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[Cornballer]

Matt Zoller Seitz 'critical companion' book for Mad Men is out on November 10th. Amazon link for "Mad Men Carousel: The Complete Critical Companion". Sounds pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it. Here's the publisher blurb:

Mad Men Carousel, authored by Abrams' bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz, will gather all of Seitz's widely read (and discussed) Mad Men essays in a single volume. Rather than simply recalling the plot through lengthy summary, Seitz's essays dig deep into the show's themes, performances and filmmaking, with the tone and spirit of accessible, but serious, film or literary criticism. This novel-sized volume will be designed to have a 1970s feel and will be broken into seven sections, one for each season. Max Dalton, who created original illustrations for both of Seitz's Wes Anderson books, will illustrate each section with tasteful line drawings; novelist Megan Abbott will contribute an original introduction. This book will be the go-to guide for current fans who want to relive the Mad Men experience from a critical and thoughtful lens, or for new fans who want to binge their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, with critical essays to accompany their viewing experience.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Yooo Cornballer with that thread bump heartbreak. The book does sound awesome though.

 

[Leona Lewis]

I'm going to need Tom and Lorenzo to put all their "Mad Style" articles in one, big, sexy hardcover masterpiece for my coffee table.

The series is way too good to be confined to their blog.

 

[Cornballer]

Yooo Cornballer with that thread bump heartbreak.

Show's over, Pyro, show's over.

I'm going to need Tom and Lorenzo to put all their "Mad Style" articles in one, big, sexy hardcover masterpiece for my coffee table.

The series is way too good to be confined to their blog.

I have to believe that's in the works unless there's some sort of legal issue, right? It makes too much sense to not happen.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I'm going to need Tom and Lorenzo to put all their "Mad Style" articles in one, big, sexy hardcover masterpiece for my coffee table.

The series is way too good to be confined to their blog.

Yes. I need this!

 

[Dany]

My boyfriend just got to the second half of season 7.

I'm going to cry when he watches 13/14 again. I really really liked this season in retrospect. Probably moreso than 4.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Amazon has it releasing October 13 for $209.97

 

[Surface of Me]

Amazon has it releasing October 13 for $209.97

Fuuu I need those glasses in my life

 

[Dany]

FUUUUUUU
I don't do boxsets, dvds or blu-rays but....gdamn.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

The 2 cups 4 coasters thing is sort of bugging me though.

 

[phanphare]

The 2 cups 4 coasters thing is sort of bugging me though.

Mad Men, where they pour the drinks so full you need two coasters

 

[sixteen-bit]

Amazon has it releasing October 13 for $209.97

Not sure if want. The glasses are a nice touch though, lol.

 

[Empty]

nothing evokes the peerless style, class and attention to detail of mad men's aesthetic like cheap collectors edition tat

 

[phanphare]

Amazon has it releasing October 13 for $209.97

for some reason the Blu-ray set is cheaper than the DVD set at $188.97

 

[Sapiens]

If they have to give us toys, i would have preferred a Joan figurine in the vain of MGSV's Quiet with the "completely realistic" breasts.

Now those are a set of cups I could go for.

 

[chicko1983]

Just spent the last two months watching this show for the first time through and finished tonight.

Bloody awesome show!

The only thing that has come close to the wire for me, and maybe after it sinks in, it may displace the wire as my no.1 show.

I can't fault anything about it. Acting, writing and the direction all top notch.

My mind is made up on the ending, my interpretation of it is

Spoiler

don goes back to McCann and he is the writer of the coke ad

don is a bad man, but somehow I always felt sorry for him.

One thing bugs me though - was it Stephanie in that restaurant when don is going for a job interview?

 

[Sapiens]

One thing bugs me though - was it Stephanie in that restaurant when don is going for a job interview?

No. And it's left pretty ambiguous what that was all about.

 

[-Stranger-]

Well I finally watched the finale yesterday after rewatching the rest of the series.
I'm really going to miss this show

Anyone know of any new shows that will fill the void?
Already seen all the greats The Sopranos, The Wire, Friday Night Lights, etc.

 

[Champagne]

Well I finally watched the finale yesterday after rewatching the rest of the series.
I'm really going to miss this show

Anyone know of any new shows that will fill the void?
Already seen all the greats The Sopranos, The Wire, Friday Night Lights, etc.

Louie.

 

[Pryce]

Did they add any new things to the box set content wise or UV codes for early seasons?

Because just buying all of the seasons individually is much cheaper.

 

[bomma_man]

have they announced a bog standard 7.2 blu ray yet or what?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Well I finally watched the finale yesterday after rewatching the rest of the series.
I'm really going to miss this show

Anyone know of any new shows that will fill the void?
Already seen all the greats The Sopranos, The Wire, Friday Night Lights, etc.

Manhattan. Only 1 season finished at the moment, season 2 premieres in a few months.

http://wgnamerica.com/series/manhattan

I binge watched the entire first season in like 2 or 3 days. It isn't one of the greats yet, but I really enjoyed it. Season 1 is still on Hulu.

 

[big ander]

Well I finally watched the finale yesterday after rewatching the rest of the series.
I'm really going to miss this show

Anyone know of any new shows that will fill the void?
Already seen all the greats The Sopranos, The Wire, Friday Night Lights, etc.

Rectify is more overtly melodramatic but has such a vital, unique perspective on the value of life. I think of it as pretty similar in tone to FNL, actually.

And believe it or not, BoJack Horseman might be the best analogue for Mad Men. Todd Vanderwerff's review of season 2 goes into detail why that's the case; the summary is that BoJack is similarly about how happiness is largely a lie and emotional/psychological survival is all about a constant, unending slog though trying to be a better person where victories are small and rarely last long before the void returns. On the surface it looks like an adult swim show with shallowly brash humor. Not only is the humor much smarter and sillier than the promo material/first few episodes might indicate, but the dramatic core of feeling like an immutably broken person is ruining. and wonderful.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

My mind is made up on the ending, my interpretation of it is

Spoiler

don goes back to McCann and he is the writer of the coke ad

That's been confirmed. Don't have the link handy.

 

[YoungHav]

Weiner confirmed it?

And looking back on the series Don is an extremely shit person. He's a non violent Tony Soprano, Walter White type.

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Weiner confirmed it?

And looking back on the series Don is an extremely shit person. He's a non violent Tony Soprano, Walter White type.

He's not in their league.

Tony is a bona fide psychopath in the clinical sense, and Walter Where isn't once once as self reflective or trying to improve himself. Even in his admissions at the end, Walter expressed no remorse.

 

[YoungHav]

Can Draper-GAF refresh my memory? What was the point of Don switching dog tags and what advantage did it bring? Higher retiring rank?

 

[lamaroo]

Can Draper-GAF refresh my memory? What was the point of Don switching dog tags and what advantage did it bring? Higher retiring rank?

OG Draper didn't have much time left on his duty if I recall correctly, so after the accident they allowed him to leave early.

 

[Fjordson]

Can Draper-GAF refresh my memory? What was the point of Don switching dog tags and what advantage did it bring? Higher retiring rank?

I just took it as a way for him to start over and escape everyone and everything from his upbringing. He must have figured that once his family got "his" body that it'd be the end of it.

 

[CassSept]

Wasn't it because at Dick's rank he would have to keep fighting once he recuperated, but at Don's rank he would just get a purple rank and be sent home to America?

 

[Cornballer]

- A couple notes on what's inside the new Matt Zoller Seitz Mad Men book:

It includes all 92 of Matt’s recaps (Zoller Seitz, not Matt Weiner–which makes things confusing around here)–and that’s the modern definition of a recap, with less play-by-play and more color. In addition to the recaps/reviews, there are hundreds of footnotes. The footnotes are divided into two sections–the spoilery stuff is isolated so new viewers remain in a safe zone. There is almost no limit to the kinds of things covered in these footnotes. They offer historical background, context, or insights which range from actual era-based events, to references within the show—”When Don says X here, it reminds us of that time he says Y to Peggy”–to anachronisms and timeline snafus; background information on the actors, etc. Deborah and I contributed a great deal of these, pulling from our own Basket essays and recaps, and writing new content as we worked–all of which will find its way into the blog.

Additionally, there is a grand timeline; a visual display of the 10-year span covered by Mad Men, pinpointing (as best as possible) historical and cultural occurrences alluded to, mentioned, or happening during/influencing the series. Deborah and I worked on this as well, tapping into various sections of this very blog as a resource.

We also did a general fact-check of the book–it is almost scary how much we know about this show, and when in doubt, we’ve already cataloged the research–our episode guide and quotes section were a huge help here.

The book also has original poems, illustrations–it’s just chock full o’ awesome.

 

[Altazor]

goddamn, that book sounds amazing.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

The slogan is genius.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

I might have to pick that up...

 

[Niraj]

Sounds great. I'll have to check it out someday.

 

[Discotheque]

I think a year from now I will pick up that bluray set and that book and read along after each episode during a rewatch.

should be great.

 

[Fjordson]

I think a year from now I will pick up that bluray set and that book and read along after each episode during a rewatch.

should be great.

That's what I was thinking. Though I may not be able to wait a year. I already miss the show =[

 

[mannerbot]

The Blu-Ray set just dropped to $154.99 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013BPR7OC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Bobby Roberts]

goddamn, that book sounds amazing.

Shoulda been a team-up with Tom and Lorenzo.

 

[Altazor]

Shoulda been a team-up with Tom and Lorenzo.

I really hope they end up doing a Mad Style book with expanded commentary for the early seasons. I'd buy that in a fucking heartbeat. They're that good.

 

[Hazmat]

Wasn't it because at Dick's rank he would have to keep fighting once he recuperated, but at Don's rank he would just get a purple rank and be sent home to America?

Nah, it had nothing to do with rank. Dick went to Korea to escape his life at home, and he knew that Don's tour of duty in Korea was almost up so he stole Don's identity after he was killed. It got him out of Korea (which he just learned is an awful place to be as well), convinced his family he was dead, and gave him a new identity to start over with.

 

[chicko1983]

The slogan is genius.

I read it in Don Draper's voice haha.

Nah, it had nothing to do with rank. Dick went to Korea to escape his life at home, and he knew that Don's tour of duty in Korea was almost up so he stole Don's identity after he was killed. It got him out of Korea (which he just learned is an awful place to be as well), convinced his family he was dead, and gave him a new identity to start over with.

Yeah, that's my interpretation about it.

I loved how the show always got you thinking that he was going to be recognised by someone as Dick. It happened early on in the show, when he was on the train, but then there were a few other times when you think he is being recognised and he isnt (one scene I can recall was when he was at the RSL with the old veterans and they call over the other Korean vet and Don doesnt want to look at him for fear of being found out). It was great writing to make you get that sense of being found out at the same time as the character.

 

[Linius]

Of course I haven't seen this Mad Men book from the inside. But I do own his Wes Anderson book. And if that's anything to go by this Mad Man one is a no-brainer.

 

[Socreges]

Finally finished watching it.

The last scene was ambiguous for sure. I had my theories. Then I read Weiner's explanation:

I did hear rumblings of people talking about the ad being corny. It’s a little bit disturbing to me, that cynicism. I’m not saying advertising’s not corny, but I’m saying that the people who find that ad corny, they’re probably experiencing a lot of life that way, and they’re missing out on something. Five years before that, black people and white people couldn’t even be in an ad together! And the idea that someone in an enlightened state might have created something that’s very pure — yeah, there’s soda in there with a good feeling, but that ad to me is the best ad ever made, and it comes from a very good place… I felt that that ad in particular was so much of its time, so beautiful, and I don’t think it’s as villainous as the snark of today thinks it is. I did think, in the abstract, ‘Why not end the show with the greatest commercial ever made?’

Not entirely surprising, I guess, but disappointing.

I like Scott Timberg's response:

But for viewers to find something a little dissonant about Don heading to a Big Sur hippie retreat – an institution frequented by a subculture defined by its skepticism about consumerism – and coming out of the experience with a new way to sell a product to people who don’t need it… That’s the part that seems cynical. And since sugary drinks were in a lot of ways the all-American sequel to cigarettes, which Don also helped push — years before his wife began to die of lung cancer – we’d kinda hoped that Weiner was making a larger point about how corrosive advertising’s unintended consequences can be, especially when a corporation is trying to commodify utopia.

 

[lastflowers]

Finally finished watching it.

The last scene was ambiguous for sure. I had my theories. Then I read Weiner's explanation:

Not entirely surprising, I guess, but disappointing.

I like Scott Timberg's response:

I think it can be both, and is. I mean, that's what this show is about in many ways.

 

[Jackben]

Timberg's response encapsulates how I feel.

 

[Socreges]

I think it can be both, and is. I mean, that's what this show is about in many ways.

Hmm. I really feel Weiner doesn't allow for both. Almost too bad he didn't remain silent!

 

[big ander]

I think it can be both, and is. I mean, that's what this show is about in many ways.

I'm on this team. One of Mad Men's big theses was that in America it's impossible to live untainted by capitalist culture, that divorcing from it entirely is a form of running away. better to try for genuine progression from within. Don making the coke ad is both co-opting and commodifying a purer message and creating a sincerely positive work for a mass audience

 

[Ignatz Mouse]

Well stated.

 

[Altazor]

Hmm. I really feel Weiner doesn't allow for both. Almost too bad he didn't remain silent!

good thing you can disregard authorial intent because the work itself is separate from its author. I'm not being snarky btw. Whatever Weiner's stance on the final scene is, doesn't preclude you from forming a different interpretation of it

(and I agree with big ander's post)