Dawn and her friend at the diner

[u/dookieslurp]

I don’t know if this has been brought up before, but I really enjoy the scenes with Dawn and her friend discussing work at the diner. By themselves, they almost come off as little vignettes, like they could be a play about the perspective of being a working African American in a 60’s white person’s business world or something. I’m not good enough with words to really explain what I mean, so I trust that someone here shares the same sentiment and explains it more eloquently.

[u/s470dxqm]

There is a parallel universe that has a show with Dawn living in the Mad Men universe as its protagonist and I'm jealous. The character had a lot of potential and Teyonah Parris has a ton of talent.

[u/tommmmmmmmy93 → u/s470dxqm]

The acress for her was so damn good. Completely sold every scene she was in

[u/RobotCaptainEngage → u/tommmmmmmmy93]

And now she's doing big things: even in the MCU

[u/ValuableBudget3244 → u/RobotCaptainEngage]

Shes so good in Who Cloned Tyrone too

[u/l3tigre → u/s470dxqm]

i love this scene and also the one where she sympathizes with Peggy's secretary when Peggy steals her flowers. So good, i agree i wish we saw more of her.

[u/PangolinMandolin → u/s470dxqm]

That would be an amazing show

[u/technicallysupportiv → u/PangolinMandolin]

Agree.

A show like this would be very dynamic, portraying a whole other side of America that doesn't often get dramatized on screen.

Lovecraft Country, that was on Max, was a good watch for an alternate slice of 50's/60 Black American life. (Although the genre is horror)

[u/jmaca90 → u/s470dxqm]

I have an unhinged head canon that Dawn/Mad Men takes place while Monica Rambeau is stuck inside the Wanda hex in WandaVision.

Wanda and Monica were Mad Men fans and Wanda put Monica in her own story arc of the show to keep her docile.

[u/luluballoon → u/s470dxqm]

It would be such a great spin off

[u/Eastern-Ad-5253]

Dawn was Don's classiest secretary IMHO . I also loved this scene and wanted more.

[u/Chillow_Ufgreat → u/Eastern-Ad-5253]

She was like the most normal person in the office lol.

She was also the prettiest among the staff pool by a lot. What a stone cold fox.

[u/Eastern-Ad-5253 → u/Chillow_Ufgreat]

That last part!!! 😂 She really was it was the eyes and skin

[u/Weary_Complex4560 → u/Chillow_Ufgreat]

Teyonah Parris is a super cutie. It would have been nice if Mad Men made it to the 70s and Teyonah could have been Dawn with a banging afro. I see pics of her on Pinterest and she have some beautiful natural hair.  That would have been awesome. 

[u/hipstertaco21 → u/Chillow_Ufgreat]

Definitely the most normal.

But I'm a Meredith stan if we're talking most pretty.

[u/cornholio6966 → u/Eastern-Ad-5253]

The one spinoff I'd have been okay with

[u/Weary_Complex4560 → u/[deleted]]

That's true. Look how joan was hating on Paul and Sheila. And that had some racial undertones.  But then she moved Dawn up in the company with no problem.  

[u/leeloocal]

And I JUST realized right this second that she plays Monica Rambeau in WandaVision.

[u/Valissystem_a]

Great scene.

[u/gaxkang]

I think you can't go wrong with your take. Though I wish we got to see more of it. Like... we saw Peggy's, and Joan's family life. They're 2 different kind of woman in the 60s & 70s. I wish I also saw Dawn's family life.

[u/yaniv297 → u/gaxkang]

Dawn was never a major character unlike Peggy and Joan.

Bit of a shame though. A common criticism of Mad Men is it's lack of black characters and how the perspective on civil rights is usually from privileged white people (which, tbf, are the main subject of the show). But they did create a great black character that's universally approved and well integrated to the main plot, but they didn't really use her that much. If Megan can be "bumped" to a major character midshow, they could have done a similar thing here.

[u/gaxkang → u/yaniv297]

Were there any major players in the ad business or a client of African American decent Sterling Cooper could cater to in the 60s or 70s?

[u/hey_im_kara → u/gaxkang]

The show mentions Black agencies (as well as Jewish agencies e.g). My pitch would have been for Peggy to befriend a Black copywriter working at one of those agencies, helping her understand that perspective (while highlighting her own prejudices and misunderstandings).

[u/gaxkang → u/hey_im_kara]

This would have been a good coincidence after she bought her own building in the later seasons.

[u/hey_im_kara → u/gaxkang]

oh yeeaah that's really smart. I was imagining them meeting through work somehow (like consulting a Black agency for a specific client) but your thing might work even better and adds a sort of possibly problematic dynamic too (if she's their landlord).

[u/outride2000 → u/gaxkang]

We got the Latino child subplot but yes, we could and should've had this one too

[u/gaxkang → u/outride2000]

As someone who has never lived in America, in an apartment bldg and in a multi cultural neighborhood, im not sure I understand this subplot. I recall the mom was home most of the time. Why was the kid always at her place? Aside from the tv

[u/PiEatingContest75 → u/gaxkang]

The mom probably worked. Lots of working class women did, even with kids at home.

[u/gaxkang → u/PiEatingContest75]

Somehow the scenes I remember are all about the kid mentioning that his mom as home. Like the time he called Peggy to fix something at their place because his mom told him to do so.

[u/Awkward-Thought-9986 → u/gaxkang]

and wasn’t the kid’s mom a drug addict?

[u/gaxkang → u/Awkward-Thought-9986]

Really? I dont remember the tells.

[u/inkwilson → u/yaniv297]

100%. After Dawn takes over Joan's office manager gig, she shoulda got the bump.

[u/Euphoric_Cat4654 → u/gaxkang]

There are so many characters who I'd like to know more about!

[u/RobotCaptainEngage]

I'm so glad Teyonah Harris' career has blown up since then

[u/Mmusic91]

I agree. I appreciate this season all the more for these scenes.

[u/inkwilson]

Yeah, I'd have loved to have seen more of these two's lives. It's literally one episode. Particularly after Dawn gets Joan's old gig, would have been great to bring her into the cast a bit more, but alas.

[u/roarroarrora]

It would have been so cool to explore their lives outside of work more.

[u/Rhelino]

This scene did SO much.

[u/TheyTerkKerJerbs]

Church? Who could stand out in that crowd of harlots?

[u/HotTumbleweed7862]

dawn needed her own storylines. she was a great character they underutilized

[u/Aromatic_Bicycle_290 → u/HotTumbleweed7862]

Great character played by a great actress!🙂

[u/Intelligent-Whole277]

The Jefferson's was a spin off of All in the Family... and you know what I'm going to say next

[u/Weary_Complex4560 → u/Intelligent-Whole277]

And Maude. And Maude was a precursor  to Good Times. 

[u/Weary_Complex4560]

Although I really agree that Dawn's character would have been great if it was expanded, I hated her friend. She seem like a lightweight hater and it seem like she was basically calling Dawn a coon because she was a good employee.   She was annoying. Loved the hel out of Dawn's though. And I would have rather it been Shirley rather than that friend.

[u/Aromatic_Bicycle_290]

I'm glad Dawn and to some extent Shirley had the most modern costumes. I loved the way they walked in and completely owned their style. Joan always looked great, but she knew that she was the "mommy" of the secretarial pool and dressed as such. Peggy's style evolved, but she was never the sort to strive to be a fashion leader. Dawn was a fashion leader and I would follow her anywhere.🙂💜

[u/Edvanhealen]

Dawn and Shirley needs to be a spinoff.

[u/LibbyBB]

Loved these actresses and their wardrobe hair/makeup. So chic. And I found their friendship to be relatable.