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. 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.