@MrsPsmith: Very, very good points. Especially that Joan would have loved Betty's life. I wonder if that's slowly changing for her though. The active Joan/passive Betty is a very good observation too. Joan doesn't feel sorry for herself for long, she keeps going. Betty rather wallows in it.

That was a good article; I wasn't crazy about this though:

"The word "fail" and its variations are not in my vocabulary."

@foodandshoes: You don't think Seinfeld's world was insular?

@hambone: Kinsey brought his black girlfriend to a party in Season 1. Actually, it was his own party I think, in New Jersey.

@hambone:

@sheilagirl: I know . Which is an observation not borne out by the show. They were young girls at a party in an exciting downtown scene. Relating the fact that Peggy talking to a black girl and her later comments about Malcolm X is pretty shallow, I think, and not at all the point. There was plenty else going…

"Someone" from Lucky Strikes? It was distinctively Lee Garner Jr., the individual with the power to wipe out SCDP on a whim, the guy who sexually harrassed Sal and had him fired. Not just a "someone".

I'm respectful of other peoples' strong opinions on this spread. And I am thrilled Dodai went on BBC radio to talk about it, that is fantastic.

@KatieTwoHands: Uncanny how she looked like Peggy! I'm not recalling the specifics, but in the past MM has had characters that eerily resemble other characters.. I think it's intentional, and enjoyably unsettling.

He's dreadful and ignorant, but the show sort of portrays him as exactly that. I wouldn't worry about any young impressionable budding homophobe looking up to Ryan in any way. Maybe it's better to let the jerks say their worst, let it out, don't supress it. If he expected applause, all the dude is hearing is…

@and you will know me by the trail of my cred: Probs. I started objecting to the point of this article, that eye-rolling about it isn't wimmins= stupid. Sorry I went on there.

It's not about women, it's about class. Yes, people roll their eyes at the tale of the rich lady with the leisure to go find herself in Italy or India or both. With lots of new-agey "spiritual" maxims about journeys bla bla.

Is Mika a journalist? I only know her from shooting the shit breezily on this show. (And her father, who is an estimable guy.)

@AmosTrue: That was some really interesting stuff there, great points about the implications of the weird VF mangling of language. I didn't know about "Naked Came the Stranger", thank you for pointing it out. Sounds interesting.

It's a really nice cover, she looks great. Nick Knight is an amazing photographer, too.

Just another reason why the NY Post is a crap rag: while the UK tabloids have been publishing pics of her directing on the Riviera this week, they write "Madonna took up residence in her new East Hampton mansion this weekend", according to some deperate social climber, on Page Six . Clearly not!

Aw, bless her. And what a fantastic name. RIP dear.

@SarsDoesntSave: I see it a bit. And she is a take-charge redhead.

@ssSerendipityss: Sorry to hear that. Sometimes it's not that great to meet your idols, alas.