广告狂人第六季

没写过评，因为不会写。从第一季开始就是mad men的饭，所以当陌生人评论我有感而发的微博说don不爱孩子只觉得他们是负担时，我的表达欲被激起了。

"I dont think i ever wanted to be a man who loves children. But from the moment they're born, the baby comes out and u act like u r proud and excited and u hand out cigars...but u dont feel anything. Especially if u had a difficult childhood. I want to love them but I dont...and the fact that u r faking that feeling makes u wonder if ur own father had the same problem. Then one day they get older, u see them do something and u feel that feeling u were pretending to have...and it feels like ur heart is going to explode."

我非常喜欢这段台词，它交代了很多东西。

第一，它解释了我个人的疑问：为什么编剧很少描写Don和孩子的互动？因为在这一集之前，在Mr.king的死发生前，Don不爱他的孩子，恐怕一点都不爱 （ "I dont think i ever wanted to be a man who loves children. But from the moment they're born, the baby comes out and u act like u r proud and excited and u hand out cigars...but u dont feel anything.）。

第二，一个人不爱自己的孩子难道不奇怪吗？这段台词接着就像我们解释了Don为什么不爱自己的孩子："Especially if u had a difficult childhood. I want to love them but I dont...and the fact that u r faking that feeling makes u wonder if ur own father had the same problem." 他缺少父爱的童年让他缺少这种能力。就像病了一样。无法给予孩子父爱又让他想到自己的父亲，是不是也有这样的问题/病所以才不爱自己。

“Then one day they get older, u see them do something and u feel that feeling u were pretending to have." 这里的时态变了(were pretending)，说明Don以前假装爱他们，但是那是过去式了。这一集里Don带儿子（忘记名字了）去看电影，间歇时一个黑人工作人员在打扫，小孩子对他说”everybody likes to go to the movies when they're sad". 黑人工作人员和Don交换了一个有些惊讶又有些悲伤的眼神。我想，Don在这段话里("u see them do something")的something指的是不是儿子在电影院里的行为呢？

“...and it feels like ur heart is going to explode.”最后这半句更加证明了Don不爱孩子已经是过去式了。之前的"feeling"由假装出来的演变成了真实的、从心底往外溢出的，所以才会觉得心像要explode了一样。这样无法抑制的感觉不就是爱吗。

听完Don的独白，Megan含着泪靠在他肩头，想给他一些安慰。我当时的心情和剧中的Megan大概差不多，终于明白了他的心情，说不出话，只有同情。

我相信大多数喜欢madmen的观众都不会认为Don是人渣，因为这并不是作者真正想要表达的。虽然说一百个人对同一部作品会有一百个理解，但是这当中必然有一些更加贴近作者在创作时的用意。如果细心地去感受剧中的细节，便不难找到许许多多证据。之所以写这篇东西，是因为偶然看到一些观众坚定地认为Don是人渣。我想说，剧中的人和我们是一样的，今天的自己的模样和昨天总有点渊源，而昨天的许多事，比如出生的家庭，比如父亲爱不爱自己，都不是在我们掌控之内的。今天的人们不断不断地和昨天较着劲，这不就是剧中想要表现的自我挣扎么。

这集里Peggy的男友说的那段也很喜欢，因为表达欲在Don身上就不多说了。最后，又一次被Don的扮演者Jon Hamm的演技吓到。当然其他的演员也都非常棒。希望艾美能给他们一点甜头。

乏善可陈，请大家原谅。

Mad Men 609 'The Better Half' Recap


So. This was the episode that Mad Men went totally MAD.

‘You obviously had a traumatizing experience.’ Peg said.

‘Don’t patronize me.’ Abe answered.

S6E9 revisited the traumatizing experience, casting the shadow of confusion, chaos and violence on those who were not on the spot and claimed that a few lunatics would not ruin their gorgeous nights.

As if answering to Don’s epiphany in the last episode - It is nothing but history that holds people together, people of the past did appear or was mentioned in this episode. Here was Duck. And they mentioned the late Pryce and Gleason and Robert Kennedy.

Due to its role that drew people together, the past was obliged to be something precious and wonderous. Or, as the popular ‘Planet of the Apes’ indicated, the past was ‘the paradise’. Soon after Duck disclosed that the wellspring of his confidence was his family, we saw a family-reunion - in a camp site or a countryside b&b. Lost in the amazement of the oozing sweetness of Bobby and his handsome father and beautiful mother, we found ourselves cannot but agree with Duck- Family could be paradise-y.

Or could it?

Because it was an episode about the collapsing of family and of loving couples. Its theme wasn’t Duck’s motto, it’s Betty’s - ‘Loving you is the worst way to get closer to you’.

The couples, if not families, broke up. It sent a thrill down the spine of mine to see Abe accused Peg ‘you are always the enemy’. Maybe he was confused, or maybe it was true and it was because he said nothing and we couldn’t tell that he had long been frustrated about his girlfriend being a conservative high-brow bread-maker. But the accusement still was horrible, as horrible as the stabbing (why people keep stabbing??), considering of the high possibility that he might not survive and the accusement would hurt and haunt Peg, for, like, ever. To quote Arlene, you could not disagree, but you didn’t have to embarrass or in this context destroy, her. This scene resembled the previous quarrel between Pete and Trudy. Pete could not tell Trudy the unspeakable deeds of her father, yet he did. Anyhow, thanks God Abe made it.

Then it was the issue between Peg and Ted. It did not work out. It was like a blow in the face to see two men closing the door with unconscious indifference in front of Peg, in the acme of her vulnerablity. But in the end, there was nothing wrong with Ted being the guy who went to bed before 2 p.m., otherwise it would be too confusing.

To stop the confusion, Joan asked Roger to stop dropping by without notice. ‘I know you want to. But I can’t count on that’, Joan shrugged when Roger claimed that he only wanted to be around.

‘The forbidden zone is once a paradise.’ This depressed episode was a manifesto of the invalidity of love of all sorts, showing that love was a mere intermezzo, a midway thing. It was in the constant threat of violence - the robbery, the neighbourhood chaos, the stabbing spines, the words of wrath. Midway it was cut short. And you went astray, finding yourself alone in the darkness of the forbidden zone.

Maybe Matthew Weiner was confused or maybe it did happen. Alert when you are in love, but the other part just says ‘I missed you.’

Don’t count on that. Take a note.

MM 613 'In Care Of' Recap


The last episode of season 6 of Mad Men encapsulated runaway of all forms besides showing all the serious and casual commitments being made and broken.

‘If you wanna run, I’d do it now.’ - Pete

S6E13 wrapped up the whole season of the mad late 1960s showing the aftermath of being casual at decision-making whilst tagging the whole period as ‘not serious’.

‘Hershey’s isn’t serious’ about advertising. Teenages were not serious about drinking and law; men were not serious about their families and children; people were not serious about making promises. Don, the most notorious among all, breached work taboo and were considered not serious about clients and campaign presentations (Hershey’s, Sheraton, newspaper and tabacco, to name just a few). All they wanted was run.

Ted promised that he would leave his wife and escaped to Hawaii with Peg. Don told Megan they would move to L.A. and be happy again. Sally went to a boarding school to stay away from her always-occupied-and-couldn’t-pick-her-children mother and her ‘immoral’ dad. Even Pete’s mother ran away and got married with Manolo, both of whom ended up disappearing into thin air. Trudy said to Pete, who lost his mother, left his families and moved to the south, ‘You are free from everything.’

The men made decisions easily. To shoot two not one presidents, to start a war, to kill civil rights leader and innocent people on a foreign land. They were the decision-makers. And those who were being made the decisions were voiceless and vacant in the pictures.

‘You probably dictate the memo right to her and had no idea she’d be affected.’ - Stan

Stan’s remark was not just about Dawn, whose appearance and subplots in the whole season were disappointly scarce and had no punchline whatsoever, it also rang true for Peg and Ted.

Though I was for a moment believing that Ted would leave his wife and be with Peg and got really excited for the next season of this couple-to-be, I felt punched in the face when the guilty-look Ted showed up in Don’s office asking Don to put three hundred miles between him and Peg. But you must admit, what Ted did was right. Nevertheless, whatever he decided to do, the memo of divorce or breaking up would still hurt the other woman in his bed, badly.

The words were broken. The women were left to be disappointed. Yet as Roger pointed out, ‘you learn more from disappointment than you do from success’, will the women whose husband, lover, dad failed them, stood up and learned something? Looking at the silouette of Peg in Don’s office, I knew she would (and Peg&Elizabeth Moss was never an disappointment on the screen). Sally was looking at her father in the eye before the deserted two-story house that had once been a brothel and home to her father. I hoped she would pull her young self together and saw something big from the experience that her father went through, from a ragged boy to a man in clean suits and tie and hat. As Meg darted out of the flat, I was fingercrossing and wished she would not be written off the show(as what was done to her part in her show). The scenario of Don taking away Stan’s opportunity bore a resemblance to what Megan did to her European friend in the last episode of season five, yet we failed to see more dark and manipulative side of Megan this season. I hoped to see the independent-minded Megan of power return next year.

SC&P decided that they could survive with a casual vacancy. And indeed, it would not be too much to ask that this casual vacancy could remind Don of his responsibility since he would sure see the firm run normally, if not perfectly, without him.

Take a break.

‘Don’t you always go home, though? ’ - Peggy

　广告狂人追求的精确与真实，已经直逼红楼，伏线千里，无一处闲笔。最典型的例子是第三季上来duck不见了，我靠不是上一季要做大boss吗？翻回第二季找线索，才发现一场五分钟不到的戏份已经判了duck死刑。叹服这种不需明言的精致，这也是美剧比较少见的表现方式。
　　再及人物刻画，也堪比红楼。编剧肚子里的小九九非常清楚，一一对比，三对曼哈顿金钗，基本囊括了彼时女子类型。Betty&trudy传统主妇型，peggy&joan独立职场新女性，jane&megan外围捷径女，又因为每对背景性格素质的不同，在相同的道路上走出了不同的姿态。对比赏之，细品非常有趣。
　　
　　先说megan&jane两外围女。编剧简直是刻意对比来刻画的。
　　Megan在第四季大多数时间打酱油，虽然身材高挑，服装艳丽，但在金发独立女 博士的光芒下全不吸引眼球，谁知结尾竟然逆袭成功，众皆错愕。相反jane从普一登场就绝非善类，每一步都锋芒毕露，那绝不甘于平凡的劲头很有点章子怡的架势。
　　其实呢，她们两是一样一样的，只不过手段高低，一个腹黑，一个无耻，却殊途同归。
　　Megan让我能想起来的第一印象，是坐前台时peggy的拉拉女友跟她扯闲篇，拉拉拜拜后，megan翻了个白眼对peddy说：这人好自负。这说明megan小前台的身体里住了一颗非常有主见的心灵。相对的，jane普一登场便勾搭了三四位男同事溜入大boss办公室看画，这是怎样的胆大包天与掌控力度。Jane的主见里包含了一种危险和品质堪忧的因素。
　　Megan的第二个印象，实际上是三女同台，女博士，单纯女秘书，和megan关在一个屋子里做产品测试，女秘书情绪失控，megan很关心的说需不需要追去care，并由此发现了惊天大秘密。相信从那个时候就默默打开小算盘算计我们的渣男don了。Jane因为看画事件被joan开除，不同于一般忍气吞声的小秘，她大胆的跑到大boss roger处恶人先告状，不但保住了工作，还由此将魔掌伸向了我们风趣的白发老男孩渣男二号roger。
　　Megan的第三个印象，和上面jane相对，是暂任don女秘时捅了个大篓子，don被国家安全部门调查身份，逼得他差点跑路。Megan慌的时候说 我不知道这件事这么重要，抱歉给你带来麻烦，如果你要开掉我，我万分理解。瞧瞧这下意识的反应，不得不佩服，megan的基本素质非常优秀，甩了jane十万八千里。
　　第四个印象就是那突破性的一晚啦！主动留下加班，并适时表示 我想熟悉业务，因为早晚有一天，我会做你和peggy的工作。从后面的剧情看，她对广告业全无兴趣，而是志在表演，可此时的一番话却明明白白的告诉don：我可不只是个小秘书哦，我志存高远，崇拜敬仰你，我们可以并肩奋斗哦！接下来勾搭don激情一夜前表明 我只是被你吸引 非常渴望被你宠幸，你不需要负责的哦亲，我不会缠上你，也不会对外嚷嚷令你难堪哦！瞧瞧这基本素质！事实上她只献身两次都迎来了钻戒，哪像jane陪睡了那么多晚，又是念诗又是做对，话说的那么平铺直叙：我爱你，我不但肉体跟你水乳交融，精神也可以和你比肩哦！空洞乏味，替megan鄙视她一万次
　　接下来没什么好说，孩子路线：安慰sally，做保姆教唱歌，奶昔事件稳住局面。值得一提的是婚后。Megan和jane立刻奴隶大翻身，在野党变执政党，我们的渣男被压在身下苦不堪言了，不得不说，你两活该！活该有人治你们！
　　Megan成功的甩掉广告业工作，逼着don走后门推荐自己拍广告，并由此打开了演绎局面，拥有了自己的事业根基。Jane呢，逼着roger为自己资质平庸的表弟觅了份闲差，离婚要了套房子，而已。虽然在展现人格独立活得舒服方面两人有的一拼，这边厢回家迟了预先没电话也要摔盘子掀桌，那边厢是否按门铃也要争论一番，两人都是绝对利己主义者，都走了一条男权世界里的捷径，都将婚姻当做了自我成功的阶梯，但jane的格局视野和megan差了老远。这就源于两人的家庭背景了，magan老爸大学教授，老妈是法式狂放，自身素质优秀，随便写个广告文案就获得了业内奥斯卡；jane呢，从只鳞片爪诸如矮冬瓜表哥来看，想必所受教育十分有限，拿钱拿房子安排七姑八姨工作就是她追求的最高目标了。
　　
　　接下来说说认真经营婚姻的两位主妇：betty&trudy
　　Betty是我认为该剧塑造的极为优秀的角色，起承转合，一应俱全。从第一季中的唯唯诺诺小娇妻，到第二季人格觉醒探寻出路，再到第三季，寻找下家坚决前行。作为女主戏份较多，其心路历程刻画细致入微，对这样一个极为复杂的角色，我想我们很难用一句喜欢或讨厌去衡量。她是非常努力的去经营家庭渴望幸福的，可惜体内住了个小女孩，智商情商皆有限，根本看不清缘由，但即使如此她仍旧勇敢的走了一条荆棘之路，因为树挪死，人不挪不活，反正跟你don陷在这片婚姻泥淖里死路一条，就让我闭着眼闯荡一条新路吧！所以，尽管她诚如henry妈妈所说是个silly woman，到第四季还刻薄得犹如疯婆子，第五季郁郁猥琐的发胖走形，但我依旧佩服她勇往直前的勇气。而且我坚信她在父亲般henry的引导下 会剥离眼前的迷雾，获得幸福。她已经知道生活并不完美，已经懂得自我反省，不是吗？
　　如果问我该剧里最喜欢和欣赏的是谁，那么唯一能脱口而出的就是trudy了。Trudy和betty一样年轻貌美，全心全意的经营着家庭，养育子女，容忍出轨，陪同应酬，还附带岳父生意。而且她头脑清晰，内心强大，经营婚姻更加稳准狠。她和betty最大的不同是她一直知道自己追求的是什么，也一直都知道底线，所以她的宽容和betty的隐忍是有根本不同的。比如她非常想要孩子，想去收养，但pete不同意，她也选择了妥协并毫无怨言（估计觉得病因在自己颇为理亏）；比如pete偷情小保姆，她得悉实情并没有发飙而且妥协不留pete一人独住（估计觉得男人偷腥在所难免既然知错便宽大处理）；比如pete事业受挫，她温言鼓励，支持离场还附赠业务。（明白夫妻一体一损巨损）；比如pete事业蒸蒸日上，她开party宴请同僚拉拢人心。可以说，trudy是完美的，绝对大奶作风，该帮则帮，睁只眼闭只眼。不由得令我十分疑惑 她究竟怎么看上pete这个油头粉面的讨厌鬼的？最后触怒trudy最终底线是pete偷腥偷到邻居头上，对她已然全无忌惮和尊重，于是一下子暴走，干净利落的离婚。对比betty在分居期间还情欲难耐跟don缠绵一晚导致怀孕，这是几万几千里的差距？trudy一直都对得起他人，对得起自己，所以她会一直离幸福不远。
　　Betty和trudy都出身中产富裕家庭，衣食无忧。基本素质的巨大差异，也只能从父母婚姻幸福与否去找寻根源了。弗洛伊德教育我们，你所以的不幸福的都可以去赖父母，哈哈哈。
　　
　　Peggy&joan
　　此两女戏份越来越重，已经并列女一的趋势。而且有意思的是两个人一直相互影响，携手狂奔在职场升级的康庄大道上。
　　第一季joan领着刚入职的peggy走进办公室，处处提点照顾，说明她是一个非常厚道善良的女性。而peggy在向boss don献身未果之后 ，很明白自己没有joan的丰乳肥臀，并没有跟着joan亦步亦趋，而是走了一条peggy特色主义职场道路。职场上用实力说话，个人作风坚持新时代新女性性自由。
　　到第二季peggy成功晋升文案并拥有了自己的办公室和秘书。Joan还只能兢兢业业的给don兼任女秘书。这回轮到joan向peggy学习，她主动请缨，帮助新成立的电视部门读剧本谈广告，并且做的相当好。短暂的昙花一现后，joan老实得回归本分。这一季joan给自己找了个愣头青老公。其实凭joan的外形和情商，想嫁大款那还不手到擒来，可是她偏不，我想一来她非常善良，不屑于去拆散他人家庭；二来上流社会是个什么德性她一清二楚，我们的joan其实非常传统，想要追求婚姻忠贞幸福的。所以找了个中产阶级中的中流砥柱——医生。凭手艺吃饭，不像律师广告业那么万事全凭一张嘴，良心全都大大的坏。可惜智者千虑必有一失，joan的宝还是压偏了。
　　第三季，两人皆有晋升。Peggy逐渐成为创意部骨干，接连打败paul，男同事们开始不得不正视这个雌性对手，不负前两季各种歧视。Peggy在工作上是一直积极进取的，要求涨工资，揽文案，默默承受上司各种骂。Joan则帮着英国人一同打理公司，实际上已经从后勤接逐渐近于管理层，丈夫的羸弱表现估计让joan认识到 中产阶级男人一样不靠谱，还是得靠自己。
　　第四季，两人接着晋升。如果没记错，两人在本季还有了点小冲突。Peddy作为don手下首徒，实际上隐隐统领着众多男文案和美工。从心态上也越加自信，比如和男同事关在同一密闭空间，脱光光刺激彼此灵感，男同事被其混不吝气场打败落荒而逃。Joan在公司危机裁员之危局下一个顶三，被升职为总监。感情方面，一边接受英国人的爱慕并保持距离，一边和roger旧情复燃中标怀孕但拒绝偷情。Joan内心其实非常传统，她一直在维持着各种脆弱的平衡，一边小打小闹享受美女在男权社会的种种便利，一边不去触碰社会道德的底线，各种游走灰色地带。两个人因为peggy插手开掉公然冒犯joan的男同事而闹了个小别扭（不得不说办公室政治，peggy你跟joan比还嫩了点。），但季末两个女人点着烟相互吐槽！怎么着，我被升职为总监，他们庆祝订婚吧姐还得拖着箱子干活！怎么着，我刚刚挽救了公司签下关键性一单啊，他们一订婚竟然成焦点了?all bullshit!
　　第五季，一人跳槽成为总监，一个潜规则当上合伙人。给人感觉，这两个人一直在踏踏实实走路，没有一步飞升，走的艰难，却也走的踏实。
　　第六季，公司再次合并，两位独立女性重新走到一处。（我去，编剧你是觉得两人分不开吗？！干脆安排两人拉拉算了！）peggy一直在调和两家公司的矛盾，可惜情感导向有点拉偏架，到季末既失去赵的爱情，升到don的位置也意味着和don反目成仇。个中滋味，如人饮水。但不管怎样，peggy已经成为可以对公司大boss们施加影响的力量。Joan则潜意识受peggy激发，点燃内心深处的事业心，不再安于服从男人指挥做花瓶，首次主动出击揽客户。尽管peggy不认可joan的做法 却还是鼎力相助。不管这一单是否成功，两个人都成长到了一个关键的节点，即女人身，男儿心，坚决走自己的路，花自己的钱。Joan明确表示她不会依赖任何一个男人，会独立抚育儿子。（joan和roger走到一起的几率微乎其微）peggy首做性感打扮，并成功捅破窗户纸，将暧昧对象诱惑上床。
　　从一开始的截然不同，到最后两人渐渐殊途同归。Peggy终于找到了女人属性的自信，而joan开始不安只做花瓶。甚至在生孩子领域两人也旗鼓相当。估计都对爱情产生了幻灭，男人靠得住，猪都能上树。这是要朝着包养小白脸狂飚啊！！joan这边已经有迹象了，那么男同escout一直巴结她，不知二人过路没。
　　Btw，没看懂bob和pete的戏法，求大虾指教。Pete手上握有bob伪造简历的证据，怎么反而被bob在底特律阴了之后，屁也 没放，自我流放到洛杉矶了？？？
　　
　　Anyway，男人篇待续
　　Roger
　　Don
　　Pete
　　英国人
　　赵

他自己盗用别人身份，逃离战场，却不能容忍合伙人盗用他的签名。


他因盗用身份让公司损失几百万的生意，却不能容忍合伙人提前擅自领取7500元分红。逼死了合伙人。

他对自己所冒充身份的妻子充满温情，却对自己弟弟极其冷默，间接导致弟弟自杀。

他在很多人困难时帮助他们，却在平时给他们很多的冷漠和苛刻。

他在办公室像打了鸡血，回到家总是一滩泥。

他对婚姻从不忠诚，却质疑别人的诚信。

他搞了几个秘书，却强调公私分明。

他对有能力的下属总是要求秩序规则，他在上司合伙人面前总是不讲规则。

他自己乱搞的女人数不清，却让两任老婆严防死守。

他总是用一幅君子面貌看待风流的罗杰，却不知罗杰是真正的有情有义的人。

他把每次约会都搞得像交配，罗杰把每次约会都变成恋爱。

他总是放任自己的冷漠傲慢自大，却不能容忍下属和别人的骄傲。

他总是将一切归罪于自己的童年，却不肯给孩子温馨的童年。

他总是贬斥皮特，却不知皮特是个动力强劲，判断准确，很讲原则，极为上进的人，一个忠实的达尔文主义者，一个道德标准比唐高的人，一个追求公平的人，一个很像乔布斯的人。

他总是打压皮特，却又在其最需要帮助时候默默帮了他。

她可能以为joan轻浮，实际joan毫不轻浮，而他自己极其轻浮。

他身为广告创意人，却对文学艺术不感冒。