Mad Men 5/27 (spoilers)

[daringmiss]

Oh My Heavens!





In the words of "Buffy the Musical"..."Where do we go from here?"

[letsbeawkward]

I am so sad Peggy left. It was the right choice but I love her so I want her around. I was furious when Don threw the money at her and asked if she wanted to go to Paris. Furious.

I am also sad that Joan did what she did. I didn't think she'd go through with it.

[mellie35]

Wow, this was a great episode. Was very shocked over Peggy.

The whole story with Joan was really sad.

[daringmiss]

I knew that Joan would go through with it, although I had hoped that she would tell them all where to shove it. (But then again, I never liked Indecent Proposal either)

What broke my heart was that she thought Don had voted for it...then she finds out afterward that he had been outraged, walked out and they voted without him. Joan has always wanted a man (or anyone, really, judging by her mother) to give a damn about her and she was disappointed again. We all know Pete is a sleaze-bucket, but Roger didn't put up nearly enough protest at having the mother of his child PIMPED out for an account and Lane was mostly concerned about the $$ he has embezzled.

[daringmiss]

And seriously, Peggy should have just said "Well since you are willing to raise my offer, let's just round it up to $20K for neatness sake." That girl has a bad poker face.

[DarcyLongfellow]

I hated this episode. It was so uncomfortable to watch.

Poor, poor Joan. My heart was breaking for her when you realize at the end that she had already gone through with it when Don told her not to.

How in the world can it be Mad Men with no Peggy? She has to come back somehow. And what is Kenny going to say about their pact??

[sporky]

yeah, i was WTFing the entire episode, but i did think it was a good one. i felt so bad for joan, and was slightly shocked that she actually did it. i guess everyone has a price and for a (possibly soon-to-be) single mother in the sixties, being made partner was a big freaking deal.

[hannamarin]

I was also surprised by cooper.

[thedutchgirl]

I liked this episode a lot. I think Joan went through with it because Pete had told her the partners had all discussed it and were in favor of it. She'd already lost their respect because they viewed her as a commodity. May as well do it and benefit. I'm glad Don told her that he had said no.

I also wondered if Lane pushed the partnership thing rather than cash because he'd used the money and couldn't actually give her cash.

[karinothing]

I don't think Peggy is gone. I think this could be an opportunity to introduce some new characters at the new firm. But she is a major character and I doubt she is just gone gone.

I actually am shocked that Joan did it. Tom and Lorenzo did a good wrap of of my feelings on the subject. It isn't that I can't imagine Joan using her body to get what she wants. It is that from this point on (in the partners eyes) she has been reduced to nothing more than a prostitute. She didn't gain partnership by working her way to the top. I feel like it erases all the efforts she made in the past.

[dr.girlfriend]

May 28, 2012 17:54:25 GMT -5 thedutchgirl said:

I also wondered if Lane pushed the partnership thing rather than cash because he'd used the money and couldn't actually give her cash.

I think that's exactly what happened. He knew he couldn't drum up the $50k...it was supposed to be from the partners' bonuses, and he forged a check out of those funds (and had already extended their line of credit to get it). Hopefully it will still work in Joan's favor, but Lane's reason for suggesting it was entirely self-serving.

[dr.girlfriend]

May 29, 2012 9:45:17 GMT -5 c7 said:

GREAT episode.

I read somewhere that $19,000 in the 60s is worth over $130K today.

Yeah, I think they did a good job of giving you clues to put money in perspective...that beautiful Jaguar was only $8500 if I recall correctly, $500 was enough to give whatisname Hare Krishna (ETA - Paul, I looked it up) a new start in California, and Joan said $50k was five times her yearly salary, so she only makes $10k a year and her position is pretty senior at the agency.

Roger Sterling -- What. An. Ass. "I won't stand in your way." But, I have to admit I was damn impressed with how casual he was on the the phone with the Jaguar guys. They do a good job of showing how he really sells.

And Don's Jaguar presentation -- Ginsberg presenting the tagline to him, and them him selling it to Jaguar. He is just MESMERIZING. I don't think I've seen a pitch that good since the Kodak carousel.

[dr.girlfriend]

May 29, 2012 10:25:00 GMT -5 c7 said:

May 29, 2012 10:22:25 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Yeah, I think they did a good job of giving you clues to put money in perspective...that beautiful Jaguar was only $8500 if I recall correctly, $500 was enough to give whatisname Hare Krishna (Pete? I get Pete and Harry confused) a new start in California, and Joan said $50k was five times her yearly salary, so she only makes $10k a year and her position is pretty senior at the agency.

That alone gives you an idea of how much more she gained in the "transaction." 5% in SCDP and voting power >>>>> $50,000 cash

Assuming Lane doesn't bankrupt the agency with his financial misdoings...it sounds like they are planning to fund new staff for the Jaguar campaign with the partner bonuses, and he's already spent a big chunk of it.

[dr.girlfriend]

May 29, 2012 11:22:28 GMT -5 @majorwife said:

And there is no way that Lane is getting out of this season alive. All signs point to someone dying and my money is on him. In a huge way.

I haven't picked up any hints about someone dying, but HOW NERVOUS was I when Peggy was waiting for the elevator given the elevator malfunction the other day! DH and I were both screaming, "Turn your head! Look before you step!"

I think I still have PTSD from L.A. Law. Main character just gets on an elevator and "poof" -- dead.

[Deleted]

This was a great episode. I have to admit though, that when Don threw the money in Peggy's face, his hotness level dropped significantly for me and it only slightly recovered as he was making that pitch..haha. Good for her for exercising her other options! I think this whole episode was about the power of a woman..even the jaguar was compared to a very beautiful woman/mistress-something beautiful you can finally own, whereas you will never own a woman. All of the women in Don's life are in these different roles now-his wife quits and may travel for her work, Joan becomes a partner overnight (literally!) and Peggy has moved on. I can't wait to see what's left this season.

[LateToTheParty]

This was a crazy episode!

I was so sad about Joan. At first I was like there is no way she would agree to do it. Then I was shocked that she actually did it. I felt so bad for her. I was also mad at Roger for going along with it. I thought if he had ever had any feelings for Joan he would not "vote" for her to do this.

I was also mad at Don for throwing the money at Peggy. Peggy has done so much for the agency I can't believe how he can act that way towards her.

I have to admit I loved the look on his face when Peggy told him where she was going to work. He was so mad, that was awesome!

I also loved Peggy's little smile before she got on the elevator. I also think she will be on the show in some capacity.

[backinpgh]

I wonder if they will keep following Peggy? Will she somehow end up back at SCDP?

Sad story with Joan. Although I must admit, if they offered me that kind of money...lol They only thing I'd be mad about is that everybody knew about it haha!

[dr.girlfriend]

May 30, 2012 13:29:23 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

Ugh, I'm sad about Joan. But more importantly, I don't get it. Like someone mentioned already, this just does not seem like her character, at all. I feel like her initial reaction to Pete's sleazy proposition was very Joan. I don't get how she basically did a 180 from that. I get that it's financial security and all of that, but still. She uses her sexuality to her advantage, sure, but not like that.

I didn't feel like this was too out-of-character for Joan. I think it happened at a really vulnerable time for her. She's not the hot young secretary all the guys are chasing anymore. She's got a baby, she's getting divorced -- we saw her having a mini-breakdown last episode when the divorce papers were served. As she said to Don, she's not getting bouquets of flowers delivered every day anymore. And we already know she can be "practical" in that she went ahead and married Dr. Rapist.

I think she is realizing she can't count on her looks forever, and this was an opportunity to have some tangible piece of security and power she could hold on to. I don't think she was truly considering it until Lane dangled the partnership in front of her. She has always had this kind of ruthless streak (see some of the advice she has given Peggy in the past) and I think she's the most ruthless of all with herself -- telling herself to just get past any hurt feelings to do what needs to be done. She's cringing inside, but she sucks it up because she's playing the long game. Not to mention it was a LOT of pressure...everyone was talking about the Jaguar account as a make-or-break moment for the agency, and to her knowledge all the partners wanted her to do this, and would blame her for the loss of the account if she didn't.

[msmerymac]

Joan's actions didn't seem out of character at all. She IS ruthless. Also, so what if all of the partners know how she got there? She'll be laughing all the way to the bank. Her vote still counts as much as everyone else's.

For the $50k? I don't think she would have done it. I agree that Lane tried to sway her because he didn't HAVE the $50k to give her.

Joan told Don last episode that she was "raised by my mother to be admired." Joan is the office manager. She is in charge of the secretaries - the female employees. She can control them through her personality. MEN she can control with her sexuality. That's it. Joan is smart, and talented, but she worked her way up there by being a glorified secretary. And when Don said, "Well, she's been with the company 13 years." - yes, but did anyone think she would make partner? Did anyone see Joan as an equal to the men? She has her own form of control over people in the office, but it's very different than anyone else's. We're also really supposed to be contrasting Joan's life, her "old-fashioned" values and her power with Peggy's.