Film School Rejects » Josh Radde

Mad Men Finale Review: Shut the Door. Have a Seat.

Josh Radde — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:50:28 +0000

Synopsis: The season finale begins with Don ending his business partnership with Conrad Hilton and ends with him starting a new job somewhere else; Betty wants to go forward with divorce proceedings.

Review: Season 3 of Mad Men is now in the books. First let me discuss the season as a whole before going into the finale. There were lots of great moments in this year’s season. I loved “My Old Kentucky Home” and how much fun it was seeing Pete and Trudy dancing, Peggy getting high, and Joan playing the accordion. “Guy Walks Into an Ad Agency” was another homerun. Hilarious, well-written, and some juicy character tidbits from Joan, Don and others — essentially, what Mad Men should always be about. Though some portions of the season were without much in the way of conflict, we still took in the lives of Don Draper, his family, and his co-workers. Peggy’s independence was displayed a little more each week and was never taken to a cliche level. Although her relationship with Duck was something I don’t think anybody saw coming (or wanted). Not much happened with Pete Campbell other than the fact that he and Trudy seemed to be on the same page for much of the season. There was a little exploration into Campbell that showed us how much of a child he is inside, and he also impressed Don with his ability to find new demographics and markets. Roger came on late in the season and had some redeemable episodes. His scuffle with Don was not very well executed, but scenes where the two of them were getting along were some of my favorites. Joan showed us that she has way more potential than she’s been allowed to show. She spent most of the season sidelined by her mopey, whiny husband who she finally belted in the head with a vase after 10+ episodes of being annoying. I think what I learned most from this season is how much Joan means to the show. She’s not just the best secretary in the world and a sight for sore eyes, she’s also developed into more or less the heart of the series.

I used to think Betty was the heart of the show, but that was only because she was playing a “part” for so long. After the second season finale where she had sex with a nameless stranger, she’s been pretty much a vengeance machine this whole season. Her relationship with Henry Francis, forcing Don to take in her father, naming the new baby after her father once he died to spite Don — she’s been more of a villainous this season than a loving mother and wife. And once she found out her husband was not the man he claimed to be, all bets were off. I don’t know what happens now with Betty and Don, but I am intrigued. I think I can speak for most of the viewers when I say that her relationship with Francis has been one of the sore spots of the season. It was interesting when they were flirting, but I don’t think I ever could’ve seen him proposing marriage to her coming. Betty is a complicated woman, who wants to be treated like a princess, and she found a man who wants to cater to all her desires. This will most likely end badly. I also really loved last week’s JFK assassination episode. It really pushed our characters forward and seemed like a logical place in time for them to try and find new beginnings.

That brings us to Don and the review of tonight’s episode. Say what you will about the adultery committed on this show. Pete and Peggy, Roger and Joan, Don and (insert brunette) — they always seem to have great chemistry when they’re together. Take Don and Miss Farrell. As far as affairs go, that was about as uncomplicated as it got. I know some friends of mine that watch the show were bored by Miss Farrell, however I loved how uncomplicated their arrangement was. It seemed more realistic, at least moreso than Henry Francis proposing to another man’s wife. Even if you go beyond the out-of-wedlock coupling that happens on Mad Men, it’s still a series built around chemistry. This lives and dies with Don Draper. I think that’s why season 4 of Mad Men will see our favorite characters teaming with Don to get back to what they do best: advertising. There was very little actual work in Season 3. It seemed like Don was out of good ideas because he was pissed all the time, Pete was spread too thin with far too many accounts, and most of Peggy’s best scenes happened away from Sterling/Cooper. I feel like Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Price can be a really good thing for this show going forward. No more bitching and bickering and Don trying to make people constantly work harder for his approval. Don had to tell everyone working at the new business why he needs them, and that was a really great thing to see. This entire season all we did was watch Don Draper be pissed off and shun people. It’s better when he’s working with his co-workers and not trying to hover above them.

I think you have to say that 1963 was a bad year for Don Draper. However, I think this is where we want to see him. After they packed up their offices at Sterling/Cooper for good, Roger turns to Don and asks “How long do you think it will take us to get into an office like this again,” to which Don replies “I never saw myself working in an office like this.” What we need from this series is to see Don coming to grips with his dual life, see him being a good father and the best ad man there is, as well as inspiring the people around him. Next season will hopefully get back to what we loved about Seasons 1 and 2, and will integrate some of the sheer fun that we had with the better parts of Season 3.

You can read more of Josh Radde’s Mad Men Season 3 reviews here.

Mad Men Review: The Grown Ups

Josh Radde — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:46:27 +0000

Synopsis: The Kennedy Assassination affects everyone at Sterling/Cooper and in the Draper household; Ken and Pete’s competition for Head of Accounts comes to an end; Roger’s daughter gets married.

Review: This will be pretty brief since I’ll be doing a more full “whole season” retrospective next week after the finale. The Kennedy Assassination certainly put some things into perspective for the characters. For Don, it seemed to make him feel that he needed his family in times like this. For Betty, the assassination made her question her place in life, added with the bombshell she learned about Don a couple episodes back. For Pete, it made him see just how fake everyone around him is. Roger was obviously affected because his daughter’s wedding was the next day, and it seemed to make him remember what he left behind, namely his ex-wife. It seemed to make Roger and Don come to a non-verbal understanding, which was nice.

In another way, it also helped those of us with our asses in couches. There are a couple camps of Mad Men fans — Those who watch it for the characters and the writing and those who watch waiting for “something” to “happen.” Last night’s episode seemed to cater to both, and most importantly, it worked. I was not alive back in 1963 but watching last night’s episode reminded me of 9/11 and how everyone’s perspective changed after that. This should help our characters realize that they live in a scary, unsure time. Pete may quit S/C, Betty may marry another man because her marriage to Don, she believes, is a sham. Over the last couple episodes we’ve been seeing Roger deal with the women in his life and the choices he’s made which could lead him back to Joan, whose military-bound husband could very shortly be shipping off to Vietnam. Needless to say, this was about as good a penultimate episode you could ask for. Characters have decisions to make, squabbles need closure, jobs could be gained or lost, and relationships must be salvage or not. It’s exactly where we want to be, and it makes for what’s sure to be a memorable finale.

The days of men-in-suits calling the shots are coming to an end, yet for the characters in Mad Men, there’s no way they could possibly know that yet. This should be exciting to watch.

Mad Men 3.11 Review: The Gypsy and the Hobo

Josh Radde — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:39:28 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sunday at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Betty confronts Don about his past life; Roger runs into an old flame; Don plans a getaway with Suzanne; Joan reaches out to Roger for occupational help.

Review: I suppose this week’s episode and last week’s were a solid response to my open letter to Matthew Weiner and the writer’s of Mad Men, because I’ve been absolutely captivated by the latest episodes. Last week’s episode had what we had been waiting for, Betty stumbling upon Don’s secret. This week was no letdown either. The confrontation between Don and Betty was one of the best moments in series history. Betty was hurt and powerful and for the first time, we see Don scared in front of her. It was also nice to see that he didn’t lie to her, because Lord knows he could’ve, but the audience would know better. Just a great back-and-forth which made you forget that Don’s girlfriend was waiting outside in his car the whole time. Then to see the whole family go out for trick-or-treating with the kids and having a neighbor man ask Don and Betty “Who are you supposed to be?” — good stuff. This reminded me of the finale to Sopranos Season 4 where everyone thought that someone was going to get whacked or something ludicrous would happen, and instead the writer’s gave us a realistic, scary argument between and husband and wife who have hidden so much from each other. Though Mad Men wasn’t nearly as loud or intense, it was just as suspenseful watching the two of them go at it. January Jones and Jon Hamm connected, as actors, on a level that they never have before. They weren’t just playing “house” and being passive aggressive anymore…this was real.

On the other note, it was good to have a Roger episode for once. The treatment of Roger this season has been a letdown, he’s been a peripheral character that gets a few funny lines for the most part. I believe the writer’s are distancing us from Roger so that we miss him, and next season (I think) will be more Roger-centric. It was nice to see him interacting with Annabelle, a former lover of his, and to see Roger’s dedication to the woman everyone assumes is just a trophy wife. That’s been a really underrated theme in this season, that Roger actually does care for his 20-year old wife. We got to see a little vulnerability in Roger, which is rare, and we even got a nice Roger-Joan moment which will hopefully lead to her coming back to Sterling-Cooper before the season is over.

Also, one more thing that made this episode terrific — Suzanne. I kept waiting for her to show signs of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction, especially since her brother isn’t all that stable, but it was just heart-breaking to see her realize that she can’t be with Don anymore. She asked “Do I have to worry about my job?” with such sadness, it just hurt, and you can tell it affected Don as well. I’ve been in that situation before, where for one reason or another you get carried away in something and eventually remember that you have made commitments to people. One of the most painful things a person can ever do is stop the potential for greatness with another human being, and though that may be a bit of a stretch with regards to Don and Suzanne’s relationship, you can’t tell me that them having a phone conversation in which their relationship abruptly ends isn’t more dramatic and lasting than having her go ballistic and stalk Don’s kids or turn his pet into a stew. If Suzanne went bat-shit insane, that would be an easy way to write her out, but instead they took the route of realism, which is much more fulfilling, and really speaks volumes about what Don and Betty must overcome to be happy with each other. It has to be real; it can’t just be thrown together by writer’s for the sake of a happy ending.

Again, this was a really superb episode and showed us why Mad Men is the best show on TV. It took some time to get to the meat of the season and I, for one, can’t wait to relish in the last couple of episodes. Expect the Kennedy Assassination to really shake things up with these characters.

Mad Men 3.9 Review: Wee Small Hours

Josh Radde — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:40:38 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sundays at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Betty starts writing letters to Henry Francis; Don starts to see Conrad Hilton as a father figure; a Sterling/Cooper account makes advances towards Sal.

Review: I need to air some grievances toward Matthew Weiner and the rest of the Mad Men writing staff. I spent the first 5-6 episodes on this web site blabbering on and on about how great the writing is — how even though much isn’t “happening” it’s all a part of some larger plan and we’ll start to see some conflict rising up any moment now. I’m sad to report that I think I’ve seen the hand you’re playing this season. Essentially, Don is unhappy, Betty is unhappy, Roger is unhappy, Joan is unhappy, Pete is unhappy, and Peggy is embracing her independence after so long of being unhappy. The new British owners have made Don mad but they haven’t really done anything unreasonable. Roger has been pretty much MIA the entire season (and his feud with Don doesn’t really make sense, anyway). I miss Joan. Pete has gotten more screen time this season than last season, but at least last season his limited screen time was more packed with character-study (all he did in last night’s episode was cough, pretty much). BAH!

But what made me more angry with last night’s episode was the direction and the writing. The writer’s really dropped the ball on a few moments. When Conrad Hilton says to Don that he’s “maybe more than a son” since he doesn’t have the wealth that was bestowed upon his old children, it was the first time we saw something child-like come out of Don. He looked like a kid, glowing, in that moment (which is what made Conrad’s disappointment later in the episode so eye-opening for Don), and something about just didn’t feel right. They’ve been trying to give Don a father figure this whole season, they even had him imagining his father sitting there in a motel room at one point. It was just sloppy to have that scene in there, mixed in with Jon Hamm’s reaction shot, that for the first time I felt like this show belonged on Lifetime (but again, I will give credit to the writer’s for striking Don down because he didn’t give Conrad “the moon” — but even that was a little too silly as well).

Two people said to Don that it must be nice to get whatever you want, whenever you want it and THEN he goes out and beds the school teacher, doing what he wanted when he wanted. Come on, writers: Where’s the subtlety that I loved so much?! In the next episode, is someone going to say “it must be nice to be so independent” to Peggy and then we’ll see her at the end of the episode being lonely, pining for something more? I just wish they’d dig deeper, because that’s what we’ve come to expect. If they can’t do that, and we have to settle for this “we’re going to tease you with conflict, and then pull back” like an idiotic show like Smalliville relies on every week, then they might want to start wrapping this series up before it gets Season 3 and 4 of Six Feet Under forced.

One more thing: We know Sal is gay, but why do all of his sub-plots have to be about being gay? We understand that back in the 60’s, concealed sexuality was a big thing; I just refuse to believe that it entirely defined someone’s life. Give Sal something to do on this show other than not go all the way with another dude. We’ve seen him be confronted by 3 or 4 men, have a crush on another, and be unamused by his own wife because he can’t satisfy her heterosexual needs. There has to be more to Sal than just how distractingly gay he is!

Alright. Grievances aired. Hopefully next week Weiner will show us why he’s the best writer in television right now. Plus, don’t get me wrong, even with the setbacks we’ve seen with Season 3, Mad Men is still one of the best shows on television. It kind of reminds me of the fourth Sopranos season, lots of people were put off by it, but it was still one hell of an entertaining show.

Mad Men 3.8 Review: Souvenir

Josh Radde — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sundays at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Don takes Betty out to Rome for a Conrad Hilton-related business trip; Pete gets involved with a nanny in his building.

Review: To be a kid again. Last night’s Mad Men seemed to be focused on the three characters that are most childlike: Sally, the actual child discovering boys after seeing how her Mommy gets dolled up; Pete Campbell, the man-child who giggles at cartoons while eating cereal on his couch; Betty, the Princess who never has to wait for a man to light her cigarrette for her. We also saw these three characters be unfulfilled in some way as well.

Betty, who lets Mr. Francis kiss her in her father’s car, has always been a Daddy’s girl — she demands to be catered to and relies on the attention of older men (her father, Francis, hell, even Don is older than Betty knows). She needs to be done up properly in an Italian beauty salon and have strangers and multi-millionaires fawn over her, and still feels inadequate. Her husband and her have to play fantasy roles in a foreign land to re-ignite things between them (on that note, it was entertaining to see them flirt with each other and wake up in a hotel bed, as if they had affairs with each other — this also made me think about what Don’s reaction would be if he found out about Betty’s other interests — would he freak out?), but that can only be momentary. The only time Betty’s let us in to her actual thoughts and feelings is when a little boy who ran away from home was able to see the sadness inside her.

Pete Campbell has always struggled to be a man’s man. He has copied Tony Curtis’ voice inflection, walks with a strut, and gazes at women because it’s what he has been trained to believe these are the things men do. Yet, we’ve only ever seen Pete comfortable when he can be by himself, giggling at the television (which was also alluded to in the first episode in season two, when everyone was watching the Jackie Kennedy tour of the White House, except for Pete, who I imagine was watching something about Cowboys and Indians). He can’t seduce a woman like a man, can’t face his wife like a man, and becomes sheepish and sunk when caught in a lie — just like a little boy whose Mother caught him holding a broken vase. He whines and pouts, but it’s not his fault, like it’s not Betty’s either.

This brings us to poor little Sally, who’s bound to have a rocky upbringing with a Princess for a Mother and a man with one foot constantly out the door as a Father. I will say that little Kiernan Shipka has really been a bright spot of season three. The writers have called for Sally to do more this season than any one person in Sterling Cooper, and the little actress has been a treat. Her consistently honest and sweet performance has helped us flesh out more of what damage Betty and Don have done to their children (although Don is better at “playing” parent than Betty is, but that may change as Sally gets older) and she has served as a small lighthouse of hope amid the blanketed ocean of crushed dreams and bad tempers that have littered this season.

It was also nice to see Joan, a woman who’s perhaps dealing with a man-child husband of her own, even if it was brief.

Review: A Serious Man

Josh Radde — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:37:08 +0000

Do you remember the movie Stranger Than Fiction? There’s a scene where Dustin Hoffman explains to Will Ferrell the difference between comedy and tragedy and has him tally up events that would fit into either genre. The Coen Brother’s new film, A Serious Man, seems to live this debate as I can’t really tell if it’s a dark comedy depicting tragic events or a tragedy with comedic characters. Comedy and tragedy aside, you also have to ask at the end of the day if it’s even “good.”

Is it good? That’s where our debate really gets interesting. I saw this movie over a week ago and I still don’t feel qualified to give you an answer. So let’s just start at the beginning.

A Jewish husband with a glorious beard makes his way through the snow and finds his wife at home. After a brief conversation, they realize the man the husband has invited over, as payment for a good deed, has in fact already died. Yet this man knocks on their door, enters their home, and soon the Jewish wife stabs the “Dybbuk” (Yiddish word meaning a soul that has escaped from Gehenna [hell]), setting off a chain of catastrophic events.

Cut to mid-60’s suburbia. Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlberg) is a physics professor whose brain and chalk-laden fingers move faster than his students can keep up with. One day, in his office, a foreign student offers him money to change his mid-term from a failing grade to a passing one and leaves before Larry can return the money. It seems that from this instance forward, nothing goes right for Larry: his wife wants to leave him for an eerily calm and pretentious man; his son uses drugs while attending Hebrew school; his brother won’t let his daughter use the bathroom because he’s constantly busy draining a cyst; his neighbor doesn’t respect property lines; his tenureship at work is in jeopardy; and the damn antenna on his roof won’t capture his son’s favorite television show (to name a few things going wrong for Larry). After being crapped on so heavily by the people in his life, he needs to seek counsel from three rabbis and a lawyer, who each give him a different view on what it takes to be a Mensch.

As Larry Gopkin, Michael Stuhlberg is simply excellent. Every scene reveals another layer of Larry, and while most actors would read the Coen’s screenplay and see a man that has every right to be a whiner, Stuhlberg adds enough complexity and despair to the character that lets us feel sorry for him. Like many other Coen characters, the problems just keep piling for Larry, but unlike most of the characters in Coen-lore, Stuhlberg instills a layer of real humanity in Larry that helps us connect with him (whereas its harder to connect with “The Dude” in Big Lebowski or Ed Crane in The Man Who Wasn’t There when things go wrong for them). What makes Stuhlberg’s performance more noteworthy is that he isn’t very heavily supported. I kept waiting to see an extra layer to Richard Kind’s Arthur character or Amy Landecker’s provocative Mrs. Samsky, but it just never came. It really has equally to do with their performances as it does with the Coen’s writing. This is a character study through and through, so don’t expect to get attached to any of the characters besides Larry.

The look of the film is understandably bleak. It’s also wholly unoriginal — oh look, the suburbs suck . . . Wow. I have to fault the Coen’s for not digging deeper with the look and feel of the film. I also have to question some of the stylized choices they made. After awhile, it’s hard to distinguish between Larry’s dreams and his reality, which (don’t get me wrong) is a good thing because it plays into the dark feel that keeps settling over the film and blends the real with the surreal wonderfully. However, it also takes away from the actual danger and winks too much at itself. Again, whether the film is a comedy or a tragedy is up for debate.

I’ll also touch on the ending without spoiling it. If you were unsatisfied by the ambiguous ending of No Country for Old Men then prepare yourself for an even more abrupt ending, except worse. At least No Country gave us some explanation as to what happened. A Serious Man ends as the drama is heightened to its absolute climax, which ultimately takes away from the experience; imagine if No Country had ended with the shot of Josh Brolin jumping out his hotel window the first time he and Javier Bardem have their first fight, that’s kind of what the ending of A Serious Man is like. It doesn’t just cheat you out of seeing the good stuff, it’s also confusing because it tries to “mean” more than it actually is.

Upon seeing this movie, many people will ask “what does it mean” afterward — I had that very same conversation with a fellow critic on my way to the train. Ultimately, though, as soon as I got on the train and was by myself it dawned on me that this movie probably does have some theological significance; except, I just don’t care.

Upside: The lead performance is very strong; the humor is constant and subtle; the Coens do a nice job of weaving the real and surreal.

Downside: There is no ending; the supporting performances are a little too shallow; the film’s structure is sloppy.

On the side: This is one of the Coen’s most personal film as they, too, had experiences with Hebrew school and falling out of love with religion (hence the fact that they both married very non-Jewish women — See: Frances McDormand).

Mad Men 3.7 Review – Seven Twenty Three

Josh Radde — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:43:58 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sunday Nights at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Don, Betty, and Peggy all wake up in different places and their stories are told non-linearly: Don gets frustrated with Sterling Cooper’s offer of a three-year contract; Betty gets to meet with the government advisor she met at Roger’s yard party; Peggy has to contemplate the offer she got from Duck Philips.

Review: Don Draper hates everyone. Season 3 of Mad Men has been revealing Don’s bitter contempt for his place in life. Look back to the season 1 finale and we see a Don who’s almost willing to drop everything to be with Sally Menken; season 2 saw Don traipse of to California and almost never come back; season 3 seems to be Don realizing that maybe he should’ve made either of those decisions. He’s a man that has found so much unease lately that nothing comforts him. His wife is nagging him, his friend at work has taken to butting in so Don wants to sever ties, his daughter’s school teacher has a really bizarre conversation with him at an eclipse viewing, his new business arrangement with Conrad Hilton won’t go the way he wants it and the only people that made him smile in the entire episode were a vision of his father and two hitchhikers that beat the hell out of him and steal his money.

As for the ladies’ stories there seemed to be a common thread. Romantic altercations with older men. And both kinda creeped me out. When Betty first met Henry Francis and he put his hand on her stomach it gave me chills and their meeting in a coffee shop and afterward when Betty somehow stupidly looked directly into the sun didn’t change things. There’s something very strange about Francis and he seems to know Betty’s weakness for odd men.

The whole Duck-Peggy thing is just strange. Not only did it come out of left field but it seems like it was purely strategic. I’m not sure if Peggy was aware of that or not, but it seems that Duck has seduced her to get back at Sterling Cooper. Plus, I found that plotline to be pretty poorly written — Duck says sweet things to her and offers her a great job at the same moment that Don is a major dickhead to her. A little sloppy, even though it’s consistent with the type of harsh criticism Don has been doling out all season.

As far as the story-telling, I’m not sure if I was sold on the non-linear beginning. It all involved main characters waking up in strange environments and had been the result of a choice they had made — Don leaving his home in frustration, Betty purchasing a fainting couch because she’s fascinated by another man, and Peggy waking up in a hotel suite bed with a man we don’t see at first — I’m just not entirely sure that this type of editing was required. Either way, I give the Mad Men team credit for trying something new.

Mad Men 3.6 Review: Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency

Josh Radde — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:03:25 +0000

Mad Men airs Sunday nights at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Sterling/Cooper gets a new, young C.O.O.; Joan embarks on her last day as word of he husband’s promotion comes through; Don takes an important meeting with a hotel mogul; Sally is afraid of her new baby brother, Eugene.

Review: (Possible Spoilers ahead) First off, congratulations to Mad Men for picking up last night’s “Best Drama” and “Best Writing in a Drama” Emmy Awards for the second year in a row. I wasn’t watching them, as I generally don’t watch most awards shows, because I was actually watching the best show on TV deliver another stellar episode.

Not only was this one of the best episodes of the season, it was coupled with some of the tenderest and ridiculous moments in series history. Let’s start at S/C: Guy MacKendrick walks into the office (hence the title being something literal, and not the beginning to a joke…except in classic Mad Men style it soon became the joke) and shakes things up by announcing that he was replacing Lane Pryce and becoming the new Chief Operating Officer of S/C, and in so doing manages to disappoint everyone (he even kept Roger Sterling’s name off the re-organization chart), including Don who begins to like the idea of living life split between New York and London.

Guy’s appearance finally threw a wrench in the wheel of Sterling/Cooper this season, which had been needing a shake-up after a slow start. Now of course, Guy won’t be sticking around after the hideous John Deere accident (do think the company actually paid to sponsor this episode only to see their tractor used as a foot-chopping machine? But then again, Ken did warn it’s “extremely safe if operated correctly”…), but it did give Lane a look into what life would be like without his New York office, so it should give him a newfound appreciation for his job, remarking “I feel like I went to my own funeral and I didn’t like the eulogy,” citing Tom Sawyer. Plus, without that incident we wouldn’t have had another Roger Sterling gem: “Somewhere in this business, this has happened before” as a janitor cleans blood off Pete Campbell’s window.

Now to the tender moments I touched on before. They pretty much all involved Don, as Jon Hamm brought out Don’s ability to be sympathetic in this episode. He had some great moments with Conrad Hilton playing good business man (who turns out was the man he served the drink to at Roger’s lawn party), explaining to him that people don’t like picturing mice in their hotel rooms, even if it is an animated one. He had a truly terrific moment with Joan at the hospital and for the first time there was a palpable spark between the two — which will lead viewers and fans to comment that maybe there’s a possible affair in there, anything to keep the glorious Christina Hendricks on the show — playing good boss. Then Don goes home to console his terrified daughter who can’t come to grips with the fact that maybe her new baby brother is actually her reincarnated grandpa Gene, playing good Dad*. Simply put, Hamm is amazing. Even though I’ve recently caught Breaking Bad and seen how terrific Bryan Cranston is, Hamm is better.

That being said, the award-winning writing is what I’ll be tuning in for next week. I’m curious how they’re going to re-integrate Joan with Sterling/Cooper. There’s probably going to be a job opening considering Lois did some serious damage to both a co-worker’s foot and an office (poor Lois can’t get demoted much more than she already was). Then again, with her marriage to Greg not fulfilling her, maybe she’ll turn to some of the men at Sterling/Cooper — perhaps even making the rift between Don and Roger about more than just some petty argument about Roger’s bride. I don’t know, but I know I’m intrigued either way.

* On the note of Don playing good Dad, how terrifically awful was Betty in this episode, telling her daughter that babies “get fairies to do things for them” like buying Barbie dolls. Jesus H. that’s good writing.

5 Movies That Make Us Hungry

Josh Radde — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:02:07 +0000

With the release of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs this weekend, I caught a commercial on Adult Swim the other night that said this film was either the cause of or solution to “a serious case of the munchies.” It made me hungry. What’s this? A man and woman frollicking inside jello? Oh, sooo much spaghetti! Those gummi bears look f*cking scrumptious!

I immediately got up from my couch and made a bowl of ice cream. With Heath bar crumbs. And caramel topping. Mmmm. Then I sat down and wondered, “wait, what just happened?”

It got me thinking — some action movies make you drive a little faster once you leave the theater; some dramas make you re-think your life and donate money to the Red Cross. Which movies make you hungry? I thought long and hard (on an empty stomach) and came up with five films that make me salivate.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

When those kids were jumping around and getting covered in Oatmeal Cream Pie, did that not look fantastic? Didn’t it change the way you looked at your Cheerios for awhile? Seeing our day-to-day foods giant-sized should’ve turned us off to them…but no, it made me ask my Mom for those little cream-filled bastards every time we went to the store.

However, that film also made me frightened by the very presence of insects. Even the nice ones.

Super Size Me

This is, I suppose, an ironic choice, because all this movie makes me want to do is choke down a Big Mac like a dude finding a piece of bread whilst stranded in the middle of the desert. In fact, I had never eaten a Big Mac or a McGriddles sandwich until after I saw Morgan Spurlock’s documentary. That’s probably why he didn’t win an Oscar — his movie did more harm than good. Even when his internal organs were failing all I could think about was french fries. Hot, crispy, amazing french fries. It also made me see the flaw in his logic. Of course your body’s going to go apeshit if you only eat McDonald’s for a month, but if I have a 10-piece nugget meal with a large fry and a Shamrock Shake every now and then it’s not going to kill me. In fact, making late-night McD’s runs with my roommate was an honest-to-God bonding experience.

Hook

This is three-fold:

1. During the scene in which the kids sit Peter down for dinner, except he can’t see the food because he isn’t using his imagination, I get hungry. The kids reactions to eating air food is so realistic that I see them ingesting it. Especially when that fat kid looks right at Robin Williams and then takes a massive bite of an invisible burger. Oh man. I just drooled on my keyboard…hope it still works. :adjtghvnl; /

2. When Peter finally does see the food, Spielberg pulls the camera back to reveal this feast upon which they are gorging, and it’s just splendid. It’s mainly just marshmallow with food coloring, but f*ck does it look great.

3. Then the food fight ensues. And food fights in any movie (like in Animal House) are always delicious. Bang-a-rang!

Willy Wonka / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This should’ve been a pantheon choice, because it’s probably the movie you thought of when you started reading this article. The movie is essentially about candy and how it transforms us (adults become children, children become devious pricks). So we’ll put movies about food into this one as well, like Ratatouille and Chocolat. The goals of these films is essentially to make you hungry and it usually eclipses the storyline itself. For example, the “Golden Ticket” portion of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is great, but more than likely you’ll pop in the DVD and go to the chapter where Gene Wilder limps out of the chocolate factory and does a falling somersault.

Who else feels like a snozzberry right now?

Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle

This could’ve been in the previous one because essentially the movie is a long commercial for White Castle. Except, this movie is for weed what Willy Wonka is for candy. Only when you’re drunk or high (not that I’m promoting either, mind you…) is when you can scarf down those putrid, gross burgers. It’s also what makes the first Harold and Kumar film better than the second (aside from the fact that the jokes are funnier): the stakes are small, yet the characters perception of them is what makes the film work.

Quick story: I lived in a neighborhood of Chicago called Roscoe Village for a couple years. Within a half-mile radius were two burrito places worth visiting. When I was inebriated it became my search for the Holy Grail. I would endure Chicago winters to trek the streets for a shitty steak burrito. One time I got to a place called Tony’s (which is an weird name for a burrito place, right?) and it was 5 minutes after they had closed. My friends and I, drunk and belligerent, decided we would not go quietly into the night without a steak burrito, so we heroically stumbled to Burrito House II which was not an easy 3/4 mile voyage (and also involved cutting through numerous alleyways and backyards covertly). When we got there, the line was 10-deep and loaded with a level of douchery you only get when you go to $20-cover nightclubs. One of my buddies picked a fight, another nearly vomited on a Puerto-Rican gal, and the service was atrocious. But let me tell you one thing: That was the best goddamn burrito I have ever had.

Huffington Post put out a list similar to this one when Julie and Julia came out, which they refer to as “Food Porn Movies.” I don’t know if like that term, “Food Porn.” Those are definitely two things I like to keep separate from each other. But then again, Marlon Brando could easily give you a butter fetish if you watch Last Tango in Paris.

Actually, that’s gross.

I’m gonna go deep-fry my hand and eat it, but in the meantime tell me “What movies make you hungry?”

TV Review: Mad Men 3.5 – The Fog

Josh Radde — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:55:11 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sundays at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Betty has the baby; Duck Philips propositions Pete and Peggy for a job; Sally causes trouble in the classroom.

Review: I don’t know really how I felt about this episode. Betty and Don essentially going through the motions of a birth was interesting; it had a very been-there-done-that feel to it that seemed more realistic than most movie or TV show births. Betty was unhappy and spent most of this episode in a drugged up state, or a “fog,” and Don stayed in the waiting room getting drunk with a first-time father. Those scenes in the waiting room were interesting, with Don’s nonchalance countering the prison guard/new Dad’s nonstop fretting. “Fear is in anticipation” — and the same thing can be said for this episode.

I for one thought that something was going to happen to the baby or to Betty. From the nurse remarking that eating pineapple was a silly thing to do to Betty’s drug dreams involving a lot of blood and her deceased mother cleaning a bleeding black man. But with Mad Men being so consistently well-written, I should’ve known that they were just throwing the audience a curveball, like they do so often. That being said, I think there was a baby death, that of the prison guard’s baby, which is why I can only assume he couldn’t make eye contact with Don (and why his wife was in the wheelchair without a baby).

Duck is back to throw some wood on the fire — as Michael Jordan would say — adding some much needed conflict to the episode. He tells Pete and Peggy that he knows about their secret relationship, and strangely neither denies it. Yet Duck underestimates the way they go about showing feelings for each other, as Pete strands Peggy with Duck at lunch. Speaking of Pete, it was nice to see that scene in the elevator between he and Hollis. At first terribly, terribly awkward and then sort of charming. Classic Pete Campbell.

Overall, I’d say its the weakest storyline we’ve had this season. They introduced new baby Eugene (which will irritate Don I’m sure) and Sally’s teacher who couldn’t help herself from drunkenly calling Don and getting a little too intimate. But seeing as how this show throws us curveballs, I bet nothing except for a little temptation comes from that relationship.

Then again, maybe that’s what Matt Weiner WANTS me to think.

TV Review: Mad Men 3.4 – The Arrangements

Josh Radde — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:26:35 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sunday Nights at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Gene continues to bond with the Draper kids; Sal gets put in charge of directing the “Bye Bye Birdie”-themed commercial; Peggy decides to move to Manhattan and begins looking for a roommate.

Review: Time to spooj all over another installment of the best show on television. Last week’s episode was great, but this one returned to the usual Mad Men, splitting most of the scenes between Sterling Copper offices and the Draper residence.

I loved the joy on Sally’s face when Gene let her drive the car and Kitty’s terrified face when she saw her husbands true colors. Also, a lot of great humor in this episode, which makes me think of the three Mad Men seasons, this might be the funniest so far. The prank call made to Peggy was genius, the scenes between Peggy and Joan have also become some of my favorites, and Gene had some really funny lines. I also was dying during Sal’s coming-out moment, because he’s so stereotypically gay, except this is before those stereotypes were made. My girlfriend even pointed out “for Christ’s sake he even has a pinky ring!” Ha, poor Kitty.

The direction was wonderful, and it’s something I feel like I don’t talk about enough on these reviews. Michael Uppendahl directed this episode and what’s great about him is how he captures the slice of life moments, like when Sally on the floor and Don is framed in the background. The moment spoke volumes to the development of Sally, and if it were framed it would hang in my apartment. He’s also great at capturing perfect reaction shots, like when Peggy gave Don a “told-ya-so” look after the Patio cola promotion failed. Uppendahl is also directing two more episodes near the end of the season.

Spoiler alert: Gene died before the end of the episode, breaking Sally’s heart. His presence this season has really given us some great development with Sally and we’re finally seeing this little actress flex some muscle. Sally did not know the Gene that Betty and Don knew, so his death and the subsequent reaction by her parents could drive Sally into a rebellious phase. It’ll be interesting to see how Gene’s death affects the Draper women.

TV Review: Mad Men 3.3 – My Old Kentucky Home

Josh Radde — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:20:33 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sunday Nights at 10/9c on AMC

Synopsis: Peggy and Paul are staying in the office through the weekend to work out a new campaign for Bacardi. Joan and her husband are throwing a party for her husband’s co-workers, while most of the Sterling Cooper gang is at Roger and Jane’s for a Kentucky Derby garden party. Grandpa Gene is missing $5.

Review: You can tell a great show is great by how they spend “off” episodes. Nothing that happened in last night’s “Mad Men” was Earth-shattering or really very consequential. And that’s fine. Some shows try to make drama where drama has no business. “24″ is a show that always needs to be moving forward, so instead of building tighter relationships between it’s core characters, they usually throw some curveball like season one’s “Terri gets amnesia” plotline or this past season’s “the Presiden’t daughter is a schemer” situation. Some shows have been killed by trying to force the drama. “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” may have been killed by bad ratings, but the whole “Tom’s brother being held captive” plotline ON TOP of the “Amanda Peat’s character is having birth-problems” saga was just too much. Even the best under-stated show on TV, “Friday Night Lights,” almost killed itself with an uneven and overdramatic self-defense-murder-cover-up plotline between Landry and Tyra.

But “Mad Men” handled an “off” episode like no other series I’ve ever seen, safe for “The Sopranos” (see: “The Pine Barrens).

Last night’s episode was all about the characters and reconnecting us with them. We see Roger sing in blackface, Paul sings because he is dared, Joan becomes the sexiest woman to ever play the accordian, Peggy smokes a doob, Betty gets hit on by an old man, Jane gets drunk, Don does some sweet bartending, Sally and Gene’s relationship grows, and Pete and Trudy do the Charleston. Oh, and did I mention Roger sings in blackface. What the f*ck is going on?

This was hands-down one of the funniest “Mad Men” episodes I’ve ever seen. Peggy’s one-liners were hilarious, the look on Pete and Trudy’s faces while dancing was amazing (as were Harry and his wife’s reactions), and c’mon, Roger “Blackface” Sterling never disappoints.

However, the episode was also full of some very nice character moments: Joan finding out her husband had a career-altering accident during surgery; Sally stealing Gene’s money and the guilt and fear she felt afterward; Don and Roger arguing at the party; Peggy’s sensational monologue to her lonely secretary; and Don’s slooow walk and tender embrace with his wife at the end of the episode. In other words, episodes like these are what we hope for when there’s not much going on with the “plot.” Sure, we’ll get a return to conflict next week, but for right now, stop and revel in just how good this episode was.

Good TV shows thrive on being technically sound, well acted, and cleverly written. Great TV shows have all those qualities yet also know that sometimes less is everything.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Mad Men?

Shouting Match: Best Horror Film of the Decade

Josh Radde — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:19:33 +0000

With Rob Zombie’s Halloween II and the fourth installment in the Final Destination series out in theaters this weekend, FSR’s resident Devil’s Advocate Josh Radde and guest Adam Sweeney decided not to debate between the two franchises, but rather: what is the best horror film of the decade? Shouting Match, heading up to the end of 2009, will occasionally jump into “decade-review mode” and determine what we thought shined in the first part of this bitchin’ new century.

Opening Statement (Josh)

Over the past half century, certain horror films have carved out a niche in which they grew to the heights of their popularity. In the 60’s we saw Mama’s boy Norman Bates stab a lady in the shower. Spielberg made us think twice about jumping into the ocean in the 70’s. The slasher genre hit its absolute apex with Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers in the 80’s. Drew Barrymore was the first victim of the 90’s horror flicks that were self-aware. But what niche have we carved since the beginning of the new century?

It would seem that remakes have been the craze since 2000. Michael Bay, Rob Zombie, and others have given us everything from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre to Halloween to The Amityville Horror to a couple remakes starring Liev Schrieber, The Omen and The Manchurian Candidate (more of a “thriller” than a “horror” film, but still). There was also the America’s flirtation with the “torture porn” genre where films like Saw and Hostel and The Devil’s Rejects fall. As “entertaining” as some of these movies have been, one film stand high and above everything released this decade: 2005’s The Descent.

Released wide the same weekend as Sam Jackson’s Snakes on a Plane, I urged everybody to go see the superior film, which at the time I dubbed “Bitches in a Cave.” Neil Marshall’s film about female spelunkers is an absolute powerhouse of a film. It makes you confront fears of height, darkness, claustrophobia, and the unknown. It’s well acted and superbly written, in addition to being tense and scary as hell (which is, I believe, what the DVD box says on it). It’s everything you want in a horror movie: the characters are relatable and sympathetic; the chills and jumps come out of nowhere; it moves at a break-neck pace; and there’s a little bit of a revenge tale thrown in for good measure.

There are a few horror films released this decade that I would consider solid, but only The Descent is one that I would consider a great movie.

Counter Argument (Adam)

You’re right to point out the run of remakes Hollywood has put out, most of which were as forgettable as catching your parents having sex. In fact, that’s a horror film in it of itself. Sadly, Hollywood is really the only one being scared — of losing money — and we are ending up as the victim getting slashed in the wallet. That’s why we have to go outside of Hollywood to find the best horror film of the decade, Let the Right One In.

Equal parts revenge cinema, a love story and GOOD vampire fantasy (Because I can’t remember the last decent one of those I have seen), the Swedish masterpiece, yeah I said masterpiece, actually gives me hope that there can be thoughtful horror films. Of course, Hollywood plans to remake this and will probably fail miserably. While The Descent is definitely one of the better horrors of the decade, the acting by a few of the actors was somewhat flawed and there wasn’t much story there to begin with. Hot girls go into cave. Monsters attack hot girls. Hot girls scream and die. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the experience. But where The Descent falters, Let the Right One In sinks its teeth in. What is even more amazing is that the lead roles are played by two young adults. Hmm, after Kirsten Dunst’s role in Interview with the Vampire maybe we should just give parts in bloodsucker films to kids.

Rebuttal (Josh)

You know what … I have no insults to throw at you. I don’t necessarily agree with you, just because I don’t really find Let the Right One In all that scary, however, yes it is a damn fine film. You’re also right to point out that some of the actresses in Descent didn’t graduate from the Kirtsten Dunst School of Acting, but the simple story is what makes it so appealing to me.

Let the Right One In is pretty complex tale, and though its characters are very sympathetic, I just can’t call it the Best Horror Film of the Decade. Maybe it’s because we have SO many vampire films (along with an over-saturation of zombie films this decade) that I am more drawn to the relative uniqueness and originality of The Descent. You did touch on one really key subject, though: It’s impossible to find any good horror in the U.S. The Ring is scary, but not as much as Ringu; The Grudge showcased that Sarah Michelle Gellar is still our “scream queen” but couldn’t hold a candle to its overseas original. Kang-ho Song has starred in two great Korean horror films, Thirst and The Host which eventually made their way here.

Oh, and by the way, after I wrote the first part of this article I saw the trailer to The Descent: Part 2. Sigh. I don’t know what the editor of Snatch (Jon Harris) can add to the original, but frankly I’m pissed that they couldn’t leave a good thing be. What the hell would compel Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) to crawl back into that cave anyway?

Closing Statement (Adam)

I appreciate any refrain from insults as both of these films are up at the top of the list in terms of my favorite horror films of this decade. You can’t go wrong with either one. It’s like asking who is more attractive, Christina Hendricks from “Mad Men” or Anna Paquin from “True Blood.” The first is so overwhelmingly pretty and, let’s be honest, endowed that you can’t help but be drawn to her. But you, at least up until she started stripping for True Blood, had to work harder to understand the beauty of Paquin. I’m sure both have a lot going on underneath but on the surface they present two equally satisfying types of enjoyment.

Let the Right One In stands above the rest of the horror films of the decade because it can’t be simply defined. True, it doesn’t make you jump like The Descent but there are more layers to it. And don’t get confused, the film definitely has its share of suspense and “Holy shit!” moments. The fire scene in the hospital? Bingo. When you actually see Eli’s true age? Again, creepy. Where The Descent has no choice but to subscribe to the pop-out-at-you method, the other takes the time to let us know the characters, their surroundings and remind us how the classic tale of a weaker child against school bullies can be as monstrous as any mythical creation invented. Plus, from the opening credits you can tell this is one of the most beautifully shot horror films ever.

And you’re right, why Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) goes back into that cave after the first Descent is about as explainable as the ending to Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2. Did she forget her car keys? I will say this. I am intrigued to see both The Descent 2 and the American version of Let the Right One In just to see if they can expand on the brilliance of both originals. To me, that is a sign that the originals are both can’t miss films. So I’d say they both win.

So there you have it, The Descent and Let the Right One In are our votes for best horror film of the decade. Do you agree? What is your favorite since 2000?

Movies We Love: Murderball

Josh Radde — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:00:35 +0000

Murderball (2005)

We’re not going for a hug. We’re going for a f*cking gold medal.

Synopsis

Murderball is the story of the U.S. Paralympics Rugby Team, also known as Wheelchair Rugby, also known as Murderball. This documentary follows the U.S. gearing up for the 2004 games after a crushing defeat to their rivals, Canada, in the previous world tournament. Teammates Mark Zupan, Scott Hogsett, Bob Lujano and Andy Cohn are the main focus on the U.S. team, whereas Canada coach/former U.S. gold medalist Joe Soares is the movie’s “antagonist.” Along the way, Zupan reunites with the man that put him in a wheelchair, Joe deals with some health problems, and newly paralyzed Keith Cavill learns how to cope with his new life situation.

Why We Love It

Don’t read that synopsis and think that Murderball is some touchy-feely documentary to make you feel sorry for those people in wheelchairs. This is a sports movie of the highest order, and the film never lets you feel sorry for its subjects. The rugby matches are exciting, the sport itself is cool as hell, and these paraplegics come off more like gladiators than they do like a bunch of Terry Schiavos.

It all starts with Mark Zupan. Most of the people in the film refer to him as “intimidating” and call him an “asshole,” because he’s no different than any other elite jock, except he’s in a wheelchair.* He has tattoos, a fierce chin beard, talks some mean trash, and hits HARD. Zupan used to be a soccer player and he’s still in incredible shape. Zupan is the team captain and leader of the U.S. Paralympic team, and carries himself with an amazing cocky swagger.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Joe Soares is everything Zupan is, and like all great sports movie characters, he carries around a giant chip on his shoulder. The captain of the U.S. team before Zupan, Soares was let go against his will, so instead of sticking around and coaching, he moved to Canada and coached their rugby team with one goal: beat the U.S. Joe is a loud-mouthed, arrogant competitor. Being diagnosed with polio very early in life meant that Joe was in a wheelchair from the beginning. That didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest chair-bound athlete’s ever (in addition to rugby, Soares was also a world-class wheelchair tennis player). Soares is one of the great sports movie anti-heroes. He cares so much about his team that at times he even neglects his own son. A heart attack midway through the film makes him see things through a different light, so there’s also a nice story of redemption within Murderball. Don’t be fooled though, Soares is still a competitor, and to this day he and Zupan still don’t like each other.

Simply put, Murderball is one of the 10 greatest documentaries and one of the 10 greatest sports movies I’ve ever seen. Not bad considering directors Dana Adam Shapiro and Henry Alex Rubin had never made a feature-length documentary before. Rubin had worked on the second unit on such movies as Cop Land and Girl, Interrupted and Shapiro was a writer and editor at Spin Magazine. Amazing accomplishment. In addition to putting together a solid 90-minute documentary from what I can only assume is several hundred hours of footage, they also put a stamp on the film to make it their own. Most notably, the animation effects used to enhance some portions of the film are very effective. One scene where Bob Lujano describes a dream where he flies out his window and grows legs and arms is so melancholy that it makes my blubbery ass cry every single time (gettin’ misty-eyed just thinking about it).

There’s also the humor in Murderball that sets it apart. Anything that Scott Hogsett says is dripping with horniness. Zupan is one of those lovable a-holes we all know (probably why he hangs out with the “Jackass” guys so much). Andy Cohn is an understated dude who is subtly funny. Bob Lujano gets the funniest moment in the film where the players hide him in an overturned box then call in some ladies to flip it over. There’s lots of swearing and talk about sex (which paraplegics can definitely have, by the way), loads of taunting and boyish rowdiness, and oodles of R-rated material for your viewing pleasure. A rugby player goes into vivid detail about how he performs oral sex one moment, while in the next the directors show part of a “how-to” sex tape geared towards paralyzed individuals.

Moment We Fell In Love

The paraplegic sex-tape comes close, but I’d have to say the moment I fell for this film was when they introduced Keith. Keith Cavill was a motocross rider who had a accident and became paralyzed. The filmmakers correlate Keith’s learning how to cope with his new circumstances and adjusting to life with the events surrounding the U.S. and Canadian teams. This all comes full circle when Keith meets Zupan in a really funny and understated scene when Keith gets to try Zupan’s Murderball chariot.

There are so many moments to love: The three Canada/U.S. matches are filmed great; the training montages are fun; Zupan’s scene in the pool with his girlfriend is touching; Zupan’s high school reunion is interesting; Hogsett’s flirting scenes are hilarious; Bob Lujano’s daily routine is mesmerizing; Joe and Robert’s (his son) relationship has real weight and it climaxes with a touching scene at Robert’s orchestra concert; and the moment where Keith says “this is all just sinking in” is shattering.

Final Thoughts

Sports movie. Documentary. Comedy. Murderball offers something for everyone and continues to get better each time I see it. If you haven’t seen this film (and it’s likely that you haven’t) please give this movie a shot. Many people don’t like to be “guilt-tripped” by movies about the less fortunate, but Murderball is not that. It tells the story of courageous people–but they aren’t courageous because they’ve overcome odds to do some physical things many doubted. They’re courageous because they’re fearless competitors who fight for their countries, just like the skilled athletes we watch compete everyday.

* In 2006, when I was a DJ at my college radio station, I did an interview and hung out with Mark Zupan for a few hours. He truly is just like you see him in the film. To kill some time (Zupan had to speak after the film played, so we hung out during the movie), we played Trivial Pursuit 90’s Edition. When he left I got his autograph on a beach volleyball (which was being used during a promotion we were doing) and he wrote “Trivial Pursuit fucking blows. –Mark Zupan” and drew a middle finger. This ball was found by my manager’s 8 year-old daughter the next day. Crap.

TV Review: Mad Men 3.2 – Love Among the Ruins

Josh Radde — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:51:11 +0000

Mad Men Airs Sunday nights at 10/9c on AMC.

Episode: “Love Among the Ruins” (Season 3, Episode 2)

Synopsis: Pete and Paul seemingly blow the deal to land Madison Square Garden as one of Sterling Cooper’s accounts. Betty’s Dad and her brother make a visit. Peggy explores some new ways to take more control of her own life. Don is very frustrated with the new oversight at Sterling Cooper and uncharacteristically wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Review: Another strong, slow episode in season 3. There was no review last week, but I’ll say this: It was great to see the introduction of Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) as a new foe for Sterling Cooper and hopefully will be a little bit more of a thorn in Don’s side than Duck Phillips was last season. I like that Don pretty much doesn’t care that Sal is gay. Love the new battle for Head of Accounts between Pete and Ken. But I HATE that they got a new Bobby for this season. It’s like when they switched wives on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Bobby was adorable, but oh well, onto this week’s episode.

It seems that Don and Betty are much more blunt with each other this season. She looks at him like she’s waiting for him to cheat again, so in the meantime she’ll make things hell for him. Don, the usually smooth and charming fella, is going to great lengths to show his dissatisfaction with the new management as well as his crippling unhappiness with his home life. Now that Betty’s father is living with them, and we’re only seeing the on-set of what is going to be some pretty serious dementia, things don’t seem to be looking up for Don. Even the touch of grass between his hands as a free-spirited teacher does a maypole dance can’t even inspire him anymore.

I liked the development we saw with Peggy. This is the 60s and we’re bound to see her test her limitations of what she can do with her independence. At one point, at a bar when a man she was flirting with assumed she was a secretary, she played into it by saying “My boss is a jerk” in a very non-Peggy tone. We see her at the end typing in her new office and having what looked to be a normal meeting with Don. Something seemed off, and I can’t really put my finger on it. Chat boards across the internet have brought up things like “she didn’t straighten her dress before she sat down” to “Peggy and Don are going to have an affair. The former indicates that she will begin to care less and less about what then men in the office think of her, but the latter seems like a little bit of a stretch.

I’m open to suggestions for what’s going on with Peggy as well as predictions about what’s going to happen in this season. So far, like every other season, we’re off to a slow start. This season seems to be about accommodating change. Roger and Bertram don’t like the heavy involvement the British owners are taking; Betty doesn’t know how to feel comfortable around her husband, despite the fact he is willing to let her father live with them; Peggy is becoming independent, Sal is embracing his sexuality, and Pete is moving up in the ranks, despite the fact that he still whines non-stop about it; and finally, I have to accommodate for the change of Bobbys. Looks like it’s going to be a rough season. And we haven’t even gotten to the juicy social stuff like the Kennedy assassination being a scant 6 months away from where episode 2 ended.

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