Man Men Recap: Girls Just Wanna Be Trophy Wives

21 Comments

1. 1
   missyshep
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 6:48 am

   Recaps should be done by true fans of the show. If you haven’t watched it all season you have no idea what has been leading up to these moments. Where’s loula? Her recaps of MM were the best!

2. 2
   McWeanis
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 7:36 am

   Sorry, meaner weaner, I’m all you’ve got! I’m catching up on the first 7 now that exams are over, but I thought I shouldn’t delay recaps another week just for the sake of exposition. Feel free to comment to fill in your fellow readers on anything I fuck up on!

3. 3
   MP
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 7:56 am

   I agree with missyhep. True Mad Men fans are hardcore and have high expectations of recappers. If you are not devoted to the details and nuances of not only this season but every season, .do us a favor and don’t bother with snippy comments when you don’t even know characeters names. This is an awful recap.

4. 4
   McWeanis
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 8:43 am

   Sorry to hear that, doin the best I can

5. 5
   Derek Hazelton
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 8:56 am

   @McWeanis, I don’t envy you having to start recapping a show as dense as Mad Men halfway through the season. I think the previous posters are being extremely unfair to you, considering that the previous MM recapper dropped out after two or three episodes. I may be a little dramatic, but I’m about to abandon this show for “Client List” on Lifteime. I have been disappointed in this season and feel that the show has become nothing more than a character study with little to no plot. (If I wanted to read books, I’d get a Kindle!) In how many ways do we have to lather, rinse, repeat the same subplots where we wind up where we already left off: that Pete is constantly emasculated at work and at home, Don is incapable of real connection, Peggy is balancing her womanhood/career, Roger is coping with aging, etc.?

6. 6
   ninad
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 9:11 am

   I read Mad Men recaps because the previous recapper would bring light to so many things in the episode that I missed, not for the snark. Part of why I love the show is because of the subtle(or not so subtle) underlying themes in each episode, and I liked reading an analysis

7. 7
   Derek Hazelton
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 10:00 am

   @ninad, this website is dedicated to snarking about popular tv shows, which is why certain shows are not recapped. I remember a few years ago when the recapper tried to cover the Celebrity Rehab show on VH1, but it was a disaster because that show was too difficult to mine the funny from people’s serious life issues. My only point is that this was the first recap that McWeanis did for MM, there are plenty of websites/tv blogs that have dedicated MM recap writers and analysis, and several weekly podcasts associated. Let’s give McWeanis a chance to find his/her groove before bashing the recaps.

8. 8
   ninad
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 12:13 pm

   I know what the website is for and I love it and frequent it daily. MY only point was that the previous recapper did an excellent job of analyzing Mad Men, whilst not taking it too, too seriously as some of the other websites you mention do. Just a little constructive criticism for McWeanis. I’m surprised you chose to call me out rather than the first two posts who were rather mean. I don’t consider what I wrote “bashing” at all.

   Believe, I LOVE snark when it comes to my reality shows. I think the site is great and I’m sure McWeanis will do a great job once he/she gets into it.

9. 9
   maryedith
   Posted May 11, 2012 at 12:18 pm

   I’m so glad someone besides me misses Loula. There are quite a few recappers on this site who combine snark with intelligent insight into the writing and characters of serious shows. As I said on the thread after the last episode, this is the hottest show on tv and it deserves a thoughtful recapper.

10. 10
    Viane Slice
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 1:53 pm

    Howdy,

    I’m going to say this: I don’t know and I think few of us do know, the back story of McWeanis taking over the recap of Mad Men. Yes, the article is kind of shaky. But as someone who has had to pick up a dropped ball (as it were), it would be awesome to move down the court like Micheal Jordan and culminate with a slam dunk in the basket. Instead the best one can do is not lose the ball again.

    That being said, if others think they can do a better recap of Mad Men then by all means take initiative ask for the opportunity. If not, the suggestion of adding insight in the comments sounds like a fine idea and could generate lively discussions.

11. 11
    maryedith
    Posted May 11, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    @Derek, everything you said in your comment is the kind of stuff I want to talk about in a recap thread. I won’t abandon the show, but I love being able to go over that kind of stuff with other people on here.

12. 12
    Monica
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 1:32 pm

    People will find something to whine about regardless of who is recapping and what the style is. It takes entire seasons for anything to happen on this show, and while there are lots of nuances/small turning points leading to the bigger moments, I don’t think TVgasm is the place to analyze all that. Just not the point of this site. I enjoyed your recap and don’t really care that you’ve missed a few episodes. But thanks for filling us in on that fact that you had!

    I maintain that Megan is up to no good and is hiding more than just a desire to be an actress. I am hoping to see more of the Draper/Francis dynamic as the season progresses.

    Where has Lane been hiding?

    I did NOT notice that was Mr. B! As someone who grew up with Saved By the Bell (and just referenced Jessie Spano while out with friends recently), I am ashamed of myself!

13. 13
    Derek Hazelton
    Posted May 12, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    @Monica, I kind of hope that Megan is keeping a larger secret; it would be interesting to see how Don reacts to being deceived and maybe he will have more empathy for the 11 years he hid his identity from Betty.

    I also am finding that “nuances/small turning points” aspect of Matt Weiner’s writing is largely unappealing to me, as a viewer, which is why I never really liked “The Sopranos.” As I mentioned in my earlier post, this is not a book and he seems to be regurgitating the same character development with the characters that we’ve already come to understand with these characters by the end of the second season.

    I hope The Pointer Sisters” thank the SBTB writers for making “I’m So Excited” such a tentpole song of a generation!

14. 14
    badger
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 1:20 am

    I say keep the snark. That’s why I come to this website, and no one is going to beat sites like Salon and Slate at the nuanced interpretation game anyway. But maybe I’m biased because I <3 McWeanis as the only person who can make any sense out of Game of Thrones for me on a weekly basis.

15. 15
    BOOBY
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 3:50 pm

    Hint for future recaps:
    Don is behind the times– the elevator was already going down, he missed it. They came up with a Beatles song that sounded like it was five years old, then he listens to the newest album and they were already into their psychedelic phase.
    The nuances aren’t super hard to pick up on, which is why its funny to have them made fun and called out a bit!
    also… WHERE THE EFF IS BETTY?!?! I can’t believe I actually miss her chubby ass.

16. 16
    awfuleyebrow
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    Should everyone in America stop making meatloaf because I don’t like it? Here’s an idea, just don’t read it. And I won’t eat meatloaf. I hope that I’m never so egocentric that I would demand that everyone should cater to my tastes alone.

17. 17
    missyshep
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    @awfuleyebrow no one asked to be catered to, but you should at least find out THE NAMES of the characters you are trying to recap. As I said in my original post, if you haven’t seen any of the seasons episodes then you are not a fan. Mad Men is not a show you can just pick up in the middle and figure out.

18. 18
    missyshep
    Posted May 13, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    @booby I thought the elevator scene meant that now that Megan left Don was going to fall. Your take on it is interested too.

    I miss Betty too! And please please more Sally!

19. 19
    LAC
    Posted May 14, 2012 at 11:45 am

    McWeanis – net hug…it ain’t easy, being greasy, in a world of cleaniness and you know all that madness (to quote Limp Bizkit and Method Man ) I don’t envy anyone trying to recap this show.

20. 20
    Surly Girly
    Posted May 19, 2012 at 4:58 am

    Love the snark – it’s why I come to TVgasm. There are other websites available to gravely opine on Mad Men as though it just came down from The Mount. Once a show begins to take itself too seriously and buys into the hype, it’s doomed anyway.

21. 21
    sheesh
    Posted May 19, 2012 at 5:07 am

    @badger
    I want to marry your screen name.