@badmutha: I know! Don Draper is this cool inscrutable kind of handsome. Whereas actual RL John Hamm is sort of a dorky (uber-hot) puppy dog. It just proves the man's a good actor. #jonhamm
Is it me or does it look like he's an old picture superimposed onto a modern setting? The lighting here is super weird and his whole personage has this old timey blue-grey look... #jonhamm
I've been feeling incredibly bad for Don (yes, I know he's not real)
We've all got that box, locked up somewhere. It may just be inside us. Mine are my journals, where I rage, cry, wonder, don't understand, write about how hard life is and how I don't think I live for another 40 years. Some of us never let anyone inside that box. I don't. I've always been an intensely private person, and I try very hard not to allow anyone to review my true thoughts and emotions until I have a change to go over them.
This requires planning. Constant maintenance of the facade. Constant repairs of cracks and holes and leaks
Maybe i missed it since i'm late to the party, but I can't beleive no one has commented on Don's reaction to Betty telling him she no longer loves him. The shot of him sitting by himself in the dark room with only his shirt cuffs visible in the shadows as he sinks into the chair made me choke up. I know he is an awful husband, but you could feel his world crumble at the realization that he was losing everything he worked for.
I always thought he loved Betty, the best way he knew how. Even though he sleeps around, his family was his rock. My heart broke when he watched her from afar before he entered the kitchen and she just gave him an icy stare. So sad :-( #madmenrecap
@Mina_da_mad_child: I'm with you. I don't cry at movies or tv but having been in Don's shoes I felt so awful for him. I also cursed the tv for making me feel bad for him, when clearly where he is is all his fault.
I thought the whole "I don't love you anymore" scene was brilliant. #madmenrecap
I think it's sad that Don is making a good effort now of being with the family, and is starting to really be there for Betty and it's just too late.
Very sad.
I also wish they'd stop with the stupid - "don walks into a room, sits down, defeated... camera slowly pans out...." its so "acting class..." it's so annoying. I find it distracting now. #madmenrecap
@KentuckyBabe: I was feeling terrible for him, then I remembered that he didn't break things off with Suzanne, just put her on hold, and that he'd spent the whole episode dismissing and minimizing Betty. I waver a lot in how I feel about Don. It kills him to lose Betty. I think he loves her, but at the same time he feels zero remorse about having affairs and lying. He loves her but he doesn't view her as a person, only as ancillary to himself. It's so dissonant. #madmenrecap
Someone on the show mentioned that Oswald was only 24 in a very shocked tone. I was that age when I got really interested in the asassination and all that stuff and I completely remember being totally blown away that he had been my age. Just something that struck me very deep is all.
And can I just say- wow. I cried at this episode. I was born 20 years after it happened but seeing it in this show, all the news footage and people's reactions- I cried. #madmenrecap
I know that this isn't the most intellectual dissection, but this week Don Draper combined my love of Jon Hamm and the "sweater over a collared shirt" look. Mmmm.
curiousgeorgiana promoted this comment
Edited by shadesofmediocrity at 11/02/09 9:30 PM
shadesofmediocrity was starred
shadesofmediocrity was unstarred
I was really affected by the ways in which married women were shown as children in this episode, ironically titled, "The Grownups." Don tells Betty that it's "going to be ok" in the same tone of voice that he says it to Sally. She turns to Henry, and then he tells her the exact same thing. It was very similar to the interactions between Margaret and her parents at the beginning of the episode and Jane and Roger (her figural parent). Married women are allowed and encouraged to remain childlike, with Joan as the one exception. And, I would say that to some extent Joan resents that she has to be more of a parent to her husband, that the option of being an innocent child herself is not available.
Henry proposing to Betty is thus starting the cycle all over again. It's another man telling her that she'll never have to be a grownup. Married women in this episode are the ones who live in the real Camelot and are the ones most threatened when it starts to fall and they are expected to be adults. It's not Betty, or Jane, or Margaret's fault; however in Trudy's maturing transformation in this episode, we see their peer surpass them and move towards a jaded, yet adult, independence. #madmenrecap
@TheWordstoCome: This is a great point to bring up. It also goes in with Peggy telling Don that her roomate and the others are writing condolence letters to Jacky. I think a lot of the women projected themselves at the time onto Jacky at that moment. She just lost a baby and then her husband and in an extremely public and particularly horrifying manner. (I'll never get over that she was sitting right next to him. I could never imagine that horror) Bam, it's like the shattered image for these women. Your husband can die and leave you all alone to fend for yourself. Not only that but he can leave you flat out. There's no guarantees in life, when you sign up for that Stepford life there's no guarantee it's staying even best case scenario which by all means Jacqueline was living (at least in an outward lens looking in way- obvs knowing more about her life now it wasn't so much) at the time. I think that shook all the women to a very deep core.
Personally, I'm hoping in light of all this in the finale Betty takes the kids leaves Don but doesn't go with Henry Francis. Perhaps that's the realization that she came to after leaving Henry. #madmenrecap
@TheWordstoCome: See, the male characters always talk to the female characters like they're children, and continually remind them that they see them as children, but really the male characters are the ones making messes (Peter and Kinsey catapulting a balloon filled with ketchup across the office, Don breaking the glass on the ant farm with the Jai Alai ball and leaving it for Joan to deal with, Roger puking oysters and martinis all over the floor...) and gallavanting around and throwing foot-stompy tantrums while the women (and of course the invisible black and brown people) are the ones who always clean things up and smooth things over, The men are actually the ones with the most to lose when the women start to realize they're getting screwed on this deal. They won't have a world full of mommies and nursemaids and servants anymore. #madmenrecap
I was interested in Don's interaction with his children. He tried to act as a problem solver, when really they didn't seem to act like there really was a problem. He wanted to allay their fears and concerns, when they didn't really have any. They're really clueless as to how kids react. I can't speak for all kids of course, but parents often seem overly concerned about how kids will react, when the kids don't really have that emotional of a reaction in the first place.
I laughed out loud when Jane said "He was so handsome. And now I'll never get to vote for him." Hilarious on so many levels. Clearly she's not one for politics.
Who was Betty referring to when she said he's 24 years old? #madmenrecap
@remedios: When Jane said "Now, I'll never get to vote for him." I was shocked, because that puts her very near my age. She was probably too young to vote for Kennedy at the time of his election and now he's dead. Just thinking about that made me realize how young she is. It was heartbreaking for me.
And I think Betty was referring to Lee Harvey Oswald.
@bananapancakes: Re: Jane, it just came out so childish, it reminded me of people who oppose genocide but couldn't tell you the first thing about it or the country they're protesting for/against. Or Tyra telling you that she could give you a lesson in Tibet because it has the Dalai Lama and... stuff. I doubt Jane really even cared or knew any of JFK's politics. Or at least that's the way she's being played. #madmenrecap
Hmm. I felt this way last week with the strange play-style feeling of the Betty/Don showdown, but something has been missing lately. I didn't really feel the impact of the Kennedy shooting the way I felt I should have.
The idea of the creepy Congressman wanting to MARRY(?!?!?!?!) Betty just seemed so ridiculously out-of-the-blue. As my Mother put it: "I get it. She's very pretty. But she's incredibly dull. What's the big appeal?"
Especially juxtaposed to Roger's call to Joan, the scene rang even more false. With Roger and Joan, they had an affair, and I think they realized too late that they really did work together and may have really cared for one-another and now both are stuck with these very pretty but very insubstantial people. Well, unfortunately Betty just seems like another one of those plastic figurines.
January Jones's terrible acting in reaction to Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald live on TV was atrocious. The scream, and the "What is going on?!?!?!" was just cringe-inducing. She's just such a weak link on this show that it's becoming distracting and I honestly cannot muster up the ability to care about her or any of her creepy, weepy storylines.
Sigh. Unless Matt Weiner gives me a whole big heap of the delicious, sexy Paul Kinsey soon, I feel like I'm movin' on from Mad Men. It just feels so hollow right now. #madmenrecap
@viklane: I'm with you IRT Betty/JJ's acting. But didn't you love the little knowing/proud look Kinsey gave Peggy when Duck called to set up their nooner? Maybe Peggy & Paul should get together. #madmenrecap
@meritxell: an erotic life: Well, naturally Paul should be with me.
I think it's unfortunate that they're not really using Michael Gladis -- and that MG hasn't done much work prior to this. He is quickly becoming my favorite character on the show, because they haven't corrupted him yet. #madmenrecap
I don't know what I'll do when this season ends, but I'm DYING to see the last episode. Six more days! What was the tagline? Be ready for anything?
What do you all think will happen? Is Don going to jump out of a window a la the opening sequence? Will Jane and Margaret become good friends? Will cats and dogs live together??? #madmenrecap
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
I want to dip that man in a vat of honey and lick it off.
I want to rub my face in that Brylcreemed hair and just...inhale.
Good even. Even in high school, at the height of my love of hair bands, I was never so attracted to a human being I have no hope of meeting.
Have all you SEEN the pictures of him from Vanity Fair a couple months ago? Especially the one with his naked back to the camera?
Excuse me. I don't know what's come over me. I need to step into a cool room. #jonhamm
11/07/09
11/07/09
[www.vanityfair.com] #jonhamm
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
(Sadly, I work on Saturdays, so I do have to have my coffee in the morning. *sob* I miss you bed!) #jonhamm
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/07/09
11/04/09
We've all got that box, locked up somewhere. It may just be inside us. Mine are my journals, where I rage, cry, wonder, don't understand, write about how hard life is and how I don't think I live for another 40 years. Some of us never let anyone inside that box. I don't. I've always been an intensely private person, and I try very hard not to allow anyone to review my true thoughts and emotions until I have a change to go over them.
This requires planning. Constant maintenance of the facade. Constant repairs of cracks and holes and leaks
I GET this character.
And yes, I have a shrink. #madmenrecap
11/03/09
I always thought he loved Betty, the best way he knew how. Even though he sleeps around, his family was his rock. My heart broke when he watched her from afar before he entered the kitchen and she just gave him an icy stare. So sad :-( #madmenrecap
11/03/09
I thought the whole "I don't love you anymore" scene was brilliant. #madmenrecap
11/03/09
Very sad.
I also wish they'd stop with the stupid - "don walks into a room, sits down, defeated... camera slowly pans out...." its so "acting class..." it's so annoying. I find it distracting now. #madmenrecap
11/03/09
11/04/09
:-) #madmenrecap
11/03/09
And can I just say- wow. I cried at this episode. I was born 20 years after it happened but seeing it in this show, all the news footage and people's reactions- I cried. #madmenrecap
11/02/09
11/02/09
11/02/09
Henry proposing to Betty is thus starting the cycle all over again. It's another man telling her that she'll never have to be a grownup. Married women in this episode are the ones who live in the real Camelot and are the ones most threatened when it starts to fall and they are expected to be adults. It's not Betty, or Jane, or Margaret's fault; however in Trudy's maturing transformation in this episode, we see their peer surpass them and move towards a jaded, yet adult, independence. #madmenrecap
11/03/09
Personally, I'm hoping in light of all this in the finale Betty takes the kids leaves Don but doesn't go with Henry Francis. Perhaps that's the realization that she came to after leaving Henry. #madmenrecap
11/03/09
11/03/09
And, also, I realize I would probably hear about it first from Facebook statuses. How awful is that?
@TheWordstoCome: Such a good point. Thank you for bringing it up. #madmenrecap
11/04/09
11/05/09
11/02/09
I laughed out loud when Jane said "He was so handsome. And now I'll never get to vote for him." Hilarious on so many levels. Clearly she's not one for politics.
Who was Betty referring to when she said he's 24 years old? #madmenrecap
11/02/09
And I think Betty was referring to Lee Harvey Oswald.
11/02/09
11/02/09
The idea of the creepy Congressman wanting to MARRY(?!?!?!?!) Betty just seemed so ridiculously out-of-the-blue. As my Mother put it: "I get it. She's very pretty. But she's incredibly dull. What's the big appeal?"
Especially juxtaposed to Roger's call to Joan, the scene rang even more false. With Roger and Joan, they had an affair, and I think they realized too late that they really did work together and may have really cared for one-another and now both are stuck with these very pretty but very insubstantial people. Well, unfortunately Betty just seems like another one of those plastic figurines.
January Jones's terrible acting in reaction to Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald live on TV was atrocious. The scream, and the "What is going on?!?!?!" was just cringe-inducing. She's just such a weak link on this show that it's becoming distracting and I honestly cannot muster up the ability to care about her or any of her creepy, weepy storylines.
Sigh. Unless Matt Weiner gives me a whole big heap of the delicious, sexy Paul Kinsey soon, I feel like I'm movin' on from Mad Men. It just feels so hollow right now. #madmenrecap
11/02/09
11/03/09
I think it's unfortunate that they're not really using Michael Gladis -- and that MG hasn't done much work prior to this. He is quickly becoming my favorite character on the show, because they haven't corrupted him yet. #madmenrecap
11/02/09
What do you all think will happen? Is Don going to jump out of a window a la the opening sequence? Will Jane and Margaret become good friends? Will cats and dogs live together??? #madmenrecap
11/02/09
"Don has an important meeting with Connie. Betty receives some advice. Pete talks to his clients. " #madmenrecap
11/02/09