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Thread: Mad Men (Season 7 Part 1)

  1. #1
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    Mad Men (Season 7 Part 1)

    We're bi-coastal now.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  2. #2
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    I have long thoughts that I don't want to type on my phone, but here's a short thought: Pete's realtor is Jessy Schram, who I only know as Hannah from Veronica Mars. But she looks so much like Anna Camp that I thought they were bringing that character back.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  3. #3
    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    Yeesh, this show is a bummer when both Peggy and Don are feeling defeated. At least Roger and Pete are having ...lively character shifts. Is that the last we'll see of Neve? Seems like a slight one ep role to hand to a recognizable actress.

    On, and nice dress, Megan.

  4. #4
    Supporting Actor slqrick's Avatar
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    Amazing premiere. Everything about it felt like a show at its most confident, even if the narrative direction is still a little murky.

    I also hate the decision to break the final season in two like Breaking Bad.

  5. #5
    Supporting Actor slqrick's Avatar
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    There's just something really comforting about the small victories for the characters on this show.

  6. #6
    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    February 14th: Masturbate gloomily

  7. #7
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    This was a great episode that hit all the buttons of what Mad Men does better than anyone else: making likeable characters act like assholes, making unlikeable characters sympathetic, and gut-punching me with a line as simple as "I love you."
    ...and the milk's in me.

  8. #8
    So, I don’t know how to start this post because I haven’t posted for the last 6 years because I work in education and only recently started plugging back into the Match-Cut discussion threads. One of the things that drew me back is the relatively rich discussion about TV shows that delve into the subtext and artistry of certain shows (specifically this, GoT and True Detective). Props to number8, Krazy, Lucky and especially Mara for providing tons of awesome analysis over the last few years.

    I’m sad that there’s not much action going on in this thread thus far. I’ve found the last two episodes to be some of the more masterful and brilliantly realized episodes of the series. Especially this last episode, so much was accomplished through quiet, yet powerful moments. The commentary about growing up in the 60s seems less forced as the series continues. Don't know if they knew where they were going during Season 1, but damn if they don't make it seem like everything up to this point has been apart of a grand narrative.

    For instance, in this episode, the way that the relationship that has been built up between Don and Sally came to a head in two scenes full of devastating dialogue and intense acting. I can see some legitimate arguments about the family-plot being a little too on-the-nose; however, I don’t find it dishonest. As a new dad, I find the story line hugely resonate (last year's scene with Planet of the Apes was one of my favorites of the season). The moments in the car and the diner are some of the most authentic and complex family scenes I've watched on either small or silver screen. Certainly rivals the Tony/Meadow moments in College. Of course, The Sopranos managed to do it in the first season.

    At the same time, that brings up something that I love most about Mad Men: it is not trying to be anything but itself. With some small hiccups, we’ve had 6 seasons and 2 episodes of well-crafted, subtle and slow-burning drama that it is pretty damn unique.

  9. #9
    Quote Quoting quido8_5 (view post)
    Mad Men: it is not trying to be anything but itself.
    A big reason why it's one of my favorite things. Not just TV things. World things. I'm seriously dreading the conclusion of this series. I feel like I could watch this show forever.

    Loved the first two episodes.
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  10. #10
    Fantastic season so far.

    I noticed a commenter suggesting it was a bold move to offer us a premiere that seemed so decidedly melancholy, with little in the way of any celebratory beats or novelties (i.e., beginning in Hawaii, Paré's "Zou Bisou Bisou" rendition). I'm not sure this is all that bold for Mad Men, though. I wouldn't argue that it's a particularly unusual "risk," as this is a show that is beginning its final season, and Weiner et al have offered similarly understated premieres in the past.

    At any rate, it was a really lovely premiere that in no way squandered the sense of narrative renewal and pathos that accumulated so rapidly during the denouement of season 6 (the last three episodes of the former season featured what are perhaps my favourite developments in the history of the series). I loved the languor of the shots of Don at Megan's gloomy Los Angeles abode: brooding at the television late at night, slumped on the couch with the Playboy magazine ironically splayed, the sense of vague discontent and sadness inflecting Don and Megan's attempts at intimacy, etc.

    I was struck by how quiet, weary and lugubrious the whole episode was. This may be my favourite premiere of the entire series.

    "A Day's Work" was also phenomenal. Don and Sally's closing scene was amazing and it's undoubtedly one of the show's best moments. I've really enjoyed the way their relationship has been handled since Sally caught Don in flagrante; their connection is now absolutely one of the most interesting and important elements of the show.

  11. #11
    Well, thank God for John Hamm 'cause I don't know too many actors who could pull off that line. Probably my least favorite episode of the season, but still rivals any episode of Game of Thrones thus far (my other main squeeze). Just speaks to the show's consistency.

    A lot of that goes back to how deftly they weave and evolve story lines. My wife convinced me to revisit the first season and I'm so glad that I did. I initially skipped it because I couldn't get over the blatant sexism, but now I appreciate how honest they were because it helps me appreciate how far we've come in six seasons. Dropping the "Carousel" line in this episode was pretty freaking awesome, especially given the context. Also, after finally watching the first season have a newfound respect for Crane who I previously thought was solid but still kind of morally bankrupt. Don't give me wrong, he's still morally bankrupt -just like everyone else- but I feel like he has a core value system. What's-his-fuck's comment to him about lying, this episode, was a low blow. If they lose Crane, that would definitely make me sad.

    Also, Pete as a dad <3.
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  12. #12
    Supporting Actor slqrick's Avatar
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    Love the way they're dealing with Don's reintegration into the office. It's just really brilliant and even if some moments aren't nuanced (giving him Lane's office), the callbacks to previous seasons like the Mets pennant both pays homage to the show's past and simultaneously drives forward the idea of finality. Just really perfect.

  13. #13
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    I don't dislike the last couple of episodes, but I'm not sure where we're going. Glad Don decided to put on his big boy pants at the end, though.

    The line Don has about his issues with Harry going back years... it made me think about how angry all these chqracters are with each other, and its been going on so long that thet don't care where it started. It's just anger feeding on anger.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  14. #14
    Yeah; plus, Don/Peggy stuff is always good. The commune stuff felt a little too on-the-nose for me, and the parallelism seemed uncharacteristically forced. More Roger, however, is better than no Roger, so I kind of give it a pass.
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  15. #15
    Quote Quoting DavidSeven (view post)
    Yeah; plus, Don/Peggy stuff is always good. The commune stuff felt a little too on-the-nose for me, and the parallelism seemed uncharacteristically forced. More Roger, however, is better than no Roger, so I kind of give it a pass.
    Agreed, felt like a lot of this episode was on-the-nose. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but I thought they were able to make it self-referential. For instance, Cooper's line to Don about the way life is and the initial conversation with the computer guy ("our ability to recognize the infinite," or whatever). This made the ending hit extra hard for me, Freddy's advice was so blunt and perfectly reasonable. Freddy's character development has been one of the most surprisingly rich and complex of the series.

    While I'm itching for less circular storytelling, I get the feeling that we're going somewhere.
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  16. #16
    The Pan Qrazy's Avatar
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    The show has always been on the nose guys.

    "Going down?"
    The Princess and the Pilot - B-
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    The Comedy - D+
    Kings of the Road - C+
    The Odd Couple - B
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    The Hunger Games - D-
    Prometheus - C
    Tangled - C+

  17. #17
    Quote Quoting Qrazy (view post)
    The show has always been on the nose guys.

    "Going down?"
    Exactly. I find it quite charming at this point.
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  18. #18
    I'm in the milk... Mara's Avatar
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    Holy crap on a cracker.
    ...and the milk's in me.

  19. #19
    I am really enjoying Don's role this season. Following countless downward spirals, seeing the character in a more proactive and resourceful mode is compelling and fresh. It's not only interesting that he's been recast as the diminished and antagonized underdog, but that he's opted to endure (more or less) the attendant humiliations and miseries of this role, while simultaneously renewing his creative energies in order to survive (i.e., the conclusion of "The Runaways").

    I also like the way Don submitted to the ménage Ã* trios with an air of confusion and inertia, like someone yielding to the hypnotic rhythms of something curiously alien. He regards it like a weird dream the next morning, and remains focused on more pressing concerns (Stephanie, crashing the meeting with Commander Cigarettes, etc.). Don's newfound tenacity seems to have cleared away the cobwebs, as we're seeing his usual palliative "fixes" (philandering, drinking, etc.) recede in favour of more substantial matters (i.e., relocating a sense of professional and personal fulfilment via the agency and Sally). The consequence of this internal reshuffling is that Megan is revealed to be grouped in alongside those other "fixes," and may therefore have to similarly recede in order to facilitate Don's growth. The erosion of their relationship remains a consistent focus, after all, with Megan feeling threatened by the (purer?) intimacy shared between Stephanie and Don. They both know Don's secrets, but there was something about Stephanie that suggested not only retained knowledge, but understanding.

  20. #20
    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    Well at least that Ginsberg moment in the stellar episode "Far Away Places" finally paid off. Not that I needed another reason to love that episode.

  21. #21
    Supporting Actor slqrick's Avatar
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    Best Peggy/Don scenes since "The Suitcase."

  22. #22
    Entire episode had a "calm before the storm" quality to it. I'll be interested to see how things get ratcheted up.

    I'm happy about how they worked out the Don/Peggy stuff. For a bit, I was concerned that they were making her too antagonistic, which many shows seem prone to do with their female characters (Mad Men being no exception e.g., Betty).
    letterboxd.

    A Star is Born (2018) **1/2
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    Sorry to Bother You (2018) **1/2
    Eighth Grade (2018) ***
    Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) ***
    Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) **1/2

  23. #23
    Producer Lucky's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting slqrick (view post)
    Best Peggy/Don scenes since "The Suitcase."
    Chills down the spine. Good television is so rewarding. They mined a perfect balance between these two, thankfully Don was having a good weekend and didn't act like an asshole.

  24. #24
    i am the great went ledfloyd's Avatar
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    Nothing after that glorious finale? That last scene was pure bliss.

  25. #25
    Supporting Actor slqrick's Avatar
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    Absolutely sublime. Just really, can we give Hamm a damn Emmy already? That fucking scene man.

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