Mad Men 6x05 Reaction

Lola's gonna have to give Milena some montage tips for her Peggy-Stan ship edit.

Mad Men hugely chickened out with this episode. Much of white America *despised* MLK, and even in New York, the executives of a conservative Madison Ave firm (all of them Republicans) would not have reacted with consternation. Instead of handling this reality with honesty, they threw it all on Harry. I prefer Mad Men to the Sopranos (a frequent comparison and topic of convos) but in the handling of race, the Sopranos is infinitely superior and more unflinchingly honest. There has really never been anything like it.

Does LM have a chat forum under Patron? I cant' find one, specifically a spoiler material forum for members to chat that LM don't look into.

There were downpours in Memphis the entire week, as well as the night before MLK's murder, that almost flooded the city. He delivered his last speech, "Ive Been to the Mountaintop" that night.

One thing to point out about Henry in context of the 60s vs current times is he's a Republican / Conservative in the truest sense of the word, and maybe there is a disconnect because they're talking about American politics but if you actually listen to what Henry is saying about the protestors / rioters after MLK's death Henry also fails to understand the moment, calling them hoodlums and that sort of thing. I at least appreciate that Don can see the way Bobby tries to console the worker at the movie theatre and feel proud, and Don and Pete both have at least shown a more progressive POV regarding things compared to the rest of the cast. I think its important to keep in mind that we're watching a period piece and sort of judging things by modern standards. Don is far from a perfect person but this is a show full of complex characters, especially from a moral standpoint. The cheating is almost a cultural issue in this show since almost everyone does it. But I think the one thing thats important, especially with this show, is how one bad character trait or even a moment doesn't really define that character in general.

I think it's true that Don does go to movies as a distraction from how he's feeling but I think he's also goes there as a part of his job - he needs to keep up with the current state of the culture so the ads he writes stay present, relevant. But I think Bobby's point was more about that particular moment after the MLK assassination. That a lot of people welcome a distraction from horrific events. The fact that he says that to the black usher and we see his reaction let's us know what he's referring to. It was a very grown-up moment of self-awareness that really shocks Don which he admits to Megan later.

"They're canceling the Stanley Cup playoffs." Harry in a nutshell............who cares.

I think you guys missed the meaning behind the Peggy & Abe scene. She was ELATED to hear him talk about raising kids. Perhaps the topic has never come up before so she wasn't sure where they stood. We already know she was disappointed that he didn't propose to her. So mentioning kids is confirmation that he is thinking about their future together.

I did the thing where I typed out a big response and then closed the window by accident, losing everything. Dangit. I'll try to recapture my thoughts as best I can... Yes, Henry is definitely portrayed as the father to Don's three kids. Megan is a great step-mother (all things considered), but she is not a mother-figure to them. I don't even know how to classify Don's relationship to his kids. Neglectful father? Absolutely. Absentee father? Also yes. So absent that he can't even be called a father at all anymore? ...maybe. I find Roger's line absolutely fascinating, that he though MLK's ability to speak would save him. It's such a deep look into his own psyche. Is he talking about himself? Did he think that his own ability to charm people would "save" him, and now that illusion has been shattered? His entire career -- his whole LIFE -- has revolved around the ability to persuade and communicate and convince, and that's how he judged and perceived the people in the world around him. Peggy is definitely portrayed as being more "progressive" than a lot of the rest of the cast, but that's only grading on a curve. It was established several times earlier in the show that she was very ignorant of a lot of issues, and didn't understand that just because she has it hard as a woman doesn't mean she knows exactly what black people (and other disenfranchsied people) are going through. It's not a question of "misery poker", we don't need to determine who has it worse, it's just understanding that everybody is going through their own problems and recognizing that you cannnot place yourself in the same shoes. She's gotten better at that over the past few seasons, but she still has a ways to go before she catches up to the Progressive People even of this time.

These kinds of episodes is when you realise why Don is up there with the Tony Sopranos and Walter Whites of TV. Just such a complicated and layered character

The "West 80s" (Upper West Side) where Abe would prefer to live is still Manhattan. A lot of Manhattan was always very diverse.

IT'S A SHAMEFUL SHAMEFUL DAY!!

After the Ketchup pitch Ted comes into the bar and says the ad firm J Walter Thompson won Ketchup - so neither of them got it.