Ok outside the obvious WOW factors, let's looks at some other things.
I thought they really hit the idea of parallels pretty hard, and good, here. In the beginning you had a take on the Roger and Don riff. They're not together in the drinking buddy way they used to be in the same scenes together, but instead of being structurally shut out from each other, they're in the same situation; they're both with younger girls and they both show better effort toward those girls than they usually otherwise do with women.
Roger turning her down in the lobby: That has to be the worst way for a woman to be turned down. He tells her details about their courtship, and women are very detail oriented. He recites what she said to him, as in he listened back then. And here in the face of a vulnerable and open woman, he still says no to her. I think a woman would probably actually preferred to have not been remembered.
Great credit though those who weeks ago said Dr G may end up in the service because it was an avenue one in his situation may go. Pipe up and give yourselves credit. Great, great call.
The suitcase motif from last season returned, not just Betty in the beginning but the 3 on the floor in the end.
The end, trick or treating, Who are really the ones wearing the costumes? Certainly not the kids.
I thought one of the more obscure, yet so important lines regarding the whole franchise, regarding one of the biggest things to take from Mad Men was present here tonight:
"I did everything they told me to do."
And that mentality, met with failure.
That's Dr G saying that to Joan. But it's a complete metaphor for everything in 3 seasons. It's a man saying it to a woman, but in MM irony it's the mantra, or epitaph, of, almost every one of the women in Mad Men. They did what they were supposed to do and it didn't exactly lead to best life. The brass ring isn't always what it's made out to be. It's one of the core, ultimate MM themes, and I love it was buried underneath the weight of the Betty/Don attention.
I know this episode was about the box finally being that gun that if you show it in the first act it better make an appearance near the last act. But I thought this episode was great in that there was also that other depth regarding relationships/courtship/love/sex....vs....consequences.
Betty confronting Don on the ever mysterious box: did you notice how they broke that scene up into 2 parts? I'm thinking now that was an interesting decision to do so.
It begins with Betty getting the balls to confront Don, first in the home office and then in the kitchen. It's basically the same environment. The downstairs. The business end of the house. Then, it's broken by the baby crying once Don starts telling facts. A little emotion, but emotion isn't driving this portion of the scene; it's information gathering married with exposure. He doesn't actually go into the box though.
The powers that be could have kept the scene there to resume the confrontation, but they moved the confrontation, physically and mood/emotionally. It moves to the bedroom.
In the bedroom, what's supposed to be an environment of intimacy, is where it's no longer a confrontation. It's Don now being deeply emotionally intimate. He began in the kitchen giving her the basic facts (like how you read a recipe or answer the phone or give instruction. Just the facts, even though yes his voice was tinged with emotion, but archaeology to me was the motivation, not emotion). But in the bedroom, it's not just answering questions for info gathering. He's intimate emotionally. Here in the bedroom, is where he goes into the box.
In that important scene, the kitchen is the facts. The bedroom is the emotional result of the facts, the environment of intimacy.
Looking back, I think they made it like that on purpose. The bottom line with the scene to me is this: there's no structural reason to break the scene up and have 2 different environments. But they did. It's one event, yet with 2 different sides. (kinda like Don)
MAD MEN
2 comments:
Ok outside the obvious WOW factors, let's looks at some other things.
I thought they really hit the idea of parallels pretty hard, and good, here. In the beginning you had a take on the Roger and Don riff. They're not together in the drinking buddy way they used to be in the same scenes together, but instead of being structurally shut out from each other, they're in the same situation; they're both with younger girls and they both show better effort toward those girls than they usually otherwise do with women.
Roger turning her down in the lobby: That has to be the worst way for a woman to be turned down. He tells her details about their courtship, and women are very detail oriented. He recites what she said to him, as in he listened back then. And here in the face of a vulnerable and open woman, he still says no to her. I think a woman would probably actually preferred to have not been remembered.
Great credit though those who weeks ago said Dr G may end up in the service because it was an avenue one in his situation may go. Pipe up and give yourselves credit. Great, great call.
The suitcase motif from last season returned, not just Betty in the beginning but the 3 on the floor in the end.
The end, trick or treating, Who are really the ones wearing the costumes? Certainly not the kids.
I thought one of the more obscure, yet so important lines regarding the whole franchise, regarding one of the biggest things to take from Mad Men was present here tonight:
"I did everything they told me to do."
And that mentality, met with failure.
That's Dr G saying that to Joan. But it's a complete metaphor for everything in 3 seasons. It's a man saying it to a woman, but in MM irony it's the mantra, or epitaph, of, almost every one of the women in Mad Men. They did what they were supposed to do and it didn't exactly lead to best life. The brass ring isn't always what it's made out to be. It's one of the core, ultimate MM themes, and I love it was buried underneath the weight of the Betty/Don attention.
I know this episode was about the box finally being that gun that if you show it in the first act it better make an appearance near the last act. But I thought this episode was great in that there was also that other depth regarding relationships/courtship/love/sex....vs....consequences.
Betty confronting Don on the ever mysterious box: did you notice how they broke that scene up into 2 parts? I'm thinking now that was an interesting decision to do so.
It begins with Betty getting the balls to confront Don, first in the home office and then in the kitchen. It's basically the same environment. The downstairs. The business end of the house. Then, it's broken by the baby crying once Don starts telling facts. A little emotion, but emotion isn't driving this portion of the scene; it's information gathering married with exposure. He doesn't actually go into the box though.
The powers that be could have kept the scene there to resume the confrontation, but they moved the confrontation, physically and mood/emotionally. It moves to the bedroom.
In the bedroom, what's supposed to be an environment of intimacy, is where it's no longer a confrontation. It's Don now being deeply emotionally intimate. He began in the kitchen giving her the basic facts (like how you read a recipe or answer the phone or give instruction. Just the facts, even though yes his voice was tinged with emotion, but archaeology to me was the motivation, not emotion). But in the bedroom, it's not just answering questions for info gathering. He's intimate emotionally. Here in the bedroom, is where he goes into the box.
In that important scene, the kitchen is the facts. The bedroom is the emotional result of the facts, the environment of intimacy.
Looking back, I think they made it like that on purpose. The bottom line with the scene to me is this: there's no structural reason to break the scene up and have 2 different environments. But they did. It's one event, yet with 2 different sides. (kinda like Don)
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