Episode 1 - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

First episode is finally here. Please feel free to share any and everywhere. Part of what I enjoy about watching old shows is seeing familiar faces as guest stars. I will be on the look out each episode and name them at the end of every post. Enjoy!

Taynement says:

I finally got to watch the pilot episode and I heaved a sigh of relief because I think I am going to fall in love all over again. Everyone was so fresh faced and innocent looking which is a hoot considering 7 seasons later we get to see all the murky darkness beneath their fresh faces.

I realize I remember nothing about the show's beginning (2007 was 10 years ago people!). It was interesting to see Peggy all doe eyed and looking at Joan with all the adoration in the world. Color me shocked when she made a pass at Don (and he refused her, gasp!) and the realization dawned on me that after all the comments she got at the office about Don and her role, that she might have got on the pill because she anticipated having sex with Don. 

Peggy's interaction with Pete when she first meets him made it even sadder that she ended up in bed with him by the end of the episode. Speaking of, how did Pete know where she lived?
Pete let us know he was an ass from jump and started seeking Don's approval from day 1. Seeing Don predict his future so accurately (the "with a lot less hair" made me chuckle). The show wasted no time in hammering in strongly the misogyny and heavy smoking.

Our introduction to Don was like receiving a present that came in the form of a treasure hunt except when you think you have found the gift, you unwrap it to find more clues. We meet our protagonist, Don Draper. We learn he is a lot of things - an ad man who is good at what he does, a veteran, a charmer, a ladies man, an asshole, a misogynist. But we also learn that, despite knowing all this about him, we still know nothing about him because after seeing him have a tryst with Midge and flirt with Rachel, the last scene of the episode shows him going home to his wife and kids. So add - adulterer - to the list.

Notable Guest Stars: Rosemarie Dewitt, Maggie Siff (who, unlike my compadre I never like seeing on my screen)

Altius says:

Welcome to our re-watch of Mad Men. I’m so excited that when the title sequence flashed on the screen, I squealed at the back of Don Draper’s head. God, I’ve missed this show.

We’re immediately thrust into the 60s- copious amounts of cigarette smoke with a side of racism. However, the writers are keen to let us know that our protagonist Don Draper isn’t awful by having him use a kindly old black waiter as a market research tool. Don is struggling to come up with ideas for an upcoming pitch and he’s clearly desperate for help wherever he can find it.

Don then pays a visit to his bohemian girlfriend and he also hits her up for help on his pitch. This man is dedicated to his work, lest we forget. However, the work is quickly forgotten for a romp in the sheets (an aside, Jon Hamm was extra faaaahn in season 1).

We are then blessed to meet the horribly sexist men of advertising company Sterling Cooper but I’m loathe to admit I’m still filled with warmth towards them because have I mentioned how much I’ve missed this cast on my screen? However, my overriding thoughts are whew, the sexism! Some gems include “You got to let them know what kind of guy you are, then they’ll know what kind of girl to be.” And “Try not to be overwhelmed by all this technology. It looks complicated, but the men who designed it made it simple enough for a woman to use.” My God!

But just look at all the youth! Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Peggy, new to the company as Don’s secretary; slinking, flirtatious Joan, before the cynicism took a hold; Paul and Ken, useless as ever. Seeing these beloved characters again is so fun yet tinged with a bit of sadness at what’s to come all the same.

Don is still shitting himself about not having a pitch ready for Lucky Strike and like a man after my own heart, when he's under pressure, he takes a nap.

We get a longer introduction to soon to be married Pete Campbell with his toadyness and smug little punchable face.  He’s quickly given the dressing down by Don he deserves and they immediately set us up to hate Pete and love Don and I’m happy to oblige. Pete is clearly Don’s natural antagonist and our shackles are up right from the beginning. Pete doesn’t help matters by outdoing his sexist colleagues in his treatment of Peggy. He treats her like meat right to her face and doesn’t even have the “decency” to half-conceal it like his colleagues.

We also meet Rachel Mencken, millionaire Jewish heiress, keen to make a success out of her father’s department store with the help of Sterling Cooper. Maggie Siff is great in this role and this shows how great Mad Men always was with the casting. They consistently hit it out of the park.

After initially choking, Don kills it at the Lucky Strike pitch and we witness first hand the advertising genius at work. He also shows exceptional good judgment in declining the offer to attend Pete’s bachelor party and I’ve never heard a man make a “congratulations” sound like a “fuck you” more in my life.

In the most cringe-worthy part of the episode, Peggy, emboldened by Joan’s innate sexiness and flirtatiousness, clumsily makes a pass at Don and he turns her down in the most Don-like way possible- direct and abrupt, but essentially kind. I died a little inside for Peggy but truly Don handled it in the best way possible

However, Peggy promptly undoes all my feelings of warmth and affection towards her by sleeping with Pete, the toad, on the eve of his bachelor party.

Not to be outdone in the dwindling of goodwill factor, Don then follows in Peggy’s footsteps by revealing to the audience that he’s married with kids to a beautiful blonde that’s decidedly not his dark-haired lover from the beginning of the episode. Needless to say, my take away from the episode is that men are scum wherever you turn- yay!

But what a pilot. We meet all our major players and their relationships with each other are excellently set up. We immediately know what kind of world the men and women of Sterling Cooper inhabit and I’m excited to be on the journey with them once more.

Random observations:

- Pete already showing rapey tendencies from the first episode

- How much curvier the strippers are than the ideal of beauty we’re sold today

- Remember those halcyon days when I didn’t hate Betty?

- Maggie Siff should be in more things.

Don't forget feel free to share and comment and see you for the next episode!