Mad Men: Shit Is About to Hit the Fan

I was excited to see tonight's episode, not because of what I expected to see onscreen, but rather because of what's been going on offscreen: this episode was the last one co-written by Emmy winner Kater Gordon, who was recently let go from the show. I was expecting a hot mess of an episode (as much as any episode of Mad Men could ever be a hot mess), but I was actually pleasantly surprised by what I saw. Stuff HAPPENED tonight. Let's dive into the best parts:

Betty finds out that Don Draper is really Dick Whitman. Betty found the keys to Don's secret drawer of secrets, and she seemed quite pleased with herself, until she found out what was in it. Her consternation at Don's pictures of his youth turned to anger when she found the deed to the house in California and Don's divorce papers from the other Mrs. Draper. OH SHIT. You would think Betty would freak out, but no. Instead she decides to sit up and wait for Don, glass of wine and cigarette in hand, so she can confront him when he gets home. When Don doesn't show up, she puts the box away and the key back in his robe. Apparently she is going to sit on this information for a while. Why? I do not know.

The Brits are selling Sterling Cooper. I'm not really sure why (they want to cash in apparently, but that seems silly, because the agency is making a ton of money.) This is interesting because (1) Roger, Bert, and Don have no idea and will probably freak out and (2) it means we can get rid of that awful Mr. Price. He's boring as shit and annoying too.

Miss Farrell is about to go Fatal Attraction on Don. First, she tells him she wants to scream while they're having sex. Then, she wants him to meet her brother. Then, she calls his house and denies it. (I KNOW it was her.) Then, she just appears on his train to work. She's also going through a tough emotional period because of her brother's problems--he has epilepsy. If this were a different kind of show, she and Betty would be having a showdown. Regardless, I think she's going to continue to unexpectedly intrude in Don's life.

Paul finally realizes that Peggy is smarter and more creative than he is. That final scene, where Peggy just takes a Chinese saying that he had mentioned mere minutes before and turns it into a pitch is kind of awesome. Also, Paul is a tool.

Those were my takeaways from tonight's episode. I'll leave you with some quotes to help you ponder your own:

"Do you feel bad about what you do?--Crazy Miss Farrell to Don. Obviously not, lady.

"I love getting telegrams, but I never send them." "How is that supposed to help?"--Cosgrove and Don.

"Ughh, he's such a toad." "He is, he is."--Price's wife and Price about Price's assistant. Note: I like Mrs. Price.

"Well he knows how to leave a room."--Crazy Miss Farrell's brother about Don.

"Geez Louise"--Sally, when Betty yells at her for asking questions, but also probably about her life in general.

"I don't care about your marriage, or your work, or any of that, as long as I know you're with me."--Miss Farrell to Don. She's also stolen a lock of your hair and keeps it with her all the time.

"Good god would you shut up."--Paul to Lois

"She's not Margaret, she's Jane, she's my wife." "Does Mona know?"--Roger and his mother. That was fucking hilarious.

Mad Men: Brief Meditations on Tonight's Episode

Mad Men is a complex show. Most of the time I do not really understand what is going on. As such, I will just share a few random unrelated thoughts:

• Don is getting careless. Sally's teacher, Don, really? She seems like the types that will go all Fatal Attraction on him. This will end the least well of all of his long-term affairs, and that includes the one that ended in a car crash. Yeah. Bad idea.
• Conrad Hilton is obsessed with Don. See Fatal Attraction comment above about how this storyline will resolve itself.
  
• Did anyone notice that Betty's stationary had a fleur de lis at the top? For those who don't know, the fleur de lis was the symbol of the House of Bourbon, the French dynasty that ruled right up until the French Revolution. Now, as you may recall, Marie Antoinette was the French queen just before the revolution, so I'm wondering here if we're supposed to be drawing a parallel to her. Actually I bet we are, since that fugly couch Betty has in the living room totally seems right of Marie Antoinette's boudoir.
  
• Betty has daddy issues, which is why she wants attention from Henry Francis. That is all I will say there.
• Did Sal go to try to find the guy from Lucky Strike at the end of the episode? Or was he just going to try to pick up someone else?
• I find it very hard to ever take Roger Sterling seriously, and therefore could only laugh when he was trying to yell at Don at the end of the episode.
• My jaw dropped when Betty said, "This whole thing makes me wonder about civil rights, maybe now isn't the right time," right to Carla. That's one of those moments that really makes you appreciate how well grounded the show is in its time period.
  

Anyone else notice anything good?

Emmy Post-Mortem: Well That Was a Weird Show Wasn't It?

So the Emmys are over. I have to say that was one of the more entertaining Emmy telecasts I've seen in a while. Also, my predictions were way, way off. I was 4 for 10 for the major categories, but to be fair, some of those acting wins were total "WTF?"s, so I don't feel too bad. Plus, one of my "should win"s did win, which makes me feel nice. Let's look at each race in turn.

Supporting Actress, Comedy: I called Jane Krakowski as my should and will win, and alas, she did not. Kristen Chenoweth from Pushing Daisies took home the award and she could not have been a more gracious winner, so I really can't complain. Also, that funny glasses bit with all the nominees was a hoot.

Supporting Actor, Comedy: I called Neil Patrick Harris as my should and will win, and he didn't. Jon Cryer from Two and a Half Men did. I know what you're thinking. You're asking yourself, "Wait, I thought he was just kidding about the Two and a Half Men guys having a deal with the devil? He is kidding right?" Damned if I know. All I do know is that I hate Two and a Half Men and I cannot understand the Academy's interest in it when in almost all other categories its tastes skew more highbrow. NPH was robbed. ROBBED.

Lead Actres, Comedy: I called Tina Fey as my should and will win, but she didn't. Nope, Toni Colette took home the trophy, which would be surprising except for one little fact: Colette plays a character with multiple personality disorder, and awards shows go ape shit for the kind of stuff. The only thing more effective is when pretty actresses make themselves "ugly" for a role (i.e., gain weight, wear prosthetics). So congratulations Toni, but Tina, you're still my girl.

Lead Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin was my should and will win, and he DID. Woo hoo! Well deserved, Alec.

Comedy Series: How I Met Your Mother was my should win, 30 Rock was my will win, and 30 Rock did win. I wasn't surprised, but there was a small part of me that thought the Mother upset might happen. Perhaps now that the show is on the Academy's radar, next year it might be able to do it.

Supporting Actress, Drama: Chandra Wilson was my should win, I had no idea as to who would win, but Cherry Jones did win. She's great, I'm sure it's well deserved, but can we give Chandra Wilson an award one of these days, please?

Supporting Actor, Drama: Michael Emerson was my should win, William Hurt was my will win, but in the end Emerson did indeed win. Can I get a woo hoo? Dude deserved it. He has created one of the most terrible and complex television villains in Benjamin Linus. He seemed a little subdued during his acceptance speech, though, so I hope he's perked up so he can enjoy his night.

Lead Actress, Drama: Glenn Close was my should and will win, and she did win. Was anyone surprised? She's fantastic. I know some of you out there were pulling for Moss, and I'm sure she'll get hers one day, when Glenn Close isn't nominated. I love that Close called Patty Hewes the "role of a lifetime" because given some of the memorable characters she's played over the years, that's saying something. (I still have nightmares about her sitting in the corner turning the lightswitch off and on.)

Lead Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm was my should and will win, but Bryan Cranston did win. I've got to start watching Breaking Bad to see what this guy is all about, because winning back to back awards in this day and age is very difficult to do. Kudos.

Drama Series: LOST was my should win, Mad Men was my will win, and Mad Men did win. Again, not shocked, but hoping that the Academy gave the award to Mad Men this year so that they could honor LOST's final season next year. Please?

Also, NPH was fantastic as host, and a tremendous improvement over the 5-host tag team from least year, and it was nice to hear Jeff Probst, who was part of that fiasco, say so. I also really liked the format change of doing all of the comedy awards together, all of the miniseries awards together, etc. because (1) it made easier to see how dominant some shows are (i.e., Mad Men, 30 Rock) and (2) it let me switch over and watch the Giants game while they handed out awards in categories I didn't care about.

All in all, it was a pretty satisfying and entertaining evening, even though I was wrong most of the time.

Check back tomorrow for a review of the How I Met Your Mother premiere.

Emmy Breakdown: Outstanding Drama Series, or a Mad Men Redux

Hello all! I hope you've had good weekends. The Emmys are just a few short hours away, and with that it's time to a take look at the last major category: Outstanding Drama Series. The nominees are:

• Big Love
• Breaking Bad
• Damages
• Dexter
  
• House
• Lost
  
• Mad Men
  

This is the fourth nomination for House, the third for Lost (one win), the second for Damages, Dexter, and Mad Men (one win), and the first for Big Love and Breaking Bad. I'm going to make this post a quick one, so first time nominees, thanks for playing, and I hope you've enjoyed the attention you've gotten, since you're probably not winning. Same goes for Dexter and House. Damages, if you're second season had been as good as your first, you might have a shot, but it wasn't, so you don't. That leaves Lost and Mad Men as viable contenders. The shows have differing strengths: Lost blends mind-blowing plot twists with the strength of its ensemble cast, while Mad Men's lush cinematography lets its characters deliver subdued yet powerful performances. Who you think should win this category depends on whether you prefer your TV with a side of whizz-bang-boom-OMFG-did-that-just-happen? or with a dose of thought provocation. I like both, but I think that Mad Men's second season got a little confusing toward the end, whereas Lost's fifth finished super, super strongly (Even four months later, WTF JULIET??!!!). So, for me......

Who should win: Lost
Who will win: Mad Men

Check back later this evening for a recap of the awards, or follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/dvrrulesmylife) as I share my thoughts and reactions in real time.

Emmy Breakdown: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, or Why Glenn Close Strikes Fear in the Hearts of Actresses Everywhere

The big show is just two short days away. And with that, I'm going to address the last of the major acting categories, Lead Actress in a Drama. I think it's very hard for a category to have the same set of nominees (plus one new one) and get even more competitive in a year's time, but that's exactly what happened here. The nominees are:

• Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, Damages
  
• Sally Field as Nora Walker, Brothers & Sisters
  
• Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson, Law & Order: SVU
  
• Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko, Saving Grace
  
• Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
  
• Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Johnson, The Closer
  

This is the sixth nomination for Hargitay (one win), fourth for Sedgwick, third nomination for Field (one win), second for Hunter and Close (Close won last year and was previously nominated for her work on The Shield), and the first nomination for Moss. I think it's fair to say that this category is stacked with talent. I mean, The Closer, Damages, and Saving Grace wouldn't really exist without their lead actresses, and while I love the rest of the Walkers, Sally Field brings a special brand of old-lady crazy to her role without making the character completely unlikable, and I couldn't imagine that show without her. I'm not the biggest procedural fan, but I think Hargitay does good work on SVU. She's didn't get 6 consecutive nominations for nothing. Moss is a very welcome addition to this category, because her performance as Peggy is completely captivating and one of the two main reasons I watch the show (the other being the inscrutable Don Draper).

So, given the immense wealth of talent here, who's going to win? Hargitay went through some tense contract negotiations, and while I'm not sure how that will affect her chances, she's not on my short list to win either. I don't watch Saving Grace or The Closer, so I can't comment on their performances, although after four nominations, Sedgwick should get something. Field is Field, but I didn't care for the goings on over on B&S this season, so I'm not liking her chances. That leaves us with Close and Moss, the great dame and the ingenue, the lion and the lamb. The contrast between these two is stark. Glenn Close is a powerful actress. Every look, every grimace, every slight move is always loaded with meaning. I've said this before and I'll say it again, Glenn Close giving her death stare directly to the camera for an hour so without moving or speaking would make one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Let's contrast that with Moss's sweet, naive Peggy, who's just trying to make her way in the world with a few ideas and a lot of gumption. Moss' performance is much more subdued, but no less wonderful. That being said, I think the real difference here is that Close elevates the material given to her versus Moss being elevated by the material given to her. Plus, really who's not going to give Glenn Close an award? Lady is scary. So......

Who Should Win: Glenn Close
Who Will Win: Glenn Close (Unless Moss or Sedgwick manage to steal it away)

Check back tomorrow for a look at the Best Drama race.

Emmy Breakdown: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, or Battle of the AMC Stars

Good morning, good morning, everyone. Another day, another Emmy race I'm having difficulty calling. Let's take a look at the nominees shall we?

• Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
• Gabriel Byrne as Dr. Paul Weston, In Treatment
• Bryan Cranston as Walt White, Breaking Bad
• Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter
• Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House

This is the fourth nomination for Laurie, the first nomination for Baker, and the second for the rest, making this essentially the exact same race from last year. I'm unfamiliar with In Treatment and Breaking Bad, which is my bad because I've heard both shows are wonderful. I've only just started watching Dexter (I'm midway through Season 1), but I think the show is fantastic, so I can only hope that quality has stayed up through its third season. Baker's nomination is the most surprising to me: while I like The Mentalist quite a bit (as do most folks--it was the highest rated new show last year), Baker's performance is a little slick for my taste, although I'm guessing the character's backstory is what got him here. Laurie is a perpetual nominee, and his "I'm going crazy" storyline last year might be enough to push him over the edge, but I'm doubtful. As for Hamm, I thought he was a lock last year given the critical swoons for Mad Men, but I was wrong then, so I may be wrong now. He deserves it, though. Two and half seasons in and I still think Don Draper is completely inscrutable, which is the thing that keeps me coming back week after week. (Well, that and Peggy.) So....

Who Should Win: Jon Hamm

Who Will Win: Damned if I know, but I'm guessing Hamm

Check back this evening for a recap of tonight's The Office premiere.

BREAKING NEWS: Mad Men Has Been Renewed For a Fourth Season

Three episodes into its third season, Mad Men has been renewed for a fourth go round. That means another 12 episodes of Don being alternately inscrutable and lecherous, Betty being alternately beautiful and bratty, and Peggy being just bright, shining, budding feminist Peggy. I mean I'm not really surprised by this announcement, but I do think the show runners could be doing a bit better: I found myself quite bored by Sunday's episode, but that might have been caused by my watching True Blood right before. I mean, anything is going to look boring compared to the freaky maenad orgy cult, right?

For some funny character reactions to the renewal news, click here.

Your Fall Television Primer: The Veterans

Aaahh, September, my favorite month of the year. I love September for many reasons: the weather starts to turn crisp, football returns, my birthday happens, and, by far most importantly, THE NEW TELEVISION SEASON BEGINS! That's right, boys and girls, the new season is practically upon us, so I've decided to lay out in chronological order when our favorites return:

August 16th (i.e., two week ago-ish): MAD MEN, 10 p.m. Sundays, AMC
Ok, so I was a little late to the Mad Men party, only having just discovered it this summer, but I can tell you I'm completely enamored of this show. After two seasons, I still do not understand these characters, but I mean that in a good way. Mad Men is the perfect way to spend a Sunday night.

September 14th: GOSSIP GIRL, 9 p.m. Mondays, The CW
I can't wait to find out what Chuck, Blair, and Serena's boobs have been up to all summer. I wonder if Little J still has that mullet. Or if Dan is still a tool. I'd ask if Vanessa is still a weird stalker, but I know that's true, since I've seen her peeping through my windows. Or maybe that was just a nightmare. In any case, I'm thankful that this moved to 9 p.m. so I can now watch HIMYM in real time.

September 17th: THE OFFICE, 9 p.m. Thursdays, NBC
JIM AND PAM ARE HAVING A BABY. Oh, I'm sorry, did you want a spoiler warning for that one? Well eff you, I don't care. I'm going to scream that one from the hill tops, because I AM SO EXCITED FOR THOSE TWO. (Yes, I'm really that excited.) I'm hoping The Office can rebound a bit this season since last year was a bit uneven. Thankfully they're not starting with those hour-long episodes again, so we should be ok.

September 21st: HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, 8 p.m. Mondays, CBS
So if you know me personally, you may have heard me talk about a little show called How I Met Your Mother, and you may have heard me bring it up in conversation every chance I got, and you may have heard me go on and on and on and on about it. If you weren't so lucky, let me just tell you now, that if there were only one show you were going to watch this fall, How I Met Your Mother (or HIMYM as I affectionately refer to it) should be that show. HIMYM is Friends for the Millenial generation except funnier and more relevant and more realistic and more absurd all at the same time. I cannot wait to see Barney and Ted and Robin and Marshall and Lily again, and more importantly, I CANNOT WAIT TO MAYBE GET A GLIMPSE OF THE MOTHER. That's right, THE MOTHER is in the offing (that's not a sexual thing) and she'll always be just around the corner this year. It's going to be fantastic, and I cannot wait.

September 24th: GREY'S ANATOMY, 9 p.m. Thursdays, ABC
So, regular readers of this blog know that I have a love-hate relationship with Grey's Anatomy in that I love to hate on it (for a great example, click here), but at the same time I cannot imagine not watching it. I was very happy to see Derek and Meredith take the leap at the end of last season, and very, very conflicted about Izzie's potential death. I'm very curious to see how the show deals with T.R. Knight's departure. I'm anticipating a bunch of gloomy episodes early on in the season, but hopefully that won't last for too long, because as much as I once liked George, I don't like my Grey's all dark and twisty.

October 15th: 30 ROCK, 9:30 p.m. Thursdays, NBC
30 Rock is fucking funny. Enough said. I shouldn't have to give you another reason to watch, but there are some of you out there who I know might need one AND I know would like this spoiler, so I'll give it to you (it comes from Ausiello over at EW.com):

Question: What’s in store for Jane Krakwoski’s Jenna on 30 Rock this season? —Kimberly

Ausiello: Her career will literally start sucking when she lands the female lead in a second-rate Twilight franchise. “For tax reasons, they shoot it in Iceland and then they realize the sun doesn’t set,” explains exec producer Robert Carlock. “So they’re shooting a vampire movie without having light.” Genius.

October 28th: FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, Wednesdays (if you're lucky enough to have DirecTV or know of sites where you can watch it online the next day)
Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose. This show is a winner in every sense of the word (except for that one sense where the dumb Academy of Television Arts and Sciences finally honors with a Best Drama Emmy, because alas that has not come to pass). When we last left our hearts in Dillon, Texas, Smash and Jason had left town to live their dreams, Lyla, Tyra, Tim, Matt, and Landry were all about to follow them there, and poor wonderful Coach Taylor had been banished from the hallowed halls of the Panthers locker room to coach (gasp) the football team at the recently reopened East Dillon High. I cannot wait to watch the East Dillon Lions kick the ever loving shit out of the Panthers next season. It's going to be amazing.

Other returning shows:

• Sept 8: 90210 (8 p.m., The CW). Same zip code, (relatively) same crappy cast, still won't be watching.
• Sept 9: So You Think You Can Dance (8 p.m., FOX). So I think this was just on, no? Another season already? Fox is getting des-perate.
• Sept 17: Fringe (9 p.m., Fox). This show was a victim to my busy TV watching last season, and will be again this year. If you finally give up on Grey's, make room for this show.
• Sept 21: Heroes (9 p.m., NBC). If you watch this show, it will stay on the air, which would be bad, since it is TERRIBLE. If you don't watch however, NBC will expand Jay Leno to two hours on Mondays, thus furthering his plot to take over the world. Either way, we're fucked.
  
• Sept 24: The Mentalist (10 p.m., CBS). This is one show I loved last season that I did not watch enough of. Perhaps the new timeslot will change that.
• Sept 27: Family Guy (9 p.m., Fox). Cannot wait for this show, although I really wish they would just air the "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" episode already.
• Sept 27: Desperate Housewives (9 p.m., ABC). This show no longer makes the cut. I find the characters annoying. Do you?
• Sept 27: Brothers & Sisters (10 p.m., ABC). Now that the adventures of those wacky Walkers air at the same time as Mad Men, I'm going to be DVRing this one for a while.
  
• Oct 1: Private Practice (10 p.m., ABC). Please do not watch this show. If it gets cancelled, Kate Walsh (i.e., ADDISON) goes back to Grey's. Wouldn't that be nice?

Check back Thursday for an overview of the new shows I may pick up this season. Until then, you should be catching up on old TV and clearing out your DVRs. Remember, an organized DVR is a happy DVR.