Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Mad Men Live Blogging - Season 4.13: Tomorrowland

This is it! The end of the Mad Men season and the harbinger of my return to normal blogging. Will the Don/Megan/Faye triangle blow up? Will Betty and Henry move? Can Roger stop being a loser? I'm thinking Yes, Yes, No.

2:00 - Oof. Faye is recommending that Don comes clean? I can't get over the feeling that she's too good to be true for him.

3:00 - Of course, now when I see Joan, I wonder if she's showing. And I think she is.

5:30 - I'm getting a Carousel vibe from Don's pitch. Does Don miss his childhood?

7:00 - Cosgrove stands up for himself? Nice!

8:15 - I was really going to mock Glen for being creepy until I found out his dad is the creator. It's a bitch when you realize that it's people that you're mocking, especially little people.  And now he doesn't seem all that creepy.

10:30 - Betty is going to fire Carla? What a complete and utter bitch. Ugh. She's such a child.

12:15 - Carla is "poisoning the well"? More psycho Betty. Is this an opening for Megan?

14:00 - I love Joyce's bemused/disgusted look at Harry's blatant come-on.  When did Harry become so sleazy?  I assumed his trips to LA were for an affair, but this is the same guy who freaked out over a drunken-JFK-victory-induced hook-up.

15:00 - Megan spending a week with Don and the kids? That has disaster written all over it. Well, disaster for the relationship with Faye, not so much for the episode.

18:00 - Wait, what? Don cops to being called Dick? I did NOT see that coming. I am worried that Megan is going to find the ring and wacky misunderstandings will ensue.

21:30 - Megan clearly told her friend about Don -- she sized him up like a farmer appraising a new mule.

22:30 - Betty's a mess, and now Don is ditching "The Spy Who Came in From The Cold" for a late night Megan rendezvous? He's so nervous -- old Don would've boldly taken charge.

24:45 - I gotta disagree with Don -- I dislike her teeth.

26:30 - Wow. Megan is really in love. Of course, she loves the image of Don, Faye loves actual Don. I think Don loves the image, too.

30:00 - It's nice to see Peggy rocking without Don.

31:00 - That looks suspiciously like the Diner in Pulp Fiction. Is Honeybunny going to jump up and yell "if any of you fucking pricks move, I'll execute every-mother-fucking-last-one of you!" I bet Betty would blame Don for that, too. Of course, Megan would probably just smooth it over.

32:45 - The old Don never would've asked her to marry him so soon. Will he cheat on her with Faye? And THAT is not going to be fun. I liked Faye.

37:55 - I do feel bad that Don is getting rehitched, but it did get a little dusty here when he & Peggy talked.

39:30 - Does this mean that Peggy and Joan are BFFs?

40:30 - I feel really, really, really bad for Faye.

42:30 - HA! I knew it! She is pregnant and has convinced Dr. Rapist that it's his. He really is a tool. On the bright side, he's in 'Nam, hopefully soon to be telegram.

I like how the women of the office (OK, fine, Peggy and Joan) lost so much respect for Don. Ironically, Peggy has lots in common with Megan, and maybe that's why she's the angriest -- Joan just seems resigned to the fact that Don is just like Roger.  I wonder if Joan gave Megan the same "use your assets" speech she gave to Peggy -- but Megan actually did it.

After a great season, this was a bit of a downer, partly because I was backing the wrong horse in the race for Don's affections. There was a lot to cover, and it's disappointing to not have anymore Roger or any follow-up to Bert leaving. While the season overall has been a solid A- or even an A, the finale was just a ...
B


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Mad Men Live Blogging - Season 4.12: Blowing Smoke

The penultimate episode of the season! Will SCDP survive? Can Roger avoid rock bottom? Will Don get busted by the Feds? And will he stick with Faye or continue the dalliance with Megan?

1:00 - Don is taking advantage of manipulating his girlfriend into betraying her ethics. That's how I like to start my week.

3:00 - "I don't know your company will be here in 6 months." Ouch! Even worse -- "I bet I could get a date with your mother right now."

4:45 - A domestic scene! Is Sally trying to set up a disaster to split up Henry & Betty? I'm hoping for the disaster!

6:15 - A powerhouse meeting! But how did Dr. Faye get involved?

7:10 - Our first Don-Faye shot, with Megan in the background, between them. It's subtle. Like an Eagles fan.

7:40 - And cut to Sally and creepy Glenn, who's apparently taken a class in the timeless art of seduction, football version.

9:00 - Wow! I don't know if I've seen her since the pilot! And she's married? "For the bread"?!? At least Don knows he'll get laid if he buys a painting!

12:30 - It's pretty cool to see Sally doing well. I like everyone else having shitty lives, not her. She's my hope for a happy future.

14:45 - "When she tracked you down." Ah, a scam. It's a sweet painting, though. The after images when I close my eyes aren't quite so busy.

16:30 - A heroin addict? I didn't expect this aspect of the 60s to come into play so soon.

17:55 - $300 goes to $120 with a cash discount? Kind of steep.

19:30 - Wow, Betty is a mess. Not even willing to get her own therapist. And is it just me, or does the kid shrink look

21:00 - Jesus, Peggy is turning into Twiggy. And Megan is also back to looking good after her mysterious metamorphosis last week.

23:00 - Wow. $100K from the partners? Roger should have to put up Pete's share.

24:00 - "Do you want the backwash?" That Glenn's a smooth talker, isn't he?

25:00 - Apparently the idea that the Girl on the Land O' Lakes butter box is also holding a box is causing Glenn some mental discomfort. I believe the term is "thinking".

27:00 - Wow! Trudy is morphing into her Annie from Community body in a hurry. "You are forbidden..." "You don't get to forbid me!" Ooof. All is not well at the Campbell household.

29:00 - Whew. I thought Don's interest in the painting was to upgrade from booze to heroin. Instead he seems to be becoming the Jerry Maguire of the 60s. This is definitely changing the conversation.

32:30 - OK, much like Jerry, this isn't going to be a lovefest at work. Except, of course, with Megan. I also think Peggy is going to have her work crush on Don renewed.

33:15 - RFK? I wish I could write a Bahstan accent that didn't involve the word "No-mah".

34:00 - Is it just me, or is everyone expecting "I'm late" or some other fallout every time Don and Megan speak for more than 2 words?

36:30 - After Cooper walks out, Rizzo has the best line of the night, "I didn't think they'd start [firing everyone] with him." He's a pig, but funny at times. Like Harry Plopper!

38:00 - The smirk after telling Don that "I didn't think you went in for those kind of shenanigans" is, to me, the best development of Season 4 -- Peggy and Don like AND respect each other. Cue horrible fight between them in the finale.

38:30 - I'm pretty sure that adult Glenn is not going to look back at dropping the Cokes without a word and running away from Betty as his proudest childhood moment.

39:30 - "They all want to kill me, but I have a bodyguard." Megan's unhappy look tells me she knows who the competition is.

40:30 - I don't think Don thinks losing Dr. Faye but gaining a public girlfriend is a fair trade.

41:00 - "Have your girl make reservations." Aaaaannnnddddd... Faye knows who the competition is, too. And I think suspects something.

42:00 - Uncool that Faye rejected Peggy's offer of a drink. Very cool* that Peggy has the world's largest collection of protractors on her wall.

43:00 - Betty has no body fat, yet her high-waisted pants designed by NASA still manage to give her a FUPA!

45:30 - Nice man moment for Don and Pete! A rye glass raised and a nod -- in the version of Mad Men set in the 2000s, they'd be hugging and crying while saying "I love you, too, bro!"

Verdict: Not a happy episode, but absolutely packed.  The pre-letter bits seem like a different show.  We didn't get to see the post-work date for Don and Faye, but it's definitely set up for a big final episode -- Betty moving, Don/Faye/Megan fallout, Joan (in control but barely seen), and the gang trying to survive leaner times. And with Bert "gone" (or just in a snit?), will it now be SDP? Or SDCP? Can they ditch Roger, too? He's great for the show, bad for business.
A-

* By "cool" I mean "nerdy".

Monday, October 11, 2010

Tandem Live Blogging - Seinfeld Season 6 The Gymanst

JT 0:00: Is it just me, or is Jerry's voice more annoying during the stand-up bits?

Sean 0:45 - I'm nervous. Jerry and I made the same joke at the same time about George's stupidity, only he did it outloud and on national TV.

JT 1:00 - "if i could talk to the mothers and have sex with the daughters, I'd have something going." George is clearly an inspiration for Timberlake and Samberg.

Sean 2:00 - "there's always a price to pay for just a sexual dalliance" "Jerry, you should pay that price." I've paid that price.

Sean 2:40 - How many times do I think about putting my shirt back on when leaving the bathroom? so many.

JT - 3:00 a coworker of mine had a kidney stone. His wasn't as funny as Kramer's.

3:10 - "Knowing you is like going into the jungle -- I never know what I'll find next, and I'm real scared."

Sean 3:30 - Has Elaine ever had a boss with non-white hair? Have any of them?

Sean 4:00 - Kramer is the kind of person you know and tell them things like "this is why we don't have nice things" he's just rifling through these fancy paintings

JT 5:00 - One of the key improvements of later seasons was that George's girlfriends grew ludicrously hot.


JT 5:30 "Are you and your family close?" "Very close, almost painfully close" I almost never refer to my family that way.

Sean 6:10 - Gerorge see's the eclair in the trash and eats it. After being in Africa for 4 months, I would eat it too.
JT - Who could pass up a free eclair? It's on top of the magazine, so no problem.

JT 7:20 - "So... Ceauşescu. He must've been some dictator." I like to say this on dates that aren't going well.

JT 9:25 - It's sad how bottled water used to be a niche product, not an obsession in the usa. I hate bottled water.

Sean 10:00 - George, the eclair wasn't "hovering" in the garbage. It doesn't have a jetpack or anything.

JT 11:00 - I'm glad I'm no longer in the position to have to consider people's feelings.

Sean 11:00 - When has Jerry ever considered people's feelings?

Sean 12:10 - Why does Jerry continue to talk to women in his car? It never ever works out for him.

JT 12:50 - "The magical world of sensual delights that most men dare not dream of" - that's just marketing nonsense from Cosmo. The magazine, not Kramer.

JT 13:50 - The most outdated line in the entire series? "How long do I have to put in, now that..." "3 weeks". I say "an SMS"
Sean 13:50 - "2 (possibly non-consecutive) weekends"

Sean 13:40 - Look at that Diet Coke can. Those are the cans my grandma bought.
JT 13:45 - Your grandma drank Diet Coke?

Sean 14:10 - Laugh track. Classic.

JT 15:10 - Jerry's reactions to George/Biff flailing on the phone is money. "Strike two!"

Sean 15:40 - Do we ever see George coming out of the bathroom in later episodes/seasons buttoning up his shirt? I mean, come on. continuity!

Sean 16:00 - I'm glad we're not live blogging our spoken commentary. Just juvenile.
JT 16:05 - Sean means "I'm glad we're not live blogging JT's spoken commentary. Just juvenile."

JT 16:30 - The first time I saw this, i thought the riding outfit was to set up the lame joke, "I haven't been on Jenny in 3 days". Oh no.

Sean 17:15 - Jerry's wearing a suede jacket. Didn't he learn that lesson earlier?

JT 1730 - I, too, blame elephants for all the ills of society

JT 1900 - Is this before or after the jujyfruits? Either way, Elaine would much rather lose a job/boyfriend than engage in mild confrontation.

Sean 19:00 - George says maybe he'll go upstairs "just to use the bathroom". JT looks at me and says that is a money move. "It's worked several times for me," he says. "Just say you have to use the bathroom and next thing you know, you're makin' out and- BOOM you're in!"

Sean 20:40 - The whole reason we're watching this ep is for the classic demeanor george has when he walks out of the shitter with his shirt off. Delivery. Pure delivery.

JT 21:30 - The Mr. Pitt as Hitler bit is much funnier since it wouldn't be allowed in Germany.

JT 22:30 - 16 years ago! That's not recent.


*** Bonus commentary on the deleted scenes***
Sean - I see why these were deleted.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Mad Men Live Blogging - Season 4.11: Chinese Wall

1:30 - "Nobody talk! I'm really stoned." Now, that's what you want to hear from your driver. And, hi, Joyce!

2:30 - Apparently liberal boy has learned something!

4:00 - Cosgrove has a family? And now he has the dirt on Lucky Strike?

6:30 - Nice job of acting by Roger. It can't be easy to fake indignance on a secret you've been hiding for weeks.

11:45 - "I'm not letting you leave" Nice work, Peggy!  Taking control!

15:15 - "Sounds like everything's under control!" Rizzo the art boy is clearly an idiot to drink the company Kool-Aid so blatantly.

18:00 - Roger has never been more pathetic. That call was like a cold shower to Joan.

23:00 - Don needs Megan to police his drinking? At least he knows it, I guess.  Or is this his way of increasing their intimacy?  I know it's mine.

26:30 - "I'm not a solution to your problems, I'm a problem."  My dates use this line on me all the time.  Is that bad?

30:00 - Nice work, Don! Now you have relationship problems, too!

33:45 - Rizzo comes on to Peggy, then doesn't tell her she has lipstick on her teeth? What a tool.

37:45 - So, Megan wants to be Peggy? Cynical JT thinks she might have an ulterior motive.

40:30 - Aaaaannnddddd... she does. But is she really ok with a fling on the couch? Then again, maybe she's Don's ticket to the Sexual Revolution. How's he going to feel about that?

43:00 - "I'm so proud of you" I'm not sure that's a good idea -- Roger seems like he wants to ride this self-pity thing out rather than have sex with his hot young wife.

45:00 - Faye sold out her ethics for Don? He must feel great right now!

Verdict: The ante has been upped! I see Faye and Don falling apart ASAP as he falls under the sway of the lovely artist Megan. Will Roger be tossed out, or will they make a last blackmail-y ploy on Lee, Jr?
B+