Mad Men – Having a baby in the sixties was terrifying
This isn’t a parenting site, so I’ll spare you my birth story. The point is, it did not involve me a) screaming for my husband, b) being forcibly restrained, or c) waking up with a baby in my arms to whom I have no recollection of actually giving birth. WTF.
How terrifying was that scene? I mean, Betty obviously knew that she was going to the hospital to have a baby, so it’s not as if she’s one of those people who thinks she has indigestion and ends up with a kid. Regardless, “in my arms after waking up from a drug-induced haze” isn’t on my list of top ways I want to meet my child.
Mad Men – The all singing, all dancing episode
This week’s episode of Mad Men was quite … enlightening. We saw a different side to many of the characters. In addition to seeing Peggy Olson get high, we learned that Don used to pee in the trunks of rich peoples’ cars. What amused me the most though, was how musically inclined the folks at Sterling Cooper are. Between Joan’s accordion, Pete’s dancing, and Roger and Paul’s singing, these folks could go on the road. Albeit, playing to a very specific crowd: one who enjoys French music and doesn’t mind, you know, super-awkward racism.
More than the performances, I found myself really interested in the story behind them. For instance, Pete and his wife have clearly been taking dancing lessons. Is this a life-long passion for them, or is it something she is using to fill the time that the baby she can’t have would be taking up? Do they dance instead of diaper?
Quotation Marks – Exorcisms, Ann Margret, and … a Gilmore Girl?
Was it just me, or did this week seem a little off? Despite being funny, Psych put me to sleep (literally, not figuratively) with its not-so-interesting plot. Leverage was hilarious, but didn’t offer nearly as many good one-liners as it normally does. And depressingly, Bob’s Veronica Mars Virgin Diary is quickly coming to a close (which, I’ve got to warn you, means more Buffy quotes for everyone — I love shows that bring the wit). Alas, however, the Fall Season quickly approaches. Read the rest of this entry »
Mad Men – Peggy Olson is an enigma too
I was thrilled when Elisabeth Moss was nominated for an Emmy this year. I think that her subtle, nuanced performance as Peggy Olson is one of the best parts of Mad Men. I thought this was particularly evident this week, in the second episode of the new season.
All the characters in Mad Men are fairly complex, but I think that Peggy is right up there with Don in terms of depth. Like Don, she is a complicated individual, struggling with her identity. I love that the show is almost setting them up in a mentor/protege relationship.
Is Don Draper a homophobe?
Probably, yes. He is a hyper-masculine male in the early 1960s; a time in which gay people were un-ironically called “fairies.” When Don caught Sal with his pants down, and a young, half-dressed bellhop in close proximity, he was clearly taken aback — and truthfully, was probably at least a little repulsed. However, what’s so interesting about the Don Draper character, and how he’s going to relate to Sal in the future, isn’t whether or not he’s a homophobe; it’s whether or not that will actually matter.
Having someone at the office find out he’s gay had to be one of Sal’s biggest fears. Otherwise, why marry Kitty and construct an elaborate fake straight lifestyle? What Sal doesn’t know, and probably never would have suspected, is that Don Draper is the best person in the office to whom he could have revealed his secret (inadvertently, or otherwise). As Peggy Olson can attest, Don can keep a secret from other people in the office. But what’s more, Don surely empathizes with Sal on at least some level.
Things that didn’t suck this week – awkward moments, cursing and Keith Olbermann
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“I could have had you in my life forever, if I wanted to.” Peggy tells Pete she’s not perfect on Mad Men
How awesome is Elisabeth Moss? When I’m watching Mad Men, I’m often distracted by the utter hotness of Jon Hamm as Don Draper, but damn, Peggy Olson is a great character. Along with her genteel ambition and mousy exterior, there’s a quiet desperation that runs under everything she says and does. It’s the yearning that I notice the most when I watch Moss play Peggy, but the scene in last Sunday’s season finale in which she finally tells Pete exactly what the result of their affair was, she reveals a strength that is pretty damn impressive.
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