Linda's column in Monkey See made some good points (like I said above). I think in my heart of hearts something didn't seem right about the ep. I could justify all of the actions with good reasons, and I could easily lob a counter like Linda has. Regardless, something about the ep didn't quite "FIT" for me. I thought the acting was pretty superb, and I was repulsed by every aspect of the Joan storyline, but I am not going to say this is my favorite ep in the series. Is this better than "The Suitcase?" "A man walked into an advertising agency?" "Shut the door, take a seat."

No.

Inadvertently, Linda brought up an issue that has been at the back of my mind for a bit with the show. As much as I love Mad Men, I think they have always had periodic issues (not as bad as some programs I could name) with consistency of characterizations. Don generally seems to be the most consistent (though some fans seem to be doubting him this season), after him I think Peggy - though I might argue that Peggy has been the most consistently portrayed all along.

The rest have these weird inconsistencies all throughout. So while I guess I kind of agree with Linda, I think eh, why get mad about it when we have had these issues here and there across time.

Not completely inconsistent, but in my view at least, painfully unsubtle.

Oh, shit -- the fur Joan is wearing at the hotel is the one Roger gave her. I love Tom and Lorenzo's fashion analyses. [link]

I love Tom and Lorenzo's fashion analyses.

I bet they win Janie Bryant more Emmys.

I don't watch Mad Men, but that's still an interesting analysis. I need to see one on something I watch to see if I buy it.

Often when I read fashion analyses on Supernatural, and I think they're mainly full of shit. But that costuming is so second nature that at least one of the stars seems to appear in public in the same clothes.

But that costuming is so second nature that at least one of the stars seems to appear in public in the same clothes.

Yeah, I think Sam's wardrobe is mostly based on Jared's at this point.

The Killing: seriously? Linden was going to marry her psychiatrist, quit her job, and drag her son to another state, and that was the healthy getting-her-life-together choice? Papa Larsen forgiving himself or whatever that was also super annoying. Sorry for trying to kill you a couple weeks ago, I fixed your porch light! Now I gotta go get a dog for my son the bird stomper.

I have hardly ever felt as insulted by any show as by "The Killing" Maybe when Fonzie literally did the shark jump.

A friend of mine interviewed Christina Hendricks for GQ - she had some interesting things to say:

[link]

I liked her answer to this question:

GQ: Hypothetically, had Joan known that Don was sticking up for her, do you think that would have made her reconsider?

Christina Hendricks: [Pause] I don't know. I don't know that it would have. But I think that it meant a lot that one person out of all those people—not even Roger!—actually cared. A lot of what last season was about in terms of Joan was getting no respect. These new guys were in the office and they were treating her so poorly, she's been there forever and she's running the ship and she's getting basically shit on every day at work. And here, this scenario comes up, and the father of her child doesn't even say, absolutely not. So at least one person, out of this entire crew, cared.

And also:

GQ: One of the most powerful moments in the episode was seeing Joan lock eyes with Don at the partner's meeting, both of them knowing what had happened. What was going through Joan's head at that instant?

Christina Hendricks: As I was playing it, it was sort of, "Don't judge me, I'm in this room," "What's done is done," and "Thank you," all at once. It's this sort of, here I am and let's move forward. And just, really owning it, and yet, we're not gonna discuss it.

Peripheral thoughts on Madmen:

1) The first time Don is in conflict with Joan will he lose is temper and say something unforgivable about how Joan got her partnership? My guess: yes.

2) Does Don now think of her differently? Did the part of him that believes that "all women are whores" just get reinforced? Given his issues, I'd again guess "yes'.

3) Offhand I can't think of any TV character who was not a serial killer with as strong a Madonna/Whore complex as Don. Maybe I'm forgetting somebody?