144 replies to this topic

[tigerlily0]

So, Sterling/Cooper's got a new President/CEO/CFO/whatever-he-is. I presume this was the job that Duck wanted, and the ownership had to bring in Pryce after Duck got the boot.

So what do we think? Is he SC's savior or downfall? How's his decision making so far? Is the co-heads of accounting a good idea? What about working with Harry Crane to come up with the division of accounts between them (which seems weird to me). How about how he deals with his assistant, John Hooker, his "right arm"? Making sure he doesn't get above his station by *gasp* actually having his own office ("you sit outside").

[Constantinople]

Is the co-heads of accounting a good idea?

I'm with Roger - stupid idea. Didn't work with Ewing Oil -- or did it, I can't remember -- and it won't work now.

What about working with Harry Crane to come up with the division of accounts between them (which seems weird to me).

In S2, Harry had a meeting with Cooper to go over revenue numbers. And when the possibility of a merge first came-up, Harry had to get some projected numbers from accounts to provide to someone, but don't remember who that was. Sounds as if some of Cooper's responsibilities were offloaded to Pryce.

[litex]

Although he's british, Pryce reminded me a great deal of an iconic American figure of the 60's--Robert McNamara. Physically his hair, glasses and dress seemed designed to evoke McNamara, and his demeanor and affections were all reminescent of the defense secretary's popular image: the ant-farm in glass holding up the efficient working unit as an almost artistic ideal, the militant suit of armor in the background, the cutting, ruthless precision that sees any emotion as weakness and places tremendous weight on systems and rules even when it means cutting down a favored subordinate (as with Moneypenny's short-lived attempt to obtain an office).

I think this is a very interesting way to go with the "change" coming to Sterling Cooper--away from the clubby boardroom atmosphere of the 50's, but instead towards an emphasis on "modern", machinelike ruthless efficiency; business transformed from a fun livelihood to a science to be studied. He makes Pete and Ken fight for the right to prove each other unnecessary, thus driving them to work harder and eventually resulting in increased efficiency--a move that, notably, Roger disapproves of because its nothing like how Sterling Cooper used to operate.

One thing's for sure, Don's days of disappearing for weeks on end are over. No McNamara-type would ever tolerate that kind of blatant inefficiency.

[lauralius]

I think in the office he's kind of wishy-washy, although his "I don't know" in response to Don's questioning of why PP&L even bought SC was interesting. I did really enjoy the dinner scene and meeting his wife. She seems like a mostly charming person, and something about that scene made me think that they have a happy marriage. Since I can't think of a single marriage on this show that hasn't involved adultary, it would be nice and refreshing to see a married couple who is actually in love.

[bluepencil]

Interesting Q&A with Jared Harris on AMC's Mad Men website. Interesting family history: His father was Richard Harris (the original Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies, which was regarded as kind of a career resurrection; Richard earlier had a reputation for being, as Jared put it in the interview, "a kind of rough and tumbling wild, unpredictable, drinking and whoring Irishman") and his stepfather was Rex Harrison, probably best known as Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady."

[Limbonaut]

Richard Harris was his dad?! Wow. People younger than me know him as the first Dumbledore but he was also great as the Emperor in Gladiator, A Man Called Horse, This Sporting Life and King Arthur in the movie version of Camelot.

Edited by Limbonaut, Aug 27, 2009 @ 3:02 PM.

[Constantinople]

If I were Pryce, I"d be miffed that the home office undercut my authority by putting the kibosh on MSG.

[acsenray]

Pryce obviously doesn't have very good management skills.

[Rosencrantz 13]

I'm really enjoying Lane's role so far (though I'm confused at why we haven't seen more of Mr Hooker). He has a great turn of phrase and a lot of enigma. I'm still curious about what Lane's real purpose is in S3. I've a feeling he has some sort of secret agenda and for the moment he is just sitting back and analysing the SC staff, seeing what makes them tick.

[varcinie]

I loved Lane tonight. So quietly conflicted, with his sympathies being with the Americans more than his bosses after so many years of just being a company man. A ton of great little quotes, from "Churchill rousing? Or Hitler rousing?" to asking his wife if she could see her dress, and talking about how the whole time he'd been in America no one had asked him where he'd been to school.

[varcinie]

"Very good! Happy Christmas!"

Aw, I am so glad we're not losing Lane. I wonder how his wife's going to take all this.

[growltiger]

Regarding Jared Harris and his père, Richard Harris == King Arthur from Camelot. Maybe that is why Lane has that suit of armor in his office. Oh, wow, a shout out to Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table.

Lane Pryce play with St. John was masterful and I was so proud of him. I have observed that I hope he keeps that hideous stuffed cobra in a basket and displays it prominently in either his office or, perhaps, his home to remind himself (and his Missus) what the value of school ties really are.

Edited by growltiger, Nov 9, 2009 @ 1:08 AM.

[Caroma]

Tally ho for Pryce! I was really really glad to see him come along for the ride, and I hope that his snobby wife has to move out of Sutton Place to a more ordinary brownstone a couple of blocks away. He has an outsider's perspective not just because he's a Brit but because he's been a good corporate chap, Japanese-salaryman style, while the other partners have always been a bit more quirky.

[bmsartre]

Lane is a canny, savvy man. I'm glad to see that he's using his gifts of organization and perception (remember how he sussed out Bert 2 episodes ago?) for his own benefit.

[Elenita]

Like varcinie, my love for Lane grew enormously after that scene with his wife. I'm delighted that he's part of the new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and gets to stay in a job (and a country!) where he feels respected. I can't wait to see how he develops next season.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to download the finale off iTunes so I'll be able to watch "Happy Christmas!" over and over again until the series returns.

[Justine2003]

I find Lane dull as dishwater and would much rather have some of the guys who were left behind (Ken, Paul, Smitty)back then Lane.

The "Happy Christmas" line was funny though.

I don't doubt that JH is a fine actor - but I just am not feeling the Lane love.

[Zif]

That Lane would turn on his overlords in some way was telegraphed in his scene at the hospital with Don, but it was so satisfying when it actually happened. "Very good. Happy Christmas!" is an awesome line.

I've liked Jared Harris in pretty much everything I've seen him in, and he does such a good job with this role. I don't doubt that many find Lane dull, but JH's performance helps him come across as enormously sympathetic.

I can't exactly pinpoint why I find Lane so endearing, but I do. Maybe I sympathize with his position this season, being resented by his subordinates and patronized and condescended to by his superiors. He's seemed so isolated this season, so it was very rewarding when Don, Roger and Bert welcomed him into the fold, albeit grudgingly. It was pretty clear that the conspiracy wouldn't have gone any further without Lane's savvy. (Although Joan's knowledge of where everything was and such was also crucial.)

Edited by Zif, Nov 9, 2009 @ 4:40 PM.

[EleanorAquitain]

I think part of the reason I like Lane is because he seems like someone open to new possibilities. He's very competent at his job, obviously, but there are elements of it he doesn't like. Unlike Don, he doesn't have the exterior that dazzles but he is as good at his job as Don is at his and went totally unrecognized (by the SC folk) and unrewarded (by the PPL folk) for it, yet never complained. But when the time came to take advantage of a new opportunity, he did it. To some extent, Sterling Cooper was crying out for someone like him - who was an adult who could handle the boring business parts of their work - and they are going to be much better off for it, skeleton staff and all, IMO.

Edited by EleanorAquitain, Nov 9, 2009 @ 6:18 PM.

[worsel]

I really like the character of Lane because he is smart and can deliver the quips with aplomb (including of course my new favorite of "Happy Christmas".) I also had a lot of sympathy for him when he was about to be transferred to India. I'm glad he is staying an active character in the show. The actor portraying him has done a great job.

[freddy37]

What does Lane do exactly? besides find ways to cut down on costs. When Cooper said "I can't do what he does, can you?" I still couldn't figure out what "it" is.

[Bibba]

I adore Lane. He's a cog in the machine, but a critical one. I think JH does a brilliant job at this role. Subtle and brilliant.

[bmsartre]

Today, Lane's title would be CFO or COO. He'll be the guy on top of the billings and the day-to-day operations of the company.

[tigerlily0]

Yes, I was thinking Chief Financial Officer myself. They did say what his actual title was somewhere near the beginning, but I don't recall exactly what they said. It was something with "finance" in it.

[EleanorAquitain]

Lord knows that being a CFO is not something I could ever do, but he does do more than cutting costs. He seems to be somewhere between the chief financial officer and the chief operations officer, which means he needs to see the big picture of the firm, understand where areas of growth are, understand what parts of the business need more or fewer resources, and stay on top of making sure that they are getting paid by clients, etc. It is kind of amazing to me that SC didn't already have someone fulfilling that role before Lane but really, any professional services firm (or company, really) needs the guy who really gets into the details of the business, as opposed to the work.

[lucindabelle]

they did have someone in that role, wasn't it the person who was fired who had a temper tantrum on his way out?

[EleanorAquitain]

No, I thought that Bert Peterson was an accounts guy? The CFO/COO wouldn't normally be meeting with clients, and the London Fog folks had met with Bert.

[baldhermit]

Bert Peterson was the head of accounts, the top sales guy. His departure made the way for the storyline where Ken en Pete had to compete.

Lane Pryce I think is a great character, enjoy the performance, but perhaps as a viewer you need to have met a few CFO's to know this actor is doing the best he can being not boring while still pretending to be a CFO ? :-)

[Mer Garnet]

I love how Mad Men is continually able to introduce characters we have lots of reasons to dislike, and then slowly peel back the layers so that they are no longer so unlikeable. I don't think I can ever dislike Bobbie Barrett the way I did before I saw her with Peggy. At first, I saw Lane Pryce through the eyes of the main characters. But I slowly started rooting for him. He really seems like a decent chap who NO ONE appreciates. I'm reaallly glad things have worked out for him, at least temporarily, and that we'll be seeing more of him.

Also, I know that actors, you know, ACT and all, & it shouldn't blow me away when an actor is unrecognizable... but seriously? Jared Harris played both Lane Pryce and Captain Mike from Benjamin Button? Really?? I guess he was channeling his "rough and tumbling wild, unpredictable, drinking and whoring Irishman" heritage.

[Kel Varnsen]

It was pretty clear that the conspiracy wouldn't have gone any further without Lane's savvy.

Not only did they need him to get the conspiracy to work, but they are most certainly going to need him next season. I mean they are basically a start-up firm with a limited number of clients. Unless everyone wants to work for free, once the bills they owe start coming in, they are totally going to need someone who can find a way to keep costs down and make every dollar go as far as possible.

[sanvean]

According to Times Online, Pryce is a "nod" to David Ogilvy, the Brit who revolutionized advertising here in and the UK. Ogilvy made the cover of Time Magazine on October 12, 1962, as "The Literate Wizard."