Eh, yes and no. I think he was more human than Don in a lot of ways. True, he was often narcissistic, but he made no pretenses about it. He owned it, which Don often did not. Also, he was a soft touch at times.
@@alanmetea9865 don wasn’t a narcissist. A lot of the time Don was only was cool on the outside and upset in the inside. He was good at not mixing business with personal problems unlike Pete.
My personal favorite not in the video.. Secretary-"Roger I have some terrible news, your mother died, I'm so sorry" (sobbing ensues) Roger- " Jesus Christ settle down, she was 94"
@monokhem --Don almost killed him for it in the Oyster Duel. I didn't realize the first time I watched it that Don bribed the elevator operator to say the elevator wasn't working...
@monokhem --It's in episode 7, season 1; in episode 10, season 1, Roger has a heart attack. So yeah, it's a wonder he didn't check out in that stairwell. Don was in a competition with him for eating, drinking and then lures him into a stair walking race. I repeat, Don bribed the elevator operator to say it wasn't working. When Roger says "get behind me with that thing", it's a reference to "Satan get thee behind me".
"He might lose his foot!" - "Right when he got it in the door." Horrible yet hilarious line. (and then blood trails down the opaque window behind them)
TheGoldcountry "He'll never work again...," "What do you mean? He only lost his foot." "Yeah, but he'll never play golf again..." This show was so freaking sublime.
That last clip. The organ music by Roger and Peggy skating. I will never, ever, forget this scene for as long as I live. I'm incredibly happy I got to see this.
"she died like she lived, surrounded by the people she answered phones for" I love how you can see Christina Hendricks crack the slightest smile at 2:43
Dude I was reading your comment right as Roger said about Coopers end being near because that's what happens when old men start talking about Napoleon.. Then I realized your pic is napoleon. Talk about strange
@@Ar1AnX1x He's basically implying that Bert was so old he lived during the Napoleonic Era. It's basically a variation on the "yo mama so old" style of jokes.
@@SergeantExtreme Roger wasn't making a "yo mama" joke, he was pointing out that Bert had mentally checked out of his job and retreated into a niche interest, showing that he was nearing the end of his life.
He always had these subtle ways of telling someone to do something. That quote was him telling Pete to go away. The one right before Pete vs. Lane was him telling Don to close the blinds because "only he wants to see this" (and no one else outside). Damn good writing.
Recently rewatched "MadMen". Sterling had all the greatest quips. It worked because nobody on that show was perfect; every character had good moments and bad moments, but he was always the funniest.
He was the best. Everyone was damaged, but Roger just accepted it and was true to his nature. Everyone else was in denial or depressed, he just enjoyed every moment he had.
@@raphaelcarlosantos1728 My take (non-native too) is simply the reinforcement of that he didn't think he had it in him. "I didn't think you had it in you" = "I thought you were a looser" and "and I mean that" = "like I was completely convinced you are a total, utter looser". An extremely subtle way of expressing that his opinion of him was not just low, it was the lowest. My understanding anyway, I could be wrong. Fits the wit of Sterling, though, and his overall writing.
@@raphaelcarlosantos1728 When an English speaker says "I didn't think you had it in you" by itself, it's considered a compliment. It's telling someone that they exceeded expectations. But when Roger tacks on "...and I mean that", he's indicating that he doesn't mean it in a flattering way, because Roger is not a flatterer. It means he actually had no confidence in them at all. It's what's called a "backhand insult" in English, which means the person/people being insulted aren't aware of the insult.
Guys in The United States and other places do this frequently insulting each other and the “I mean it” was basically that he is not fully joking but they didn’t pick up on it fully because it was unexpected in that moment but Pete sort of caught it. It is Roger being funny but also disrespecting them a bit. It is funny in the context of the show. What us a bit ironic is Roger is a pretty poor account man at this stage of his career and pretty much just rides his partnership so is fully reliant on the fools he hires.
Wayne Parker The show knows how to write a GOOD politically incorrect joke. One that satirizes prejudice rather than embrace it. Evidently, a difficult concept to grasp.
@@JSmedic1 I think I need a lot more context about this scene, but nevertheless, "negro" was the conventional, non-racist way of refering to black people up to the 60s, up until English speaking media began treating the word like it's the name of a disease.
Roger Sterling a great character because of the talent of John Slattery. He made Roger likeable, His delivery and timing was perfect. His lines got genuine laughter from his costars. Especially Jon Hamm.
100%. John Slattery is dashing, handsome, and devastatingly witty. This character is truly the most fabulous, least politically correct, no fucks given role I’ve seen in years. Such good fun.
@@colin-campbell The joke here is that Don already has a car, and Roger purposefully said something so nonchalant to Don to imply he doesn't give two shits about what's going on in the back, and Don played along like _"Sure!"_ *(correct me if I'm wrong, maybe Don didn't bring his car that day, I don't remember).*
When God closes a door, he opens a dress. Priceless. Also, I loved him playing Hi Lilly Hi Lo on the organ while Peggy skated around the room, that was so random!
The scene where he's playing the organ is the perfect way to sum up Roger Sterling; sarcastic, witty, piece of shit that you can't help liking. It's hard to not like Roger. And the show does a great job of making him grow on you.
He's got so many good lines, this clip should be at least an hour! I like it best when he's unintentionally funny like when he asks Peggy about inviting her father to her wedding.. or of course "This is MY funeral!"
Oh God the characters were the BEST! I had forgotten. I really miss this level of quality acting and writing. AND! how the lighting and camera angles added immensely to each scene. Thank you for posting.
I wonder if he was supposed to die earlier in the series, what with the heart attacks and all. Maybe they realized what a kickass character he was and decided to keep him around till the end.
You could always count on Roger to give it to you straight. You always knew where you stood with him...no beating around the bush. I love human beings with that quality and try to surround myself with them.
You left out a few, like my favorite: ''My mother always said be careful what you wish for cuz you'll get it, and then people will get jealous and try to take it away from you''
1:48 I just noticed Pete is the only one not laughing at Roger's blackface. The look he has is like he's embarrassed for Roger that everyone is laughing at him not with him.
"I told him just to be himself. That was pretty mean, I guess." LOL!!! I have repeated that one many many times. Best single line Roger had in the entire series, followed closely by the "He may lose his foot. Pity. Just when he got it in the door." line. Both brilliantly written and delivered.
My favorite Roger Sterling line is missing: When they were pitching the Manischewitz wine account, and Roger asked Bert, "How Jewish are they ? You know, Fiddler on the Roof; are they the audience or the cast ?"
Thank you for your mercy BB. All I do is spit the truth every now and then. I know it's hard for everyone to accept Bob. Work with me to help everyone understand everything Mueller.
Roger Sterling was a GREAT character. He was a witty, upbeat, snarky counter to Don Drapers dolefulness and sorrow. And both were great professional salesman that were on top of their game.
Watch the faces of some of the secondary characters in these clips. I think they wanted to break out laughing. It of course is fine because the characters in the show usually laugh at him, anyway. Look at Hendricks at 2:40, she starts to laugh right at the cut.
