Mad Men 6x03 Reaction

What makes Mad Men great is that the portrayal of these characters are very realistic and so with Sylvia, that is a real portrayal… some people know what they’re doing is wrong and try to talk themselves through the guilt they’re feeling… despite knowing that they really dont want to stop. I’ve seen a lot of Sylvia’s in real life. Hell Im sure I’ve been Sylvia (as a man) before. The portrayal is excellent… I always liked her character the most out of all Don’s mistresses.

Im sorry I know we cant condone Don’s cheating but the scene with him tellin Sylvia, “you want to feel shitty up until the point I take your clothes off” was some fly ass shit talking.

Chat GPT: is pete on mad men evil? “Evil” is probably too strong—but Pete Campbell is definitely a walking bundle of entitlement, insecurity, and bad choices. Pete isn’t a cartoon villain. He’s more like a painfully realistic guy who thinks the world owes him something because of his name and education… and then gets angry when it doesn’t deliver. A few things that shape how people read him: He’s selfish and manipulative a lot of the time, especially early on. He’ll betray coworkers, leverage power, and cross ethical lines if it helps him get ahead. He feels perpetually humiliated, and that resentment curdles into cruelty. Pete often hurts people because he feels small, not because he enjoys being cruel. He does have a conscience, which is key. Unlike some characters on Mad Men, Pete actually feels guilt and shame—he just doesn’t always know what to do with those feelings. He grows (unevenly, messily). Over the series, you see him become more self-aware and occasionally decent, even if he backslides. So: not evil. More like toxic, privileged, emotionally stunted, and sometimes awful—which is kind of the point of Mad Men. Pete is what happens when ambition outpaces character. If you want, I can compare him to Don, Roger, or Harry and rank who’s actually the worst 👀

mad men in their soap opera bag with this one

I love the little smirk Roger has as he watches Don purposefully bomb the Jaguar pitch, just enjoying seeing the sabotage in real time.

I swear their hatred for Pete boils down to the fact that his looks have declined considerably over the course of the show. There are several characters who are more reprehensible within the office.

“He has more loyalty to the beans than to his wife” is such a perfect summary of Don’s character. I've always been fascinated by how he has such a sense of justice and loyalty to the clients, is the one who speaks up against dropping Mohawk etc, yet he takes none of that home with him. It's like he's completely compartmentalized the cheating as something that does not count.

We're at the point of only 12 more weeks of Mad Men. Going to miss revisiting this show with your commentary and discussion. Don't want it to end!

"Let's not laugh at Ken" you guys are reading too much into things lol. Friends take the mick out of one another all the time

Pete is the best character probably on the show. lol. Like what is your issue with him. He has saved don multiple times. He has saved the company with jaguar. he did what needed to be done. he is right everything craps on him and theyre sorry butts would be done for without him. Theyd be under without jaguar. His issues with trudy and women are separate, but everyone owes pete. hes not don draper to make the big bullspit speech to defend himself, but ive always liked him, he is pretty funny when hes not trying to be, and i consider his background and the time and he's amusing. i never hated him.

The look on Trudy's face as she walked into the bedroom was a flashing neon sign that says "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID, PETER"

You will rue the day you disparaged the name Campbell.

''Well who the hell won the war?''

Bowl Cut Dick actor, is looking almost as old as Jon Hamm. Man, did that kid shoot up in height. Don saying he wants to "stop this" with Sylvia. Does he think she'll be the last one, cause he thinks he can only do this so many times? Or, is it that he actually sees some hope for him in being a better person?

In Season 4, Pete guilted his father in law into giving him the rest of Vick Chemical + keeping Pond's which was in conflict with Clearasil. Pete kicked Clearasil over to Ken's former firm but it got snatched up by CGC.

I'm pretty sure the conversation between Sylvia and Megan was about abortion, not about being a mother in general. Megan said she felt relieved that she didn't have to make a decision because the miscarriage made it for her. Sylvia said she couldn't relate because she would never make that decision. So yeah, go ahead and judge the woman whose husband you're actively sleeping with Sylvia! What a great Catholic. I actually do like Sylvia as a character though. The dichotomy between her apparently strong religious beliefs and her very immoral affair is interesting to me.

The name of the company is still "Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce" (SCDP). That is its own legal entity, even regardless of who is a partner at any one time. They could change the name if they wanted to, but that is a separate process than gaining or losing a partner (For example, the name for "Sterling Cooper" didn't change when Don became a partner at the end of season one). When they formed SCDP at the end of season three and Roger & Don were trying to recruit Pete, they specifically talked about NOT putting his name in the title of the company at first until he earned it later on. For the question of what happened to Lane's partnership, SCDP paid out the value of his shares to his wife after his death, so his partnership disappeared. I believe the only remaining partners are now Roger, Bert, Don, Pete, and Joan. Roger, Bert, and Don are "senior partners", while Pete and Joan are "junior partners". I love -- love LOVE LOVE -- the way Trudy demolishes Pete here. She doesn't ask any questions or give him any opportunity to explain or justify his actions. She KNOWS what he does. She's known for a long time. She doesn't have any doubts about it at all. But she's been willing to let it slide as long as Pete hid it well enough to let her pretend. But when Pete can't even do that any more, she stops pretending immediately. She kicks him out, she refuses to let him have ANY emotional leverage, and she doesn't even let him salve his pride by leting him see her cry or angst about it. She is in total control and she is DONE. Pete's line about her not knowing anything for certain was his attempt to reclaim some power in the dynamic. He wanted to imagine her tormented by indecision once he walked out the door. But she refused to engage and so now HE is tormented.

"From my favorite Italian" This is Salvatore slander that I won't tolerate

"I WILL DESTROY YOU" Cue Wendy Williams' "She's an Icon, she's a Legend and she is The Moment"

I haven't even watched the video yet but WE WERE ALL WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!!!!!

Most predictable thumbnail ever? Megan and Sylvia were talking about miscarriage/abortion in the context of growing up Catholic (you can see the crucifix on Sylvia's wall later when she goes to bed with Don). Sylvia claims she'd never consider an abortion, because *gestures at God*. Kind of flies in the face of cheating on your husband in your marriage bed while the JC looks on from the wall, but I guess people are complicated. I like the connection they are drawing between Pete & Herb here, and the connection they are drawing between Don & Pete... which means a connection between Don & Herb. Don can stick his nose up all he wants at the dirty business with Jaguar -- refusing to shake Herb's hand, etc. -- but he's rolling around in the same mud as Pete & Herb, no matter how holier-than-thou he acts. I know some people have "Don is cheating" fatigue by this point in the show, but I think it treats this affair with less romance than anything that's come before, and that's significant. This is dirty business.