Mad Men 4x01 Reaction
Added 2025-10-27 00:49:05 +0000 UTC
Comments
It's not the first use of electric guitar on the soundtrack, but it's the first song like *that* that we've heard, and feels like a musical harbinger for the rest of the decade -- the Beatles, the Kinks, etc.
Mike
2025-10-28 15:43:03 +0000 UTCOrggl'f qvibepr-sebz-Qba fgbelyvar vf snfpvangvat orpnhfr vg vfa'g ernyyl dhvgr srzvavfz, be yvorengvba, be jungrire ryfr lbh zvtug rkcrpg sebz n "60f ubhfrjvsr qvgpurf purngvat uhfonaq" fgbel. Ynetryl, vg'f nobhg n jbzna jub gevrf n erqb ng n genqvgvbany zneevntr. Gur fghss nobhg gur ubhfr va guvf rcvfbqr vf evtug va gung mbar. Vg'f abg nobhg Orggl nffregvat ure qbzvanapr bire Qba, be srryvat yvxr fur "qrfreirf" gur ubhfr. Vg'f gung fur (anviryl) oryvrirq fur pbhyq rkpvfr Qba sebz gur zneevntr, ercynpr uvz jvgu Urael, naq pbagvahr ba va ure yvsr jvgu gur xvqf va Bffvavat whfg ubj vg jnf. Lrnu, gung'f abg tbvat gb jbex.
Mike
2025-10-28 15:36:01 +0000 UTCI think an important way to look at it is: both Don and Betty are doing better for their kids than their parents did for them. The issue is only Don actually recognizes that the way he was treated was bad, whereas Betty is not anywhere close to confronting the mistakes that her parents made. So naturally they have different goals. Gender probably has a lot to do with this. Don is encouraged to be independent (so he is more equipped to going against the grain), Betty is encouraged to be dependent (so she is geared towards accepting what she was told). And this matter extends beyond how they were raised, it was and continues to be socially enforced in every waking moment of their lives. I also think a lot of the audience genuinely believe they are being subversive or thinking critically when they criticize Betty, so their thoughts end at "She is a bad person". They don't stop for a moment to think that she may have conflicting motivations or want something for a reason they can't understand, like the house thing as you mentioned.
Kev
2025-10-28 12:08:50 +0000 UTCThe ending of this episode makes me appreciate how self-aware the writers are. It's funny because there was that comment about how the S3 finale felt too fanfic-y, and while I don't think the writers were thinking at at all, there is something ironic in having this epic and cinematic and rose-tinted reframing of something we just saw, like it's being communicated that it was a dramatic and crowd-pleasing event but it could be even more stylized.
Kev
2025-10-28 06:03:26 +0000 UTC[Spoilers as always] V qvq jnag gb fnl bar zber guvat, juvpu vf gung V svaq F4+ Orggl zhpu zber vagrerfgvat naq gung jnf vzzrqvngryl nccnerag gb zr va guvf rcvfbqr. V jbaqre vs gung vf n pbagebirefvny bcvavba? V abgvprq gung V sryg guvf jnl ba zl svefg jngpu bs Znq Zra, gbb. Gur tveyf fnvq "Guvf jvyy or ebhtu frnfba sbe hf jvgu Orggl" ohg rira whfg guvf rcvfbqr V nz fb snfpvangrq ol ure cerfrapr. Ure fgbel jnf fb grgurerq gb Qba gur svefg guerr frnfbaf, naq lrf fur unf vzzrqvngryl frggyrq vagb n eryngvbafuvc gung znvagnvaf ure ebyr nf n ubhfrjvsr, ohg gb zr gurer vf fbzrguvat qvssrerag va ure. Fur rira ybbxf qvssrerag, ohg vg'f znlor rira gur jnl fur pneevrf urefrys? Gur fprar bs ure naq Urael gnyxvat gb Qba rzcunfvmrf guvf, vg'f whfg fhpu n arj qlanzvp naq V srry gung vg gryyf hf jnl zber nobhg Orggl orpnhfr abj jr pna npghnyyl frr ubj fur rkvfgf jura fur unf zber serrqbz. Guvf vf pyrneyl abg F1 Orggl, nf vagrerfgvat bs n plpyvpny/erterffvir punenpgre nep gung jbhyq or. Nethnoyl, gubhtu, fur vf fgvyy irel fvzvyne orpnhfr fur vf n punenpgre zber vzcrqrq ol ure cnfg pvephzfgnaprf naq fgehttyrf guna ure cerfrag barf. Zber yvxr Qba va n jnl (juvpu gur tveyf unir fnvq), naq hayvxr Crttl naq Wbna. V fgvyy guvax ure qrirybczrag vf na haqreengrq bar npebff gur frnfbaf (naq irel ynlrerq, vagrerfgvat ba n zrgn-yriry gbb, yvxr jul gur jevgref znxr ure vapernfvatyl hayvxrnoyr). V nz bayl chggvat guvf nf n 'EBG' pbzzrag orpnhfr V srry gung vg uvagf ng Orggl'f shgher qrirybczrag (naq orpnzr zber nobhg fhpu bapr V znqr gung qrpvfvba). Juvyr jr'er ba gur gbcvp, vg vf fngvfslvat gb frr Ybyn vzzrqvngryl erirefr pbhefr ba ure ernqvat bs Urael. Frrvat gur fprar bs uvf zbgure onqzbhguvat Orggl gnxrf zr gb bar bs gur (vs abg GUR) svany fprarf bs Urael jurer ur oernxf qbja gnyxvat gb Fnyyl. Fhzf hc uvf punenpgre, nf qbrf gung jubyr fvghngvba, fgvyy fbzrjung pbagebyyvat naq frkvfg yvxr nyy gur zra, ohg hygvzngryl raqrnevat naq trahvar, vs abg n yvggyr cvgvshy.
Kev
2025-10-28 05:51:51 +0000 UTCthe space/time between episodes gets more difficult to bear...
pb24rf19
2025-10-27 22:00:24 +0000 UTCAh frik, I accidentally closed my window in the middle of writing my thoughts. The re-write to recapture those thoughts is never as good as the original... The reporter in the opening scene is using "shorthand", a writing system for taking notes very quickly using a specialized alphabet of extremely small writing marks. It used to be extremely prevalent amongst secretaries, note takers, stenographers, doctors, etc. it fell out of use in the late 20th century after the rise of recording devices, text-to-speech, etc. Don's had a drinking problem for the entire show, but having somebody tell him to "eat something" is an easy way for the show to really draw attention to it. He's spiraling hard and it's having real physical symptoms. When it comes to raising their kids, Betty and Don each THINK that they're personally doing a great job, and they honestly don't see how they're messing it up so badly. Betty doesn't understand that she's making her children terrified of her with no outlet for their feelings and a constant element of fear in every interaction. Don never understood that absent neglect is damaging all on its own. I agree that Betty's staying in the house because she feels that she is "owed" this house -- this LIFE -- and she doesn't want to give it up. Even though Henry can offer her an equally nice house elsewhere (or a better house). She doesn't want a that OTHER life. She wants HER life. And that includes THIS house.
JBK405
2025-10-27 19:47:58 +0000 UTCI'm with you. Can't wait for what's ahead, I love every season but for whatever reason I am most drawn to 1-3.
Eric Viola
2025-10-27 17:50:46 +0000 UTCLots of great storytelling ahead. I’d never say what’s before is better than what’s ahead. Yet when I think of Mad Men, I’m most nostalgic about what’s before. It’s like a sort of… dark, yet whimsical infancy, best felt thru this score, for example: https://youtu.be/jTs3BP3fzD8?si=9UTnvocuodo9RfVI (Had accidentally posted this in response to a comment below)
Julien
2025-10-27 16:50:34 +0000 UTCDon is the stereotypical "tall dark and handsome man with a troubled past" that is the mainstay of romance novels and frankly western culture. Whether that makes him more attractive than Roger is something I'll leave to others, while nothing that this romance/sexual archetype exists and pervades for a reason.
Julien
2025-10-27 16:43:34 +0000 UTCDon is objectively very handsome (I know beauty is subjective but he's as close to objectively good looking as you can get). But I would say Roger is more attractive even if he's not as handsome; his charm, personality and sense of humor do a lot to enhance his overall appeal. A night with Roger is guaranteed to be a lot of fun whereas Don would probably speak less than 20 words all evening and you'd catch him at 2am sitting on the side of the bed smoking and staring pensively off into space
Taya
2025-10-27 15:39:40 +0000 UTCLmao Milena's list of guys she thinks are attractive explains why she prefers women 😂
TylerNorCal
2025-10-27 13:31:13 +0000 UTCThe most shocking behaviour this episode: What kind of monster makes the dog stay outdoors overnight?? 😟
windyMelon
2025-10-27 13:26:57 +0000 UTCIf you don’t like what they’re saying, change the conversation
PartyKitteh
2025-10-27 12:10:10 +0000 UTCI always thought Don was handsome. But my radar for that kind of thing is not well attuned. It's funny that Milena thought Roger was handsome even when they didn't like him. Stupid sexy Sterling... It's definitely easier to buy Don being a ladies man than Tony Soprano though for sure, even with Gandolfini's charisma. This episode definitely feels like a split in the show - the divorce has happened, the new office, new name. This is my favourite season overall, but I do miss the earlier stuff. There's a cosiness to their house and the old offices that isn't there now. One random observation - Henry's mother says about Betty 'she's a silly woman', which is the same phrase Betty uses about Gloria, her father's new partner.
Mark M
2025-10-27 10:26:58 +0000 UTCTobacco Road is a top 10 needle drop on this show.
Mike Conlin
2025-10-27 10:04:31 +0000 UTCI forgot to talk about that. The joke is that it's like they're playing out an entire married couple's breakdown and reconciliation but just by saying each other's names with different inflections, like they're happy, they have an argument, they break up, they get back together, just by saying "jooohn" and "maaarsha".
Kara
2025-10-27 06:22:16 +0000 UTCThe "John, Marsha" thing was from a comedy spoof record from the 1950's by Stan Freberg. I don't understand it, but it's just a recording of two people saying John and Marsha like that over and over. It's on YouTube.
Alex Bernier
2025-10-27 05:58:45 +0000 UTCThe Bubble (30 Rock "spoilers"): https://youtu.be/UAQoXOLlvT0
Kara
2025-10-27 05:48:44 +0000 UTCOn Jon Hamm's attractiveness. He had a few episode arc on a great sitcom called 30 Rock, where the whole story of his character is that he's so beautiful that people never want to hurt his feelings or correct his mistake. He thinks he's a super interesting and capable guy, when he's really just completely sheltered from consequences and therefore learning when he's wrong. He's a dctor who knows nothing about medicine and he thinks he can speak other languages that he actually can't. It was pretty funny
Alex Bernier
2025-10-27 05:42:16 +0000 UTCGirlies let me edit movie reactions! I have nothing going on! This is not a joke! 😩🥰 Unrelated but lesbians love Pedro Pascal because if you squint, he looks like a butch lesbian 🙂 The ending is one of my favs in the show, when the music kicks in holyyyy! It's mostly a setup episode but it sets up so well! For years Don has been cosplaying the mysterious stranger and now he has a job where he needs to self-promote, oof, Don "I hate talking about my traumatic past" Draper's worst nightmare! Funnily enough, Peggy also sucked at advertising herself as a roommate in S2. Lola mentions it but when Don retells the story of 3x13 he's already editing it to sound event better. "I walked into Lane Pryce's office..." no you didn't babe "Holster up my guns"... What did Don say on all the way back in 1x2? "You think they want a cowboy... he's quiet and strong... he always brings the cattle home safe." yeehaw? I LOVE the new hip 1964 SCDP offices. The clean stark white is a visual punch in the face after 3 seasons of SCDP's dank mid-century carpets stained with liquour, blood + urine. In 1x1 we arrived at a Sterling Cooper 40 years in the making... while I LOVED it, this is NEW new. It feels like ANYTHING could happen, especially on the imaginary second floor 😭 "I never saw myself working in a place like this", is this new office the sort of place Don imagined working in? Did he use his interior design skills to help create it? I don't know. Roger fits in so well, it's like he was born in that white corner office. Eric Viola spoke about Henry/Betty below, but I don't think anyone has mentioned that Henry didn't want to have sex in Don's house (his "dirt", according to Henry's severe mother) but was comfortable having sex in his car, a space which belongs to him. Careful listeners may be interested in the lyrics to the ending song 'Tobacco Road': https://genius.com/Edgar-winter-tobacco-road-lyrics Bonus Thoughts: Don pays a sex worker to slap him in the face during sex, is this something he always wanted but could never ask Betty? I'll never understand older men going for younger women they have nothing in common with... what is Don gonna yap with Bethany about, Dress to Impress on Roblox? The Joan Economy needs no more inflation buuuut they placed her right in the center of the new office, SCDP literally revolves around her. The new office is in the former Time Life building, a real skyscraper in NYC you can visit today: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1271_Avenue_of_the_Americas
Kara
2025-10-27 04:53:32 +0000 UTCI love seeing the younger women characters style change over the years. Other characters too but the younger women in the office are obviously chasing high street fashion/workwear trends more actively. And in contrast, it's also fun seeing whose styles are more locked-in (they know what they like, or what looks good on them, resist trends etc).
Kara
2025-10-27 03:50:15 +0000 UTCHaha. It's subtle storytelling but it shows Don rehired her as his secretary at some point, when they could afford to.
Kara
2025-10-27 03:48:49 +0000 UTCI'm always aklimatizovating myself to new situations.
Kara
2025-10-27 03:47:52 +0000 UTCDon pays a woman to fuck and slap him. It clearly gives him some sort of gratification. This is something he could never ask Betty to do maybe? He's almost always the dominant partner in his sexual hookups, as is expected of men in the time (and now mostly tbh).
Kara
2025-10-27 03:47:29 +0000 UTC"I know you don't want to hear this right now, but he's right" Henry is right imo. It's been almost a year and Betty isn't even looking at cool new houses to move to. Their current Ossining house was always intended as a 'starter home', Henry can almost certainly afford somewhere nicer + bigger for 2 parents 3 kids.
Kara
2025-10-27 03:45:56 +0000 UTCYrff unccraf ba gur erjngpu ohg gur rc qbrf n tbbq wbo frggvat hc gur jubyr frnfba, guvax nobhg ubj zhpu urnil yvsgvat vf nppbzcyvfurq: jr haqrefgnaq gur fgngr bs Qba, FPQC arj bssvpr + phygher + ivor + svanapvny fgnghf, Qba/Orggl'f qvibepr naq Orggl/Urael'f arj yvivat fvghngvba, jr xabj Crttl vf qngvat fbzrbar, jr trg Orgunal Ina Arlf frghc naq vg gryyf n pbtrag fgbel nobhg orvat gur "fpenccl haqreqbt ntrapl" naq jr fgneg gb ohvyq qba'f onpurybe yvfgyrffarff. Lbh unir gb erzrzore rirel gvzr FPQC vf ba fperra vgf arj vasbezngvba gb gur svefg gvzr jngpure, vg'f nyzbfg gbb zhpu gb cebprff.
Kara
2025-10-27 03:43:45 +0000 UTCVg'f bxnl, rirel rcvfbqr vf sver yznb. vg'f npghnyyl qvfthfgvat ubj tbbq guvf eha vf.
Kara
2025-10-27 03:40:58 +0000 UTCGuvf rcvfbqr cvpxf hc ol gur raq ohg vg'f zber qhyy guna V erzrzore vg orvat. Gb or snve, F2 naq F3 jrer n yvggyr yvxr gung gbb. Abj jura jr trg gb F5 naq F6, GUNG'F ubj lbh qb n frnfba cerzvrer. Naq bs pbhefr gur cvybg vf synjyrff.
Kev
2025-10-27 03:14:54 +0000 UTCVg vf abg bxnl gung V unir gb jnvg guerr jrrxf gb trg gb Gur Fhvgpnfr... naq gura nsgre gung Gur Ornhgvshy Jbzra... naq gura Gbzbeebjynaq, jbj!
Kev
2025-10-27 03:14:03 +0000 UTCHenry was turned off from having sex with Betty that night because of Don. When Betty confronted Sally when she tried to call her dad, it showed that Don is still ever-present in Betty's mind. Only when Don/kids were out of sight out of mind did he feel more comfortable being intimate with Betty. You could see at the end he was frustrated by how much real estate Don is taking up in Betty's mind when she's refusing to move to spite him. She is still defining herself in relation to Don.
Eric Viola
2025-10-27 02:53:00 +0000 UTCDon & Bethany have negative chemistry. It's cringe. But kind of interesting to see him go on a traditional date for once. Btw, the woman who was slapping Don was a prostitute, not sure if you caught that. Seasons 4 & 5 are my personal favorites (can't decide between them tbh) so I'm happy to be at this point. There are so many INCREDIBLE episodes ahead, on par with 3x13 or even better.
Taya
2025-10-27 02:27:54 +0000 UTCYep, "acclimatised" - understood. Or, as we prefer to say in English: aklimatizovati.
Chidi.
2025-10-27 01:59:24 +0000 UTCYou know, as I was thinking about this Episode and what could be in the thumbnail for some reason Joan at a desk never crossed my mind as a standout moment, but I should've known better
Kev
2025-10-27 01:57:04 +0000 UTCLol poor Allison... She's been on the show since season one!
Mike
2025-10-27 01:43:56 +0000 UTCDon's secretary is the same one from season 3, Allison. Her hairstyle & fashion has changed.
Taya
2025-10-27 01:36:03 +0000 UTCAgreed. When someone says "Mad Men", I think of the SCDP office, the 60's style/culture (which is just now taking shape), and scenes, episodes and characters from seasons 4-7. Don't get me wrong, I love the first three seasons as well, but this is when the 'main' show starts for me.
Taya
2025-10-27 01:34:30 +0000 UTCAs crazy as it sounds, Mad Men begins on this season for me. I have no idea why. Sopranos was the same way. Perhaps it’s where the great writing really finds its own stride and measure.
PIG
2025-10-27 01:18:00 +0000 UTC
