Mad Men: Top Ten Favourite Episodes
Nov. 14th, 2009 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
falafel_musingsI'm still feeling ill *sniffles*. I've still got plenty of books on my reading list to polish off. But in the meantime I thought I'd type up my little celebration post of my favourite Mad Men episodes, since I'm really feeling the love now. Please share any favourite episodes or quotes of your own that I've not chosen. I'm always interested by other people's rankings.
My Top 10 Favourite Mad Men Episodes + pics, quotes and meta...
10. The Gold Violin
"Please. I laugh at you. I go home at night and I laugh at you."
Jimmy Barrett.
My own personal nomination for most under-rated MM episode ever. Not only do I love the theme of objects and decadance that runs through every story thread, but Gold Violin features three of my favourite show moments. Firstly, Jane leading a crowd of nervous junior executives to break into Cooper's office to look at his new Rothko. Then Sal and Kitty inviting Ken Cosgrove over for dinner and my heart breaking for both of them as Sal ignores his wife to fawn over his office crush. Lastly there's viciously honest comedian Jimmy Barrett taking his revenge for his wife's latest affair as he mercilessly rips into the Draper's marriage and walks away smiling.
9. My Old Kentucky Home
"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper..."
Paul Kinsey
Sally reads her Grandfather 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and this episode really feels like the death of the old world before the rise of a new one. I love how the old ways are celebrated in this episode with a series of musical tributes - the frivolity of Pete & Trudy's Charleston, the nostalgia of Paul's Princeton singing troupe, the crude offensiveness of Roger's blackface and the decaying romance of Joan's accordian ballad. Cutting between Peggy smoking marijuana and the back-in-time party made this episode such a surreal, funny and charming experience.
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"What you call 'love' was invented by guys like me. To sell Nylons."
Don Draper
I've watched the pilot so many times now and it never pales. The sets, costumes and peroid touches are so outstanding right from the start. But what I really love is how Matt Weiner tricks us into liking characters who then screw over our expectations. I believed in poor naive little Peggy when she tearfully insisted that she wasn't "the type of girl" but then later she takes Pete Campbell, the office creep, to her bed and shows us what kind of girl she can be. I believed that Don might a decent guy, a cut above his sleazy collegues, and then he comes home to his wholesome wife and children and we get a clue about what a lying philanderer our hero can be. Admittedly I love it. And Don's "It's Toasted" lightbulb moment is still my favourite Ad pitch of the whole show.
7. Maidenform
"You want to be taken seriously. Stop dressing like a little girl."
Joan Holloway
I honestly didn't think very much of this episode on first viewing, but it is one that has become deeper and richer with each rewatching. I love to rave about the subtle way that Mad Men can weave one theme through a multi-threaded episode and 'Maidenform' is the absolute best example of that thematic clarity. Using the Jackie/Marilyn campaign as a motif this episode explores the Madonna/Whore complex and the light and dark sides of our personal mirroring selves. The imagery is amazing and I love how various characters experience the horror of seeing themselves through someone else's eyes - Sally seeing Don as a hero while Bobby sees him as manslut, Chauncey seeing Duck reaching for the bottle (oh, Chauncey...) and Pete seeing Peggy trying to fake it at the strip club.
6. The Wheel
"I don't really know how long twenty minutes is."
Glen Bishop
'The Wheel' is a stunning episode, though interestingly it doesn't really have a strong story. It's more like a collection of really outstanding scenes. It is like watching pictures on a Carousel; each individual moment is touching in its own way. My favourite scenes were the ones I least expected - Peggy making the Relaxersizer girl cry in the radio studio, Harry telling Don about his obsession with hand prints and most of all a sad repressed Betty Draper pouring her heart out to little Glen who wishes he were older.
5. Guy Walks Into an Ad Agency
"I feel like I just went to my own funeral. And I didn't like the eulogy."
Lane Pryce
They cut their new bosses foot off with a lawn mower. That is how awesomely bad Sterling Cooper is. There really wasn't enough office hijinks in S3 but this ep was one of the very best portrayals of this insane advertising world. Joan became a hero, though really Joan is a tragedy with a happy ending. Her married life is more depressing that Betty and Sal's put together, yet in any crisis Joan will fix the world for everyone. You just have to hope they'll be a happy ending for her too before too long. I remember this episode was an instant classic when it aired and I think it will always be a classic. It's bizarre blood-splattering fun.
4. The Hobo Code
"I work in a closet all day, so just to come out and walk around is wonderful."
Lois Sadler
Pete and Peggy have wild frantic couch sex in the first 5 minutes so you know I'm going to love it. But the theme of this one just kills me. Closeted lives. From Pete and Peggy's closet affair, to Sal's closet sexuality, to Don's closet identity. This episode just makes me hurt for everyone. For Peggy when she does the Twist and then is coldly rejected by Pete. For Sal when Elliot strokes his finger, drinks from his glass and asks him what he's afraid of. For little Dick Whitman finding the mark for 'A dishonest man lives here' and then his adult self stepping inside an office marked with somebody else's name. I could cry just writing about it.
3. Meditations on an Emergency
"If I'm going to die I want to die in Manhattan."
Pete Campbell
I love apocalypse stories so the threat of Cuban missiles dropping at any moment (even though we know they won't) made this episode so cherishable. I loved how the doomsday mentality was echoed by the dreaded news of Sterling Cooper being taken over by PPL. Mostly I remember the S2 finale as the episode that made me love Pete Campbell. Yes, all the negative things that can be said about this guy are probably true, but he is still the most honest character on the show. No thought in Pete's head gets edited before it reaches his mouth. This episode would make my Top 10 for the Pete/Peggy confessions scene alone. It's hard to hold your breath and cry at the same time. Outstanding scene, still my favourite of the whole show.
2. Nixon Vs Kennedy
"A man is whatever room he is in."
Bert Cooper
This episode should really be my No.1 because it is a masterpiece and I never get tired of it. The way the Nixon Vs Kennedy election tension builds along with the Don Vs Pete rivalry is the best peroid/narrative weaving they have ever done on MM. The party at the beginning which showcased all the supporting characters was filled with memorable moments - the dancing, the play, Ken finding out the colour of Alison's panties, Hildy noticing Harry's eyes for the first time, Paul and Joan's silent cha-cha-cha. That party alone would have made the episode amazing and that's before we get to the real Don Draper's death, Rachel calling Don a coward and then the epic Don-Pete face off. And Bert steals the entire episode with his "Mr Campbell, who cares?" Gah! I better stop. I could talk about this one forever...
1. Shut the Door, Have a Seat
"You're not good at relationships because you don't value them."
Roger Sterling
You feel very good about a show if the last thing you've seen is also your favourite thing so far. I loved MM the way it was and now the S3 finale has got me thrilled by the prospect of what it is going to become next. This show has always been classy and deep and thoughtful. I've always appreciated it for that. But it can get indulgent. The S3 finale offered something far more generous. It was totally entertaining and satisfying. It brought the characters together and gave them back their value. And they ransacked the office and the Draper marriage went down in flames, but what is going to rise out of the ashes is going to be worth it. The writing of this ep might be slightly less perfect than some of the others on my list, but I can't say any other episode gave me the same buzz.
My Top 10 Favourite Mad Men Episodes + pics, quotes and meta...
10. The Gold Violin
"Please. I laugh at you. I go home at night and I laugh at you."
Jimmy Barrett.
My own personal nomination for most under-rated MM episode ever. Not only do I love the theme of objects and decadance that runs through every story thread, but Gold Violin features three of my favourite show moments. Firstly, Jane leading a crowd of nervous junior executives to break into Cooper's office to look at his new Rothko. Then Sal and Kitty inviting Ken Cosgrove over for dinner and my heart breaking for both of them as Sal ignores his wife to fawn over his office crush. Lastly there's viciously honest comedian Jimmy Barrett taking his revenge for his wife's latest affair as he mercilessly rips into the Draper's marriage and walks away smiling.
9. My Old Kentucky Home
"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper..."
Paul Kinsey
Sally reads her Grandfather 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' and this episode really feels like the death of the old world before the rise of a new one. I love how the old ways are celebrated in this episode with a series of musical tributes - the frivolity of Pete & Trudy's Charleston, the nostalgia of Paul's Princeton singing troupe, the crude offensiveness of Roger's blackface and the decaying romance of Joan's accordian ballad. Cutting between Peggy smoking marijuana and the back-in-time party made this episode such a surreal, funny and charming experience.
8. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"What you call 'love' was invented by guys like me. To sell Nylons."
Don Draper
I've watched the pilot so many times now and it never pales. The sets, costumes and peroid touches are so outstanding right from the start. But what I really love is how Matt Weiner tricks us into liking characters who then screw over our expectations. I believed in poor naive little Peggy when she tearfully insisted that she wasn't "the type of girl" but then later she takes Pete Campbell, the office creep, to her bed and shows us what kind of girl she can be. I believed that Don might a decent guy, a cut above his sleazy collegues, and then he comes home to his wholesome wife and children and we get a clue about what a lying philanderer our hero can be. Admittedly I love it. And Don's "It's Toasted" lightbulb moment is still my favourite Ad pitch of the whole show.
7. Maidenform
"You want to be taken seriously. Stop dressing like a little girl."
Joan Holloway
I honestly didn't think very much of this episode on first viewing, but it is one that has become deeper and richer with each rewatching. I love to rave about the subtle way that Mad Men can weave one theme through a multi-threaded episode and 'Maidenform' is the absolute best example of that thematic clarity. Using the Jackie/Marilyn campaign as a motif this episode explores the Madonna/Whore complex and the light and dark sides of our personal mirroring selves. The imagery is amazing and I love how various characters experience the horror of seeing themselves through someone else's eyes - Sally seeing Don as a hero while Bobby sees him as manslut, Chauncey seeing Duck reaching for the bottle (oh, Chauncey...) and Pete seeing Peggy trying to fake it at the strip club.
6. The Wheel
"I don't really know how long twenty minutes is."
Glen Bishop
'The Wheel' is a stunning episode, though interestingly it doesn't really have a strong story. It's more like a collection of really outstanding scenes. It is like watching pictures on a Carousel; each individual moment is touching in its own way. My favourite scenes were the ones I least expected - Peggy making the Relaxersizer girl cry in the radio studio, Harry telling Don about his obsession with hand prints and most of all a sad repressed Betty Draper pouring her heart out to little Glen who wishes he were older.
5. Guy Walks Into an Ad Agency
"I feel like I just went to my own funeral. And I didn't like the eulogy."
Lane Pryce
They cut their new bosses foot off with a lawn mower. That is how awesomely bad Sterling Cooper is. There really wasn't enough office hijinks in S3 but this ep was one of the very best portrayals of this insane advertising world. Joan became a hero, though really Joan is a tragedy with a happy ending. Her married life is more depressing that Betty and Sal's put together, yet in any crisis Joan will fix the world for everyone. You just have to hope they'll be a happy ending for her too before too long. I remember this episode was an instant classic when it aired and I think it will always be a classic. It's bizarre blood-splattering fun.
4. The Hobo Code
"I work in a closet all day, so just to come out and walk around is wonderful."
Lois Sadler
Pete and Peggy have wild frantic couch sex in the first 5 minutes so you know I'm going to love it. But the theme of this one just kills me. Closeted lives. From Pete and Peggy's closet affair, to Sal's closet sexuality, to Don's closet identity. This episode just makes me hurt for everyone. For Peggy when she does the Twist and then is coldly rejected by Pete. For Sal when Elliot strokes his finger, drinks from his glass and asks him what he's afraid of. For little Dick Whitman finding the mark for 'A dishonest man lives here' and then his adult self stepping inside an office marked with somebody else's name. I could cry just writing about it.
3. Meditations on an Emergency
"If I'm going to die I want to die in Manhattan."
Pete Campbell
I love apocalypse stories so the threat of Cuban missiles dropping at any moment (even though we know they won't) made this episode so cherishable. I loved how the doomsday mentality was echoed by the dreaded news of Sterling Cooper being taken over by PPL. Mostly I remember the S2 finale as the episode that made me love Pete Campbell. Yes, all the negative things that can be said about this guy are probably true, but he is still the most honest character on the show. No thought in Pete's head gets edited before it reaches his mouth. This episode would make my Top 10 for the Pete/Peggy confessions scene alone. It's hard to hold your breath and cry at the same time. Outstanding scene, still my favourite of the whole show.
2. Nixon Vs Kennedy
"A man is whatever room he is in."
Bert Cooper
This episode should really be my No.1 because it is a masterpiece and I never get tired of it. The way the Nixon Vs Kennedy election tension builds along with the Don Vs Pete rivalry is the best peroid/narrative weaving they have ever done on MM. The party at the beginning which showcased all the supporting characters was filled with memorable moments - the dancing, the play, Ken finding out the colour of Alison's panties, Hildy noticing Harry's eyes for the first time, Paul and Joan's silent cha-cha-cha. That party alone would have made the episode amazing and that's before we get to the real Don Draper's death, Rachel calling Don a coward and then the epic Don-Pete face off. And Bert steals the entire episode with his "Mr Campbell, who cares?" Gah! I better stop. I could talk about this one forever...
1. Shut the Door, Have a Seat
"You're not good at relationships because you don't value them."
Roger Sterling
You feel very good about a show if the last thing you've seen is also your favourite thing so far. I loved MM the way it was and now the S3 finale has got me thrilled by the prospect of what it is going to become next. This show has always been classy and deep and thoughtful. I've always appreciated it for that. But it can get indulgent. The S3 finale offered something far more generous. It was totally entertaining and satisfying. It brought the characters together and gave them back their value. And they ransacked the office and the Draper marriage went down in flames, but what is going to rise out of the ashes is going to be worth it. The writing of this ep might be slightly less perfect than some of the others on my list, but I can't say any other episode gave me the same buzz.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:43 am (UTC)I'm feeling the withdrawl symptoms already...
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 01:00 am (UTC)THIS. That scene kills me every time I watch it.
I'm totally with you on your #1. The episode took my breath away.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 02:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 02:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 03:49 am (UTC)This is a great post. This quote is especially insightful - I often miss these connections - and makes me want to rewatch everything again to try to find more of these ingenious little tidbits woven through. I love this show so much, and I wish I were more skilled at "selling" it to my friends who find it slow or boring.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 12:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 03:51 am (UTC)I love all of these episodes; however, I'm one of those fans who rates every show as at least an 8. In fact, I have difficulty finding any weak episodes. Now, there have been plot threads I saw little point in: for instance, Betty's problem with her hands that made her go see a psychiatrist. Was it done merely to expose more of her character to the audience without having her and Don communicate on a deeper level? One could say that by keeping the two of them distant from each other, Don could feel no guilt about his affairs or in keeping secrets from her, which resulted in their marriage breaking up. And who knows? Since this is MM, it may come up again in the future.
Anyway, I especially like your #3 and #4 picks. I also like "Shoot" quite a bit, if only for the kicks-ass ending with Betty shooting at the neighbor's birds. ^_^ Priceless!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 01:41 pm (UTC)I know what you mean about finding certain plot threads redundant, particularly the Miss Farrell story in S3. Not so much Betty's therapy sessions. That story was one of my favourites actually for the way it characterised Don and Betty's relationship. It was almost gaslighting at times.
If this was a Top 15 'Shoot' would definitely be in there. I loved that episode too. The scene with Betty shooting the pigeons is probably my 2nd favourite ever MM moment after the Pete/Peggy confession scene.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 03:50 pm (UTC)I guess I just didn't get the psychiatrist story. Actually, I wondered if he was going to put her on Valium, like a lot of bored housewives were back in the 60s. (I don't know when that practice became common, but I have known some women who were prescribed it.)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 06:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 04:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 01:48 pm (UTC)That's what I'm like with The Wire. I can't watch individual episodes unless I'm watching/rewatching the whole season. Otherwise it would just be like reading one chapter of a novel.
I think I've found through the MM writers commentaries that each individual episode has its own contextual idea behind it, so I can appreciate stand alone eps, even though the full season has more overall impact.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 11:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 11:48 pm (UTC)I need to STOP flailing. S4 is so far away. I've got time to have a baby between now and MM:S4. We'll know the end of Lost before MM:S4. Well at least I'll have no more distractions from my writing course.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-06 05:10 pm (UTC)WTF HOW DID I MISS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE QUOTE THE FIRST TIME. Your recap was really refreshing to read, especially since I have trouble seeing MM in terms of discrete episodes, rather than (uhh-mazing) scenes and arcs. I agree that the S3 finale was the best episode of the show so far; it just felt so *satisfying*, paying tribute to the histories of the characters and then spinning them into new, exciting directions. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-12-06 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 09:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 11:32 am (UTC)Brilliant Recap
Date: 2010-09-27 09:33 am (UTC)I really appreciate your "thematic" comments, b/c that means I will really enjoy re-watching every episode.
I am sorry as hell that Salvatore gets fired in Season 3. He is one of my favorites! In fact he and Joan *are* my favorites. And Peggy. There, I said it.
Занятный блог
Date: 2012-01-29 04:34 pm (UTC)Супер блог!
Date: 2012-02-16 08:16 pm (UTC)