Mad Men Men

We're not known for blowing smoke on Mad Men Men, but I guess we can make an exception for this penultimate episode of the season! That's right, we're back to discuss Season 4, Episode 12, titled "Blowing Smoke." Which finds the old gang at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce scrambling in the fog of losing Lucky Strike. As usual, we recap the episode, give our analysis, and reference the director/writer/actors’ commentaries as well as Mad Men Carousel by Matt Zoller Seitz.  In case this is your first time digging into our podcast, we recap Mad Men from the perspective of a first-time watcher, someone who only watched the show once while it was airing, and a superfan who watches excessively instead of having a functional social life. “Blowing Smoke” Discussion Points:  What can we make of the dynamic between Sally and Glen in this episode? How can we connect Don's American Cancer pitch to the "kids" in "Blowing Smoke"? Does this really feel like a penultimate episode? Is the Midge subplot all that believable? What is the current state of Don and Faye's relationship? Extra credits: Matthew Weiner created Mad Men, which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. John Slattery directed “Blowing Smoke” and Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton wrote the script. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by Jon Negroni. Our podcast hosts include Jon Negroni (Podcast Editor of InBetweenDrafts), Will Ashton (cohost of the Cinemaholics podcast), and Michael Overhulse (a guy who’s addicted to working at startups).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chinese Walls are coming down for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce this week as we dig into Season 4, Episode 11. That's right, Mad Men Men is back for another dive into how Don Draper is the absolute worst at balancing professional and personal relationships, plus how desperation truly drives all of us. As usual, we recap the episode, give our analysis, and reference the director/writer/actors’ commentaries as well as Mad Men Carousel by Matt Zoller Seitz. In case this is your first time digging into our podcast, we recap Mad Men from the perspective of a first-time watcher, someone who only watched the show once while it was airing, and a superfan who watches excessively instead of having a functional social life. Discussion Points:  What IS a Chinese Wall in the workplace? Should we read Sterling's Gold? Does the episode still work even when it's this on the nose? How does SCDP come back from this major shakeup? Can you relate to a workplace crisis like this? What does Peggy's pitch remind you of? How has Peggy grown as a character since Season 1? What is really going on between Don and Megan? Is this it for Joan and Roger? Extra credits: Matthew Weiner created Mad Men, which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. Phil Abraham directed “Chinese Wall” and Erin Levy wrote the script. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by Jon Negroni. Our podcast hosts include Jon Negroni (Podcast Editor of InBetweenDrafts), Will Ashton (cohost of the Cinemaholics podcast), and Michael Overhulse (a guy who’s addicted to working at startups).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fittingly enough, we're on our hands and knees begging you to give Mad Men Men a chance. Just don't hit us over the head for it. That's right, this week we're talking about Season 4 Episode 10 of Mad Men, titled "Hands and Knees." As usual, we recap the episode, give our analysis, and reference the director/writer/actors' commentaries as well as Mad Men Carousel by Matt Zoller Seitz. In case this is your first time digging into our podcast, we recap Mad Men from the perspective of a first-time watcher, someone who only watched the show once while it was airing, and a superfan who watches excessively instead of having a functional social life. Discussion Points:  Thematically, is "Hands and Knees" a little clunky? How does the late/great Lynn Shelton do as director with this episode? What do you make of Don and Pete's changing dynamic since Season 1? Why do you think Betty bails Don out with the government guys? What can we glean about Lane after such a strained storyline concerning his father and estranged family? If this episode is all about secrets, then how can we relay that to each storyline? What is Joan's perspective on Roger at this point, and what might be going through her mind in the clinic scene? What makes this episode so bold in terms of the actors' performances? Extra credits: Matthew Weiner created Mad Men, which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. Lynn Shelton directed “Hands and Knees” and Matthew Weiner co-wrote the script with Jonathan Abrahams. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by Jon Negroni. Our podcast hosts include Jon Negroni (Podcast Editor of InBetweenDrafts), Will Ashton (cohost of the Cinemaholics podcast), and Michael Overhulse (a guy who’s addicted to working at startups).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're podcasters, not astronauts, so give us some slack if we don't shoot for new heights with "The Beautiful Girls." A Mad Men episode with ample hijinks and comedy mixed with dramatic workplace sexism and Don Draper constantly disappointing the women in his life. Because, well, this is Mad Men. And the Mad Men "Men" never know what's going on... In case this is your first time digging into our podcast, we recap Mad Men from the perspective of a first-time watcher, someone who only watched the show once while it was airing, and a superfan who watches excessively instead of having a functional social life. Discussion Points:  What is "The Beautiful Girls" truly saying about sexism underneath it all? Does this episode feel too much like a redux of previous Mad Men episodes? What drives Joan and Roger and to do what they do after getting mugged? Can we give it up for Ms. Blankenship, Queen of Perversions, first of her name and protecter of the realm, an astronaut if there ever was one? Is Sally really Don's weak spot? Speaking of spots, why did Don put Faye on one? Why does Faye struggle to connect with Sally? Is this the springtime of Peggy's youth? Extra credits: Matthew Weiner created Mad Men, which aired on AMC from 2007 to 2015. Michael Uppendahl directed “The Beautiful Girls” and Matthew Weiner co-wrote the script with Dahvi Waller. The show stars Jon Hamm, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Robert Morse, and many more. Our intro music is “Mad Men Men” by Tom Davidson, which is an original remix of the show’s opening theme “A Beautiful Mine” by RJD2. Podcast illustration is by Jon Negroni. Our podcast hosts include Jon Negroni (Podcast Editor of InBetweenDrafts), Will Ashton (cohost of the Cinemaholics podcast), and Michael Overhulse (a guy who’s addicted to working at startups).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.