Not-So-Live-Blogging "The Color Blue"

The Color Blue has Top 10 potential, no question.  I think the overall quality of the individual eps in S3 are better than S2, and closing in on S1.

DRAPER’S KITCHEN

“Why don’t we go to church?”

“We go to church”

“On Christmas.  Carla goes every Sunday.”

“We don’t need to go every week.”

Is that “We don’t need to go every week,” or “We don’t need to go every week”?

“When’s Halloween?”

“Before Thanksgiving.  Francine and Carlton have invited us, but blahblahblah selling Daddy’s house blahblahblah one last time blahblahblah GOD MAKE IT STOP!!!

See what she did “ right there?  Bobby asks a normal kid question and she answers with her own bullshit.  She really doesn’t pay a bit of attention to these kids, especially Bobby.  Dijya see that Rosie?

“I see how hard you’re working.”  Dick Whitman looks back.

SUZANNE’S HOUSE

Date-nut bread what, no recipe for teacher-nut bread?

OUTSIDE/DON’S OFFICE

That fourth guy there is the fellow that used to work for Sal in the art department.

Wait, so Ken and Allison are together?  I don’t get that from this exchange.  A little help?

Someone called this out as another Kennedy assassination reference.  I’m buying it, def.

Allison’s a hottie, by the way.

PEGGY’S OFFICE

“I don’t need you to put your little swirl on top of my idea.”  What a line “ love that someone used that on MW.

LANE’S OFFICE

“Am I to entertain your ballad of dissatisfaction, or has something actually happened “  Anyone notice that he gets some fantastic lines?

“The smells and the noise, and criminals at every level ” HA!  See that?  She slipped in a truth!

In wonderful fashion, the show doesn’t just show you one side of things.  All along, we’ve gotten a  sense of what this merger is like from the point of view of the Brits.  Nothing goes unexamined.  The show is called Mad Men, yet we see what the era is like for women and everyone.  So good.

SUZANNE’S HOUSE

Danny lots of talk about him being creepy.  Maybe it’s the Christian Slater vibe.  I don’t see it.  I see him as a 100% stand-in for Adam.  No more, no less.

I like this scene “ it’s the first since the Maypole scene that may get me to believe she’s not crazy.  She cares for Danny.  I think if there were something nefarious going on with these two (grifters or something), they would have ended the scene after Don left the discussion after he leaves is genuine.

COOPER’S OFFICE

Great contrast between these two characters.  Roger is sour on Don for personal reasons.  Don’s been snubbing him, and Roger wants to hurt him back.  Bert sees only commercial value: “Don is important.”  He could stick babies on spikes every morning before work and Bert would say the same thing.

DRAPER’S HOUSE

“My goodness Sally Draper, try not to take everything so personally!  And I thought I told you to make the dog stop looking at me!!  Haven’t we discussed using less water when you flush?!?  Dammit Sally WIRE HANGERS!?!?!”

PEGGY’S OFFICE

Wouldn’t it be great if Peggy just belched the entire dictation into the mic for Olive?

KINSEY’S OFFICE

Speaking of loaded guns cleaning the pipes, eh Paulie?

A line and a perv nothing goes together better.

If I sat here all day, I don’t think I could dream up anything more narcissistic than rubbing one out to your own unused creative.

Who was rooting for Peggy to walk in on Paul?  What if they shot it exactly like the John Deere scene?

DON’S HOME OFFICE

There are no accidents.  Don subconsciously wants to get caught, no question.

S-C KITCHEN

Paul extends his unwashed right hand.

Achilles? Why not just name him Pandora.

When Paul gets really obnoxious his voice does this medium-range whisper thing.  It’s a great affectation.

DON’S TRAIN

Is it possible that the train stalking incident was a poor choice on the writers’ part?  I can’t reconcile the drunk dial/train stalker with the sweet Suzanne.  Even bi-polar doesn’t explain, because that’s usually manic-depressive, which she isn’t.

Did he say Briarcliff Maniac?

KINSEY’S OFFICE

Oh, that Lois.  I’m secretly happy she’s still around.  Again, one way this show rewards you.  They’ll never talk about what a lousy employee she is.

PRYCE’S OFFICE

Best quip, courtesy of Movieline   “‘Churchill rousing or Hitler rousing?’  We’re going to go with Chamberlain rousing.”  Splendid.

“London calling Mr. Strummer.”

DRAPER HOUSE

I keep reading that everyone is bored with the Henry/Betty relationship.  But I really love it.  Their relationship “ every interaction “ reveals so much about Betty.  She gave in to her curiosity, and also to her feelings.  He called her on it, and did it like an adult.  She needs to be more careful next time she acts on impulse.  Exchanges like this are the foundation of her confrontation with Don.

DRAPER HOUSE

She found the keys she knows what they’re for she goes to his desk she turns the key OH SHIZ!

How about that restrained grin when Betty knows she’s going to see what’s in the drawer.  Nice.

There’s also a box of air mail labels in the drawer for sending checks to Anna.

Also, this is the box that Adam mailed to Don.  But all the stuff pertaining to Anna he already had, so what’s in the box is a mixture of the pictures, etc. that Adam sent him, as well as his early Draper days.  Not sure if that’s meaningful, but it’s interesting.

DON’S CAR

Another Rome reference.  No accidents, boys.

“I don’t want to be cleaning toilets until I die.”  Adam again.

“I’m afflicted, okay?  It’s not a question of will.  I can’t change that.”  Don’s will is what gets him through every day.  Controlling, even manipulating, his will is how he lives his life.  He willed himself into being Don Draper, into becoming this image.  Will is everything to Don, and here’s this kid who may as well be his dead brother, talking about how he can’t do the things that Don can.  This is powerful stuff.

DON’S OFFICE

This phone call is so hard to watch.  He’s being himself (even as he changes shirts), and she’s trying to figure out if any part of her world isn’t shattered.  He’s saying all the things she normally wants to hear, and she’s questioning everything.

PEGGY/KINSEY MEETING WITH DON

Love this scene in every way.  Another example of writers putting their angst up on the wall for everyone to look at.  Done poorly, it’s self-indulgent.  Done like this, it’s brilliant.

DRAPERS’ BATHROOM

That’s the color of the tile in our downstairs bathroom.

ROGER’S CAR

What a scene.  The detail of the old/new Waldorf=Astoria “ so neat.

Love the look Jane gives Roger when Mum calls her Margaret.

Of course, shit like that must happen all the time in their marriage, no?

PRYCE’S CAR

Can anyone make out the neon sign reflected in their car window?  Looks like “Broadway something” Hope that’s on the DVD.

WALDORF BALLROOM

Alice is sitting next to Bert.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, delivers a speech he doesn’t believe better than Roger Sterling.

That shot of Betty jeez Louise.

Is this the best fucking show ever, or what?

I think the episode title refers to the base issue of Don’s identity “ that perception of what’s real.  And what makes something real.  Is it real because you say so?  Is it real because I think I’m seeing it?  Is it real if we all agree on it?  Someone pointed out that all the blue tones in the episode are muted (Betty’s dress, Don’s car, etc.) “ I think they are.  As if to say, You think its blue, but can you be sure?  How do you know?  You’re expecting it to be blue but look harder.  How does one tell?

Wow.