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Archives for August 2010

Mad Men Monday: Waldorf Stories

In episode 6 of Mad Men, we learn a little more about Don and Roger’s relationship when the agency is excited about Don’s nomination for a Clio Award for his floor wax commercial. Don is ecstatic about his success; Peggy is resentful that she is not receiving more credit for her contribution to the ad.  Roger is feels slighted because  Don seems to have forgotten it was Roger who gave him his big break in advertising.

At Roger’s insistence, Don and Peggy interview Danny Siegel, Jane Sterling’s cousin for a copywriting job. Danny limited talents only extend to one tagline : “The Cure For The Common (fill in the blank)”.  They share a laugh and send Danny on his merry way and prepare for the afternoon’s big event, the Clio Awards ceremony.

The mood is festive as everyone at SCDP is excited about Don’s nomination for the advertising industry’s new award, The Clio. The drinking starts early despite a schedule meeting with LIFE  breakfast cereal company. When they find out that the cereal executives have to reschedule due to transportation issues, the party goes into high drive. Don, who has been drinking more and more, feels all the more inclined to drink, celebrating his success.

Don, Roger, Joan and Pete attend the award ceremony at The Waldorf Hotel, in anticipation of Don winning the award, knowing it will mean more prestige for the fledgling agency. Apparently, Don is not the only one who is drinking these days. A drunken Duck Phillips, heckles the winners and is ‘escorted‘ out of the room. Don’s floor wax commercial wins and a drunken Don kisses Joan (oohs, aahs) and stumbles to the stage to accept his award. Now off to the Pen & Ink for more celebrating (drinking).

Unfortunately, the LIFE cereal people have arrived and are waiting in the conference room for Don to make his presentation. The drunken bunch, lead by Don, arrives and after a victory lap around the conference table, an inebriated Don begins his presentation. The cereal execs don’t like his first idea, so  Jim Beam convinces Don to come up with a few ideas on the fly, one of which is Danny’s line: LIFE, the cure for the common breakfast. They LOVE it!

Roger Reminisces

After the success of David Ogilvy’s book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, Roger decides to write a book of his own. His dictation of  his life are hilarious. With Don’s growing success, Roger reminisces about their first meeting. Five years earlier Roger goes to a fur store to purchase a mink coat for his new voluptuous red-headed mistress. The eager salesman, a young Don Draper longs to be an ad man. He includes samples of his work in the box with Joan’s mink coat, shows up in the lobby of Roger’s building and desperately tries to ingratiate himself with Roger. Eventually, the two men share a few (maybe more than a few) drinks at a bar and Don helps a tipsy Roger back to his office. The next day Don shows up in the lobby again, this time saying that Roger has hired him. Somehow, I get the idea that Roger is unsure if he actually offered Don a job.

Peggy Strips

Still miffed over not receiving the thanks she feels she deserves for her contribution to the Glo Coat floor wax commercial, Peggy tries to tell Don he has stolen Danny’s idea. But Don is in no shape to listen to reason or stand up straight. He questions Peggy about her progress on the Vicks cough drop account. Not pleased with her ideas, Don tells Mrs Blankenship to book Peggy and Stan Rizzo, the chauvinistic new art director into a hotel room for the weekend to work on the campaign.

Peggy and Stan are stuck in the Waldorf, until they come up with something Don will like. Stan teases Peggy about being repressed and uptight, insisting that he is by nature a nudist. Peggy,  sick is Stan’s cracks,  strips butt-naked and dares him to do the same. [congrats to camera people for their artful camera angles]. Stan follows suit, but is not as comfortable as Peggy. Who is this new Peggy?

Don Blacks Out

The next morning, Don calls Danny back to the office to buy his idea. No. Danny wants a job. What about freelance? No. Freelance is not a job [I beg to differ, Danny] Left with no alternative, Don hires Danny.

Mad Men just gets better and better each week.
What did you think of this week’s episode?

Previously On Mad Men

Mad Men: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

Mad Men: The Rejected

Mad Men: The Good News

Mad Men: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Mad Men: Public Relations

Photos by Michael Yarish

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Just Chick Flicks Previews The Adjustment Bureau

The Adjustment Bureau, based on a story by Phillip K. Dick, stars Emily Blunt and Matt Damon in a thriller  by director, George Nolfi. An ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) and a ballet dancer played Blunt, defy alternate realities and changing fates to be together, when he learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself—the men of The Adjustment Bureau.

The Adjustment Bureau also stars Mad Men’s John Slattery, Terrance Stamp and Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim.

Release: September 17, 2010

Mad Men Monday: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword

In the words of the Bob Dylan song, The Times They Are A-Changin’. Roger, Burt and Pete watch a news report about the growing Civil Rights movement wondering what “they” want.  Pete says: Lassie can stay at The Waldorf and “they” can’t. A surprising comment coming from, the usually insensitive Pete Campbell.  Yet more changes are on the horizon for Roger Sterling and Sally Draper.

Roger

Sunday night’s episode of Mad Men, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is named after cultural anthropologist, Ruth Benedict’s book, which explained Japanese culture to American businessmen. The book becomes required reading when Pete Campbell gets the agency a chance at the Honda Motorcycle account,  little Japanese  company that is thinking about getting into automobile production. As Lane Pryce puts it: “a motorcycle with windows and doors”.

Everyone is excited about the chance to work with an innovative new company, except Roger Sterling. The usually glib and sarcastic Roger shows a different side. Having fought and lost many friends in  20 years ago in World War II, Roger is not willing to forgive and forget when it comes to doing business with the Japanese.  Don, Pete, Burt Cooper and Lane are more concerned about finding new business, so they go a head against Roger’s wishes. In fact, they make sure Roger will not be present when the Japanese come to the office. Unfortunately, their plan didn’t work and Roger comes to the meeting full of vitriol and insults the Japanese businessmen, most likely losing the account.

The world is moving fast for Roger Sterling and his generation.It has only been 20 years since Roger fought in World War II. Pearl Harbor would still be in his memory and some wounds never heal. But these changing times are changing to fast for Roger. Joan, who is his usual comforter, tells him that he fought to make the world a better place, now it is a better place-get used to it.

Don, not willing to concede defeat comes up with a brilliant plan to trick the other agency competing for Honda’s account into breaking the rules. (Don is the only one who actually read the book.)

Sally

On the home front, Sally is beginning to act out. She is a growing girl in a broken home with a psycho mother her only friend is creepy Glen. They are in for BIG problems with Sally. During their visit with Don, he leave the kids with Phoebe,  the nurse from across the hall, while he goes on a date to check out the hot new Japanese restaurant, Benihana. While Phoebe and Bobby are watching TV, Sally goes in to the bathroom and cuts her hair. Sally tells Phoebe, “you have short hair and Daddy likes you…Are you and Daddy doing it?”  She is only 10. Where is getting this info? I suspect Glen.

Betty freaks out when she see Sally’s hacked up hair. Betty slaps Sally’s face-really hard! It was shocking to see that. I grew up in that generation when spanking and physical punishment were the norm. But I was NEVER hit on the face. Even Henry, knows Betty has gone to far and insists Betty take the girl to the beauty parlor to fix her hair and allow her to go on her sleepover.

Most little girls cut their own hair. I wanted bangs when I was 10 and I cut a big chunk out of the front of my hair. I had to wear a headband until it grew out. Later I wanted Barbra Streisand’ asymmetrical hairstyle. Another bad haircut. Did you ever cut your own hair as a child?

Sally goes on her sleepover. Her friend, Laura is asleep on the sofa in the den while Sally watches Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum) on The Man From UNCLE. We see Sally fiddle with her nightgown, then things go silent and Sally is caught touching herself. Laura’s mother takes Sally home immediately and tells Betty what happened. Betty is livid.  At a time when a girl most needs to understand the mysterious changes in her body, Betty threatens to cut Sally’s fingers off. Oh, yeah…Sally is going to be smoking pot and naked at Woodstock in just a few years.

Henry thinks it would help Sally to see a child psychiatrist.  Betty tells Dr. Edna how Sally has changed since Grandpa Gene died; and that she feels like  Sally did this to punish her. Betty,  it’s all about you, isn’t?  Dr. Edna suggests Betty might want to see a psychiatrist too. The show ends with Sally in Dr. Edna’s waiting room with Carla. CARLA!  Sally is sent to her first visit with a psychiatrist, not with her mother or father, but with the maid. Woodstock, here she comes.

Previously On Mad Men

Mad Men: The Rejected

Mad Men: The Good News

Mad Men: Christmas Comes But Once a Year

Mad Men: Public Relations

Photos by Michael Yarish

Don’t miss the lastest updates. Subscribe to Just Chick Flicks by Email

Let Yourself GO! – Eat Pray Love

When I first saw the trailer for this film, I knew it was a movie I wanted to see. The trailer interested me so much – I went out and read the book. Or, at least tried to read the book.

You see, the book read like a diary. It was more of a journal than a book. I tried to read it, though just couldn’t get into it. I only read a third of it. Though I was not able to read the entire book, I knew I really wanted to see the movie. I felt there was a deep story to be told here – a story of courage as well as adventure. I was right.

Eat, Pray, Love: The Movie

Going into the movie, there were a lot of familiar scenes from the book (since I read a third of it). And, I’m going to be honest – those who did not read the book may not be able to follow the movie quite so well. There are some parts (small details) in the book that were omitted in the film. I felt some of these parts were left out and did play a role and added to the overall story.

Basically, the movie is based on the true story of Elizabeth Gilbert, a writer in New York, who sets out on a journey to find herself. At home, she feels that there are so many things she wants to do and so many places she still wants to see. And, she knows in her heart she is not the type to “settle down” and conform to what society wants her to be.

She wants to be her own person. But, in order to do this – she feels she must get away. She must get away and find herself by doing the things she’s always wanted to do. That includes traveling.

She sets on a journey to be away for a year traveling,  to be with herself to three countries: Italy, India, and Bali. Though her friends think this is crazy and not the sensible thing to do, she knows this is what she must do. This is what she needs to do at that exact moment. And, she does.

At first, Elizabeth (played by Julia Roberts) finds herself a bit lost and out of sync when first visiting each country. Though, after a while she grows accustom to the lifestyle and way of living for each destination on her itinerary. In a way, each of these places (along with the experiences and lessons learned, the people she meets, the food, the culture, etc) all come together to make up a part of her. These experiences have made her a stronger person, a better person – a person who has found herself.

Eat Pray Lover is a movie  that I feel many people can relate to. Sometimes we are taught to conform and to choose the more practical route in life. But, sometimes being practical does not necessarily bring happiness. Sometimes we are taught to hold back on our dreams, our hopes, and our aspirations in the name of practicality and what society considers the norm. Though, is the norm always right? Is the norm the right path to choose? Or, is there a better path out there?

Is it better to follow the path of practically and what society believes is right? Or, is it better to create your own path and follow what is truly in your heart? In the end, Elizabeth follows her heart. And, by following her heart – she finds love within herself. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Where there is love there is life.”

If you’re in the mood for a drama type movie filled with a sense of adventure, I definitely recommend this one.

Happy movie watching!

Film Gurl a writer and reviewer of all things film. She writes regularly at www.filmgurl.net. You can find Filmgurl on Facebook and Twitter

Mad Men Mondays: The Rejected

(Check out my name on a name tag-guess they cut me out of the picture)

John Slattery, who plays Roger Sterling  directed this week’s episode of Mad Men, The Rejected. That might explain why this was one of the funniest episodes of Mad Men I have ever seen. The show starts out with a hilarious three-sided conversation with  Don and Roger on a conference call with Lee Garner Jr. from Lucky Strike, who is angry about the recent law banning certain types cigarette advertising. Don reaches for a bottle of bourbon.

Don: Why is this bottle empty?

Allison: You drank it all.

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has landed the Ponds Cold Cream account, which in direct conflict with Clearasil. Roger and Lane put Peter Campbell in the uncomfortable position of informing his father-in-law that  they are dropping Clearasil as a client. When Pete attempts the tell Trudy’s father, Tom  the bad news,  Tom drops some news of his own. Trudy is pregnant. This news is good for Pete in more than one way. He now has leverage over his father in law, which he uses to ask for the entire Vicks cough products line–a $6 million account. These are 1965 dollars.

The news of Trudy’s pregnancy circulates around the office. When Peggy is asked to sign a card for the happy couple, she goes to personally congratulate Peter on becoming a father. Is that sexual tension? Are there residual feelings between those two? Who can say? But Peggy returning to her office and banging her head on the desk says things are not over in the Pete and Peggy saga.

Your Problem is NOT My Problem!

Dr. Faye Miller conducts a focus group with a few of the secretaries, including Allison to find out their more about their beauty routines. The girls ate put at ease by Faye’s casual manner and being to open up about their personal lives, giving more credence to Freddy Rumsen’s idea that women only want to be beautiful so they can get married. While Don, Freddy and Peggy look on from a two-way window, Dottie starts crying about the state of her love life, which reminds Allison of her situation with Don. Allison breaks down in tears and runs out of the room. Peggy goes after her to calm her down. Allison, assumes that Peggy has also had an affair with Don they share a broken heart. Peggy quickly informs Allison, “Your problem is not my problem. Get over it!”

Poor broken-hearted Allison. She is hiding out in Don’s office when he returns from  watching the focus group. Don Draper is not emotionally equipped to deal with a crying women, especially one who is crying about him. She quits and ask Don to write her a letter of recommendation. He tells her to type up the letter on his stationary and he would sign it. She went OFF!. Throws a paperweight at him and tells “You are not a very nice person” . —  Don, now you know why they say don’t %$&# where you eat.

No, But He’s Renting It

Peggy takes a walk in the wild side when she meet a girl in the elevator who works for LIFE Magazine.  Joyce, played by Zosia Mamet (the daughter of  playwright, David Mamet and actress, Lindsay Crouse) shows Peggy some nude photos of women that were rejected by the magazine and they strike up a friendship. Later that week, Joyce shows up in the lobby of SCDP to invite Peggy to a party in a Greenwich Village loft.

Peggy  arrives at the party, which filled with the cool crowd, people too young to be is beatniks and not old enough to be hippies. Joyce greets Peggy with a compliment, “Don’t you look Swellegant”.  Joyce leans over and nibbles Peggy’s ear and is quickly rejected.

Peggy: I have a boyfriend

Joyce: He doesn’t own your vagina.

Peggy: Yeah, but he’s renting it.

Peggy is now a member of the ‘In-Crowd”. When her new friends come to SCDP to meet her for lunch, Pete is meeting with Tom and the other Vicks VIPs. As Peggy walks into the elevator, she and Pete share a gaze. Mmmmm?

Poor Sad Don

Allison is gone and Joan brings in the ancient, Mrs. Blankenship as Don’s new secretary. Don Draper is sinking further down into the depths of despair. He has done so many bad things, it is hard to understand why we still like him. Perhaps that can be explained by the final scene in “The Rejected”.

Don Draper is sitting in his office, in the dark, alone and drinking. Why go home? You have lost your Barbie-doll wife and your beloved children. You have even lost a good secretary, who cared about you. Why not stay in the office, the only place you feel alive? Don walks down the hallway to his apartment, past an elderly women who has been to the market. Her husband awaits her at the door…”did you get the pears?…did you get the pears?…did you get the pears?” She walks into their apartment and tells him, “we’ll talk about it inside“.

Don watched them , perhaps thinking that even this old man has something to look forward to and someone to come home to. Don goes into his lonely apartment, sits down to type Allison a letter. He starts to tell her how sorry he is, but he throws it away.  Poor, sad Don.

What was your favorite moment from last night’s episode of Mad Men?

Previously on Mad Men

Mad Men: The Good News
Mad Men: Christmas Comes But Once a Year
Mad Men: Public Relations

Photos by Michael Yarish

Ranking Chick Flicks; Which Movies Are On Your List?

I have found a fun, cool new site for movie lovers, called  Rankography.  You can find movies in a specific category that you love, by reviewing the rankings of other members for that category. If you love Chick Flicks (and I know that you do),  you can browse  through members rankings  to find some movies that you may  not  have seen. You can also create your own categories and rank your favorite movies to share with others members.

I created a category for  Chick Flicks and another one for Tear-jerkers on Rankography. I added a few of the movies that I have reviewed recently on Just Chick Flicks to get started. I invite you to go to Rankography and add your favorite chick flicks  and tear-jerkers to the list or to create categories of your own. I would love to see which movies make the list and compare that to the movies I have added. Mmmm…Sound like an idea for a future blog post.

Rankography is a tool my fellow movie bloggers might also want to explore. You can create a profile with your own categories and rankings, describe your blog and get a quality link to your blog on the site. And you know how much we love links. So, check it out and let me know what you think.

THIS IS A SPONSORED POST WRITTEN BY ME ON BEHALF OF Rankography.
ALL OPINIONS ARE 100% MINE.

Mad Men Mondays: The Good News & Some Bad News Too

Sunday’s episode of Mad Men, entitled The Good News left me a little sad and more than a little confused. Don Draper continued his downward descent, to the point of being pathetic and somewhat sad.

It is the holiday season and Don is alone. He is broken hearted about losing Betty and not spending the holidays with his children.He plans a vacation to Acapulco, where no doubt he would continue his drinking and womanizing. On the way, he make a stop in California to visit Anna Draper.

I Know Everything About You and I Still Love You

Don arrives at Anna’s bright and sunny house in California, a sharp contrast to Don’s dark and gloomy New York apartment. With Anna, we see the return of Dick Whitman. Don (Dick) is free to be himself  with Anna and he shows her his kind, vulnerable side. Anna knows Dick Whitman, who is he and where he came from and she loves him. Dick is happy and relaxed with Anna. Not the drunken, out of control skirt-chasing Don Draper, we know and love.Which makes me wonder why he didn’t marry her instead of Betty. I think there is a back story there, that Matt Weiner has not revealed to us.

Even so, he crosses yet another boundary and makes a pass at Anna’s teenage niece, Stephanie. Before things go to far, Stephanie tells Don that Anna has terminal cancer. This news knocks him off-balance. As Don Draper, he is the man with all the answers, who can fix anything. At least, that is the image he has created for Don. Anna doesn’t know she has cancer and her sister wants to keep it that way, so she insists that Don leave before he tells Anna’s the true nature of her broken leg.

Not in the mood for Acapulco, Don head back to New York where he find a lonely, Laine Pryce. Don can’t help Anna, but he knows how to ease Lane’s loneliness. Movie..comedy club…’a lady friend’ of the evening.

Elsewhere at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce

Joan is not getting any younger and wants to start a family with Dr. Harris. Fearing that he might be sent to Viet Nam, Joan feels uncertain about the future and there is an urgency in her wanting to get pregnant before  Greg is called up for duty. When she asks for a few extra days off so she and Greg can start working on a baby, Laine gives her a very curt-NO. To make matters worse, he tells her “not to go and cry about it“. Thus begins the battle between Joan and Lane.

If this was the first time you have watched Mad Men, don’t think this is a typical episode. Even for Mad Men fans, The Good News was a slow, relatively uneventful episode that is a set up for bigger things to come. After all, it is 1965 and all kinds of things are about to happen, historically. The Beatles, Viet Nam, Civil Rights, the ban of cigarette advertising on TV (bye-bye, Mr. Lucky Strikes).

You may have missed my previous posts about Mad Men:

5 Reasons You Should Watch Mad Men

Mad Men Fodder: Christmas Comes But Once a Year [A guest post — more like half of a post, but check it out]

What Other Mad Men Fans Are Saying

Mad Men Fodder: Mad Men: Public Relations – Review

Basket of Kisses: The Good News

This is Day #6 in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog  group project. Today’s task: Build a Link Post. If you are a movie blogger, order your copy of  the  31 Days to Build a Better Blog ( Click here to view more details ) work book and join us at Anomalous Material.
Photo by Michael Yarish

The Chick Flicks Chick Hits The Road for Eat, Pray, Love

The movie Eat, Pray Love, starring Julia Roberts is about a woman  who embarks upon  a journey of self-discovery.  Her journey takes her to exotic locales, where she indulges her senses and learns to enjoy life. In the movie and the novel, Elizabeth travels to Italy, India and Bali.

Eat, Drink, Eat

Who wouldn’t like the freedom to take off and travel to taste delicious delicacies, learn the wisdom and culture and meet the people of a strange new places? I am not an adventurer by nature, but I love meeting new people and tasting great food. Pack your luggage and get ready to travel with me.

My trip of discovery will be more eating than anything.But it will be FUN! I love music, so my first stop will be Copenhagen.  I  have always longed to visit Denmark for the Montreux Jazz Festival and smørrebrød (open-faced sandwich).  My next stop is Spain. I would love to rent a convertible and take a leisurely drive through Madrid, Barcelona and the Spanish countryside, sampling tapas and wine along the way. If it were not for my morbid, all-encompassing fear of snakes, I would like to visit Kenya. That being the case,  the final leg of my journey is not at all exotic– New York City.  But just think about the food. New York City has more than 20,000 restaurants, not to mention the museum and Broadway.  Where would you go?

Where Would Your Journey Take You?

Tell me about your ideal journey. Which countries would you visit, if money and time were not a problem?  India? Kenya?  France? Leave a comment, describing your version of Eat, Pray Love and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 gift card  from  www.luggage.com. You will also be entered win you Tweet this post, using the hashtag #eatpraylovejcf.

The contest ends August 14, 2010. Winner will be announced, Monday, August 16, 2010. The winner will be chosen randomly from all comments and tweets using the hashtag #eatpraylovejcf.  Prize is provided courtesy of www.csnstores.com and www.luggage.com.

31DBBB Day1: Write an Elevator Pitch

The Elevator Pitch (Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer)

Today is the first day in the Build a Better Blog in 31 Days challenge. Our first lesson is to write an elevator pitch. Basically, that means write a concise description of your blog. I am constantly tweaking my About Page, because over the past two years not only has Just Chick Flicks changed and evolved, but so have I.

When I started this blog, I wanted to write about cute romantic comedies like The Princess Bride and The Proposal. However, as I associated with other bloggers and talked to the people who read my blog (that means YOU), I realized that Chick Flicks are so much more. But how do I make my blog reflect these changing values and attitudes? By re-writing my About Page and tagline.

The New & Improved Elevator Pitch

Just Chick Flicks  will explore, discuss and review movies that touch the hearts of women and appeal to our emotions; movies that focus on women’s lives and issues; movies that help women have a better self image and movies that entertain us and make us laugh, cry and make us think. We are redefining the chick flick!

New Tagline

Redefining the Chick Flick

What do you think? Does this give a more accurate picture of Just Chick Flicks?
I want to hear your opinions and comments.

Grab your  copy of the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog and join me and other movie bloggers at Anomalous Material as we  take on ProBlogger’s Build a Better Blog in 31 Days challenge.  You are sure to learn something about me, movies, blogging and who knows, perhaps you’ll be on your way to being a pro-blogger, just like Darren.

Mad Men Mondays: Christmas Comes But Once A Year

My friend, @tasteaddion has been bugging me for the past two weeks to write my Mad Men recap. She is a new convert to the growing number of Mad Men Addicts and schedules her Sunday evenings in order to get her weekly fix of Don Draper. So here you go.  A new feature on Just Chick Flicks:

Mad Men Mondays

Don Draper

Don Draper is on what seems to be a downward spiral since  his divorce. I think it has less to do with losing Betty, and more with the loss of the perfect family life he had built for himself and the loss his children. His daughter, Sally mails him a ‘Dear Santa’ letter which only makes him more aware that he will not spend the holidays with his children. On more than one occasion, Don comes home to his dark, drab apartment drunk.  One night, he meets the young attractive neighbor who helps him into his bedroom. In his drunken attempt to seduce her, he says “you’re good at this“. She tells him her father was a drunk.

As bad as Don is (and we know what a bad boy he can be), he has never been involved with anyone at work. Tonight, however he breaks that rule. After leaving the office Christmas party, Don arrives to his apartment (yes, he was drunk again) and realizes he left his keys at the office. Loyal secretary Allison runs right over with the keys, gives him a few aspirin and gets more than she expected from the boss. The next day he coldly thanks her from bringing him his keys and gives her $100 for a Christmas bonus.

Christmas Visitors: The Good, The Bad and The Creepy

Tonight’s episode brings back three characters from previous seasons. Freddy Rumsen, the ad exec with a drinking problem who was let go after he wet himself in a meeting; Lee Garner Jr., the Lucky Strikes cigarettes VP, a spoiled rich boy with too much money and a big secret; and Glenn Bishop, the 12-year old neighbor kid and a psycho killer in the making.

Sally Draper & Glenn Bishop

A disturbing relationship is developing between Sally Draper and the creepy neighbor boy, Glenn. You might remember Glenn as the kid who asked Betty for a lock of her hair. Now  Glenn has transferred his obsession from mother to daughter.  To show how much he cares for Sally, Glenn and another boy break in and vandalize  all the rooms in the Francis house, except Sally’s. Glenn is a psycho kid who needs to see a shrink or a parole offer. My advice for Sally Draper comes from the Fun With Dick and Jane readers from the 1960s- “Run Sally, Run. Run, Run Sally!”

A Welcome and an Unwelcome Visitor

Our old friend, Freddy Rumsen is back. He is sober and offers Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Price (SCDP)  the Ponds Cold Creme account if they rehire him; on the condition that he doesn’t have work with Pete Campbell. They agree and he and Peggy try to come up with ideas, but Freddy’s old-fashion notions about women are not working for Peggy.

Lane has been warning the execs as SCDP to find new clients. Having Lucky Strikes as more than 70% of their business was not a good thing. Roger Sterling finds that out in a most embarrassing way. Due to Lane Pryce’s budget cuts and thrift, the office Christmas party was going to be a crackers and Velveeta affair. But when Roger invites  Lee Garner Jr., the Lucky Strikes VP, to   the Christmas party thing change. Lance is forces to acquiesce to Roger’s wishes and  change the party “from convalescent home to Roman orgy“.

Joan takes over the party plans and the party is a success, complete with the orange passing game and Joan wearing a red dress, leading a conga line. That was not enough for Lee Jr. he wanted a Santa Claus. He cajoles Roger into putting on the Santa suit. Garner, then  humiliates  Roger by making him pose with male employees sitting on his knee while he take photos with the Polaroid camera they gave him as a Christmas gift. First Lee Jr. makes them fires Sal Romano because he wouldn’t sleep with him. Now he makes Roger wear a Santa suit. This will be a powerful incentive for Roger to pursue new clients or else he may have to be the Easter Bunny.

What? You are not watching Mad Men? Here are 5 Reasons You Should Watch Mad Men.

Photo by Frank Ockenfels 3