Last night’s episode was incredible.
Thank you. You know, it’s funny — it’s been so long since I cut it together that I forgot almost all of it. I forgot what scenes came after what scenes. At first it was just entertaining, and then it was nerve-wracking, and then it was kind of — I don’t know. I was watching with some friends away from my home, and while I thought the episode was really good, it was kind of an out-of-body experience watching it on TV.
So how did it seem different from the first episode you directed?
Well, I’d forgotten that you turn it in, and it’s no longer your property. You feel proprietary over it, and then you turn it in, and then it’s — well, it always was Matt [Weiner]’s show, you’re just being allowed to shepherd it through its various stages of production. And you’re constantly reminded of that when you’re prepping it: Don’t do this, don’t do that, make sure that’s pointed up. You go through all these meetings and you’re educated as to what the scene is, why it was written this way — and there’s no mistake about. Then you try and shoot that, and in there, there’s room to move, there’s room to interpret. And I thought the second time would be less stressful, but I don’t think it ever gets really less stressful because — I talked to some of the other directors — it’s just that each script is entirely different in its content and in its purpose.
The other episode was earlier in the season: It was setting up relationships, it was reminding you of past relationships. And this is sort of setting up the last show. This one has a different function. My overall feeling about this episode was it felt like we were hurtling towards the end, almost hurtling into space, with everyone trying to grasp things around them and hang on. You know all these other people have all this internal stuff going on, but they still have to function in a work arena. That’s been a constant theme throughout this season — the division between the characters’ investment in Sterling Cooper, and their investment in their personal relationships. Especially since it became Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, those lines have become dramatically more blurred than they were before.
Blurred in what way?
The characters have always been extremely invested in the business, but it seems like now, it’s just impossible for any of them to keep their business lives and their personal lives separate. I know one of the themes when Matt was writing it was “reality versus perception.” I think that’s the sort of central metaphor for what he does with Lucky Strike, which was to turn it on its head and make it seem like, they didn’t dump us, we dumped them. And there’s sort of an ongoing theme in the show anyways, people creating an image for themselves and then trying to live up to it.
Even though this season, Don Draper’s image has really fallen apart.
We all have. Roger last week, between losing Lucky Strike and lying to everybody, and coming home and seeing the arrival of this memoir on his doorstep — he comes home at one of his lowest moments and sees the glorification of his career, which seems to be going up in flames …
Just so you know, Roger is killing us over here. We’re all very concerned about Roger.
It’s funny, everybody thinks he’s going to kill himself! I got all these links to blogs. Even Matt said, “It’s amazing, everyone thinks Roger’s gonna … ” People were telling me, when he was at the hotel room, people thought he was going to jump out the window. I’m entertained by it. Sometimes I think, Really? Hasn’t Roger ever shown that he has the backbone to withstand some of this? I mean, I don’t think he has — I don’t know. Sometimes I think that he handled himself in World War II, he can handle himself in business. He thinks on his feet, sometimes he puts his foot in his mouth, but only in an attempt to say something clever, or something that no one else has the balls to say. [But] he hasn’t actually had to fend for himself in his life that much. He inherited the American Tobacco account. But I mean, he managed it for 30 years. It has been made plain that Roger is resentful that no one gets awards for what he does, and he’s been doing it for 30 years and, even though it was handed to him, he didn’t fritter it away; he made the business stronger and better. And yet, he’s seen as someone who’s just a good-time Charlie.
What do you feel was Roger’s lowest moment this season?
I think the moments that are difficult for anybody are when you see what your life could be, if only you had the courage to take the steps needed. With respect to Joan, I think that’s where he’d be happy. He’d be happy with Joan. Personally speaking. He’s uprooted his life once: left Mona, was enthralled with Jane, and I think for a time was happy with Jane. But if he was entirely happy with Jane, he wouldn’t keep coming back to Joan. I think, just as a viewer, as an observer, I think, yeah, those two characters seem to understand each other. And he couldn’t help her out, he couldn’t do what he needed to. He couldn’t tell her to keep the baby and figure out a way to be together. He let her make the decision. I just think not being able to be with her is pretty low.
