Mad Men - "My Old Kentucky Home" - 8/30/2009 [Text View]

kdelande

08-30-2009, 11:43 PM

Well, outside of some tension building between Don and Roger and Peggy's funny matter of fact comment about wanting to smoke pot, not a whole lot else going on.

The money thing with Grandpa was awkward as was the guy putting his hand on Betty's belly.

What did Harry's wife get so pissed at? Was she jealous about Pete and Trudy getting attention during their Charleston? Seemed childish. Not sure if I missed something there.

I hope Grandpa's comment about "all hell's about to break loose" when referencing the book is about to come true about the show, I'm ready for it.

KD

spikedavis

08-31-2009, 12:35 AM

My God what an episode. Nobody does subtley and nuance better than Mad Men.

Plus did you see Pete dancing?

BriGuy20

08-31-2009, 01:51 AM

Nice episode.

Pete can dance! Not sure if that was Christina Hendricks singing (sounded close to her but dubbed), she seemed to do a nice job pantomiming the accordion too.

I think the pot bit showed that Peggy is perhaps the only driven non-executive of the bunch, while everyone else seemed to dilly around she seemed to actually come up with something after smoking. As she said, maybe she was working after all.

Can't wait to see what's coming.

503Blunts

08-31-2009, 06:56 AM

Weed smoking AND a minstrel show all packed into one episode? I'm going to need a minute.

gossamer88

08-31-2009, 07:36 AM

Plus did you see Pete dancing?

He was hilarious...in a good sort of way.

TeighVaux

08-31-2009, 10:51 AM

How cow! What was all that?:) Usually I say a show has jumped the sharked once the actors start doing song or dance numbers when it is out of character.

So today we had six of the cast singing and dancing and playing away, Roger's minstrel act, Joan's accordian/French chanteuse, Peter and Trudy's Charleston, and Paul and Other Guy's "Hello My Baby".

Loved it all though and the songs and dances seemed to fit into developing the characters.

So is it just that Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss can't sing that they didn't get a shot?

Great episode.

I think Harry's wife was jealous not of Trudy dancing but it appears to here that Pete is a higher caliber spouse and she had to settle for second best. Pete comes from money/family, better job, better smoozer, and now a better dancer.

5thcrewman

08-31-2009, 11:11 AM

I think Betty is going to have a stillbirth just like Jackie will in September.

The 'no kicking' and the mention of Jackie's due date at the dinner party are too coincidental to have in one episode.

I didn't know the part about Happy only being 1 month divorced before she married Nelson. I'm suprised I don't remember it being mentioned when he became VP.

TiVo'Brien

08-31-2009, 12:18 PM

I thought maybe it was just me, but I see that the NY Times column on this episode agrees. Weiner seems to have focused almost exclusively on characterization with this episode. I think the only story line I saw advanced was how Betty's father's presence was affecting the household. As such, I was kind of disappointed with this episode. I like good characterization, but when it becomes the primary focus of a whole episode, I have to ask what's the point? Last night's episode seemed a touch self-indulgent (Matthew Weiner being the 'self' here.)

Even so, I still enjoyed the episode. It was good to see Jane again. Seeing her so drunk really made Don appreciate Betty at the end. I'm not sure what the point of the interaction between Betty and the belly-toucher was. Peggy doing pot surprised the heck out of me. Boy, her secretary sure is dedicated - either that or has no life. She did seem kind of scared, though, like Peggy said.

Pete being such a good dancer I thought was in perfect character for him. It's my perception that people who come from old money like he does would be sent to classes during their childhoods that would round out their social skills - social dancing, formal table manners, etc. By contrast, Harry looked like a schlump. I was shocked when he and his wife weren't asked to sit down when they visited Don's table. It was interesting to watch Trudy's reaction to all the baby talk during introductions. She handled it in her usual classy manner. :up:

I wonder what happened to Joan's husband's job? It seemed to me when that topic came up he jumped up and had Joan bail him out with her accordian, ooo-lah-lah. :)

Magnolia88

08-31-2009, 12:40 PM

It was good to see Jane again.

Yeah, it reminded me how much I hated her. I wanted to smack her when she was all superior to Joan. I get nosebleeds above 86th St. :rolleyes:

I wonder what happened to Joan's husband's job?

I dated a surgeon for years. They said he had a "bad result." That usually means the patient died, and I got the impression that is what they were talking about ("it's a tough operation, you shouldn't feel bad, blahblah"). But apparently he didn't discuss it with Joan and didn't even want her to know about it.

TeighVaux

08-31-2009, 12:47 PM

Good point, Tivo'Brien that Pete and Trudy may have just been good dancers considering their upbringing and social experiences.

I read one post on another message board that suggested that Pete and Trudy, knowing the genre of the party, and the visibility, may have deliberately rehearsed the whole dance.

Actually I think it is more O'Brien's theory here that formal dancing was just more a part of their class strata for that time.

I think Betty liked the attention she got from the belly rubber guy. She seems to be an attention addict to me and craves attention, even inappropriate attention.

I also noted the unspoken dynamics of Don and Pete not inviting Harry and wife to sit down, especially when there were two empty chairs. I almost thought Betty or Trudy would invite them to join them but left that up to the husbands.

Cindy1230

08-31-2009, 01:21 PM

I was too disappointed with this episode. I always look forward to watching this every Sunday night but I'm always disappointed with the pace. At the end, when Don was walking to Betty through the grassy knoll.. I was just like, come on, walk faster! I never FF'd, but I really wanted to this episode, when there was no dialogue.

I'm more interested in all the characters work lives than what the do on the weekends.

And in case you were curious when New Mexico became a state,... 1912.

5thcrewman

08-31-2009, 01:25 PM

Pete and Trudy's Charleston routine looked like it was lifted from It's a Wonderful Life without the floor opening into the pool part.

TeighVaux

08-31-2009, 01:33 PM

Pete and Trudy's Charleston routine looked like it was lifted from It's a Wonderful Life without the floor opening into the pool part.

+1 Good point, I had not even thought of that, although in the back of my mind, I had been thinking, this looks familiar.

Many actors come from a music theatre background and can already sing and dance. I looked up the background of Vincent Kartheiser and Alison Brie and it doesn't appear they come from a musical theatre background so that made their dance all the more impressive. Must have taken a fair amount of practice with a choreographer. That would have gotten three 10's from the Dancing with the Stars judges.:)

I was thinking that the "Harry/wife waiting for invite to sit" scene was borderline Seinfeld-esque. I was reminded of the scene where Kenny Banya came into the diner where the group was sitting and when an invite to join was not offered, he just said hey move over and sat down to their dismay. At least Harry/wife knew not to "invite themselves" to join although some people might do that. They "got it".

zalusky

08-31-2009, 01:37 PM

If this was a traditional show like Dallas or such, I would expect Peggy secretary to be a mole collecting dirt for somebody else like one of the admins. Being from the Sopranos it just seems about LIfe in the 60s and thats how it is stuff.

vman41

08-31-2009, 03:53 PM

I thought Joan's handling of the argument with her husband was masterful. She basically won, then proposed an alternative dinner plan to sidestep the conflict.

avery

08-31-2009, 06:10 PM

Pete and Trudy's Charleston routine looked like it was lifted from It's a Wonderful Life without the floor opening into the pool part.

That was ALL I could think about during their entire *routine* also! :D

I too (like the anonymous poster TeighVaux mentioned) felt, it's one thing to dance well... another to do a very coordinated, highly choreographed routine. Pre-rehearsed.

TeighVaux

08-31-2009, 06:52 PM

Great lines:

"I have GOT to bring a date next time."

"No one thinks you're happy, Roger, they think you're foolish."

firerose818

08-31-2009, 08:51 PM

speaker city

08-31-2009, 11:03 PM

I had no idea Jackie Kennedy had a baby in August of 1963. I just read about on Wiki - the condition that killed the baby (Respiratory Distress Syndrome) is what kept our son in the NICU for five days. I'm so thankful for medical advances.

Whoa. I remember the comment being made to Betty at the party, but it didn't register in my mind that JFK would be killed a month later. 63 was a rough year for that lady.

When Don turned on the radio before leaving for the party, I turned on closed captioning because I thought it might be another cool "easter egg" pertaining to what was going on in the world at that time. Kinda bummed when it was about corruption in the state liquor board.

Pretty sure Christina Hendricks was lip-syncing.

What book was Sally reading to Gene? The Odyssey?

Gunnyman

08-31-2009, 11:11 PM

The fall of the roman empire

lpamelaa

09-01-2009, 01:01 AM

I was distracted by how much the pot dealer looked, sounded and acted like Tom Cruise. I thought I was watching Risky Business for a minute!

Gunnyman

09-01-2009, 07:08 AM

You weren't the only one. Eerie.

IJustLikeTivo

09-01-2009, 10:11 AM

DevdogAZ

09-01-2009, 12:54 PM

Pretty sure Christina Hendricks was lip-syncing.
She was definitely lip syncing. The question is whether she was lip syncing to her own voice recorded in a studio, or whether that was someone else singing.
The fall of the roman empire
I found it odd that they appeared to be at the end of the book, yet Grandpa said to her, "Just wait. All hell is going to break loose." Shouldn't all the "action" have already happened that close to the end of the book?
I also noted the unspoken dynamics of Don and Pete not inviting Harry and wife to sit down, especially when there were two empty chairs. I almost thought Betty or Trudy would invite them to join them but left that up to the husbands.
For all we know, there were assigned seats at the party, which is why Harry and his wife were way over in the corner and by themselves. I doubt they'd have done that to themselves deliberately. But the fact that they were seated away from the rest of the Sterling Cooper folks reinforced to Harry that he's not one of the up and comers, and it reinforced to his wife that she's married to a nobody, at least as far as Sterling Cooper goes.

bicker

09-01-2009, 01:54 PM

Mad Men has been renewed for a fourth season.

Regina

09-01-2009, 09:23 PM

Mad Men has been renewed for a fourth season.

Well, let's all toast that with some Bacar-Di-Eisenhower! :up::up::D

dbranco

09-02-2009, 06:32 AM

I was distracted by how much the pot dealer looked, sounded and acted like Tom Cruise. I thought I was watching Risky Business for a minute!

We said the same thing! His name is Miles Fisher and if you look at his IMDB page, some of his pictures look like a Cruise-twin.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0279702/

Cindy1230

09-02-2009, 09:44 AM

I was glad to see more of Carla. We've never seen her without Don and Betty around.
I was relieved that Gene didn't automatically accuse her about the money.

lpamelaa

09-02-2009, 10:07 AM

I was glad to see more of Carla. We've never seen her without Don and Betty around.
I was relieved that Gene didn't automatically accuse her about the money.

So, I wasn't clear if Gene knew that his granddaughter was a thief the whole time or not. There was one point where he was looking at her strangely (and not the scene where she tosses the money into the kitchen to "find" it.) Thoughts? Sometimes this show is so subtle that I don't know if *I'm* the one missing a point or if it's purposely ambiguous.

tem

09-02-2009, 10:15 AM

I practically pissed myself when Roger showed up in blackface. That scene was hi-lar-i-ous.

Other than that, the best storylines for me were Joan showing she's the master of both home and office (not that it's a big surprise), even though Dr. Rapist can think differently. The "I don't want to argue .... well then stop talking" exchange was great.

Not surprised Peggy smoked the pot. She's "not like all the other girls" and needs to feel part of the boys club. Getting stoned was just another way to show that she can hang.

TiVo'Brien

09-02-2009, 10:17 AM

So, I wasn't clear if Gene knew that his granddaughter was a thief the whole time or not. There was one point where he was looking at her strangely (and not the scene where she tosses the money into the kitchen to "find" it.) Thoughts? Sometimes this show is so subtle that I don't know if *I'm* the one missing a point or if it's purposely ambiguous.I'm guessing since Gene had two kids of his own, he suspected Sally, particularly since she showed up when he was indisposed.

More important, though, I think is how the missing money must have made him feel like he's losing what's left of the mind he still has. Hopefully Sally realized what a terrible thing it was to do to a man who's losing his mind.

Cindy1230

09-02-2009, 10:32 AM

Sometimes this show is so subtle that I don't know if *I'm* the one missing a point or if it's purposely ambiguous.

I totally agree. I usually come here or read alan's blog (http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2009/08/mad-men-my-old-kentucky-home-decline.html)to see what I missed.

I did catch with the gang at Sterling Cooper...when they were mixing drinks, and smitty said, we only have olives... and Peggy's secretary's name is Olive.
I'm not sure if that's a literary technique or not.

barbeedoll

09-02-2009, 11:19 AM

The money thing with Grandpa was awkward as was the guy putting his hand on Betty's belly.

KD[/QUOTE]

I took Betty allowing the guy to touch her belly to mean that although they seem back together, thinks are pretty much a sham in that marriage. They are together due to the upcoming baby. Don messed around with the stewardess last week, and even thought she's pregnant Betty is still interested in other men.

Barbeedoll

barbeedoll

09-02-2009, 11:23 AM

At the end, when Don was walking to Betty through the grassy knoll.. I was just like, come on, walk faster! [QUOTE]

My TiVo cut off as Don was walking away from Roger in the tent and out across the lawn. What did I miss?

Barbeedoll

pex

09-02-2009, 11:51 AM

What's more, he does a devastating Tom Cruise impersonation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjGmZJu8OnY&feature=related)!

We said the same thing! His name is Miles Fisher and if you look at his IMDB page, some of his pictures look like a Cruise-twin.

pex

09-02-2009, 11:57 AM

I haven't seen it posted here, but did anyone notice that the Connie who Don meets at the bar is probably Conrad Hilton, Sr.? The midtown Hilton opened in 1963 which might be the reason Conrad ventured away from his beloved San Antonio, New Mexico.

Best line after Peggy watches the corny glee club duet: "I am so high."

DevdogAZ

09-02-2009, 12:25 PM

My TiVo cut off as Don was walking away from Roger in the tent and out across the lawn. What did I miss?

Barbeedoll
He walked to Betty, who was standing off in a corner of the grounds, and they started making out [FADE TO BLACK]

DevdogAZ

09-02-2009, 12:32 PM

I haven't seen it posted here, but did anyone notice that the Connie who Don meets at the bar is probably Conrad Hilton, Sr.? The midtown Hilton opened in 1963 which might be the reason Conrad ventured away from his beloved San Antonio, New Mexico.
Very interesting. Didn't realize that, but you're probably right. Wonder if that's just a passing "Forrest Gump" type of meeting, or if that chance meeting will open doors for Don in the future.

cheerdude

09-02-2009, 01:12 PM

I haven't seen it posted here, but did anyone notice that the Connie who Don meets at the bar is probably Conrad Hilton, Sr.? The midtown Hilton opened in 1963 which might be the reason Conrad ventured away from his beloved San Antonio, New Mexico.

Wiki has it listed in Conrad Hilton's page... Didn't even think about it until now.

pex

09-02-2009, 01:46 PM

mcb08

09-02-2009, 02:07 PM

One last thing has been niggling at me. Everyone at the party, with two exceptions, seems to love Roger's blackface act. However, both Peter and Don both have this raised eyebrow you've-got-to-be-sh**ting-me expression on their face. Don even seems disgusted, decides he needs a drink, and bails.

Was blackface out of favor in the early 1960's? As I recall, country clubs still had exclusionary policies well into the 1980's (and perhaps a few still do). So something that was at best tasteless, at worst racist, might still be flourishing in an exclusively white country club. But if this was the case, certainly Peter Cambell wouldn't be shocked.

Maybe the simpler explanation is that they both thought Roger was just making a fool out of himself?
That was my take on it. The Civil Rights movement would have been a hot topic around this time, too. Don is certainly liberal enough that I imagine he would have been disgusted by it, too.

BobB

09-02-2009, 02:55 PM

One last thing has been niggling at me. Everyone at the party, with two exceptions, seems to love Roger's blackface act. However, both Peter and Don both have this raised eyebrow you've-got-to-be-sh**ting-me expression on their face. Don even seems disgusted, decides he needs a drink, and bails.

Was blackface out of favor in the early 1960's? As I recall, country clubs still had exclusionary policies well into the 1980's (and perhaps a few still do). So something that was at best tasteless, at worst racist, might still be flourishing in an exclusively white country club. But if this was the case, certainly Peter Cambell wouldn't be shocked.

Maybe the simpler explanation is that they both thought Roger was just making a fool out of himself?

While blackface was by no means common or popular by the '60s, it certainly could have happened in a setting like that. But I take it as yet another example of the writers' ongoing desire to hit us over the head with how different things were back then. It was included more to shock a 21st century audience than to amuse a 1960s one.

zalusky

09-02-2009, 03:59 PM

The 60s are all about transition from the old ways to the new ways.

Roger represents the old ways(1940s/1950s), Don and his cronies represent the current ways(early 1960s), and Peggy represent the new ways(late 60s and 70s). I think it definitely would have been out of place if the middle crew did it and in fact I thought there were mixed reactions depending on there backgrounds.

Jeeters

09-02-2009, 10:00 PM

So today we had six of the cast singing and dancing and playing away, Roger's minstrel act, Joan's accordian/French chanteuse, Peter and Trudy's Charleston, and Paul and Other Guy's "Hello My Baby".
...
So is it just that Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss can't sing that they didn't get a shot?Elizabeth Moss had her shot last week sing "Bye Bye Birdie" in front of Peggy's mirror.

Loved her little speech to her secretary in this episode. "I have my own office. With my name on the door. My own secretary. ... And I'm not scared of any of it."

cheesesteak

09-03-2009, 07:41 AM

I liked Gene's method of dealing with the granddaughter. She knows she got busted and feels bad about it. No use in punishing her any more.

Betty letting a total stranger feel her pregnant belly was just weird. I find Betty to be weird anyway. She expresses almost no tenderness to her daughter.

Three totally different but equally boring parties in the same episode. I hope the next party is at Carla's house.

TiVo'Brien

09-03-2009, 08:32 AM

Interesting interview (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2009/09/02/dcl.bryan.batt.intv.cnn) on CNN's website with the actor who plays Salvatore. :up:

kdelande

09-03-2009, 10:30 AM

Neenahboy

09-04-2009, 09:36 PM

I loved the episode. It was all about exploring the distance that plagues everyone:

Betty from Don;

Don from his past life, which in this context includes Roger;

Betty moving farther and farther away from her father as she realizes she either can't give him what he needs or doesn't want to;

Sally from her parents (and I think this will only intensify once the new baby arrives; it's interesting to see the generational shift with regard to rebellion, and I'm actually surprised she hasn't done more of it to this point, tame as it is);

Joan from Greg as she reduces herself to doing whatever necessary to keep the peace, as witnessed with the seating arrangements and the accordion.

dagojr

09-07-2009, 04:35 PM

Vincent Kartheiser .

good god im slow.. i just realized why he looked familiar... Connor.

nyny523

09-08-2009, 09:11 AM

good god im slow.. i just realized why he looked familiar... Connor.

And it only took you until Season 3!!!:D

Jonathan_S

09-08-2009, 10:34 AM

I found it odd that they appeared to be at the end of the book, yet Grandpa said to her, "Just wait. All hell is going to break loose." Shouldn't all the "action" have already happened that close to the end of the book?(Just caught up on the last couple episodes). The book was "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Part 1", presumably all hell breaks loose in part 2. :D

(I just wish that FIOS actually carried AMC in HD. It's amazing how much better the Amazon HD download looks, but I don't think it's really worth the cost)