Mad Men interlude

[frenchani]

Here is the first part of an interesting intreview with Matthew Weiner and Christina Hendricks on "The Other Woman".

And yes, I'm glad to see that I wasn't wrong, concerning Joan's choice, when I reviewed it!

Comments

[falafel_musings]

Thanks for this interview! I remember a lot of fans (and critics) angrily insisting that Joan prostituting herself for the Jaguar account was out of character, but I had the exact same thoughts about Joan's choice. Like Weiner points out as much as we like Joan - this is a woman who married a man who raped her. I imagine that Joan's wedding night felt something like her night with the Jaguar client; it's Joan sleeping with a bad man for a price. In the early seasons Joan's price was simply that she wanted a handsome doctor trophy husband to spare her from being a 30 something spinster. If anything Joan's price in the Jaguar deal is more self-sacrificing since I think she does it mostly to provide for her newborn child rather than for her own vanity and status. I can see why the choice was more painful in 'The Other Woman' since she went into it with open eyes and with the other five partners knowing what she was doing. With Greg the choice was Joan's secret and she had a very long period of denial over it. But yes, I agree with Weiner

[frenchani]

You're welcome.
I think that many viewers didn't like seeing Queen Joan being treated and behaving like a whore, and forgot all about the previous seasons and Joan's goals. It's amusing to think that to many fans Joan had turned into the very thing the people in Advertising use to sell: a mere icon, a sort of ideal, a goddess... "The Other Woman" was a way to remind them that she's supposed to be a "real character", a woman of her time. Her actions were totally in character but didn't suit some fans' views, the idea of Joan that many have.

It was a great episode, one of the best from Mad Men! The writing is often uneven but once in the while they really get it right.