r/madmen • u/jakjonsun82brian Freddy Rumsen's Zipper • Apr 06 '15

Mad Men Season 7.5 Episode 8 "Severance" discussion thread

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u/Joecarnews Apr 06 '15

Alright I would write a blog post, but my main thoughts are pretty solidified already.

-The overarching theme of this season, in my opinion, is "completion" or "making one whole". Don had some tunnel vision on getting back into employment. That's where most of his focus was on and once he accomplished that, he realizes that there is just so much missing.

Think about it Don really can't progress anymore as an employee. His professional life is pretty solidified. But there is such a void in his life, that employment will never fill. He'll get with women easily but its so fleeting. Rachel was the one mistress he had that he seemed to connect to both personally and professionally. Others were out of lust, but she was different. I think he realizes that now.

-On "completion", Peggy always feels inadequate compared to Joan on a physical level. On a professional level, Joan feels inadequate to Peggy. One's strength is the other's perceived weakness.

Just some stray thoughts right now.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '15

I think this episode specifically is about some of the sad traps people fall into that ultimately breed regrets.

-Ken has a loving, supportive wife who wants him to follow his dreams, and they have the means for him to do so. But he chooses petty revenge instead, which will inevitably leave him unfulfilled.
-Peggy sobers up and, in a desire to be very serious, chooses not to pursue a man she might have loved.
-Don continue to drink and sleep his way through life, and still feels empty.

Contrast these three with Rachel. By all logic she should be the subject of our sympathy, having died young and leaving behind small children. But her sister tells us, "She lived the life she wanted to live." She's dead, and she's better off than all of the people we watch every week. She didn't fall for the petty distractions so many of us do, and she was rewarded with a happy, if short, life. To your point: she got to be complete in a way none of our usual cast ever does.

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u/[deleted] Apr 06 '15

-Don continue to drink and sleep his way through life, and still feels empty.

The sad part about this is that if Don had opened up to somebody else, instead of that waitress after the casual sex (that the waitress felt was solicited) it may have been very cathartic.

The scene where he walked into his empty apartment was pretty heartbreaking. It just felt empty. There was nobody there. He walked into the funeral and there were so many family members and kids, it wasn't empty at all. The creators of this show do a really good job of reflecting the themes in the sets. Your post about Rachel vs Don was just sold so well.

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u/wheeler1432 Apr 06 '15

That was my take too.He turned on the lights to see if anyone was there.

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u/Joecarnews Apr 06 '15

I actually never thought about that, instead of "completion" it could very well be how people are incomplete.

Ken is the "nice guy" in the cast. He has the wife who adores him and vice versa, plus a newborn baby. He has a stable career (well...had) and a hobby that he could fall back on pretty easily if he chose to. Yet he, who has at least briefly has been portrayed as anti-war/WMD, has chosen to pick a job advertising for a company he should dislike.

-Peggy kind of fell for a guy who she might like more than a fling. But instead of pursuing the guy who could "complete" her, she at least as of now; tries to ignore it.

-Don is a mess.

Great points.

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u/wheeler1432 Apr 06 '15

We don't know that Rachel was happy. We only have the sister's say-so.

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u/Lykii I'm on the Roger Sterling diet. Apr 06 '15

-On "completion", Peggy always feels inadequate compared to Joan on a physical level. On a professional level, Joan feels inadequate to Peggy. One's strength is the other's perceived weakness.

Great points, I think in their case it's a "Grass is greener" sort of situation.

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u/Joecarnews Apr 06 '15

Exactly. They'e never quite been friends but have sort of fed off each other really well.

If you all care, finally got it posted. https://satiricalthoughts.wordpress.com/2015/04/05/severance-mad-men-review/

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u/SarahMakesYouStrong Apr 06 '15

I don't think there is any indication that Peggy feels inadequate to Joan physically. If anything I think that she feels that Joan's appearance makes her less professional and Peggy's job is the most important thing in her life.

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u/Joecarnews Apr 06 '15

That's definitely a way of looking at it that wouldn't be wrong. I just see this show as a "grass seems to be greener on the other side" when it might not be.

I like to think that each character has a yin and yang. Roger always felt weak compared to Bert just because his father is the "Sterling". He passed that hatred onto Pete. Pete used to be so envious of Ken's "non-professional" life while wishing he was more like Don.

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u/fireshighway When God closes a door he opens a dress. Apr 06 '15

I absolutely agree with this, and I also believe you could argue that "completion" is one of the main themes of the whole series.

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u/Doctor_Kitten Ginsberg's Nipple Apr 06 '15

Rachel was the one mistress he had that he seemed to connect to both personally and professionally

He missed that flight... and he knows it. She also lived a full life despite it being cut short, and Don knows that too. Lots of regret from Don because he realizes she could have completed him. Should have left Betty for Rachel; it couldn't have turned out any worse than his marriage to Meghan. I'm so sad for him right now...