Family Of Quitters

American Dad, S08E08

Francine convinced the family to try to stick to something to the end for once by giving up what they couldn't for their New Year's resolutions for Lent instead.  They were motivated to keep their commitments because Bullock had agreed to cut off one of their fingers if they broke their promises.  When it became too hard to keep it up, they tried to make each other fail so that they could end their Lent promises.  Roger also went on a quest to find a girl with impressive breasts that he had met at his Mardi Gras party by trying to match a nipple to a tassel he found.

I sort of liked that the family was acting collectively.  They never seem to have much in common, but as far as giving up their promises, the Smith family acts as one.  It's sort of sad the way that all of them are failures, especially since their so-called vices weren't that bad.  But I guess if you're so used to giving up so easily even staying away from popcorn for 40 days can seem like an impossible challenge.

It's also sad that the family was acting as a single unit only to set up Francine to fail.  In fact, they blamed her for having Bullock hunting after one of their fingers in the first place.  That was so messed up.  But the thing that I got me thinking the most was why the paramedics or coroners or whatever didn't notice that Stan and the others were just playing around.  I know that Stan sometimes uses his connections to get the authorities and such to fake deaths, but I wasn't convinced that was what had happened.  I dunno.  I feel like they should have made that fact obvious if that was what was going on.

Anyway, my favorite part of the whole story was when the family was having movie night and Stan was doing his best not to yell at Steve who was taking forever to find a movie on TV:

Steve, please, kindly, please find a movie and stop flipping channels before I wring the last breath out of your very, very, very annoying body.  Thank you very much--thanks.

I love seeing Stan try to stifle his rage with an overcompensation of politeness.  It just sounded so strained and unnatural that it was funny. Later, when he was able to yell, I liked that he did so retroactively:

Stop flipping channels yesterday!

People hardly yell at people for something in the past like that, so it was pretty funny.  Just wish there were more funny moments.

At the end, it was almost funny that Bullock seemed to vanish into thin air, save his cloak, but when they pushed it aside, they saw that Bullock had just ducked down into a trap door he had made in their floor.  It was sort of an awkward moment to end on, but it sort of worked for me.

In the side story about Roger, I did think his twist on Cinderella was original, but I knew that it wasn't going to end with some beautiful girl in his carriage.  I sort of thought maybe he mistakenly thought a man was a woman, but it was even more of a twist when it turned out to be a cow.  For Roger that's not too surprising.  It was certainly silly and good enough for a side story to distract the viewers from all that finger-cutting madness.  It also taught me what a "pastie" was.  Never heard that term before.

I guess this episode wasn't bad.  I did like that we got to see the family sort of bonding over their own shortcomings.  It reminds me of when they were all falling apart because they didn't have Dr. Penguin to hide all of their lies.  These sort of stories remind you that despite all of their differences, there is a strong bond between all of them, whether it's a tendency to lie or quit.  I wouldn't say they are the funniest or best stories, but they are interesting regardless.

The Women Step Up (Or Step Down)

Mad Men, S05E11

Don worked on his presentation for Jaguar and learned that Megan's acting career may make her absent from the home.  Pete proposed that Joan exchange sexual favors with one of the men from Jaguar to secure their position with the account.  Peggy decided that she should take meetings with other advertising firms in order to keeping her career going.

Although it was nice to see Don connect with his work again, I found myself less excited about SCDP getting Jaguar the more that I saw Don and the others scrambling for a good pitch that involved a mistress.  I was prepared to see them get absolutely nowhere until Michael came along with a very good idea.  Before he brought the idea to Don, they exchanged some funny lines:

[Michael] I know I'm not a manager, but it's very hard to get things done with you in another room.
[Don] Well, I obviously have the opposite feeling.

Do I ever hate Michael, but I love how he gets under Don's skin.  So far, they don't seem to have changed much in their relationship, although Michael seems like a creature of habit, so I suppose it's asking too much of him to suddenly change his tune and turn immediately into the next "Pete Campbell."  But I did notice that Michael still holds a grudge against Megan, which was obvious when he remarked that she was free to come and go as she pleased in their office.  Granted, I thought Megan's visit was odd too (turns out it was for some "confidence-building" sex), but I was still annoyed that Michael was so focused on what she was doing (and I suppose what Don was doing).  I sort of wonder if Michael will ever get to directly address his problems about Megan (without pissing off Don in the process).

I have some problems with Megan.  I don't think she should be so quick to judge Don's level of support.  Ever since she started chasing her dream, she's been more and more unpleasant as a wife.  She is rightfully frustrated that her acting career isn't taking off, but I'd wish she'd stop taking it out on Don like he's trying to sabotage her.  They haven't been married that long and knowing that your wife would suddenly (she failed to mention the length and distance of her future acting commitment) be gone for work should make a husband unhappy.  True, Don often takes trips from time to time, but he couldn't be gone for more than a few days at most.  She's being ridiculous.  If she were more honest about what she was doing (I'm sure that Don would at least feign interest), they wouldn't have to fight about it.  I sort of want to see her fail because she's being a little bit like a brat, but on the other hand I'd like her to succeed a little so she can stop bitching and get off Don's back.  I'm really starting to get sick of her.

However, no one made me more sick and angry (although Peggy did come a close second) than fucking Pete Campbell in this episode.  He will literally do anything--anything to get a damn car dealership for their firm.  And maybe it was up to him to push for that (because the rest of the partners sure aren't working their asses off to bring in strong clients), but he had no right to pull Joan into it like she was just a piece of furniture at the office he could just pawn off like it was freaking Craigslist.  What the fuck!  I wanted to choke him when he brought up the idea of her sleeping with Herb to get them the Jaguar account, but he did it in such a passive way as if he was appalled at the idea.  He's such a piece of trash!  He tried to make it seem like her sacrifice would be noble or queen-like, when it was just an easy way for him to win without having to get his own hands dirty.  What if Herb had wanted a piece of Pete?  Would he have given up his body to get the account?  Fuck no!  To ask Joan is to say that he didn't value her very much at all.

To make it worse, Pete didn't give up when Joan clearly told him no.  When she told him he couldn't afford to pay her to do that, it didn't mean that he needed to bring all the partners together to discuss paying her a big sum to "take one for the team."  I was disappointed in all of them, except Don (who turned down the idea and left like a boss), for not turning a deaf ear to Pete's idea.  Well, I guess at heart they are all pigs.  Lane tried a bit to talk Joan out of it, but I wonder if he didn't just want her to decline so he wouldn't have to find more money that he didn't have?  I hate that Pete thought that Don's opinion didn't matter and just did what he wanted.  In my eyes he is an enemy of women.

Now, of course, Joan could have turned down the offer, and I hoped she would, but when Don came to tell her that they didn't need her to do that and he was against it, I had a feeling she still would.  After all, Joan had gone to Pete and asked for partnership in the firm if she did.  And fucking Pete was not going to have a chance to haggle her price--that was it.  Financially speaking, that was a brilliant thing to ask, especially when she deserves such a position and she's a single mother now.  However, I was disappointed that Joan did it.  I know she'll regret it (if she doesn't already).  Plus, I had no idea she had already done it when Don had come to see her.  He was just a little too late!  Fucking Pete!!  I wonder if Joan thought she might as well do it if all of the partners (even Roger and Don) were thinking it was a good things for her to do.  It makes me angrier that Don didn't have a chance to fight against Pete.  Joan is a partner (yay), but her promotion is bittersweet.  After that beautiful episode with she and Don last time, I wonder if they will have such a good relationship now?

Peggy, after seeing herself on the other side of the Jaguar account (where the men were rewarded with lobster lunches) and having money thrown in her face for wanting to go to Paris for an account she saved with her on-the-spot creativity, listened to Freddy's advice to find employment elsewhere.  I just wish she had picked a different time to do this!  I think Peggy probably does deserve better with her talents and the ambitions she holds, but after everything else that happened I don't know if she could have picked a worse time to stab Don if she had tried.  I was so prepared for Don to yell at her for moving on (especially when he had lost his wife at the firm not too long ago), but he wasn't a jerk about it at all.  I couldn't help but tear up when he grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go until Peggy pulled away.  It broke my heart to see him like that when he just got Jaguar on shady terms and then found out his most loyal copywriter was calling it quits on him.  Kudos for Peggy as a woman for wanting to rise higher, but fuck her for hurting Don.  I can't help but want her to be miserable at her new place of employment (couldn't she found another great place that wasn't SCDP's rival??).  Let her go reach for the sky, but I want her to have to suffer twice as hard now that she's not with Don anymore.  It was probably a matter of time until Peggy left, but I still can't help but hate her.  Maybe one day, when Don doesn't give a damn about her absence anymore, maybe then I'll forgive her.

So who will replace Peggy?  She is an impossible person to replace, I think.  After all, she was the supervisor in the copywriting department, and someone that Don trusted well enough to delegate important decisions to.  If another person like Michael is coming to the firm, I don't think I can take it.  I don't even know how Don can take it.  He's going to be overrun with Michael's incessant chatter with Peggy gone.  We'll probably be seeing him hanging himself soon enough.  I freaking would.

They are surely not holding back this season!  The drama keeps building up and and up until I just think that some of these characters are going to crumble underneath it all.  Of course, I'm mostly concerned with how this all affects Don more than anyone else.  If there is justice in this show Pete will get his for the lousy thing he has done in this episode.  I will never forget his scheming, even if he does something like save Don's life.  Right now he can freaking die and I wouldn't be bothered.  I hope that Joan at least makes herself more of an asset now that she's a partner and does her best to show she's worth much more than what she gave away for Jaguar.  Peggy, on the other hand, can suck it.  Maybe she'll soar now that she's free from Don's wing, and maybe she'll plummet to the ground.  Either way, as long as she's not smiling as much as she was when she got on that elevator to leave, I'll be happier she left.

Megan Quits And Pete Cheats (Again)

Mad Men, S05E08

After going to an audition for an acting part, Megan realized that she could never get the same satisfaction from advertising and spoke to Don about quitting.  Don agreed and Megan said her goodbyes, but her absence at the office began to eat at Don's own satisfaction at work and opened up conflict between he and Peggy.  Pete met Howard's wife Beth that Howard had been cheating on and ended up sleeping with her after giving her a ride home one night.  Pete enjoyed the affair so much he tried to continue it, but Beth only pushed him away, even though she seemed to share his passion.

At least it wasn't a shock that Megan quit advertising.  She was leaving clues everywhere that she was unhappy.  It was just Don who really couldn't see it until she spoke about it.  And I can understand why Don might have had trouble seeing her own problems when her skills at work seemed to be bringing them closer and making Don happy about his job that he probably likes less than he's good at it.  I don't think that Megan needed to apologize about wanting to pursue her dreams (even Don agreed that he had no right to stop her), but she was given a lot of opportunities she wouldn't have gotten (especially as a woman) if she hadn't been married to Don.  Because of that fact (and the fact that she was good at advertising), her quitting the job leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  Plus, anything that makes Don unhappy bothers me a bit.

One of the funniest things in this episode was when Don kept calling the office to find out where Megan was.  I was worried then that Megan was sneaking around (which would be pretty good karma for Don), but it didn't turn out to be that way.  It was great how Peggy was annoyed to be questioned about Don's wife when she was trying to get work done.  I mean, she actually left the office just to avoid talking to him again.  He was being really persistent (possibly a little too overprotective of Megan), but Peggy didn't have to run away like that.  Cracked me up.

Another part that was funny to me was when Pete was calling Beth on a payphone.  He happened to see Crane coming into the office and Pete opened the door.  Crane came over to see what he wanted and Pete said nothing and said he was the one that came over to him.  I had the same complaint as Crane--he was the one who opened the door!  What the hell was that??  It was so awkward, but funny.  Crane is seriously the comedy relief in this show.  I almost always laugh when he has a scene with someone else.

Something that wasn't so funny was Pete's infidelity with his friend's wife.  I can't forgive Pete for his actions no matter how much of an ass Howard is.  He and Pete are about the same.  The only difference is that Howard is cheating with a girl (who may or may not be single herself) who isn't connected to anyone he knows personally.  Maybe Pete did connect with Beth on some level, but I feel like it was less that he wanted to continue a special relationship with her and more of an ego thing.  She basically just used him for his body (not unlike what he's probably done many times) and then wanted to go back to her "normal" life.  He couldn't handle not being able to set the terms for one of his flings.  I wish he would just get over it and concentrate on something more important.  So Beth is playing around with him by telling him to stop but sending signs like she loves him (with little hearts drawn on windows)--so what?  Go home to your wife and baby, Pete.  I'm not ready to play any violins for his damn story.

Another thing that wasn't too funny was Max talking about how Megan owed him money.  He's a master of saying inappropriate things!  Then he had the audacity to say she was probably quitting because she didn't want to pay him back.  If he wasn't joking, I wish someone would have punched him in the face.  Who says that kind of thing?  Even if Megan was purposely borrowing money from him with no intention to pay him back, keep that to yourself.  Just makes him look like a dick to complain about that right after she quit.  But it does show that Megan won't really be missed by any of her coworkers.  Possibly Peggy will miss her, but I don't think any of the women will.

I get the feeling that among the women, Joan most resents Megan.  It doesn't surprise me because in a way Megan got to climb the ladder of success in an easier way than Joan ever did and she tossed it away just as easy.  If she didn't have these feelings I don't think that she would have made such comments that suggested that Megan was sort scheming like a typical "second wife."  She, unlike Peggy surprisingly, didn't have much confidence that Megan would make it as an actress, but made it seem like she would be all right because she has a rich husband to keep her afloat.  If that wasn't meant bitterly, I don't know what it was supposed to mean.  And Joan also pointed out that Don was the type to marry models and actresses.  Why does she care about that?  Is she just annoyed that she didn't end up with someone like Don (or Don himself)?  I wouldn't blame her, though.  I wish she wasn't so calm and collected at work and would voice a little more about her displeasure about girls like Megan.

Lastly, I just have to say how horrible it was to watch Don and Peggy do their little Cool Whip banter with each other instead of the version Don did with Megan before.  It was just so uncomfortable to watch that I had to look away.  It did lead to some heated words between Don and Peggy, and I had forgotten about how they used to get into it with each other.  I don't think that Peggy has ever told Don to shut up, though.  She's lucky that she's too talented for him to fire her (plus, I think Don thinks of her somewhat of a friend).  But it was wrong of Don to take out his frustrations about Megan's quitting on Peggy.  She certainly did bend over backwards to make Megan feel like she was an important part of the copywriting team.  It's true that Megan said that she hated how everyone at the office were so cynical and jaded, but I feel like she had just started to get along with everyone just before she quit (another shame).  Guess the days of the calm and easy-going Don are over now.  It'll be back to him yelling at Peggy for things that aren't even her fault.

I wonder how Don will cope with Megan being gone at the office and how he'll adjust to Megan being gone at night with her acting classes and auditions.  I worry that she may start hanging out with some questionable characters that might cause a rift in their relationship.  I'm sure Don will try to be supportive, but he has his limits (probably more than most men), so I'm sure that Megan will eventually use up his generosity soon.  Don't care what happens to Pete, though.  For all I care, I hope that him sleeping with Beth blows up in his face.  I'm tired of him getting away with screwing this woman and that.  He ain't Don, after all.