Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 3): Field Trip

Why Mad Men Episode 3 (Season 7) Worked:

• Don calling his secretary Dawn in the opening scene.  We feel Dawn's tension as the phones in the background are ringing off the hook.  We also get a front row seat at Don's anger and humiliation at his increasing marginalization at work.  Then the ultimate insult happens: his secretary puts him on hold!
• The meeting Peggy, Stan and Michael had with Lou Avery.  So uncomfortable.  And Lou Avery secures the crown as the world's worst boss by taking the meeting with his legs wide open. Ick! He looks like he does "strategic consulting" for Spiro Agnew.
• Megan giving Don the boot minutes after they made love. Wow....that was a powerful scene.  It was difficult not to feel sorry for Don.
• Betty's non-stop smoking. So interesting.  (And the only thing interesting about her these days.)
• Don's job hunting dinner at the Algonquin.  It was a small scene and generally good, except that the blonde coming to the table -- and apparently coming on to Don -- was a bit confusing.  (Or I am stupid in not fully understanding it?)
• Don's return to the office. That had to be the most awkward scene of the  year in television.  It was impossible not to squirm watching it.  It was SO apparent that he wasn't supposed to be there. Don's humiliation apparently knows no bounds.  It was brutal -- but absolutely compelling to watch.
• Roger (John Slattery) states his case for Don to return to the agency. Fiery! Slattery's finest dramatic scene (not humorous) on the show in years, perhaps ever.
• Don agreeing to the awful terms for coming back to work.  The humiliation continues.  And reporting to Lou Avery?  Gotta tune in next week to see this food fight.

Why Mad Men Episode 3 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• The school trip to the farm. We'd rather have watched corn grow.
• Bobby Draper. We'd rather have watched corn grow.
• Betty. So boring.
• Henry. Can't remember the last time he was in an interesting scene.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 3 (Season 7):  A-. Another excellent episode. The office scenes just explode off the scene and they crackle with tension and energy. Don's plight and downward spiral are driving the show to new heights this year. Will these developments lead to a Don Draper redemption  for the season finale?

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 2): Happy Valentine's Day

Why Mad Men Episode 2 (Season 7) Worked:

• The Valentine Day's flowesr gimmick.  That was an exceptional plot device and only faltered when Peggy blew up at her secretary (see what didn't work).
• The faulty squawk box gimmick.  Nobody liked the squawk box, not even in 1969.  Clever writing.
• Don's failed attempts to cover up his absence at the office.  It was easy to feel sorry for him.  The show is better when he's a cad, but this adds an interesting new dimension to one of prime time tv's most compelling characters. 
• Don letting his hair down with Sally. Another well-written, completely believable scene.  Don is changing and it's happening before our eyes.  
• Sally.  She played a critical role in this episode and it helped make this a memorable one.  Her unexpected visit to the office to see Don after she lost her  purse was dramatic and Kiernan Shipka made the most of these scenes.  
• Secretary merry-go-round.  Everyone seemed dissatisfied with his or her secretary and all those personnel problems rolled up on Joan's desk. Nice subplot.
• Lou. Such a dick.  But so believable.
• Shirley's (Peggy's secretary) groovy orange dress.

Why Mad Men Episode 2 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Downbeat tone.  We're not having a lot of fun in Season 7. 
• Pete's (Vincent Karheiser) bad hair piece. Distracting.
• Pete's hot LA girlfriend. Really? She can do better.
• Peggy's rant about her flowers. A bit much.
• Pete's rant about the ineffectiveness of his role in LA. A bit much

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 2 (Season 7):  .  A-. Great writing and intriguing subplots made this episode memorable.  Everyone at the agency seems unstable and on the verge of collapse.  It's highly stressful to watch -- but completely addictive.  Can't wait until next week to find out what happens next.

Mad Men Season 7 (Episode 1): Time Zones

Why Mad Men Episode 1 (Season 7) Worked:

• Fashion.  The producers (and costume designers) really caught the groovy late 60s fashion zeitgeist, especially Megan (and especially the head scarf!). Don is looking dapper but pretty square.
• The music. Using the  60s music is an easy call, but the producers worked it in deftly, especially the last scene of the episode with Peggy.
• Freddy's opening monologue.  Clever.  Now that's a series opener!
• Don gliding on the electric walkway at LAX.  The scene was brilliantly stolen from the opening sequence of "The Graduate."
• Joan's scenes with the CMO from Butler Shoes.  She kicked ass.
• The delivery of the tv console the size of a coffin to Megan's Laurel Canyon home.  That's how the rich watched tv back in the day.
• Roger's breakfast with his daughter.  Extremely well written, especially the daughter's line.  He's so out of touch with his child that it was sometimes painful to watch.

Why Mad Men Episode 1 (Season 7) Didn't Work:

• Don and Megan's relationship. We know that there are huge problems between the two of them.  However, it's just not that much fun -- or interesting -- watching the relationship implode.
• Don's encounter with a strange woman on the LA-JFK redeye.  Yawn -- Don's excessive philandering is becoming a drag.  And it feels a bit implausible that every woman he meets in every encounter wants to bed him.
• Ken's rants.  Over-the-top.
• Roger with the hippie woman.  60s cliche alert.
• Peggy.  She's a bummer, man.  (However, we are interested about what's going to happen to her.)

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 1 (Season 7):  B.  The final season got off to a strong but not spectacular start.  It's a bit downbeat but overall we're optimistic about where the series will go from here.  

Mad Men Recap Season 6 (Episode 13): In Case Of

Why Mad Men Episode 13 (Season 6) Worked:

• Ted and Peggy.  What a complex relationship.  He's a good guy who can't help himself from doing bad.  And he's turning Peggy into a bitter, professional, single, career woman.   The back-and-forth between them was excellent in this episode.  Her final blast at him was chilling.  "Get out!" she hissed.  "Just get out!"
• Megan's great 60s clothes.  She could have been a dancer on "Hullabalo."
• Bob Benson manipulating Pete to drive the car at Chevy HQ.
• Ted's conversation with Don about him wanting to move to LA.  It's always great when Ted lays himself emotionally open with Don.  He knows that Don knows what he's all about.
• Don falling apart in the Hershey's pitch meeting.  Another great off-the-rails moment for Don this season.  And wonderful WTF looks on the faces of his colleagues as they wonder where he's going with his spiel.  
• The partners meeting where they tell Don to take some time off.  Yep...that's exactly how it's done in real life.  Cold as ice.  But they were right.  Don was tough, though.  Good scene.
• Lou Avery to Don at the elevator right after he gets kicked in the ass:  "Going down?"  Oh yeah...Don is going down for the count.

Why Mad Men Episode 13 (Season 6) Didn't Work:

• Pete.  Too shrill, like he's been all year.   His mother falling off the cruise ship to her death just seemed like a lazy way to write her out of the script.  
• Ted's seduction scene with Peggy.  The writing and acting wasn't solid, especially Elisabeth Moss. She needed to show more ambiguity.  Instead, she was cold and angry, and then she was suddenly hot.
• Joan.  Not sure what she's been doing the last few episodes.

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 13 (Season 6):  B+.  If this wasn't the last episode, it would have received an A.  However, it ended more with question marks then exclamation marks....and that's not how a season finale should be.  We'll have to wonder if Don and Megan split, if Don gets his job back, if Pete gets his mojo back, and if Bob Benson reveals his game (do we really care about this last point?).

Mad Men Recap Season 6 (Episode 12): The Quality of Mercy

Why Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 6) Worked:

• The Ted/Don conflict.  This has been a fascinating, well-played chess match all season and it continued brilliantly with this episode.  Don is wise to Ted's infatuation with Peggy and he can't let it go.  He knows Ted wants to spend more money on the St. Joseph's aspirin commercial so Peggy can get a Clio award.  And it culminates in the awkward meeting with the client where viewers think for 10 endlessly long seconds that Don is going to tell the client that Ted wants to spend the additional funds for Peggy.  In the end, Don gets most of the money and doesn't publicly reveal what he knows.
• Jim Cutler pushing Bob Benson to work with Pete.  Harry Hamlin (as Butler) steals every scene where he utters a line including this one.  He's been great this season.
• Pete uncovering secret information about Bob Benson.  Finally, Pete has a cause this season.  And finally, we're getting to see what Bob is all about.  (Although it was somewhat confusing about how Pete is going to deal with Bob going forward.)
• Betty offering Sally a cigarette.  Naturally.  That's what blonde Republican moms did back in 1968.  But did you catch that Sally didn't really inhale?

Why Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 6) Didn't Work:

• Don being sick and weak.  It's like Superman without his cape or Zorro without his sword.  He's just not that interesting when he's not a shark.  And it's becoming a mystery what he actually does at work besides napping, going home early and fighting with Ted.  
• Ted's infatuation with Peggy.  Too heavy-handed especially in this episode.  Taking her to the movie in the middle of the day....come on!
• Pete's anger at his mother in the office and other over-the-top behavior in the office.  He's become a one-note instrument and the sound is shrill.
• Peggy's visit to the prep school dorm.  Some of the worst scenes of the season.  It felt like a dress rehearsal for a camp play.  The staging -- especially the fight -- was poorly staged.  The acting was completely wooden. 

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 12 (Season 6):  B-.  Some decent office scenes but overall this episode felt slow and lacked the punch of the previous few shows.

Mad Men Recap Season 6 (Episode 11): Favors

Why Mad Men Episode 11 (Season 6) Worked:

• The entire subplot about Arnold and Sylvia's son trying to get out of the draft.    It was brilliantly conceived and had many different aspects to it.  First, there was Don's indifference ("Not our problem," he huffed to Megan.) but then Don slowly began to think of ways he could help.  And he clumsily reached out to GM clients at a dinner annoying Ted in an uncomfortably but strong scene.  Finally, he gave up his pursuit of Sunkist so Ted could land Ocean Spray but only if Ted helped Arnold and Sylvia's son get into the National Guard.  This led to a conversation with a grateful Sylvia and we know where this led to.  But the power punch of the night -- no, the whole season -- was Sally walking in on Don and Sylvia.  She truly saw the Emperor without his clothes.  But what happens next?  We'll have to tune in next week.
• Peggy and Pete sharing boozy confidences at a restaurant while out with Ted.  There is a real connection there.  Good dialogue.  

Why Mad Men Episode 11 (Season 6) Didn't Work:

• Pete's mother's relationship with her home health care worker.  Were they really physically intimate?  Do we care?
• Bad acting from the teenagers, especially Sally, her friend and Mitchell.  Like lousy summer stock theater.  
• Domestic blahs.  Everyone's home life is suffering:  Ted's, Don's, Peggy's, Betty's, and Pete's.  But it's not all that interesting.
• Peggy's rats in her home.  Seriously, what was the point of that?  Just bite the bullet Peggy and move to the Upper East Side already.  

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 11 (Season 6):  B+.  A lot didn't happen for much of this episode.  But the pay-off of Sally catching Don and Sylvia was so strong that it changed the entire tone of the episode.  Bravo.  Can't wait until next Sunday.

Mad Men Season 6 (Episode 10): A Tale of Two Cities

Why Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 6) Worked:

• The two conversations about the ridiculously long name of the firm.  Extremely believable situation.  Well written.  And very tight.
• Roger's tips to Don on the airplane about how to deal with the LA-base clients.  Razor-sharp and funny.  And a lot of truth in what he said.
• Jim (Harry Hamlin).  His droll character is making us (almost) forget Lane.  His looks (from the sleek dark suits to the oh-so-retro-cool black glasses) and lines are absolutely  perfect.
• Joan's attempt to land Avon.  Wow.  This is a great plot development and very risky on Joan's part.  It's nice to see her character develop professionally.
• The groovy clothes in LA.  Harry is really turning into a peacock.  And Roger really looks ready to swing in his red ascot.  Only Don looks out of it, like he just came from a Bethesda, Maryland, meeting for the election of Richard Nixon.
• The use of the 1968 riots at the Democratic convention as a backdrop for many scenes in this episode.  We saw Megan's rising political consciousness (pro-demonstrators), which is very unusual for a prime time tv show.  And the riots surfaced in Roger and Don's meeting with Carnation when the boss dressed everyone down for even discussing the riots.
• The Peggy-Joan smackdown....and then Peggy's rescue of Joan.  Joan really did hang Peggy out to dry bringing her into the unauthorized pitch meeting with Avon and Peggy was right to be angry.  So the scene with Peggy helping Joan later really paid off nicely.  And now we're left wondering and worrying if Joan will land Avon.  She and Peggy are joined at the hip on this one.
• The LA party.  It was a bit cartoonish, but, hey, the times were a bit cartoonish.  Still, you could tell the wardrobe department and set decorators had a ball on this scene.
• Pete puffing a joint in the office in  exasperation in the last scene of the night.  Great music ("Piece of My Heart") and an amazing shot from the waist down of a woman in a short yellow mini-dress and white boots gliding by Pete.  A brilliant ending to a brilliant episode.

Why Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 6) Didn't Work:

• Roger insulting the short man continuously at the LA party. It wore thin very quickly.
• Ginsberg.  Too shrill and over-the-top.  Weiner has trouble portraying Jews in more moderate colors.  

Overall Grade for Mad Men Episode 10 (Season 6):  A+.  The best so far this season.  Great office scenes.  Vicious office politics.  Piercing dialogue.  Great clothes.  Imaginative use of music.  It all came together in one seamless hour-long package.