New Season of Mad Men - S&M

[intothewoods]

Did anyone watch the first episode of this season?

I was kind of surprised about the slapping scene (sex scene). Unless I'm forgetting something, up until now Don has always been the physically agressive one in sex. So I was surprised that he wanted to be slapped by the hooker. Now, he paid for her and he was the one demanding "harder" over and over, but still, it seems like an interesting shift.

Obviously his life has totally changed, so there are any number of things that could have caused him to desire something different sexually. I just wonder how this fits in with changing gender dynamics in 1964.

 

[be_ignited]

Yes!

My Boyfriend and I were surprised by it too. Maybe it's related to his 'out of control' behavior at work?

At any rate, I'm interested in seeing how/if they develop this.

 

[intothewoods]

Ooh, good point. There has totally been an ongoing theme of chaos v. order/rules in society in this show, and that really exploded with Kennedy's assasination.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

Hmmm... haven't watched this show ... until now.

Sounds like yet another one to add to the ever-growing list of shows to DVR, lol!

Might have to go to Netflix and get past seasons so we understand what's going on, get all the backstories... like we're doing with Eureka. She saw most of the first seasons, but I hadn't, so now we're catching up. Just finished Season One, moving on to S2; hope to finish all the past seasons by the time *this* season ends (which we're watching concurrently - kinda gives me timewarp syndrome at times).

 

[Netzach]

Did anyone watch the first episode of this season?

I was kind of surprised about the slapping scene (sex scene). Unless I'm forgetting something, up until now Don has always been the physically agressive one in sex. So I was surprised that he wanted to be slapped by the hooker. Now, he paid for her and he was the one demanding "harder" over and over, but still, it seems like an interesting shift.

Obviously his life has totally changed, so there are any number of things that could have caused him to desire something different sexually. I just wonder how this fits in with changing gender dynamics in 1964.

I don't watch this thing, but men tend to get completely uninhibited only when paying for it. No stake in what the hooker thinks vs. a rel.

 

[DVS]

Hmmm... haven't watched this show ... until now.

Sounds like yet another one to add to the ever-growing list of shows to DVR, lol!

Might have to go to Netflix and get past seasons so we understand what's going on, get all the backstories... like we're doing with Eureka. She saw most of the first seasons, but I hadn't, so now we're catching up. Just finished Season One, moving on to S2; hope to finish all the past seasons by the time *this* season ends (which we're watching concurrently - kinda gives me timewarp syndrome at times).

I don't watch Mad Men, because I don't have HBO. But as for Eureka, I've been watching season 6 on hulu.com I've missed out being able to watch it recently, and I'm catching up with it, there. It's another show that you need to keep a score card on. Oh, sorry. Don't mind me. This thread is about Mad Men.

 

[intothewoods]

Hmmm... haven't watched this show ... until now.

Sounds like yet another one to add to the ever-growing list of shows to DVR, lol!

Might have to go to Netflix and get past seasons so we understand what's going on, get all the backstories... like we're doing with Eureka. She saw most of the first seasons, but I hadn't, so now we're catching up. Just finished Season One, moving on to S2; hope to finish all the past seasons by the time *this* season ends (which we're watching concurrently - kinda gives me timewarp syndrome at times).

It's really the best thing on tv - but I can't recommend it for the s&m. And yes, you have to start at Season 1! Plus it would be really annoying to watch with commercials.

I actually watch Eureka too. I find it pretty hokey, but fun.

I don't watch this thing, but men tend to get completely uninhibited only when paying for it. No stake in what the hooker thinks vs. a rel.

Well, this character's identity and the heart of who he really is have been pretty closely guarded in the past few seasons, so that fits in nicely with that.

What cracks me up a little is that I've heard a lot of men -- personalities, like talk show hosts, comedians, etc. -- talk about how the men on Mad Men are "real men" (when men were men, blah blah) and wax nostalgic about it and all that, and it's funny to see this guy who's been a total womanizer and very dominant in the bedroom (not in a formal D/s way obviously - just in charge) need to be slapped in order to get off. Of course, you'd have to be really thick to not get that this show is not a nostalgia piece, but that was another reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Not all men want to be "real men" and all that.

Sorry for going on and on, but I have always been really fascinated by the sex scenes on this show. I'm like - that's how people had sex in the 60s?! Get out! Ok, not quite, but I just never really thought in that level of detail about how we have sex has actually changed. I always think sexual desires as being this primal thing, or at least something that's not conscious, but a lot of our behavior must also be aping shit we see/read in TV, the movies, books. I guess moreso then since people weren't talking freely about sex.

 

[intothewoods]

I don't watch Mad Men, because I don't have HBO. But as for Eureka, I've been watching season 6 on hulu.com I've missed out being able to watch it recently, and I'm catching up with it, there. It's another show that you need to keep a score card on. Oh, sorry. Don't mind me. This thread is about Mad Men.

It's not on HBO. It's on AMC.

 

[DVS]

It's not on HBO. It's on AMC.

AMC isn't pay is it? I thought it was on a pay channel. Shit, maybe I don't get AMC channel. I'd have to check. I just get basic cable.

But, I don't see me starting up another show where I have to back view all of the old shows. Like I said, I'm doing that with Eureka. I wonder if any of Mad Men is on hulu. I have thought about giving Netflix a try. It would help out at work, when I get bored.

 

[intothewoods]

Anyone watch last weekend? I have to say, you all should be watching this show! It's really that good. But anyway.

That scene with Lane's dad? Holy fucking shit that is a sadist. Not in the sexual way in that scene, obviously, but wow. Who the fuck would do that to their adult kid? The Brits really don't come off so well in this show.

 

[intothewoods]

AMC isn't pay is it? I thought it was on a pay channel. Shit, maybe I don't get AMC channel. I'd have to check. I just get basic cable.

But, I don't see me starting up another show where I have to back view all of the old shows. Like I said, I'm doing that with Eureka. I wonder if any of Mad Men is on hulu. I have thought about giving Netflix a try. It would help out at work, when I get bored.

AMC isn't a premium channel, but I'm not sure if it's included in the basic package. It probably depends on where you are and the cable company there. If you have SciFi though, I would think you have AMC.

 

[00Syd]

OMG, this season has been so amazing. I am just CONSTANTLY impressed with the level of skill in the writing of the show. It's so frikken good. Ugh. I hope I'll write with such subtlety some day.

And hell yeah, that scene with Lane's dad? That shit freaked me out. I feel so bad for Lane. He really seems like such a genuinely good guy, but everyone thinks he's a bitch because of the situation his life has put him in. Ugh. I'd love to see more episodes explore his character.

And, um, I love that the universe is throwing some revenge karma back at Don. He's been such an asshole to so many people, and it's finally starting to take it's tole. Good.

And the burgeoning feminism? You know? All the female characters are starting to talk about feminst ideas without know it, and it's so EXCITING. I want Joan to get hers.

 

[intothewoods]

It really freaked me out. I've never experienced an abusive parent, so my impression is based on books, movies, tv, etc. My impression is that they're people who are raging and out of control. This guy's every move was absofuckinglutely intentional and that was the most disturbing aspect of it. I guess Lane's happiness, freedom and relationship with a black woman were just a complete affront to his dad.

Anyway, it's an absolutely brilliant show!

 

[00Syd]

It really freaked me out. I've never experienced an abusive parent, so my impression is based on books, movies, tv, etc. My impression is that they're people who are raging and out of control. This guy's every move was absofuckinglutely intentional and that was the most disturbing aspect of it. I guess Lane's happiness, freedom and relationship with a black woman were just a complete affront to his dad.

Anyway, it's an absolutely brilliant show!

I didn't even get the sense that his dad disproved of his being with a black woman necessarily, but more so that he was being at all open and public about it.

 

[intothewoods]

I didn't even get the sense that his dad disproved of his being with a black woman necessarily, but more so that he was being at all open and public about it.

Oh yeah, I mean like serious relationship. He didn't seem fazed by her at the Playboy club at all. p.s. Did you love that that scene? It was hilarious to see the bunny costume.

 

[00Syd]

Oh yeah, I mean like serious relationship. He didn't seem fazed by her at the Playboy club at all. p.s. Did you love that that scene? It was hilarious to see the bunny costume.

I loved that scene. I'll admit that I've spent quite a few hours pouring over old copies of playboy, so the costumes weren't totally new to me, but it was SO GREAT to see them on real, live people. What great outfits. The ultimate lingerie.

 

[culloden]

Fantastic show.

The scene where the hooker was slapping Don surprised us as well. I put it down to Don seeking punishment to atone for the shitty way he's treated people.

Great writing here, with complicated characters. It's cool to see the attitudes that were common in the '60s brought to light so forthrightly. I'm old enough to remember the overt racism and misogyny. It's a little surprising that AMC has the guts to show the times so honestly.

 

[Soumis]

I'm really loving Mad Men more lately. I initially panicked when they went off to start their own agency, but this season has been fabulous.

With Lane's Dad I didn't get the impression he cared about Lane's new gal one way or the other, merely that his family being across the Atlantic was unacceptable.

And the burgeoning feminism? You know? All the female characters are starting to talk about feminst ideas without know it, and it's so EXCITING. I want Joan to get hers.

I'm rooting for Peggy. And it is fantastically exciting.

 

[JMohegan]

Did anyone watch the first episode of this season?

I finally watched a bit of season one. The details of props and setting provide an entertaining trip down memory lane, but christ those characters are odious.

 

[intothewoods]

I loved that scene. I'll admit that I've spent quite a few hours pouring over old copies of playboy, so the costumes weren't totally new to me, but it was SO GREAT to see them on real, live people. What great outfits. The ultimate lingerie.

The bunny thing in the abstract doesn't really do it for me, but seeing it in context really made it look cool.

Fantastic show.

The scene where the hooker was slapping Don surprised us as well. I put it down to Don seeking punishment to atone for the shitty way he's treated people.

Great writing here, with complicated characters. It's cool to see the attitudes that were common in the '60s brought to light so forthrightly. I'm old enough to remember the overt racism and misogyny. It's a little surprising that AMC has the guts to show the times so honestly.

I totally agree.

I'm really loving Mad Men more lately. I initially panicked when they went off to start their own agency, but this season has been fabulous.

With Lane's Dad I didn't get the impression he cared about Lane's new gal one way or the other, merely that his family being across the Atlantic was unacceptable.



I'm rooting for Peggy. And it is fantastically exciting.

I don't know, I think Lane being so comfortable with who he is - living in America, dating who he wants to date, etc. - just flipped his dad's shit.

I finally watched a bit of season one. The details of props and setting provide an entertaining trip down memory lane, but christ those characters are odious.

It's been a while since I've seen season one. It did take me a while to get into the show as something more than nostalgia but I was soon hooked. Give it some time. I'm probably partial to those odious types too. I love Roger - he's an asshole but I love the actor who plays him and his lines are damn funny. I also can't help but love Joan. Just wait - you have to see these characters develop.

 

[JMohegan]

It's been a while since I've seen season one. It did take me a while to get into the show as something more than nostalgia but I was soon hooked. Give it some time. I'm probably partial to those odious types too. I love Roger - he's an asshole but I love the actor who plays him and his lines are damn funny. I also can't help but love Joan. Just wait - you have to see these characters develop.

Roger? The old married heart attack guy who fucks anything in a skirt? I can understand his affinity for redheads, but that's it.

Yeah, he seems a tad underdeveloped. Like he's a perpetual freshman in college!

Haven't seen any characters that even remotely resemble my parents.

 

[intothewoods]

Roger? The old married heart attack guy who fucks anything in a skirt? I can understand his affinity for redheads, but that's it.

Yeah, he seems a tad underdeveloped. Like he's a perpetual freshman in college!

Haven't seen any characters that even remotely resemble my parents.

But come on, his one liners are pretty damn funny.

 

[00Syd]

I like odious characters. Good guys are boring!

But yes, all of the characters develop quite a lot through the seasons. Some develop into even worse characters! It's so delicious. And so well written. Mmmm.

 

[JMohegan]

Why Mad Men is TV's Most Feminist Show

An excerpt -

"Mad Men's" authentic portrait of women's lives in the early 1960s makes it hard for some women to watch. Over the course of its first three seasons, I interviewed almost 200 women from the same era for a new book on the Greatest Generation's wives and daughters. Many had suffered from the same numbness that plagued Betty Draper in the first season. They had seen psychiatrists who were as unhelpful and patronizing as the one Don Draper hired for his wife, or they had been married to men who displayed a sense of male entitlement similar to Don's. Those who had worked, whether before or after marriage, had experienced the same discrimination and sexual harassment as the female employees at the show's ad agency.

Yet to my surprise, most of these women refused to watch "Mad Men." Not because they found its portrayal of male-female relations unrealistic -- in fact, many recounted treatment in real life that was even more dramatic and horrifying than that on the show. It was precisely because "Mad Men" portrayed the sexism of that era so unflinchingly, they told me, that they could not bear to watch.

The rest of us, however, should tune in for a much-needed lesson on the devastating costs of a way of life that still evokes misplaced nostalgia. We should be glad that the writers are resisting the temptation to transform their female characters into contemporary heroines. They're not, and they cannot be. That is the brilliance of the show's script.

 

[Netzach]

Why Mad Men is TV's Most Feminist Show

An excerpt -

"Mad Men's" authentic portrait of women's lives in the early 1960s makes it hard for some women to watch. Over the course of its first three seasons, I interviewed almost 200 women from the same era for a new book on the Greatest Generation's wives and daughters. Many had suffered from the same numbness that plagued Betty Draper in the first season. They had seen psychiatrists who were as unhelpful and patronizing as the one Don Draper hired for his wife, or they had been married to men who displayed a sense of male entitlement similar to Don's. Those who had worked, whether before or after marriage, had experienced the same discrimination and sexual harassment as the female employees at the show's ad agency.

Yet to my surprise, most of these women refused to watch "Mad Men." Not because they found its portrayal of male-female relations unrealistic -- in fact, many recounted treatment in real life that was even more dramatic and horrifying than that on the show. It was precisely because "Mad Men" portrayed the sexism of that era so unflinchingly, they told me, that they could not bear to watch.

The rest of us, however, should tune in for a much-needed lesson on the devastating costs of a way of life that still evokes misplaced nostalgia. We should be glad that the writers are resisting the temptation to transform their female characters into contemporary heroines. They're not, and they cannot be. That is the brilliance of the show's script.

Oh please. If they were lucky enough to see a shrink and to not have to break their ass in a farm or a laundromat.

So sick of the "bourgeois white chick history IS HISTORY" lens.

I've been watching Top Gear in little bite sized chunks of ridiculous overgrown man toy ness on Youtube and wherever I can find it. I've never been excited about driving till watching this show, it's usually been panic attack inducing. I am being empowered by watching absurdly wealthy englishmen act like 5 year olds. Filled with politically incorrect humor and boys will be boys silliness I think this is my most feminist show. It makes machinery and risk fun and approachable concepts in a world of obsessive safety.

No particular dis on Mad Men - it looks pretty, I think I just hate 99.9999 percent of tv dramas made since the BBC Singing Detective. It's in good company with pretty much everything people insisted I'd love. The problem I have with series is they start out strong and I can't name one that gets better the longer it goes rather than worse.