Today was Jon Hamm Day. It was a good day. Came upon the last 15 minutes of Bill Maher's show with Hamm on it. Later in the day, saw The Town with him in supporting role. Came home and caught up with a taped Daily Show with...Mr. Hamm. THEN, actually watched Mad Men in real time and gazed at...Jon (He's now just Jon.) Whew.
Mrs. Blankenship goes belly up (or head down). NOOOO!!!! I loved her. I kept waiting for her to pull her disguise off and reveal herself to be Debra Messing! She brought such needed comic relief to this show, including her own unseemly, undignified Exit Stage Left. I thought I'd bust a gut watching the staff try to wheel her out of clients' views. This was vintage I Love Lucy. I shall miss her. She gave us one last great line: "This is a business of sadists and masochists. Which are you?" Ooh, a statement about life in these here United States, I suggest. Thought-provoking.
Love the little details in this show, like the guy parodying Pet Clarke's "Downtown," just to fade to a bar with her hit playing in the background.
Most of my pals have little patience with the Sally sub-plot, but she intrigues me. I notice she is starting to look and act like Betty. (watch her gestures) Yikes. And she is a vehicle for revealing different qualities and weaknesses in Don. He loves her so; just doesn't know what to do with her; I noticed she got her pizza. Poor Daddy Don, so inept.
Continued focus on women in the workplace suggests to me that this series could make its own pop culture university course. Peggy's resentment over Blacks breaking barriers before women shows a refreshing honesty. Minority du jour. Her referencing the glass ceiling before it was even coined reinforces her representation of so many women then and since. (Side note: I've often said women need to take up golf just to be in on deals brokered on the golf course, but even that doesn't work, as women's tee boxes are apart from men. I felt that detachment many times when some courses have substantial distance between tee boxes. Or the guy driving my cart [tom] would forget and drive past my tee box. But I digress...)
I was not at all surprised about the Roger/Joan "reunion." My t.v. lets off steam every time they are in the same scene. Dang it, I LIKE them together.
Anyway, the final freeze shot of the three working women in the elevator was captivating. Each is making her own way in her own way. Played against vintage "flowing chiffon" music makes one wonder what we women really are pursuing.
Did I mention it's Jon Hamm Day?
OK, Valerie, it's clear you've got a crush on our handsome star! But then, so does my dear spouse...and maybe most women in America! But if its Jon Hamm day, you had a darn good excuse for all those pictures! (haha)
ReplyDeleteNow down to business. Let me first note that this episode was so strong it ranked up there with the very best MM ever made. When it was over, I just said, "WOW!"
Since "wow" is not as detailed as we might prefer, I believe that you provided the rationale for admiring this episode. A few thoughts on your observations:
The hysterical, noirish way the writers disposed of Mrs.Blankenship had us laughing out loud...but also regretting that they did her in. Darn, she was such a humorous, wonderful character...the antidote to the sexy young things serving Don. Bummer about her departure.
Petula Clark: Oh yes, delightful! Particularly when you consider the words to Downtown.
Politics: Fantastic the way Peggy is moving toward consciousness of the Black cause...and how others don't want anything to do with it. And great how she notes that women are also victims of a racist society.
I too am intrigued by little Sally, who is actually growing up in front of our eyes. She is a haunting mirror image of Mom. I don't like any form of verbal abuse toward children, so Don's and Betty's harshness toward her turn my stomach. Okay, maybe that's how some parents addressed kids back then....but not all.
Women in the workplace: Indeed, that's the focus now. And how powerful the portraits are! Love all the women as they interact with each other and Don.
You mentioned "steam": Joannie is as Marilyn Monroe-ish as actresses get. She's delightful every time she's on stage.
Grade of A+. Darn near perfect, in my mind.
One more thing...This whole episode centered on the day from hell. Don was in that rare position of having no control over anything! Hamm wore that frustration well on his face. I empathized with flashbacks of many a day at school when EVERYTHING happens: kid gets sick in class, parents calls, lesson fails, even lock-down.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to watch an episode or two from MM's first season to compare the Dons. At the start here was a guy who had it all. All under control: work, home, even mistresses. He was riding high in his work. Nothing could puncture that veneer. And now... This character might go down as one of the most fascinating tragic heroes of pop culture.
Nice observation, Valerie! Yes indeed, Don's been on a course with disaster...and he plays the lack of control with great apblomb. In fact, the issue of control is a constant with ALL the characters....even Don's ex. I too remember off days at work. When it rains it pours!
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