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Mad Men
Apr 27, 2015 13:46:41 GMT -4
Post by chonies on Apr 27, 2015 13:46:41 GMT -4
I was thinking about the Dick Whitman/Don Draper thing during the Roger/Don conversation. It seemed pretty loaded and portentous.
I'm not a NYC historian, but I don't know if Pete's comments were too far off the mark from what was happening. Crime was rising, drugs were more prevalent, there was a recession, a lot of political and civil unrest, and a massively corrupt police force--think Serpico. In major cities in the US, a lot of residential stability was affected by white flight.
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Mad Men
Apr 27, 2015 16:24:31 GMT -4
Post by kostgard on Apr 27, 2015 16:24:31 GMT -4
I don't know if Don can back out of the non-compete based on the Don/Dick thing. Seems it would cause more problems than it solves.
But I think Don got something close to $5 million with the McCann deal, so even with give $1 million to Megan, he's got plenty left over. I'm afraid he's just gonna pack up and try to find Debbie Downer, be it back in Racine or if she decided to try the other side of that coin flip, San Francisco. That would play into the "everything is heading towards California" thing that seems to be happening.
Joan is a millionaire as well, and she should pack up and go too. They don't respect her as an accounts woman, and honestly, she's not that great it and doesn't get all the ins and outs yet. She didn't seem to get that Avon wasn't really "hers" and it would go to McCann. Joan is best as the person who runs the ship, the woman behind the curtain. The a-holes at McCann don't recognize that in her, so she might as well head out west to Leisure Suit Larry and find a new place where she can kick ass.
I think the head hunter is right, and Peggy might as well ride out her non-compete at McCann, gain as much experience/clientele as she can, then start her own firm. And take Stan with her (I'm with those who don't necessarily want them together romantically - where is Brian Krakow? - but their friendship is great).
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Post by Oxynia on Apr 27, 2015 18:16:09 GMT -4
I like Peggy and Stan together and wouldn't mind seeing a romance blossom there. They seem to really respect each other underneath it all, and a solid friendship is the best foundation for a relationship.
The Dick Whitman/Don Draper thing popped into my head too, and when he said "what's in a name?" to Roger about the loss of SCDP, I thought that was a huge hint. I agree with you there, Chonies.
I liked this episode overall because it had action, those kinds of mergers/agency absorptions happen all the time in advertising (I've gone through three of them in my career) and everyone's personal story is being set up for a conclusion. I just hope the ending really brings the drama.
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Post by smitten on Apr 27, 2015 18:25:36 GMT -4
And to go real world for a moment...there are a LOT worse places they could be absorbed by than McCann. But they don't know that of course. ;-)
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Mad Men
Apr 27, 2015 19:13:37 GMT -4
Post by chonies on Apr 27, 2015 19:13:37 GMT -4
Thanks for the perspective, oxynia. I would say the action didn't feel especially eventful to me because I didn't recognize it. Advertising and corporate life is way beyond my experience, although I do recognize the feelings of dread that the secretaries were expressing. I just wasn't feeling the woes of Don, Joan, Roger and Ted because I kept thinking how much money they had.
As far as drama, I want the last episode to bring it--high drama, of the "wtf did I just watch, need to get online and discuss right now!" variety.
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Mad Men
Apr 27, 2015 20:25:31 GMT -4
Post by Martini Girl on Apr 27, 2015 20:25:31 GMT -4
On EW's recap, Jeff Jensen mentioned that he didn't think it was a concidence that Don lands at McCann just when Coke's iconic "I'd like to buy the world a coke" ad campaign takes off. He still believes there's redemption (through work) for Don. I'd rather have this scenario play out, then Don falling out of a window, but I'm an optimist. I keep thinking Weiner is going to have to give 10-15 minutes at the end of the finale to let us know where these characters end up.... if only to celebrate Peggy!
I think I would get some sort of satisfaction is one of these fictional characters came up w/ an iconic slogan while at McCann. I don't know if it'll pan out though, because as far as I know, we're already in 1971. The original song for that commercial came out in February- but it bombed - so it was re-issued it in July, and became in "instant" classic.
The recap also mentioned that Pete still thinks of Peggy as his office wife, but she clearly thinks of Stan has her office husband. Sounds about right.
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Post by bklynred on Apr 27, 2015 21:15:03 GMT -4
I agree with all of your observations. I was glad to hear Peggy acknowledge her choice re: the baby, and appreciate her relationship with Stan. Don getting shut down at that meeting was epic for me. What? Someone question Draper?!
I almost wish Trudy & Pete could reconcile based on their interaction. In general he seemed mellowed out with her, with Joan... The sh*t re: their kid's school tickled me. "She's just not bright," basically.
I just wish... more SALLY. Sigh. I know it's hard to shoehorn her into this but damn, in my perfect world I'd get more on her, we'd see Sal again, Joan would find her happy ending.
I like seeing the fashion shifts throughout, and there was a pair of boots a woman was wearing during the McCann announcement that I've totally seen being worn this past year. Yeah-everything old is new again! And man, are those skirts getting short.
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Post by Oxynia on Apr 27, 2015 21:15:26 GMT -4
Thanks for the perspective, oxynia. I would say the action didn't feel especially eventful to me because I didn't recognize it. Advertising and corporate life is way beyond my experience, although I do recognize the feelings of dread that the secretaries were expressing. I just wasn't feeling the woes of Don, Joan, Roger and Ted because I kept thinking how much money they had. Those kinds of mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and whatnot happen all the time in advertising, more so in the last few decades than now because the majority of agencies these days are part of large holding companies. It's been a constant reality and they are very stressful to live through. It's not just rank and file staff who get nervous about layoffs and redundancies. Senior people like the SCDP partners are worried about their stock value, whether their contracts will be bought off for pennies on the dollar, whether the accounts they won and nurtured will be lost to conflict of interest (and what will become of those personal client connections they're counting on to sustain their careers), and what their role will be in the new, larger enterprise. Here they are big fish in a small pond who can write their own stories; at the new place they'll be smaller fish in a bigger pond with far less power and autonomy. At the end of the day, they just got demoted - they're no longer owners/executives but employees. And the thing they spent their entire careers giving birth to just died a sudden, violent death. I liked how Peggy last week said, in response to Don's question about what she wanted for her future, that she wants to create something memorable or culturally relevant. I can see her coming up with "Tastes Great, Less Filling" for McCann's Miller Lite client, after muscling her way into the boys club of beer brands. She could launch her own agency on the merits of that one accomplishment. That's the holy grail in advertising.
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Post by Baby Fish Mouth on Apr 27, 2015 22:24:26 GMT -4
Did anyone else see the pre-episode clip of the actors discussing the final season? I think it was John Slattery who said that every character gets an ending which fits their character, and which feels inevitable in retrospect. My take is that we won't see shocking, jaw-on-the-floor type endings. It'll be more like, "Yeah...that makes sense for him/her."
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Post by Martini Girl on Apr 27, 2015 22:37:44 GMT -4
Oxynia- why am I now just seeing your amazing tag? I love it!
As for Peggy- her real life counter-part did just that!
In a perfect world:
Peggy ends up running her own agency, and finds love w/ an equal. Stan is her main man, and they create classic slogans. Joan finds love, and whether it's in California or NYC, finds an agency that takes her seriously. Dawn kicks ass at McCann and makes great strides to advancing her career. Pete grows up, stops being a jerk and reunites with Trudy. Years later, Peggy and Pete's son finds them and they have a reconciliation. Don finds peace in becoming Dick Whitman and learns that the work is what matters. He goes on to have a successful career at McCann. Roger learns to take responsibility for once, and finds happiness with Marie. They move to the Bahamas and he becomes a hippie. Harry falls off the face of the earth after being charged with gross indecency. Lou Avery fails epically in Japan. Ken goes on to write a epic sci-fi series. Sally bucks tremendous odds and becomes a therapist and best selling author detailing how she survied a sh*tty childhood. Megan turns to porn to survive after she's duped by a young, rich lover and he takes all of her money. Betty goes back to college, and becomes an activist. (It's the only thing that will redeem her in my eyes). She ends up running for Congress and wins. Ted gets married to his college sweetheart, and finds contentment flying planes and writing copy.
Let's see how far off I am!
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