Mad Men

[Marlena_M]

it was strange -- i was about 50 minutes into the episode thinking, "everything is going so great for people, this has been such a light-hearted episode -- something really bad must be happening at the end, like a bomb going off in the ballroom!"

then in the last 5 minutes, all the stories were flipped -- peggy's mom shunned her; megan's dad showed us that megan's heart isn't really in advertising, which comes at a time when don is finally ready to accept her as a work partner; roger's cuteness with sally is blown sky high when sally catches him and megan's mom in a compromising position (to say the least); don learns that his anti-smoking ad stunt got him blackballed more than admired by corporate america. Boom!

lots of quotable lines from this week! Good stuff.

^^^ this!!!!!

[Dragonlady]

Holy crap! That's how I usually feel but up until the end, I was wishing for more Roger/Sally scenes because they were so cute together until Roger & Megan's mom's scene. (Walking the PG-13 line there--y'all know what I mean.)

I'm behind on watching what I recorded and just finished seeing the episode with Howard Johnson's in it. Were you, PhoneGrrrl, referring to the next episode about walking the PG-13 line?
I didn't like or understand this episode. I didn't understand a lot of the HoJo situation, I felt Roger and his wife's decision sorta surprised me w/it's suddenness, altho I know they were heading for a split.
Why would Peggy (in that era) settle for shaking up and not wait for a proposal? That surprised me.

[canadian_angel]

Holy crap! That's how I usually feel but up until the end, I was wishing for more Roger/Sally scenes because they were so cute together until Roger & Megan's mom's scene. (Walking the PG-13 line there--y'all know what I mean.)

You have to wonder how exactly shots like that are filmed. With any guess, it'd be they were shot seperately and spliced together. If that's the way it was done, then Sally's response is very fitting.

It was as much sex as I think we've seen all season too.

[Debb70]

Someone help me on the part where Don looks into the elevator doors and the elevator is gone. Was he waiting on an elevator? Why did the doors open? Is this an omen? Recall when Peggy heard someone in the office late one night? Is someone stalking them? Will there really be a murder? Did you see how Megan was lying on the floor at her acting class? Hmmmm.....

Pete has lost his mind! What is so bad with Trudy that he has to stalk his buddy's wife? They are playing with fire.

Betty has all but been written out. There has been so little of her on camera this season. Megan really did take over. I'm a little confused as why they shuttled her out of the firm so fast. Any opinions as to what that look was that Don kept giving after Megan announced she was leaving? I couldn't read him.

[AcookerTV]

I think that Don was having a hard time accepting that Megan wasn't who he had decided she was. Part of Megan's appeal to him was that she had an interest in his business, and was also an asset to his business. As she showed when she saved the Heinz account, and was displaying again with Cool Whip, she could partner with Don to make Don look really good, and he liked that. Once she confessed that her heart was not in it, not only did it mean that she wasn't hte career driven woman Don thought she was, but it also meant that she could do so well at a job her heart was not in. Contrast that to the idea that Don (and Peggy, and others in the office) do have their hearts in advertising, and struggle to come up with some of the ideas that Megan was out of boredom. I'd think there was some jealousy there, along with accepting that the fun of having his wife in the office would be ending.

[Debb70]

I think I'm off upthread where I talk about the scene in which Megan is lying on the floor. I think the Beatles song from the album Revolver speaks of life not being over, but just beginning. Tomorrow Never Knows. I don't think Don liked it very much.
TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS Lyrics - OUR LADY PEACE

[Critical]

I was sure someone was going to fall down that elevator shaft a la LA Law when Don went back to his office. I was surprised he wouldn't call maintenance and let someone know.

It says a lot about Don's feeling about Peggy that she could shout at him to shut up and he wouldn't just fire her.

It was great seeing Alexis Bledel. I only wish her character hadn't been there to sleep with Pete. Vincent Kartheiser has creeped me out ever since Connor slept with Cordelia on Angel. He's just continuing that with Pete.

[canadian_angel]

I almost didn't recognize Alexis B in that role. I, too, wish it would have been a different character. I'd have loved to see her in the office!

I'm really torn about how this season's progressing. I'm not a huge fan of the relationship that Don and Megan have. I find it grating and I don't know why!

[Marlena_M]

After Megan left in the elevator, Don went back and pushed the button again. I thought that extremely odd... I mean, was he going down to see her? Was he going up to who knows where? I couldn't figure out the reason for pushing the elevator button at all. So when the doors opened, he walked over and there was nothing but an empty elevator shaft I was like "WTF is that all about????" LOL! I'm 150% sure it's a metaphor for something, I just need to go read what.

Was it just me or did Alexis Bledel uncannily remind you of a young, newly married, Betty Draper... or at least how I pictured Betty to look (diff hair color, of course), sound and act. She was so aloof and sad and pathetic and desperate all rolled into one.

I loved how Don didn't know what to do with Megan leaving so in typical fashion he turned to Joan... they all turn to Joan!!!. She gave him all the info he needed by saying she'd take care of it and I was so angry with him for not even saying "Thanks, Joan, I sure appreciate it". I mean, gawd, would it have killed him???? It felt very odd that Megan just decided to leave, told them that morning and left that day. Guess there was no "two week's notice" back then, eh? LOL!

Pete is just such an arse on so many levels. Seriously the guy had very few redeeming qualities to start with and now he has absolutely none. None! He always feels like he's missing out and then invests his energy toward getting "that". Once he gets "that", he's not happy with it. Pete's only motivation in life seems to be trying to obtain that which he does not have, but feels he should have. I do not get him at all.

Overall, I felt the episode was just odd... or weird. It was like a collection of vignettes that didn't fit together very well. Seems to me this whole season has been that way.

[canadian_angel]

Overall, I felt the episode was just odd... or weird. It was like a collection of vignettes that didn't fit together very well. Seems to me this whole season has been that way.

That's it! I couldn't place my finger on it and you've nailed it! There doesn't seem to be that flow like previous seasons.