DJariya

By djariya at 2012-03-22

Synopsis:



Episode 8 of 13

misterchimpy

"Lady Lazarus" is the title of a Sylvia Plath poem--sounds like this episode is going to be a downer!!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Lazarus

PopcornTreeCt

I like Gilmore Girl.

Jack Straw

Is there any doubt whatsoever that someone is going to die falling down that elevator shaft?

I wonder how much they had to pay to use that Beatles song?

dex14

Rory Gilmore and Mr. Belding. Plus Tomorrow Never Knows.

whotony

Elevator foreshadow was extremely non subtle.

PopcornTreeCt

I thought the elevator shaft was a metaphor.

Decker

That had to cost more than the rest of the episode in total. They've had to cut back on the cost of the show so much that major characters go episodes without an appearance (Lane hasn't been seen in weeks) and yet they buy out a Beatles song for perpetuity (syndication, DVD)? Not that I mind, one of my favorite songs off of my favorite Beatles album. If nothing else it was shocking that they really used one.


As I'm writing this, it occurs to me that they actually made an inside joke earlier in the episode -- telling that cologne company that they could never actually use a Beatles song. Those clever bastards!

bluetoast

Let's see...when Conan used Lovely Rita for Tom Hanks's Tonight Show entrance that was about $400,000. Not sure what the pricing structure is for this as opposed to a walk on song though. Questlove of the roots had a detailed explanation, he talked about how the price can be negotiated if the artists themselves want to make a deal, as opposed to going through the reps. And that Chuck Berry charges the highest: around $1.8 million to use Johnny B. Goode for a walk on.

Damfino

Part of me is thinking I should save the recording on my DVR just in case the DVD and BluRay releases drop "Tomorrow Never Knows". I'm sure it costed them a fortune, but I thought it was a perfect fit for the episode.

andicus

That Lovely Rita fee has been dismissed as incorrect: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...us-meter-maid/

But in a telephone interview on Monday, Jimmy Asci, a representative for Sony/ATV, said that programs like “The Tonight Show” and “Saturday Night Live” have pre-negotiated “blanket licenses” with music publishers that cover their use of recorded and performed songs. “There just isn’t enough time to negotiate fees and for the clearance process to happen,” Mr. Asci said, so these shows pay a “nominal fee” when the songs are played on air. Mr. Asci declined to give an exact dollar figure, but said the fee was “not major money.”

When a Beatles song is used in a film, television commercial or scripted series, however, Mr. Asci said “it would command that price tag.”

However, given that this is a scripted series, I would imagine the fee was anything but trivial.

Three Day Delay

"Times have changed in some ways, but the Fab Four's catalog still doesn't come cheap, and Matt Weiner made sure to let us know in advance what a big deal — and big budgetary sacrifice — it was for the show to bring us this moment. "

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-al...ow-never-knows

focker

This episode was a bit of a let down after the last few. It was ok, but the show has been so great recently that they've raised the bar.

n.phelge

Given the cost squeeze Mad Men put on Breaking Bad and other shows, I would rather they figure out how to tell the story and make an emotional impact without going the easy way and shelling out a bunch of cash for a familiar song.

sauce07

Same. Don lived the fact that he worked with his wife and she had actual talent at what he loved. Now she's an actress, not long before that fails again and she's a stay at home mom like Betty. I liked how he said goodbye to her on the SCDP floor and not the lobby, despite the fact that he was going downstairs too.

Dubya

If I'm the executive producer of The Walking Dead I would be looking at the ratings and asking AMC brass why exactly my budget is being slashed at the expense of Mad Men?

Geofferson

Pete and Harry sure brought some comic relief. Harry in Pete's office: "Is your wife pregnant again?" Then the exchange between those two when Pete was in the phone booth.

Not enough Roger in this episode and as already mentioned, no Lane for a while.

Tracer Bullet

Mad Men is a prestige show that people will remember in 50 years. The Walking Dead is trash that will be forgotten in 10.

Red Dog

Yeah - I came in here to ask what people thought it was symbolizing.

But I couldn't help but think of Rosalind Shays on L.A. Law.

And Roger with the Lutherville, Maryland reference - my hometown.

Dubya

Didn't say anything about the quality, just the reality of the situation from a budget/business standpoint.

Tracer Bullet

I've read that Matt Weiner had to do some serious budget-crunching to get the numbers to work for the rights to the Beatles' song.

bluetoast

Ah thanks for that, good to know. But maybe that usage now explains Laine's absence (or minimal presence) for the last few episodes!

Decker

Apples and oranges though. There's a world of difference between having your house band play a Beatles song (still expensive) and using an actual Beatles recording (almost unheard of). Remember, two Beatles tunes have appeared on the show so far - an instrumental version of "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" was played at the end of an episode a couple of seasons ago, and Don whistled "I Want To HOld Your Hand" while driving the car earlier this season. Neither was close to in impact or expense this actual recording though.

sauce07

Could Tomorrow Never Knows foreshadow Don following Roger down the rabbit hole?

Jack Straw

& Betty & Mr. Betty...Not that I'm complaining.