Catching up
Oct. 18th, 2010 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normalHi, folks. Been MIA for a bit. I went home this weekend for a friend's wedding, which was fun and weird and exhausting, as usual. I'll probably talk more about it in a locked post, since it's personal RL stuff.
I think I'm all caught up on DW, but I have a thousand LJ tabs still open, so let me know if I've missed anything important.
I'm a little behind on TV - I know I have a Fringe episode to catch up on, and last night's Dexter. I also realized I skipped an episode of Caprica and didn't even notice until I read people's reaction posts, which does not bode well for my interest in this show. (For some reason, On Demand didn't have the first new episode up, but it DID have the second one before it aired, so I watched it, thinking it was the first one. Then I was wondering why people were talking about Zoe and Tamara because they weren't in the episode I saw, lol.) I'm going to try watching the episodes in order and see if I like it better, but if not, I'll probably be bidding adieu to Caprica.
I did catch the Mad Men season finale. This was one of those episodes where I watched the encore presentation immediately afterward, and the first time through I thought, "OMG I totally didn't see that coming!" and then the second time through, I was like, "Holy shit, how did I NOT see that coming?" Brilliant writing, that is.
I can't imagine anything good will come out of this midlife crisis marriage between Don and Megan (except perhaps that the poor Draper children will finally have a good maternal figure), but I have to admit, this was the happiest we'd seen Don in a long, long time. It was kind of shocking to see him smiling so much, and a little bit disturbing, since it's clear that this is just another way of running away from his problems. Megan is uncomplicated - she doesn't even care about Don's past, and will likely be the docile trophy wife he wanted Betty to be - which is certainly a relief for Don after so much personal and professional turmoil, but I think Faye is astute in observing that Don only likes the beginnings of things. He's building himself another fantasy life, the American Dream take two, but - as Betty has discovered for herself this season - it's not likely to go any better than the first, and it'll undoubtedly be just as ugly when it falls apart.
I absolutely loved everyone's reactions to the announcement, especially Roger's "Who the hell is that?" and Pete's "Are you getting married, too?" when Ken and Peggy want to share their good news about the new account. And then Peggy's obvious sense of betrayal - not, I think, because she thought Don was better than that (as Joan suggests), since Peggy knows more than anyone what Don is like, but because she thought she'd found a kindred spirit in Don, that he was like her in loving the job more than anything else. He was the one who made her feel okay for not wanting a husband and children, and now he's gone and gotten married on her. I also saw a bit of resentment at the idea of Megan becoming a copywriter - here is Peggy, who had to fight tooth and nail to get where she is, who has worked so hard to gain respect from these men, and now Megan may end up getting the same promotion Peggy fought for, simply because she married her boss.
I adored the two scenes with Peggy/Don and Peggy/Joan. They both really felt like a huge payoff after seeing those relationships building for four years. I love that Peggy is in a place where she can be honest with Don (and that all she has to say is "Wow" and he knows what she's thinking), and he accepts her concern as heartfelt and doesn't bristle at her judgment. I also enjoyed seeing Peggy and Joan come to a place where they completely understood each other - I had a huge grin on my face at the "That's bullshit!" line both times I watched.
I also really liked watching Peggy be the one to break the streak. She truly is gifted at what she does, and I like when we get to see her in action, coming up with winning ideas on the spot. And I cracked up at that glare she shot Ken when he tried to come up with a slogan himself.
Still not a fan of the way they've made Betty into the villain this year. Selling the house because of jealousy over creepy Glenn was bad enough, but firing Carla? And refusing to give a recommendation? That's pure wicked witch. I hope Henry manages to get Carla another job or something, because that was absolutely cruel. Can't wait to see what happens when Betty realizes her children like the new Mrs. Draper better than they like their own mother. :)
Is it next year yet?
I think I'm all caught up on DW, but I have a thousand LJ tabs still open, so let me know if I've missed anything important.
I'm a little behind on TV - I know I have a Fringe episode to catch up on, and last night's Dexter. I also realized I skipped an episode of Caprica and didn't even notice until I read people's reaction posts, which does not bode well for my interest in this show. (For some reason, On Demand didn't have the first new episode up, but it DID have the second one before it aired, so I watched it, thinking it was the first one. Then I was wondering why people were talking about Zoe and Tamara because they weren't in the episode I saw, lol.) I'm going to try watching the episodes in order and see if I like it better, but if not, I'll probably be bidding adieu to Caprica.
I did catch the Mad Men season finale. This was one of those episodes where I watched the encore presentation immediately afterward, and the first time through I thought, "OMG I totally didn't see that coming!" and then the second time through, I was like, "Holy shit, how did I NOT see that coming?" Brilliant writing, that is.
I can't imagine anything good will come out of this midlife crisis marriage between Don and Megan (except perhaps that the poor Draper children will finally have a good maternal figure), but I have to admit, this was the happiest we'd seen Don in a long, long time. It was kind of shocking to see him smiling so much, and a little bit disturbing, since it's clear that this is just another way of running away from his problems. Megan is uncomplicated - she doesn't even care about Don's past, and will likely be the docile trophy wife he wanted Betty to be - which is certainly a relief for Don after so much personal and professional turmoil, but I think Faye is astute in observing that Don only likes the beginnings of things. He's building himself another fantasy life, the American Dream take two, but - as Betty has discovered for herself this season - it's not likely to go any better than the first, and it'll undoubtedly be just as ugly when it falls apart.
I absolutely loved everyone's reactions to the announcement, especially Roger's "Who the hell is that?" and Pete's "Are you getting married, too?" when Ken and Peggy want to share their good news about the new account. And then Peggy's obvious sense of betrayal - not, I think, because she thought Don was better than that (as Joan suggests), since Peggy knows more than anyone what Don is like, but because she thought she'd found a kindred spirit in Don, that he was like her in loving the job more than anything else. He was the one who made her feel okay for not wanting a husband and children, and now he's gone and gotten married on her. I also saw a bit of resentment at the idea of Megan becoming a copywriter - here is Peggy, who had to fight tooth and nail to get where she is, who has worked so hard to gain respect from these men, and now Megan may end up getting the same promotion Peggy fought for, simply because she married her boss.
I adored the two scenes with Peggy/Don and Peggy/Joan. They both really felt like a huge payoff after seeing those relationships building for four years. I love that Peggy is in a place where she can be honest with Don (and that all she has to say is "Wow" and he knows what she's thinking), and he accepts her concern as heartfelt and doesn't bristle at her judgment. I also enjoyed seeing Peggy and Joan come to a place where they completely understood each other - I had a huge grin on my face at the "That's bullshit!" line both times I watched.
I also really liked watching Peggy be the one to break the streak. She truly is gifted at what she does, and I like when we get to see her in action, coming up with winning ideas on the spot. And I cracked up at that glare she shot Ken when he tried to come up with a slogan himself.
Still not a fan of the way they've made Betty into the villain this year. Selling the house because of jealousy over creepy Glenn was bad enough, but firing Carla? And refusing to give a recommendation? That's pure wicked witch. I hope Henry manages to get Carla another job or something, because that was absolutely cruel. Can't wait to see what happens when Betty realizes her children like the new Mrs. Draper better than they like their own mother. :)
Is it next year yet?
no subject
Date: Oct. 18th, 2010 06:00 pm (UTC)I really liked the season finale of Mad Men. Lots of places it could go.
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Date: Oct. 18th, 2010 07:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Oct. 19th, 2010 09:15 am (UTC)Felt for poor Peggy, who clearly identified with Faye and saw her passed over. (did the copywrighters suss out the relationship? I kind of got the feeling from those scenes that Peggy knew.) She's starting to build this world of her peers and she wants to marry one of them if at all.
PREGNANCY FAKEOUT DISLIKE.
Kinda makes me sad how far we haven't come, but happy for the two characters that are moving towards us, that I've had similar conversations about acquaintances getting married. Like the 90%-closeted friend from college who got engaged to an evangelical dude, gulp, right around my law school graduation. I've been making chirpy bridesmaid calls like "you only get married once! You get what you want! get it girl you GET IT!" and then turn to my roommate and say "that was a RIDICULOUS LIE. Especially the only getting married once bit." Pretty sure I'm only in the bridal party to behave badly enough to make her look good. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Though that role is pretty much covered by Betty on MM. I just loved being able to sit there and commiserate with them for a minute. They deserve to kick back and bond with each other. That, if anything, is what's going to set off the next weekend. Moving towards consolidated female power in the workplace (Megan rumored to be moving toward copywriter). Peggy moving up changed her life and things for Don. But this allows for a great shift in office power dynamics.
And YES on Betty. I feel like the audience and writers and characters decide she's a child because the psychiatrist Don forced her to in order to spy on her said she was like a child because he was too incompetent to see she was depressed. It's not unreasonable for this one act of paternalism to lead to such a widespread perception, but I guess that's what they're going with. It just seems nasty, you know? She runs a house and takes care of a family which is more than a full-time job even with help. Those are not the acts of a child playing house. Any childishness we see is her desperate attempt to retain some individual identity, that's not Don or Henry or the kids, and I think that is admirable on its own, even if the actions she performs while inhabiting that identity are not admirable. But the show's doing something it didn't do before, which is judge her by how good a wife and mother she is and show her as a bad person by being a Bad Mommy, and there's no greater villain than the Evil Stepmother.
I think I just wrote a Betty apologia by accident here? sorry if got o/t Sedatives kicking in fast. <3
no subject
Date: Oct. 19th, 2010 01:59 pm (UTC)You know, that line struck me as odd, possibly because I've never heard that congratulations/best wishes distinction before. I definitely didn't interpret it the way you did. It seemed silly to me, and I can't help seeing the sexism - like, you congratulate the man on his triumphant masculinity, at his success in acquiring a wife. You don't congratulate the woman for that, because she didn't do anything - she just should be honored to have been selected, so you wish her the best for a future she has no control over.
ANYWAY.
PREGNANCY FAKEOUT DISLIKE.
Heh. I'm not too bothered by it. They've already established that Joan has had two abortions before - and it was No Big Deal - so I genuinely think they are doing this to serve Joan's character rather than shying away from letting her have the abortion. It makes sense that Joan would realize she may not get another chance to have a baby - and that's something she clearly wants - so she decides to keep it, not for moral reasons, but for herself.
I do think it's funny that Matt Weiner has said he didn't intend for it to be as ambiguous as people thought. He apparently thought it was clear she hadn't gone through with it, and thus not really a fake-out at all - but then he totally played up the ambiguity by not responding to direct questions until this episode aired.
I feel like the audience and writers and characters decide she's a child because the psychiatrist Don forced her to in order to spy on her said she was like a child because he was too incompetent to see she was depressed.
Huh. I'm not sure how the writers could have decided Betty was childish because a character they wrote said so, lol. The decision had to come first - they made him say that for a reason. And I think the portrayal of Betty as a child was always deliberate. It's not just the psychiatrist saying it; we've seen examples of it throughout. Most recently, Betty deciding to move because she's jealous of her ten-year-old daughter's relationship with a boy is incredibly childish. Betty's own relationship with Glenn emphasized how childlike she was - she relates to him as a peer, despite him being nine years old at the time, and she doesn't see anything wrong with indulging his attraction to her. Her refusal to talk to her father about his funeral arrangements revealed how sheltered she was from the realities of adult life. And I think it was absolutely deliberate that Betty felt so comfortable talking to Sally's child psychologist.
That's not to say that Betty's not depressed as well. I'm sure she is. She's also been abused by her mother and has turned into an abuser because it's the only way she knows how to relate to her children. But I don't think the childishness is something the audience is imagining about her based on one act of paternalism. I think it's been a defined part of her character for the entire course of the show.
The thing that bothers me is that prior to this season, that quality didn't define Betty as an evil person. Sure, she did some horrible things, but she also had legitimate grievances against Don - whether you liked her or not, she always had the moral high ground there - and so we watched her cope with some horrible things that were done to her, as best she knew how. But now it seems like they've abandoned that subtlety, and are focusing on her only as a bad person, not as a troubled person caught in an unpleasant situation.
On the other hand, I just read this post about Betty, and now I am reconsidering everything ever, lol.
no subject
Date: Oct. 19th, 2010 03:56 pm (UTC)Oh, it's definitely a sexist, traditionalist saying and I have no doubt he's correct on the etiquette. I just don't think it's in there by accident when he could have just said "best wishes." He's pointedly saying that congratulations are not in order, and Pete's really the only one in the room to know that.
they made him say that for a reason
Agreed, but I think the reason is that she's been sent to the psychiatrist to infantilize her. Admitting she's depressed means admitting there's something wrong in her life, rather than something wrong with her that just needs a head-pat. It's actually very on point with the use of psychiatry against women during that time period. Unhappiness turned outward was instability, unhappiness turned inward was immaturity.
She wasn't childish in the beginning, as I remember. She had bratty moments, like every adult I've ever known (dude, if early Betty was a child, Sterling Cooper is run by toddlers), but she was capable and compassionate and sexual and loving. "Betty is childish" happened in the later seasons because that is what happens when you force an adult into a tiny dollhouse with only tiny children to play with and take away everything that lets them respect themselves, and now I feel like it's taken over her character and all discussion of her character without recognition that this was in large part done to her. This is part of Dick's fantasy. (I know he goes by Don. BUT 'DICK' SUITS HIM.)
no subject
Date: Oct. 19th, 2010 10:47 am (UTC)I also thought it was great how awkward Peggy felt being compared to Megan. If Megan really gets to be a copy writer under Don's protection (which I think she might for a little while, before she gets pregnant and makes room for affairs in the work place again), Peggy will not take it lightly and neither will Joan.
The dilemma of successful women is highlighted in so many ways here. Faye is successful at work, but she gets dumped for the charming secretary. Her work and smarts get her no personal recognition at all.
Megan is about to go the traditional female way up, marry the boss, get fast what it took Peggy years of hard labour to get. She gets recognition all of the sudden, while Peggy is nearly ignored.
But then you have Betty as a reminder where this way leads. Megan might be better than Betty at motherhood but it's not what she wants and she might easily end up every bit as bitter and purposeless as Betty.
Joan also got cheated out of a real promotion with actually more money and we'll see what comes of her being pregnant.
no subject
Date: Oct. 19th, 2010 02:14 pm (UTC)I don't feel like I have a very good understanding of Megan, so I'm not sure what she wants, lol. She was very deliberate in her come-on to Don - was she planning to marry her boss all along, or did she truly fall in love and just lucked out that marriage comes with a promotion? And does that mean that her interest in copywriting is genuine, or just something she said to appeal to Don?
Joan's promotion seemed so poorly thought-out. Why even give her the title if there's no money to go along with it? It's almost more insulting than getting nothing at all.
no subject
Date: Oct. 21st, 2010 02:14 am (UTC)I added you to my circle, whatever that means. Not like I'll be actually posting things. Now it looks like I need to find a nice little picture thing.
no subject
Date: Oct. 21st, 2010 02:27 am (UTC)As for icons, you can snag some of mine (as you can see, I am rather addicted to teeny pictures), or go off in search of your own. :)