And I Thought it was Strange You Said Everything Changed You Felt as If You'd Just Woke Up: Mad Man, Season 2. Episode 9 , Six Month Leave

Oh Freddy Rumsen. In an episode where characters were gaining and losing my sympathies like wildfire, there was one person who I always felt for, and that was good old Freddy. I loved that even so drunk that he wet his pants and passed out, Freddy still knew the pitch by heart and could do it perfectly. I loved that Peggy felt so awful about losing Freddy, that she acknowledged the way he brought her up from the secretarial pool, and that she even said to Don, "But I love Freddy!" I also love Freddy, with his crazy Mozart playing zippers and all. It was tough for Don and even Roger to let Freddy go. Sterling-Cooper is certainly a haven for alcoholics, but even Roger has to draw the line somewhere. And he does, to Don's and of course Freddie's dismay, draw it at peeing yourself and passing out right before you have to meet with clients. Even as both Don and Freddy try to laugh it off, they both know that Roger is right. Times are changing, and being seen as a drunk old boys club is starting to become a little outmoded. Freddy, like so many other characters this episode, has woken up to what his life has become. The problem is, he has no idea what do with that life.

Don and Betty are also becoming cognizant of the realities of their lives and their marriage. Don, who starts the episode loyal and moral on behalf of Freddy, ends it admitting that he doesn't even feel bad about hurting his wife, just relieved to be able to lie a little less. And maybe to be away from her for a while. Betty on the other hand is clearly depressed and angry. The scene when he drops the kids off is great, with Betty realizing what kind of person Don really is. "Did you just come up with that?!" Don on the other hand, is becoming more and more himself. He mentions his father in conversation to Roger, and lets his cool persona slip when he slugs Jimmy in the underground casino. (They actually let Jimmy be for real funy for a second there too! "How'd I take that Floyd?!") Betty and Don may be busying themselves with work and strange tormenting of "friends" (I wonder how Sarah Beth and Arthur's lunch went?), but they are in same boat as Freddy. Fully aware of things they have been working so hard to deny, but without any idea what the next step is, or what they want it to be. Stranded on an island of reality.

Over all of this hangs the pall of a star's death, a woman who seemed to have it all and yet could not be happy. Like Don, Marilyn Monroe only seemed to have everything one could ever want. I liked Joan's reaction to her death because of all the Marilyn/Joan references throughout the show. I also liked that Roger knew her well enough to know what was really bothering her. "You're nothing like her." Joan's suspicion that using your sexuality to go through life may be an empty way to live has just been confirmed, and she to is standing at the precipice. She knows she wants something else, but she doesn't know what that something else is.

Which brings us of course to Roger. My dear Roger, a man of action surrounded by all of these paralyzed people. When Mona said he was in love, I was sure I had missed some super-hot reunion between Roger and Joan! But instead he is leaving his wife for Jane, a pale imitation of the woman he wants. By the way Jane was sniffing around Don, Roger may be her second choice as well. Roger may have taken action, but I think he knew almost immediately that his plan was not as good as he thought it was. He has made an enemy out of his wife, and also of Don. Don knows that Roger used him, using the info Jane gave him about his marriage to get him to say the things Roger wanted to hear, and then again to blame for the idea of leaving his wife. Of course Don would want Jane away from, because he now knows that she is not "a discreet person" as she claimed to be.


This was a great episode for the Roger lover in me, (if you notice all of my pictures feature that silver fox today!) and I think it really moved the story forward on a lot of fronts. So many characters standing, facing the truth and yet unable to move beyond the stasis of their lives. I think in upcoming episodes there will be no choice but to move, either back to the status quo or in some entirely new directions.

No 90210?!! NOO!!!!

Something tragic has happened. My stupid DVR (I swear, I am going to get a new box soon. Damn you Charter Communications!!) went crazy and now, NBC has magically replaced the CW on channel 13. The info tells me that it is the CW, but the shows playing are from NBC. How could this happen on on 90210 night?!! At least I didn't miss Gossip Girl though. I am comforted by that. I do plan on trying to watch the episode online, but just in case that doesn't work out, I thought we could have just a little tribute to one of the greatest episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 ever, "Things to Do on a Rainy Day" AKA, The Color Me Badd episode.

This episode just happened to be playing on Soapnet today (thank god NBC hasn't replaced Soapnet! I don't even want to think about that) which I now take as a sign from above that we needed to remember it. Now this is a classic episode, filled with not only cheese, but also heart and after-school specialness, topped off with a cherry of Color Me Badd. Could I ask for more? Why yes, I could. We get almost no Brenda/Dylan action, and that is a bummer. But other than that, it is a great one.

Here are some awesome things that happen on that fateful rainy Saturday:

-Brenda, Kelly, Donna and David (who is pretty much classed as one of the girls in this episode, which always made me laugh) run around a hotel to try and get a glimpse of Color Me Badd. Many hijinks ensue.

-After Kelly steals a key to sneak up and finally acheive the goal of seeing Donna's favorite band, Donna learns that only bad things happen to wimps. She jumps out of the elevator in order to avoid getting in trouble and sees her mother getting all sexy with some dude who is not her dad! Her self-righteous crazy bout virginity mother! Donna was upset, and she did mention that her mother was a hypocrite, but she just didn't relish it enough for me. Brenda would have relished it a little. Anyway, the point is, never ditch your friend in the middle of hijinks!

-Kelly, of course, gets to meet Color Me Badd, because she has guts. David and Brenda already bailed because people were getting bitchy or something. It doesn't really matter. Kelly also gets backstage passes to the bands RADICAL AWESOME concert. I bet it was great.

-Donna gets to bask in the glow of awesome momness that is Cindy Walsh, who gives her the whole, "it's not your fault, your parents still love you runaround".

-Meanwhile, over in boys-town, (sorry David!), Dylan, Brandon and Steve decide to get a stripper. Of course they become friends with her (the goody- goodyness of Brandon is contagious) so she doesn't actually strip. Jim Walsh finds out about his teenager son's creepy patriarchal misogyny and just pats him on the back, and tells him about the first time he saw a stripper. It is so gross, and it just makes you remember what an ass Jim is to Brenda whenever she does anything even remotely wrong or disappointing! It is much like the time he finds out Brandon has sex and pretty much congratulates him, and when he finds out that Brenda and Dylan are doing it, he is ready to send her to a convent. I think it was supposed to be cute and protective, but it just made me really hate Jim Walsh.

-So we end the episode in the Peach Pit, and Donna is all bummed about her Mom's cheating ways, and who does Kelly show up with? That's right COLOR ME BADD! At this moment, Kelly is actually the BEST.FRIEND.EVER. (How quickly things will change...) They awkwardly serenade Donna in a way that would be totally excruciating in real life, but is totally exhilarating on 90210.

It's funny because Donna was such a lame character, but two of the most iconic episodes of 90210 are about her. (This and "Donna Martin Graduates") of course Donna doesn't really do anything great in either of the episodes, so not all logic is lost.

Keep your fingers crossed that my cable box will be all fixed soon!

Heroes! Villains?!

Here are some things we learned in the Heroes Season 3 premiere:

-All of the people we like are bad or will be bad pretty soon. Maybe. Except Hiro. Maybe, unless he does go bad instead of Ando. Or something.

-Future Peter has terrible problem solving skills. Was he just going to follow Nathan around constantly shooting at him every time he tries to say anything? That is a really bad plan.

-There seems to literally be no alternate future in which Peter does not have that scar on his pretty face. That bums me out.

-There seems to be no alternate future in which Claire gets to stay a blonde. Also kind of a bummer.

-We should laugh at the idea of someone living in Africa having a cell phone. Because they are savages, I guess. Real nice NBC.

-Matt is still pretty boring. But at least Molly has been sent away somewhere. No more "My Two Dads" for her!

-HRG is still pretty awesome! But when will he finally give in and team up with Claire-Bear?

-Mohinder has gone insane, leading to some very gross consequences.

-Maya can obviously not help but have sex with every single clinically insane man she happens to meet. I bet she would really like Nathan and all of his Malcolm McDowell hallucinations. Here's hoping she never wanders into a mental institution.

-Present Peter= Weevil! Yes, Weevil from Veronica Mars! Whom we can only see in reflection, just like on Quantum Leap! ("His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time...") Three awesome things combined into one! In the words of Jenn, "It's like Tim Kring read my diary!"

-Speaking of Veronica Mars, Elle is out on her ass! But at least she's not dead. And the fact that she electrocuted Sylar was pretty awesome.

-Hiro is silly. If you don't believe me, just check out the score to every one of his scenes. The music will let you know.

-Sylar's mom is ANGELA?!!!? For real?!!!

Now speaking as someone who didn't hate Season 2 with the same intense passion of most people, I think these first two episodes bode pretty well for Season 3. Peter knows who he is and isn't chasing around some annoying girl (still stuck in the horrible Shanti virus filled future I guess. Sorry Caitlin!) and Hiro isn't in ancient Japan, so right there are some big improvements. I am ready for Heroes to be awesome this season! So it better be.

The REAL Serena? Once again, it's time for Gossip Girl!

I'm ready, so let's just dive in:

THE GOOD:

1. I can't lie, I think I was way more surprised than Dan at how fast my sweet, earthy Serena went back to evil bitch queen!  Dan the douche did always think the worst of her though.  HA!  She will take you down jerkface!  She already did.  And it wasn't even hard. (I think America Ferrera was right!  Gossip Girl is making me mean! No, that's not it. I just really hate Dan.)  I hope she doesn't get too evil though.  Her hair will still be pretty no matter what. 

2. Marcus and the Duchess!  That woman has a hunger for young men that can not be satisfied. I cannot believe that Marcus started to cry when they were found out!  It made me think she was abusing him or something.  She is kind of scary.  He obviously has a thing for scary women.  

3. LILY!  It's true, I have a severe weakness for van der Woodsens.  I love them and all of their making-Humphreys-less-odious ways.  There is one to make you hate each Humphrey a little less.  Lily made me forget my Rufus hatred for about a minute by coming home from her honeymoon and basically attempting to date him without his knowledge.  He likes Repo Man! (That's some really odd shorthand for cool by the way.) Then the idiot shot her down when she said she needed a friend!  Because that's what you do when really love someone.  

4. I actually really love how half of the plot lines of this show could not happen without the aid of cell-phone photography.  As an avid cell-phone photographer myself (ask me about the epic "Krista in the Car" series sometime) , I understand the value of this technology.  I haven't caught any illicit affairs with my phone yet, but I am always at the ready.

5. Blair getting her revenge!  She didn't lie down and cry when she found out about Marcus and his gross mommy-schtupping ways!  She secured poor manwhore Nate's freedom from his bondage and got evil Catherine and simpering Marcus out of town! Oh I can only say "HA!" about that.  Except that all of it was undone, which leads me to...

THE BAD.

1. Vanessa.  How did it feel to be on my like list?  Did it make you feel warm and fuzzy?  Was it good?  Apparently not that good, because you didn't even try to remain on it!  If there is one thing you can trust Blair Waldorf to do, it is to take down those who have wronged her.  I loved how it was the classic TV "look at a situation for 10 seconds, decide what's going and then turn away just as it becomes clear that you were completely wrong about it" thing.   Maybe it could have been written a little better, or maybe this show truly wants me to think that Vanessa is a total moron.  I thought home-schooled kids were supposed to be smart!

2. Jenny.  Jenny has never been on my like list.  She was evil and now she's just insipid. I have no desire to see those weird flunkies who cannot act bully her all year.  They both act way too much with their necks.  It's very strange.  

3. Rufus, you suck!  (I had to mention it again.)  

4.  Why does CW.com hate Serena?  I can never find a decent picture of her on there.

5.  Dan.  Am I supposed to feel bad for him?  Well, if I am then this show should really have him stop yelling at Serena.  That makes me angry.

6.  Okay, I know they are all rich kids and everything, but are there really bars in NYC where high school kids can go and order Belvedere Martinis?  I am sheltered, so maybe they do exist.  The police should really crack down on those.  

THE AWESOME!

CHUCK is pulling the strings!  He was behind the entire crazy Dan/Serena battle for dating supremacy in some convoluted, evilsexy plan to have Serena usurp Blair, causing her to lose all self-esteem and come running to him!  Or something like that.  He probably made Catherine and Marcus do it and arranged for Vanessa to find them too!  He's probably done something to trick me into writing this paragraph about how awesome he is so that Blair will see it and realize that she is meant to be with him and his evilsexiness no matter how many airports and helipads he plans to abandon her on!  That's right, Chuck Bass has stepped from the land of fiction into reality to get me to write this.  That is how awesome of a puppet master he is.  Whatever you are doing right now, it is probably because of him.  

Next week:

Things are going bad between B and S!  I don't like it.  Not one bit.

XOXO!

Fringe- Episode 2: I don't want to love a freak!

I am definitely still into this show! I liked the plot-of-the-week and all of the creepy, disgusting things that went with it (instant pregnancy, old man baby, eyeball out of socket, horrid serial killing while the victim is still awake, etc.) However the story of the week/police procedural is kind of boring to write about (and read about I'm sure) So I'm just going to stick to larger plot points/character arcs for this show. Also, don't expect too many pictures, because the Fringe site is really terrible.

So here's the big question for me, is Peter/Pacey some kind of lab rat freak?! I really hope that Walter did not grow him in a lab. For one, Peter is going to be pissed if his dad did that and two, the idea really creeps me out for some reason. I think that I may be prejudiced against people who were grown by their dads in a lab. Just a little though. I mean I would still date him/marry him and have his little freak babies (were I single of course!).

Question two is, will Olivia start to grow a personality anytime soon? She did make a pretty funny joke at the end ("I told her you were going to give me a raise.") But beyond that she has no sense of humor about the fact that she is running around with a crazy man who mutters and does insane things that work and a hot genius who is not very good with a gun. I mean a more interesting person totally would have made fun of Peter for his terrible gun-handling skills. I know I would have, and I am very interesting.

The big questions for the show (as opposed to me) are... What is the deal with Massive Dynamics? ("What do we do? What don't we do." Great slogan.) Is that lady evil, or are we just supposed to think that? Is Broyles evil? Is the government evil? (Probably.) I know Abrams is really good at building these huge back stories and mythologies, but I also know that they are trying to make Fringe more "drop in friendly" so you don't have to see every episode to get it. So maybe we will find things out a bit quicker with this one than on other Abrams shows.

Another back story that is intriguing me is "Who was Walter Bishop? Because now he is an awesome and kind of weirdly sweet crazy person. But I have a feeling that he wasn't always working on the side of good, and he might have known it. The whole manslaughter thing could easily be something that someone from Massive Dynamics/the Government/and evil Shadow Government/The Others railroaded him into, but it could just as easily be true. He is definitely living with some heavy burdens.

I thought the end was really powerful, with Peter singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' to help his dad sleep. Right now I am pretty sure they are going to get all close and Peter will start to feel loving and forgiving and calling him "Dad" and all that, and then BOOM "You are a freak from a lab with no mother who would not exist if it weren't for my crimes against nature!" is going to come out. Also what was the deal with that last image? Were those just other "soldiers" that had been created in a lab by Bishop and that other crazy scientist guy? Did they look like the "son" who aged and died? Did they look like Peter?

In the words of Jay, OH SNAP! 90210!

Let's all congratulate me for doing a non-list post on Gossip Girl! Hooray me! Don't expect that to happen, possibly ever, for 90210 though. Because if you think that Gossip Girl is a shallow show with almost no thematic or philosophical underpinnings, then you must not have seen 90210 yet! 

Ok, so let's just start with the obvious, things

 that crazily enrage me...

1. DYLAN IS SAM'S FATHER! UGH!  I knew it was coming, and yet, somehow that did not make it easier.  Obviously, Brenda is much more mature than I am, 

because she seemed to perfectly fine with the fact that the love of her life and her "best friend" have a little kid together!  I don't like it at all.  I was actually just watching some classic 90210 today on Soapnet (Chuckie's Back!  Steve decides to go and find his bio-parents, among other things.) and Dylan and Brenda are so damn cute together!  He and Kelly never EVER seemed to like each other at all, a theory which I guess is supported by the fact that he lives as far away from her as humanly possible.  It was totally just sex with them, which is how Sam came about I suppose. Still, I just wanted it to be Brandon.  

That's actually the only thing that crazily enraged me.  

But all was not well in the rest of 90210 either, 

1. Ok, I know I keep mentioning this, but Annie and Naomi have some serious facial (acting?) tics.  I will admit that Naomi only flared her nostrils twice in this episode, but Annie cannot get through a scene without pulling some goofy-ass face!  I think it's supposed to be cute.  It's not.

2. Still don't care about Ty.  He seems like a smug jerk to me.  Also, and more importantly, still don't care about Annie, one of the main characters on the show.  I didn't love this chick on Degrassi either, to be honest.  

3. I can admit it.  Brenda needs a haircut.  

4. Naomi's mom freaks me out.  First of all, something about her face is creepy.  Secondly,  I don't really care about her or her daughter, but I love how she was totally cool with 

her husband just doing some random from Denver, and then was completely, like can't get out of bed depressed when she found out the woman lived in L.A.  It seemed like things would stay pretty much the same for her either way.  Was she really that shocked that her lying, cheating husband, was um, lying a bit to her about his mistress? 

Things that I liked:

1.  There was definitely some O.G. feel to this one!  I believe that Dixon's entire                               

story was lifted from an original episode minus being drunk when he hit someone.  Dixon and Nat were cute. I loved the way Nat stared off into space in that geriatric way of his and remembered the awesomeness that was Brandon Walsh.  Apparently Nat has not hired another West Beverly Grad in about 20 years, which strikes me as odd, as everyone who goes to that school seems to frequent the Peach Pit.  It is possible that he waxes nostalgic about Brandon whenever anyone mentions West Bev. though. He really loved Brandon.  I wonder whatever happened to Nat's 50 year old pregnant wife... 

                                                                                                                                                                   

2. Dixon seems to be successfully channeling the things that they

 always told you made Brandon so great (responsible, only makes mistakes in an honorable way, hard worker, etc.) without all the things that made you want to smack Brandon's face.  (self-righteousness, doucheyness, goody-goodness, weird aggressiveness "YOU TOOK THE JOB?!")  He's a cutie.

3. I like that they are kind of addressing the whole Black kid/white family thing.  I mean at least they're mentioning it.

4. Dixon and Silver are still cute!

5. BRENDA!  She was being a good friend, a good teacher and a good director in this episode!  There was even a "Donna Martin Graduates" shout out.  Attention makers of 90210, keep reminding me of the old show, and I will keep watching.  It's sad, but it's true.

6.  The scene where the kid who Dixon hits with his car asks him to go to the Laker's game with him was so Brandon and Dylan first date/first meeting!  I hope these two find love the way Dylan and Bran did.  That kid had way more charisma than Ty.  Or Ethan for that matter.  And I don't even remember what he looked like.

7. Naomi was kind of cute with Ethan's autistic brother.  (I will not say something offensive here, but I am thinking about my first impressions of Ethan.)  When she is not with him, I will go back to my regularly scheduled not giving a crap about her.  

7.   And of course, the single greatest (sort of) original character on this show, TABITHA!  She got to have layers!  She was funny and crazy and nice and self-aware!  There must be just a pinch of Rob Thomas magic television show dust around the CW, and Jessica Walter just snapped up every last bit.  Sing from your ass people!

 

If Serena is sad, I am sad. Gossip Girl time!

Now, please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that, as a poor person, the character that I am supposed to relate to on this show is Dan Humphrey. Dan is a poor person like me, he thinks rich people and all their ways are crazy and immoral and funny and weird. He makes fun of them under his breath and doesn't need all of their trappings to be a soulful artist dude who knows who he is. He lives in a funky loft in Brooklyn and wears clothes from like, Urban Outfitters or something. He is my conduit into the world of Gossip Girl. He is me. I am him. And yet, I HATE HIM SO MUCH!!

Yes, yes I know, he's cute. Also he is a writer who has apparently been published in the New Yorker. He got to intern with Jay McInerney for goodness sake! (and by the way, I did not mention this in my review of episode 1, but, WHAT? I mean I love this show as much as the next person, but there was really no reason that Jay McInerney should have guested. I am sure he had something better to do.) Also he has very good comic timing and a dry wit. However, I hate him still.

Why must you toy with my emotions show?! I knew Dan and Serena were going to break up, I wasn't planning their wedding or anything, but come on! That was barely two episodes. And Serena's hair looked so pretty! And she was so sweet when she said "I forgive you for Georgina". And then Dan had to go and say "I forgive you too, BUT..." But what jerkface?! But...maybe if I didn't judge almost everything about you, you may have felt that you could be more honest with me about NOT killing a dude and NOT having a threesome sex-tape? Yeah, MAYBE. How can he break my poor little Serena's heart? Because she's rich and beautiful and nice and once in a while throws her name around to get shit done?! Seriously, that guy is a judgmental douche. Ladies, do not let a douche try to change you. You throw your name around and wear fabulous clothes and be rich if that is who you are! I can only like Dan when he is being nice to Serena, and not being self-righteous and judgy and sucky. It is so obvious this guy is the spawn of Rufus.

On to better things. Chuck is impotent because of his love for Blair?! Why yes he is. But things seem to be working fine when she's around! Just evilSEXY all over the place tonight! Of course it helped that Marcus actually called Keira Knightley a tart and Blair a delicate flower. (Guys, no woman wants to hear that. Really.) I mean how can any lady control herself with the likes of Chuck snaking around and being all, well sorry to say it again, but, evilsexy! I actually did feel for Marcus though, and for Blair, because it's no fun to want the thing that's bad for you when the thing that's good for you is ripe for the taking. And she knows that Chuck would throw her away as soon as he got her, because, really, dude is effed up. I mean, a Japanese stewardess?

Speaking of older lady loving (they are in high school, people), I really hate Catherine. At least I'm supposed to though, so good on you, show. I don't even know how I feel about the Nate/Catherine/Vanessa icky icky love triangle though. Vanessa is one of those people that I don't really like unless she is in my preferred coupling, no, not with Rufus, though they still had a lot of scenes together in this episode, but Vate, or Nanessa, or whatever you would like to name them. It was pretty sweet when she gave up on her relationship with Nate so that evilnonsexy Catherine wouldn't send Nate's cokehead dad to jail! That's sweet, right?! Also, she forgave him for being a manwhore, and that takes guts. Vanessa, you are on my like list now! Let's stay on there. I don't want to see that damn video camera anymore, and cut it with the Rufus time. Rufus brings everyone down. (He did look hot on his "date" though. I can't lie.)


Oh and shocker of shockers, Jenny impressed Eleanor Waldorf! (Didn't that design totally look like something Blair would wear?! With a headband?!) She is just sooo talented! And honest! Umm, sorry Jenny, still not rooting for you. The best part was when you got fired.


Next week...Serena is mean to Dan! YES YES YES! Maybe if someone takes him down a peg, I can like him again.

XOXO!

I Knew I Would Leave You, With Babies and Everything: Mad Men, Season 2, Episode 8, A Night to Remember

And I wondered if Don Draper truly believed his own lies. He does believe it, and with such conviction that he can look at his wronged wife with bewilderment when she accuses him of an affair they both know has happened. The denial seemed so sincere, that if I hadn't seen him with Bobbie with my own eyes, I would have believed him. And I thought Betty would. As she stood there in front of her husband, begging him to confess and give their marriage a chance, I thought that he would have her convinced. But Betty "knows what kind man" Don is, and she didn't back down for a second. Even after her exhaustive search for some proof to confront him with came up with nothing, Betty knew that he was lying. Not even Don's declaration of love for her and the children could make up for the fact that he cannot tell the truth. It isn't that he won't stop lying, it is that he literally cannot. He is so invested in his own persona that he is actually almost filled with confusion when he is confronted with proof of who he really is. With both Betty and Jimmy, Don gave almost no signal that he was lying. Because first and foremost, he is lying to himself.

I found it so maddening to watch Don lie straight to Betty's face again and again when it was so clear that the jig was up, and she knew. It would have been such a relief for both of them to hear him admit his sins and maybe even apologize for them. Instead he just flailed wildly, using the old deny, deny, deny trick. He is completely pathological at this point. It was difficult to watch Betty, first in that lovely party dress that got messier and messier, and then stripped down completely, wet hair, white robe, no make-up. Showing herself without all of the falsities that make up her persona as the perfect wife. Even then, Don could not give any of that honesty back to her. It just killed me to see him squander his chance to make things right with her. Both of the confrontation scenes were painful, and you could feel that afterwards, things were not going to be the same for either of them.

I also loved the dinner party scenes leading up to the confrontations. Roger was in them for one, and any John Slattery I can get, I will take. The "Duck, Crab. Crab, Duck" intro was great. One thing I really enjoy is the spectre of Duck hanging around like the ghost of Christmas future. Showing up late and alone, remembering his ex-wife's distaste for "odd numbers. If Don couldn't see that he is on his way to being a divorced, lonely alcoholic if he doesn't switch course, maybe the phone call not to come home brought that into focus a bit more.

Peggy was also given a chance to confess that she could not bring herself to take. I liked how Father Gill wanted to connect with her on a personal and a professional level, and I could be imagining it, but I think I see just a little chemistry there! Maybe it's his resemblance to Pete. I think Father Gill is very representative of the cultural shift that is going on around our characters. He represents the fact that even in the most traditional places, change is coming. When he takes his vestments off at the end to play guitar, he is just a man "who has lived life" as he tells Peggy, instead of some otherworldly holy person. I am not sure if Peggy is as pathological as Don, but she seems to be modeling her life after his if nothing else. But unlike Don, you could see just a crack in her facade. She wanted to say something, to tell him something. You could see just a slight struggle in her face. The scene in the tub was heartbreaking, as Peggy realizes that the she is paying a steep price for her secrets. Maybe not just the chance to connect with God as Father Gill warns her, but the chance to have any kind of meaningful human contact at all.

The whole episode was riveting, but for some reason the story that really got to me was Joan's. Just a little taste of what it would be like to be more than someone whose job it is "to walk around and let people look at you all day" was enough for her to realize that she could be more than just a pretty girl. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to be able to realize. As the scene in her apartment shows us, Joan had neither the skill nor the desire to become a housewife, and the man she is marrying does not seem to have any idea who she is (or what she does). Before I remembered what show I was watching, I thought for a split second that she would be hired to help Harry out in the television department! She seemed to really enjoy what she was doing and the clients (of course) loved her. I couldn't help but wonder if Roger had any idea that she would be good at/ enjoy this kind of work. Probably neither he nor Harry think of any woman as someone who can do any "real" work. Peggy is a bigger exception than we might realize, and in the same vein, so is Don. He recognized her work and talent, something Harry was too oblivious (and lazy!) to do.

As usual this show surprised me this week! I wasn't so sure that Jimmy's revelation was going to go anywhere with Betty, and I certainly did not expect the "Don't come home" call (neither did Don!). The first season was about creating and maintaining one's persona, and this one seems to be about the gradual and devastating destruction of those careful lies. I can't wait to see how Don handles the possible demise of his marriage, one of the biggest pieces to the "Don Draper" he wants to be.

"Oh my effing God!" Gossip Girl, Episode 2

"Oh my effing God!" was Blair's awesome reaction discovering that Nate and Catherine (who is also Marcus', the LORD's, stepmother, the DUCHESS) are sleeping together. Then she quickly recovers herself, and uses it to her advantage, because she rules.

There were more than a few awesome lines in this episode, including Nate's "If the best case scenario is me becoming Blair's father in law, I think it's time to move on" and Dan's "She actually calls him 'the Lord'?" Everything Chuck said was awesome, in case you were wondering.

There was so much craziness with Blair trying to make sure Marcus stayed with her and Chuck trying to get rid of Marcus that the Gossip Girl herself had her mind blown, so you know that it was good.

Chuck was all over the place being evilsexy as usual, but he was also being nicesexy too, trying to save his BFF Nate from ending up the in poor house.

Three things were angering me in this episode, and they were as follows.

1. Dan. Oh. My. God. You slept with Serena's evil ex-best friend just a few months ago, and if she's willing to look past that just say "thank you" and start making out. You do not need any more "alone time", Downer Dan. Seriously.

2. Nate. Oh poor Nate, everyone cares about him and wants to give him millions of dollars to help him. Hey Nate, maybe if you just keep repeating "I'll handle it" over and over again you'll think of something. No? Didn't work? I guess you'll just have to become a manwhore for Duchess then.

3. Rufus. Are he and Vanessa going to have an affair or something? Why are they in every scene together? Also, how could he contemplate for even a second going on another tour and abandoning his children in the exact same way that their horrible mother did? Good thing his kids aren't math whizzes or something, because I'll bet seeing Dan's calculator and Jenny's multiplication tables instead of all their "creative" crap wouldn't have reminded him that he actually liked them at all. "Oh I guess I can stand to be around my kids, since they do all this creative stuff like me! As long as they continue to be like me, I will continue to love them." You really suck Rufus.

Next week. SO MUCH evilsexy from Chuck! The Gods must be pleased with us.

XOXO!

Fringe- Pilot: Blinded by the Pacey?

Apparently, people are feeling a little underwhelmed by the "Fringe" pilot, but I definitely enjoyed it, so what do other people know? Just because someone actually gets paid to write about television does not mean they are smarter than me! Does it?
Coming to this having never watched a J.J. Abrams show (I know! What? Who am I?!), I had zero expectations beyond a desire to look at Joshua Jackson for an hour and a half. So that expectation was met, and he was cute and funny and sweet (which seems unfair to other human males, but whatever) throughout the entire show.




Also, Pacey (I mean Peter, sorry) and his dad are totally awesome together! The Mad Scientist dad is actually insane, which is fun, and his son's reactions to him are great. Also, cute. (I don't like this show for all the wrong reasons, really!)

Besides all of that, there was also genuine suspense, an interesting mystery, and an fairly unexpected twist! Also, it is set in Boston and it looks like at least some it was actually filmed there! I mean what do these people want anyway? However, there were a few things that, in hindsight, I can admit were kind of lame:


-The moment, I mean the very moment that Olivia told John "I'm not very good at this. At least I wasn't. Before you. I wanted to say I love you back.", I was thinking "Oh, okay this guy is dead. No way is he making it to the end of the episode. Of course, I was right on that.


-I didn't love the main lady (Olivia). Especially when people were supposed to be annoying her (Peter/Pacey, her jerky boss, her incredulous FBI friend, etc.) and they were just far more interesting and sympathetic.

-The moment, I mean the very moment the bad guy told Olivia "Someone from your office threatened me!" I knew that it wasn't Incredulous Friend or Jerky Boss and that it was definitely John. Which made me feel better because I thought I had been wrong about him dying when they saved him from the skin eating disease, but I wasn't, because obviously Olivia was going to kill his ass in a horrible car crash.

So, in the end I am interested in seeing how the whole larger mystery (evil overlord corporations with way more technology than the U.S. government!) plays out and I am also interested in keeping Joshua Jackson on my television, so I would definitely urge others to watch. It didn't blow me away, but I liked it. It's kind of X-Files + Numbers + Alias + Lost = pretty damn good actually!


Also, just look... and he's a genius people! A genius!!

9021-ok...Family Night!

I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed this episode, and considering the fact that there was no Tabitha and no Brenda, that's saying a lot!

Here are some things I liked about it...

1. It was totally like O.G. 90210 (always assume I am talking about seasons 1-4 of 90210 here, before it became an insane soap opera and everyone was a drug addict or killing their rapist or something) in a few ways.

-The parents were being totally Jim and Cindy, wanting their dorky "Family Night" on a Friday. I cannot wait to be a parent so I can do that kind of crap to my kids!

-The kids were all annoyed with their dorky (yet incredibly hot) Mid-Western parents, but were shown that the L.A. parents are completely horrible and their parents are the greatest people ever.

-It had a heartwarming montage at the end and the whole thing was kind of geeky and sweet, which I cannot resist.

2. It had some Silver focus. Jessica Stroup is still my favorite teen cast member. She's funny, has good reactions even when she's in the background, and is definitely the most dynamic non-adult presence so far.

3. Jackie Taylor! You drunk bitch, you are back! Fab.

4. Dixon + Silver= Love? I like it.

5. I liked all the Kelly stuff. I really liked her in beginning of Beverly Hills 90210, but sometimes I can only remember how awful and annoyingly-sainted she was at the end of the series, so I think I hate her. I actually like her, and that Jennie Garth is pretty adorable with the hot teacher. The end with her, Silver and Sam eating ice cream in bed was too damn cute! (Dylan had better not be that kid's father! I just don't see Brandon abandoning his child like that though. That's totally a Dylan move.)

6. Ethan was...better. I mean he was not hot or brooding or Dylan-y at all, but he also did not seem devlopmentally delayed and he and Annie were kind of cute together, and I know that Annie isn't bringing much to the table, so I'll have to credit Ethan on that one. He's almost...likeable.

7. Dixon was really good in that scene where he explains to Silver about his foster homes. I am really starting to warm up to him as well.


Here are some things that don't bode well...

1. OMG Annie! Stop pulling all those weird faces! Are you having a stroke?

2. Without those faces, I would have absolutely nothing to say about Annie. That's not good.

3. Are Annie and Silver starving to death? Seriously?

4. Ty. Next! Who cares? Not me.

5. So, when the actress playing Naomi wants to convey that she is upset, angry or sad, she has decided to bug out her eyes, suck her cheeks and and flare her nostrils. Okay. Interesting acting choice.

6. NO TABITHA!
7. NO BRENDA!

Other Thoughts:

I don't really see someone who is supposed to be as cool as Ethan (and those other random lacrosse dudes) hanging out with Dixon and Navid on a regular basis. I guess they were really impressed with that stupid pig prank.

Naomi did not take the "my parent's marriage is a sham" thing very well. Wonder how she'll react when we finally get to meet big brother?! I'll bet nostril-flaring will be involved!

Who is this mysterious "him" who is Sam's father?! When Kelly said "We had a lot of history in high school" the first person I thought of was Steve! The kid is pretty blonde. That would actually be a great twist, if only we could forget about his Asian wife and baby.

Looks like there is going to be a lot of Tabitha AND Brenda in the next couple of episodes, so that's more than enough reason to keep watching for me!

It’s Just a Life Story, So There’s No Climax: Mad Men, Season 2 Episode 7, The Gold Violin

A slight disclaimer here, there is something wrong with my DVR right now, so everyone was kind of a pixelated blurface on this episode. There are a lot great subtle performances in this show, so I probably did miss something. Damn you Charter Cable! Stephanie was right! You do suck!

Anyway I was very excited to see Sal's almost-dalliance with the lipstick company guy in the previouslies. Since this season has him married, I knew we would have to revisit that eventually. As usual, the way it was revisited was much more nuanced than I was originally expecting. Watching Sal drool over Ken and his "beautiful" writing in front of his wife was difficult, but not exactly the kind of embarrassment I expected when that dinner date was made. I also liked the way that Sal's relationship with his wife was portrayed. (Ken's ideal apparently!) He really does seem to love her, and he seemed genuinely sorry for leaving her out and making her feel invisible. But that doesn't change the fact that she is invisible when Ken is around. The last scene with them watching TV together made me wonder how much longer their "domestic bliss" can last. As Sal lit his cigarette with Ken's lighter, you could see him struggling with how to continue to keep the truth just below the surface.

Everyone was lying and many people were getting caught this episode. From Jane's lies to get out of trouble with Joan "They made me do it!" to Cooper reminding Don that he knows his ultimate truth "I think you would agree that I know a little bit about you..." This episode was about thinking you have everything under control and then realizing that you really don't. Sal, Jane, Don and even Joan discover this throughout the episode. They all have carefully crafted persona's whose opposites are almost visible right under the skin. Happily married (straight) man, good girl, faithful husband, powerful woman. These are all the things they want to be, but they cannot help from being gay, or mischievous, or a cad, or vulnerable. Almost everyone on this show is a shadow in some way of Don, a man with a secret. Some secrets are practically harmless (I snuck into the bosses office, I'm losing my power are work) and some are explosive (I'm gay and it's 1962, I had a child out of wedlock) but they all seem to mirror Don's in some way. "I am not who I say I am."

Don and Betty (my faves) begin this episode happy and in love, and end it vomiting, which is never the trajectory that one is aiming for. The new car, the happy family picnic, all of that is "Don Draper's", what he imagines "Don Draper" deserves. He cannot buy the car at first because it reminds him (in a tantalizing little flashback) of being less, and of being caught (which we will no doubt find out more about.). Being on the car lot reminds him that he is not Don Draper, and then with a quick meeting Cooper reminds him that he is. He is great at his job, he does impress clients, and he does deserve that Caddy! The pretty wife, the happy life, the beautiful car, all of that is his. For a moment. Don is constantly on the precipice of deciding that who he was doesn't matter, and that who he is is what counts. But something always pulls him back, and in this episode it wasn't just the reminder of Dick Whitman, but the reminder of the other Don Draper, the one who isn't a family man, or a good person, the one who doesn't deserve happiness because he makes other people miserable.

Poor Betty, all flattered by Jimmy and excited for the party, just to be set up for a big fall. Even though it seems he wanted them there for his own reasons of sabotage, I found the usually horrid Jimmy kind of sympathetic here, if only because the actor conveyed a man truly hurt by his wife's philandering. The way he brought Betty in so conspiratorially, like she knows, like she should know, like she isn't squeezing her eyes as tight as she can so as not to see the truth of her marriage, was cruel yet also somewhat generous towards her. He was assuming she was not blind, and therefore could see that her husband was cheating on her. This was the big moment of the episode, but it was almost understated. There was no big confrontation, Betty just got up, professing disbelief and dislike and it was over. Jimmy's dressing down of Don was similar. Don just looked at him with true confusion, as if it was completely impossible that Jimmy was actually right. Don and Betty are desperately trying to keep the shine on their life together, especially in front of someone who is trying to so hard to show them that they are down in dirt with everyone else.

In the end of course, the only thing that cuts the uncomfortable between silence is Betty vomiting in her lap inside of Don's brand new Coup-De ville. Life is a lot messier than they want it to be.

Other Thoughts-

Jane Vs. Joan is on! Joan can play it smarter, but Jane can play it dirtier.

You know I love me some Roger! He played "Joan fires Jane" so perfectly. Any way it goes, he gets the attention of one of them (we all know Roger loves Joan's bad attention!) and now he has it from them both!

Peggy was looking good, not like "a little girl" at all.

I almost didn't miss Pete.

And Cooper's painting, that everyone wants to see as art, but he can only see as commerce. Perfect for an advertising executive.

90210, a primer.

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