Mad Men Retro-Perspective S6:E1+2

Welcome back to my Mad Men Retro-Perspective! As you may have read in the past, this is a viewing guide designed for people who have already seen all of Mad Men and are re-watching it. If you are one such person, you may enjoy reading this along with Mad Men Replay.

I previously covered the first two episodes of Season 1, which is a great frame for what I'll now be jumping ahead to: Season 6! That's right, Season 7 is around the corner, so what better way to gear up than to do a little analysis of the most recent season?

BAM, it's 1967. I have to say, after watching seasons 1-3 so recently this change is far more startling than I would have guessed. Obviously fashion and music have morphed radically since the early sixties, but there is also a clear difference in social structure and even the hints of counterculture in this first episode, which is just a taste of the wild things to come in Season 6.

But I'm not really interested in talking about this, as every Mad Men review on the internet talks about the social changes of the 60s. More interesting to me is the change we see in the characters. (Of course!)

So as you watch this episode (which is really parts 1 and 2 of the Doorway), I recommend really thinking back to those early Sterling Cooper days. (If you can even remember them!) I'm talking about Peggy with a ponytail (and Pete with a full head of hair for that matter), Sally as a little girl who wants to go riding with her petulant mother, Pre-Rachel-Bobbie-Suzanne-Faye-Megan Don, Ken Cosgrove tackling Allison at an office party and looking at her (blue) panties, Harry Crane running out of a meeting because Don's pitch about a slide projector is too difficult to reconcile with the emotional happenings in his personal life, Bobby #1-3, the Original Skinny Betty, Roger married to Mona, no Baby Gene, Limited Edition Italian Betty, Don-Doesn't-Approve-of-My Bathing-Suit Betty, My-People-Are-Nordic-Betty, Megan in diapers-- the list goes on!

Many things have changed around these characters, and most of them have faced changed roles in the office and their personal lives, but think about how their experiences have affected their personalities and relationships. I noticed some changes I didn't catch the first time around, and I suspect you will too now that you're looking for them.

S6:E1+2 The Doorway

1) The last time we saw Don, he was walking away from Megan's big break on a commercial set, and right into a bar, where a young lady asked if he was "alone". Judging by Don and Megan's interaction on vacation, what do you think his answer was? Was this what you expected? How happy do you think they are at the beginning of this season? 

2) What do you think the significance of Don's presence at the soldier's wedding? Don didn't have "any people" at his wedding to Betty; do you think that affected his decision to give the bride away, or is it something else?

3) How did the heart attack transition scene work for you the second time around? 

4) Doesn't Betty sound like a woman much older than her age (35)? Do you think she ever has conversations with Sally similar to the one she has with Sandy? What is your impression of Sandy? Does she have anything in common with Betty? Does Betty's heart-to-heart with her remind you of her relationship (or one might say "one time fling") with Glen?

5) But seriously, is Kerris Lilla Dorsey (Sandy) a decent actor? Because I'm just not sure.

6) What's your take on Betty's rape comments/jokes?

7) How would you define the difference between 1967 Peggy and 1960 Peggy? What pops out the most to you about her conversation with Burt Peterson on the phone?

8) Now that you know about Don and Sylvia, what do you think of Don's relationship with Arnie? How would you define the difference between their philosophies on life?

9) Didn't Roger sound like Barney Stinson when he said, "More like irritated!" during therapy? What do you think about his doors theory? 

10) Now that you know about Bob Benson's past, what do you think about his strategy to get ahead? Does he remind you of young Don, buttering up Roger? Is he meant to? How did you react to Ken Cosgrove berating him?

11) What did you think of Pete's sassy commentary to Don? How have Pete's feelings toward Don changed over the years?

12) What exactly was Don's experience? What clues do you have about it from seeing his trip to Hawaii?

13) What did you make of Don's thoughts on love? Do you remember that this same man called love something invented "by guys like me to sell nylons"? What experiences in his life have led to this change in perspective? Do you think it's Megan, or something else?

14) How would you compare Peggy's explanation of advertising to Koss to Don's famous Belle Jolie "Jesus" speech? Do you consider one to be a better approach? What does it say about Peggy?

15) What does the lighter make Don feel? Is it significant that he is looking down at it in a scene where someone asks him to be himself? Does Don know how to do that?

16) Why does Roger call his mother's funeral "his"? 

17) Do you think Don has legitimate fears about Megan becoming a "lying, cheating whore"? Do you think that's how he still views Betty?

18) What did you think was in that jar when Roger first pulled it out?

19) What is the significance of Don hearing the ocean?

20) Why do you think Betty went looking for Sandy in the city? Would she have done that when she was married to Don? Why does she leave the violin?

21) Do you think Peggy's rough treatment of the copywriters is innate or is it something she learned from Don?

22) Why did Betty dye her hair?

23) What did you think of Don's Royal Hawaiian pitch? Did it make you think of suicide? 

24) Looking back, is it surprising that Peggy and Ted have an affair? How do you think they feel about each other in this episode?

25) Did you suspect that Don and Sylvia were sleeping together or did the flirty neighbor lady throw you off? Were you surprised when Don said that he wanted to "stop doing this"? Why do you think it takes Sylvia to break it off? Do you think her hold on him is purely because she reminds him of a prostitute he once knew?

• This episode is littered with hot and cold imagery, especially as we transition from Hawaii to winter in New York. 
• It's also worth noting that Megan wears all light, bright, intense tones of purple and blue while she's in Hawaii, while in NYC her clothes are noticeably muted, and continue to be so throughout the season. 
• Don doesn't speak a word until almost 8 minutes into the episode. 
• The Hawaii-ifed tune playing when Megan is dancing on stage at the hotel is "The Stripper", a classic burlesque song. (I had to point that one out!)
• Betty is apparently a horrible driver. Don always hated her driving, remember?
• Roger talks a lot about doors in his therapy session, and he once told Don, "When god closes a door, her opens a dress."
• The creative department is smoking pot somewhat openly, but puts it away when Don walks into the office. In S1:E2, Paul said his friend worked for an agency where the writers smoke all day and play darts...That was seven years ago! It's probably safe to say he was full of shit. 
• Did you notice Pete's hairline? Of course you did. Don made a premonition in S1:E1 that Pete would end up a "middle aged executive with a little bit of hair that women go home with out of pity". 
• Roger was wearing his signature grey suit, with blue accents mixed in. Pete was wearing his signature blue suit with grey accents mixed in. 
• There was a lot of emphasis on photography in this episode: Megan taking a picture of Don at the wedding, photos of the partners at the office, Don giving Arnie a camera, and Megan sharing the photos of their vacation to the neighbors. 
• Arnie says he told Sylvia to "keep it in the building"-- ouch.
• Don and Megan sleep on the opposite sides that he and Betty traditionally did. He once told Betty in Italy that he liked sleeping on her side of the bed. 
• Don embarrasses himself at the funeral by getting drunk and vomiting, kinda like Roger once did in S1:E7 after several rounds of oysters and martinis. 
• With so much darkness and death imagery, culminating in Don's "suicide" pitch for Royal Hawaiian, one has to wonder if Dr. Guttman (the curt German researcher from S1) wasn't right about society's "death wish", which she suggests as a strategy for Lucky Strike in the very first episode. 
• Keep an eye out for Sylvia in her signature black...as Tom and Lorenzo have pointed out, she dresses like a "sexy nun", a major nod to her Catholic faith. 

Mad Men Retro-Perspective S1:E2

Welcome back to Mad Men Retro-Perspective! Each week, I view an episode of Mad Men from a past season, provide some Notes on the context and themes, ask a bunch of annoying Questions, and then post a collection of fun things I noticed in the episode and ask Did You Catch That?. 

If you've seen all of the released episodes of Mad Men, you are welcome to follow along, using this as your guide to your re-watch. If you haven't seen all of Mad Men, get the hell out of here, there are spoilers everywhere!

Just FYI, I've begun with Season 1, but beginning later this month, I will be delving into Season 6 to sync up with Mad Men Replay. I will likely post my viewing guide a few days before their scheduled re-watch to give you some fodder as you follow along with their live tweet. Be sure to check out their calendar to stay abreast of the episode dates!

S1:E2 Ladies Room

During my re-watch, I realized this is one of my favorite episodes of Season 1, mainly because, as implied in its name, it's all about the ladies. Don spends the entire episode asking himself and all of the men in his life, "What do women want?", and unsurprisingly, ends up deducing that women just want "any excuse to get closer". If he had thought a little harder, maybe he would have come up with something other than this trite idea that all women depend on male attention. Maybe he should have asked an actual woman, since there are no shortage great female characters on this show. 

We were already introduced to Joan and Peggy in Episode 1, as well as his current mistress Midge and his future mistress Rachel, but what of Betty, arguably one of the most controversial characters on the show and a major source of conflict in Don's life? We meet Betty at the end of Episode one, waking from a peaceful slumber to welcome home her husband, the conquering hero, and watching over him as he says goodnight to their children. This episode is largely about defining who Betty is and identifying what will become the ongoing issue in her life over the course of the series: her dissatisfaction with the life she leads and the inability to fix it. Who better to juxtapose this character with in this episode than Peggy, who, unlike Betty, repeatedly strives to overcome her dissatisfaction through her own ambition. 

Additionally, the stories of both Betty and Peggy are told through the same lens: male attention. Betty, alone in the suburbs, is starving for Don's presence and participation in her life, and as a result has nervous hand tremors that cause her to crash her car. Peggy, on the other hand, suffers from what she considers too much male attention in the office, and (uncharacteristically) allows it to affect the quality of her work.

Interestingly, the synopsis for this episode makes no mention of Betty other than as a "complication" in Don's life. 

1. What did you think of Roger and Mona's marriage when you first watched this episode? Does it seem different to you now that you've seen him married to someone else?
2. What do you think of Mona herself? How do you interpret her silent reaction to Betty telling her that her mother just died? Is the woman in this episode the same as the one we see in Season 3 when Roger has remarried and Margaret is planning her wedding?
3. What do you think of Roger's statement that he can't wait until his daughter is another man's problem now that Margaret is married and they are often at odds? Do you think he feels the same way?
4. What were your initial impressions of Betty when you first watched this scene? Do you think she is meant to be portrayed as a sympathetic character? Is she sympathetic at this point? When does she, if ever, become unsympathetic in your eyes?
5. Betty says that she "knows better than to ask" about Don and his childhood and/or past. How do you think this played out early in their marriage? Do you think it was stupid of Betty to not get to know Don before she married him?
6. Betty later says she always thought Don was a football star who hated his father. What was your picture of Don's childhood when you first watched the series? Did Don seem to fit into the life he created for himself, or did he seem, as he does to Rachel, to know what it's like to be on the outside of something?
7. When Don mentions Betty to Midge, she says it makes her feel "cruel". Do you think Don feels any guilt over his affair with Midge?
8. Who do you think gave Midge her television?
9. Why do you think Don resists Betty's suggestion that she tries visiting a psychiatrist so vehemently? Do you think he is threatened by the idea? For Betty or himself?
10. What do you think of Don asking Betty is she is happy with her life? Do you think her is bullying her, or is he truly befuddled? Do you think Don's perception of happiness is affected by his line of work? How might that apply to Betty's situation?
11. What do you make of Paul Kinsey's attempt to seduce Peggy? Do you think he really ever liked her at all or was he acting in response to the wager Ken and Dale mention at lunch?
12. Why do you think Paul told Peggy about female copywriters? Do you think he was acting sincerely? Knowing Paul, do you think he'd ever do this if he could imagine she would later trump him creatively when they work side by side?
13. Why do you think Don chose to give Betty the watch?
14. Were you surprised that Betty then started talking about the "what ifs" regarding her accident? Did you feel that she was being genuine? Knowing how she is later in the series, do you think she was being manipulative, or is this Season 1 Betty too naïve for that behavior? When does she stop being that way?
15. Where do you think Midge "spent the night abroad"? Why do you think the writers made her lose her key at all? Was it necessary? Does it serve another purpose in the grand scheme of her character?
16. Do you think it's coincidental that Don comes up with the line for Right Guard when he's with Midge? What do you think this says about their relationship verses Don's marriage?
17. How do you feel about Joan's advice to Peggy? What other occasions has Peggy taken Joan's advice and put it into practice? How has it worked out for her?
18. What do you think Betty was expecting when she went to see the psychiatrist? Does Betty's session live up to her expectations? She mentions to Henry later on that she once saw a psychiatrist. What do you think she took away from the experience?
19. Betty says to her psychiatrist that her mother taught her it's not polite to talk about oneself. Don says something very similar to this while they are at dinner with Roger and Mona. Is she being sincere, or do you think she is just echoing Don's excuse for not opening up?
20. What do you think of the psychiatrist's characterization of Betty as "a very anxious young woman"? Is it accurate? How do you think that same doctor would characterize her by the end of Season 6?
    

• Don's kids are watching the same show Midge mentioned to him before throwing her TV set out the window, People Are Funny.
• In the first episode, the Drapers' famous teal velvet headboard his missing. This episode marks its debut!
• Speaking of the Draper bed, did you notice after they (presumably) have sex, Don ends up on Betty's usual side of the bed while she is wondering who her husband is?
• Roger drinks whiskey while he's in Don's office, but is normally a vodka drinker. Roger also, despite how "comfortable" he claims he is with his mind, is one of the only characters who later ends up in a psychiatrist's office.
• Both Peggy and Midge remark on the scent of the men around them, while Don is asking himself what women want and fishing around for the Right Guard deodorant slogan.
• The ladies room is an ongoing theme in this episode. Betty shares some personal time with Mona in the restaurant, Peggy and Joan find Bridget crying in the office, and Peggy later returns there to attempt to cry, presumably over Pete, only to find no tears. Peggy finds herself in the ladies room twice once again in S4:E7, the Suitcase. The first time, she shares awkward conversation with Megan and Trudy, and later returns to cry over Don's harsh criticism of her ambition. 

Why You Need to Revisit "Drunk History"

As someone who regularly gets drunk and discusses historical events about which she is passionate (and as someone who is slightly tipsy and writing a blog post right now), I have always loved Drunk History.

If you're not familiar, Drunk History is a series of videos produced by Comedy Central in which educated, but intoxicated people talk about historical events they have studied, which are then acted out by actors (and usually pretty famous ones), using only the audio produced by the drunk history nerd. And yes, it's just as awesome as it sounds.

This is the first one I ever saw, and it's pretty much just as funny now as it was then:

I've only looked back on these videos occasionally, usually to expose friends who had never heard of them. I decided to look at them tonight and LO AND BEHOLD, there are a plethora of new ones.

This new set of videos includes subjects such as Lewis and Clark, Mary Dryer, the Invention of Coca-Cola, Billy the Kid...the list goes on! They are also far better produced than the original set of videos, which is both good and bad stylistically, but mostly means that they have access to a lot of great talent.

My favorite thus far is this one on Mary Dryer, starring Winona Ryder, and narrated by my favorite original drunk historian, Jen Kirkman.

(I've always had an irrational hard on for Winona Ryder. I suspect some of it has to do with her gravely voice, which is actually somewhat replicated by drunk Jen in that video. So.)

Anyway, if you're a history nerd like me, you should definitely check them out! If you're not a history nerd, you should probably watch them anyway. You might learn something! Or something.

Mad Men Retro-Perspective - S1:E1

Welcome to the first edition of Mad Men Retro-Perspective, a completely biased viewing guide for the Mad Men lover by a Mad Men lover. This guide is designed for those who have seen Mad Men in its entirety and wish to re-view the series, while reflecting on the way the story and characters have developed over time, in addition to the viewer's own developed perspective. Mad Men, just like any television show, is a creative work ripe for analysis and criticism (my favorite!), and this guide is meant to be a resource to jumpstart your own Mad Men nerdfest.

This is how it works:

First, a Notes Section to provide historical and in-episode context for the episode. I suggest reading this prior to watching. 

Next, a Questions section, filled with queries to get you thinking about aspects of this particular episode and how they relate to the rest of the series (and sometimes really inane things I'm super curious about and on which I would like your informed opinions). I suggest reading this through once before you watch, jotting some notes as you watch, then answering any questions that resonated with you after you've finished. (You know, just like the discussion questions your English teacher wanted you to craft "thoughtful" responses to in high school...only this is something you probably give an actual shit about.) Obviously, you're a grown-ass adult and can decide for yourself whether you want to write out answers to all (or any) of these questions. However, I hope these questions make your wheels turn and that you just can't resist telling me (and the internet) EXACTLY what you think about the minute details of this episode!

Last, a section called Did You Catch That?, in which I point out fun facts, inconsistencies (rare, but they happen), parallels to other episodes, repeating motifs, and other nonsense only other Mad Men fans would care about. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong or offer up fresh information!

So, let's get started with... Season 1, Episode 1: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes!

Here we are, at the very beginning of one of the most popular television shows of all time. In this episode, we're introduced to characters we now know entirely too well. What is impressive about Mad Men to me is that it's so grounded in a certain time and place, and yet the characters transcend setting.

While you re-watch the series, I invite you to look at the characters in this way, realizing their potential as people you've know all your life, while subsequently realizing that the paths they take are guided by the social structure (and change to that structure) of the time period. If you have parents or grandparents who lived in this era, it's interesting to ask yourself, "Did they walk around with these people? Were they friends? Enemies? Would my grandmother have put up with men talking to her like that? Did my grandfather think it was acceptable to drink that much?"

But just to set the scene: It's 1960 in New York. Advertising is the most glamorous profession around. Integration and women's liberation are not "a thing", and men are misogynist pigs who chase girls around the office and force them to show everyone their underwear.

If you want some truly fascinating reading on one of the real-life figures that inspired the character of Don Draper, you have to read I Married a Mad Man. I suspect that Myra also served (at least partly) as the inspiration for Peggy, even though we all know that Don and Peggy's relationship is never romantic. (Not that being shanghaied into getting married at the courthouse by a man you don't necessarily love is romantic. I'm just saying.)

• What was your initial impression of Don when you first watched this episode? How has viewing the rest of the series affected your view of him as you watch this episode? Roughly how much do you believe he's changed over the years, now that you're seeing him "for the first time" again?
  
• What do you think of Midge, in hindsight? Are you sad or surprised about her fate as a junkie?
  
• Did you ever suspect that Don might be married when you first watched the episode? What do you think now about the way he casually suggests he and Midge should get married and how does it contribute to your understanding of Don's ideology?

• Why do you think the story starts here, in March, 1960? Ignore that it's Peggy's first day and Pete is getting married on Sunday. Why did the writers choose this point in time?
  
• How much does you knowledge of future episodes affect the way you view the other characters now? Do any of the characters surprise you now that you're meeting them again? Who surprised you the most? (I'm voting Ken Cosgrove!)
  
• Did this episode change or influence your views on the advertising industry? How different do you believe the industry is today from 1960? Do you agree with the ideas Don suggests (i.e. advertising is about happiness)? Did you "get" his Lucky Strike pitch the first time you watched it? What do you think about it now that you've seen many more of his pitches?
  
• Why do you think Don fixates on the fly caught in the light fixture before he falls asleep on his couch?
  
• Do you think Pete is believable as the playboy the other Sterling Cooper guys make him out to be? Was there ever a point in this episode you thought he was likeable or that you could relate to him? Is your feeling the same for other seasons as it is for the viewing of this episode?
  
• What is your take on the attraction between Don and Rachel Mencken? What did you think about his speech on love being invented by guys like him? Do you think he felt that way after his affair with Rachel?
  
• Now that you know Peggy, do you think her actions in this episode are consistent with her personality later on? For instance, she tries to take Joan's advice seriously, attempts to capture Don's romantic (or sexual attention), and ultimately, sleeps with Pete right before his wedding. What do you think compels her to do these things at this point in her career? Would she do the same things in Season 3 or 4? 5 or 6?
  
• Doesn't the stripper from the Slipper Room look like January Jones at 36:25?
  
• But seriously, is Pete attractive AT ALL in ANY WAY in this episode? Would you hit that?

• Don isn't wearing a wedding ring when he's with Midge, which is ironic, since he just came from a bar where the song playing was "Band of Gold". (Which plays later, in Season 6.)
  
• The floorplan at Sterling Cooper is all kinds of switched around. Joan says she'll be "right across the aisle" from Peggy, but if that's the usual position of Peggy's desk, there's some sort of wall out of place. (Also, Joan's little, "Oh, and Mr. Sterling," is rife with meaning for someone who has already seen the series.)
  
• That picture Pete pulls off his desk of Trudy? Definitely not Alison Brie. I read that it is actually Matthew Weiner's mom.
  
• Marge, the switchboard operator on the far right, is Flo from Progressive Insurance. She's famous for being in advertisements, and she has a recurring role in a show about advertising.
  
• Peggy and Pete are in their power colors this episode: bright blue and mustard yellow. As Tom and Lorenzo have pointed out, characters on this show often have a signature color they wear when important things happen to them. Roger is almost always in shades of grey, and Joan wears purple on several notable occasions.
  
• Peggy says she comes from Miss Deaver's Secretarial School. I'm pretty sure she never mentions this again until the day she smokes pot with Smitty and Paul's drug dealing buddy from Princeton.
  
• Both Pete and Roger walk into the office saying, "You look like one hundred bucks," this episode. Roger is surely being sarcastic, whereas Pete is sincere in his efforts to butter up Don. Perhaps this is a nod to the two account men's respective security in their roles and careers.
  
• Of course, as the internet has pointed out, the last shot, when Don is with the kids, is framed exactly the same as when Pete says goodbye to Tammy in Season 6. I noticed a lot of similarities like this when I watched Season 6, and I'm sure there are hundreds more I never even caught across the course of the series. 

That's all for this episode! I would love to hear your comments and feedback, especially any responses to the Questions section. Stay tuned for the next edition of Mad Men Retro-Perspective!