Mad Men: Just Try it, I mean Taste it.

 I cannot tell you just how much I enjoyed last night's episode.
Yes it was pretty light compared to the previous few, but I realllllllyyy enjoyed it. Maybe I was just in a very happy mood, but I found it funny enough to  laugh out aloud at some parts. And as we know, Mad Men doesn't really have "jokes" like usual tv jokes. But once you get into the grind of it, and know what you're looking for- well then this episode is gold.
See, as I've mentioned before here, MM tries to be as minimally contrived as it can be, and more and more like everyday. So the funny moments, especially funny moments for us viewers are ones that on another show we wouldn't even smirk at. But here, that's all you get; and in a series that is heavy on  heavy subtext ,nuance and undertone- these moments can be genius.

 The ones I enjoyed most from last night were:

1) Pete on the payphone and Harry Crane
 I'm trying to find a video for this one and I am failing. But this was in the first half of the episode again. Anyway it was hilarious. The thing is, I could imagine it happening to anyone; not just these characters. Its a situation taken straight from actual life. It interrupts a very desperate call that Pete is making to the Gilmore Girl and its unnecessary at that point of time which is precisely why its funny.

2) Pegs telling Don "Do you know where Abe is?"
Don calls the office looking for his wife. As usual the only person there is Pegs. Pegs is trying to find suitable answers to give to Don, which Don keeps rebutting and eventually an exasperated Pegs says, I don't know where she is Don do you know where Abe is?.I loved  it. It was such a legit thing to say. Of course, the ensuing " Pizza House" scene was hilarious. I'm really starting to like Peggy btw, she's so ballsy and dorky at the same time. Like in the Pizza House scene, we the phone first starts ringing you see her get like full tense and all, so as a viewer you are also made to feel like oh-no-whats-going-to-happen-anxious...only for her to yell PIZZA HOWWWSE in a somewhat Asian way.It was sooo out of  the blue And her expression after she hangs up is just priceless. Her expression reflects the viewer's reaction- WTF?
Pegs bhi na. What great acting though ( not just these scenes, general life on the series as well)

3) My Ken Cosgrove bopping and dancing.
As I mentioned before, I've developed a little soft spot for Kenny. He's such a  good boy. His little dance was toooooo cute,and Don looking at him up and down like wth-is-wrong-w-you was also the icing on the cake. He's adroable. I think he's my new love now cos lets face it Don is just no fun anymore.

4) Peggy filling in for Meg in the cool-whip thingie...
 and sucking at it.
 That just didn't go very well did it? But giving how Pegs has been throwing her weight around , it just made sense to make her fall a little bit. The little husband wife charade went horribleyet it was morbidly amusing. The moment she spoke you knew that this was going down.  Loved the look on Don's face when Pegs kept saying "just try it" instead of 'just taste it' . Then they fight like school children, and Pegs eventually tells
Don to shutup. How gutsy has she become? She's like a little don (not like draper, but like the mafioso).

5) Roger: Jane wanted to have kids, but then I thought why do that to someone?
     Enough said.

So those were my best. I also really enjoyed Harry and Peter's exchange. Harry has beocme such a lovable douche. I love that he's still scared that Megs might tell Don about his comments from the party (on Zou bisous). See that's what's good about this show, the continuation.
Also funny was Ginsberg wondering how he'll get his $15 back for lunch from Megs. 
" You know what takes guts? Never having money for lunch"

Other than that, I guess the only major plot development was Megs quitting which I am overjoyed by because eff it it had become the Megan show. I'm sick of seeing her. Hell why can that much screen time be devoted to Joan and Roger? Each week the central focus is Megs, Don and Pegs Gimme a break.  Megs is obviously a thorn in my path, Don has become a snoozefest to watch since I cannot watch him go around like a lovesick puppy all the time. The best scenes by far- in this entire season -of him are the fixing of Pete's faucet and him kicking down his apartment door. I guess because thats the only time we've seen him be a man this entire season- my apologies for the sexism.

I think,the age gap between Megs and Don is finally coming into play. I think for Don, he is being forced to come out of his little happy bubble. In his mind, he had made his own little choti si duniya w Megan, in which he was very happy, and everything was perfect and honeymoon phasey. Basically at 40, having lived half of his lifetime, he found his answers and his entire life in a way in his relationship w Megan- at least for now. He thought they had everything. But with Megan, cos she's so young- he's realizing that their relationship, their joint domestic happiness is not the be-all, end-all as it is for him. Its not the answer to everything for her. Its just one aspect. There are more things that Megan wants in her life other than a goodlooking, rich husband , a lavish apartment and fancy clothes.She's still young, and she wants more in life than to just be Don Draper's wife- a title a thousand would kill for.  Which brings us to the season's main conundrum: a person can have everything they want yet nothing that they need.

Also known as the Pete Campbell syndrome.

Anyway, with Megs out of the picture that means we don't have to see her in the office atleast. Annoyance.
Btw, I really don't want to use the term style star for Megan Draper, since j'hate but motherofjesus they're really giving her very nice clothes to wear. I loved the two coats she wore in this episode. The first was the patent leather trench coat that she wore that day she had to resign, and the second was in the last scene when she's going for her class. It was like an army green sort of thing with a leather collar. Gorgeous.

Okay, coming to Pete Campbell Syndrome.

I don't find Pete as despicable as others do in this episode because I really get the void he feels in his life, irrespective of the fact that it is totally self created, and he is just being selfish and pathetic.It happens. Pete's done everything the way he was supposed to; the wife, the house, the kid, the career- but it just doesn't amount to anything and he  feels reckless. I guess life has been the same for him for too long, and living the same day everyday can make you self destructive to an extent.



 

Yes, making  a move on his train buddy's wife was not the nicest thing, but tbh she really did come on to him and let's face it Pete has never been the beacon of moral high grounds. We all know he is a little twerp, with perfect potential sleaze capabilities so I dunno, this hardly makes me hate him... that too now, after four seasons of his being a despicable slimeball. In fact now is when I've started understanding him a little bit. I guess it has to do with the " Don, I have nothing" moment.
Also I found Rory to be too young to be that guy's wife. Maybe its cos I still see her as Rory.


Okay, that's about it. I hope we have more Joan and Betty next episode, it seems like those are my only two requests in each episode. 

Joanie Got Game.

Let me just start by saying that I have loved Joan since the start of the show.What an awesome woman. She has so much spunk and sass, and just the fact that she is sooooooo desirable despite being pretty curvy in today's size 0  world- that is no mean feat. But she does it so effortlessly, I mean she walks in a room and its hard, like truly HARD to take your eyes off her.

Exhibit A:

In addition to that, she is not one to be taken for a ride and she can take pretty goodcare of her self. She what she wants, and that what we see in this week's episode. We have known her husband is the biggest pos to exist since, I dunno, can't think, but you know she can do sooooooo much better. He's such a stupid. Always riddled with self esteem issues and a self-importance complex. Not to mention ungrateful. I remember in season 4 finale when Joanie told him over the phone that she was preggo he was asking if they were bigger. How much bigger can they get Greg, you have already been blessed with more than most people can even dream of, why can't you just be happy with what you have?

OMG. I have the most brill (read: brilliant)idea ever! you know who would be perfect like PERFECT together? BETTY AND GREG ( Joanie's husband). They are almost the same people, or equally whiny and maybe when they see themselves in each other they could see how annoying they can be, and reflexively become better. Both would do each other just fine. One would have to become stronger, and since Greg is such a wuss (despite being in Vietnam and all), we can't be sure that he'd take charge even though he's a man. We could even imagine a power struggle.














See with Joan you knew she was allowing him to be the pos that he was being because she like the idea of it all. Handsome, surgeon husband. Being a doctor's wife blah blah. She didn't know he'd turn out to be a dud.And a rapist at that. This episode we see her realize that she is better off without having to deal with the problem that is her husband. That he makes her life much more hard than it actually should be. He was too selfish to care about their marriage or the child that he thought was his. Not only did she dump him, but she did it so resiliently, so calmly, with so much poise- it was a breakup 101 for mere mortals. She wasn't the weak, quivering, crying woman- she was self assured. She knew this was best for her and that thats all she needed to know. She realized that the facade of being happy wasn't worth being unhappy over.
I'm sorry I just love Joan.

Best Scene Ever

Joan: I'm glad the army makes you feel like a man,because I'm sick of trying to do it

Greg: The army makes me feel like a good man

Joan: You're not a good man. You never were. Even before we were married, and you know what I'm talking about.




So this means Joan is back in the game now. Is she going to right back into Roger's arms? Can't wait for next episode.

How the mighty have fallen - Betty is fat?!

If Mad Men was looking for a shocker, well they gave it to us straight early on in the season, and as an indicator of the fact the more shockers will be coming soon, Joan in the third (fourth) episode dumps her self-esteem issued, rapist husband. What does this mean?
Of the two, people are decidedly more focused on Fat Betty. Yes that is what she is known as now, even online that's all I see: fat Betty this , fat Betty that- and I think maybe that was the point. Just imagine, for us as viewers , Betty isn't Betty anymore, the adjective has become a necessary addition to the name, as though old Betty cannot be mistaken for Fat Betty.
Lets get something clear, people are thoroughly enjoying this new plot line. Betty's transformation is a disgusting , but wildly interesting perversion that everyone seems to want more of. Its sadistically entertaining to see a person with a once hot bod become a fatty.Especially if the hot bod is considered one of the worst TV moms ever.

We are introduced to Betty's 'change' at the start of the second episode with  Sally tugging at Betty's zip trying to make it close. We've all been in that position so lets not pretend we don't know what it feels like. It sucks. And to see Betty in the position- it was morbidly fascinating. What had they done to her?especially when the next scene is that of that ho Megan being easily zipped into her dress by Don. 
What had the world come to?
When did Betty become that? Whyy? How? Did she even like food? we had barely ever seen her eat.
Well that changed in this episode.

Betty being fat is a HUGE deal.
The thing is, it seems, that the only redeeming quality about Betty was her unquestionable, can't-take-my-eyes-of-you beauty. Also, a great sense of style. Like I remember last year when I saw all four seasons in a row I desperately wanted to channel second season Betty in her equestrian outfits with capes. I desperately wanted the cape.I made the mother get me the leggings with thigh suede insets.  Her face, with any kind of makeup (and without) was just gorgeous. On Derby day, when Roger has recently married his secretary Jane- Betty looked out of this world gorgeous, while she was very pregnant. She's just one of those girls. Every time somebody discusses what a bitch Betty is, its quickly followed by- but she's gorgeous/beautiful/blah. They just can't help it. Her seriously psycho behavior does not put a speck on her beauty.
Having said that, with Betty being fat and all, her character has become irredeemable. As sad as that is, but its like the one thing she had in the world, her only edge, her only saving grace isn't there anymore.The shows writers are absolutely brutal to the character. Up till now (in the season), I just feel sympathetic towards fat Betty.

Towards the end of her plot line in the second episode we see that on some level she wouldn't have minded the cancer, so the issue of her being fat could be sidelined.She desperately wants to blame her condition (being fat) on someone or something- because that's what Betty does best- shift the blame. This one she doesn't have anything to blame it on too. Plus, it must be horrible to deal with,knowing how smokin' you were just a few months ago and now you're ashamed to be naked in front of your husband (who clearly still adores her and doesn't care). Will Betty be nice now that she is fat? I doubt it. We see the way she behaves with her MIL, and how when her husband is trying to console her about how it doesn't matter to him, she replies in a  straight,monotonous tone  " your mothers obese". Betty may have lost the edge in her looks, and in her tone of voice, but she is still as spoilt,selfish and whiny as ever. She just doesn't look as  good whining now.
The thing is , Betty has always felt this unbearable emptiness in her life.That is how we have been introduced to her since the very first season. That something is amiss. At some point I think she just doesn't know how to be happy. And as detestable as she is in the way she treats her children in season 4, you pity that her existence is like that of a hollow shell. Its like she is empty- and we don't know why, and I think even she doesn't know why, and perhaps now she has been trying to fill that emptiness up with food. She's not the first person to do it, and certainly not the last. In the last scene of that episode when we see Betty eating away the sundae alone in her kitchen, and seemingly very content in the activity. Betty has always felt to some degree, isolated from everyone else around her, and we have seen this urge in her to connect with someone on a deeper level-to have a confidante who she isn't afraid of being judged by, and it seems that she has found that confidante in food.
At some point you just wanna know, why is she so unhappy.What are the reason for her many miseries ?
The worst part is that during some scenes you actually get that she doesn't need a reason, its just how she is, and how people can be .  


Anyway, am looking forward to seeing Betty in a different light and seeing how her style will be evolutionized for this season,  given the weight gain and all.Maybe we'll see soem great plus size fashion


My favorite Betty looks: