Speaking of Stephanie, remember the reference of the Madonna? This is where that art degree from back in the day comes in, as soon as she said that I had the flashback of writing on Da Vinci’s “Madonna of the Rocks” back in the day. Take a sec and look it up. She looks, her face, almost the hair, but just the perfect positioning of her face and head, exactly like Da Vinci’s painting of the Madonna. She’s got the hippy band across her head referencing almost a halo as well. That was big to me because I always felt Anna could be argued is his metaphoric, not surreal, but literary metaphoric angel.
Then you have Ginsberg, who slices his nipple off. Sometimes you think this show does things to be gratuitously gross or whatever but usually there’s something behind it like with the lawn mower scene/foot chop off scene way back. But given the Stephanie stuff I do believe that was homage of sorts to Van Gogh as well. Everyone knows Van Gogh for cutting off his ear but in reality he sliced the bottom lobe off, and just as Ginsberg presented his offering here, Van Gogh presented it to a girl, a prostitute he was fond of as a gift. No prostitute analogy, just in that decided that he was fond of a woman so bad he wanted to give her a piece of him. Lovely.
Also, the photography of Ginsberg reading the lips was homage to Kubrick and “2001”. Ginsberg paranoid of computers and the future taking now control of the present, he actually mimics the role of HAL 9000, ironically, and reads the lips and the camera photography was all about that. Well he attempts to read the lips but HAL 9000 he is not. Not just a great photographic homage but also just the decision to make Ginsberg in watching the lips move acting as the computer in 2001 did was funny irony in use of the character.
First, have to go back to last week’s episode. As much as I’ve been harping on a carousel theme periodically showing up in certain elements, the song to close out the episode last week was The Hollies, “Carousel”. How about that?
It's supposed to be all about generational differences, and time and change and different ways of thinking but the episode made me feel: aren't all these types of conflict not about any of the above but simply about just one big societal battle to be the Alpha in charge?
I personally feel that's what it comes down to right now in these current times where everyone feels what they're arguing is about bringing what's correct and what's right and best even if political force is necessary, but sometimes you feel it really all only is about the battle to be the Alpha over disagree-rs simply for the sake of it. One insists they are correct, and damn all who are contrary.
Did you catch the 2001/Kubrick reference with crazy Ginsberg reading the lips? There’s other art references I’ll also post but this computer box interwebs thingamajig whatchyamaccalit we’re using only lets you post so much at a time.
So you had all kinds of metaphors regarding clashes with authority. I thought the episode handled it well because it’s too easy to insert period footage of street rioting, cops etc. Basically you had the beginning with Don telling Lou, “this office is made up of people who oppose authority”. That sets the foreshadowing much like Ginsberg and Don with the couch and the seesaw reference last week. So the office challenges Lou through belittling. As later does Sally to Betty. Staying with Betty, Betty challenges in that every environment she’s in she’s never authority, yet challenges the ultimate authority in political Henry not just in any generic way but in a way the youth of Don’s office probably would outside the office. And the youth she ran into in the slums last year regarding the violin.
Megan has her own challenge of authority. Like Betty she’s not the authority in being involved with Don although she seeks and gains more independence than Betty. But, Don sending Stephanie to Megan, puts Megan in a subordinate to Don’s prior “relationship” that tells the tale of his whole life of which she is no part of. Stephanie by proxy is authority over Megan, as Megan sees it. So Megan fights that authority and acts the way she does and does what she does. Later in the bedroom, that’s about Megan taking control, dictating, making it something upon Don; having her way over Don as a way to reconcile and take back the idea that she was under authority earlier. Yes he could say no therefore it’s his decision, however having no power over his own self with sexual impulse she knows he really has no choice so she is controlling him. That’s why the day after was at best awkward. It’s similar to what she did when she did the whole “you don’t deserve this” a while ago.
You have Bobby listening at the door then going to his sister. You had kids having to be subjected to the parents fighting each other. Innuendo of the time?
Then of course you have Don. The dichotomy situation as usual. He’s authority being fought through Megan fighting him, and he’s fighting Lou in order to be authority because they’re basically equal but only one can be in charge; that very idea itself is dichotomy of a work relationship. Then round two of being gang fought with his office fight, he takes it to Cutler and co in the meeting at the end. Ever the dichotomy, Don takes authority by way of relinquishing authority….
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Art history and this episode
Speaking of Stephanie, remember the reference of the Madonna? This is where that art degree from back in the day comes in, as soon as she said that I had the flashback of writing on Da Vinci’s “Madonna of the Rocks” back in the day. Take a sec and look it up. She looks, her face, almost the hair, but just the perfect positioning of her face and head, exactly like Da Vinci’s painting of the Madonna. She’s got the hippy band across her head referencing almost a halo as well. That was big to me because I always felt Anna could be argued is his metaphoric, not surreal, but literary metaphoric angel.
Then you have Ginsberg, who slices his nipple off. Sometimes you think this show does things to be gratuitously gross or whatever but usually there’s something behind it like with the lawn mower scene/foot chop off scene way back. But given the Stephanie stuff I do believe that was homage of sorts to Van Gogh as well. Everyone knows Van Gogh for cutting off his ear but in reality he sliced the bottom lobe off, and just as Ginsberg presented his offering here, Van Gogh presented it to a girl, a prostitute he was fond of as a gift. No prostitute analogy, just in that decided that he was fond of a woman so bad he wanted to give her a piece of him. Lovely.
Also, the photography of Ginsberg reading the lips was homage to Kubrick and “2001”. Ginsberg paranoid of computers and the future taking now control of the present, he actually mimics the role of HAL 9000, ironically, and reads the lips and the camera photography was all about that. Well he attempts to read the lips but HAL 9000 he is not. Not just a great photographic homage but also just the decision to make Ginsberg in watching the lips move acting as the computer in 2001 did was funny irony in use of the character.
First, have to go back to last week’s episode. As much as I’ve been harping on a carousel theme periodically showing up in certain elements, the song to close out the episode last week was The Hollies, “Carousel”. How about that?
It's supposed to be all about generational differences, and time and change and different ways of thinking but the episode made me feel: aren't all these types of conflict not about any of the above but simply about just one big societal battle to be the Alpha in charge?
I personally feel that's what it comes down to right now in these current times where everyone feels what they're arguing is about bringing what's correct and what's right and best even if political force is necessary, but sometimes you feel it really all only is about the battle to be the Alpha over disagree-rs simply for the sake of it. One insists they are correct, and damn all who are contrary.
Did you catch the 2001/Kubrick reference with crazy Ginsberg reading the lips? There’s other art references I’ll also post but this computer box interwebs thingamajig whatchyamaccalit we’re using only lets you post so much at a time.
So you had all kinds of metaphors regarding clashes with authority. I thought the episode handled it well because it’s too easy to insert period footage of street rioting, cops etc. Basically you had the beginning with Don telling Lou, “this office is made up of people who oppose authority”. That sets the foreshadowing much like Ginsberg and Don with the couch and the seesaw reference last week. So the office challenges Lou through belittling. As later does Sally to Betty. Staying with Betty, Betty challenges in that every environment she’s in she’s never authority, yet challenges the ultimate authority in political Henry not just in any generic way but in a way the youth of Don’s office probably would outside the office. And the youth she ran into in the slums last year regarding the violin.
Megan has her own challenge of authority. Like Betty she’s not the authority in being involved with Don although she seeks and gains more independence than Betty. But, Don sending Stephanie to Megan, puts Megan in a subordinate to Don’s prior “relationship” that tells the tale of his whole life of which she is no part of. Stephanie by proxy is authority over Megan, as Megan sees it. So Megan fights that authority and acts the way she does and does what she does. Later in the bedroom, that’s about Megan taking control, dictating, making it something upon Don; having her way over Don as a way to reconcile and take back the idea that she was under authority earlier. Yes he could say no therefore it’s his decision, however having no power over his own self with sexual impulse she knows he really has no choice so she is controlling him. That’s why the day after was at best awkward. It’s similar to what she did when she did the whole “you don’t deserve this” a while ago.
You have Bobby listening at the door then going to his sister. You had kids having to be subjected to the parents fighting each other. Innuendo of the time?
Then of course you have Don. The dichotomy situation as usual. He’s authority being fought through Megan fighting him, and he’s fighting Lou in order to be authority because they’re basically equal but only one can be in charge; that very idea itself is dichotomy of a work relationship. Then round two of being gang fought with his office fight, he takes it to Cutler and co in the meeting at the end. Ever the dichotomy, Don takes authority by way of relinquishing authority….
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