Mad Men is back!
Our cable is still not working correctly since we moved, so I'm watching the episode online. Let's begin!
Random Thoughts As I Watched The Episode In No particular Order:
Opening in on Megan-drinking and being vain about her looks? This doesn't seem good.
Don is reading the inferno- which started to make me think what if each season of the show represented a ring of hell?
Love that they are in Hawaii which just is so sixties to me. My grandparents were obsessed with Hawaiian decor, Polynesian things, and all things Tiki themed in the sixties. I think at one point my grandmother even had a Tiki decor themed room.
Don's face when Megan came back with the pot, Don and his relationship with drugs has always been interesting one to watch. It reminded me of his time with Midge. Don is about control, controlling every little part of his life, which is not surprising when someone is trying to hide a secret life or identity.
Lol- that fan- who says that to someone? You look trimmer in person than on TV? And Megan? I didn't even know they had it in Minnesota.
I love how the guy at the bar states that something about being married makes a man want to live longer, something to live for and then asks Don is he was married when he was in Korea. Sad, the the real Don was married and didn't actually make it out alive.
Megan's dress that she threw on when she got up reminded me so much of Betty's dress that she was wearing when Don and her returned from Rome. The Italian fashions are finally going mainstream almost five years later. Rome was a distraction for them like perhaps Hawaii will be a distraction for her and Don?
Henry's mother- oh Sally looks pleased at the Nutcracker. Love Betty's hat and coat, such contrast to Megan's wild animal print coat, which I equally love. Sally referring to her mother "Betty got a ticket." ha!
Um, don't even know what to say about Betty edging Henry on about raping that girl. Morbid and twisted.
I thought it was very realistic that Sally was jealous of her friend's attention that she received from Betty. On one hand as a teenager just as you are always annoyed with your mother, you are still wanting her to be proud of you. The girl nailed it out of the park as she talked about college, dropping out marrying, and then moving to the country, Betty called it an arrogant assumption, but it pretty much summed up Betty's life. The whole conversation was very honest look at generational differences and quite possibly right up there with Betty shooting the neighbor's birds as one of her most maternal moments on the show to date.
Betty was definitely being "reckless" and going out of her comfort zone this episode. I felt there was growth in her character.
I could also never imagine being that young and sitting there smoking with a friend's mother.
Death was an obvious theme in the episode, from Don's reading of the Inferno, visions of people dying, having died, actually dying, and Betty and the young girl talking about losing their mothers. A very morbid start to the season, the themes of last season's finale "The Phantom" have carried over. There were some very dark themes throughout the episode, as much as people complained that season five was dark, I have a feeling this season will be much darker as they move through the times.
I have to say that I like how Christmas is always portrayed on this show, its so very realistic in many regards, a bit lonely for people, and the writers of Mad Men aren't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes that days of Christmas past were all heavenly nostalgia. There is an extreme sense of loneliness that hovers over the holidays in the show, thinking of the past and the future, and those they have lost.
Roger Sterling in therapy, oh how times have changed. Remember him telling Don that it was just this year's pink stove and then to have the ad with the pink stove. ha!
I thought it was interesting that Season Four opened with Don being interviewed about the new firm and the whole pretend second floor routine, and then this season opened with the same theme of publicity except this time, they actually have a second floor.
Don's face when the photographer told him he wanted him to be himself. Priceless.
Did they change Margaret's husband? He doesn't look like the same actor.
It's horrible, but I laughed so hard when Don threw up after the line "My son is my sunshine." Obviously, we know why this would upset him, but that line. Just too much.
It was a beautiful scene when Roger finally broke down and cried over the shoe shiner's box who had passed away. Suddenly he was dealing with his mother's death while possibly seeing a vision of his future.
Stan and Peggy still being friends. So great. I love how far they have come in their friendship.
What the heck happened to Ken? It just seemed so unlike him to be that rude.
Does Mona look better with age? Never noticed it before, but they did an amazing job casting Margaret in terms of looking like a younger Mona.
Abe's hair was a riot, Ginsberg's mustache made him look like a seventies porn star. Harry just looked ridiculous and Pete keeps losing his hair. That peak. Too much.
Peggy has another crush on her boss? She was very much Don's protege when she was talking to her workers, very reminiscent of the The Suitcase episode about just wanting to go home.
I didn't hate Betty's hair, and thought Henry's comment about her looking like Elizabeth Taylor was cute, no more Grace Kelly. I do actually like Betty ( I know- so many people hate her) and I do like her and Henry together. There is a closeness there that is real unlike her and Don's. They do love one another.
I will admit, as much as I liked Betty's hair, couldn't help but think when she walked into the room, "oh my she's turning into Henry's mother!" I also thought it was interesting that she did decide to go with dark hair, since most of the women that Don had cheated on her with had dark hair like his own mother.
I think my grandparents had that Fondue set. My bachi actually had almost the exact same dress that Megan wore last season for the Cod Fish Ball episode.
But please, can we just do away with Bobby?
and of course- Old Don is back. We have missed you.
Lastly, clothes that I would like in my closet from tonight's episode:
Megan's Bikini and dress that she wore to the Luau
Betty and Megan's fur coats and hats. Two different styles, equally as stylish.
Peggy's green coat. Amazing. Color of the year 2013.
Jane's dress she wore to the funeral.
The dress the doctor's wife was wearing at the "Happy New Year -we've trapped you into watching our wonderful vacation to Hawaii" party.
My Favorite Roger Quote of the Night
When asked if he wanted to call his aunt back after hearing of the passing of his mother:
"No, she's a fruitcake, she'll want to have a seance."
But in conclusion- we need more Joan.
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