Tag Archives: Mad Men

Mad Men Monday – Season 7, Episode 11 “Time & Life”

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The characters at SC&P faced their worst fear last night as McCann Erickson planned to absorb and dissolve the agency. With 30 days to vacate their offices and 30 days for Don to find a new place to live, it truly is setting up to be the end of an era.

The episode opens on dinner as Ken enjoys toying with Pete and criticizing the work done by SC&P.

Roger receives a letter canceling the lease on the SC&P offices. After yelling at some of the secretaries, he calls McCann and discovers that it was not a mistake.  McCann is planning to absorb the agency and move everyone into their own building. Roger, Don, Pete, Ted and Joan discuss the news with dread.

Stan and Peggy observe and audition children for a client.  Stan comments that Peggy hates kids after she struggles working with them. Pete pulls her aside and tells her the bad news about the agency.

Lou calls Don and gleefully tells him that he is quitting and moving to Tokyo to work with Tatsunoko Productions on developing his comic into a cartoon.

The partners meet and come up with a strategy to move the agency to California where they could work on the clients that are a conflict for McCann. They rush off to see if they can get those clients to stick with them at “Sterling Cooper West.” Roger and Pete meet with Ken to get Dow to stay with them but he refuses and leaves.

Peggy meets with a headhunter who tells her that her best bet is to stay and work at McCann.

Pete and Trudy meet with the headmaster at Greenwich Country Day school, which rejected Tammy’s application. Pete says that it a family tradition for a Campbell to be at that school. The headmaster bears a grudge dating back to 1692 when his ancestors and Pete’s began a historic clan feud.  He insults Trudi and Pete punches him before leaving. Later Trudi bemoans the fact that it is hard being a divorced woman because men try to take advantage of her.

Stan and Peggy have to babysit a girl who was left by her mother who had to pick up her son. The girl manages to staple her finger causing an argument between Peggy and the mother who returns. Later Peggy reveals to Stan that she gave a child up for adoption and says it is not fair that women have to make hard choices when men don’t.

The SC&P partners make their pitch to keep their conflicting clients and move to California, but Jim Hobart explains that they all will have great jobs at McCann working on top tier clients like Buick and Coca Cola. Only Ted seems happy to hear that he will get what he always wanted, to work on a pharmaceutical account. They all leave and commiserate over beer. The next day the partners announce the big news to the office and try to make it sound positive, but the staff quickly start taking over them and walk away.

Last night’s show featured references to toys, Dow, Buick, and first aid, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

 

1 toilet cleaner001

2 hair curlers001

3 toys001

4 japan airlines001

5 plaid jacket001

6 nabisco merged

7 buick001

8 band aid001

Mad Men Monday – Season 7, Episode 9 “New Business”

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Last night’s episode began and ended with scenes focusing on things that Don has lost in his life. At the Francis house, Don makes a milkshake for his sons. Betty and Henry come home and Don wistfully watches his family chatting together then leaves alone.

Megan calls to ask Don for $500 for the movers. She wants them to “just sign the papers and be done with this” and is tired of asking for an allowance.

Don tracks down Diana at a steakhouse. He wants to have dinner with her “even if it’s five minutes at a time.” Later she comes to his apartment in the middle of the night. They talk about their divorces and her past.

Peggy hires renowned photographer Pima Ryan for the Cinzano shoot. Stan scoffs at first, but then wants Pima to look at his work. Pima seduces him, and later makes a pass at Peggy. They both realize that Pima took advantage of them.

Megan’s mother, Marie, criticizes Megan for letting Don off so easy. Megan’s sister implies that Megan is a failure because of her divorce. Marie is left to supervise the movers at Don’s apartment and fills the whole moving truck with Don’s furniture. Marie calls Roger asking for cash to pay the mover. He arrives at Don’s apartment with the money and Marie rekindles their previous affair.

Harry and Megan meet for lunch to discuss her acting career. He flatters Megan, but then makes a pass at her. She leaves in disgust. She goes back to Don’s apartment, shocked to discover it empty except for Roger and Marie. Megan scolds them both and leaves.

Don and Megan meet in the attorney’s office. Megan accuses him of ruining her life. Don writes her a check for a million dollars. “I want you to have the life you deserve,” he says. She takes the check and gives Don her wedding ring.

Don arrives at Diana’s tiny apartment. He is ready for a new start and gives her a book about New York City. Diana insists that she can’t see him anymore because she forgot about the daughter she abandoned while with Don and she never wants to do that. Don goes home to find his apartment completely empty.

Last night’s episode featured references to blenders, Life Cereal, Cinzano vermouth, photography, Champagne, and Tab, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

1 blender

2 movers and guide book

3 Life cereal

4 Vermouth

5 camera

6 Champagne

7 Tab

8 Golf wear

9 white trench coat

Mad Men Mondays: Season 7, Episode 8 “Severence”

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Mad Men is back!  This half-season premier felt like an extended dream sequence with Peggy Lee’s eerie hit “Is That All There Is?” bookending the episode.

The episode opens with Don holding a cup of vending machine coffee and a lit cigarette while posing a woman wearing nothing but a pricy fur coat—Don, the eternal misogynist.  The scene widens to reveal that he is in fact working a casting call at the office.

Mathis attempts to set up Peggy on a blind date with his brother-in-law.  After some initial resistance she eventually acquiesces.  While something of a milquetoast—he won’t even return an incorrect food order—the date goes well and, after some wine and a bottle of Galliano, the date nearly culminates in a spontaneous trip to Paris.  Instead, the couple settles for a phone call in two weeks.

Fearing the toll that the advertising industry is taking on his psyche, Ken Cosgrove’s wife tries to persuade him to get out of the advertising business and focus on his writing.  The following day, at the behest of a McCann-Erickson executive, Ken is fired by Roger.  While expressing some bitterness at Roger’s lack of loyalty, he chooses to interpret the moment as kismet, an opportunity.  Rather than focus on his writing he listens to his competitive instincts and accepts a position as director of advertising for Dow Chemical.  Rather than pulling Dow’s business from the SC&P he vows to be a difficult client to please in the future.

Peggy and Joan have an encounter of their own with the heavy-handed and none-to-subtle staff of McCann.  On behalf of SC&P’s client Topaz pantyhose, together they pitch the possibility of McCann introducing them to some of their department store clients.  After a few minutes of crude innuendo from the McCann reps, Peggy finally persuades them to take a look at the proposal.  Rather than a bonding experience the meeting results in an elevator argument between Peggy and Joan over the meeting’s takeaway lessons.

After a vision (dream?) of Rachel Katz, his brief fling from season 1, in Chinchilla fur, Don attempts to set-up a meeting with her under the auspices of a potential partnership between her department store and Topaz pantyhose only to learn that she has recently passed from an illness.  Perhaps it’s the memory of Rachel that informs his continued attraction to the mysterious waitress at the late-night diner.   With Rachel’s family sitting shiva, Don attempts to pay his respects only to be cast out.  Finding his way to the diner, he attempts to connect with the waitress only to be told that the tryst was merely just compensation for the large cash tip from a previous evening.

Last night’s episode featured references to toasters, L’eggs hosiery, wine stained carpet, veal, pop tarts, and Paris.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

1-Topaz008
2 Carpet009
3-McGregor010
4-Pop-tart011
5-Fleischmans012
6-Veal013
7-Galliano014
8 Paris015

Mad Men Monday – Season 7, Episode 5 “The Runaways”

Last night’s episode left viewers reeling over the crazy things that some of the characters did. Stan finds a folder of cartoons drawn by Lou on the photocopier. He shows them to some of the other creative staff and they make jokes. Don gets a call from Anna Draper’s niece, Stephanie, who is pregnant and needs help. He tells her to go to Megan’s house and he will fly out to see her. Megan takes her in, but then later tells Stephanie it would be best if she left, writing her a check for $1,000. Lou is angry at the creative staff for mocking his cartoon ambitions and orders them all to work late on a Friday night. Henry and Betty host part of a progressive dinner. Betty speaks up about the war in Vietnam and Henry contradicts her, causing a big argument later. Don arrives at Megan’s house and is disappointed that Stephanie has already left. Ginsberg becomes paranoid about the new computer and goes over to Peggy’s house to work. He tells her that the computer is driving him crazy and makes a pass at her. She pushes him away and sends him home. Sally comes home from school with a broken nose and argues with Betty. Bobby sneaks into Sally’s bedroom to ask if Henry and Betty will get a divorce because they argue so much. Megan hosts a party at her house for her acting friends. Don feels out of place, but then goes for a drink with Harry when he unexpectedly shows up. Harry tells Don that Lou and Jim are pursuing the Commander cigarette account, which will force Don out of SC&P because of the ad he did for the American Cancer Society. When Don comes back to Megan’s house after the party Megan and Amy seduce him together. The next morning Don flies back to New York and interrupts the meeting with Philip Morris executives, selling them on his services, much to the dismay of Jim and Lou. At SC&P Ginsberg calmly expresses his feelings for Peggy and gives her a gift box. She is horrified to open it and see his nipple, which he cut off to relieve the “pressure” from the computer. He gets carried out of SC&P on a stretcher in restraints.

Last night’s episode featured references to Xerox, rumaki, golf clubs, and American Tobacco, among other things. Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

Xerox_B310

Mens_Cardigan_A115

Frankfurters_F130

 

Rumaki

 

Yellow_Dress_A170

Mens_Pants_Women_A112

 

Planned_Panthood_A112

 

Golf_Clubs_G460

 

Yellow_NightGown_A170

 

American_Tobacco_G111

Mad Men Monday – Season 7, Episode 4 “The Monolith”

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The harsh reality of returning to SC&P has set in for Don in last night’s episode of Mad Men. He arrives at the seemingly empty office to discover the staff listening to the announcement that an IBM 360 computer will be installed in what was the creative lounge.  The creative staff grumbles about losing their space. Pete runs into an acquaintance who now works for Burger Chef and gets SC&P a chance to pitch that account.  Lou puts Peggy in charge of Burger Chef creative work, with Don reporting to her.  Peggy treats Don like an entry level copywriter and he starts behaving badly.  Roger and Mona find out that their daughter Margaret has run away to a hippie commune.  After her husband fails to get Margaret back, Mona and Roger drive to upstate New York to retrieve her.  Once at the commune, Mona storms off quickly, but Roger stays and lets Margaret show him why she loves it there.  Roger seems open minded about the commune, but later gets upset and tries to carry her off after she spends the night with one of the men there. After talking to the computer installer, Don suggests that SC&P prepare a presentation to LeaseTech, but Bert refuses.  Don starts drinking and later calls Freddie to invite him to a Mets game.  The next morning Freddie lectures Don and tells him he is wasting his second chance, advising him to buckle down and work hard. Don seems to get the message and goes to work ready to do what it takes to earn back the trust of his colleagues.

Last night’s episode featured references to Burger Chef, IBM 360, homemade jelly and gin, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

Burger_Chef_BBB1523

Hardhat_A170

IBM_AAA4902

Orange_Couch_H120

Spaghetti_F120

Typewriter_B110

Punchcards_B310

Fur_Coat_A170

Homemade_Jelly_F115

GIJoe2 (2)

Watch the GI Joe commercial: https://archive.org/details/dmbb23910

Booths_Gin_F330

 

Mad Men Monday — Season 7, Episode 3 “Field Trip”

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Last night’s episode of Mad Men features several characters whose elevated hopes for connections with others get dashed.  Don flies out to Los Angeles after Megan’s agent calls him to say that she was desperate and demanding with a director after an audition. She is happy to see him, but then gets upset when she realizes why he came.  He is forced to admit that SC&P put him on leave and she asks him to go for being dishonest. Peggy is upset that her St. Joseph’s commercial wasn’t nominated for a Clio, and later finds out that Lou only submitted work that he could claim as his own. Betty meets Francine for lunch and Francine brags about her new career as a travel agent. She tells Betty that working in an office is her reward for raising kids.  Later Betty tells Bobby that she will chaperone his field trip the next day and he is thrilled to spend time with her. Harry exaggerates SC&P’s media capability to the clients from Koss, and later tells Jim that they need a computer to compete. Don meets with two men from Wells Rich Greene and gets an offer to work for them.  Don takes that offer to Roger, who agrees to let Don come back the following Monday. Betty and Bobby have a good time on the field trip until Bobby gives away Betty’s sandwich to a friend. Don arrives at SC&P on Monday morning, and awkwardly greets the staff until Roger comes in around lunchtime. The partners are upset that Don is back, but realize it will cost them too much to fire him officially.  Instead they agree to take him back only if he can adhere to several restrictive rules and reports to Lou. He agrees.

Last night’s episode featured references to typewriters, Kahlua, plaid jackets, and bras, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

Royal_Typewriter_B310

Weldwood_Paneling

Sara_Lee_Coffee_Cake_F130

Deansgate_Mens_Jacket_A112

Kahlua_F330

Bonny_Plaid_Jacket_A112

Joey_Heatherton_A112

Maidenform_Bra

Chicken_Salad

Mad Men Monday – Season 7, Episode 2 “A Day’s Work”

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Last night’s episode of Mad Men depicts Valentine’s Day at SC&P. Several characters are upset when they are treated poorly or shuffled around, but by the end of the episode we see that there is housekeeping afoot that reveals new opportunities. Don’s day to day existence is exposed through sleeping late, cracker eating, and flipping through magazines.  Only when he is preparing for Dawn to come by and brief him does he clean up and get dressed to preserve the illusion that he is his normal steely self. Sally and her friends are given leave to go to New York City to attend the funeral of another friend’s mother and subsequently sneak off to go shopping before their return.  Once Sally realizes that she lost her purse, she goes to SC&P to ask Don for train fare.  Her encounter with Lou Avery exposes Don’s subterfuge and gets Dawn unfairly demoted to reception. Sally waits for Don at his apartment and when he returns from lunch with a contact at Wells Rich Greene he drives her back to boarding school. Peggy mistakes Shirley’s roses as ones for her from Ted, which causes a chain reaction of frustration and awkwardness for the two women. Joan is aggravated when her colleagues keep demanding that she solve their problems with secretarial staff by shifting them around. Pete is angry that he has to defer to Bob Benson and Chevrolet’s permission when he lands the SoCal Chevy Dealers Association account. Sally and Don finally have a frank conversation on the way back to school that begins to repair their damaged relationship. Jim Cutler offers Joan the opportunity to focus on account management, which allows her to leave behind the frustrations of human resources. Joan’s parting gesture as she moves to her new office is to reward Dawn with a promotion to human resources.  We see Dawn smile as she settles into her new office.

Last night’s episode featured references to Ritz crackers, Coffee Mate, Chevy Dealers Association, and Cutty Sark, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of highlighted ads that reflect the brands and themes that Mad Men characters interacted with last night.

A gallery of our selected images may also be found on Flickr.

Life_Drinking_PSA

 

L&M_G111

Ritz_F160

Bug_Spray_H240

CoffeeMate_F119

Sweet_n_Low_F123_folder1

AT&T_B140_Folder1

 

Life_Chevy_Dealer

Cutty_Sark_F330

Life_Sirhan

Engagement_Ring_G210

 

CocaCola_ValentinesDay_F220

Mad Men Monday – Episode 11 “Favors”

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The title of last night’s show accurately sums up a major theme seen in the episode.  Many characters need or give favors, though not without consequences.  The SC&P staff realizes that they are competing for two similar clients, Sunkist and Ocean Spray, so one will have to be resigned. While talking to Peggy, Pete’s mother claims she is in love with her nurse Manolo, and implies that their relationship is sexual. Sylvia and Arnold are afraid because their son Mitchell is reclassified 1A by the draft after dropping out of school and sending back his draft card in protest. Peggy tells Pete what his mother said to her over a friendly post client meeting dinner.  Later Pete argues with his mother about Manolo. Don awkwardly brings up Mitchell’s draft status at a client dinner with Chevy. Peggy calls Stan to remove a dying rat from her apartment but he refuses to help. Sally and her friend Julie stay at Don and Megan’s apartment while attending the Model UN. They meet Mitchell in the lobby and swoon over him.  Ted gets mad at Don for the uncomfortable moment during the Chevy dinner.  He offers to help get Mitchell into the Air National Guard if Don will agree to drop Sunkist in favor of Ocean Spray.  Don agrees and calls Sylvia to tell her the good news. Julie signs Sally’s name on a love note slipped under Mitchell’s door.  Sally returns to retrieve the note from the Rosen’s apartment, only to find Sylvia and Don about to have sex. She runs away and Don tries to follow. Bob tries to reassure Pete about Manolo and touches his knee to Pete’s suggestively. Pete rebuffs Bob and fires Manolo. Don comes home drunk and Megan tells him that he is the “sweetest man” for helping Mitchell. Sally shouts “you make me sick!” and runs off to her room.  Don tries to talk to Sally but makes up a weak excuse.

Episode nine’s plot referred to Post cereals, whiskey sours, rat traps, tea, and Ocean Spray, among other things.  Here is a selection of ads that illustrate some of the products and cultural references mentioned in Sunday night’s Mad Men.  A gallery of our highlighted images may also be found on Pinterest and Flickr.

Bigelow tea-1968 - Blog
whiskey sour1968 - Blog
d-Con-1968 - Blog
Post cereals-1968 - Blog

Prell and earrings1967 - Blog

50 Drinks and Toasts, Manhattan-1968 - BlogGet a Haircut-1967 - Blog

Purina1968 - Blog

Mad Men Monday Tuesday, Episode 9

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A number of characters faced choices between two people, while others faced rejection or criticism.  Peggy is encouraged to choose between Ted and Don’s ideas for Fleischmann’s margarine. Megan’s performance as twins is criticized. Arlene tries to console Megan, but her sexual advances are spurned. Betty’s slimmed down figure gets a lot of attention from a man at a dinner party, which excites Henry. In frustration, Pete consults with headhunter Duck Phillips about alternative positions. Ted tells Peggy that he has feelings for her, but also that he regrets kissing her. Betty and Don visit Bobby at summer camp.  They reconnect in a happy family moment over lunch and later spend the night together. Don is nostalgic and sentimental about Betty, while she is frank about his shortcomings.  The next morning she happily eats breakfast with Henry, while Don eats alone as if nothing ever happened. Joan and Bob go to the beach with her son, Kevin.  Roger tries to reconnect with Joan with a gift for Kevin, but she rebuffs him.  Roger is also reprimanded by his daughter after taking his grandson to see Planet of the Apes. Peggy is fearful of the crime in her new neighborhood. After a rock is thrown through their apartment window, she arms herself with a knife and accidentally stabs Abe in the abdomen.  In the ambulance Abe breaks up with Peggy, calling her the enemy because of her advertising career. The next day Peggy tells Ted that she and Abe broke up, but Ted seems unmoved by the news and wishes her well in finding someone new.

Episode nine’s plot referred to Esso gasoline, menthol cigarettes, knives, 1965 Cadillacs, and chef salads, among other things.  Here is a selection of ads that illustrate some of the products and cultural references mentioned in Sunday night’s Mad Men.  A gallery of our highlighted images may also be found on Pinterest and Flickr.

Cadilliac - BlogResized

Esso - BlogResized

air conditioner - Blog

winston menthol - Blog

Canadian club - Blog

Cutco knives - BlogResized

Mad Men Monday, Episode 7

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The CGC staff move into the SCDP office space and everyone scrambles to figure out their place at the new agency.  A number of staff members get laid off. Don meets Sylvia at a hotel for a daytime tryst.  Ted leads a creative meeting discussing Fleischmann’s Margarine.  Later he and Don continue brainstorming over drinks in Ted’s office and Ted drinks too much.  Pete’s difficult mother shows up at his apartment and he becomes responsible for her care.  Because of her issues Pete misses an important meeting with Mohawk Airlines.  Ted and Don fly upstate to the Mohawk meeting in Ted’s airplane through a storm.  Sylvia waits for Don at the hotel at his request and a red dress is delivered to her room.  Joan is in pain and Bob Benson takes her discreetly to the emergency room, where he talks the nurse into admitting her.  Later Joan returns the favor by advocating for his job during a meeting about staffing cuts. Sylvia breaks off the affair with Don and he seems devastated.  The episode ends with news of Robert Kennedy’s assassination, which Megan watches in tears.

Episode seven’s plot referred to St. Joseph’s Children’s Aspirin, Fleischmann’s Margarine, Topaz Pantyhose, Mohawk Airlines, gin and tonics, among other things.  Enjoy our selection of ads and images that illustrate some of the products and cultural references mentioned in last night’s Mad Men.  A gallery of our highlighted images may also be found on Pinterest and Flickr.

 

St Joseph Aspirin for Children

Topaz hosery - Blog

Fleischmann's Margarine

 

Fly Mohawk

 

Gilbey's Gin
Cessna

 

Robert F Kennedy Newsweek Cover