Mad Men

[Dr. Medulla]

I have the opposite problem. I can't find anything new that interests me.

I can't remember if youve tried it out or not, but The Americans is probably the best TV show I've seen this last decade, possibly ever.

I've heard of that. I'll look for it. Thanks.

I hate to be "oh, just get through the first season then it gets good" because the first season is good, but they refine it starting in season two and it legitimately starts becoming one of the all time best TV shows ever around then imho. They just slightly tone down the "sexy spy thriller" and really amp up the social and domestic drama, which I think would resonate with any fans of Mad Men.

We tried but couldn't get into it (we did the first season). A big part for me, I think, was that I expected a greater sense of historical context, but the first season it felt more like a setting of choice than truly integral. I suspect I was also spoiled by and established Mad Men as the standard for historical importance, which is, I know, unfair. Like, if you judge all albums by CtC, of course they seem weak, you know?

[Mimi]

I have the opposite problem. I can't find anything new that interests me.

I can't remember if youve tried it out or not, but The Americans is probably the best TV show I've seen this last decade, possibly ever.

I've heard of that. I'll look for it. Thanks.

I hate to be "oh, just get through the first season then it gets good" because the first season is good, but they refine it starting in season two and it legitimately starts becoming one of the all time best TV shows ever around then imho. They just slightly tone down the "sexy spy thriller" and really amp up the social and domestic drama, which I think would resonate with any fans of Mad Men.

Matthew Rhys is in it so sexy spy thriller is ok by me.

[Dr. Medulla]

This show is so amazing that with every re-watch, I find something new. This time around, the symbolism and parallels are jumping out at me like never before.

The time Joanie hosts a dinner party for Greg's colleagues at the hospital, he forces her to play the accordion. She gives him the stink eye, kind of making you wonder if she realized at that moment that marrying Greg was a really bad idea (even though raping her in Don's office should have been the deal breaker, but anyway.,,). Fast forward to when Greg signs up for another tour of duty and they're sitting in the restaurant and a musician comes over and plays the accordion right beside her. She's giving him that look again. I've seen this show well over a dozen times and just now caught the significance of that moment.

One could, perhaps, say that Wiener and the writers were a little too in love with their own cleverness and metaness, but I think an argument could be made that those kinds of repetitions or echoes* are part of the theme that you can't escape history. Don, in particular, but the core cast in general spend the 1960s running away from their past, a metaphor for America's own historical mythology catching up and demanding a reckoning.

* One that comes to mind is that soldier Don met in Hawaii asked him, "Do you want to get into some trouble," the same thing that Don says to Ted when proposing the companies merge to go after Chevy; the other is that the final season starts with Freddy pitching Don's watch idea and says something like ommmm, which is where we end with Don at the retreat when he gets the, ugh, Coke idea.

[Mimi]

This show is so amazing that with every re-watch, I find something new. This time around, the symbolism and parallels are jumping out at me like never before.

The time Joanie hosts a dinner party for Greg's colleagues at the hospital, he forces her to play the accordion. She gives him the stink eye, kind of making you wonder if she realized at that moment that marrying Greg was a really bad idea (even though raping her in Don's office should have been the deal breaker, but anyway.,,). Fast forward to when Greg signs up for another tour of duty and they're sitting in the restaurant and a musician comes over and plays the accordion right beside her. She's giving him that look again. I've seen this show well over a dozen times and just now caught the significance of that moment.

One could, perhaps, say that Wiener and the writers were a little too in love with their own cleverness and metaness, but I think an argument could be made that those kinds of repetitions or echoes* are part of the theme that you can't escape history. Don, in particular, but the core cast in general spend the 1960s running away from their past, a metaphor for America's own historical mythology catching up and demanding a reckoning.

* One that comes to mind is that soldier Don met in Hawaii asked him, "Do you want to get into some trouble," the same thing that Don says to Ted when proposing the companies merge to go after Chevy; the other is that the final season starts with Freddy pitching Don's watch idea and says something like ommmm, which is where we end with Don at the retreat when he gets the, ugh, Coke idea.

The writing is pretty tight on this show. They stick to themes and are pretty good at tying things together.

[Dr. Medulla]

This show is so amazing that with every re-watch, I find something new. This time around, the symbolism and parallels are jumping out at me like never before.

The time Joanie hosts a dinner party for Greg's colleagues at the hospital, he forces her to play the accordion. She gives him the stink eye, kind of making you wonder if she realized at that moment that marrying Greg was a really bad idea (even though raping her in Don's office should have been the deal breaker, but anyway.,,). Fast forward to when Greg signs up for another tour of duty and they're sitting in the restaurant and a musician comes over and plays the accordion right beside her. She's giving him that look again. I've seen this show well over a dozen times and just now caught the significance of that moment.

One could, perhaps, say that Wiener and the writers were a little too in love with their own cleverness and metaness, but I think an argument could be made that those kinds of repetitions or echoes* are part of the theme that you can't escape history. Don, in particular, but the core cast in general spend the 1960s running away from their past, a metaphor for America's own historical mythology catching up and demanding a reckoning.

* One that comes to mind is that soldier Don met in Hawaii asked him, "Do you want to get into some trouble," the same thing that Don says to Ted when proposing the companies merge to go after Chevy; the other is that the final season starts with Freddy pitching Don's watch idea and says something like ommmm, which is where we end with Don at the retreat when he gets the, ugh, Coke idea.

The writing is pretty tight on this show. They stick to themes and are pretty good at tying things together.

It really was masterful work in forging a pretty damned consistent narrative from 1960 to 1969. One thing that impressed is that if whole seasons seemed off—1968, for example—it mostly meant waiting for it to play out and then reconsider from the completion of the chapter. The 1968 season baffled the hell out of me at the time, from episode to episode, but once it was done I better appreciate how much it mirrored the turmoil of that year. Honestly, it's the best damn crafted series I've ever seen.

edit: My diss supervisor did a seminar around the series. I wish I had been an undergrad to take it.

[Mimi]

I've been bingeing on early episodes of America's Next Top Model. Nostalgia. I watched it when it first aired and wanted to see if my opinion of itchanged. It did, but whatevs. So, in the season I'm watching now, there's a girl named Cassandra. I remember how much I disliked her from the first time as she whined about everything but mostly about her hair. She had super long hair and they wanted to give her a Mia Farrow from Rosemary's Baby haircut (pixie cut), but she was all, I can't do this because it's not who I am, blah blah, blah. She chose to leave the show over this. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what happened after that. Well, she became an actor, a minor one, but still. And she was on Mad Men. da-fuck? She played Carolyn Jones, the model who was fired from Topaz pantyhose, the one Harry was drooling over in Peggy's off. Anyway, I thought that was weird.

[Dr. Medulla]

I've been bingeing on early episodes of America's Next Top Model. Nostalgia. I watched it when it first aired and wanted to see if my opinion of itchanged. It did, but whatevs. So, in the season I'm watching now, there's a girl named Cassandra. I remember how much I disliked her from the first time as she whined about everything but mostly about her hair. She had super long hair and they wanted to give her a Mia Farrow from Rosemary's Baby haircut (pixie cut), but she was all, I can't do this because it's not who I am, blah blah, blah. She chose to leave the show over this. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what happened after that. Well, she became an actor, a minor one, but still. And she was on Mad Men. da-fuck? She played Carolyn Jones, the model who was fired from Topaz pantyhose, the one Harry was drooling over in Peggy's off. Anyway, I thought that was weird.

"This is Carolyn Jones. Like Morticia."

[Mimi]

I've been bingeing on early episodes of America's Next Top Model. Nostalgia. I watched it when it first aired and wanted to see if my opinion of itchanged. It did, but whatevs. So, in the season I'm watching now, there's a girl named Cassandra. I remember how much I disliked her from the first time as she whined about everything but mostly about her hair. She had super long hair and they wanted to give her a Mia Farrow from Rosemary's Baby haircut (pixie cut), but she was all, I can't do this because it's not who I am, blah blah, blah. She chose to leave the show over this. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what happened after that. Well, she became an actor, a minor one, but still. And she was on Mad Men. da-fuck? She played Carolyn Jones, the model who was fired from Topaz pantyhose, the one Harry was drooling over in Peggy's off. Anyway, I thought that was weird.

"This is Carolyn Jones. Like Morticia."

Nice to see I can spell today.

Did Harry say that? lol

[Dr. Medulla]

I've been bingeing on early episodes of America's Next Top Model. Nostalgia. I watched it when it first aired and wanted to see if my opinion of itchanged. It did, but whatevs. So, in the season I'm watching now, there's a girl named Cassandra. I remember how much I disliked her from the first time as she whined about everything but mostly about her hair. She had super long hair and they wanted to give her a Mia Farrow from Rosemary's Baby haircut (pixie cut), but she was all, I can't do this because it's not who I am, blah blah, blah. She chose to leave the show over this. Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what happened after that. Well, she became an actor, a minor one, but still. And she was on Mad Men. da-fuck? She played Carolyn Jones, the model who was fired from Topaz pantyhose, the one Harry was drooling over in Peggy's off. Anyway, I thought that was weird.

"This is Carolyn Jones. Like Morticia."

Nice to see I can spell today.

Did Harry say that? lol

I can't recall who said it, but it was when Peggy was introduced to her.

[Dr. Medulla]

I watched a little video analyzing the scene where they concoct the scheme to have Lane fire the principals and they form their own company. It mentions, somewhat as an aside, that in the previous episode, that covers Kennedy's assassination, we also get a flashback that shows how Don's dad is killed. The narrator explains it's the nation's father figure and Don's father, each dying (and profoundly affecting the "children"). I hadn't thought of that, but what hit me was that Don's dad dies when he's kicked in the head, instantly killing him—like JFK. You don't *need* to realized these details, but when it becomes apparent, it makes you appreciate the care that went into the show.

[Mimi]

I watched a little video analyzing the scene where they concoct the scheme to have Lane fire the principals and they form their own company. It mentions, somewhat as an aside, that in the previous episode, that covers Kennedy's assassination, we also get a flashback that shows how Don's dad is killed. The narrator explains it's the nation's father figure and Don's father, each dying (and profoundly affecting the "children"). I hadn't thought of that, but what hit me was that Don's dad dies when he's kicked in the head, instantly killing him—like JFK. You don't *need* to realized these details, but when it becomes apparent, it makes you appreciate the care that went into the show.

[JennyB]

I watched a little video analyzing the scene where they concoct the scheme to have Lane fire the principals and they form their own company. It mentions, somewhat as an aside, that in the previous episode, that covers Kennedy's assassination, we also get a flashback that shows how Don's dad is killed. The narrator explains it's the nation's father figure and Don's father, each dying (and profoundly affecting the "children"). I hadn't thought of that, but what hit me was that Don's dad dies when he's kicked in the head, instantly killing him—like JFK. You don't *need* to realized these details, but when it becomes apparent, it makes you appreciate the care that went into the show.

You are absolutely correct. That's why I loved that costume analysis from Tom and Lorenzo - another illustration of the attention to detail in MM.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://thehardtimes.net/lists/every-ma ... h-my-wife/

[Mimi]

https://thehardtimes.net/lists/every-ma ... h-my-wife/

That was fun.

[Dr. Medulla]

https://thehardtimes.net/lists/every-ma ... h-my-wife/

That was fun.

I was disappointed only that it omitted Roger and Mona's daughter, Margaret, who's absurdly beautiful.