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ninety6tearsIn case some of you didn't know, I have serious issues with this show's fandom. I don't know how there's something about it that attracts the only one that is actually so bad that I usually can't stand to participate in it at all, but for some reason it does. I feel like I'm alone in this aversion, but nothing about a lot of the reactions to this episode changed my mind.
Anyway.
To get the bit that the fewest people are talking about out of the way: I was not happy with Don's reaction to Megan saying her potential acting job would take her away for a few months. She was absolutely right that his reaction gave away he hadn't really thought out the actual possibility of her getting more serious roles. When it came to the acting stuff he was being so good and supportive, and I really felt for her because it was obvious she now has this nagging idea that he was taking for granted she would eventually fail. This wasn't one of the central storylines of the episode, but it does relate to Don's way of taking people for granted. And the really sad thing is that while I formerly believed that Megan probably is a good actress, I started to doubt it along with her. And that was a very effective bit when they showed her audition, and one of the first things they said to her was, "Turn around."
As for the Joan storyline, some of the reactions are very troubling to me. People seem disgusted for a lot of the wrong reasons.
Pete has been up right up my nose all season, whether it's his "My upbringing promised me I'd be a bigpenis fish in a small pond" manpain or the shit attitude he takes to the partners (even when sometimes he's trying to make good points) or his ingratitude towards his wife or whatever...even where I used to be amused with him I just want to slap him constantly. He outdid himself in one fell swoop in this episode. He not only was the one to take the idea to Joan, but he was immensely proud of himself for having the balls to do it. Fuck him.
And look, everyone is talking about how this ep showed an unusually decent side of Don. I wish I could be warmed by his protectiveness, but I couldn't help constantly reminding myself that he didn't have the same concerns about integrity when Sal was harassed by Lee Garner Jr., so, I don't know (Yeah, several things made it a very different situation, but still, his attitude was pretty much indifferent). I actually was impressed by Lane here, TBH, even when he was partly acting out of his self-interests. He has romantic affection for Joan so you would think he would feel the most protective, and in fact maybe he did, but for a man in that time to make it clear to a woman that nothing about her would be tarnished in his eyes if she chose to go through with it, that he would be able to see the hard necessity of it? Clearly, judging from some of the reactions I've seen about how it's so ridiculous that Joan "whored herself," having that intellect about it would be a breath of fresh air even today.
No, Joan was not out-of-character in that she was suddenly "weak" for doing what she did. When the issue came up I was reminded and thankfully able to find again this post related to the gender role expectations that change depending on who you ask the question of whether you would sleep with someone for a shit-ton of cash. Joan is offered a lot of money to sleep with somebody, and she ends up going through with it, conducting herself with her usual grace, and only showing the shame of it - which may or may not have been purely reflexive - to herself. The only people who are dirty about this situation are the ones who chose to bring it to her, not so much because of the offer itself but because they were treating it as acceptable that the offer was made, inasmuch as it implied that Joan is no more than office property. I'm not trying to say that oh it was a great thing, *yay*, that Joan did what she did. Her situation is obviously very sad compared to the 2 million dollar question because she's only doing this for the promise of security in the absence of the neglectful father of her kid.
For one thing, it scared the crap out of me for a good part of the episode that what they were doing couldn't be officially contractual, and who was to say this asshole wasn't capable of pulling out the account if he still wasn't satisfied? It made me extremely nervous with how they tied it to the theme of unattainability they had going with the ad pitch, because I wondered if he would ask for yet another night with her when it was over. And I'm not overlooking that she obviously felt extremely low after the fact, but I think people are underestimating her character if they don't think she had contemplated and accepted that she was going to feel what she did about it. Yes, I'm open to the possibility that she didn't quite know how crappy it was going to be, but when she got to walk into the office as a partner and did it with a spring in her step, I felt that she knew she could live with how she got there and I feel that she was sure it was worth it.
Sooo, Peggy.
Unsure how to deal, really. It isn't just that it happened but that it happened so fast. But I think that's how it's supposed to feel, even for her. With how Moss acted it, there was a definite thud of a moment when she became convinced that if Don were in her position, he would do the exact same thing.
Oh, LOL, I have to point out that awesome moment when - okay, Don threw the money right at her face, and I was not happy about that but I was still busy laughing in complete shock that it had just happened, and then Ken comes in to see her looking out the window and without even turning around she clarifies, "I'm not crying." Fuckin' Peggy <3 <3
She's at the point where she knows confidently enough she and Don are important to each other, and that's even part of the reason she doesn't need to be there anymore. And still it's mostly more professional motive, I think. There was a comment on the Inside the Episode thing about how she and Don are too big to work at the same place and that made me feel kinda better about the whole thing. I think you could read Don't harshness with her the wrong way, because it isn't disrespect as much as a kind of frustrated, immature reaction to her ambition. When they have those prickly moments with each other it's really just about the fact that Peggy keeps budging where there's no room to budge - and it's not that she shouldn't be, she just needs to find the room to do it. But of course Don's absolute shock, his attempts to bargain with her, and the fact that he's clearly devastated by her leaving (more than he was when Megan quit, and probably hitting harder because it's in the wake of that) broke my heart. That part just minutes before when everyone's celebrating and he's just his usual self and Peggy says something like, "You really don't realize when things are good, do you?" :( :( :'(
And IDK, I could respond to the fact that there are apparently people in this fandom who simplify Peggy to being "an ungrateful bitch," but I really don't feel like it.
Pick a meme, pick both, or pick none~
Ask me my Top Five Whatevers. Fannish or literary or otherwise. Any top fives. Doesn't matter what, really! Fandoms, ice cream flavours, cartoon moments, women in my fandoms, OTPs, ideal holiday destinations, goals for the future, celebrity crushes, books I wish would be made into movies, love songs. And I will answer them all in a new post (or in comments). Possibly with pictures.
And stealing this from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
taragel...
So if you found out I'd written a book....what kind of book would you expect it to be? Romance? YA? Mystery? Something completely different? What style/tone/characteristics do you think it would display? Funny? Sexy? Angsty?
(I don't know if people will go for this one but since I actually have a novel in the works it could be fun to see what people might guess.)
Anyway.
To get the bit that the fewest people are talking about out of the way: I was not happy with Don's reaction to Megan saying her potential acting job would take her away for a few months. She was absolutely right that his reaction gave away he hadn't really thought out the actual possibility of her getting more serious roles. When it came to the acting stuff he was being so good and supportive, and I really felt for her because it was obvious she now has this nagging idea that he was taking for granted she would eventually fail. This wasn't one of the central storylines of the episode, but it does relate to Don's way of taking people for granted. And the really sad thing is that while I formerly believed that Megan probably is a good actress, I started to doubt it along with her. And that was a very effective bit when they showed her audition, and one of the first things they said to her was, "Turn around."
As for the Joan storyline, some of the reactions are very troubling to me. People seem disgusted for a lot of the wrong reasons.
Pete has been up right up my nose all season, whether it's his "My upbringing promised me I'd be a big
And look, everyone is talking about how this ep showed an unusually decent side of Don. I wish I could be warmed by his protectiveness, but I couldn't help constantly reminding myself that he didn't have the same concerns about integrity when Sal was harassed by Lee Garner Jr., so, I don't know (Yeah, several things made it a very different situation, but still, his attitude was pretty much indifferent). I actually was impressed by Lane here, TBH, even when he was partly acting out of his self-interests. He has romantic affection for Joan so you would think he would feel the most protective, and in fact maybe he did, but for a man in that time to make it clear to a woman that nothing about her would be tarnished in his eyes if she chose to go through with it, that he would be able to see the hard necessity of it? Clearly, judging from some of the reactions I've seen about how it's so ridiculous that Joan "whored herself," having that intellect about it would be a breath of fresh air even today.
No, Joan was not out-of-character in that she was suddenly "weak" for doing what she did. When the issue came up I was reminded and thankfully able to find again this post related to the gender role expectations that change depending on who you ask the question of whether you would sleep with someone for a shit-ton of cash. Joan is offered a lot of money to sleep with somebody, and she ends up going through with it, conducting herself with her usual grace, and only showing the shame of it - which may or may not have been purely reflexive - to herself. The only people who are dirty about this situation are the ones who chose to bring it to her, not so much because of the offer itself but because they were treating it as acceptable that the offer was made, inasmuch as it implied that Joan is no more than office property. I'm not trying to say that oh it was a great thing, *yay*, that Joan did what she did. Her situation is obviously very sad compared to the 2 million dollar question because she's only doing this for the promise of security in the absence of the neglectful father of her kid.
For one thing, it scared the crap out of me for a good part of the episode that what they were doing couldn't be officially contractual, and who was to say this asshole wasn't capable of pulling out the account if he still wasn't satisfied? It made me extremely nervous with how they tied it to the theme of unattainability they had going with the ad pitch, because I wondered if he would ask for yet another night with her when it was over. And I'm not overlooking that she obviously felt extremely low after the fact, but I think people are underestimating her character if they don't think she had contemplated and accepted that she was going to feel what she did about it. Yes, I'm open to the possibility that she didn't quite know how crappy it was going to be, but when she got to walk into the office as a partner and did it with a spring in her step, I felt that she knew she could live with how she got there and I feel that she was sure it was worth it.
Sooo, Peggy.
Unsure how to deal, really. It isn't just that it happened but that it happened so fast. But I think that's how it's supposed to feel, even for her. With how Moss acted it, there was a definite thud of a moment when she became convinced that if Don were in her position, he would do the exact same thing.
Oh, LOL, I have to point out that awesome moment when - okay, Don threw the money right at her face, and I was not happy about that but I was still busy laughing in complete shock that it had just happened, and then Ken comes in to see her looking out the window and without even turning around she clarifies, "I'm not crying." Fuckin' Peggy <3 <3
She's at the point where she knows confidently enough she and Don are important to each other, and that's even part of the reason she doesn't need to be there anymore. And still it's mostly more professional motive, I think. There was a comment on the Inside the Episode thing about how she and Don are too big to work at the same place and that made me feel kinda better about the whole thing. I think you could read Don't harshness with her the wrong way, because it isn't disrespect as much as a kind of frustrated, immature reaction to her ambition. When they have those prickly moments with each other it's really just about the fact that Peggy keeps budging where there's no room to budge - and it's not that she shouldn't be, she just needs to find the room to do it. But of course Don's absolute shock, his attempts to bargain with her, and the fact that he's clearly devastated by her leaving (more than he was when Megan quit, and probably hitting harder because it's in the wake of that) broke my heart. That part just minutes before when everyone's celebrating and he's just his usual self and Peggy says something like, "You really don't realize when things are good, do you?" :( :( :'(
And IDK, I could respond to the fact that there are apparently people in this fandom who simplify Peggy to being "an ungrateful bitch," but I really don't feel like it.
Pick a meme, pick both, or pick none~
Ask me my Top Five Whatevers. Fannish or literary or otherwise. Any top fives. Doesn't matter what, really! Fandoms, ice cream flavours, cartoon moments, women in my fandoms, OTPs, ideal holiday destinations, goals for the future, celebrity crushes, books I wish would be made into movies, love songs. And I will answer them all in a new post (or in comments). Possibly with pictures.
And stealing this from
taragel...So if you found out I'd written a book....what kind of book would you expect it to be? Romance? YA? Mystery? Something completely different? What style/tone/characteristics do you think it would display? Funny? Sexy? Angsty?
(I don't know if people will go for this one but since I actually have a novel in the works it could be fun to see what people might guess.)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 12:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 12:25 pm (UTC)That was kind of vague, eh? Hee.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 08:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 08:27 pm (UTC)That was pretty good then! :)
no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 01:48 pm (UTC)Also, top five. Pick one, two, all or whatever you feel like :)
Top five things you are looking forward to.
Top five In the Woods/The Likeness moments.
Top five literature-film adaptations.
no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 08:20 pm (UTC)Those top 5's are great and I shall have to think on them for a bit!
no subject
Date: 2012-05-29 05:20 pm (UTC)I think you would write a book about a couple racist homophobic asshole rednecks in the military. With names like Jamie and...(trying to think of another name you probably hate)...Colby. A dog dies.
For ze other meme.....
Top 5 rock-your-face-off music albums
Top 5 SPN moments
Top 5 most attractive GoT characters (obviously not a subjective thing to determine, make sure you get it right)
Top 5 myths/fairy tales/folk tales
no subject
Date: 2012-05-31 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-06-01 04:01 am (UTC)The fandom can occasionally be hilarious but for the most part I've been very disappointed.