Mad Men Season 6 Episode 12 The Quality Of Mercy

Tonight's episode debuted the new SC&P logo (pictured above). I love it, definitely looks like the time period. Is it safe to say the 60s and 70s was all about the ampersand? Now that we know Don's name and the company's name all that was left is to find out about the mysterious Bob Benson. Turns out our eager young man is not who he pretends to be. He never went to Wharton, and though he did work at Brown Bros. and  Haraman. it was as some kind of valet. Bob is stunned that when Pete confronts him with all this information and follows with "I've learned not to tangle with your kind of animal". Bob's only orders are to leave Pete out of it and get Manolo away from his mother.

Don betrays his pact to stop sabotaging Ted when he (and everyone in the office) sees that Ted is completely gaga over Peggy. First, I thought Don was just jealous that Ted is with Peggy. Harry calls from the coast with a big account from Sunkist and Don says absolutely not but after finding out about Peggy and Ted he calls Harry back and presents it to the partners. When that doesn't dampen the affair Don dampens the aspirin account Ted and Peggy are running. After which Ted confronts Don and Don straight out tells him he isn't thinking with his head, repeatedly. Ted can't argue that. The whole thing ends with Peggy calling Don a monster and Don in the fetal position on his couch. There isn't a woman in Don's life at this moment who doesn't hate him, at least a little.

Sally of course is at the top of the Don hater list. She's off to boarding school to get away from him and her mother too, probably. I can only imagine what it will be like when she is enrolled. On her trial one night her room mate hosts insist she provide them with cigarettes and alcohol. Ever resourceful Sally calls Glen and he turns up with a buddy, weed, and booze. It gets interesting though, when Glen goes off to a room with another girl, leaving Sally alone with his friend. The friend gets a little handsy with Sally and she gets Glen saying his friend was trying to force her. Glen reminds the guy that Sally is like his little sister and when he doesn't apologize starts beating him up. This is the interesting part, Sally is kind of smiling like she likes the fighting. It reminded me of when Betty set up her friend with the guy at the stables. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Or maybe has decided she does like Glen like that....

This and That

Roger's line about Lee Garner Jr making him hold his balls. I want the rest of that story...was Sal there?

Chevy actually shot Ken in the face, and Pete can't wait to take over for him.

The Rosemary's Baby aspirin ad 

Ted saying Peggy has "juice" experience.

Betty giving Sally a cigarette. It really was another time.

Don telling Betty both she and Jackie O. married well twice.

"You finally found a hooker who takes traveler checks" Don to Harry

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Magic City Returns to Starz June 14th

Magic City is returning to Starz Friday June 14th. It looks like the new season will be taking us to Cuba and giving us a lot more screen time with James Caan (Sy Berman).

Based on this first look at Season 2 clip Ike is feeling pretty guilty about the damage he has caused but isn't even considering throwing in the towel. Things are sure to heat up with Ike Evans (Jeffery Dean Morgan) trying to not only disentangle himself from the tentacles of Ben Diamond (Danny Houston) but also taking over at least some of his business.

Mad Men Season 6 Episode 11 Favors

Last night's episode, Favors, seemed like maybe it should be called, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished..

We start with Silvia's son, Mitchel who is 1A (first up on the draft list) asking Megan if she can help him get into Canada. Don scratches that quickly, and though he tells Megan to stay out of it, starts trying to find his own solution. First Don goes to Pete, who is not helpful at all and points Don toward Chevy with their government contracts, but not without getting in a jab about his not being on the account so he can't help. After taking Chevy's "temperature" to see if they can help our draft dodger at a client dinner with Ted, Jim Roger, and a couple Chevy guys doesn't go well Ted comes to the rescue. But Ted's favor isn't free, he wants Don to stop competing with him, like in this episode with OceanSpray and Sunkist. Don seems like maybe he isn't even aware he is doing that, but agrees to cut it out and genuinely thanks Ted for his help. How this will effect the company is yet to be seen.

Ted's favor does lead to Don and Silvia reconnecting. Silvia is of course moved that he has saved her son from being drafted, but I think mistakenly assumes he did it for her, I think he did it for Mitchel to save him from what Don experienced. We don't know how but Don and Silvia end up back in bed, which really isn't good for either of them.

In another story line we have Sally and her friend staying in the city at Don and Megan's meeting Mitchell and thinking he is cute, like Mark Lindsay lead singer of Paul Revere and The Raiders according to Sally friend Julie. The two girls make a list of all the things they like about him, his smile, shoulders, ass etc... Julie decides to sign Sally's name to it and slip it under the Rosen's door. When Sally is, understandable, upset by this she tells Sally she'll thank her for it. Another favor? Sally goes back to her father's apartment to get the letter, asking the door man for the building keys, as she has earlier. This time she goes to the Rosen's apartment and opens the service door. When the letter isn't right in front of the door she steps in and sees it on the opposite counter. She walks across the room to get it which allows her to see into the maids room, where she sees her father and Silvia having sex. 

All these good deeds, some definitely better than others but it all leads to pain and destruction anyway. Don chases after Sally and ultimately gives her a lame excuse about "comforting Mrs. Rosen and it being complicated." Sally seems to say OK that's the story we'll try to tell ourselves about this. But unlike so many things in Mad Men characters lives this happened and I don't think Sally will ever be able to forget it. Basically, she will never be surprised by how much this didn't happen. Don knows he's completely blown it too based on how awful he looks.

In yet another story line the nurse that Bob referred to Pete for his mother appears in this episode and seems to have started a physical relationship with her. Pete is not happy and wants to fire him. When he calls Bob on the carpet to confront him about his referral, Bob tells Pete he doubts it because the nurse is gay. Pete calls him a degenerate, which you can see makes Bob flinch. Then Bob launches into a long speech about how if someone took care of your every need couldn't Pete see developing feelings for that person and it not matter who they were. All topped off with placing his leg so it touched Pete's. I have to say I was surprise they had Bob call this one so wrong. Is he really suppose to have thought that Pete would go for him??? Still it is another example of favors not paying off for anyone. Pete's mother isn't going to be happy with the loss of her nurse and Bob just lost an ally in Pete. I wonder if Joan know Bob's gay?

This and that:

Poor Peggy in her scary apartment. She tries to get Stan over to help her with her rat problem even offering to "make it worth his while" which he doesn't believe. The closing scene finds her eating dinner in front of the TV with a cat. Feels like foreshadowing of a lonely life alone.

Peggy and Pete together again. When Peggy tells Pete about his mother's relationship with her nurse. They have a very close moment where Pete says Peggy is the only person who really knows him and she agrees. When Ted comes back to the table he can sense their closeness and doesn't like it. I still don't know what Ted's intentions are toward Peggy, maybe he doesn't either...

When  Henry comes home and is calling through the huge house and finds Sally and Betty in the kitchen saying why do we have a  mansion when we are always in the kitchen.

I felt like we saw a lot of TVs on in the scenes in people's homes, more than usual. Maybe just a nod to the fact that media is changing and people have really embraced it.

Stan has a poster of Moshe Dayan over his bed. He is such a poser.

Sally's Disneyland silhouette over her bed at Don's house

Peggy's face when Pete's mother start talking about their child.

Ted gets Mitchel into the Air National Guard which I believe is how George W. Bush avoided Vietnam.

More Mad Med wrap ups

20th Century Fox Back Lot Tour

I got to go on the 20th Century Fox lot today for a screening of Percy Jackson: Seas Of Monsters (which looks quite good by the way) and I took the opportunity to wander around the lot a little. There was nothing going on in their back lot area so I got lots of picture and I thought I would share them with you. Hope you enjoy them.

 

This is what the back side looks like. There are some patio railing ( if you look closely, you can see them) so I assume on occasion they dress the back sides for them, but not today.

 

I love all the facades. I wish I knew what was filmed here. If anyone knows please fill me in. The 1869 (below) if permanent might be easy to spot if I'm looking for it, which I will be now.

 This little movie theatre is gorgeous, I love the ladies above it. See below for detail of them.

And check out the creepy alley. I thought I was going to get mugged just looking at it. 

Here are a bunch of detail shot. It's amazing all the intricate work of the facades. Much of it has been painted over so many times it's beginning to loose it definition, but I still love it.

Hope you enjoyed my mini tour of the back lot a 20th Century Fox. It's sad they don't do tours because it really is one of the prettiest lots in LA.

For my earlier posting touring the entire 20th Century lot

Mad Men Season 6 Episode 10 A Tale Of Two Cities

Tonight's episode, A Tale Of Two Cities, is representative of so many relationship on this show as well as Don and Roger's trip to LA and New York. LA and New York may be the least divergent of these. The actual story of A Tale Of Two Cities is about life before and after a revolution, with fits into 1960's America perfectly.

Seeing Don and Megan cuddling and talking about Don's trip to LA. They're being kind of sweet to one another but they're saying really mean things. She says she made the worst mistake of her life when they got together on the trip to LA with the kids. Then when she tells him to stay away from actresses, he says he hates actresses. Are they fighting??? You really see how divided they are as people while they watch both the democratic convention and the riots that followed. Their experience of both are incredible different.

The scenes between Peggy and Joan were fascinating. These are two women who are both on career paths with no way beaten for them. As much as they struggle with one another's methods they also support one another in their own way. They have so much in common as working women, even more than they know if you include the children they both have by coworkers, that they pretend didn't happen. Still Peggy has gotten a lot of help from men along the way, while Joan hasn't. She feels she has to make her own way and if that means cutting Pete out, so be it.

SCDP and CGC are one but really they are still two separate entities.  Cutler is definitely over SCDP partners and with the odd decision to change their name too Sterling, Cooper and Partners, I think he's convinced Chaough to stage a coup. Why would they cut their names out that way, willingly? I think they're setting them up in a false sense of security so they can get away with something else. 

Don and Roger's trip to LA. I'm giving Roger a pass for basically calling LA a primitive land with hill billy natives. LA and NY are represented as really different worlds. Don and Roger walk around in their buttoned up suits, while everyone around them in LA is in Nehru jackets. When Roger runs into Danny at a party he tries to belittle (pardon the pun) him, needling that once would have worked ends with Roger getting socked in the gut by now Daniel J Segal. The world has changed.

Finally there is always the duality that is Don/Dick. As soon as he took a hit of the hash pipe, I thought we were in for some flash backs, but we got an insane and almost deadly hallucination. It starts with Megan turning up saying he is free to be with other women, because we all share in LA, which by the way is where she lives. I don't know if that means he feels he left the real Megan (the one he wanted to be married to) in LA, or if she feels as though she lives on the opposite coast from him. Either way it doesn't bode well for their relationship. Suddenly, Megan morphs into Dinkins, the solder he stood up for in Hawaii. Dinkins' is missing an arm and tells us that his wife thinks he's MIA but really he's dead. Don asks when he'll get his arm back, which leads to the remark "Dying doesn't make you whole, you should see what you look like." 

We cut back to reality here and Roger has pulled Don from the pool. The last lines we hear before the Megan hallucination is Don saying he's thirsty and the woman with him saying "there's a pool full of water out there". The strange thing is when Don is looking at his body floating in the pool he is wearing white pants, but when he's pulled out they are black. Might be some good old white death imagery, or something else. Roger is wearing white pants. Does he want to kill the Roger in him and move out to LA with imaginary Megan who told him she was having his baby and they had a second chance?

This and That:

Roger, Don and Harry at the carnation meeting being served chocolate milk.

Ginsberg blowing up at Cutler, and then Cutler calling him on the hypocrisy of his politics and cashing his checks from Dow and Chevy.

Avon doesn't know whether to be groovier or nostalgic. Seems like there is a lot of that going around.

In the final scene Pete smokes the joint Stan was smoking in the art room. Was I the only one that remembered Pete can't smoke? He's tried before and has huge coughing fits...

For all my Mad Men Posts

Last Night of Illeana Douglas' Second Look on TCM

NEW LEAF

courtesy of TCM

Tonight is the last night of Illeana Douglas's hugely popular turn as a  TCM guest host. Every Friday night in May she has hosted films worth a second look, and boy can she pick em. Each week it has trended on twitter with the hash tag #TCMparty. Illeana tweets along giving insight into the films as well as just kibitzing with TCM fans.

Tonight's line up begins at 5pm ET and includes A NEW LEAF (pictured above),1941, THOSE LIPS THOSE EYES, and ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS. if you haven't caught any of these make a point to do so tonight and if you have seen them, well then I'm sure you'll be back.

courtesy of TCM   

Friday night's in June will focus on noir writers and will be hosted by Eddie Muller, author of Dark City -The Lost World of Film Noir. 

Friday, June 7

Written by Dashiell Hammett

8 p.m. – The Maltese Falcon (1941)

10 p.m. – City Streets (1931)

11:30 p.m. – After the Thin Man (1936)

1:30 a.m. – The Glass Key (1942)

Friday, June 14

Written by David Goodis

8 p.m. – Dark Passage (1947)

10 p.m. – Nightfall (1956)

11:30 p.m. – The Burglar (1956)

1:15 a.m. – Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

Friday, June 21

Written by Jonathan Latimer

8 p.m. – Nocturne (1946)

9:45 p.m. – They Won't Believe Me (1947)

Written by James M. Cain

11:15 a.m. – Double Indemnity (1944)

1:15 a.m. – The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Friday, June 28

Written by Cornell Woolrich

8 p.m. – The Leopard Man (1943)

9:30 p.m. – Deadline at Dawn (1946)

Written by Raymond Chandler

11 p.m. – Murder, My Sweet (1944)

1 a.m. – The Big Sleep (1946)

Mad Men Season 6 Episode 9 The Better Half

I think they meant The Better Half ironically as the title of tonight's episode. Do any of these couples have a better half? They're all pretty badly behaved.

 Let's get right to the meat of tonight. Don and Betty- As soon as I saw her in the gas station my heart started to pound. We finally got to see Don and Betty back together and in a whole new dynamic. Betty's new look seems to have come with a sharpening of her manipulative nature. Which is probably what drew Don to her in the  first place. With Don's upbringing he can only be drawn to women who are pushing him away, or are even being mean to him. He may not realize but Betty has just set him up. I bet he'll be chasing her around for the rest of the season. Betty definitely has got his number maybe it was the therapy but her saying " That poor girl (Megan) she doesn't know that loving you is the worse way to get to you." Says it all.

Chaugh and Don are still fighting it out and it looks like Peggy is their battlefield and or prize. Peggy tells Don that Chaugh cares about the idea and Don only cares about his idea. Don says "Don't let him fool you" and "he doesn't know you". Then Chaugh plays his I'm in love with you card and then draws it back when Abe and Peggy break up. All Chaugh's kind deeds and acts may be just his way of manipulating people. Either way Chaugh's halo is seriously dented after tonight's episode.

Roger is flailing around trying to find some identity. Grandpa didn't really work out, though I must say Planet of The Apes isn't that bad of a movie for a four year old by 60s-70s standards. After his daughter calls to tell him he will no longer be trusted alone with his grandson, he runs over to Joan's to see if he can get the father position open there. No Dice. Roger has spent his life running around acting like a child and now he wants to be an adult and no one will trust him.

Peggy and Abe are done. Abe kind of reminds me of my father he went into the 60s a liberal in a suit and came out completely radicalized with an afro and a huge mustache. Peggy and him have been on different tracks from the beginning, remember the article he wrote about her (Nuremberg on Madison Avenue)?  It's insane that she actually had to stab him to bring the whole relationship crashing down.

Henry and Betty seem to have developed a kinky little pattern. She gets him all torked up with jealousy and then they have sex. She probably learned this from her relations with Don, make sure your man never knows whether you love him or are about to leave him. This is going to get exhausting for all involved.

This and That

Every time we see Don and Megan in their apartment sirens are sounding in the streets below.

Pete and Harry calling the new firm the 27 Yankees. Basically saying their bench is loaded with heavy hitters.

Duck is back as a head hunter. The should have called this character cat, he seems to have 9 lives.

Bobby playing a major part in two episodes in one season, and getting his parents back together. This must be fantasy camp.

Who took Roger to see The Golem  as a boy??? Youtube link to movie The Golem

Butter is fresh and Margarine is indestructible. Guess which is Don and which is Chaugh?