Mad Men Watch: Private Accounts
SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this, swipe a bottle of booze and watch Mad Men.
AMC
So I'll admit it: I lost faith just for a second. I briefly thought Mad Men was going to start sucking. That moment when Don asks his long-lost brother whether any of their relatives are left surviving, finds out they're gone, then reaches into his bag? What the hell is he going to pull out? He's not--the show isn't going to go there, is it? Is this Matthew Weiner's Sopranos side taking over? Is Don going to off Adam? And call Pete over to help him saw off Adam's head in the bathroom and put his head in a bowling bag? And then the rest of the series becomes about Don's run from the law?
Of course it didn't go there--in retrospect, a payoff or something similar was the only thing in Don's character, making the tease unnecessary--and it was good to see the series finally turn over that rock vis-a-vis "Dick Whitman." I especially liked the direction the show went with Adam (Jay Paulson), Don's forsaken, good-hearted, needy and slightly creepy brother. (Did anyone else think of Mike White in Chuck and Buck here?) And Jon Hamm continues to impress as Don: Draper is a cold-hearted S.O.B.--it's the only recourse his life choices have left him--but there was unmistakable sadness in his eyes as he forced the payoff on Adam (and himself).
I do think the series has to play it carefully with Don's mystery past: it's fascinating, but it's also enough story in itself to carry a series, independent of the period ad-business story of Mad Men. It's a melodramatic story, which is completely appropriate given the American-dream themes and the era the show is set in: it's a little bit Great Gatsby and a little bit Douglas Sirk. But if it goes too far over the top, you could end up with two series in one: that one, and the more straight-ahead heightened realism at Sterling Cooper. But I'm going to have faith for now.
Other highlights:
* The subplot of Kenneth's publication hit on a universal theme of jealousy and just enough 1960-specific notes. This was a time when publishing short stories didn't just carry prestige, but still paid real money: these are the kind of guys who both live John Cheever stories and want to be John Cheever. And the choice of magazine--the Atlantic, with its uppercrusty Boston heritage--was exactly the one to get under Pete's skin (his old-money dad would take the magazine seriously, maybe even more than the relative upstart New Yorker) and send him pimping Trudy out to her old boyfriend. Enjoy Boy's Life, Pete.
* Nice interplay between Peggy and the canny Joan. "Oh, God, I shouldn't have told you." "You shouldn't have told me."
* While it may have been a little too perfect to have Don come up with the "private executive" bank account idea in this episode, it was worth seeing the bank client's reaction--revealing that, even if not everyone has Don's secrets--plenty of the bank's customers are already keeping their own hush-hush accounts. "It could start some uncomfortable conversations in a lot of homes. But it's better than a calendar!"
Your thoughts?
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1
Someone at "Boys' Life" is waking up today and going, "Hey!"
The cover of this week's Time is freaky.
As for the show, I don't really buy that Don/Dick has had such a horrible past. If that was the case, we would see outward signs of trauma and pyschological effects rather than the casually smart, slightly melancholy character Jon Hamm plays.
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2
After consulting the inflation calculator at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, I can tell you that $5000 from 1960 = $35,185.64 in 2007 dollars.
I don't know whether that's high or low. I've never had to buy off my janitor half-brother from ruining the new life I built for myself. Not my thing.
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3
He's "passing." He's the fair-skinned black kid who becomes white as an adult. He's the self-loathing Jew who changes his name from Stein to Smith. My best guess is that Don Draper is a poor, unschooled hick from the sticks who now stands astride Manhattan like a Colossus. He's made it big, and if it kills him, he's not going back to insignificance and poverty anytime soon.
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4
James wrote: "Did anyone else think of Mike White in Chuck and Buck here?"
No, but good call!
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5
Gee, I didn't realize people were actually watching made-for-tv stuff on AMC. "C" used to mean Classic. Personally, I have no intention on watching anything they make or broadcast ever since they decided to scrap no commercials for commercials every 8 minutes.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. -
6
Paul:
You are wrong. Trust me.
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7
I was terrified for a few minutes last night about where the show was about to go with Don's late night visit to his brother. I thought the show was about to really lose its way by having Don kill Adam so I'm glad there was only money in that suitcase.
Those scenes with Adam really showed how dead Don is inside. I used to think that House was the most screwed up male character on TV but he's got nothing on Don Draper.
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8
I'm soooooo glad I wasn't the only one relieved to see the money. Damn, if that wasn't a good episode last night. Am loving this show, but having lived through working in TV commercial production in NYC in 1967-69 in a job somewhere between Peggy's and her supervisor's, I also get a squirley stomachache every time I watch this show. Guess that means I sort of don't love it so much.
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9
Clem: Please don't feed the trolls.
MW was playing us with those melodramatic shots of the desk drawer. No way it could have been a gun (I kept telling myself).
Closed Captioning Follies: All of the "shouldn't of's," of course, and the spelling of Bix Beiderbecke's name was especially festive. (Aside for Boomers like me: Steve Allen used to open one of his shows by saying "Hi, I'm __" with the blank filled by some random name. One night, it was Bix Beiderbecke. Not that the cue card guy had any idea who that was. Allen came back from the opening and grabbed the card to show to the camera: "Hi, I'm Big Spider Beck.")
Memo to self: Watching "Burn Notice" in real time and going to bed smiling, and recording "Mad Men" for watching the next day -- the right choice.
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10
You are correct. I am a self-loathing, poor Jew. This is why I like hanging out with the Jewish heiress and the skanky Jewish art chick from the Village.
During the war, the real Don Draper was killed. I was MIA and assumed his identity. I am actually a deserter and have been hiding for the past 16 years from authorities. If my real identity is revealed, I will go to prison.
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11
I liked it. I enjoyed the short story jealousy storyline, but I mostly identified with the half-brother storyline.
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12
What I don't get about me is why am I so paranoid about Adam screwing up my life that I would give him $5 Gs while I am busy trying to do it myself by sleeping around and by getting blasted on my kid's birthday and passing out with the birthday cake in the front seat of my car. Even by cable TV standards, this disparity doesn't make much sense.
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13
I just dont understand the appeal of this show. All of these characters are so unlikable.
One guy cheats on his wife and buys off his sweet half brother who's desperatly trying to cling to the last bit of family he has left.
Another guy is trying to whore out his wife to get a short story published. The secretaries are all evil back biting bitches.
The most sypathetic character on the show (in my opinoin anyway) slept with a guy she knew was engaged.
Its all pathos and no levity.
more advertising, less miserable bastards. -
14
Funny how you know so much about a show you don't find appealing. Seems to me you watch it an awful lot.
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15
I love it! If this is even remotely close to a realistically depicting the era (i.e., post war through the early 1960s), I feel vindicated. My parents have always gone on and on about what a wonderful, moral, carefree and happy time it was compared to the immoral and narcissistic decades that have since followed, but I never quite bought it.... and now I think I know why
- poniewozik Loved the season. Mrs Tuned In wd have put u on the main list RT @boredtodeath Thank u for incl us in Time's Top 10. We'll take hon mention. - 5 hours ago
- poniewozik @carr2n Virgin is the best, LAX-JFK - 5 hours ago
- poniewozik Did NPR interview abt multiscreen multitasking. After, automatically reached for iPhone in pocket. Like don draper wd have for cigarettes. - 7 hours ago
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