MadMen, The Musical

As depicted in a tightly edited Gawker.TV clip that reminds us a lot of Kevin Allocca's "Recap of Recaps".

He even says it, right here in this very interview. So, go take a look — if you're interested in understanding the characters of 'Mad Men' as does their creator.

More: All the Madness

Last night's season finale of 'Mad Men' was all about the terror of being bought out by mega-agency McCann Erickson. Spoiler alert: things happen, finally. And that might be the best part of this finale. When things happen on this show, people go "oh well that's interesting." Apparently though, when Draper changes clothes, 'dons' his adman suit (if you will), so does the living-breathing advertising industry you work in.

The Examiner calls it 'The Sterling Cooper effect'. "Since 'Mad Men' came on the air, I have noticed a dramatic change in the perception that clients we engage have of people in the ad business,' [Three Sixty Communications' Ben Littlefield] said. 'People who are hiring an ad agency for the first time are expecting Don Draper to walk in the door. When they see the guy in jeans and a T-shirt come in, they think 'who the hell are you?'.'"

Could this be the end to sloppy advertising people? If you're an old, you're probably jumping for joy. Odds are you don't own enough t-shirts to put together a sufficiently sloppy work wardrobe and as a result have continued dressing oldly. But now that's what clients want. And isn't creativity sexier when not accompanied by a mustard-and-weed-smoke saturated Killers T?

It could be true. After all these are uncertain times and for the wary client, seeing your newly-hired (or maybe-to-be-hired) agency in respectable clothing could be comforting. Like when you go to a bank and everyone there is smartly dressed. They're handling your money and alleging they can make you more of it, so shouldn't they at least pretend to dress like they can do that?

That's a model the new Draper society can adhere to, despite their squalid hotel digs. Apparently in those days it wasn't cool to find some abandoned loft in DUMBO and squat in it until your agency gets the respect it deserves.

Either way, this "you will get business if you dress nice" idea feels flimsy. Don't uptight business people want their creatives to look unleashed? Isn't that why Draper plays up his badassness? Today it's socially acceptable to be slobbenly in the workplace and that often is confused for rebellion. But have we gotten to the point that this James Dean Effect is moot? The business may have finally come full circle, again.

More: "Draper's Finale"

At 10 p.m. EST tonight we'll witness the last episode of AMC's 'Mad Men' for like, awhile. The actual details of the show are rarely discussed here on the old Agency Spies, and we aim to keep it that way. Needless to say, here's some guesses at what you might see.

— Betty clinging to all things holy, wholesome and reminiscent of her picket-fenced-yet-seemingly-traumatizing childhood by always driving her dead father's Lincoln Continental. That car represents all things depressing, dun'nt? She yearns for the time before she was cheated on by a man who wasn't named Don Draper, but who was Don Draper and so then she cheated on him a number of times in rebellion and now she might leave him for this government guy.

— Don's ever mothy anti-grin. His mug looks like a caricature of itself, like a cop drawn for a 'Ren & Stimpy' close up. Yeah, unravel that one, between trying to figure out if Don is constipated or having a heart attack. Or in a meeting.

— Children: seen but not heard. Always the opposite of comforting. Kids don't belong in Mad Men World, and their presence exacerbates that point.

— Peggy and Duck naked, which is the last thing anyone wants to see, really.

— Pete Campbell wants to have what Don has, and I think that's why we see so many of his faces — like with Draper. Campbell's taciturn, wry demure will be replaced at least once with the unhinged punim of the rebel-boy that stirs within him. You'll know you're dealing with baby-Don when strands of hair fall across his forehead.

— Can we please get some love for Joan? Yes, she aided in the destruction of a marriage. But if there is a character on this program who deserves a moment of happiness, it's her. Maybe because her character rocks or because she seems worldly and who wouldn't want her to succeed? Today will probably suck for her somehow, because she least deserves it.

Though we could make random assessments about what'll happen tonight all day, we're done here. Enjoy the show, and the fact that you'll only have to deal with one more recap on 'The Week in Advertising'. Until tomorrow.

Image via WhatBettyDraperWore

More: "MadMen: The Recap of Recaps"

AMC's 'Mad Men' — you know and love it. But, have you ever noticed (yes, you have) that the previews for 'next week's episode' are pretty much useless? If you aren't convinced of this fact, watch this clip. We initially stuck it in the 50th episode of the 'Week in Advertising', but thought it could use some breathing room, here. Courtesy TVNewser's Kevin Allocca.

The season finale is Sunday, be sure to watch.

More: "The Week in Advertising Turns 50 Weeks Old"

Culture has a neat way of coming to life right before your eyes, and the MadMen suit is just the product to kill it. Who wouldn't want a MadMen suit? Unfortunately, showing up somewhere in one (despite BrooksBrothers' attempt to catch the cool), would be like going out in a BattleStarGalactica jumpsuit.

BSG rules.

TheAwl via TimesArtsBeat

More: "January Jones Stands Up for GQ"

On Monday, The Oprah Winfrey Show will look a lot like MadMen. Monday's special episode, called "The Oprah Winfrey Show: Oprah Goes Back in Time — The '60s," will be decked out in 60s stuff, according to the Times' ArtsBeat blog. Jon Hamm and January Jones will be on as special guests, too. America has officially gone MadMen crazy.

More: "MadMen Explained in 60 Seconds"

Let's be honest here: last night's premier of MadMen (season 3!) was so packed with brands that from here on out it will be impossible to tell which are paid and which aren't. That's due in part to the fact that the show deals so frequently with brands and that Matthew Weiner will kill anyone who talks about details.

The last thing I want to do is spoil the show so if you haven't seen it, maybe stop reading after this: the program's ratings set a record over last year, climbing 33% to 2.8 million. According to the Live Feed,

"Moreover, adults 18-49 jumped 71%, from 705,000 to 1.2 million. And you use the cume number from the premiere and AMC's two repeats, "Mad Men" garnered 4 million viewers, up 29% from last year's premiere episode cume. AMC also noted that its create-your-own "Mad Men" avatar was downloaded 485,000 times."

Tomorrow's episode of The Week in Advertising will go further into what we thought about the premiere episode. In the meantime, check out this BrandWeek story about the show's product placements.

OK just one little thing: my favorite part of the episode is when Don and Sal are on the plane back from Baltimore and Don turns to Sal and says, "just one thing," or whatever. Then he goes on to explain how the new campaign for London Fog should include the tagline, "limit your exposure." Best double entendre, ever.

Image

If you're in Times Square Sunday night you can catch the season premier. We'll be at home with a bottle of scotch, a pack of Luckies and all our ill-conceived notions that we could ever make it in advertising.

More: "New York's Geared up for Madmen"

Vanity Fair sent Betty and Don, er, John Hamm and January Jones (sexiest probably-fake name, ever?) to Nassau, the Bahamas for a photo shoot by recently be-poored photog Annie Leibovitz. F*ck everyone.

Don Draper is no longer the man of our time, despite not existing. A gent who has up until this point been a personal hero of sorts is now just pissing me off. Oh, boo hoo, you stole someone's identity and created a new life for yourself where your career is ironically creating false emotions so people will buy your clients' cancer causing, orgasm inducing products.

OK that's done. The Vanity Fair piece accompanying this shoot is long. Those of you with time to spare, click here. The rest of you can go back to hating the idea of Don Draper's life, while simultaneously loving the show that will save us all on August 18th. Unless it sucks, for some reason.

More: "New York's Geared up for Madmen"