Anything Goes : Mad Men Season 7 Discussion Thread by Richard "RB" Botto

I'm in! Love that show, and so sad it is ending.

Should be an interesting ride, Jennifer. Looking forward to getting it going tomorrow night.

OK...(small) Spoliers ahead. You've been warned! Interesting opening episode. Thought the writing was pretty strong, although the symbolism (doors that won't close, women with new found power literally cooking the bacon) was a bit over the top. The storylines for the women have increasingly become more intriguing than those of the men. The road for Peggy, Joan, and Megan appears move paved than that of Don and Roger. The latter two seem to be in an endless cycle of extreme optimism followed by extreme despair. It seems as if a day of reckoning may (finally) be on the horizon.

OH! I didn't realize we had another tv show thread going. I loved our Breaking Bad one, so I'm equally excited about Mad Men. Watching Peggy's opening was heartbreaking. She has everything she ever wanted, but now she's so lonely being at the top (hm...reminds me of Don in Season 1). I love Joan's empowerment, but also her past biting her in the ass when the marketing director doesn't take her seriously and when the professor insinuates he wants "more" from her. I love where they've written the women. I'm curious to see where it goes. I'm so intrigued with what's going to happen to Don this season. He is so far removed from the man we grew to know in season 1. He sticks out like a sore thumb in LA, so I'm curious to see if he stays in NY or goes to LA. Totally excited for this season, although I'm bummed that they split it in half with a break in between. It's not really they type of show to do that with.

I haven't seen season 6 yet so watching the last few episodes leave me a little lost. Need to renew Netflix and download season 6… when I have time.

Come on, Roy! Catch up! We need to discuss ;)

Roger is still a hoot. Will pathetic Don finally get out of his depression? I love how Sally is developing and forcing Don to finally be a parent, maybe erase some of those awkward moments of past seasons where he clearly had no feelings for his kids. I'm cheering for Joan at the moment. I was cheering for Peggy last year, but geez, now she's become the boss everyone hates. It's great how all of us can find people we know in all these characters. If you were a woman in the workforce back then, the prejudice is not far off.

Seems a bit "sharkjumpy"...with the arguing secretaries (reaching for conflicts) and marginalizing the partners...still like the show tho. Even jumping the shark (and it will be interesting to see just how they jump it- waterskiing???) it's still one of the best.

Mark - I'd like to see Don Draper waterskiing wearing his perfectly-pressed suit! Sorry I've been off on the discussion here, had family in from out of town. Nonetheless, Debbie - I agree with you, I like where they are going with Sally. She is becoming quite the little adult (and is a great actress, I might add!) I do like how they've stretched Sterling Cooper & Partners across Michigan, California and New York. It's interesting to see the things that drive the teams together and apart. I'm actually liking this shakeup to the agency dynamic. I also like the archaic conference call speakers they use to communicate (oh, my how far we've come!) I don't know what is going on with Don. It seems as though he never has any repercussions for his actions, and last week was no exception. Will he ever change? I feel like we've been rooting for this character over so many seasons but he remains the most stagnant with the least arc. You look at Joan and Peggy's arc - amazing what they've gone through. Same with Roger, Peter, et al. And Cooper - man - I just love him. He's like the wise messiah. Megan is off in her own world - not sure what they're doing with that character. She seems really forced this year. Same with Betty - again, not sure where she's fitting into this new paradigm. I'm still along for the ride and really interested to see where it goes this season.

Hmm, Andrea. Maybe the fact that Don appears to be the only one stagnant is the story here. ?? Even Roger has tried new things. lol.

I think they might be angling for Don to take the big dive...just like in the opening credit scroll animation...hope not... but I think so.

So the opening credits would also become the final scene. Now that you mention it, it makes total sense.

Well, well, well, ...maybe not...

What. Just. Happened. Can we all talk about Ginsberg's meltdown last night? And Don's threesome? I mean, just ... wow. What an episode.

I guess they had to do something to make the Don-Megan relationship interesting. It was very meh. Still, the one character that seems to have the best potential for depth is Sally (can we see a sequel here?). I always wondered what Betty's purpose was. She's just a waste of space of a human being.

Betty is just a bitch...and an EXTREMELY BAD PARENT

"I'm gonna break your arm next time." ?!? WTF

Move over Joan Crawford. Introducing Betty Draper as Mother of the Year.

Who is a good mother in the series, for comparison's sake? And how can Sally be so interesting if her mother is so...? Actually, I find Sally a bore, like Meadow Soprano. She's an uncontrollable demon, a cliche of the snark in development. She has a line for everybody (I was alive, then. Where are the parents to smack her in the kisser?) And to think that this is modernism. And as with The Sopranos (Weiner was a team member), the writers 'develop' manners and empathy in these daughters at their own convenience (or that of their sentimentality). And Don's 'fall' feels false. Besides, he would've gone to another agency. Why would he submit to such humiliation? And there's a little something that no one's talking about: the two black girls in the office. Why are some carping about white girls and 'empowerment'? Does anyone think those black girls could survive white girl empowerment in that office at that time without being ridiculed? It's complete moral dishonesty to think that a black girl would be accepted as office manager. But then again, we wouldn't have sympathy for the people. But does that mean that we belittle the racism those women faced in real life. Or do we go on pasting current Liberal Piety onto the past and talk only about soap opera?

Just when I think Don is going to off himself, something new happens.