Mad Men 6x03 -- "The Collaborators"
Apr. 15th, 2013 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wildcard_47Leave it!
Trudy and Pete. I'm only talking about her in relation to this plotline, because she is a queen. And because, given her decision to end the partnership/emotional aspects of their marriage, it's time to talk, once again, about why these two crazy kids got together in the first place. One of the first aspects we saw of the Campbell marriage, after it had time to settle, was that Trudy was just as ambitious, if not more so, than Pete. She wants what she wants, but she also knows that Pete, at his very core, is weak. Think about their entire relationship. She wanted to be married to an up-and-coming accounts man. Pete had severe reservations about marriage, culminating in sex with Peggy the night before his wedding, but Trudy got her way. They married. Trudy wanted a posh Manhattan apartment, but they couldn't afford it? Ask Tom for the money. They got it. She wanted kids and they had trouble? She convinced Pete first to consider adoption, then to see a family practice doctor. They had Tammy. She wanted to move to the burbs? I think you see the pattern.
Interesting that while Pete has rarely said no to Trudy, she has said yes to a lot of Pete's dirty business. (Boys' Life, the city apartment, etc.) If Trudy thinks their lives will be improved or stay steady, she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep up that image.)
Remember: Trudy also knows Pete hasn't been faithful to her. Think about the au pair of season 3, who worked in the apartment next door. When Trudy came back from visiting her parents, Pete confessed that affair, and basically says "I don't think you should go away without me anymore." She agreed, so they never mentioned it again. But she was willing to let him backslide into infidelity as long as her prized real life -- her life as a mother and a matriarch of the house -- stayed in one piece. When Pete -- stupid, stupid, stupid Pete -- took his dalliances so close to home that it was within shouting distance of their front door, that's when Trudy was done. It seems like she realized there's ambition and then there's foolishness. Seems she's smart enough to get that trying to change Pete into a different man -- a stronger, secure man, one who'll be happy with what he's got -- is foolishness. "If you so much as open your fly, I will destroy you." TRUDY SMASH.
Wonder how much of this drama is going to eventually travel into Peggy's ear, since she's on Clearasil and she and Ted interact with Tom a lot. And Tom's a loudmouth after he drinks. AND - lest we forget - he already thinks Pete is a bastard. What happens when she tells her mother they're essentially separated on a permanent basis?
Pete....welcome to the life of Don Draper lite. You're on season 2 now. Enjoy living in Manhattan again. I guess.
Heinz: It took me forever to place Timmy from Ketchup (who played Sunshine in Remember the Titans! OMG!) but he plays the perfect ambitious little shit to Raymond's old dog. Thanks to how awfully he treated Peggy last year, I can't say I was sympathetic to Raymond's plight -- though the words "first time in nine years I've been noticed -- they put me on a suicide mission" made me sit up. The constant power dynamics this season between the old guard and the young ones eager to replace them have been fascinating, though. Interesting that Peggy is the only younger character being presented as one who has more than enough potential to undermine Don/her predecessor, but willfully chooses not to...for now. As opposed to Bob, Timmy, Peggy's underlings, etc. who are clearly ambitious and have plenty of ideas/energy but seem to lack the creativity/business savvy to make that hunger into something more productive. Or Pete and Ken, who have the skill sets but are held back by outside forces.
I don't think Stan's tip will burn many bridges between him and Peggy, if it stays private and CGC waits before they pounce. Sure, he'll know why Ted and Peggy got their hat into the ring so early, and might be pissed that she let slip a secret, but Stan as a rule seems to only care about work when it affects him directly. So unless Chaough opens his big mouth while trying to bait Don, or the resulting blowout between the Heinzes becomes too big to ignore, I think Stan'll eventually get over it. After all, he knows more than most about what Peggy will do when she sets her mind to succeeding on an account. (Let's get liberated, screaming at Raymond, etc.)
The person I think the Heinz coup -- if it happens -- is going to hit hardest is Ken. Who is clearly dying to get ketchup and is frustrated because his hands are tied. If Peggy wins it, that'll be a professional and personal blow for Ken, because she reneged on the pact (and their close friendship) to go to CGC in the first place. And now she's doing what he can't -- bringing in the Coca-Cola of condiments.
Re: Peggy specifically, I wasn't surprised that her underlings tried to disrespect her. It was hilarious watching her try and fail to be nice to them. Though two things stood out for me in the scene where she finds the deodorant. One: she was dressed much like Joan -- the Joan of last season. Column of color dress + print scarf. Two, while the underlings' prank was less crude and cruel than Joey's drawing of Joan, within the subtlety of the fake "campaign" were some low blows. It's not just a block of deodorant -- it's feminine hygiene powder. Ouch. Nice to see that Ted didn't find it funny, and that she didn't have to explain to him what was wrong with it.
Also, Phyllis is fabulous. I want her to be around all the time!
And re: Joan:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
smokingguncafe warned me that the surprise guest star would be upsetting. I did not think I would yell FUCK NO at my computer screen when we saw Jaguar the Hutt again. "Hello, gorgeous." UGH GOD JESUS CHRIST NO.
"And I know there's a part of you you haven't seen in years." Ice cold. Standing ovation, please, for a lady who can come up with that kind of retort on the spot. And notice after Pete sprints in to intercept Jaguar, there is a terrified Meredith peeking over his shoulder. Someone's in trouble.
Though Joan was very crisp to Don after barging into his office, the silent, contained fury and that giant glass of gin make me worry about her. She doesn't have anyone to talk to, with Lane gone. And she can't keep everything compartmentalized. I'm torn between "please talk to someone" and "please don't let it be Don."
Next week's preview: she's wearing aqua floral print and sitting on the same side of the partners' table as Cooper. If the timeline stays the same it'll have been a year since Lane's death. Are they are going to start talking about changing the agency name, now that enough time has passed? Or are we going down the rabbit hole of his suicide? Either way, I'm already crying.
Megan and Sylvia: I'd just like to take this moment to say, again, that I think Megan can't have children. Not that she wants them, obviously, but so much emphasis has been put on her possible motherhood and how much of a wrench it would throw into her life that I just can't help thinking she'll never carry a child to term. If she's able to get remotely close (more than six weeks, I guess), I imagine she'd try for an abortion. On one hand, Megan does not need to be anyone's parent right now. Home life isn't her priority, and she's already having enough trouble with the stepkids as is. Not to mention Don's legion of issues and constant kid abandonment. But on the other, I think fertility issues of any kind (and the guilt that follows) will eat away at her. She's young, and she's like Marianne Dashwood in that she feels things just a little too strongly. Megan will let it get to her until she has to take something to deal with the feelings.
I enjoyed the Megan/Sylvia dynamic, and I find Sylvia interesting. She reminds me of Rachel Menken -- or at least, what Rachel Menken probably turned into, fifteen years after she married Tilden Katz. Someone who is smart, but bored. The only problem with the Rosen storyline is that we have to see so much Don in order for it to play out.
Also: DON GAVE HER MONEY AFTER THEY HAD SEX. HE IS THE WORST.
In other parts of this episode that were not surprising but made me annoyed, Don has even more literal madonna/whore mommy issues. Don lived in a brothel before Adam was born. Don watched his foster parents do it in the ---- no, sorry, that's still too much. Can we have a Don-lite episode, please?
Trudy and Pete. I'm only talking about her in relation to this plotline, because she is a queen. And because, given her decision to end the partnership/emotional aspects of their marriage, it's time to talk, once again, about why these two crazy kids got together in the first place. One of the first aspects we saw of the Campbell marriage, after it had time to settle, was that Trudy was just as ambitious, if not more so, than Pete. She wants what she wants, but she also knows that Pete, at his very core, is weak. Think about their entire relationship. She wanted to be married to an up-and-coming accounts man. Pete had severe reservations about marriage, culminating in sex with Peggy the night before his wedding, but Trudy got her way. They married. Trudy wanted a posh Manhattan apartment, but they couldn't afford it? Ask Tom for the money. They got it. She wanted kids and they had trouble? She convinced Pete first to consider adoption, then to see a family practice doctor. They had Tammy. She wanted to move to the burbs? I think you see the pattern.
Interesting that while Pete has rarely said no to Trudy, she has said yes to a lot of Pete's dirty business. (Boys' Life, the city apartment, etc.) If Trudy thinks their lives will be improved or stay steady, she's willing to do whatever it takes to keep up that image.)
Remember: Trudy also knows Pete hasn't been faithful to her. Think about the au pair of season 3, who worked in the apartment next door. When Trudy came back from visiting her parents, Pete confessed that affair, and basically says "I don't think you should go away without me anymore." She agreed, so they never mentioned it again. But she was willing to let him backslide into infidelity as long as her prized real life -- her life as a mother and a matriarch of the house -- stayed in one piece. When Pete -- stupid, stupid, stupid Pete -- took his dalliances so close to home that it was within shouting distance of their front door, that's when Trudy was done. It seems like she realized there's ambition and then there's foolishness. Seems she's smart enough to get that trying to change Pete into a different man -- a stronger, secure man, one who'll be happy with what he's got -- is foolishness. "If you so much as open your fly, I will destroy you." TRUDY SMASH.
Wonder how much of this drama is going to eventually travel into Peggy's ear, since she's on Clearasil and she and Ted interact with Tom a lot. And Tom's a loudmouth after he drinks. AND - lest we forget - he already thinks Pete is a bastard. What happens when she tells her mother they're essentially separated on a permanent basis?
Pete....welcome to the life of Don Draper lite. You're on season 2 now. Enjoy living in Manhattan again. I guess.
Heinz: It took me forever to place Timmy from Ketchup (who played Sunshine in Remember the Titans! OMG!) but he plays the perfect ambitious little shit to Raymond's old dog. Thanks to how awfully he treated Peggy last year, I can't say I was sympathetic to Raymond's plight -- though the words "first time in nine years I've been noticed -- they put me on a suicide mission" made me sit up. The constant power dynamics this season between the old guard and the young ones eager to replace them have been fascinating, though. Interesting that Peggy is the only younger character being presented as one who has more than enough potential to undermine Don/her predecessor, but willfully chooses not to...for now. As opposed to Bob, Timmy, Peggy's underlings, etc. who are clearly ambitious and have plenty of ideas/energy but seem to lack the creativity/business savvy to make that hunger into something more productive. Or Pete and Ken, who have the skill sets but are held back by outside forces.
I don't think Stan's tip will burn many bridges between him and Peggy, if it stays private and CGC waits before they pounce. Sure, he'll know why Ted and Peggy got their hat into the ring so early, and might be pissed that she let slip a secret, but Stan as a rule seems to only care about work when it affects him directly. So unless Chaough opens his big mouth while trying to bait Don, or the resulting blowout between the Heinzes becomes too big to ignore, I think Stan'll eventually get over it. After all, he knows more than most about what Peggy will do when she sets her mind to succeeding on an account. (Let's get liberated, screaming at Raymond, etc.)
The person I think the Heinz coup -- if it happens -- is going to hit hardest is Ken. Who is clearly dying to get ketchup and is frustrated because his hands are tied. If Peggy wins it, that'll be a professional and personal blow for Ken, because she reneged on the pact (and their close friendship) to go to CGC in the first place. And now she's doing what he can't -- bringing in the Coca-Cola of condiments.
Re: Peggy specifically, I wasn't surprised that her underlings tried to disrespect her. It was hilarious watching her try and fail to be nice to them. Though two things stood out for me in the scene where she finds the deodorant. One: she was dressed much like Joan -- the Joan of last season. Column of color dress + print scarf. Two, while the underlings' prank was less crude and cruel than Joey's drawing of Joan, within the subtlety of the fake "campaign" were some low blows. It's not just a block of deodorant -- it's feminine hygiene powder. Ouch. Nice to see that Ted didn't find it funny, and that she didn't have to explain to him what was wrong with it.
Also, Phyllis is fabulous. I want her to be around all the time!
And re: Joan:
smokingguncafe warned me that the surprise guest star would be upsetting. I did not think I would yell FUCK NO at my computer screen when we saw Jaguar the Hutt again. "Hello, gorgeous." UGH GOD JESUS CHRIST NO."And I know there's a part of you you haven't seen in years." Ice cold. Standing ovation, please, for a lady who can come up with that kind of retort on the spot. And notice after Pete sprints in to intercept Jaguar, there is a terrified Meredith peeking over his shoulder. Someone's in trouble.
Though Joan was very crisp to Don after barging into his office, the silent, contained fury and that giant glass of gin make me worry about her. She doesn't have anyone to talk to, with Lane gone. And she can't keep everything compartmentalized. I'm torn between "please talk to someone" and "please don't let it be Don."
Next week's preview: she's wearing aqua floral print and sitting on the same side of the partners' table as Cooper. If the timeline stays the same it'll have been a year since Lane's death. Are they are going to start talking about changing the agency name, now that enough time has passed? Or are we going down the rabbit hole of his suicide? Either way, I'm already crying.
Megan and Sylvia: I'd just like to take this moment to say, again, that I think Megan can't have children. Not that she wants them, obviously, but so much emphasis has been put on her possible motherhood and how much of a wrench it would throw into her life that I just can't help thinking she'll never carry a child to term. If she's able to get remotely close (more than six weeks, I guess), I imagine she'd try for an abortion. On one hand, Megan does not need to be anyone's parent right now. Home life isn't her priority, and she's already having enough trouble with the stepkids as is. Not to mention Don's legion of issues and constant kid abandonment. But on the other, I think fertility issues of any kind (and the guilt that follows) will eat away at her. She's young, and she's like Marianne Dashwood in that she feels things just a little too strongly. Megan will let it get to her until she has to take something to deal with the feelings.
I enjoyed the Megan/Sylvia dynamic, and I find Sylvia interesting. She reminds me of Rachel Menken -- or at least, what Rachel Menken probably turned into, fifteen years after she married Tilden Katz. Someone who is smart, but bored. The only problem with the Rosen storyline is that we have to see so much Don in order for it to play out.
Also: DON GAVE HER MONEY AFTER THEY HAD SEX. HE IS THE WORST.
In other parts of this episode that were not surprising but made me annoyed, Don has even more literal madonna/whore mommy issues. Don lived in a brothel before Adam was born. Don watched his foster parents do it in the ---- no, sorry, that's still too much. Can we have a Don-lite episode, please?
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no subject
Date: April 15th, 2013 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: April 15th, 2013 10:23 pm (UTC)I'm just trying not to get excited over next week. I'm sure the minute I hope for any residual Lane scenes, MW is gonna crush my hopes to dust and have her make out with Don or something.
no subject
Date: April 16th, 2013 03:08 pm (UTC)The problem is, by the time I get through reading Sepinwall and T&L, I pretty much have nothing to add to the discussion!
Reading what everyone writes is what makes me like Mad Men so much, but I feel like I rarely have insights that haven't already been put out there!