let’s face it, J Jones just can’t pull off the character with her own skill.
I NEED MORE TRUDY CAMPBELL! Seriously. Love, love, love Trudy. She’s to me what Betty used to be before she became kind of pathetic.
Could not have said it better! Megan is a troll!
Me too. I think January is great as Betty. I would have liked to see a storyline showing the dynamics between Betty & her children (especially Sally) as they grow up.
Kaiser you can have Roger…he does absolutely nothing for me.
The scene where Betty offed the neighbors pigeons with a shotgun, in her PJ’s and with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, made me a Betty lover for life. Sure she’s a bit of a whack job, but she’s never ever dull.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltl0EQ9O7Gg
Well they’re alla mess, and that was epic!
Bree Van de Kamp would approve. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0w4g7u3C4
Agree! That was such a wonderful development for the character and then she just reverted to her former self. Ditto following the shattering revelation that her psychiatrist was betraying her trust by reporting on her to her husband.
What’s frustrating with the show is that it sets up interesting arcs and then just forgets them, dementia-style. I don’t think Weiner is doing a good job keeping an overall sense of interesting, sustained character development. The different styles of episode authors break up the flow of the saga.
A lot of moments, rather than a story.
Don was really really terrible last episode to Megan…when he’s the one having an affair he freaks out with something that’s a part of her job. He doesn’t want an equal partner in a marriage and Megan doesn’t get that.
+1
I have found this type of reaction to be the same “in real life”. I thought it was true to life, I guess able to draw from personal experience.
The double standard has been around forever and still exists. I wasn’t surprised about his reaction.
He also called Betty a whore when he found out about the politician.
YEP. He was so mean I actually simpathized with the stupid Megan character.
I know! When he told her basically that hookers do what Megan was doing. My mouth dropped open. I was so mad. The nerve of him after all the affairs he had while married to Betty and now he’s cheating on Megan. And he has the gall to say that to her!
SOMEONE go and punch him!
Truth. Don sleeps around with his mistress but has a temper tantrum over a very tame love scene that Megan is filming. Seriously, Don? Don has always been good at his job, but he sucks as a husband.
As for Joan, she did not sleep with the Jaguar guy for herself (well maybe a little)…it was to benefit the company. I believe it was Pete who went along and presented the idea to her and once Don found out (in one of his few good person moments) went to talk her out of it, except he was too late. She demanded a partnership for having to do something like that for the company. That’s why the partners shrugged off Harry Crane’s accusations and that’s also why Don was making all the suggestions that he knew Jaguar wouldn’t take because of the whole Joan thing.
I do love the character of Dawn. I agree that there needs to be more Joan and Peggy this season and I love that little moment where Stan gives Peggy the finger.
Also, I absolutely love Alison Brie as Trudy!
Don doesn’t like it because Megan is her own person with an identity, goals, etc. separate from his. He doesn’t want an equal partner.
I’m in the minority here but I don’t dislike Megan. I’ve never understood all of the hate for her character. I think she’s actually one of the more mentally healthy people on the show. She has flaws but overall she seems like a nice person. She’s smart but not complicated-maybe people think she’s vapid because she’s not particularly complex? Whatever the case, she definitely deserves better than Don. He and Pete (particularly Pete) have been very unlikable so far this season.
I agree. megan is ok.
actually i really liked it when she was saying Don :”what r u doing here”
she’s not Betty, she knows how to stand in front of him
I think you are spot on. Megan IS the most sane of the bunch and, yes, she is nice and cute and harmless. If Mad Men was real life, she would be the most likable. But Mad Man is all about glorifying rotten things and make them look beautiful/interesting/deep – pretty much the same way 80s/90s made “heroin chic” look desirable. So no wander that someone like Megan seem boring to the viewer.
I don’t hate on the Megan character either. She’s young and certainly naive, but she knew more than any of the other women what she was getting into with Don. Nevertheless, she’ll be decimated when she catches onto the neighbor affair…and she will.
Don always was the worst. People just forgave him because he’s beautiful and charming. He was nice to Peggy, sometimes, and awfull sometimes as well. He was never a good father and didn’t seem to give a shit. Instead he was sleeping with their teacher, going away during the birthday party instead of getting the cake and, while happy to take them for the week-end once in a while, promptly unloaded them on a babysitter, his secretary or even his lover (Faye) who said herself that she wasn’t good with children. When his daughter really needed him (beautiful girls) he didn’t have time for her instead just called Betty to get her. It were women that hardly knew her who comforted her and sympathyzed with her not her father.
+1
I don’t think Don is particularly awful this season. The issue is more that what he’s been all along is becoming increasingly clear. Beauty and virility will often lead us to the pretense that a vile level of narcissism doesn’t exist in another person. However, as the arc of a relationship continues, and beauty and virility goes on the wane, that which wasn’t always clear starts to become unavoidable. Don may be quite “pretty”, but I wouldn’t wish someone that despicable and selfish on my worst enemy.
Yes. And for the first time, his outward appearance reflects his awful inner self, I think. He’s looked bloated and haggard (not sure if that’s makeup or real life). Not nearly as smooth. His past — and present — misdeeds are catching up with him and it’s not pretty.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they just told Hamm of fat it up this season. At least his hairline remains intact.
Don isn’t always nice to Peggy, they’ve yelled at each other, and he threw her money, I thought that was awful and humiliating.
Don is depressed and clearly lost, even suicidal, I suppose. Doesn’t excuse his terrible behaviour towards Megan last episode but the overwhelming sense I get from him now is of a man permanently broken and has given up on himself.
Maya – this is quite insightful to me. I had not quite seen Don’s character in this way, but I think you may be quite right.
You know Maya, I do believe you are right. Ever consider in the opening credits, his stick figure character is clearly falling off a building? Well, I suspect in the end that is what DD is going to do. Jump.
Think it was particularly palpable in the season premiere.Don looked utterly lost in Hawaii. And his initial pitch for the Hawaiian resort: the clients thought came across like a man killing himself…
Ooh, that’s a good one.
Let’s not forget– his entire lie started with someone else’s death. His entire LIFE started with someone else’s (his mother’s) death.
ANd let’s not forget his brother that killed himself in season 1.
I think you’re going somewhere with this one.
I’ve been thinking the same thing. In one of the earlier episodes he was standing at a window looking so depressed, I instantly thought of the opening credits.
Don Draper was never a good guy! He has so many fatal flaws it’s not even funny! The only good part of his character was how he treated Joan and Peggy and now we don’t see enough of those relationships. It’s mostly Meghan who also sucks as a person. She’s so childlike and annoying. I think I like Betty better. At least Betty is ice cold.
I agree, except when has Don ever NOT been an awful person? He has moments, often with Peggy in the past, but other than that he’s a lying, cheating drunk and always has been. Everyone just excuses him because he’s good at his job and handsome.
I’d marry Roger Sterling too. And John Slattery himself is pretty awesome as well. He did a Kevin Pollak chat show podcast a while back and was hilarious.
Definitely more Peggy and Joan please!
“I also feel like they all respect her and understand that she deserves it and earned her place”
No they don’t. Pete encouraged Joan prostituting herself last season and Roger did nothing about it. Don only asked her not to consider the deal but again did nothing about it. Don sympathizing with Joan’s situation is not the same as Don doing something about it because he is in a position to influence the decision. Ditto with the episode on Sunday – Harry should have been asked to stfu and leave the room. The men didn’t. The men on Mad Men suck. None have any redeeming qualities. The actors of course play these characters very well.
As for how much Don sucks this season – well he always did. He’s a man who is and will always be unhappy. Don’s primary obsession is his inability to overcome his past. He’s obsessed with his own grief so much that he reads Dante on the beach. I don’t know how you got the sense that he wants to be part of Sally’s life. I have never seen Don take initiative to look after his children. He’s good to them when he’s around them but that does not translate into him wanting to take care of them. That’s also the reason why I never understood the hate for Betty. Despite her being a difficult person, she was always there for the kids. Don never had any redeeming qualities. He’s just very good-looking and gets away because of that.
More Betty, Joan and Peggy please.
Don is so detached from his kids it’s ridiculous! They went to Hawaii over Christmas and never mentioned them and then when they came back for New Years went right back to work and hanging with the neighbors. It’s probably better for the kids because Henry Francis is a much better man than Don anyways.
Agree, Apsutter. I want to see more of Francis-Betty storyline. From what we have seen of Henry Francis, he’s the opposite of Don. It’s easy to see that Betty feels more comfortable in her skin now. The rape joke was more about her comfort level with Francis than any sick subconscious intention on her part. I really wish we see more of Betty. I missed her last season and JJ is given crap for being Betty. I think she’s brilliant as Betty, very nuanced. There’s more to her than she lets on and I think a lot of it has to do with Don being a shitty partner. I like all the women on Mad Men. I don’t empathize with Joan for choosing to sleep her way to the partnership, but two wrongs don’t make a right. It was disrespectful of Harry to have insulted Joan and irresponsible of the other men in the room for not reprimanding Harry. The show really brings out the double standards in male and female promiscuity back then.
I love Hamm. I love him more than anyone. BUT. He is less sexy than he used to be. There, I said it. Less sexy in real life, less sexy in Mad Men. Look how hard he is working in that last pic to SMIZE. John Hamm and Don Draper have both jumped the shark. But I still love them both.
I’m probably alone here, but how exactly did Joan earn her place again? Everything Harry said was true, and nobody said anything in her defense because they couldn’t.
I think Joan wields what little power she has badly, she’s treats everyone beneath her with contempt, and everyone knows how she made partnership.
I used to love Joan, I rooted for Joan, but now the only thing I enjoy about her character is seeing her fall on her beautiful face.
No, you’re not alone. I feel like Harry gets the raw end of the deal sometimes, because he’s the guy who everyone loves to hate over there — it’s like high school where there were certain kids it was cool to pick on. Maybe he’s awkward, but he serves a very important function there with his media department, and doesn’t get proper recognition for it.
As for Joan, I know I’m really alone here, but I’ve never liked her. I think the actress is good, but the character is presented as a heroine and she never has been sympathetic to me. I LOL-ed at her yelling at that girl for leaving early — anyone else remember Joan sneaking off in the middle of the day in Season 1 to sleep wtih Roger? And she’s always been mean and non-supportive to other women, like when she told Peggy not to think she was anything special when she first started moving away from the secretarial pool.
And Greg was a jerk for sure, but that did not justify Joan’s passing off someone else’s kid as his. As for the whole Jaguar deal – it’s not as if she was on skid row with a starving baby, and this was her only choice. She wouldn’t have been fired if she didn’t sleep with the guy. She chose to do that to get ahead, so don’t act like some big victim now.
The issue wasn’t that she left early. Joan yelled at her(and rightly so) because she snuck out of work, asked Dawn to falsify her time sheet, and then lied right to Joan’s face about it. She deserved to be fired. Plus I really don’t like how that Scarlett girl went and asked Dawn to do it. Dawn is in a delicate position being the only black girl in the office and if she had said no then the other girls might have turned on her. Dawn is in a vulnerable position and Scarlett knew it so that’s why she asked her and not one of the other secretaries.
Scarlett was absolutely in the wrong and deserved to be fired, but that does not make Joan any less of a hypocrite.
I do agree that Joan should have went about it differently and her yelling at her for something Joan has done is hypocritical. But then again, who hasn’t ever left work early like that or some variation of it. I find it odd when they make Joan act so impulsive because she’s usually so calculated but sometimes she can just fly off the handle. I think the real problem is that Joan doesn’t know how to be a manager because she just fell in this partnership. She seemed to be afraid to ask for more from her co-workers. When she made partner she should have asked for a better office near the partners, delegated the lesser work to the other secretaries, promoted an office manager to replace her, and demanded that people treat her with respect and call her Ms Holloway. Maybe what we’re seeing is just a buildup of frustration of not being respected and not knowing how to utilize her new role. I do hope that Joan and Dawn develop a friendship now.
Yes Joan slept with that man but she’s been in the company longer than any of the ad guys. She’s the one who indispensable to the company, especially with Lane gone. Matthew Weiner has gone to great lengths to show what a bumbling buffoon Harry is. That man is completely replaceable but he thinks he’s running the joint. Remember when Joan was working the TV department for like 5 minutes and she was instantly WORLDS better than Harry? What Joan did is no worse than what any of the men did and Harry just messed up by disrespecting her to her face. The partners love Joanie and don’t respect Harry.
@Apsutter – We can agree to disagree on a lot of things in Mad Men, but I do have to question your statement that Joan was worlds better than Harry for the 5 minutes she was working in the media department. They showed us she liked it, and had some good ideas, but not that that she was better than Harry.
Also, Harry was a buffoon personally, but he has been shown to be quite competent professionally. Otherwise, the agency couldn’t be doing as well as it is in a world increasingly dependent on TV.
You are right that the men are pretty horrible too – but that doesn’t make Joan better in comparison.
I really think Joan would have flourished if they had let her keep that role. She took to it like a duck to water while Harry’s great idea is a terrible variety show with Broadway Joe(which actually happened btw, look it up..it’s awful lol). Harry stumbled ass backwards into his current role and works hard at it but I don’t think he’s a natural. Plus if he spent as much time working as he did chasing skirts then he’d be in a better position.
I guess my main bone to pick with Harry is that he has done good work for them and if he had been a grown up and approached the partners he could have leveraged a partnership and let his work speak for itself. He chose to undermine Joan and explode at her to humiliate her and put her in her place. Notice how he kept calling her Joan while she replied back “Mr Crane”
I agree! I still like certain aspects of Joan, but she really abused her power in this episode. She was once a secretary too doing the same things these young girls do, sometimes worse. Now, Joan doesn’t seem to have any friends because she looks down on these secretaries with contempt. She’s like the epitome of the woman who reaches the top without even acknowledging feminism or wanting to help women below her.
I would have given Dawn and Scarlett (the secretary Joan wanted to fire) another chance but would have reprimanded them or docked their pay and warned them next time they’d be fired. If Joan wanted to fire Scarlett, she could have done it in a less humiliating way by doing it privately in her office. It’s as if Joan and Don have become much darker and meaner in this season. Maybe that’s what happens to unhappy people as they age. I’ve seen it in real life too.
Laura, you aren’t alone, that’s exactly how I feel too. She’s mean now.
I’ve never thought of Joan as particularly likable.
The “sleeping her way to a partnership” story line REALLY bothers me. First off, she absolutely wouldn’t (and apparently doesn’t) have the respect of the partners, or else they wouldn’t have asked her to do it in the first place – prostituting out an alleged peer? No way. Unless they’re going to have it play out as being an empty partnership all along. and they were just using her and placating her with the position. No one treats anyone they have ANY respect for like that.
Betty’s rape joke was beyond creepy and weird.
+100 ITA.Joan has been the worst these past 2 seasons and I hate that everyone is angry with Harry for interrupting that meeting.How would you feel if an office manager prostituted herself to a PARNERSHIP, overnight.You’be angry too if you were passed over because you couldn’t sleep your way to the top.The only reason people like Joan is because she was raped by her fiance’and then for some idiotic reason married her rapist.Her attitude has been just terrible and she has been a bitch the last 2 years and I can’t stand her anymore.Team Harry all the way.
It says something gross about everyone in that room that they know she’ll do it.
Of course, I’m not exactly crying for the now rich (22k/year is around 150k today) white dude when you have Dawn who has no trump card. An endurance race with no end and little prize.
I also have never found Joan particularly likable. It’s always amazed me how many people really love her character. She’s an interesting character but I’ve never liked her-she has a real mean streak and no matter how horrible Greg is he didn’t deserve to have Roger’s baby passed off as his own. I think Christina Hendricks does a great job playing her, though.
You can’t really look at the situation with your 2013 eyes. Of course a woman doing that now would have no respect from anyone around her. This is set in the 60s. Times were very different.
You can’t hold people from different eras to the same moral standards you have now – it is completely pointless and silly. Standards change and evolve with society. Maybe even 5 years later, her actions would have been a different story, but for 1967, they were spot on.
As shown through Peggy’s character, the women usually aren’t taken at all seriously, even if they show talent and initiative. Joan manipulating her way into a partnership was a savvy and intelligent move. She has worked there for 15 years and earned her place at the table in the best way she could. The men DO respect her decision (Don didn’t like WHAT she did, but when he saw her sitting at the partner’s table, you saw how impressed he was that she thought to demand it) Joan didn’t do it for the money that was offered – she did it to secure herself a better place in the company and to demand more respect. Both of which happened.
I think she definitely did the right thing! Hi 5s Joanie!
DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!!!
I can’t take that woman’s sultry goosestepping. Outside of that boardroom, her co-workers should be so lucky if she treated them as secretaries. She really thinks she has it so much worse than Dawn when she doesn’t see that a lot (not all, but a lot) the antagonism she faces in the office is her own fault. It’s how you wield that power–can you honestly say you’d want to work for her or maintain a long-standing friendship with her? I don’t think that’s possible since she treats women as something that have the nerve to get stuck under her shoe. They’re competition, something to be viewed with distrust and barely veiled contempt, something to be vanquished. You get the sense with Peggy that she wants to see more who are climbing up with her, Joan seems to want to win the Top Woman prize and sneer imperiously at the peons who aren’t because there can be only one. I’m sure she did a lot worse when she was a steno pool worker and beyond.
Dawn, you do what you need to do, even though your friend doesn’t understand or appreciate it. But believe her when she says they aren’t really your friends because when it comes to needing a patsy and fall guy, you will be on the top of everyone’s list. Feel popular?
Harry said it in the worst way possible, but he’s done way more for that firm than anyone else in that room and, icky as it was to hear and her obvious intelligence and excellent under-appreciated performance aside, no one would know her name if she hadn’t been sleeping with the married dude sitting next to her.
Well said. I always think back to that elevator scene with Peggy and Joan, were Joan snarls that, if she’d wanted Joey fired, all it would have taken was one “dinner” with the Sugarberry ham guy, and that Peggy was just flaunting her power. That comment says so much about Joan and the way she thinks. Not take it to Roger or Dom, or speak with him privately. Sleep your way to a solution.
And she can’t understand that Peggy might have done the right thing because it was fair and just, and not as a power play or to court favour with Joan.
And maybe Harry was tactless when he stated the obvious, but he has, as you say, every right to be resentful.
“Sultry goosestepping!” That is poetry, Jo Mama.
I agree that Dawn is the only sympathetic character in that whole office storyline mess. That happens even today. There’s a clash between two titans, but it’s the little worker bees who get burned in the crossfire more often than not. Being the only African American, especially in that time period, Dawn is even more vulnerable.
Yes, his behavior is terrible, but he’s also a man (character) whose so miserable, he’s almost suicidal, without being aware that he is, you know what I mean? He destroys everything good in his life, attracts people (especially women) that drive him crazy, and is a virtual stranger to his closest friends (if that’s what you want to call them) and his wife(ves).
Don has no friends, not even roger.
Actually he seems to have a decent relationship with Sylvia’s husband the doctor. That’s not going to end well.
Yea I was bummed because he actually seemed to like and respect the doctor and them BAM, he’s sleeping with the docs wife.
@Asputter: He just has to sabotage everything it seems. Maybe he’s afraid of developing a real friendship/bromance and the affair is his way of pre-emptively destroying it. All subconsciously of course.
Well, Don doesn’t have friends because he doesn’t really trust anyone. He trusted Anna and was truly friends with her, but she’s gone. Don likes Sylvia’s husband, but it’s not like he’s going to open up to him or anything.
The most shocking thing was when he asked Megan if she was even gonna brush her teeth after kissing the other guy.
Just like you must take a shower every time you f*ck another woman?
It’s pretty depressing.
It was never exactly uplifting, but I loved it so much in the first season.
I don’t know why people think Don is awful now. Don’s the same as he always has been — a total womanizer who goes through woman after woman in an attempt to assuage his ego and work through his “issues,” most of which are Mommy-based. He hasn’t changed at all; maybe people are just tired of it after 6 seasons.
I mostly watch for the other characters.
+1
He’s always been an awful person. Not just this season. That’s the point of the show, to watch this awful main character deal with life.
I think with Betty the infidelity was easier to take(in relative not absolute terms). They were clearly not suited, she was unsympathetic in her dealings with her daughter, and he compartmentalized his virgin/whore complex–apartment in city vs. home in country, like Trudi expected Pete to do. Though Meghan is unappealing in a different way (but similarly childish), the idea of popping downstairs to screw your mistress without a care in the world is truly revolting and she really hadn’t done anything obvious to “deserve” this. I think we’re supposed to get self-destructive re:Don, but I just get jerk thru and thru, as others have said.
I have to wonder sometimes if Betty’s parenting (whatever was left over to do when Carla was off-shift) is being judged anachronistically. Time Out was just a record, then.
I agree. Granted, Betty has her issues, and she could be cold with the children. But she was always *there* for them, and their needs were taken care of thanks to her. And we did see glimpses of warmth, like when Sally got the Beatles tickets and Betty was so excited for her. Maybe it’s because I was raised by parents with a different mindset than most of my peers (old-school Europeans), where the emphasis was not always on the kids’ feelings, that I can be more sympathetic to her.
It’s always been interesting to read discussions of the show through the years and see how many women pounce on Betty and call her Joan Crawford, and say, with no sarcasm, that Don is such a wonderful and loving father. And he’s left the kids, or threatened to leave them, on 3 occasions (skipping Sally’s birthday party, wanting to run away with Rachel and leave the kids, and running away to CA). To me, the parent who stays, even if they aren’t super June Cleaver-ish, is the good parent. But then I know I’m in very limited company in defending Betty :).
I agree with this. Betty may not be overly affectionate and she has behaved in some really horrible ways including when she slapped Sally, but do her kids really look abused and neglected in a way that will affect them forever?
For all of her shortcomings, it would have been easier for Betty to turn her kids against Don and reveal all of Don’s shenanigans. But no, she’s never done so. Even at her worst, Betty has never spoken badly about Don to their kids. I like to think that she wants to protect her children as much as she could. She was the parent they saw the most and even if she wasn’t hugging and kissing them in every scene, I don’t think she’s as monstrous as people make her out to be.
There was one scene in Season 1 where Sally was eating breakfast and Betty was fussing over her, playing with Sally’s hair and cuddling her. Sally was the one who said, “Mom, I’m eating!” and shrugged her off. She wasn’t always cold to her kids. It’s just that Weiner has chosen to show us the glimpses of Betty’s life that are the most troubling, and we don’t get to see the ones where she and the kids are very happy together.
Don’t know which episode it was (The Wheel?) where Don showed photos of him and his family and the photos were those situations that we never got to see. The whole point was to sell Don’s perfect, happy, ideal life…but the photos of Betty and the kids looking happy and content are very different from the image of crazy, nasty Betty who neglects her kids.
@Faye
I’m a big Betty fan and wish they’d do more to expand her world.
I think Don is still Don and no better or worse than he has always been. He is a contradiction of good and bad, you never know which is going to pop up or when. I find it more interesting to see how Peggy and Joan are handling their new responsibilities. As a partner Joan had every right to fire Scarlett and should not have been talked to as she was by the t.v. guy. And if the show stays true to the turbulent year that was 1968 it will be very interesting to see how the good old boys handle it all especially Pete who I just want to punch out every time I see him. Also Sally is about to get very interesting too and it will be interesting to see how both Don and Betty handle it when it hits.
OMG…..thank you for saying this!!!! Last episode I completely turned on him. Just the way he looked at Mgan with disgust and made her feel like a WHORE then left her WEEPING to go f*ck his mistress! I wouldn’t talk to my worst enemy the way he talked about his wife. If there was ever an emotionally abusive spouse on TV, Don Draper is it. If we were Megan’s girlfriend we’d be telling her to RUN from him. The worst part about is that he only did that because he had a bad day with Heinz. He had a bad day so he had to go shit all over her dreams and career. If he had won Heinz I guarantee he would have been celebrating with the boys all night. The man is physically incapable of treating other people with respect because in his mind its ALL about him.
I think you summed that up nicely! I never connected the Heinz failure to the abuse of Meaghan and the mistress thing. This show is crazy like that. Nothing really ever happens in this show, nothing out of the ordinary and yet there is so much going on underneath that it says a lot.
I think your take is exactly right. I really feel for Megan, she didn’t deserve this. I’ve always thought Don was an abusive mess but this definitely ranks up there with his lowest points.
Very good point. I agree, if the Heinz pitch had gone well he wouldn’t have done that.
I so agree with you!
Peggy should never return to Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce. Her new boss, Ted Chaough, appears to be a much nicer guy than any of the guys at SCDP. Of course, we don’t know much about him outside of the office, but Chaough has treated Peggy with nothing but respect for her and her work. I see Peggy someday becoming partner of her new firm, but she has surpassed all the guys at SCDP. She’s too good for them.
Ive been watching since the start. Don was (is) always a horrible person – they need more of everyone else! I was so bored with the last episode, I might just DVR it and watch when theres nothing else to watch. All the other characters are so much better to watch. And I say ALWAYS MORE JOHN SLATTERY! Put Dons sleezy antics on the back burner and let everyone else have a turn!
Oh and can we talk about what a BOSS Trudy is?! I’ve been talking about this with other peeps who were surprised that she knew Pete was cheating but Trudy always knew. And I’ve been rewatching previous seasons and its so clear to me that Trudy is the one who controls that family. Whenever Pete has done anything worthwhile its because Trudy is behind him whispering stuff in his ear and steering the ship. She encouraged him to leave SC and then take the partnership and when he wanted to be a writer she was the one who got it done for him. Also when the partners were supposed to put in 50000 to save the firm she’s all like “ummmmm hell no. That money is for your daughter.” And he didnt even fight back. Anyways, Trudy is a badass and I want to see more of her
Something on which we can agree! 🙂 I guess it’s because of her Community schedule she’s not on full time, but I love Alison Brie in this role. If Pete listened to her and followed her lead he’d be twice, no three times the man he is now.
Faye, even if we disagree on some things I could discuss Mad Men with you all day girl! I love this show and having lively discussions where people disagree and argue their point is kind of my jam lol
I agree that he’d be a much better man if he followed her lead. Trudy has ALWAYS been as equally ambitious as Pete and I can see her doing wonderful things with her life because she’s a genuinely happy person too. Everybody loves her because she just radiates this great aura, unlike everyone else on this show lol
@Apsutter – This is definitely a good show to debate! I always find discussions, even arguments, lead me to consider other viewpoints I hadn’t thought of.
I kind of hate how they made it look as if Pete’s increasing doucheiness is because evil old Trudy bullied him into moving to the suburbs. Plus, they’ve made her look so drab and blah (except for her fantastic scene at the end of last week’s ep).
I used to think Matt Wiener was doing a great job of showing how women were mistreated during that time period, but for the past few seasons I can’t help thinking that Weiner himself isn’t that fond of women. There’s a kind of misogynistic treatment of the women of Mad Men lately that doesn’t just seem to be deliberate, as part of the writing, if that makes sense.
I actually think they’re doing a decent job at showing that what Pete is doing has nothing to do with Trudy. It’s pretty clear that it doesn’t matter who he has at home or all the wonderful things he’s accomplished that he’s still a weasel who is always looking for the next thing. I did hate how he threw it in Trudy’s face about moving to the suburbs. The ONLY thing she ever asked for him was a nice home in the burbs to raise her family and so he acts like he’s such a nice guy for giving her what she wants.
Sometimes I do find it hard to separate the sexism of the characters and what Weiner is really trying to say about the characters. At times I’ve thought he dislikes women too but I now I think he’s just trying to show how the societal constraints of both men and women make both sexes miserable. Plus many of the people on the show are jaded and just deeply unhappy people who are desperately searching for fulfillment outside of themselves. The only people who I think are even mildly contented are Cosgrove and Trudy because their lives aren’t completely dependent on the office and their roles there.
For me– this is the Trudy show.
I honestly wish they’d have more of her on there. I agree– she has definitely been steering to ship for quite awhile now.
Why wouldn’t she want to move to the burbs? She obviously realizes she has a cheating husband (she’s known since the time he banged the au pair while she was gone). If he wasn’t home and they had a baby…why not move to the country? He has the money and seems to enjoy making her miserable– she might as well at least have a nice home to go with it.
Yup! Couldn’t agree more with you!
Trudy IS a boss. She is an awesome partner– wise, supportive, loyal, positive, always willing to put mistakes aside and keep moving forward for the sake of the family. She is totally Pete’s secret weapon in life and he has no idea!
And I don’t care that Trudy wanted to move to the suburbs. She’s allowed to have preferences. Marriage is compromise. Either Pete should say, “No, I cannot live anywhere but NYC,” or make his peace with it and realize how lucky he actually is. Unfortunately, I think this in-between thing he’s doing (secretly seethe, keep halfway living in the city anyway, bring it up whenever you feel backed into a corner) is pretty typical.
More Trudy please!
I’m loving this discussion on Mad Men. Had forgotten that aspect of Trudy 🙂 One of my favourite scenes is Trudy & Pete dancing at a wedding/engagement (Roger’s?)
PS how cute is the actress who plays Sally in that group photo?
I love Don’s latest mistress. She’s awesome. Soooo much more interesting than Megan. ugh god, please make Megan run off with a kid her own age. I can’t stand her! Can the writers please make Don be with someone that isn’t a complete vanity case?
I also have no love for Megan’s character but I agree that it is harder to watch Don cheat on her than it was with Betty. Megan is so naive that she really trusts Don and she thinks that, when she has to do love scenes, he’s going to be jealous because he loves her not because hes a raging control freak.
Agree, although I like Megan. I thought she represented a potentially fresh new start for Don. Clearly that’s not the case. What really bugs me is that HE is the one who pursued her, sweeping her off her feet like that when he saw how good she was with the kids. He seems to regard people as so easily disposable. Ugh.
They need to get Linda Cardellini a better wig, the hair looks inhumanly stiff and always a bit askew. But porps to the casting; Mr. Belding, Alex Mack, Rory Gilmore and now Lindsay Weir… awesome!
Even the select woman that Joan has befriended or interacted with have been poignant. The woman she interacted with in the waiting room when she went to a get an abortion was Susan May Pratt, the classic 90’s teen movie bff. Then Marley Shelton as her old friend Kate another 90’s teen movie starlet, they really know their audience.
I look at Joan as someone who grew up with certain ideals and standards but sees the whole world moving an direction that doesn’t hold these old ideals true. It took her old friend to make her realize that she is successful and accomplished, even if her life didn’t turn out the way she though it would. She needed to change her point of view and be happy with she has life because she does have things that other can dream of and maybe part of changing how she looks at herself has a lot with how others will see her too. Just because you break through the glass ceiling doesn’t mean you get to stop fighting or changing.
Casting has been doing a bang-up job on this show! When I saw Joan’s friend I shrieked “Wendy Peffercorn!”
Trudy’s Dad (the Noxema guy) was the dad on Clarissa Explains It All.
I must be dense– I was wondering why we were having all these awesome 90s cameos.
Can we please get Anna Chumsky (My Girl) or Fred Savage next?
Fred Savage would be AMAZING!! I bet he’d do it do cause he’s had a crazy career and really appreciates how he came into his fame.
I watched seasons 1-5 on Netflix and was really excited to watch MM ‘live’ but I’ve been pretty disappointed this season. I find it somewhat uninteresting.
I don’t think Joan is ‘mean’. She is who she always was. And even when she snuck out at lunch, I’m sure she punched her time card. She followed the rules to a T and was always one of the most competent people at the office. She still is. And I think she wants to see Dawn succeed.
I hate Harry. He’s a perv, a whiner, and I think it’s great they won’t offer him a partnership but will give him cash because it doesn’t matter as much to them.
I think the show does work better watched a whole season at a time. The repetitive and slow “mood” scenes feel less like a waste of time in a scant 45-minute episode.
I haven’t watched this season of Mad Men yet, but I think Jon Hamm looks totally HOT in these photos.
@ Faye- couldn’t agree with you more re the “woman hating” aspects of the show- watching last season, I truly feared for the young actress who plays Sally- how many truly bizarre verging on vile story lines has she been part of? So along with woman hating, throw in Young girl hating too!
That being said, still love the show
Trudy would be so much better at Pete’s job than Pete. She can stroke an ego without seeming needy like him. Girl is smart, a great manipulator of situations and knows her sex appeal. The only thing she was wrong about was Pete and possibly leaving Manhattan. She could have been a power player. I think she’ll move onto better things ala Betty Draper but I want her to have a career. More Alison Brie please.
Me too! That girl(Alison & Trudy) are on the up and up! I love how ambitious Trudy is and she never tries to hide it.
@Tig – Yeah, the Sally storylines have been getting nuttier too. I hate her interactions with Glen Bishop (who creeps me out, and is played by Matt Weiner’s real-life son). I think Keirnan Shipka is very talented, but her character is so off-putting to me. I cannot even imagine *thinking* of acting the way she does toward Betty, much less doing it, or saying the things she does. Granted, I grew up with strict European parents who had very strong ideas about children respect, but even if they hadn’t been that way, I can’t imagine being so bratty.
I still do like the show, though. It’s funny — everyone is miserable, almost all the characters are awful most of the time, and the protagonist is beyond redemption, yet I watch every episode. Matt Weiner must be some sort of genius.
Faye, do you watch the videos AMC puts on YouTube? Every week they have a couple new vids where Matt Weiner discusses the episodes and its really insightful. It’s like having commentary before the DVDs come out.
Yes, I see them. Sometimes I wish I didn’t :). I remember the ones from last year with Weiner and Pare talking about how Megan is the perfect partner for Don and he really respects her as an equal, and she’s the perfect one for him, and my eyes rolled so much I thought they’d be stuck that way. I couldn’t help thinking, “Just wait until he starts cheating again!” Didn’t take long.
We agree. Sally bugs and as the daughter of strict immigrant offspring, well, I don’t need to tell you
@Jo Mama — Sounds like we have similar backgrounds in some ways, and it influences how we view the show. You probably had the same inadvertant gasp of horror I did when Sally called her mother “Betty” :).
Ladies, jumping in here, hope you don’t mind. I think Sally’s character arc is fairly typical of the American young teenager at that time. I, too, was raised by immigrant parents. When I was just about the age Sally is (although it was a few years later than in the show, the mid to late 70s), I remember being utterly shocked at how seemingly disrespectful to and disdainful of their parents some girls (in fully assimilated American families) my age were. They were just so cynical in some ways, just like Sally seems to be.
Sally’s poised to become part of the counterculture. Even if she’s not a full-on hippie — I can’t really see that — I could see her experimenting with drugs and sex, soon and big time.
It sounds like we’re all coming from a similar place and shared similar surprise. Sally’s pretty typical of what I’ve seen but it’s still foreign to me.
I haven’t read all the comments, but I need to scream a thing:
I WANT
MORE TRUDY
PLEASE.
I love her, the way she handled her stupid husband,how she handled Don last season, EVERYTHING.
I am pretty sure she could make Don and Roger waters her plants.
The series is coming to a climax and I am really loving it. Notice how quickly these cultural changes are happening after several seasons that lagged on in the late 19050s.
The 1960s are happening. The world is changing. Don doesn’t know how to deal with it. He is losing his touch. He is out of touch. And rather than be with an “it” girl like Megan is more comfortable with a women who represents the past, like the mistress.
Draper deals in smoke and mirrors. He simply cannot adapt to a culture that is becoming so “in your face.” He just can’t relate to it!
I love Mad Men and have been watching since the beginning. I actually like Betty ever since she was sitting outside her house shooting at the sky being a badass. She is actually a very layered character. On the surface she’s this pretty and perfectly ‘trained’ wife, but in those rare glimpses of her at home when she’s more comfortable – like when she makes that awkward joke in bed with Henry – you can see more to her personality. Even when she explains to Sally’s friend that she can’t eat much because she’s watching her weight – it’s a vulnerable thing for her to admit because she’s so used to being model-pretty and thin. She’s easy to hate because she’s such a b*tch most of the time but she has her reasons for it. I feel like she conformed to what was expected of her – marriage, children, a perfect suburban life – but didn’t really want that. I think she wanted to be more independent and have a career but her spirit was crushed by Don’s ideals of a perfect wife, so she turned b*tchy out of unhappiness. I’m glad she’s with Henry now, he takes care of her and wouldn’t cheat on her like Don did.
I am not fond of Megan at all. She is childish and seems like she doesn’t know much of what real life is. I can’t figure out if she knows Don is cheating and doesn’t care, or if she really is so naive that she thinks he magically changed when they got married. I did feel for her though when Don made her cry about her love scene – even my boyfriend was pissed when he did that, then went to his mistress. He’s just getting worse and worse. Even though I’m not fond of Megan, I hope she gets away from Don before he crushes her spirit like he did with Betty. Right now she’s young and happy, but I could see her turning into an exact replica of Betty if she stays with Don. You can tell he doesn’t really care about her career or goals, but is just dealing with it to appear younger and hip to the times. The older Don gets the more jaded and unhappy he becomes, and Megan doesn’t deserve to go down with him.
I’m with you on everything you said about Betty. I also think JJ is unfairly criticized for her portrayal because I think she does an incredibly good, nuanced job.
However, I do like Megan. There’s something compelling about her to me, maybe because she is so different from Betty. She is somewhat naive but it doesn’t bug me. I know people like that and I like how they can seem immune to the troubles that can wear down the average person. And being younger, she’s lucky she doesn’t have to conform as much as Betty’s did. I thought she might have some positive influence on Don but obviously I was completely wrong. He’s beyond redemption, I think.
No one will ever be good enough, or bad enough for Don Draper. Hasn’t he had enough self-pity for one lifetime?
I agree about Betty and Megan!! Whenever I think of Megan I always think of Peggy saying that she’s just one of those girls who has everything work out for her. I hate how everyone talks about how immature she is when she actually one of the most even-keeled characters on the show. The most childish damned person on the show is Don.
I also agree about Betty and Megan. Megan’s not an extremely deep person, but she’s never had any reason to be. Besides, if Megan is likely to wind up bitter and unhappy in the end, why do we fault her for enjoying herself now, while she is young and still blissfully ignorant about her marriage?
I agree and am glad to see such insightful interpretation of character. Don was always deeply flawed and beyond redemption. He took away Betty’s spirit.
Don can’t cope with the society changes – agree with all others picking up on this too. He’s going to fall very hard when it eventually happens. It’s starting to accelerate now and it’s kudos to Hamm for making him increasingly believable and very unlikeable.
I’m very sad to here more fat suits are on the way. I’m only on season 3 and almost didn’t make it past Peggy’s fat suit when she was pregnant. The chins are just awful.
People sympathize less with Betty because we were never shown how she truly was before the show started, and Don basically sold us an ad for this dashing, debonair man. And most viewers bought it. The series started 5-6 years into their marriage. They have 2 kids, Betty was living in the suburbs, and Don was most likely cheating on her for 5 1/2 of those years.
We didn’t get to see Betty as Don described her to Anna: “happy”. Remember Don’s face when he recalled that time? He looked wistful and almost guilty, like he knew he had a part in why Betty became like she was.
It’s harder to see Megan get cheated on because we’ve been sold the story that she and Don got on really well, their marriage was hot, she was better with kids than Betty (I see lots of references in forums about Megan and the spilled milkshake in Disneyland), and she was an overall better, kinder person. We were also sold the idea that their marriage was gonna be “the one”, that it wasn’t going to be like Don and Betty’s marriage, that Don has finally changed.
Lo and behold. We are back to square one. Did we really move at all?
I keep on saying it: Megan and Don were Betty and Don before Betty had the kids and after Don’s consistent put-downs and verbal-emotional abuse.
Don has always been awful. He’s broken and IMO he can’t be fixed. He’s an abusive husband, in that it’s so easy for him to disrespect his wives (both ex and current) but when they stand up to him, he chafes and tries to gaslight them and tells them they’re being ridiculous.
He doesn’t want his women saying no to him or moving on without him. He always wants to be in control. When they fight back against him, he gets angry and loses interest.
I think Jon Hamm has also been looking off as Don. He looks greasy and like he’s a really slimy individual. Don’s entire vibe has become so dark this season.
Agree that Don look different/off. I had assumed the transformation was deliberate. His perfect outward facade is finally showing some cracks.
You are SPOT freaking on!! I’ve said that same thing about Betty. Don and Betty’s marriage was one of convenience because she was expected to marry a handsome rich guy and he was expected to have a beautiful wife and a couple of kids. They both felt trapped in their marriage and were miserable and Don just made it worse by being a philandering ass. Don thought he could enter this new relationship with Megan and suddenly he would magically be a better man. He’s lazy and a liar who refuses to change. He’d rather live and wallow in self pity until he keels over when his heart explodes.
Yeah,yeah but Betty is selfish and crazy.She is a terrible wife to Henry and has never been a great mother to those kids.She had that black nanny raising them and now they resent her.I think her crazy level is going full steam next week but that woman is nuts.And that was never Don’s fault.
Terrible wife? Henry doesn’t look unhappy to me.
How do you know that her kids resent her? Sally ran to her when she got her first period. For all of their disagreements as mother and daughter, Betty has always been there for Sally when she needed her most. Betty is the parent who is always there for her kids. When was the last time Don actually saw his children?
And not Don’s fault? How many times has he been ready to run away with his mistresses with no concern about his kids and Betty? Do you think Betty sat at home for 10 years not worrying when Don will actually stop coming home? How many times has Don threatened to either beat Betty or called her vulgar, degrading names? How about when he made her psychiatrist reveal their sessions to him behind Betty’s back?
Betty has her own issues from childhood. Her own mother was verbally and emotionally abusive to her, calling her fat and making her walk from school to their house to make her lose weight.
Betty would never be a kind, gracious individual. But saying her issues had nothing to do with Don is ridiculous. They were married for 10 years. Do you think a husband would not affect his wife after a decade of verbal and emotional abuse?
But of course, it’s all Betty’s fault. Don is an amazing, flawless individual who just spreads joy and sunshine wherever he goes.
Is it Megan’s fault that Don is cheating on her? Don has gone through 2 wives with the same unresolved issues. Is it really the women’s fault that they turn unhappy and brittle when married to Don?
@ Sachi Excuse me I don’t know if you’re new to the show or just choose to see what you want,but Betty did cheat on Don with a stranger in a bathroom and then again with Henry.Writing letters to another man and trying to set up secret meetings is cheating.Henry worships the ground she walks on and she still acts like she wants him to leave her.Last year she used her own daughter to try to break uo Don and Megan.Why do you think she dyed her hair black? To look like Megan!She loves being miserable and to be honest,neither her or Don or good people.
She dyed her hair black because the squatters she cooked for in the Village commented on her blonde having come from a bottle.
“Why do you think she dyed her hair black? To look like Megan!”
Actually, I think with the dark hair Betty looks more like Henry’s mother.
Don is a bad bad boy – but his scenes with Sylvia (is that her name?) are HOT. The scene when they were at dinner and he was telling her what he was going to do to her — omg. Take me now!!!! I’ve never felt intensity between Don and Megan. There’s something missing between them. I don’t even think he loves Megan. I think she’s a conquest for him and nothing more.
And yes, doors are huge this season. I’ve noticed there is some sort of door with almost every interaction Don has with Sylvia.
And I HATE Harry. I hope they can his ass.
And MORE ROGER PLEASE!!!
And I miss Don and Peggy interactions.
I think you forgot the weird kinky-ish “cleaning” after the birthday party stuff Megan and Don were involved last season.
I am surprised any woman will have sex with Don. I don’t see how he is charming at all in the lady-department aside from his face and slicked back hair.
He always seems a bit bumbling when it comes to seducing ladies…
Haha, I’m glad I’m not the only one who wander how in hell he is doing this. Seriously every single one of his ladies is stunning. Every single one! And he is just a sleazy scumbag. I dunno.
Ya know, I’m amazed that we’ve reached 100 comments and no one has even mentioned DON VOMITING AT A WAKE!! How freaking disgusting was that and how pathetic did he look in that episode. When they showed him with the doc’s wife he looked like he was resigned to being miserable until he kicks it.
Roger’s line after that was PRICELESS. Love him.
Yeah that was another epic moment in what seems to be a steep decline for Don. He was an utter mess, completely despicable.
i love megan, i don’t get the criticism of her. i see don doesn’t respect her profession, acting. he didn’t respect betty’s modeling either. which i find hypocritical-advertising is very closely linked to acting and modeling.
megan has shown immaturity when friends of hers were getting roles in tv that she wasn’t, but otherwise i think megan is great with sally and don’s other kids. sally can be a piece of work like betty-remember when betty told sally don had been married before betty and megan just to piss them off. my mom did that to me when my parents divorced-totally lost respect for her after that. badmouthing your ex to your kids is a no no.
I suspect it is because Megan is the closest to a modern real life woman. And she is also the one sane flower in the field of bat shit crazy (that is established as “the normal” in Mad Men), so we judge her differently as we bought into show’s narrative that broken people is pretty much “the new black” (a.k.a. awesome).
She also doesn’t seem to struggle as much as everyone else, so people hate her for having it easy in life. I think there even was something along this lines that Peggy said about her last season.
I don’t think Don is an awful person, but then I’m sympathetic to most of the characters, except (at the moment) Harry. WTF Harry? Public humiliation is a horrible thing to do to anyone.
I think Don actually has a strong moral compass but has repeatedly found it necessary or easier or less frightening or just a lot more fun to totally ignore that compass. He’s not Pete. Pete thinks, “Should we have Joan f*ck this dude for an account? Sure. Why not?” Don thinks, “Ugh, this is wrong,” just as he does about cheating. And then does it anyway.
This goes back to his childhood and the way his male role models behaved. Don knows right from wrong, but doing wrong feels natural and comfortable to him. Except it makes him hate himself. Therefore he keeps hoping he will magically change, but gets many, many rewards (material and otherwise) for not changing. Don seems powerful but lacks the most basic power because he can’t make his own behavior dovetail with who he believes himself to be. And the more time goes on, the more he knows he isn’t just a good guy temporarily acting slimy. He’s a slimy guy.
Well, I don’t know, she kind of started the fire with her Scarlett freakout. Not that Scarlett didn’t deserve any what-fors but shouting up is stairs isn’t exactly dignified.
People have been bullying Harry for years. While I normally love Joan, it was nice to see him to stand up to her “petty dictatorship” (by the end of the episode, she realized it was a waste of her time) and nice to see anyone shake that complacent bunch in the conference room out of their stupor.
Some commenters have argued that Harry doesn’t know about the Jaguar dealer; it’s more about the rumor of her affair with Roger (which Stan and Peggy said last week was still a subject of unconfirmed debate). Either way, shagging her way into a partnership.
I’m glad that the finally decided to follow a black character out of the office and let her have something of her own storyline (Dawn). It only took 5 seasons. :-/ As for Don, for some reason his hotness is not making up for his reprehensible behavior the same way it it used to. I was so disgusted over his double standard with Megan I wanted to slap him myself.
i have to say that the most annoying character this season is Don’s Mistress slyvia
I think we’re really noticing just how awful Don is because this season is less Mad Men and more The Don Draper Show. We’re not spending so much time in the office as an ensemble or out of the office on business…it’s very personal. We’ve seen almost no Roger, Pete (with or without Trudy), Betty (and company) or Joan. Peggy is understandably missing as she no longer works for SCDP, but the spotlight on Don and his personal life is starting to show just how ugly he really is.
I find the writing this season to be forced and predictable. We didn’t need a flashback of Don moving into the whorehouse with his mother as a young boy. We all know that was his upbringing and we all know that’s why he’s so f’d up. It’s as if the writers felt they had to remind us of his childhood in order to explain why he’s back to his tomcatting ways. A more sophisticated process would simply let the character development play out and allow the viewers to draw the already obvious conclusion that no matter how hard he tries, he will never live the white picket fence lifestyle.
Umn, Don Draper was always a completely awful person. The writers like to play with you and try to make you think that there’s something more there or that he’s redeemable, but in the end, the character is a sociopath. He will never be good unless it suits him, and he will never be truly happy. He will cut a swath of misery through the people in his life.