Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 10): The Forecast

Don Draper has a number of headaches that he must contend with.

Why Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 7) Worked:

• Sally's speech to Don at the bus station before she leaves on a teen tour.  She was good and pissed that Don was responding to her friend's flirtatious behavior, and she called him out on it.  More than any other character on the show she sees Don for what he is.  (Let's hope she gets a well-paying job because she's going to need a lot of expensive therapy.)
• Don's struggle to devise a corporate vision for Roger.  His inability to articulate what the company should be and where it's heading reflected his own rudderless life.  He is a man truly adrift without an idea of where his ship should sail.  
• Don's showdown with the copywriter.  It wasn't a perfect scene but it had energy; that's for sure.  And the copywriter called him basically just a pretty face. Don, of course, is more than that but there's no denying that his looks and perfect hair give him a lot to work with. 
• Don alone in the hallway outside his apartment after the real estate agent finds a buyer for his penthouse.  Great fade-out music (Roberta Flack's "The First Time I Saw Your Face") and Don looks terribly lost and lonely.  A bit artsy and pretentious but it helped lift this uneven episode.  

Why Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Joan's romance.  Whatever happened to one night stands?  Joan has sex with a divorced older guy and the next thing he's in New York telling her that he's not into her four-year-old son.  Before you can scratch your head, she's telling him that she'll send him off to boarding school (was that for real????) but no, he then says he'll take the boy and her mom and buy a place in New York. Sorry, I didn't buy it.  It was like the Cliff Notes version of Mad Men.
• The drama around the Peter Pan peanut butter account.  Usually, the account problems provide the best drama in the show.  Not tonight.  It was convoluted, confusing and poorly plotted.
• The return of Glen (part I).  The scene in the hallway with Sally, Glen, Betty and the random girlfriend fell flat.  Some outrageously stilted acting and contrived writing.
• The return of Glen (part II). His scene with Betty barely made sense.  She offers him a beer while alone with him in her kitchen.  He comes on to her.  She rebuffs him because "I'm married."Then she puts her hand to his face and puts his hand on her face.  Where was this going?

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 7): C+.  This was the night of crazy shit where so many scenes seemed rushed and outrageous.  It was good to see the hard-bitten Joan finally involved with a man and it created some interest and tension in the subplot, but the speed in which the relationship unfolded was so quick that it seemed like the writers were trying to cram everything in before the show ends in a few episodes.  Other scenes also seemed poorly written like the real estate agent criticizing Don and the copywriter insulting the client.  This episode showed Don and Betty's compulsive need to be attractive to the opposite sex no matter how inappropriate that interest might be.  That was a good thread woven through the  episode.

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 9): New Business

Mr. Lonely: Don Draper charts a solitary path as the final season of Mad Men winds down.

Why Mad Men Episode 9 (Season 7) Worked:

• The action and dialogue relating to Don and Megan's split including the furniture removal from Don's apartment.  Turned out that Roger footed the bill (he gave Megan's mom $180).  Also good, the scene between Don and Megan in the lawyer's office (and a million dollars to her!!!).  Good writing and good acting especially by Jessica Paré.  She called him "an aging, sloppy liar" and sold every word of her line.
• Don's response to the waitress Diana showing up at his apartment in the middle of the night: "It's 3 a.m.  You know why you're here."  And good retort when she asked him why he was dressed in a jacket and tie: "I'm vain."  Glad he didn't have on a smoking jacket.
• The scenes between Don and Diana.  It's still a bit of a mystery whey they connected and it feels like Don has suddenly become a compassionate social worker with her -- where did that personality trait come from? -- but there's no denying that the scenes were intriguing especially when he showed up at her apartment.  The big question: will we see more of her in the final episodes?
• The thread featuring Harry and Megan.  He is such a weasel and Don totally caught on to his lame attempt to cover his botched seduction.  

Why Mad Men Episode 9 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Bad hair.  Roger's hair and mustache is so out of character that it makes all his scenes too cartoonish.  His look is slick....and now he looks anything but slick.  And Pete's hair won't win any awards this season either.  Sideburns are too long and he's sporting something of a semi-combover.  
• Bad sex scenes.  Pema the photographer -- doing a Pussy Galore imitation -- jumps Stan the hostile art director in the darkroom.  Huh?  That was telegraphed immediately but it was poorly staged and written.  And then she hits on Peggy in another awkward, poorly written scene.  When Roger rushes to Don's apartment with moving money for Megan's mom, they quickly hop in the sack (er...make that the floor...the moving men might have taken the bed).  Another cartoon-like scene in a show that used to have more flair and sophistication.
• Random milkshake scene with Don's Connecticut family.  Their agents must have been squawking about not being in enough scenes this year.  
• Scenes with Megan and her sister.  Who cares? Besides, it very late in the series to bring in another character and her baggage.  

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 9 (Season 7):  B.  Wildly uneven but the show ended with some strong scenes.  While it seems out of character for Don to be showing interest in the well-being and emotions of another woman, his relationship with Diana seems like a path for his redemption.  Will the show continue in that direction?  So far in this half season, Roger's scenes are flat and disappointing.  And agency life -- a reliable plot point in Mad Men's seven years -- has not really been a factor either in the first two shows.

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 8): Severance

The Mad Men gang is back and decked out in a lot of plaids.  Betty does not look like a happy camper....but what else is new?  Don looks a lot better in dark suits.  The tan slacks make him look like a swinging accountant.  

Why Mad Men Episode 8 (Season 7) Worked:  

• No scene worked completely in this episode. They were all marred at times by implausible or incomprehensible plotting, weak writing, and subpar acting.
• Peggy's date.  Perhaps the best-written plot thread of the episode.  It revealed how sad and lonely she has become as she achieves more professional success.  (Her date not sending back the dish he didn't order was sloppy, lazy writing.  There were others way to show that Peggy is assertive.)
• The meeting Joan and Peggy had with the McCann account executives.  Yes....it was marred by over-the-top writing, but it yielded the best line of the evening as Joan and Peggy conversed in the elevator.  Joan: "I want to burn this place down."
• Don lying on his couch during working hours.  Come on....we've all wanted to do that at work, but only Don pulls it off with such style.

Why Mad Men Episode 8 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Don and the waitress.  What the hell?  Maybe it pays off later in the half season but this was a real head scratcher.  And Don just walking out the back door and having sex with her in the alley without blinking an eye was also baffling.  Where are these plot turns coming from and for what purpose?  Maybe Don will come up with a new drink for a whiskey client: Sex in the alley.  
• Roger's mustache.  Distracting.  Felt like Sam Elliott was suddenly hired at the agency.  
• Joan's hairstyle.  Did they not have time to comb her hair before the cameras rolled?
• Joan's attitude.  When did she become such a boring and depressing character?
• The Ken Cosgrove storyline.  Yawn.  Haven't cared about him for six seasons and we're not going to start now.  The scene with his wife was poorly written and acted. 
• The Topaz vs L'eggs account issues.  Usually, agency business makes this show soar.  Not tonight.  It just wasn't that interesting.  

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 8 (Season 7): D+.  Completely disjointed episode.  Very few scenes really hooked the viewer.  The whole hour felt sluggish and drawn out.  Even Roger's scenes lack energy and wit.  Has "Mad Men" stayed on the stage one season too long?  Let's see what next week brings.

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 7): Waterloo

Why Mad Men Episode 7 (Season 7) Worked:

• Culter's take-down of Don.  Vicious.  His assessment of Don's talent was chilling: "I am deeply unimpressed." The depth of Cutler's evil corporate ways is bottomless.  He's really blossomed as a character.  j
• Don's forceful response to Cutler trying to push him out of the agency.  Don finally grows a pair this season.  A BIG pair.  
• Don's split with Megan.  A masterpiece of minimal writing.  Hamm's face says so much.  And great use of dead air.  
• Bert Cooper's assessment of the leadership talent in his company in a discussion with Roger.  Incisive.  The guy may be weird but he knows how to manage.
• Bert Cooper's death.  Brilliantly handled the way it was brought up.  For a few minutes, we weren't sure exactly who from the agency had died.  It was easy to speculate that Don committed suicide after the breakup  of marriage and the attempt to push him out of the agency.
• Sally kissing Neil.  Neil's response: "What do I do now?" He returns to the office.  And Sally?  She whips out a cigarette.  A future ice queen is born.
• Peggy's pitch to Burger Chef.  Pitch perfect.
• Joan's slow change to a cold-hearted businesswoman.  Chilling.  
• The moon landing.  Well produced as the show cut from various groups of Mad Men watching the landing, cementing the theme that television was the great unifier of the time.  
• Cutler's surprise vote for the McCann merger: "It's a lot of money," he reasons.

Why Mad Men Episode 7 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Don's squeaky-voiced secretary and her surprise kiss.  Out of character and out of left field.
• Peggy's chubby young neighbor.  The bond is baffling.  Worse yet, it's really boring.
• The merger.  The partners agree to a $65 million sale in a two-minute meeting.  Completely implausible especially for a show that really sweats the details in the office.
• The ghost of Bert Cooper singing and dancing to "The Best Things in Life Are Free." What a weak wrap-up to a very strong episode.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 7 (Season 7): B+  Don and Roger asserted themselves big time in this episode and that really made this episode sing. (Although the song and dance number really hit the wrong notes as a first-half conclusion.)  The bare-knuckles politics in the office continued to  provide great dramatic fodder although the McCann buyout was a bit hasty.  It's hard to know exactly how the ball will bounce in the second half of this season but there are enough loose ends to make us wish the season begins sooner rather than later.  

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 6): The Strategy

Why Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7) Worked:

• The early tension between Don and Peggy over the Burger Chef campaign.,
• Don admitting that he just came from the movie "I Am Curious Yellow." Probably only 27 people watching even knew about the movie but it was a very cool thing to do in 1969.  (It was a porn film, in case you're interested.)
• Don explaining to Peggy about how he works creatively.
• The Madras sports jackets.  Pete and Bob Benson really rocked them.
• Bob's "proposal" to Joan.  He needed her to be his beard so he could rise in corporate America. He thought she'd need his security.  Her response: "I want love." One of the better scenes in recent weeks that didn't revolve entirely around the office.

Why Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• The work for the Burger Chef tv commercial.  Usually, "Mad Men" shines when it focuses on the creative work that goes into an ad campaign. However, almost all of the scenes about the Burger Chef campaign were about as bland a limp lettuce.
• Bob bailing out the gay client from jail.  The scene in the cab as they left the jail was confusing and poorly written.
• Pete's fight with Trudy at their Cos Cobb house.  Another confusing and poorly written scene. 
• Don and Peggy drinking in the office, having a heart to heart, and then dancing to Sinatra's "Strangers in the NIght."  Another scene where one could only wonder: What is this about?
• Stan's beard.  It's so bushy, it's practically its own zip code.  Distracting.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 6 (Season 7):  C-.  A lot of nothing happened in this episode.  Don still hasn't recovered his mojo.  His marriage appears tenuous. He's become...uh....what's the word -- boring! Peggy feels pathetic now. Pete's relationship with his girlfriend doesn't ring true. Let's hope for a first half season-ending wallop next week. This was pretty thin gruel tonight.    

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 5): The Runaways

Why Mad Men Episode 5 (Season 7) Worked:

• Don's barging in on the tobacco pitch meeting at the end of the episode. Ballsy.  That's the Don we love.
• Stan getting high in the office.  He was taking a semi-hidden puff at his desk, right? Did you catch it?
• The mini-skirts.  Can't get any shorter.
• Don's management advice to Lou. Lou's reply to Don: I'm not taking management advice from Don Draper.
• Ginsberg spying on Cutler and Lou in the computer room.  Shades of Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."
• Henry's outburst at Betty. Finally, he has an interesting scene. But who knew he was such a male chauvinist pig?

Why Mad Men Episode 5 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Ginsburg's nervous breakdown.  Poorly played. Over-acted. Didn't ring true. Enough with his obsession with the computer.
• Stephanie the pregnant niece. Hard to know what that was about. And hard to get emotionally involved in her story.
• Megan's party. Eh.
• Sally's nose. Eh.
• Don's threesome with Megan and her friend. The most cringe-worthy threesome since "House of Cards." And those awkward morning after moments.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 5 (Season 7):  C.  Another mediocre episode.  Only Don's scene at the end with the tobacco executives saved it and gave viewers something to look forward to next week. His relationship with Megan is going in reverse, and even worse, it's boring.  The only upbeat part of the episode is that hopefully Ginsberg become institutionalized and never sets foot again in an ad agency -- or on "Mad Men."

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 4): The Monolith

Why Mad Men Episode 4 (Season 7) Worked:

• Freddy's rah-rah speech to Don after he goes on his bender. Finally, someone gives Don some useful advice and some harsh medicine to swallow.
• The computer installation in the office.  Yes....computers represented disruption in every sense of the word.
• Lou's salary increase to Peggy -- with nasty strings attached. 

Why Mad Men Episode 4 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Don's degradation.  It doesn't feel like an interesting plot twist now; it's more like he's being dragged through the mud for 60 minutes.
• Don's alcoholism.  Yes, we know Don has a drinking problem but this episode really brought it front and center instead of keeping it in the background.  And that pushes the show in a dangerous direction. We don't want Mad Men to be a program about substance abuse, we want it to be about the 60s and advertising.
• Roger's visit to retrieve his daughter at the commune. Grade D melodrama featuring some of the worst writing and plotting of the season. It was like a watching a completely different show.
• Peggy. She used to be one of the show's most interesting characters.  Now she's a one-note bummer.
• Lloyd, the computer installer. It was hard to figure out his role in tonight's episode. The interactions with Don were strange and stilted.  

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 4 (Season 7):  C-. This episode was way too downbeat.  Don's boozing in the office. Don's degradation. Roger's dysfunctional family.  There was nothing remotely entertaining or upbeat about "The Monolith." Let's hope Don comes roaring back with some great copy and takes his place at the top of the food chain.