I actually really kind of love that almost everyone on Mad Men is so hugely unlikable, but with so many flashes of heartbreaking wretchedness under the shiny, cigarette-stinky facade. Even Pete, who is basically a horrible little tick, has had brief moments where you can see that he's genuinely doing the best he can; he's just hopelessly fucked-up and wrong, and possibly even dimly aware of what a horrible little tick he is, just completely clueless as to how to make himself one iota better or different.

JZ, you are brilliant and summed up perfectly what I wanted to say about the series. So much pain under so much shiny.

What did y'all make of the neighbor's boy, the one with the hair fetish?

I'm not sure what to think about that kid, but I think he was important to highlight how lonely Betty is and how she had really no one to talk to.

My take on that whole skin-crawly thing is that (a) the kid is seriously creepy; (b) Betty has been very, very well trained in complaisance and passivity and has incredible difficulty saying no to anyone; and (c) even though she's mildly creeped out by the kid, she desperately wants to unload on someone who's attentive and responsive (definitely not Don, and her analyst certainly listens but never responds, plus he's being paid to listen and this kid, however inappropriately, is actively seeking her out). I'm pretty sure nothing good can come of it.

YSkinCrawlyTakeMV.

I did feel for Pete in the one ep where his new wife and her family...well, they gang up on him and plan his life for the duration. I'm not sure if we are supposed to expect anything...pathological from Glenn, or if in some weird way they just don't fit, so this weird bond develops...I think I've been halfway conditioned by my decade-long L&O habit for him to begin stalking her or do something sick to the Drapers' dog.

I'm so glad I'm not going to be alone in my Mad Men fixation this season. *g* One of Lewis' aunts, who's terribly literal and closed-minded, especially for a woman who works in women's health services as a nurse, said she watched an episode of it and found it horrible how it represented women.

And when I said it wasn't meant as some kind of political statement, but rather a representation of a slice of American culture during an era at which we were at huge crossroads, she looked at me as if I was speaking Urdu. Then again, this is the same woman who referred to Love Actually as having porno scenes and when I said that it was actually a brilliant way in which to execute the most innocent of the love stories, told me I was--wait for it-- an idealist.

I like that the characters are flawed and interesting. You understand everybody's motives. You see the flaws of the era and the sexist, racist, anti-semitic, homophobic culture. Nobody's completely irredeemable. Nobody's untainted.

It's very sharply written and it looks beautiful, and the stories were very compelling.

It's so beautifully layered, too- just something new revealed each week.

this is the same woman who referred to Love Actually as having porno scenes

Huh? I obviously haven't watched Love Actually nearly enough.

Huh? I obviously haven't watched Love Actually nearly enough.

The relationship with the couple who were employed as body doubles on a film. They spent most of their scenes buck naked, having the most lovely get to know you conversations.

The relationship with the couple who were employed as body doubles on a film. They spent most of their scenes buck naked, having the most lovely get to know you conversations.

Aww, but they're so sweet and not the least bit offensive that I completely forgot about them being naked. I love Love Actually.

I get all of your posts about Peggy's denial (rest in WF):

but I am just not thrilled with that development. Both because of the "development" (and lack thereof) of the character. I mean is there no one on the show who is absolutely fucked up besides characters we likely won't ever see again?

And the whole time I'm just worried about the effect on the baby of all the BC pills and I just wish there was a different way to demonstrate denial than through pregnancy under those circumstances.

I put this in the category of things I wish had never happened.

But you know, I think it was sort of inevitable, because of

Pete's home situation and his wife wanting to get pregnant and his absolute belief that he wasn't ready for it. Mostly because he was a selfish git.

I'm thrilled they're starting this season fourteen months after the conclusion of last season's finale. It's going to make things very interesting, I think.

Re Glen the neighbor's boy.

I think I've been halfway conditioned by my decade-long L&O habit for him to begin stalking her or do something sick to the Drapers' dog.

On the one hand, I had an equal but opposite thought, that the kid needed something desperately that he couldn't articulate. In reaching out for her hair, he's reaching out for connection and help, and because Betty responded so ... inappropriately, and now is dumping her crushing need on him... he's not only not getting anything of value from Betty, he's going to be disappointed or even shattered later. I'm worried about him. He needs art therapy, or something. I don't see that anything good for him can come from the relationship the way it is now.

The mother seemed pretty cool though. Is she too wrapped up in walking, working, and fending off would-be affairs with her neighbor's husband to see that Glen is needy?

Or perhaps I'm overthinking. On the other hand, as I said, I just don't know what they are doing with the kid, besides using him to show us Betty.