2023 - Mad Men - Season Seven: part one

Somehow I thought we had one more episode for this half-season.  I love how this season started up and worked - it was so refreshing to see Don working for something as opposed to just coasting and bossing people around - it did a lot for regaining sympathy for him with his head between his heels.  I loved the way his relationship with Peggy has changed in all the years we’ve known them - it’s pretty amazing and staggering.  If you’d told the Don of season 1 that he’d one day be answering to the girl who gets his coffee he’d have laughed you out of his office.  

I have to say that with the exception of Sally, I could do without ever seeing the adventures of Betty and family for the rest of the series.  No offence to those cast members involved, it just feels like such a wasted amount of time especially given that we’ve got so precious few episodes left.  It really feels like everyone is getting a chance to shine - Roger visiting his daughter on a commune, co-workers going, literally, insane.  The company coming into it’s own, and Joan finally getting the financial wealth she’s only ever dreamed of.  It was actually sad to see Don and Megan’s relationship disintegrate and I wonder what they’ve got planned for him in the final eight when it comes to romance.  I doubt they’d have him and Peggy hit the sheets, but stranger things have happened… Looking forward to the final episodes when it returns.

1862 - Mad Men: season 6

I've read some complaints about this season, but I don't have a single one.  I don't think this show is for everyone - it's got a pretty specific pace and it takes it's sweet-ass time.  It goes on minor tangents I don't largely care for - but for the most part it hits it's mark and it hits it hard.  I loved watching Don become his own undoing, and Peggy, bless her, be dragged around without any say in what she was doing, but being rewarded and no longer having to feel like she was under the thumb of Don.  The merger of companies was a pretty inspired choice.  I won't be the first to say that this felt like it easily could have been a series finale the way they left things off - but I for one am curious to see what this series does for it's swan song and finale bow.  This show will leave a pretty big hole in the drama world when it comes to a close.

1744 - Mad Men: season five

No point in burying the lead.  As a show that has shown continued quality in storytelling, this is Mad Men's finest season.  It does what great television does - it gets better as it goes along, deeper into the characters the longer get to know them, to the point where someone like Peggy who started off as Don's secretary is now his equal.  A show that makes you hate Pete Campbell and then have a season where he literally gets punched in the face a lot and you feel, sort of, bad for him. 
I won't get into the specifics of the season, great as they were.  I will say that Jessica Pare is a very welcome edition to the main cast and there's no love lost to seeing January Jones step into a very minor part of the show (the seasons only weak spot was checking in on her, as if we cared at all about her getting fat - seriously writers, have Sally move in with Don and then drop Betty altogether). 
What I really liked about this season was how we saw deeper into Don's psyche than ever before.  This is a man whom it means a great deal to earn what you have, to work hard for it.  And this is where I'll probably get into SPOILERS… Take the characters of Lane and Megan.  Lane didn't really earn what he had, he didn't follow the proper way of things, and so his punishment was the ultimate one.  Megan, frustrated and tired of not being successful in her chosen field asks Don to pull a favour and get her the part that she wants.  And as punishment it would appear that Don's wandering eye has returned.  Joan helped the firm get a client that Don worked his ass off to earn, and so she's forever sullied their relationship.  The one person in his entire world that's worked hard and earned what they have is Peggy.  And because of that Don treasures her above everyone else, even if he does realize it too late.
I believe that the show is expecting to do two more seasons - and if it continues with this level of greatness then sign me up!  If you haven't been in on this from the get-go, I believe that the first four season are on Netflix - do yourself a favour and get caught up!

1626 - Weeds: season seven

Weeds has never been shy about showing Mary-Louise Parker off as a sexual object - especially in it's press material as seen above.  And who are we kidding?  She's pretty damn sexy in this show - and not only that but other characters consistently call her on her bullshit, which keeps you from hating the hell out of the character.
One thing Weeds does that no other show does is re-invent itself.  It's first three seasons took place in the 'burbs, but then it boldly shifted, and continued and continued to shift, until last season ended with Nancy being taken off to jail.  And now, it's three years later, and she's out on parole.  If you don't want to know any more I suggest you stop reading here.  There will be SPOILERS AHEAD.

So.  It's a fairly common trend these days for shows that have been on for awhile to do a time jump.  Mad Men did it, as did Desperate Housewives and most recently, True Blood.  It's a nice way to reset the cast and give them new things to do.  I liked the idea of shifting the series to New York and giving as a completely different playground to play in.  I loved bringing Heyla James back into the fold, and I liked seeing the other characters in different places, and I ALWAYS love Justin Kirk - who is as adorable and funny as Parker is sexy and charismatic. 
Weeds is one of those shows that is good at putting their characters into a big pickle and then easily getting them out.  For a more dramatic version of this, see Breaking Bad.  And while the entire season was like this, it's finale took it to a whole other level - one that I might just not buy.  Having Shane commit murder - great season hanger.  Having Nancy dragged off to prison - phenomenal.  Having Nancy with a sniper rifle on her, and ending with an unknown BANG... well... that's just a bit shitty.  Either the show gets cancelled, and the series ends with Nancy finally getting her comeuppance, or the show continues and they need to bullshit there way around this - either way I don't think it's ideal.
Will I tune in next season?  Of course I will.  Nancy is a great character in a series rich with them, and when the writing isn't so-so, it's pretty damn great.  That and I really want to see Nancy and Andy hook up (even if I do think that he can do sooooo much better)...

1447 - Mad Men: season four

In the age of event television it amazes (and delights) me that Mad Men does so well. Here is a show that is purely a character drama. Sure they have dramatic plots here and there - there are stakes involved, and there are good and bad things that happen. But they don't need to leave us on a huge cliffhanger to make us want to come back - we come back because we love these characters and we want to spend time with them (even some of the characters we may hate - I'm looking at you Betty...).
For me the heart of this series is the relationship between Don and Peggy (how much do I love Elisabeth Moss...). They have this mutual respect for each other that's simply delightful and I can't get enough of it. I could watch an entire series of just them. I've read some complaints that the finale was "nonsensical" and "nothing happened". I say if you really think that, you don't understand a damn thing about what makes this show so special.
I love this series, and I simply can't wait for season five next summer. What a horribly long time to wait...

1378 - Breaking Bad: season one

We came late to this series (now in it's fourth season), but we're fully on board. Huzzah! This show really is as good as everyone says it is and we're looking forward to delving into the other available seasons. I love how well they integrate the science into the show and yet keep it grounded in our real world. The set-up and premise to this show is really fantastic and the cast is stellar. They have so much room to play within this world - I'm really excited about where they're going to go with it. So much good summer television on right now with Mad Men starting back up, Entourage and True Blood already in full swing, and new Weeds on its way... oh baby!

1285 - Mad Men: season three

First time I watched this series as the episodes were airing. I love this show. In the absence of The Wire it fills that void of solid epic novel-esque writing. I adore this series and all that comes with it. I don't want to ruin a damn thing, so all I'll say is that this was a fantastic season in what is a truly great story. They've done some really interesting things in this season, in particular the final episode and I can't wait to see the next chapter of this story. I can't recommend this show highly enough.

1221 - Mad Men: season two

I was annoyed because I swore that there was one more episode left in this season, but then I realized there wasn't. I was looking forward to seeing what happened next and now... damn it! I have to wait! Bah! I really like this show. It's pace is not unlike The Wire, but in a totally different way. Characters fall in and out of your my favor, and in a skillful way, the end of this season saw Pete Campbell coming into a better light where, Betty Draper is now a completely horrible person. She makes Don's infidelities okay because I hate her so much.
Love Peggy Olson. I think there's a lot more to her than the writers have shown so far, which is on full display when a certain someone reveals his feelings to her.
Really look forward to the new season and the fall-out from the merger. I think that this show is smart and has balls. Setting this season years after the first one ended shows that they're not scared to do whatever the hell they want to tell a good story. Looking forward to seeing where this one goes...

1202 - Mad Men: season one

This is a show that I came to late. The plus of that is I can watch the second season right away. And thank God for that because it ends on such a fantastic note. This is a show that is fantastically rich in character. Each of the people in the picture above could probably be the lead of their own series, but together, with all of their relationships floating around and coming and going, it's a real treat of a show. I don't want to ruin anything, but if you haven't see it yet, get to it. Really great television.