Meandering Musings

So I watched the Mad Men marathon yesterday on AMC since I had missed a couple of episodes last season.  In some instances I came away with slightly different impressions of the characters.

Where my initial impressions remain unchanged:

Betty - girlfriend is suppressing a lot of rage and someday so she's going to be pill popping or escallating from secreted bottles of white wine to secreted bottles of gin and vodka.   

Pete (Vincent Karthaiser aka Angel's baby boy Connor) is a creepy little bastard.  A well written character because I understand his motivations and his frustrations.  He even has a right for frustrations on several scores.  But he's cree-pay and I know why other characters don't like him.  The guy, in some ways, reminds me of M*A*S*H's Major 'Ferret Face' Burns.   And he does not deserve his wife, who I actually like. 


Where my views have changed:

I was a quick, harsh judge of Don Draper when first watching the show.  I still think he's a royally screwed up human being, but on re-watch I found myself believing that he has more of a heart than I had initially thought (not that any woman should trust him with hers).  On rewatch I came to believe that he doesn't actually intend to be the way that he is, he just can't seem to stop himself.    He is, however, someone to never depend upon because watching the first season back to back to back, it's amazing to see how his first instinct most of the time is to run the hell away (usually with no thought whatsoever for his wife or kids).  You just know that this is a family that's going to implode.  Kids are going to grow up thinking Dad is a stranger and that Mom is weak and... a little odd. (Okay, occasionally a lot odd).   I pitied Betty when I first watched the show, and I still feel sorry for her.  But on rewatch, I found myself pitying Don as well. 


I noticed that, curiously, I like Joan probably 95% of the time.  I like her cattiness and her independence.  When she's playing the men (and she does play them) I actually enjoy her, but I find when she's in scenes with Peggy that I'm frequently offended on Peggy's behalf.  Largely, I tend to side with Peggy (in her career.  Her initial attraction to Pete mystifies me.  Especially the hunting story, cause EW!)  Anyway, by and large I respect Peggy's desire to be respected.  She wants to do a good job and have that rewarded (poor thing is going to get disappointed a lot and I fear she's going to become a bitter, cynical woman at some point.)  But I also suspect that, despite all odds, she will eventually be relatively successful.  Joan, I fear, is headed for her own fair share of disappointment as she grows older and she stops being the lust object of everyone in the office.  But, still, I like Joan most of the time.  It's usually only in scenes with Peggy who puts me at odds with her.  If Peggy and Joan could join traits into a single human being, they'd be a kick-ass woman.   As it is, both have a fairly huge Achilles heel that I have no doubt will bring them each much unhappiness.  (But I cheer them on for every potential smack-down of the hugely sexist male characters).

So I watched the Mad Men marathon yesterday on AMC since I had missed a couple of episodes last season.  In some instances I came away with slightly different impressions of the characters.

Where my initial impressions remain unchanged:

Betty - girlfriend is suppressing a lot of rage and someday so she's going to be pill popping or escallating from secreted bottles of white wine to secreted bottles of gin and vodka.   

Pete (Vincent Karthaiser aka Angel's baby boy Connor) is a creepy little bastard.  A well written character because I understand his motivations and his frustrations.  He even has a right for frustrations on several scores.  But he's cree-pay and I know why other characters don't like him.  The guy, in some ways, reminds me of M*A*S*H's Major 'Ferret Face' Burns.   And he does not deserve his wife, who I actually like. 


Where my views have changed:

I was a quick, harsh judge of Don Draper when first watching the show.  I still think he's a royally screwed up human being, but on re-watch I found myself believing that he has more of a heart than I had initially thought (not that any woman should trust him with hers).  On rewatch I came to believe that he doesn't actually intend to be the way that he is, he just can't seem to stop himself.    He is, however, someone to never depend upon because watching the first season back to back to back, it's amazing to see how his first instinct most of the time is to run the hell away (usually with no thought whatsoever for his wife or kids).  You just know that this is a family that's going to implode.  Kids are going to grow up thinking Dad is a stranger and that Mom is weak and... a little odd. (Okay, occasionally a lot odd).   I pitied Betty when I first watched the show, and I still feel sorry for her.  But on rewatch, I found myself pitying Don as well. 


I noticed that, curiously, I like Joan probably 95% of the time.  I like her cattiness and her independence.  When she's playing the men (and she does play them) I actually enjoy her, but I find when she's in scenes with Peggy that I'm frequently offended on Peggy's behalf.  Largely, I tend to side with Peggy (in her career.  Her initial attraction to Pete mystifies me.  Especially the hunting story, cause EW!)  Anyway, by and large I respect Peggy's desire to be respected.  She wants to do a good job and have that rewarded (poor thing is going to get disappointed a lot and I fear she's going to become a bitter, cynical woman at some point.)  But I also suspect that, despite all odds, she will eventually be relatively successful.  Joan, I fear, is headed for her own fair share of disappointment as she grows older and she stops being the lust object of everyone in the office.  But, still, I like Joan most of the time.  It's usually only in scenes with Peggy who puts me at odds with her.  If Peggy and Joan could join traits into a single human being, they'd be a kick-ass woman.   As it is, both have a fairly huge Achilles heel that I have no doubt will bring them each much unhappiness.  (But I cheer them on for every potential smack-down of the hugely sexist male characters).