I had seen a few reviews of the first episode of the two-part last season of Mad Men, and I didn’t share the sense that this was a great one.
It did introduce a few new twists on characters, crappy new fashions, and tossed parallel storylines at the viewers. But I didn’t feel it was breaking new ground, just picking up a few months later. The most compelling one came right at the start, with old alcoholic Freddy making a very un-Freddy-like pitch to Peggy in extended closeup. Peggy is surprised and impressed, and then puts her own twist on the tagline. This may or may not doom it with her new boss Lou, Don’s replacement (after he was booted out of the agency for a variety of reasons late last year), as Lou doesn’t seem all that creative. But it’s implied, and Freddy blames her – to Don, who is writing ad copy and using Freddy as his front – for screwing things up. I should have seen this reveal coming, as Freddy’s spiel sounded an awful lot like Don, only without the sonorous Don making the sale. This was the strongest part of the episode, as was Freddy’s conversation with Don about being “damaged goods.” Don continues to insist, to Pete (weirdly happy in LA) and to Freddy, that everything is fine. But the final scene makes it obvious, actually too obvious, that it’s not.
Megan is living in Los Angeles, in a building with ugly wood paneling that she decorated herself. But she’s the one in the marriage whose star appears to be on the rise. Don’s just visiting, and can barely get one sexual encounter out of her before he returns (and after she makes a glamorous slo-mo entrance that is intended to say more about Don’s self-image than Megan’s; nice musical touch of “I’m a Man” there).
Peggy’s situation is by-the-numbers, also ending with her in misery. Ted returns briefly, after leaving her for Los Angeles, and she’s snippy with him. Lou, the new boss, doesn’t care for her. She’s treated with disrespect by her tenants, even a child. While last season ended with her in Don’s old office, she’s not the boss. While it would be nice to think the series will end with some sort of triumph for Peggy, it’s still 1969 – and there are limits to how far most professional women could rise. Still, this plotline feels a bit played out.
Worse, though, is Roger’s. This is the one that feels downright silly. He’s got a bunch of young kids shacked up in his penthouse apartment, experimenting with drugs, and whatever. Roger’s character can be the most enjoyable on the show, but all of his excursions down late-60s-drug-lane have grown increasingly insufferable and difficult to believe.
And then there’s Joan, a name partner at the agency who’s treated like dirt (or who assumes she will be treated as a sexual plaything even when that doesn’t happen). This is also a familiar plotline by now, with Joan demonstrating her intelligence and savvy when given the chance. But there are limits to what she can and is permitted to do, even by formerly cheery Ken, who hates his job and snaps at her – his nominal boss – for overstepping her bounds.
Part of my bias against the episode was in the tearful conclusions, pounding home what wasn’t necessary to make explicit. The show is better than that. Besides, Jon Hamm looked kind of dumb in his closing scene on the balcony.
But there’s hope for this truncated half-season, more hope than there ever was in this season of Justified, a longtime favorite that is pleasant even when its plotting is weak because of its snappy dialogue. But this season was probably its least enjoyable, so lame that the writers just kind of tossed it aside in favor of next year’s upcoming showdown between U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens and sympathetic criminal Boyd Crowder. I have my doubts about how the writers will make that work, but it can’t be worse than watching Boyd’s girlfriend (and Raylan’s ex) Ava in her tiresome prison scenes. And the only Crowe ever worth watching was Dewey. I’m not really happy that Art may be out of action for the last season, and I feel like I missed something in the reasons behind Ava’s breakup with Boyd. I get that she doesn’t want to go back to that prison (nor do I want her there), but it doesn’t entirely add up. I guess I’ll just go with it. Justified works better when you don’t sweat the details.
Goodman has some interesting points in his recap. I think I agree with him that having Roger go all in would make sense, and be fun to watch, rather than silly. Interesting conjecture about Megan at the end.
I’d love to see Roger go Full Hedonist in his home life while trying to remain Mr Madison Avenue at the office. The cognitive dissonance would make for good TV.
Mad Men pays more detailed attention to its costuming choices than perhaps any TV show ever. Given that, I am totally on board with the theory that the Megan/Sharon Tate parallels portend something shocking to come.
I’m still not buying the Megan/Sharon Tate thing. Mad Men simply isn’t this kind of show, the kind that revolves around big foreshadowed seismic events. Dropping breadcrumbs of winking clues across a season break is simply something that’s incredibly far away from the writing style of the show. Sure, big events happen, but they’re messy and sudden, not telegraphed and too clever and too writer-ly like this would be.
I agree this past season of Justified was pretty weak. The whole Crowe crew was pretty lame, and one of my favorite things about the show was the relationship between Art and Raylan. When it went south, it really pissed me off. Some of the best dialog was between those two, but when they were fully pitted against each other, it just didn’t work.
I’m quite pleased that the final season will be a Raylan/Boyd showdown. The two best characters facing off. And I actually love that Ava is the go between–I think that could set up some really interesting interactions. The way I took it, Ava initially broke up with Boyd because she realized she would be in prison for some time, and didn’t want him to “wait for her” not only because it would be hard for him, but even more so for her. It seemed like she didn’t want that lingering longing when all it would do is bring would be frustration for her. Then when she found out that he didn’t ask Raylan to free her in exchange for his help, but rather to clear his own record, that’s when she fully turned on Boyd.
also, G.O.T. …whoa.
Yeah, this Justified season with the Crowe’s was sort of silly. I almost feel the only reason they did it was the teaser trailers with all the ominous crows in an abandoned house and flying at Raylan and Boyd. That said, it’s still got plenty of witty dialogue, which will get me to watch any show. I want more Tim, Rachel, and Loretta scenes. All 3 actors/characters are great.
As for GOT, I’m pretty sure the episode last night was my favorite episode ever. And not just because of the ending. Lots of tension, and wouldn’t you know it, great dialogue. I’ve never read the books, but apparently this season is based on A Storm of Swords, which is apparently the book that really propelled GOT to greatness, rather than merely good.
Agreed, there were some great confrontations that allowed the tension to build throughout the episode.
GOT:
Yeah, they finally got that asshole Joeffrey! My money’s on the Tyrells as culprits.
My sentiments exactly! Except that I really wanted Dany’s dragons to toast his ass.
And don’t forget the full frontal on the contortionist… oh wait, that was probably just me. What you said.
You and Prince Oberyn.
I love the actress playing his lady friend. Glad to see her added to the cast.
Yes, I look forward to seeing more of her, um, adventures.
One other thing, if they needed to replace the actor playing that long-haired lothario helping Dany, it might have been helpful to pick a guy who at least resembles him slightly.
Sansa.
Nah, the chef. Whoever baked that pie got tired of little Napo
Re the dialog: Apparently each season GRRM writes one episode himself, and this was the one for this season.
It looks like someone needs to volunteer to do a Game of Thrones recap. I write a recap of two different shows, and you people hijack the thread to write about a third.
Yes, but it wouldn’t be natural to make one special for GOT. GOT requires us to thread hijack. It’s the nature of the show.
Sorry, it’s an excellent recap too. I also agree that Jon Hamm was unconvincing crying on the balcony. He does self-contained and mysterious so much better than unconstrained emotion.
I can’t chat much about Game of Thrones on forums, too many people have read the books and can’t stop themselves from spoiling stuff, even when they think they aren’t. Speaking generally of the internet, not folks here.
I’m not whining, just thought it was funny.
As for Mad Men, I was a little surprised that Hamm got a pass for that ending. He’s a perfectly good actor but not persuasive at conveying raw anguish. Instead, the reviews I have seen focused on metaphors and Weiner’s larger themes. That’s great, but none of that works if the lone actor in the scene looks kind of ridiculous.
It seems I’m alone in really liking this season of Justified. Michael Rapaport was great as Daryl Crowe Jr., a creepily compelling villain up there with Boyd Crowder and Mags Bennett, and more likely than either of those two to exist in real life. He absolutely nailed the just smart enough to be dangerous redneck vibe. And his use of “family loyalty” at various times to manipulate Dewey, Wendy, and Kendal into doing things that they knew were bad ideas was a good way to give some of the plot twists reasonable motivation.
I’ll agree with bear that the Ava-in-prison subplot was sort of weak. In retrospect I guess it was there to set up Ava turning on Boyd (for the reason that batgirl explains). But a lot of what it took to get there was kind of strained, and the cult-like group in the prison was a bit much.
To me the weakest season by far was the third. Robert Quarles’ psychosis was far too over the top to be interesting, while the machinations between the various factions of the Dixie Mafia and the Detroit mob were just too convoluted for me to care.
Daryl was more realistic than Mags or Boyd, but the show does ‘just smart enough to be manipulative and dangerous’ pretty easily and those characters are more compelling than Daryl.
I didn’t find Daryl all that interesting, and the rest of the Crowes were either stupid or too easily maneuvered by him.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing and then the writers were in a hurry to move on.
I’m hoping the Ava-in-the-middle plotline they’ve set up is better executed than this season.
I’m pretty firmly on the side that Justified just wrapped the worst season the show’s ever done, but even then, it’s Justified. Bad Justified is still relentlessly entertaining.
Couple things: I did really like Michael Rapaport’s take on Daryl Crowe, but more interestingly, I loved that Raylan finally got a major villain who was a complete and total slimy coward. Mags, Quarles, Limehouse, and the Detroit mob are all larger-than-life villains who are more than up for the challenge of facing Raylan. Daryl Crowe is a slippery sonofabitch more than willing to throw everyone and anyone under the bus to save his own skin, and that dynamic was new for the show.
I hope this new Lou fellow didn’t take out a big new mortgage when he got this job, as he seems destined for a short career at (whatever the firm is called now).
The only thing more miserable than the lives of the firms’ principals while Don was there is their lives since he’s been gone. You’d never have thought that last year, when Don’s reckless careening from precipice to precipice threatened to doom all of them. But there you have it.
So the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama this year will be between McConaughey, Cranston, Hamm, Spacey, and Buscemi. I assume Olyphant won’t even get a nomination.
I would think it’s between McConaughey and Cranston but I don’t watch Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, or House of Cards. For those that watch most/all, who did the best?
Spacey is pretty badass in HoC.
Thanks, and go As.
Boardwalk Empire has pretty steadily improved over time, and it’s now comfortably pretty damn great, with a massive sprawling cast with very few weak points. Buscemi’s character is ostensibly the lead, but he’s honestly one of the least interesting parts of that enormous cast, which partially seems that way by design. As a result, Buscemi doesn’t get nearly as much screentime as his Emmy opponents do.
Huh. I gave up on Boardwalk Empire at around season 1.5 or so. It just kind of dragged for me. Part of that was Steve Buscemi who I often found unconvincing; I could see how him being less fundamental would improve things.
Anyone else watch Orphan Black? I’m excited for S2 this weekend!