ML's Life in Advertising
When appraised by trained scientists Molly Lambert (ML to her staff, Marly Guthrie to folk fans, Lambo to people who don't know her brother) was determined to be composed of 22 percent Pete Campbell, 51 percent Dick Whitman (I cannot call him by his fake name) and 17 percent Bethany Van Nuys. It is a verifiable fact (I think this was established after some Caltech bong rips) that we are all at least 12 percent Bethany Van Nuys and some of us are over 80 percent Bethany Van Nuys. This is getting off topic, but the record for most Bethany Van Nuys was recently set by our own Will Hubbard. In the immortal and alcohol soaked words of Lucille Bluth, isn't it fun to talk this way?
Although some suggested a book version of Molly's informed journaling/cultural critique of Matthew Weiner's ideas about how to treat his employees, how could the print medium capture a mind spinning through a dream world of the past and readjusting it according to her own life struggles? Enjoy the season so far:
Don, finally ready to be emasculated, goes over to Peggy's place and gives her a weird sort of condescending lecture about how he wants her to come because he views her as part of himself? Basically it's still all about Don. Then he claims they both understand personal trauma because la la la secret baby/identity. Don tells Peggy that even if she negs him a third time, he will spend the rest of his life trying to get back in her work-pants. Notice how the women were wearing pants this episode? Subtle.
A Don Draper with no swag is a Don Draper that's a hell of a lot easier to root for. Desperation is never a good look, but "divorced loser Don" is certainly more relatable than "absurdly suave Don." Who among us hasn't passive aggressively done something incredibly hurtful to somebody we didn't really mean to hook up with?
Don's side trip to California is also the return of Deus Ex Machin-Anna Draper, a character whose lack of interior function belies a severe bone cancer eating her polio riddled fictional bones from the inside. Seriously, what is the deal with Anna Draper? Why does she pimp out Don/Dick to her stupid proto-hippie niece so hard? What exactly does she get out of being so selflessly mothering to Don? A shitty paint job?
Peggy's cool downtown party was perfect. I swear I went to that party last weekend. The guy with the bear head turned out to be a bear. Telling a lesbian that your boyfriend rents your vagina is the kind of flirty neg cool art dykes live for.
Sally Masturbates to the Man from U.N.C.L.E. And Is Later Incepted
There is no change without acknowledgement. Maybe even Don is ready to admit that the "old" Don Draper, which was Dick Whitman's conception of a sort of ideal man, kind of fucking sucks. Since that life phase is over anyway, why not let go of it completely so that a better more zen Don Draper might emerge? It's like Inception.
There's an old saw about telling smart girls they're hot and hot girls they're smart, but the real point Peggy was making was that women getting compartmentalized into those categories, which are always enforced by the likes of Douchebag Art Director Guy, has absolutely nothing to do with what they are really like as human beings. Unfortunately it seemed like Peggy's attempt to demonstrate that the Madonna/whore construct is a falsehood/duality didn't exactly go over/make a dent in that guy's thick skull beyond giving him a confused and unattended to erection. Let's just say that sometimes it's hard to have arguments about serious things with total idiots.
I think the theme of this season especially, as Don mentioned, is the line between brilliance and stupidity and how it is very often just chance that makes some people into life's winners and others into losers. I've got excuses for everything on Mad Men, except for the ghost of Anna Draper, and the line about leaving the door open (groan). I hope Peggy's doofusy fiancé is gone to the Bobbi Barrett character consignment pile.
The gender wars, like the wars on terror and drugs, are endless but also imaginary. For the current battles in the gender wars, you needed to tune over to MTV, where Kanye West and Taylor Swift were greco-roman oil wrestling for control of America's heart at the VMAs. Based purely on taste metrics, Kanye won. And like Peggy Olson in tonight's episode, Taylor just made herself look like a humorless bitch by comparison.
The only dude who handled his shit in the face of crisis was Pete Campbell. Somehow that little fucker remains the most feminist minded of the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce frat pack, if only by default, and he is a rapist! Is Mad Men going to gradually indoctrinate the straight men who idolize it with feminism? Don't mind if they do!
You can read all of This Recording's Mad Men content here.
The Ads of Mad Men
It's Just Nice To Be Close To The Ones You Love
"Remember When" - Gucci Mane ft. Ray J (mp3)
"Weirdo" - Gucci Mane (mp3)
"Trap Talk" - Gucci Mane (mp3)
