Basket of Kisses

The Talented Mr. Benson

I don’t have anyplace else to go. – Bob Benson, ‘The Man With the Plan’ When Duck Phillips places an evening call to Pete Campbell late in The Quality of Mercy, it’s a turning point for Pete. He listens to Duck describing the fiction of Bob Benson’s life (“I don’t even know if the name is [...]

The Fabulous Ride of Paul Revere and the Raiders

It happened so quickly that if you weren’t paying close attention you could have missed it–or if you weren’t 14 years old like Sally Draper in 1968 it would have been meaningless–but there it was–a seemingly innocuous throwaway buried in the dialogue of Favors uttered by Sally’s friend Julie (that-little-player-in-the-making): “You’re living with Mark Lindsay”! [...]

Contest Winner!!!

We have a winner for our Retro Clothing contest! Basketcase Donna has won a $50 gift certificate toward creating her own vintage clothing look with Shabby Apple, a site specializing in modern-day garments with a vintage clothing flare. Donna’s favorite Mad Men look, in her words: Joan in the black off shoulder dress when she [...]

Arnie the Great and Powerful

Remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others. – The Wizard of Oz Don Draper’s one true friend in Season 6 is Dr. Arnold Rosen. Of everyone we have met this year (Bob, Beverly, Sally’s forgettable friends), Arnie is [...]

Finale Party Invitation!!! NYC Viewing Blowout with the Basket

Basketcases, please follow this link for all the details about our party!

The Lipp Sisters’ first Video Blog!!!

Dear Basketcases, Some of you saw the video I made a few weeks back discussing the Joan and Peggy hallway scene. Deborah and I were talking about different ways we could do it collaboratively (we live about an hour apart–perhaps a google hangout), but then through an unusual turn of events, we wound up watching [...]

The Quality of Mercy Recap: The Bataan Death March

Bob Benson is gay. I just want to get that out of the way, because whoever had “Fraud” in the pool is doing a happy dance right now (and there are a lot of you), so I want you to know you still have to split your winnings with the “Gay” voters. Melissa P. pointed [...]

Father’s Day

The male characters of Mad Men say things to each other that you rarely hear on television. Roger’s insensitivity (“There’s a line, Freddy. And you wet it.”), Lane’s outrage (“You grimy little pimp.”), and Pete’s ambition (“A man like you I’d follow into combat blindfolded.”). They are all laid bare for us without nuance or [...]

Name Peggy’s Pet

In “Favors”, Peggy learned she could not depend on men to help solve her apartment’s rat problem. Because she is an intelligent woman, she found the answer on her own; she bought a cat. What do you think she named her cat? If she asked you for advice on what to name her new pet, [...]

Fan Art Thursday 5/13/13 “Sterling” by Jake W. Bullock

Ah, my favorite juggler.  This portrait of Roger was so stunning I had to post it! (Why do I want to kiss it?)   By Jake W. Bullock

Okay, who had “Gay” in the pool?