At Last! The Triumphant Return Of Mad Men

Mad Men! So incredibly great to have Mad Men back.  And such a fun episode!  I can't wait to see where the season goes from here.  We'll leave the heavy-handed textual analysis for others; here are my notes and quotes.

In 2011, The Emmys Happened.

For the 63rd time. Here is what came from that happening (and my Twitter feed and YouTube):

- I liked the opening. Jane Lynch is the best. Ron Swanson is The Best. Mad Men is awesome (omg I just remembered I have some great Jon Hamm gossip but that I should not put it on the Internets because that could get the person who blessed my life with this totally adorable and enviable gossip FIRED and then I would feel like the worst because I would totally actually be The Worst. So: if you know me, then ask me about it. But only if you promise not to post it in your blog.). The Big Bang Theory poked fun at their laugh track, but it wasn't enough to make me forget how terrible laugh tracks are and how much better their show would be without one. The Sue Sylvester split-screen was awkward all around. But it ended on a good note, and made me wish I could have watched more of her on-stage banter.

The Tweetie

After years of naysaying and resisting, I am now on Twitter. I realized that it's such a good way to network and I can get all the little fleeting opinions and thoughts I have out without having to write a whole post on here. You can follow me @girlglowsgreen, or leave suggestions for people for me to follow, too!

For your edification and enjoyment, here's my Tweet-warming present to you:

"I'm gonna miss you, you know."

So, Tomorrowland. Wow. This episode blew me away. This is what we've been waiting four long years for...to see Don Draper absolutely, authentically happy. At the beginning of this season, I wrote that "I doubt Don Draper has ever asked himself what he really wants." Thankfully, since this ended up being the season of "what I want versus what's expected of me", we got Don Draper asking himself that question and, miracle of miracles, finding the right answer.

It is a testament to Jon Hamm's superb acting abilities that I was able to actually watch Don fall in love with Megan and realize that love for himself. He acts differently around her than with any of his other women; he is a bit timid, respectful yet desirous, and, at first, obviously "scared". Maybe it's accentuated by the fact that I'm going through a bit of romantic confusion myself at the moment, but I felt all of the characters' emotions so strongly and effortlessly last night. When that scene with the milkshake where it really clicks for Don fades into the scene in his apartment where The Sad Man Cave is drenched in the so much sunlight it becomes almost unrecognizable...it was clear that things are looking up. By trying to be a better man, Don has become one.

"I'm mad at you. You're still so hot."

Guys, I'm really sorry that it's been so long since my last post. But a long weekend at my parent's house and a necessity to spend the following mornings unpacking and rearranging my room ate up my time. Plus, I've still got to watch all the TV that I love to write about on here and man, that takes some serious dedication. So, for this post we're going to do it bullet-style so I can get out all the random thoughts I've been having - and then get back to watching Community commentary because I'm hoping to have my in-depth Community posts done by Halloween (there is commentary on every episode! Seriously, if you're thinking about a DVD to buy, Community is definitely the most awesome for your buck.). Okay, let's start the show.

- Glee is back - for realsies! After three poorly organized episodes with some very weak (or just plain obnoxious) song choices, they finally brought it this week in "Duets". OMG I love Brittany and Santana and their queerness. I love Kurt and his awesome "Faith Hill" voice rocking the cock out of "Le Jazz Hot". The songs this week were (mostly) perfection - I am already over Sam's aww-shucks Jack Johnson/Mrazziness, but other than that...I actually downloaded some new songs yesterday. I really, really wanted to hear Artie and Brittany sing together, but I also like how they developed their storyline because it made perfect sense for both of their characters. Glee has a problem with consistency of motive and emotion - it can be kind of like Gossip Girl in that regard. But thankfully in "Duets" the writers snapped out of it, realized that no one, on the show or IRL, wants to watch Rachel Berry belt a self-involved ballad at the end of every fucking episode (and OMG, how amazing was that Kurt/Rachel/Judy/Barbra number? Blew my gay little mind.). Taking the focus off of Rachel and Finn a little and making the show more of a true ensemble is a step in the right direction and I hope the writers continue this way. But, let's be honest, they probably won't.

The Inevitable Disappointment

I've realized that what's even worse than Bryan Cranston beating Jon Hamm for the third year in a row is that Emmy voters simply have no taste. In fact, the only major awards I think they got right were the Emmys given to Jane Lynch and Mad Men.

It always sucks when there's a category (Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, por ejemplo) where 5 of the nominees are so good I can't decide which one deserves it and the remaining one is lame...and wins it. Michael Emerson, Terry O'Quinn, John Slattery, Martin Short...you were robbed. Not to mention that Christina Hendricks and Elizabeth Moss lost to a woman who quite clearly stated, "This is great for my career" in her speech. No shit, dude. Now go do something worthwhile.

Fuck The Good Wife. I hate the title, I hate the subject, and I hate that it captivates all of the elderly and unimaginative Emmy voters. And while we're at it, fuck The Closer even harder. How cunty was it when Kyra Sedgwick made Tina Fey hold her Emmy while she gave her speech? I have always hated Kyra Sedgwick, but that just cemented it. God, what an awful thing to do. Tina, I love you. I'll give you an Emmy.

I'm glad that NPH won for the Tonys because clearly no one is ever going to give him or Steve Carell any of the love they so truly deserve.

And we're just going to forget everything that Jimmy Fallon said - let's just remember what he sang. Dude has seriously surprised me at actually being really good on Late Night, but the writing on the show last night was so bad there was no way he was gonna pull it off. Thank god for John Hodgeman.

The opening, however, was brilliant. They should all get Emmys just for that, including Tim Gunn and Randy Jackson (I'm not an Idol fan by any means, but it was awesome to see him actually up there totally shredding on the guitar), but we can leave out Kate Gosselin and that unrecognizable brunette who jumped in at the last minute. And can someone please make me a gif of John Hamm shimmying and then backing it up? And one of Jorge singing? I need that hotness multiple times a day, man.

In other news, once Jorge Garcia and John Hamm and Joel McHale form a band, my life will be complete. Seriously, guys...I would pay a lot of money to see that. Maybe all my money. Ever. So...get on it.

And now please welcome once again to the stage...The Primetime Emmys!

It's time, kids. It's time to talk about the Emmys.

Now, I don't have a problem with the Emmys themselves, per se. Of course it makes sense for the medium of television to have its own awards show. The problem is that I don't think anyone really thought it through enough to realize that awards for television might need to be structured a little differently than those for movies or music.

Because what ends up happening is this: An actor lands a role on a show. The actor is nominated by Emmy (or Golden Globe, they have the same problem) voters. The actor wins an Emmy. And then next year, when that actor is nominated for playing the exact same role and wins again, no one says boo. I'm sorry, but even stellar actors like Alec Baldwin get stuck in this trope. No doubt that he's brilliant on 30 Rock, but there is so much good work being done on TV these days and this awards show-rut continuously rewards the same people. Like effing Tony Shaloub. Did anyone know that Monk was even still on the air? Tony Shaloub and Monk are like, the U2 of television: you don't know anyone who really likes them, yet they continue to be rewarded by their own industry (seriously, Rolling Stone: no one cares about U2. stop sucking Bono's dick and give me some more Matt Taibi and Rob Sheffield, because that's all I read anymore). Anyway, my point is that I really feel like there needs to be a rule where an actor can only win once for a particular role. I don't think it applies to the shows themselves; a show can be very different from season to season. But especially in comedies...god, I was so angry when that awful old man from Everybody Loves Raymond won over and over again, even after he died. Well, I was pretty angry when anything from ELR won at all, but that's just because I have good taste.

Seriously, though. Alec, Tina, Jon Hamm...I love you guys. You're amazing actors and you deserve the Emmys you already have. But I also love NPH and Jorge Garcia and Rainn Wilson and Jane Lynch and Zach Galifianakis and Nathan Fillion and Justin Kirk...just to name a few. And I think they deserve some recognition for the incredible work they do.

it's a mad mad mad mad Mad Men world

with the season 4 premiere almost upon us (Sunday @ 10pm on AMC), i felt it appropriate that the first real post be devoted to what may be the best all-around show in the history of television. it's hard for me to put into words what really connects with me besides the obvious, but i'm going to try. bullet points, don't fail me now.

What Makes Mad Men Awesome:

- so rarely on the small screen does so much hotness coincide with such good, consistent acting. seriously, think about some of the more lauded dramas. House? Hugh Laurie is good, but the show is hopelessly formulaic and i kind of hate everyone else, especially after they killed off Kal Penn so he could go work for Obama. The Sopranos? good acting, not so much hotness. Lost? TONS of hotness, but inconsistent acting with demerits taken for Emilie deRavin and Matthew Fox pre-season 6. but Mad Men - has some of the most beautiful people in the world, and they can all act their asses off. Rich Sommer (Harry Crane): yummy with or without glasses. Michael Gladis (Paul Kinsey) has a great baritone and can wear facial hair like nobody's business. January Jones (Betty Draper) is cute if you're into that skinny blonde Grace Kelly thing. Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris nee Holloway): SWOON. Jon Hamm (Don Draper): double swoon into a melted puddle of impure thoughts. it is really unbelievable how fucking hot Jon Hamm is - in fact, we might want to be careful, he could be an alien sent to earth to subtly enslave us with his otherworldly good looks. just sayin'. and, oh yeah, and he's an awesome actor, be it drama or comedy. put them together, and you have magic:

if that clip doesn't make you want to (a) watch Mad Men or (b) get yourself out of that skirt, then stop reading now. there's no hope for you.

- the show is so visually stunning i can't take my eyes off it. even if we move beyond the carnal eye candy to the costuming and set design - the attention to detail, in relation to both the time period and the characters themselves, is astounding. this show is literally a feast for the eyes, and i hate that phrase so you know it's true. and it's not just the set design, but the lighting, and the directing, and really just the way everything is put together perfectly to create just the right tone. but so much of this has been said before, what i really want to get to is the emotion of the show.

- that leads us first to the writing, which is, to put it succinctly, powerful. it is smart without being pretentious, symbolic without being heavy-handed, and doesn't contradict itself (one of my major pet peeves). the writing allows for natural pauses and silences and allows for the actors to carry a scene on a single glance (see Joan at the end of that scene where her drunk husband tells her to turn off the light). no one part of the show is trying to outshine any other; they all work together so harmoniously that it's nearly a miracle.

- the beautiful people and the top-notch acting and the perfectly accurate production values all come together to present this authentic experience that bores to the heart of who we are and what makes us that way. the story of Don Draper is at once familiar and unknown; we are used to successful men not always being what they seem, yet despite his deceitful behavior we love Don Draper. we root for him, because he is lost. he is so utterly lost to himself and he is unable to reach out for help. yet he knows other people so well - he understands the human spirit - and thus is insanely excellent at his job. where these two sides of him, the confident ad man and the lonely, poor, lost, and broken little boy intersect is where the emotional sparks fly.

take this clip. this is, for me, the essence of what compels me to watch Mad Men. there are many more stories, many great characters, and the way the story flows within historical events is remarkable. i love Peggy, and Joan, and Sal, and Betty and Sally and even Pete Campbell - and might be talking a bit about their characters and inner turmoils as this new season unfolds and more and more is brought to light (i'm especially excited for Joan's husband to go off and die already). but the powerful reality of pain and repressed yet universal emotions that exist in Don Draper is what brings me back, and it's what i'm left thinking about once the episode's ended.

well, that...and doing Jon Hamm. and then smoking a cigarette. or ten. followed by a gin martini. best night ever, y/y?

Jon says yes.

Images via photobucket, alley cat store, the washington post, the austin chronicle, bgay.com