Category: TV

This season’s Mad Men had an episode called “The Beautiful Girls”. As I do in all my Mad Men recaps, I tried to get the names of all the songs used in this episode. However, I just couldn’t seem to get any information about one song in particular (for those in the know, it was in the second scene with Peggy and Abe at the bar, after the Swedish girls showed up at Joan’s apartment).

I wasn’t alone, either. As you can see from the comments section of the recap, folks were interested in finding out what the name of the song was. I emailed the Lipp Sisters, who didn’t know. They forwarded my question to Karl, their music expert, who also didn’t know. Other Mad Men fan sites were mystified too.

Well, thanks to a jimcofer.com reader, I can now say that the mystery has been solved! Reader Robert Earle was somehow able to contact the producers of the show, who told him that the song is called “Lonely Girl”, by obscure 60s artist Jay Ramsey. The song appears on an album called Cult Hits of the 1960’s, Vol. 2, which is available as a download from iTunes here and Amazon here.

THANK YOU for solving the mystery, Robert!

The season 4 finale begins with Don in bed. He hears a noise, which wakes him up. He calls out, and a fully dressed Faye walks in the room. Don asks her to “put him out of his misery” before she goes. Faye tells him that the American Cancer Society loved his ad, and they will love him. She then tells him that he will have a blast with his kids in California. Don insists that he has a “sick feeling” in his stomach, and Faye says that it might not be about work, that it could be about his past. Don says that it’s not that simple, and Faye agrees. But she also says that if he resolves some of his issues, he might feel better about everything. She kisses him, and says that she’ll call him on Tuesday when he gets back. Don says that he will miss her.

Joan pushes the mail cart around a mostly empty office. She arrives at Lane’s office, where he promotes her to “Director of Agency Operations”. Unfortunately, the job comes with no increase in salary, as the agency hasn’t signed any new clients in ten weeks. Joan says that it’s “almost an honor”.

We then see Don and Pete meeting with the American Cancer Society. One of the board members asks what made him write his now-famous open letter, and a nervous Don says that it was just an impulse, and was something he needed to do to “move forward”. The same board member compliments him on the gesture and says that they feel that lung cancer is avoidable, especially with the right ad campaign. She wonders what the campaign might be like. Another member says that they feel that scary medical facts are “useless”, and he reveals that half the board smokes. Don says that he also smokes, and mentions how futile it was to run ads to get people to change brands, much less quit.

Continue reading “Mad Men: “Tomorrowland””

The folks at TV Squad caught up with Mad Men creator Matt Weiner for a nice, long interview about season 4. Check it out in full here (there are no season finale spoilers in the interview). Here’s his response to the question of Don possibly still being outed as a fraud:

I think that that’s there, but what I was trying to say, and certainly it was a big deal with the clearance and everything, but he’s starting to realize that it’s just so exhausting to try and be that person. Who is he? We learned last year when he got the contract offer that he became this guy in a suit that he always wanted to be. Inside, there was somebody who still — whose father thinks he’s nothing.

That’s what I’m always trying to do. If you give yourself over to the show and sort of take the events away from it and say, “Well here’s a guy now who is living in this apartment that people don’t think is very nice.” Anyone who’s ever gotten divorced will say, “That’s the apartment where that man would live.” He moved to the Village, and he’s working all the time, and focusing on the things he can control in his life. Every part of his personal life does peek into his job, but they’re so closely related to each other that, to me, writing that letter last week is an assertion of the fact that he still is who he is — whatever that is.

The season finale of Mad Men is this Sunday at 10pm on AMC.

This episode begins with Don having lunch with an executive from Heinz, who explains that his business is cyclical, and ketchup has become popular while his division – vinegar sauces and beans – has faded in importance. He further says that they’re not happy with their current agency, and while the man likes Don’s work, he just doesn’t trust that SCDP will be around for much longer. He then leaves, and Don calls a waiter over.

In Ossining, we see Betty making dinner for Sally and Bobby. Sally asks why they don’t have dinner with Henry, and Betty says it’s because Henry works too late to eat with them and because they eat different foods. Sally says that she’d try new food, and Betty smiles and asks if she’d like to eat with Henry. Sally says that she does, and Betty says that she’ll think about it.

At the office, Geoffrey Atherton (Faye’s boss) tells the partners that signing new business is extremely important. He then mentions a new brand of “women’s cigarettes” that Philip Morris will soon be releasing, and he says that it would be a good match given SCDP’s past experience with Lucky Strike. He further says that he’s arranged a meeting between the folks at Philip Morris and SCDP.

Continue reading “Mad Men: “Blowing Smoke””

This episode begins with Peggy getting into Joyce’s car after a weekend trip to Jones Beach. Suddenly, several “hitchhikers” appear, with Abe Drexler being one of them. Peggy is less than pleased at first, but we then see them falling into bed together back at Peggy’s place.

Meanwhile, we see Ken having dinner with Ed and Cynthia Baxter, his future in-laws. The young couple is telling the story of Trudy going in to labor when a BBDO employee named John Flory walks up and offers Ken his condolences for SCDP losing the Lucky Strike account. Ken assures him that they haven’t lost Lucky Strike, but Flory says that they have.

Ken excuses himself, and hunts down Pete at the hospital. He tells Pete about what his friend had said. Pete can’t get Roger on the phone, so he calls Don at home, who is just walking in with Faye. Don tells him to wake Cooper and meet him at the office.

Continue reading “Mad Men: “Chinese Wall””

This incredible episode begins with Roger sitting in his office. Joan walks in and says that she’s late… very late. Roger asks if she’s sure it’s his, and she says that Greg has been gone for seven weeks, so it can’t be his, and she hasn’t been with anyone else. So it must be Roger’s baby. He offers to “take care of it”, and then she apologizes to him. “These things happen,” he says.

We then see Betty sewing at home when the phone rings. It’s Don, and he asks to speak to Sally. Don tells her that he missed her this past weekend, and he says that he has a big surprise for her: tickets to see The Beatles at Shea Stadium this coming Sunday. Sally drops the phone and screams with delight. Betty picks up the receiver and asks Don what’s going on. When he tells her that he’s taking Sally to see The Beatles she smiles, and tells Sally to thank her dad.

Meanwhile, Lane is buzzed by Laurel, the receptionist. He has a visitor. Thinking it’s his son, Nigel, he picks up a Mickey Mouse plush toy and carries it to the reception area. But instead of his son, he finds his father, Robert, waiting for him. He has come to New York to take Lane back to London. Lane refuses, but invites his father to dinner later. Continue reading “Mad Men: “Hands & Knees””