Mad Men Retro-Perspective S6:E5

If you're looking for Mad Men Retro-Perspective, you're in the right place. This is a viewing guide designed to entertain and intrigue viewers who have seen all of the Mad Men episodes available. The perfect way to to enjoy Mad Men Retro-Perspective is in tandem with Mad Men Replay, so be sure to join us for the live tweet at 9pm on Sunday (2/16)! Tweet your snarky replies to @Sumaphelia and tag with #mmr so that all of your clever comments feed to Mad Men Replay.

1968 was a turbulent year. This episode highlights the motif of violence that persists throughout the rest of the season, and exposes the characters for their barest needs. This episode is about priorities. Who has them? What are they? In an episode that forces its characters to make choices between family, politics, and business, who chooses what?

• Do you think the apartment Peggy was checking out was even remotely attractive? And seriously, that realtor?
• Why do you think Bobby was peeling away that wallpaper? Think back on every Bobby storyline in the entire series. What would you call the theme? How does peeling the wall paper away and the scene when Betty discovers him fit into this theme?
• How well are Sylvia and Don respectively doing on their decision to "not fall in love"? Is Sylvia jealous of Megan? What clues are there to Don's feelings for Sylvia in this episode?
• Compare the Peggy apologizing for her success at the Clios to Peggy the secretary, thrilled about her very first $35 pay check. What are the major differences between Peggy at the beginning of the series and now? Which do you prefer?
• Why do you think Don feels so awkward about talking to Peggy? Think about all of Don's ex-mistresses. Do you think he would feel awkward talking to them if he ran into them? Why is Peggy different?
• What the hell do you make of Randall?
• What do you make of Ginsberg's date with Beverly? Do you think his social interaction has changed much in the time we've known him? Would you have guessed that he was a virgin?
• Why do you think Betty is so opposed to the kids watching TV after the assassination? What in her past makes her react this way?
• Are the differences in Abe and Peggy's path clearer on your second viewing? Did you guess that they would ever break up the first time you watched this season? What in this episode indicates that they are not going to last? Despite her unconventional career path, how traditional is Peggy when it comes to family? What in this episode indicates this?
• Is Bobby a little liar or what?
• What do you think of the interaction between Pete and Trudy on Mother's day? Do you think Trudy is being reasonable?
• Don and Peggy both have African American secretaries. How are they treated differently when they come into the office the day after the assassination?
• Do you think Don ever had an epiphany about Sally the way he did about Bobby this episode? Why/why not? How much love do you think Don actually feels for his kids? How has he shown this over the years?
• Remember that one time Don left in the middle of Sally's party and never brought cake? Yep.
• How do you read Megan's reaction to Don's revelation about Bobby? Do you think it's linked to her miscarriage?
• What do you think Henry sees in Betty? Do you think he really loves her apart from her beauty? What about her personality does her want people to see?
• How do you think the kids feel about Henry?

• Peggy is wearing her traditional power color, mustard, when the realtor announces that the apartment had "everything on [her] list". In other words, Ms. Olson has arrived. 
• Jenny the Realtor says Peggy's new apartment will be super convenient when the 2nd Avenue subway is complete. That line has been in planning since 1929 and to this day is not finished.
• A lil bit of blue and green this episode: Beverley and Ginsberg are wearing blue and green respectively and  Betty wears a blue and green blouse.
• Ted is in Abe's seat at the Clios, foreshadowing how he will replace Abe in Peggy's affection.
• Joan has that houndstooth outfit in two colors.
• Pete and Harry are shot perfectly opposing in the scene they face off. Harry Krane, who knew?
• Megan acknowledges Don's alcoholism in this episode. This is the first time anyone has ever implied that casual alcoholism is still alcoholism. The only time a drinking problem is a problem in this show is when Freddy Rumsen pisses his pants before a meeting. 

Mad Men Retro-Perspective S6:E4

Welcome back! In this week's Mad Men Retro-Perspective, we'll be continuing to follow along with Mad Men Replay. So be sure to do a quick scan of the notes, questions, and fun facts about this episode, then pour yourself a (strong) cocktail and join the live-tweet!

This week we'll be covering S6:E4 and starting at 10pm, but next week we have a double whammy: episodes 5 AND 6, starting at 9pm! Tag your snarky tweets with #mmr to appear on the Mad Men Replay feed with all of the other clever viewers. 

If you have any questions or remarks (been using that term ever since watching Roger's mom's funeral), please leave a comment or contact me on Twitter. Happy reading!

In a show all about adultery, this episode is all about adultery. We've seen Don cavort with a variety of women over the years, and most of those affairs occurred while he was married. Last season was literally the only season in which Don only had one sexual partner (and you see how that turned out). 

So what makes this episode notable? Every storyline, even Peggy's, deals with disloyalty and breaking a bond. We have Don cheating with Sylvia, Megan "cheating" with her co-star, Scarlett cheating with Dawn, Kate cheating on her husband, Don cheating on Beans (his name is Raymond, but Beans is better), Peggy cheating on her friendship with Stan...the list goes on. 

Why does this matter? The consequences are different for everyone. So as you watch, take note of how each character's "adultery" affects them by the end of the episode. Observe where the gap is narrowing when it comes to gender equality...and where it isn't. You know where the characters end up at the end of the season. How does this episode get them there?

S6:E4 To Have and To Hold

• What did you think of Pete's awkward offer of his apartment for Don? Why do you think he does things like that? What does it tell you about the way Pete views himself and his relationship to Don (even after all these years)?
• How is Dawn different from Don's other secretaries? (Don't be crass, you goon.) How is she similar? Judging by her scenes with her friend, what do you think her goals are? How do these differ from Joan's in the Sterling Cooper days?
• Is it just me, or has the chemistry between Don and Sylvia increased since the last episode? Do you think we're witnessing the effects of their agreement to keep things simple and not fall in love? Knowing how Sylvia later ends the affair, how would you say each of them do, holding up that agreement?
• What do you think about Joan's friend, Kate? And my god, how great would it be to be close personal friends with Joan?
• How does this new "neurotic" Ken Cosgrove compare to the Kenny we met at the beginning of the series? Would you say he is becoming more fleshed out, or is he being used as a foil to other characters, as he has been for most of the series (Pete particularly)?
• What exactly do you think is going on between Harry and Scarlett?
• What was your reaction when Arlene told Megan she was going to have a love scene? Did you think about Don, or did it take you a second?
• When Arlene said they should all go to dinner to help make Don "comfortable", did anyone else think, "Oh shit, that's the swinger scene"?
• How likable do you find Megan? What would you say are her defining qualities? How do these complement Don's? Why do you think their marriage doesn't generally work?
• How did you like the interaction between Joan and Meredith? Did it make you think of a plane crash?
• Do you think the Broadway Joe approach is a good strategy for Dow? Just curious.
• What do you think about Harry's quality of work? Do you think his demands for advancement are reasonable? How does this scenario compare to Season 2, when he was first promoted to the Head of the Television Department? Why do you think Roger and Bert are unwilling to make him a partner?
• Was Joan being too harsh when she fired Scarlett? Do you think everyone at SCDP still treats Joan like a secretary, or is that just her emotional reaction to Harry undermining her authority?
• Which was the better Ketchup pitch, Don's or Peggy's? Why?
• Do you think Don ever brushes his damned teeth before he crawls back into bed with Megan after sleeping with Sylvia?
• Should Megan have kept the love scene a secret from Don? Would he have known? What would Betty have done? What is the best approach when dealing with Don?

• As a Tom and Lorenzo convert, I find it VERY difficult to unsee all of the blue and green, and it's especially obvious in this episode: Pete's apartment (down to all three of their suits), Joan and Dawn when Scarlett gets fired, and Scarlett and Harry. Oddly enough, "cheating" is involved in all three of these examples: Don and Pete secretly meet with Ketchup behind Beans' back in Pete's love-pad (and Ketchup makes a rather overt reference to his own adultery), Dawn and Scarlett get caught in a liaison behind Joan's back, and Harry and Scarlett are OBVIOUSLY sleeping together ("Harry has great ideas." "We ARE attached."). See what I mean?
• Kate was double-double-timing: she went out in the city with Joan intending to cheat on her husband, and she was in the city to meet with Avon without Mary Kay's knowledge.
• Both Peggy and Megan are tossing around Don's token phrases. Peggy uses his favorite "Change the conversation" line during her Heinz pitch (much to Don's chagrin), and Megan (unknowingly) throws out that she could have kept the love scene from him and it would have been like "it never happened".
• More and more smoking Megan. Even Arlene, the not-so-subtle-swinger lady made a comment!
• We had three ladies in black and white this episode: Sylvia in the elevator with Don, Megan in her maid's costume, and Joan the day she gave Dawn her new responsibilities. 
• In the scene Kate and Joan have dinner with Joan's mom, Joan says, "You should come more often. Turns out someone is proud of me." This very closely mirrors the scene in S2 when Father Gill has Sunday dinner at Anita's house and Peggy says, "I'm glad you're here, Father. I didn't know they knew what I do."
• Ketchup may have been the client in this episode, but Harry, Stan, and Ted were all in mustard.
• Don has always been extremely hypocritical when it comes to jealousy and his wives. Remember that time he was SO UPSET about Betty letting that AC salesman in the house even though he started sleeping with Rachel the episode before? Yeah.
• Don makes an joke about how they would have "bask(ed) in the afterglow" if he and Megan had taken up Mel and Arlene's offer, probably meaning that they would have woken up hungover with makeup smeared all over their faces. Joan and Kate actually DO wake up the next morning hungover with makeup smeared all over their faces. 
• Joan tells Kate she can go home now, and she'll "find everything right where it belongs". This is very close to the advice Carla gives Betty in S2 when she kicks Don out of the house. 
• Shoutout to Scarlett's boots! She must have seen that cute photographer's assistant wearing them in E1 and bought a pair.
• While the Broadway Joe show never came to fruition in real life, Joe Namath did have a talk show. Watch here to see why it only lasted one season. I mean, really.

Mad Men Retro-Perspective: S6:E3

Welcome back! Don't read this if you haven't seen all of the Mad Men episodes available. Just saying.

This is probably one of my least favorite Mad Men episodes of all times. That probably has to do with my general lack of enthusiasm for Sylvia Rosen, and this is the first time we get a defining look at her character. There's a lot going on in terms of dynamics in this episode, so keep an eye out for adultery. 

Some people may differ with this assessment, but if there's one theme this episode, it's prostitution. 

And with that, let's watch... 

S6:E3 The Collaborators

Judging by what you knew of the Campbell marriage, did you ever expect them to split? Judging by the beginning of this episode, with Pete and Trudy entertaining other couples, how surprising did you find it that they spilt?

Compare Trudy's flirting to Pete's. Do you think she has ever or would ever cheat on Pete? Please recall the situation with her ex, Charlie in Season 1. Do you think this Trudy would have handled the situation differently?

What do you think triggered Don to go back upstairs and sleep with Sylvia the morning he caught her arguing with Arnie in the hallway? Why do you think he gave her the money? How do you think she interpreted this action?

Now that you've seen a season worth of Sylvia and are taking a look back, what do you make of her character? What would you call her reaction to Megan's miscarriage? Harsh? Fair? How would her reaction have differed if she wasn't sleeping with Megan's husband?

How do Don and Sylvia differ in the way they view their relationship?

How awesome is Peggy's secretary? Considering her tendency to copycat Don, do you think her choice to hire a black secretary was influenced by his decision to hire Dawn?

Compare the way Peggy deals with the copywriters to how Don dealt with the creative department at SC. Is she being too harsh? Would anyone on that staff have ever pranked Don the way they did Peggy in this episode?

What exactly do you think motivates Brenda to sleep with Pete? What can we assess about a woman who falls for the line, "It's been known to get hot"?

Jesus, does Heinz Baked Beans EVER stop being such a pain in the ass?

Why do you think the characters mention maids so many times this season? Does it have anything to do with Megan playing a maid on TV? What purpose does this serve?

What would Betty's reaction be to Megan's feelings about her pregnancy? Recall that Betty went riding immediately after learning she was pregnant in S3:E13, despite the doctor's advice to avoid it. Do you think she would have felt the sort of relief Megan does in this episode if she had miscarried and never had Gene? How might her marriage/divorce with Don have turned out differently?

How do you think Don's reaction to Joan's liaison has been influenced by his upbringing in the brothel?

How different is Peggy's interaction at CGC different from her experiences at SC and SCDP? In the past, was she part of the group as a whole in general? Is this new interaction shocking, in other words?

 Compare Don's capabilities in regard to his infidelities with Pete's. How are these showcased in this episode?

How well have the writers handled the Don/Sylvia affair? Do you consider it as well written or well developed as his other affairs?

How did you react to the scene in which Don seduces Sylvia with rough words over dinner? Do you recall Don ever having to seduce anyone? How does the dynamic between Don and other women usually go?

Do you think Don and Betty ever discussed whether they wanted to have children the way Don and Megan (sort of ) did? How different are the two marriages so far? How similar?

How have Don's pitches to clients been this season so far? Do you think they are a sign of the disastrous Hershey's pitch to come? If you could sketch an arc of the quality of Don's work over the course of the series, where does this season fall?


What do you think Don gained by growing up in the brothel (other than a few complexes)? What is the significance of the song "Just a Gigolo" playing at the end of the episode?

• Green and blue is a major color scheme in this episode, and continues over the course of the season. A few examples: Pete's apartment/love den is decorated with green and blue glass screens, Sylvia and Megan are wearing blue and green respectively when Megan talks about her miscarriage, Trudy is dressed in green and framed against blue curtains on the morning she confronts Pete, and Peggy and Ted are in green and blue when they discuss going after Heinz Ketchup. Tom and Lorenzo speculate that green and blue signals adultery this season (in addition to being a very hot color combo during this period). Check out some of their analysis here and here. 
• We've never seen Megan smoke until this season, and this is the first episode it's noticeable.
• Peggy seems to blend right into her new position at CGC: her purple and blue ensemble in the scene she tries to go easy on the writers is the exact same colors as the building behind her, but the background is shrouded in horizontal blinds. As we learn in this episode, she's having a hard time fitting in, despite her skill and talent.
• Despite this, Peggy has developed a new power color this season: purple, which happens to be the exact opposite on the color wheel from her original mustard yellow. There was a hint of this last season, when she gave Don her notice.
• Pete grabbed a baseball bat when he heard Brenda screaming through the neighborhood. Really, Pete? You couldn't take Lane Pryce in a fistfight, but you think you can handle a baseball bat? You do you, boo.
• Did anyone else see that killer teal damask in the Campbell house? Killer!
• Megan and Sylvia are wearing almost the same shade of light blue on the night Don has dinner with Sylvia alone.
• The Campbells have the same yellow phone Peggy had in her single-gal-in-Brooklyn apartment in Season 2.
• Megan says she feels "so shitty" because of her relief that she doesn't have to make a decision about her pregnancy, which she feels is a betrayal of her marriage. Don uses this same phrase to describe how Sylvia feels about their affair up to the point he takes off her dress.
• Don makes a sarcastic comment about used cars sales during the Jaguar meeting, but we all know that Don himself once sold used cars ( though probably not as greasily as Herb, bot even counting the Brylcreem).
• Don wouldn't shake Herb's hand when he came in to discuss his idea, but he sure as HELL shook it after the meeting with the Jaguar corporate honchos.
• Roger is sporting his blue accent with his grey suit again...a sign of things to come?
• Pete still has his picture of Trudy on his desk from Season 1.
• Bob Benson calling Pete "chief" is very reminiscent of Pete calling Don "buddy" in S1:E2, when Don says he doesn't want to wake up pregnant. Pretty sure Pete feels the same.
• Don tells the madam in last season that he "grew up in a place like this". Now we know it's true!