On Footnotes of Mad Men: The Swimmer
I think you've got this exactly right, Brendan. At the close of the episode I wondered if Draper's retreat will be as temporary as many of his fleeting breaks from pathology. Draper's inconsistency is my favorite device that Weiner deploys to simultaneously evokes my disapproval of and empathy with Draper.
It also keeps me watching...
Posted on September 14, 2010 at 9:19 pm
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On Footnotes of Mad Men: The Promethean Woman, or, Our Dog in the Parthenon
I had to think quite a bit about whether the ghostly Anna was a distraction. Ultimately I concluded that she was really just what a drunk would see - if he had been thinking about suitcases all day trying to avoid thinking about a dying friend. That she was carrying the suitcase actually made it better in the end.
Posted on September 7, 2010 at 8:28 pm
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On Footnotes of Mad Men: The Delinquent Hero on Hands and Knees
i'm not so sure that was a wolfish smirk at his secretary. weiner has, of late, used some misdirection in the commercials as well as in the show. on second viewing, the glance - not so much a smirk - was not at all wolfish but seemed to be something more like "i think i'll have my secretary take sally to see the beatles." draper fails to connect meaningfully with others and instead sees utility in people, especially so in women. my guess is that his secretary has some use for him that is not so much sexual.
not that this suggests emotional growth for don...