Mad Men S6 Ep7 Man with a Plan - Don Draper, Dickier Than Ever and I Don't Mean Whitman

Part (most?) of the appeal of our beloved Don Draper is that he is kind of a dick. We marvel at how he gets away with being such a jerk to so many people. In a lot of ways, we root for him because he IS able to be the ass we all want to be in certain situations. We're able to root for him because his jerkiness is mitigated by charm, intellect, wit and sometimes even a genuine emotion or two. However, last night Don was at his all time dick high, and though he tried, he certainly didn't have enough of those other things to temper it. We've seen glimpses before, of course, where Don's jerkiness outweighs his charm, but somehow he always wins in the end. And we love a winner! These cracks in his jerk armor seemed to be a bit larger last night, and the witty, charming, intellectual repair kit wasn't working. But does this mean we love him less? As with all things Mad Men, it's complicated...

Through both Ted and Sylvia's characters, we are seeing how Don's relying on his old jerk tricks aren't really working anymore. Well, at least not all the time these days. At first, Ted is seduced by Don's alpha-male actions and tries to go toe-to-toe with him in both drinking and brainstorming. Don seemingly wins that round, as Ted eventually defers to Don's thoughts on the Fleichman's margarine account and then stumbles out to the creatives and tries to have a political discussion while glaringly hammered. Feeling defeated and deflated, he finds comfort in the words of partner Frank, who tells him from his hospital bed, "go in there and act like you own half the place." He does waaaaaay more than that by actually piloting a Mowhawk plane to meet the bigwigs at Mowhawk, with a sweating, nervous, practically peeing-in-his-pants Don in the passenger seat. As Don says to Ted when he suggests he start thinking about his presentation, "why bother? It doesn't matter what I say, you'll still be the guy who flew us there." Round two: Ted! ding! ding!

The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

The End

Likewise, at the start of the hotel interlude with Sylvia, Don exerts himself as the super-supreme-alpha-male by saying things like "find my shoes... crawl on your hands and knees until you find them if you have to" and "in this room you serve my fantasies" and then forbids her to leave the room. (Much more on this difficult scene below in Other Things section.) Clearly, Don is desperate to assert himself in this facet of his life, since work stuff is keeping him off-kilter: New guy Ted already didn't wait 40 minutes for him for a meeting (!) and just cut him down some pegs in that plane. At first, Sylvia seems into this, this escape from reality where she doesn't have to think about her husband or worry about her son in a burning France. But soon enough - what, a day? 2? 3? who knows - she decides enough is enough and they have to get back to reality. She ends it. Not just the hotel fantasy but the whole affair. WHO EVER ENDS ANYTHING WITH DON DRAPER?  Oh wait, Peggy...

Is Peggy the greatest character ever? I think maybe. I mean, besides knowing the origin of margarine, Peggy is having none of Don's old tricks either. She was piiiissssssed when Ted was stumbling around drunk, knowing it was all part of Don's game. In a truly fantastic scene with Peggy and Don, when Peggy tries to question why no one talked to her about the merger, Don tries to cut her down by sarcastically saying "right, the whole merger was so we could have you complaining here in the office again." But Peggy don't play that anymore. She firmly tells Don that she hoped Ted would rub off on him and not the other way around.  Don ain't the big man anymore, and he's stuck in a time when he was. He's stuck in a time when women would do his bidding and he ruled the office. Ted, by contrast, gives up his seat for secretaries in meetings and says things like "groovy." Oh, and fully appreciates all that Peggy is and has to give, whereas Don is nothing but negative to her these days. "Move forward" says Peggy to Don, and we slow clap in admiration.

Meghan seems to be the only one these days who is still looking at Don with starry eyes. Based on their couch scene, however, that seems about to change for her. For us, it's already happened.

Other Things:

- I think the timing of this episode is both really, really unfortunate and also somewhat apropos. After obsessively watching the news regarding the 3 young women who were held in captivity in Ohio for 10 years, I was kind of horrified and sickened at watching Don succeed in mental manipulation of Sylvia in the hotel room. Yes, I get Sylvia was into it and Don's actions towards Sylvia in the hotel room were not violent, just escapism, but the parallels are too close. At one time this may have been just more of Don being Don - seeing how far he can go - but after the truly horrifying real-world event of someone keeping women captive, it was very difficult to hear Don making commands and watching Sylvia succumb to staying in the room from just his words. I am wondering now if without the Ohio events this scene would have been shocking for Don's character or just a bit of a stretch for him. But for me, the events in Ohio lent some very serious gravitas to these scenes that were probably originally written to be a bit off-putting, but sexy and interesting. Originally, these scenes were meant to show Don asserting himself in an extreme way in this facet of his life, and yes it was portrayed as escapism. But with Ohio top-of-mind, it's scary to see that Don's "escapism" is being a horrible, domineering, narcissistic asshole who wants to control Sylvia as his possession. (Pit this against Meghan's idea of escapism which is to go back to Hawaii and you see what I mean.)  So in this respect, perhaps because of timing, we are seeing something the writers didn't intend, but is there nonetheless. I don't think I'm the only one that made this connection.  (True confession: I'm pretty sure that while this has left a bad taste in my mouth, I will still be rooting for Don Draper. Somehow he will find a way. It's complicated!)

More cowbell!

- Ginsberg is my cowbell... MORE GINSBERG! I want to see Ginsberg interact with more people in the office. What happened to inter-office relationships? We need more of these! With Ginsberg!

- Bob saves Joan! Yay! That's why he's there!

- Pete is heading for a serious breakdown. And I am getting so sick of his whiny ass.

Reach out of the darkness

- The closing credits with the newscaster talking about Bobby Kennedy being shot juxtaposed with the strains of Reach Out of The Darkness: "I think it's so groovy now that people are finally getting together" is BEYOND GENIUS! This is a Chaotic Time with a capital "C" - for Don, for the office, for everyone. How does anyone find a sense of safety or control in all of this?

Let me know your thoughts on this episode! What's Don's next move - dumping Meghan? Or just finding a new conquest? Did you have the same thoughts relating Sylvia in the hotel to the events in Ohio? What do you think of Peggy? Ted? Bob? Hit the comments!

A Truck Full of Zombies - The Walking Dead Episodes 9 & 10

This means war. I bet.

So let's sum up the last two Walking Dead episodes (The Suicide King and Home) this way: 1 hour and 45 minutes of DUMB and 15 minutes of such sheer BRILLIANCE that it makes up for previous stated DUMB.

Cray-cray

After lulling us into a state of aggravation and boredom with the dumb (seriously, I was getting Season-2-in-the-abandoned-church-in-the-middle-of-the-woods-looking-for-Sophia aggravated. Wait, that might not be fair... I don't think I was ever as aggravated as watching The Suicide King.), that single shot out of nowhere hitting Axel as he's talking to Carol was fantastic! We all knew The Governor was coming, although it seems like Hershel was a little slow on that concept, but I just love the suddenness of that scene. No forewarning, no long shots of The Governor driving towards the prison, just blam - Axel down! (Here is where we should talk about "why weren't they better prepared for an attack? why did they think they had so much time? why was no one on lookout?" etc. but that's all part of the dumb and I will save all that for my List of Gripes below.) And then it was blam blam blam - Hershel is in the grass! Rick is outside the gate! The Governor was gleefully just raining bullets onto them! And THEN THEY DROVE A TRUCK FULL OF ZOMBIES INTO THE PRISON! Two-fold terrifying awesomeness here because there's truckload of zombies in the prison but also the gate is now demolished. These last 15 minutes of Home hopefully will set the tone for the rest of the season and the pace will stay steadily manic, just how we like it.

Before we get to my List of Gripes (also known as The Dumb), let me assure you that I understand the context of where we are/were in the show as of last week: Even though we (viewers) got a big break, time hasn't moved on for our survivors. The baby is only a week old we're told! So, yes, I get it: in the context of the show, Lori JUST died, Glenn and Maggie were JUST saved and Rick probably hasn't slept in 100 years. But why come back to us with a sluggish, seemingly contrived character set-up for many of our friends (I'm looking at you Andrea!)? Hindsight is 20-20 I guess and you could argue that the entire The Suicide King episode was solely to set up the last 15 minutes of Home, but I must point out the following Gripes:

Andrea

Hear my words of inspiration! Even though
I have no idea what's happening! 

I mean, seriously... what the actual HELL is going on here? Are we to believe that she is so blinded by finding comfort in a walled community and in the arms of some dude that she will turn a blind eye (no pun intended) to the depravity that surrounds her at every turn? Let's take stock for a minute...  what does she know? By my calculations she has seen The Governor's zombie heads, seen the little zombie girl he locked up, she has Michonne telling her he's awful (and she SHOULD trust her more than anyone), she has witnessed more than one pit fight, including one that set Daryl against Merle...with zombies! She now knows that Maggie and Glenn and Daryl were all there and The Governor didn't tell her. So this all rolls up to "get me the hell out of here!" right? Somehow, no. Somehow this results in her immediately telling The Governor not to push her away and then becoming the worst soliloquy deliverer de facto spokesperson for the Woodbury community. Barf. I suppose it's telling that she didn't put a bullet in that guy's head before The Governor did. Old Andrea wouldn't have hesitated for a second. I know the show wants us to see that she's getting too comfy, and I could buy that if she was more sheltered from the shit she has seen, but given what we know, I have to interpret this as D-U-M-B. Andrea better wake up superfast, or is our kick-ass Andrea becoming the new *gasp* Lori?

Michonne

The  Glenn-Michonne plan was not to be

I am so frustrated by how the show is portraying Michonne. Yes, yes... she is soooo independent. She keeps to herself. She doesn't trust anyone. Okay already. Can she at least say three words? Like "I know Andrea" would have been helpful before Merle said it. And as I said before, I get that Michonne is still 'new' to the team in the context of the show, but haven't we spent enough time with her character that she can, you know, open up a little bit? Especially with Rick. I understand that Rick is "walking Crazytown" (Glenn's words), but he should be able to see by now that Michonne knows what's up. She brought baby formula! It's hair-pullingly frustrating to watch her not speak. And ridiculous at this point.  Get on with it! I have to say, however, that I was encouraged to see in Home that she talked about what she knew about The Governor (heads as trophies, etc.) and I was getting psyched for the Glenn-Michonne attack plan, but alas, The Governor beat them to it.

Rick's Psychotic Episode

Wait, I have to look at this now? BAH!

I just don't even know what to say about this one. I guess in hindsight maybe the show felt they needed this to get Rick outside the gates when The Governor attacks? But damn this is so contrived and for me, totally unnecessary (I mean he could have been outside the gates for some other reason). And as far as trying to show us just how damaged Rick is, yes, yes, Rick's mind is exploding. He has a new baby and a dead wife. Psychotic break and all that. We got that from the telephone. But actually showing us Ghost Lori in a white dress flitting about the forest? BAH! I say BAH! I mean chuck-something-at-the-TV BAH!

** End List of Gripes **

I haven't even talked about Daryl and Merle yet! The fact that Daryl chose to go with Merle broke my heart. Yeah I got it, he had guilt about leaving him on the roof and big brother stuff, but ugh... how horrible. So to see Daryl wake up to himself in the woods and give that nasty Merle what-for, that was solid character development there. Aside: clever visual clue that Daryl was starting to trust himself more when Merle is telling him that the river is not whatever river Daryl said it was, and then we see the sign that it is. So what are they going to do with Merle now, now that he's essentially helping to save Rick from zombies? My guess is lock him up in a cell, if they even let him in at all. I still think this is all part of The Governor's plan to get Merle into the prison and then Merle takes them out from inside.

Other Stuff: 
- I'm not sure how to feel about Glenn and Maggie. I am thoroughly enjoying raged-out Glenn and he has every single right to be. I don't get the Maggie part of making what happened with The Governor somehow come between them. But this all seems to be resolving itself anyway.
- I wonder if Tyrese and his clan hear the commotion and come back to help out?
- Poor Carol! This chick has endured some shit, amirite? Abusive husband, dead zombie daughter, Daryl chooses Merle over her (essentially), and the dude who's kind of into her drops dead right next to her (although she uses his body as a shield so that's good). I wonder how she'll respond to Daryl coming back? In her speech to Beth (aka the only one who takes care of that baby!), she says she feels like she's a different person, but if Ed came through the door, she'd like to think she'd kick him out but she's not sure. Is this foreshadowing that she is going to distance herself from Daryl? Or is this clever symmetry that Carol is musing over her abusive relationship at the same time Daryl is essentially coming to his own realization that the abuse he endured will not define him any longer? I hope for the latter and that these two will be BFFs again.
- Was anyone else hoping that Hershel had some sleepy drug up his sleeve that he would just inject Rick with to make him sleep. Don't they know that a nice nap makes everything better? No naps for these peeps for a long time now.

What do you think of Rick's psychotic break? Is Ghost Lori just too damn much? What will they do with Merle? Will Andrea wake up and start kicking ass or what? Does anyone even know/give a crap what Carl is doing anymore? Break it down for me in the comments!

The Sweetest Spirit - Downton Abbey

I want to watch this episode again (Season 3, Episode 4), but I don't think I can. Crying, sobbing, ripping up the living room rug to use as Kleenex does not even come close to describing how devastating it was to watch this episode. The fact that ANYTHING else happened in this episode is incredulous. However, that's sort of the reality, isn't it? Horrible things happen but life goes on and other stuff happens. People are in prison trying to get out, prostitutes are getting real jobs and girls and boys have crushes on boys. I'll get to the other stuff in a bit, but let's dive in to the Sybil saga...

So, I'm ordering my TEAM DR. CLARKSON t-shirt today, who's with me? The episode opens with Dr. Clarkson checking on Sybil and assuring everyone things are moving along, baby is imminent and he'll be checking in on her. A poignant handshake from Tom to the good doctor at the top of the stairs after Doc assures Tom that everything is okay was a wee bit o' foreshadowing I would say. But of course Robert has to get all Lord of Grantham on us and get the esteemed Dr. Tapsell from London to deliver Sybil's baby. Why? The real reason is because he delivers all the hoity-toity babies these days, but Robert rationalizes that Dr. Clarkson misdiagnosed Matthew and didn't see threatening signs with Lavinia (can you say streeeeeeeetch?). Cora immediately argues the unfairness of those accusations and negotiates Dr. Clarkson at least being a consult.  Suddenly things are not going well for Sybill, and Dr. Clarkson is concerned: she's mentally "muddled" and her ankles are swollen, signs of eclampsia. Dr. Dipshit...er, Tapsell's response: maybe she has thick ankles. Dr. Clarkson: but, she doesn't. Right there tells you that Cora is right, Dr. Clarkson knows Sybil better than anyone when it comes to medical biz. So here is where I said out loud "oh my god, they are going to kill Sybil." But in my heart, I was hoping for a good ol' Downton fake-out. The doctors are arguing and consulting the family, Robert fully on Dr. Dipshit's side, who is saying this is all part of the childbirth process, no worries. Cora is fully on Dr. Clarkson's side saying she would've had Sybil in the hospital an hour ago. But in the end, as the Dowager says, "the decision lies with the chauffer." I was convinced that Tom would definitely side with his handshake buddy, but Tom doesn't even get the chance because Sybil gives birth to a gorgeous baby girl. Happy days! Everyone can go to bed now. Phew.

truly awful

And then Dr. Clarkson's worst fears come true. But no dainty, eloquent Lavinia-like death scene for our Sybil. The writers want us to feel all of this, and rightly so since this is our Sybil! (oh, and she shouldn't be dying! because they should have listened to Dr. Clarkson!) Of all the the excruciating parts of this scene - Cora and Tom begging Sybil to breath, Robert yelling at the doctors, the doctors just standing by because there is nothing to be done - the most horrific has to be Sybil herself screaming in pain and then writhing, suffocating on the bed. This seemed to go on forever. (Where is Dr. Doug Ross to make a tracheotomy out of a Bic pen?!) Alas, Sybil is gone and I am surprised Dr. Dipshit wasn't beaten to a pulp right there in the room. To be honest, I had to pause the show here and get out some hearty sobs so I could even see the TV. And then there's the baby girl crying down the hallway. (*pause TV again* *sob uncontrollably*)

"my baby"

As the stunned family continues to weep, a shocked (and seemingly distant) Robert states "This can't be. She's only 24. This just can't be." This is really the only reaction we see on-screen from Robert, which pains me. We do not see him grieve at all, and I wonder if this was done purposefully to make us hate him a little bit more because we blame him for his part in this. Rationally I understand he is devastated and grieved off-screen, but I feel that I really need to see him grieve to make him seem human. As remote as Robert seemed, Cora was very present in the moment. Grasping at Sybil in the bed during her ordeal, and then sitting by her side later in the night. This scene by far was the most real and tender. After Mary asks if she wants to be alone and Cora says yes (and tells Mary to tell Robert to sleep elsewhere. Boom!) those lingering moments between Cora and her "baby" were so touching and horrible. Her words were beautiful, but the long pauses were almost unbearable. "You are my baby and you always will be." (Full disclosure: I am crying as I type this, just remembering this scene.)

Meanwhile, downstairs everyone is shocked and saddened as well, and that was as hard to watch as anything. Even Thomas pulled at my heartstrings with his tears and his heartfelt words about Sybil being kind to him. Mrs. Hughes says it all when she says "the sweetest spirit under this roof is gone."

As if to directly support that statement upstairs, when Edith proposes to Mary that with Sybil gone now, perhaps they should try to get along better in the future (aside: is she for serious here? this is the second time she has said something similar in three weeks!), Mary in her bitchiest Mary way says basically "No, no... but let's hug here next to Sybil." Damn, this girl can be awful.

no words

I must say I was shocked that Sybil was taken from us. And in the worst, I mean, truly in the worst way... she just had her baby! I had read that there would be a death during the season, but of course I was sidetracked by Mrs. Hughes ordeal, I guess, and also assumed it would be later in the season. And while Downton is prone to just sweeping things under the rug, this will have far-reaching implications on Downton. I mean, if I'm this devastated, they have to be, right? RIGHT?! The obvious questions are: Is Cora mad enough at Robert that it ruins the marriage? Divorce? Or co-habitation but nothing else? What will that mean to Downton? Will Mary ever want to have a baby after watching her sister die in childbirth? Who will raise Sybil's baby? Is Tom going to live his whole life at Downton? Is he going to split and leave the baby with the Crawley clan? Or take the baby away somewhere? And will he name the baby...sniff... Sybil?

I guess some other stuff happened on last night's episode...

Other, non-Sybil related things:
- please, PLEASE move this Bates thing along and get him out of prison. I was so happy that it seemed like things were moving fast in this episode, but I fear the worst. And by worst I mean that they will drag this out for more than one more episode.
- the Daisy, Ivy, Alfred, Jimmy (and Thomas?) love triangle polygon is very interesting if not a little heartbreaking. I want Daisy and Alfred to be happy together, but I don't want Alfred treating Daisy like the runner-up. And this whole Thomas - Jimmy thing is destined to be baaaaaaad newwwwws for one or both. I'm thinking really, really bad since O'Brien is involved.
- Oh, Isobel Crawley and your causes and dreams! Good for her for having the strength of character to hire Ethel (who frankly, I thought would be a never-heard-from-again after last episode) in the face of social suicide. But in the end, the woman seems to really like her dinner and tea, and Ethel sucks at that. I did laugh out loud when Mrs. Bird was essentially giving her notice and said that she couldn't risk people thinking that she did what Ethel did and Isobel replied, "no one could look at you and think that." Zing!
- blah blah blah Matthew and his business ideas for Downton blah blah blah Mary so mad blah blah blah
- also, I hope Matthew realizes now that he asked the wrong Doc for sperm advice


What did you think of the episode? Were you as devastated as I was about Sybil's death? Are you so sick of Bates in prison? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Poor Edith is the Name of My Band... and Other Downton Abbey Things

I don't understand what he's saying either, Edith! What is he saying?!

Poor Edith!  I mean, POOR EDITH! I knew something was going to go awry with Edith and her bliss, since I had read some spoilery things in Entertainment Weekly and other places. I thought perhaps our Sir Anthony would possibly have a heart attack or die in some horrible way soon after the wedding. Then as I was watching the latest episode (Season 3, Episode 2), I thought he might have a heart attack right there at the wedding, given how absolutely pallid he looked. NEVER, let me repeat, NEVER did I think he would leave her there at the alter! Did anyone think he had the fortitude to do such a thing? Especially since Edith looked the best she ever has and her dress was much more gorgeous than Mary's? (There. I said it. Truth!) I suppose that goes to his character, sort of not being able to stand up for himself and then making the worst possible decision at the worst possible time. (I'm actually not sure that we've seen evidence of this in the past, but but his overall weakness to others seems to indicate he may have made some bad decisions in the past. I bet.) Such a credit to Downton Abbey that even when I read spoilers, I'm still shocked at what happened. Also credit for making me actually weep for Poor Edith, when, you know, she can be kind of a bitch.

So now what? I'll tell you this: Lord Grantham better Buckle.Up.Fast. If Lady Edith was bitter, biting and spiteful before, you better believe our new Super Spinster Lady Edith will be x100 and will give even Lady Dowager a run for her money in the blunt irreverence category. Absolutely zero fucks will be given by Super Spinster Lady Edith. And I can't really blame Edith for what's about to come Lord Grantham's way... he definitely was the cause of this. As much as I was frustrated by the Mary/Matthew business of customs and how a Lady has to marry someone of means, etc. this bit about Edith not being able to marry Sir Anthony because of his age and his disability seems outrageous. (Aside: I love the way Edith handled the first separation, telling Lord Grantham: "Sybil runs off and marries our chauffer..." etc. and gets him to change his mind. Bravo, Edith!) Also, isn't there quite an age difference between Lord Grantham and Cora? (Must research.)

Some favorite scenes/dialogue from Edith, post-almost-wedding:

"A spinster always gets up for breakfast."

Scene 1
Cora:  "You are being tested. And you know what they say, my darling. Being tested only makes you stronger."
Edith: "I don't think that's working with me."

Scene 2
Anna: "What would you like me to get you?'
Edith: "A different life."



In other news, I'm certainly not in love with this story line of Anna and Mr. Bates, with Mr. Bates seemingly becoming a hardened man in jail. On the one hand, I do enjoy their meetings - they are so perfect for each other! And I definitely like the fact that Anna is not giving up and is going to do her own search to try and clear Mr. Bates. However, I feel like Anna might be a terrible investigator. She doesn't seem to get much out of the friend, BUT when the friend tells Anna that the Vera was scrubbing the pie crust off her hands viciously, I thought, "Well, isn't that a red flag since the poison was in the pie? Couldn't she have been trying to get the poison off her hands so she can set up Mr. Bates?" I guess I can't blame Anna for not responding to that... I've seen way more TV than she has. She'll probably remember this down the line.

Heart-wrenching 

This business with Ms. Hughes is heart-wrenching. She has done an amazing job of portraying someone who is trying to be strong, but is so scared and everything in between. The emotion she shows on her face when Cora tells her that Downton will take care of her was enough to bring tears to my eyes. But in typical Downton fashion, all this handwringing was for naught, since she seems cancer free at the end of the episode. Is this true, or is Mrs. Hughes just telling people this because she doesn't want people to know she really does have cancer? I have my doubts, but she does seem sincerely happy, especially when she sees Mr. Carson so happy in that last scene. However, she went into the doctor's office alone, so we may not know the true truth for some time. I have a sad feeling about this and I will be very, VERY sad if she leaves us.


Other stuff:

- I'm not even talking about the whole Matthew finally agrees to use the "Livinia money" to save Downton because we knew it was going to happen all along.
- I don't think I can take another Ethel-Isobel scene without some serious progress. I mean, cooooome ooooonnnnn... we get it, she's a hooker who wants better things for her son. Let's pick up the pace here.
- Is Daisy going to muster up some American-type sass and go after our new friend Alfred? She could use some sass and maybe a smooch or two. I hope good things happen for Daisy.
- More Mrs. Patmore please!

Is it possible that I have written an entire blog entry about Downton Abbey without mentioning Mary Crawley? (I mean other than to say Edith's dress is waaaayy better than hers?). I suppose I could say that she is probably going to bear many attacks from Super Spinster Edith as well. But will she care? Doubtful.

Pants Pants Revolution

Back from our hiatus! Let's just say TV is Awesome is coming to you from a different awesome place than before.  Just a few quick one today and then hopefully it will be back to normal soon.  Oh, if you haven't watched the Revolution preview on demand and are waiting for tonight, then skip this until tomorrow. *BIG FAT SPOILERS*

Pants Pants Revolution

I don't think I can put into words how out-of-my-mind psyched I was for this show to start. I mean, did you SEE this trailer?! Airplanes falling out of the sky! No power for nobody or nothin'! Wrigley Field just covered in grass and vines.... VINES! I couldn't wait, so I watched the pilot special preview on demand last week.  I had high expectations for this show, and even though it is much different than what I thought it would be, I think there's some pretty good potential going forward. HOWEVER (BIG HOWEVER IN ALL CAPS), I have to say I was annoyed by some decisions made by the show. And here is where I go on my "TV has come too far" rant: One of the challenges facing a show like Revolution is that it places us sometime in the future where, after "the blackout," (all electronic devices cease to work: electricity, cars, airplanes, etc) everything is about survival... where to find water? medicine? how to get along in this world with militias and bad guys everywhere? This is exciting! But we have sort of seen this before (Lost, The Walking Dead, the movie I Am Legend, any post apocalypse thing ever) and so we as an audience automatically start thinking along the lines of "well, if there's no power, how do they do (this) and (that)?" So, the challenge for them (the show) is they better make those (thises) and (thats) believable, otherwise we're gonna check out. So it is with this that I say, TV has come too far for me to have to think about "how, in this post-apocalyptic world of sorts, did Charlie find the EXACT right fitting pants and and the timelessly cool bomber jacket and the cool, cross-functional boots?" I mean couldn't she have ONE THING that didn't fit quite right or something? On any given day, I am in real life are wearing multiple things that don't fit right - and this is with access to EVERYTHING.  Yes, yes, I get that these clothes were probably her moms, but I think you know what I mean. Come to think of it, I think they ALL have perfect pants!

The Perfect Pants Gang

Moving on to the other pet peeves that I categorize as "typical TV things that we don't need to have happen anymore": Charlie is saved by the uber-hot, roughly-same-age baddie who pops up just to save her and now we're supposed to think is a goodie? Uncle Dude wipes out about 10 guys all by his own self (we knew this was going to happen because "he's really good at killing people") and then NO ONE goes to pick up all the weapons from the dead guys. Isn't that rule number one when you are in a post whatever world where people have already tried to kill you and will be trying to kill you again very soon and for the rest of your lives?  I don't know, I haven't actually been a survivor in the post apocalyptic world, but I would be collecting weapons like my kid collects baseball cards. I bet. Don't even get me started on how Mr. Baddiepants makes ice at the end. I know, I can assume that he has one of those secret electronic gizmos, and maybe that's to show us how bad he is (he has electronic power and he is using it to make ice for his drinks! the horror!).

Electronic gizmo thingy...er, amulet 

Alright, so now that I've beat this thing up, let me restate my BIG TV RULE: I always, always give the pilot a pass. Pilots have way too much going on to not. The pilot is busy trying to set up character structure, plot points, throw some intrigue in there, etc. Again, I think this show has potential and there are several things I am interested in seeing more of... Obviously, I am very interested in finding out who the woman on the farm is talking to ON HER SECRET COMPUTER with her Secret Electronic Gizmo. Definitely want to see more of Google billionaire dude and when does he get to reveal his Secret Electronic Gizmo? For all his macho macho business, I am interested in seeing where Uncle Dude takes us and what's next. And why did the power go out and will it ever come back on? And really, for a pilot, isn't that all it needs to do... get us to tune in next week for more? Job well done, Revolution because I am definitely sticking around for this one.

Other Stuff:
- I've been reading about the upcoming season of The Walking Dead and I'm thinking this might be the season where I actually pee my pants while viewing
- American Horror Story: ditto above
- Too many new shows to mention that I already love and/or can't wait to start obsessing about, but here are two: The New Normal (so great!), The Mindy Kaling Project (will be great, I just know it!)
- Glee came back and it was FAB.U.LOUS! Love the new peeps and love the Mckinley High and NYC storylines. Kate Hudson was pretty great, even though I was prepared to think she sucked. Also, I just couldn't stop thinking "that skinny bitch has had TWO babies!"


So glad to be back! Hit the comments with your feedback!

All Men Must Die - Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Killing

One of these days I am going to write a blog entry all about the hilarious and genius comedies I've been watching. Today is not that day. Too much ridiculously awesome angst-and-death-filled television lately, including a few stellar season finales. I'm going to try to keep things short and simple, so I can try to talk about as many shows as possible before my brain explodes. (Ed note: it's impossible for the writer to write "short and simple," so here are three TV shows and some stuff at the end.)

Mad Men

Weirdsies

... or the epitomy of visual storytelling. FOR.REAL. I'm pretty sure that with the last two episodes, Mad Men won all of TV.  I'm not sure how you can top these... if not for the Joan, Peggy and Lane storylines alone. And then there's Sally Draper who makes me cry all the time just by being on-screen, and with this last episode, I just devolved into a soupy mess. This girl! More on this later, but first let's go back two episodes to "The Other Woman." For those of you who know me, I loves me a good theme. And Mad Men is nothing if not theme-centric, from the title of every episode to the layers and layers of themey goodness found within - the music, the dialogue, the plot twists... every detail is a puzzle piece putting together the genius that is a Mad Men episode.
In this particularly delicious episode, much is made of going after the Jaguar business. The pitch is basically that Jaguar is like the other woman, something beautiful and expensive and not really within your grasp...  I guess? This is sort of how it's positioned and they land on the tagline "At last, something beautiful you can truly own." WOWZERS! Does this speak volumes of Don's psyche or what? Meanwhile, all of Don's "other women," as we shall call them, are clearly NOT being owned by anyone: Megan is challenging him with her follow-her-dreams escapades, Joan is truly the other woman for a night, but becomes a partner in the firm in the process, and Don's right-hand girl PEGGY LEAVES. You see, Don tried to own her, visually expressed by Don literally throwing money in her face. Peggy has to move on at this point, but she owes so much to Don - oh, the turmoil! Don figuratively throws money at her as well, trying to get her to stay: "there's always a number" he says, but to no avail. When Peggy thrusts out her hand for a businesslike goodbye handshake and instead, Don kisses her hand, that simple gesture encompasses their entire journey together. On the surface it's been all business, but really it's so much more.

*sob*

The more overt storyline in "The Other Woman" is the juxtaposition of the Jaguar pitch with Joan's decision to spend a night with a smarmy Jaguar executive, and it is pure genius. Joan is also the beautiful thing you can own, seemingly. The surprise here is not so much that she went through with it, but the realization that Don's pleas to not go through with it were all for naught, since the deed was already done. No one really owns Joan though... certainly not now that she's partner.
Okay, moving on to the most recent episode, "Commissions and Fees." Oh, Lane. While sitting there on the couch in Don's office, I knew I was wrong about Pete Campbell. I had written earlier that I thought he might be just desolate and out-of-touch with himself enough to end his life. But watching Lane's reaction to Don's discovery of the check he forged, that is true despair.

The pit of despair

Was there any doubt that Lane would be exiting himself from the world? He may have been able to rally, concoct some new scheme, angle, life abroad... but then life just beat the crap out of him over and over, like it does. Joan dismissed him from her office abruptly when he talked of her being in an obscene bikini (kick!); his wife wants to CONGRATULATE him (smack!) for becoming an officer in the Four A's (side real-life note: I know what that is!! I have been involved with that organization in real life!) by BUYING him a JAGUAR and she "WROTE a CHECK" (flying side-kick to the gut!). Thank god those pretty Jaguars are shit though, right? Because it doesn't start when Lane tries to off himself in it and maybe he'll take that as a sign. Nope. Somehow, in his office at SCDP is the more appropriate setting for this final FU to Don and Joan and everyone. No less devastating though. Though his note is a boilerplate resignation letter, I suspect there is a real letter somewhere... to Don? to Joan?
Speaking of devastating... I know I say this all the time, but Sweet Jesus, it's true... I watch every second of Sally Draper on-screen like I'm about to jettison into the atmosphere: edge of my seat, gripping cushions and things, sipping my martini water fast and furious. You can never relax because you never know what's going to happen. Such is the quiet intensity of Mad Men. So this Sally-focused storyline of fighting with Betty (bitch!), showing up on Megan's doorstep, parent-approved school skipping and very non-parent approved having a boy over and going to a museum on said skip day and then, ahem, becoming a woman unexpectedly at the museum had me practically apoplectic.

Sometimes a girl just needs a hot water bottle and her mom,
no matter how much of a crazed bitch she is

THIS.GIRL. Wait, actually.... THIS.SHOW. I don't think there has been another portrayal of a girl in limbo as perfect as Sally Draper. From ordering coffee in the restaurant to holding her own in the girl talk to wearing her kick-ass grown-up go-go boots for her museum date, she so desperately thinks she's ready to be a woman. Until, you know, that womanly thing kicks in (which she handles only slightly better than Sansa Stark - but really, does anyone handle that well?). She runs home to her mom (because that's what kids do when they are overwhelmed) and breaks my heart with every step, because in my head I hear strains of Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon or maybe it was I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman. Either way, it was profound. And Betty actually rises to the occasion, making me cry with her tender words towards Sally, words of comfort but also of the real responsibilities and obligations of being a woman. Commissions and fees, indeed.
One more thing that I love about Mad Men: how bizarre is it to see Don and Glen together? So much has happened with Glen and Sally (and of course earlier with wacko Betty) it's just freaking WEIRD to have him re-introduce himself and then Don lets him drive his car. Moral of all of it: life is just fucked up sometimes, so drive a car.

Sometimes a dude just needs to drive a car

Game of Thrones
*Only read this if you have read the books or if you don't care about spoilery things, sorta, or maybe read anyway because who knows if the TV show will do the same things as the books, right?

I know, I know... I just can't stop talking about how every character on this show is perfectly cast. I keep saying this, but I feel now that these words are somehow misleading... like these people are perfectly cast because they look exactly like how I pictured them in my head. They do, but really, when you see these actors not in character, it is really a testament to their phenomenal acting skills how they truly embody these characters. Usually I like to go on and on about Tyrion or Arya or Joffrey, but the season finale had me realizing that probably one of the most "perfectly cast" characters (read: plays the part impeccably), is that of Varys. So much so that is is shocking to see this actor out of costume. What do you mean Conleth Hill isn't a bald eunuch?!

I wonder if they use Nair on his face?

The finale, "Valar Morghulis," had me wondering if I would be a better viewer had I not read the books. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this show. It's brilliant. However, some of the deviations I am enjoying, but others leave me baffled as to how they make sense or how they will make sense down the line. Of course some I understand sort of have to happen for this medium - they're certainly not going to make us watch Peter Dinklage with half a face and no nose.

Face and nose intact for your viewing pleasure

And I suppose the argument could be made that Dany's book experiences in the House of the Undying would be too lengthy and complicated to put on the screen. [Aside: ooooooo... Dany walks through what looks like The Wall to get to that tent... winter is coming! But more importantly, I see this as a clear sign that My Big Theory - heretofore to be referenced as Lisa's Big Theory of How it All Ends - is right on. I shall not disclose at this time, but I have it written and dated in an journal. I believe I am channeling GRRM's mind with LBToHiAE.)
Deviations I think I like include: Dany's dragons in the House of the Undying (much more compelling!), showing this intimate part of Stannis (almost killing Melisandre! Regret over Renly! Seeing things in the flames!), showing some of Varys' spidery moves (and possibly making this Ros character something substantial) and possibly this accelerated plot of Littlefinger helping Sansa (we'll see on this one).

"I will eat  you!... Later... I guess..."

And now the rant about the White Walkers. (Oh, don't worry, there are other rants in the Other Character section below, but this is a doozy if you ask me.) WHAT the WHAT is going on at the end of this finale with White Walkers walking by a juicy Sam Tarly?! Okay, yes, great scene as far as creepiness factor - and so many of them! But what the hell? At first I thought here is where one comes up and attacks Sam and he kills the WW with the dragonglass. But that so very clearly doesn't happen. And I am here to tell you that there is no White Walker that will walk past a living dude. Nuh-uh. No how. How are they going to explain this next season? Maybe Sam's a gonner? #deviationidonotlike

Other Characters:
Brienne - I really love the storyline in the books of Brienne and Jamie and I hope they keep all of it next season, or at least try to harness some of it. And also she kicked full ass in this finale. Not half, full.
Rob - I don't know... do I care at all about this marriage to a medic or nurse or whatever they call her? Does anyone? I guess not, although I think it was all unnecessary. From a TV standpoint, I suppose it makes sense to show how Rob was just soooo in love that he just haaddddd to break his word with the Freys. But truthfully, I don't think it's that compelling a love story and it seems so out of place in this world. There ain't no stinking medics on these fields! Also, how does she get straight access to the godamn KING all the time? The Frey shitstorm could come without all this.

Too much puppy dog, not enough direwolf

JON SNOW - I am very very concerned that JON SNOW (all caps, all the time - he's that important) is not being portrayed here with Qhorin Halfhand as phenomenally awesome and honorable and conflicted and dutiful as he should be. But maybe that's just me and I think he should be backlit in every scene so as to show him in glowing light always. Maybe.
Sansa - Joffrey is to wed another! Happy day! oh, no... not here, deary. Sansa is just damned no matter what she does. So it is so very interesting that Littlefinger tells her he has a plan to take her back to Winterfell. Very interesting indeed. I am excited to see how this plays out, but I am hoping that some very pivotal scenes from the book remain intact.
Theon - I... I just... I just can't even hardly look at him I hate him so much, but wow do they do a good job of humanizing him. And portraying his inner struggles while his outward ineptitude shines on. He fancies himself a tough warrior, but the war horns are breaking him before the battle even begins. He's a poor thing, really. I will have much more to say on him in the future.
Bran/Rickon/Hodor/Osha - So, I guess Osha is going to sort of take on the book characters of Jojen and Meera Reed? Interesting. I'm not sure I hate that entirely, but I would like to perhaps see them down the road... maybe sometime in Season 3? I think we might need them.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos - I've been thinking this for awhile, but was anyone else unnerved whenever someone said his last name and it sounded like "ducksauce?" Just me? Okay, carry on then.
Arya/Jaqen H'ghar - perfect, perfect, perfect. Valar Morghulis.

Say it again

The Killing

And if you think those two other shows are depressing... these people haven't seen the sun for two seasons.

That freaking keycard

First, I love The Killing. I do. Love, love, love. Readers here will know how much I love The Killing. Smart characters, smart writing, a magnificent story and just unbelievably terrific acting. Twists and turns and puzzle pieces galore! However, I need to say here publicly that I almost put my fist through my beautiful TV at the end of Sunday's episode, "Bulldog." Like, almost lost my mind with that funky ass twisteroo at the end. I hate so much that that smarmy mayor was able to recode the keycard back to Richmond's office. At least that's what I think happened. At first I was like "okay, so now I kinda get how people were frustrated last year" (not really, but more sympathetic maybe). But immediately after that, I thought, "God, I LOVE this show for making me think! and love things! and hate things! Really, really hate things." I think that she showed the keycard in the elevator so that she would have proof that it existed if it went missing, like all of the other Rosie Larsen evidence (now that FBI will have tapes?). But that gave the casino bitch time to contact people and have stuff rearranged.... arggghhh!

I have some consolation that things will get wrapped up in next week's episode, at least where Rosie Larsen is concerned. But I do have fear that the Mayor will get re-elected and the show will then be focused on Holder and Linden trying to take him down (still). The ideal for me would be that the Rosie case is solved, Richmond gets elected, Linden gets reinstated and boom, there's another case to solve. Yanick is dead (whoa!), so maybe this isn't so far fetched. But I will miss Stan and the boys. We shall see...
Maybe next week I will talk about how much I want Holder and Linden to get together. Two terribly broken pieces should make a whole awesome, right?

Additional Unrelated Things:
Revenge - Now THAT'S a finale: the plane crashed! Victoria is dead! Emily's mom is alive! Charlotte may have killed herself! Amanda is back! ...and PREGNANT! Daniel and Emily are splitsville... will Danielle and Ashley get it on now? Seriously, this show is one of the most entertaining shows on right now. And even if it's not deep or brilliant on par with MM or GoT, it is still very clever and keeps you (me!) guessing. Can't wait for this to start again!

Some new shows that are awesome and need people to watch: Girls, VEEP, Network... all on HBO.

Fall TV - okay, THIS is just awesome and is the one show so far that I am anxiously awaiting. I anticipate watching this until my eyes bleed. Yes, I know it's June.

Visual Literature - Game of Thrones and Mad Men

So much awesome TV, so little time to write about it. I've been away for awhile (oh blog, how I've missed  you!), but starting back up with two of the biggies! While I can go about writing and dissecting many a TV show, these two are the most like literature to me. The intricate plot lines, the dialogue heavy with deeper meanings, the observations of what it means to have honor, live a good life... all of these things found in great writings I argue can be found here in these two shows. Of course, Game of Thrones has a slight advantage being that it is adapted from books, but successfully putting this fantastical world into a visual medium is no small feat. Mad Men views more like books read... slower paced, less action, but no less riveting and meaningful.


Game of Thrones
Color me IMPRESSED! For someone who is a huge fan of the books, I have been so happy with the true character portrayals, the rapid movement of plot points and almost verbatim dialogue. However, lately I have been most impressed with some of the shocking switcharoos!  And so natural are some of these diversions from the book that I have had to stop and think, "wait, did that happen in the book?"  The most shocking for me was the last scene of the latest episode where Dany returns to find her people killed - Irri among them! - and her dragons missing. Missing! I outright gasped at this and it sent my head spinning. I'm not sure I like this turn of events, but I am verrrrry interested to see where this goes. (Aside: I wonder if GRRM needs to approve all plot twists that deviate from the books... he must, right? He is the only one who knows how things evolve and ultimately end, so he would have to advise on whether these things will make sense down the line. Right?)

Where are my dragons?!

Of course, some of these twists I don't understand. For example, why is it Tywin at Harrenhal? I did have to think for a long time as to whether or not Tywin would have ever been able to know Arya before Roberts death. And while I land on "no, he probably didn't," I feel funny about this turn of events, not just because it's different, but because Tywin's character is supposed to be an all-knowing puppet master. He knows all, he sees all, he controls all. So now we are in the position, as a viewer, of knowing he seemingly does not know all, see all. Also, the looming threat doesn't seem quite as grave as when Roose Bolton was running the joint (in the book) with his eery disposition and love of leeches. Now Roose Bolton is riding along with Robb Stark, and nary a leech to be found. This may play out fine, but it seems this switcheroo has served to diminish the strength and scariness of both Tywin and Roose's characters. One more thing about Harrenhal that I think needs to be discussed is that there is certainly not the seemingly endless dire circumstances portrayed here as they were in the book. Yes, this is an hour long once a week TV show, so I certainly understand that they can only do so much to make the viewer understand the horribleness and desperation Arya experiences here. This becomes important when Jaqen H'Ghar informs Arya that basically he will give her three lives (kills them, he will) for the three she saved (including him). So when she names the Tickler as the first to die, the viewer may take pause and wonder why she didn't say Joffrey, who is the most hated and number one on her list, or Cersei or even Tywin. In the books, you understand why she chooses the people immediately around her, as the conditions at Harrenhal are truly horrific for days and days and days. I'm not sure the viewer is getting the full impact of her story.

Get used to this acting from her lower lip

But away from Harrenhal, all of the storylines are stellar and are moving along with great speed and intensity. And I have said it before and will say it again, this has to be the absolute greatest casting job anyone has ever done on any show ever. To the point where, full disclosure here, I actually do not like the character of Ygritte in the book. Okay, hate. But upon our first meeting of Ygritte here, aside from her weird habit of pulling in her bottom lip when she talks (trying to be a fierce wildling, are we?), I find her somewhat captivating. I'm not sure where this will go, but I am not hating her like I expected to.  I probably will upon the first uttering of "you know nothing Jon Snow." But until then, I suppose I'll save all my hate for Joffrey and Theon.

In the other story line of Davos Seaworth, where under orders from Stannis he accompanies Melisandre on the DL to a place near where Renly is camped out, I was so happy that it played out on screen almost exactly as I envisioned it in my head when reading it. Melisandre gives birth to an evil shadow. Serious kudos to HBO for showing this explicit scene exactly how it was written - there were no cutaways, we saw that evil thing come right out of her. This is probably one of the most riveting scenes, and certainly the one full of the most magic up to this point.

Yup, that's an evil shadow demon crawling out of there

Once birthed, this evil shadow actually kills Renly. Of all people, Catelyn Stark and Brienne of Tarth are the only two in the tent when it happens, helpless to take any action because it happens so fast. No one believes the shadow story, so Catelyn and Brienne are seemingly on the run. (Aside: does anyone who has not read the books know anything about Davos Seaworth, our Onion Knight? I feel a disservice is being done to this character by glossing over his past, why his devotion to Stannis is so strong, his strength. Based on what i have seen so far, the casual viewer may think he is just another one of Stannis' lackeys. I love this character, so I am hoping this is rectified over the upcoming episodes.)

oh, and have you seen this?

Awwwwwesome

Other Stuff:
- So is this war nurse Talisa from Volantis replacing the Jeyne Westerling for our Robb Stark? It certainly seems so, with Catelyn Stark giving him the "you are betrothed to another" speech. P.S. War nurses?! What the hell are war nurses in this world?
- Another peculiar change of events is when Jon Snow volunteers to go with Halfhand on their mini expedition. Again, I am not sure if people who haven't read the books even understand what's happening up in those snowy mountains, but I am fairly sure that Halfhand specifically requests Snow to join him, for reasons that become clear later. Maybe these things I am referencing don't happen on the show? But if they do, then I am not sure Jon volunteering for this expedition will make sense.
- Littlefinger meeting with Tywin and recognizing Arya. Yeah, that happened. Right? What the heck does this mean?
- Unnecessary Understatement of the Year: Tyrion remains the man. HE SLAPPED JOFFREY. AGAIN!
- Missing the little frog people Jojen and Meera Reed. I hope they show up. They're very necessary, don't you think?
- Can one of the deviations from the books be that Sansa kills Joffrey? Like, next week?

Mad Men

Each and every episode has been better than the last. So good, they're like mini-novels, each one of them ladened with visual imagery that speaks volumes more than what is being said on screen. Of course, the most resonating is the episode where Roger and Jane take LSD and end up on the floor discussing the end of their relationship, and then Don and Megan in real life on the floor (after a thoroughly intense scene where he chases her through their apartment), discussing how to continue their relationship.

floor talk

The artfulness of each shot, each piece of dialogue and the character development on this show in incomparable. Of course, that's not to say that it doesn't get deep down raunchy at times (see: Peggy giving handjob to stranger in a movie theater). But isn't that what Mad Men is all about? The illusions of what people want to see, want to be... and what they really are. You can talk about comraderie, family tradition and campfires, but when it really comes down to it... you're talking about baked beans. Peggy is becoming Don, but is that what she wants to be? And who knows what the hell Pete is becoming... or is. (None of it is good though.) It is so interesting that here and now, Megan is the character that actually speaks truthfully and pointedly about how things are and what she wants. In every episode, Megan is good for at least one "truism." Of course, the most recent is in the episode Lady Lazarus and her decidedly brave move to tell Don that she wants to follow her dreams and become an actress. She is embracing a new life and taking control of what she wants.

The Lady Lazarus episode is so chock-full o' English major bait, I am almost giddy with all of the deep existential meaning of every scene, every piece of dialogue, every action. Predominantly, with Pete and his Lady Lazarus, or, errr... Beth Dawes (hello, Rory!).

She seems depressed, no?

I can only assume that they named this episode Lady Lazarus, a reference to Sylvia Plath's poem of controlling one's death as a release from burden of the body, as a parallel to not only Megan finding her new life, but to Pete finding Beth so captivating and beguiling that upon realizing she wants nothing more to do with him (after their one night stand) states "why do the women always get to call the shots?" (To which Harry Crane, of all people says "because they do.") Pete is so clueless that while Beth is clearly depressed and not in control of her life, he views her as in control of everything. Sylvia Plath's Lady Lazarus is about a woman's control (of her own life, of taking her own life) and where she states "out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air," the power is found after death. Clueless Pete considers Beth a man-eater, whose rejection will ruin him. Perhaps I had it right by calling Beth Pete's Lady Lazarus... and she may actually fulfill the suicide outlined in the poem. There is a feeling to this Pete and Beth story that is somehow much deeper than any of his earlier transgressions.
Pete seems more fragile here (I mean, Lane did just beat him up not too long ago, and the *child* he was hitting on in driving class thinks he's ancient, making him hyper aware of his own mortality) - he just seems much more desperate. With a title like Lady Lazarus, I fear for Pete and the guns we know he has and the life insurance policies we know way too much about.

Other Stuff:
- Peggy's disappointment at the non-proposal from Abe was palpable, but only slightly mitigated by Abe's obvious sincerity. I do think Abe feels that this is a commitment on par with engagement. Too bad Peggy doesn't feel this way.

Sigh. This poor girl.

- Don's almost free fall into the elevator. What.The.Hell. This is classic Mad Men, to jolt us out of our passive viewing where everything *up here* seems okay, and then blammo! *down here* elevator doors are revealing open shafts. (Please see blog entry xx for more on my Up Here - Down Here theories.)
- Need to write pages and pages about Sally Draper and her big girl outfit and her big girl night out with the adults to see her Daddy win an award. How devastating to have Roger be the absolute coolest guy to her the whole night, and then to have her walk in on him and her, um... step-grandmother?... getting busy in a backroom? I just shake my head for this poor girl. I think she needs a sword named Needle and some "dancing" lessons to get out of there alive.
- We need more Joan.


That's all for today! Tell me all your cares and woes as it relates to GoT and MM. What are your thoughts on the changes from the books to the show? If you haven't read the books, tell me your thoughts on these characters. Is Mad Men the visual literature I think it is?