Talking Mad "The Strategy"

After what many perceived to be a lackluster episode 5, this past week Mad Men responded with what could very well be one of the best episode the series has ever aired.  "The Strategy" provided so much interaction between so many characters, delving into story lines that had gone quiet and giving us some of the most heartfelt scenes  the series has ever produced.  Needless to say, I am so pumped for 10pm!

Need to catch up before then?  Listen to "The Strategy" Podcast

This week had some really great looks, but my favorite had to be Megan's purple crochet dress set.  I loved everything about this look; from the bag and shoes, to the hair fall and all the rings.  Say what you will about the likeness of Megan, but Janie Bryant sure does dress her to the nines each week.  hands down, the look of the week.

Speaking of which, many people, including Tom and Lorenzo, weren't big fans of Joan's blue look above.  I personally love this "relaxed" type look for Joan.  It's very period correct for a woman of her age and situation.  Plus, it's the perfect 1969 option for a woman who still wanted to accentuate her hourglass shape -- something Joan has always been conscious of.

Here's a few fashion features I really enjoyed this week:

- Christina Hendricks on her favorite Joan looks

- The Mad Men Fashion File had some really great insights this week, but I do believe that Barbie has made an appearance before, in Season Three when Sally gets a present from Baby Gene.

- Check out the real Burger Chef they used to shoot the scenes

- And I will leave you with this, my favorite scene from last week:

Talking Mad: "The Monolith" and "The Runaways"

| Mona making a return in "The Monolith."  She wins best look of the week for Episode 4 |

Sorry I missed last week's Talking Mad.  But to make up for it, I have not one, but two podcasts to share with you guys this week!  Tobi (of Space Lion) and I shared our thoughts on both "The Monolith and "The Runaways" respectively.

LISTEN TO "THE MONOLITH" PODCAST

| Megan in an amazing vintage Pucci dress which Janie Bryant temporarily shortened (it can be seen tucked up).  She wins best dressed this week |

In just two episode's time, a lot has happened.

-Peggy got a big raise
-Don's back at the office
-Pete might have gotten SC&P Burger Chef
-the office gets a computer
-Roger spends the night on a commune
-said computer turns Ginsberg crazy
-Ginsberg visits Peggy at home
-Don visits Megan and has a threesome
-Betty stands up to Henry, she speaks Italian, you know!
-Stephanie is back with a bun in the oven
-Sally sword fights with golf clubs
-Lou and Cutler do some scheming in the computer room
-Harry spills the beans to Don about Commander cigarettes
-Don interrupts a meeting
-And Peggy, poor Peggy, gets an unexpected gift in a box

LISTEN TO "THE RUNAWAYS" PODCAST

| I love everything about the way Bryant styled Megan here.  The fall, the eccentric collection of rings, all mixed with the high end Pucci dress |

I have to say, from a fashion standpoint, the last two episodes have been slightly lacking (with the exception of Megan's vintage Pucci dress).  Now, that isn't to say that the costuming hasn't been good, we just haven't gotten a chance to see any of the characters really dress up in some major standout pieces (again with the expiation of the Pucci dress).  It feels like this season has been a bit more on a casual front.  It could be the changing of the times at play, but somehow I remember these characters have a lot more formal events to go to in past seasons.  At least SC&P's secretary pool is making up for some of the other character's slack.

A couple things that didn't make it into the podcasts:

-Tom & Lorenzo point out how many women are wearing pink in "The Runaways" and what this signifies.  Did I mention these guys are genius when it comes to breaking down the fashion meaning in MM?  Check out their "Monolith" recap too.

-It was brought to my attention that Ginsberg's shirt in his final shot resembles a hospital gown -- interesting!

-I believe it was also T&L that pointed out Don's brown suit at the Commander Cigarettes meeting, signaling "tobacco" brown as a way to connect him with the potential clients.  I'd like to add that the last time (and possibly the first time) we saw Don wearing brown was in "Field Trip" when he came back to the office and agreed to play second fiddle to Lou in order to attempt to preserve his position at SC&P.  Might Don's new power color be brown?  I am seeing a possible trend here!

-Get the behind the scenes look at the costumes in "The Monolith" and "The Runaways" 

Talking Mad "Field Trip"

If "Field Trip" proved anything about this season of Mad Men so far is it's clearly all about sandwiches and powerful peter pan collars.  Who knew Don Draper liked such a dull sandwich?  

And Betty?  Well, she's back and pretty pissed about Bobby trading away her sandwich.  Why can't he just love her?  Little does Betty know, Bobby longs for her attention and this is a crushing blow to him. 

Tobi and I had a lot to say about this episode, especially how for both of us it demonstrates Mad Men's commitment to excellence in television. 

LISTEN TO THE "FIELD TRIP" PODCAST

Can we take a moment to talk about Joan?  This outfit is may be the best thing Joan has ever worn -- or at least within the last two season.  Finally, Joan is dressed in something much more trendy and fashion forward while still be conscious of her hourglass shape.  This my friends, is how you do polyester!  I'd love to know if this dress is a vintage piece or something Janie created for Joan.  Unfortunately its origin isn't really mentioned in the fashion file released by AMC.

Also, take note of the use of the peter pan collar.  Bryant has been using this style of collar to signify power within different female characters.  Here, Joan is expressing her stake in SC&P as partner; giving firm orders to Don and citing the financial loss the company would take buying Don out.  If you recall back to last week, Dawn sported a peter pan collar when she stood up to Lou, resulting in an elaborate shuffling of the secretaries, and ultimately giving Dawn a promotion.

Hands down, Joan wins best dressed this week.

All Things Mad Elsewhere

-Need a trip down memory lane?  Esquire breaks down the Madcappiest Moments in Mad Men's History

-Take a look inside some of the MM sets

-Ever wonder how many of SC&P's clients are real companies and which ones are made up?  FiveThirtyEight maps out ever client that Don and the boys have signed

-Ad Age shares some of the real headlines from early 1969

-Have you guys been reading Tom and Lorenzo's fashion break down each week?  If not, I highly recommend it!  Each week they give us a closer look at everyone's getup while also breaking down the meaning behind each look.

And I will leave you with this:

Talking Mad "A Day's Work"

With the second (and third!) episode under its belt, Mad Men is proving that it is just as good as it ever was.  Tobi and I are back to discuss last week's episode, "A Day's Work," in which it was Valentine's Day at the office, although neither Peggy nor Don really seem to get the memo on that one.

Peggy is faced with what seems to her as another slap in the face that she is no longer with Ted, or really with anyone for that matter.  Poor Peggy, last season you stabbed your boyfriend and got dumped in an ambulance and this season your fighting for better work against the awful Lou and mixing up your secretary's flowers for ones from Ted.  Hopefully Peggy will get a break soon!  Also, Shirley gets the outfit of the week award this episode, she had on my favorite outfit in this episode and is clearly a front runner for best dressed in the office.

LISTEN TO "A DAY'S WORK" PODCAST

Meanwhile, Don comes clean to Sally and they share some seriously bonding moments over the last half of the episode.  As a viewer who has always been rooting for Don to have a closer relationship with Sally, this episode was a really treat.

As always, Tobi does an excellent job of linking up to all the pertinent articles and reviews, so head on over to Space Lion to see more about our collective thoughts on episode 2. 

Talking All Things Mad is Back!!

| Tobi (Space Lion Creator) and I all Mad Men yourself-ed |

That's right!  With the seventh season of Mad Men back on that air, I'm back to my weekly podcasts with Tobi of Space Lion.

Listen to the "Time Zones" Podcast

Overall, I really enjoyed the season opener, although I think part of my excitement was induced by the Purple Wedding earlier that evening on Game of Thrones. I like that this season picks up a lot sooner than pervious seasons, eliminating the need for a lot of necessary catch up/back story in the season opener.

Tobi links to most of the relevant articles circling on the web, but here are two I recommend if you are looking to get a breakdown on the fashion in "Time Zones."

Mad Men's Fashion and Style: Episode 701

Elle's Mad Men Fashion Recap: On Pleats and Plaids

I thought it would be fun to choose one "outfit of the week," spotlighting my favorite look from each episode.  This week, the honor goes to Miss Bonnie Whiteside in her fabulous pink and white floral jumpsuit, large ivory bag, and mod white sunglasses.  Now this is a look I'd definitely rock!

So how are you liking season 7 so far?!

Talking Mad

Did you catch the season 6 finale last night?  WOW!  Tobi and I will certainly have a lot to talk about later this week when we record our last Mad Men podcast.

Until then, why not check out our thoughts on episodes 9 and 10.  Click HERE or visit spacelioncs.com to find more on Mad Men, media, and sports!

Talking Mad

My recap of episode 5 and 6 is up on Spacelion's website!  These two have by far been my favorites of the current season!

To hear Tobi and I's thoughts click HERE.

Also, we are now starting to take listener questions, so be sure to shoot me a line if you want us to cover something in our next podcast.

In the meantime, here are a few GIFs of two of my favorite scenes from episode 5 and 6!

To Have and To Hold

My second podcast with Spacelion's creator Tobi, hit the interwebs on Sunday!  These have been so much fun, although I'm not sure that doing them so early in the morning is the best of my thought process and I think that kind of shows in the latest podcast.  Anyways, you can take a listen HERE, but before you take a listen, here are some additional thoughts I have about episode four, "To Have and To Hold."

SPOILER ALERT

While this might be entirely obvious, the more I think about episode 4 the more apparent it is that this episode explores marriage and the relationships of the central characters.  This seems fitting considering that the pervious episode ends with Pete being given what for by Trudy for his failure to handle his philandering with some discretion.

Episode 4 is ripe with a multitude of differing examples of marriages.  It seems that many, if not all the characters featured in this episode are grappling with some sort of marital or relationship issue.  

-Megan and Don go out with some TV executives and are invited to join in on a orgy, which they of course decline.  Don also deals with Megan's on screen love making, and while it is for her job, it is an open break in the bonds of marriage.  Don is still sleeping around with Sylvia, although he is bothered, for what seems to be the first time, by her cross.  Is Don coming to terms with his double standards and hypocrisies in his marriage?  Probably not, but I'd like to think so.

-Dawn has two interesting conversations on the subject of marriage with a friend.  Dawn makes it clear that because her friend is about to embark on marriage, she is afforded certain advantages that Dawn is not.  She also hints at her difficultly in finding a mate.  My feeling is this is because she is a career woman, but the writers haven't really given us much depth into her character to know for sure.

-Joan is joined by friend, Kate and they share a night out on the town.  Both women have powerful positions, yet Kate is married while Joan is separated for her spouse.  They are shown like two school girls, first at a bobby soxer joint and later at a mod club where they both are engaged with younger men.  Then we find the women in bed together the next morning with Joan's sleeve ripped.  While the claim of homosexuality can be derived from this shot, what I feel is more apparent is the fact that both of these women are strong and that can be a turn off for men of their age during this time, thus their appeal to younger men and the absence of their mates.

-We also see the "affair" that SCDP engages in with creating a pitch for Heniz Ketchup.  The episode begins with Don, Pete, and Timmy from Heniz in Pete's apartment -- away from the office and in a place that was purchased for the use of infidelity.  We then have SCDP purchasing a hotel room to present the pitch only to have the people from Heniz invite Peggy's group there as well.  The "marriage" of the client to the company has been broken by SCDP not respecting Rayond's wish and also by Timmy's inability to be faithful, not only to SCDP but also to his wife (he removes his wedding ring before leaving Pete's apartment).

I's also like to point out that Betty is not in this episode.  It seems to me that this could be because she is content in her marriage; we haven't really seen Henry or Betty seek affection outside of each other and they do appear to love one another.  However, knowing how rampant infidelity is in Mad Men, I won't be the least be surprised if this doesn't last. 

Check back in two weeks for the next installment!

 

What I'm Up To

Recently, I have been collaborating with some of my fellow graduates from the Cinema Studies program at Oakland University on their new website SpaceLion.  This website is devoted to all things film related and is a way to provide more information on the program, giving current and past students an additional outlet to voice their opinion and learn more about the program itself.

In the near future, I will be contributing some fashion in film related articles, but right now I have been invited to be apart of their podcast series on season 6 of Mad Men.  Every other episode, we will recap the comings and goings of the fabulous world of SCDP.  So far, it's be a blast to sit and chat all Mad Men with other fans like myself.

Interested in taking a listen?  Click HERE to find out my thoughts on the season 6 premiere.