Joan takes marriage seriously

In Babylon, when Roger tells her that before meeting her he was ready to leave his wife, she play-slaps him. But the intention of the slap was, Don’t you ever talk about leaving your wife.

And in Marriage of Figaro, she says that Lady Chatterly’s Lover is “another testimony to how most people think marriage is a joke.”

by rkl

 

Weekend Quotation

Mona Sterling, to Joan and Don: “Don’t you two make a handsome couple?”
Joan Holloway: “Honestly? I don’t go for handsome.”

— Babylon

Inspired by the new trailer showing Joan making out with someone…do you suppose he’s handsome?

 

Watching Peggy change

In Hobo Code she was still a party girl (witness The Twist, and also ‘we all work so hard’). By Nixon vs. Kennedy, not only was she a tight-ass, but she had a reputation as such.

Ken: Draper has plenty of booze.

They look towards Peggy, working at her desk despite the party around her.

Ken: (continues) We could ask her to join us. That might soften her up.

So what happened?

Okay. In Hobo Code she finally gets to have sex with Pete again. And I’m sorry folks, goodness knows I am not a fan of Mr. Campbell, but it was kind of beautiful. Evidenced by the tenderness between them afterwards… even from him.

 

Curlers and rouge and steak in the pan. with butter.

One thing we haven’t gotten much of a look at is the women’s grooming process. We see them all look so perfect (or, occasionally not, like Carol the day she got fired and Francine freaking out over Carlton’s affairs).

For the most part all we see is the occasional lipstick application. But we don’t see what it takes to get Joan’s and Betty’s hair so flawless, or Helen Bishop’s face looking photo-ready.

 

Season 2 Scoopage!

Hat tip to our own Hullabaloo, who pointed out an EOnline scoop that we can all get excited about. Watch With Kristen says:

Sexy Joan has an honest-to-goodness boyfriend this season. As for the launch date of season two, we only know it’s sometime in July 2008. However, I can tell you that, just as the story of season one ended on a holiday (Thanksgiving), season two begins on another nonreligious holiday. Guesses?

First guess is Dan’s, who thinks it must be Valentine’s Day, and damn, I gotta say, it’s the perfect answer. Matthew Weiner said February or March, and in the realm of non-religious holidays that leaves Valentine’s Day, President’s Day (yawn), and Mardi Gras (which is religious but not really celebrated that way). Valentine’s Day is the perfect way to give us an update on everyone’s relationship status. Like, Don and Betty, Francine and Carlton, Peggy and Junior, Pete and Trudy, Roger and Mona, Margaret and Wristcutters Anonymous, Carol and Salvatore.

 

Friday Quotation

Roberta’s thoughts about Joan reminded me of this quote:

Joan: “That sandwich is making me sad.”

Something poignant about a person who is moved to sorrow so easily.

 

Ok, it’s the WRITERS who should be Red in the Face

“I like redheads. Their mouths are like a drop of strawberry jam in a glass of milk.”

Forgive me, MM writers. I love you all.

But this episode, about which I have so much more to say, seems to have a big fat continuity issue.

Thursday #1
It is the end of the workday. Roger speaks to his wife about the weekend plans. He is then told by Bertram Cooper that the Nixon boys are coming in at the end of the week. Joan has a bag packed and is taking a train with her roommate Carol for a weekend away. No mention that she is taking a Friday off, but okay so far.

How do I know it’s Thursday? Don says to Peggy, trying to make sure she’s not working too late, “Just because tomorrow’s Friday, doesn’t mean I expect to be pulling your head off the keys in the morning”. (God, that line is a mouthful!)

That night, it’s drinks for Don and Roger, and then the disastrous dinner at the Draper’s.

Thursday #2
The next morning, Roger offers Don a bottle and an apology. At lunch Pete exchanges a chip-and-dip for a 22-caliber rifle.

 

Ladies Room Thoughts

So, before tonight’s airing of Marriage of Figaro, I thought it was time to write up some random thoughts on re-watching Ladies Room.

There’s a deep, soulful emphasis when Joan says “That sandwich is making me sad.” I really think that we’re going to learn more about Joan. (File that under Season 2 Speculation: I think Joan gets major backstory and I think it’s going to be full of sadness.)

In the realm of general sexism, we have Don telling Betty, “Leave the dishes for the girl.” “The girl.” Because, y’know, she’s a thing; specifically a thing that does dishes. “The girl,” by the way, is eight. Not to young too be the maid or anything. Yeesh.

But this is mostly Betty’s episode. When she’s with Mona in the ladies room and she can’t hold her lipstick, her remark is “It’s hard to hold onto anything these days.” The first time I saw this episode, I didn’t notice the “hard to hold onto” connection. The psychological meaning of Betty’s numbness is even clearer than I’d thought.

(By the way, anyone know the name of the actress who played a ladies room attendant; who said “If their purses get any smaller, we’re going to starve”? She reminded me very much of Yvette Freeman (Haleh on ER), but it’s sometimes hard to recognize actors through the period clothing and hair. IMDb and TV.com both come up blank, so if you know who it is, PUH-leeze tell me.)

Later, Betty talks about her fears regarding the accident: She’s not afraid of death, but of loneliness. If Sally were scarred, she would never marry and live her life alone, and this is what Betty can’t bear to consider. Loneliness. Not having a man. Not having a perfect appearance. Shit, I’m in Roberta territory here, stunned at what goes on behind Betty’s facade.

And one more thing about Betty: In the psychiatric session, she takes off the watch Don gave her. You know: The watch to make her happy, the now-you-have-everything-you-don’t-need-a-shrink watch. That watch.

 

1960, I am SO over you!

“‘Ya know I can’t believe I even thought about getting back together with you! We are SOOO over!”
~Rachel, re-breaking up with Ross on Friends (Episode 4:01; The One With the Jellyfish)

In a discussion about the possible origins of the term ’self-worth’, Rondi commented about the anachronistic “1960, I am SO over you“.

First of all, Rondi, don’t second guess yourself. This one is absolutely undebateably out of step with the era. Is it POSSIBLE that a woman in 1960 could have put those words together in that sequence? Sure, it’s technically possible. But it screams Today. It screams it so loudly that I wonder if it was deliberate.

 

Live blogging…Betty coming out of the closet

Weiner just talked about a technique he uses to keep it real, which is to ensure that Betty has a closet. Even though she shops a lot, he says, you will see the same outfits repeated.

He said that she wore the same dress for the family portrait that she wore to her first day seeing Dr. Wayne; it is what she would choose. Sunday best.

I would just like to point out that the only other time I have ever seen this (with the exception of a particular pair of earrings on a soap opera years ago; I’ll come back later to describe them) was on thirtysomething, a show that I loved as much as I love this one. Hope had a very specific wardrobe that rotated and she always looked good but never too good, like an overwhelmed young mother with a hippie streak would really dress (also with some favorite pairs of earrings). I had never seen that before or, or since, until now.

We’ll keep an eye on Joan, but I do suspect Joan would spend a lot of money on new dresses all the time. And I’m sure she has lots of sources of income to support it.

Addendum:

Okay, so a hundred years ago, there was a character named Megan on One Life to Live, played by Jessica Tuck. She has giant blue eyes, round and really an incredible blue. The character frequently wore a pair of earrings with big round blue sparkling stones that sat close to the ears (as most earrings on soap operas do). I was mesmerized by the effect; how they reflected her eyes. And the directors obviously were too, because soap operas never ever EVER (at least back then; I don’t watch them anymore) repeat wardrobe elements. Ever. But these earrings next to Megan’s face were magical.

On a personal note, around the same time period I met a young girl who was just a really hot young thing, and she had my coloring, with bright round dark brown shiny eyes. And she had a pair of earrings with round black stones set in silver, and it had a similar effect.

It took me years to find the right earrings for myself. I do have a pair now, and I’ve never pulled it off quite the same as Megan or Stephanie, they certainly do make my eyes pop.