|
|
Post by chonies on May 18, 2015 10:09:30 GMT -4
I think even Roger's was kind of bittersweet--he was with Marie in Montreal, but he came to Joan with what could have been a goodbye, and with the discussion of death, scandal, wills and his commune-living daughter.
The refrigerator thing had me wracking my brain. Was it something related to a campaign Don had worked on? That would have been way too twee, but I wondered if I was missing something.
I think we can all agree the sense of relief in the absence of Megan or Diana.
|
|
|
|
Post by Oxynia on May 18, 2015 10:43:30 GMT -4
Diana was a bit more interesting to me because she was Don personified...she was another runner, another person who hit the road when things got too burdensome. I think that's why Don kept saying he knew her, because he really did. And she prompted him to take off again. She served a purpose. Megan, not so much, other than to be a stylistic reminder of the changing years.
I don't think the refrigerator itself was significant, it was just a metaphor for how invisible Leonard was feeling to his family. The fact that Don was literally stranded in place and couldn't keep running from himself forced him to sit still and confront his demons. He's the guy who only likes the beginnings of things, as Dr. Faye said, and here he was in a position to finish something. Leonard was just the mirror, and the refrigerator was just the device.
Then again, we keep Coke in refrigerators. Ba-dum-dum.
|
|
|
|
Mad Men
May 18, 2015 11:47:34 GMT -4
Post by Baby Fish Mouth on May 18, 2015 11:47:34 GMT -4
The AV Club had a nice analysis of the refrigerator scene. Basically Don's always had a problem connecting with people in a meaningful way ("person to person"). Don saw a kindred spirit when Leonard described his struggle not in giving love, but receiving it. Leonard's description of being stuck inside a fridge, seeing the party outside but never getting picked for it, mirrors Don's inability to achieve happiness even though he's spent his entire career creating images of happiness.
|
|
|
|
Post by prisma on May 18, 2015 11:47:58 GMT -4
|
|
nemmie
Lady in Waiting
Newb alert.
Posts: 295 
|
Post by nemmie on May 18, 2015 12:03:34 GMT -4
Holy cow, she completely picks it apart and comments like she's grading a creative-writing exercise. Hilarious! What a compliment, though, to have Joyce Carol Oates so invested in your television program, yeah? Even if she was clearly dissatisfied with the ending... |
|
|
|
Post by chonies on May 18, 2015 12:12:07 GMT -4
I got dizzy reading that. This one got under my skin: And no, Betty is not the only one living with the ravages of the 1960s--Roger lost a daughter but Joan and Peggy were kind of liberated. Honestly, at lunch I was wondering whether the writers took a roulette approach to who would get cancer because everyone seemed like a potential patient. And maybe Betty's cancer is the manifestation of not engaging with the 1960s. She was very much invested in the status quo and maybe she wasn't inoculated against it in either large or small doses. Her goulash making expedition to St Marks Place aside. And I like this recap from HuffPo: "But to paraphrase Chekhov, never light a cigarette in the opening scene of Season 1 unless someone gets lung cancer by Season 7." |
|
|
|
Post by ladyboy on May 18, 2015 12:32:48 GMT -4
I think we can all agree the sense of relief in the absence of Megan or Diana. When they went into the commune's dark bedroom and someone in a striped shirt was sleeping next to Don, I turned to my husband and said, "If that's Megan I'm turning the TV off and not watching any more!" I just felt like she was going to pop up again. Thank god she didn't. And the fridge thing. I was like, Dude, you never had that dream. That is such a strained metaphor, plus it totally reminded me of that Electric Company sketch where the food in the fridge is all talking to one another. Maybe that guy went on to found the Children's Television Workshop. |
|
|
|
Mad Men
May 18, 2015 13:25:50 GMT -4
Post by Neurochick on May 18, 2015 13:25:50 GMT -4
I wish someone would rationally explain to me the Megan hate, because I could never see it.
I loved the finale. I don't see it as everybody getting a happy ending, as much as everybody just went on with their lives.
Though I didn't always like Joan, I liked how she chose starting her business over a relationship. Season 1 Joan was all about finding a rich man to take care of her, but last night's Joan realized she could take care of herself.
|
|
|
|
Post by chonies on May 18, 2015 13:48:30 GMT -4
I wish someone would rationally explain to me the Megan hate, because I could never see it. To recap: people who don't like her didn't like her because of overexposure and had no interesting stories. At best, she was a zeitgeist/cipher who introduced her fabulous mother. At worst, she was in too many episodes, she wouldn't go away so we couldn't miss her, and people perceived that an over-investment in the non-starter of her story took away from potentially interesting characters. Obviously, this is a matter of opinion, and an apt time to drop a de gustibus non est disputandum tag. I agree. She had what she thought she wanted and then dumped it to try something that she felt that she really wanted. ETA: Daily Beast weighs in. Peggy was ripped off. I don't know. I think Peggy liked being part of an (the?) established organization. Working her way up on the inside made sense to her and it seemed to provide some sort of logic or structure. I never quite got the sense that branching out on her own was her thing, although I don't entirely disagree with the rom/com argument. I don't think it's a huge joke, though. |
|
|
|
Post by prisma on May 18, 2015 14:14:40 GMT -4
Starting your own business is *HARD.* And starting a business, as a woman in that era, had to have been even harder. Peggy is still really young. I could see her getting a few more years under her belt before wanting to go out on her own. Joan had been a partner at their old firm, but Peggy was not a creative director yet. I don't blame her for her decision at all. I don't think it was the right time yet.
As for the rom-com ending, I'm happy. There's no reason why she can't have a career and a relationship. Now she has someone who knows what she's up against and can give her emotional support. I don't see that as a sell out. And looking back over pics from old episodes, I think long haired hippie Stan is much hotter than the traditional sixties Stan we first met.
|
|
