Well, it finally happened. I won the Ted Marshall Open. Mine was one of two perfect entries, but I took the crown thanks to my guess on the tiebreaker (the price of the higher-priced showcase on the January 2, 2014 The Price is Right). I'll take it.
What really sealed my win, though, was CBS sticking with Reckless, a summer legal drama that the network kept on the schedule despite its mediocre performance. Once it aired after August 31, the one entry that could have beaten me at that point went out of the running.
Hey, it only took 14 tries. And it's a good thing, too, as I have a feeling either The Mysteries of Laura or Stalker (or both) are going to torpedo my 15 annual entry.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Bring Out Your Dead, 2014-15
So after a quiet summer (house guests and a DVR failure meant mostly catching up with current shows on demand), we roll right into this year's Ted Marshall Open. Turns out I went 10 for 10 last season, and will be the winner if CBS decides to bring back the Southern legal drama/soap Reckless next summer (feel free to write Les Moonves and plead for its return).
But on to this year's entry. As with the past, you get 20 points if the show gets axed, and bonus points based on how you rank them (so the show you most expect to get cancelled earns an extra 10 points, 9 for the next show, etc.). Here's what I've got:
10, 9, 8, 7: Glee, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Two and a Half Men. All of these shows were announced as this being their final season, so easy points all. But I also missed easy points on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Colin Ferguson, both of which will change over to new hosts - and thus new shows - before the end of this year's competition.
6: Selfie. This My Fair Lady for the social media set is annoyingly named and, based on early reviews, is annoying in general. It also has to take on NCIS and The Voice. It may help that it's the only sitcom in the timeslot, but I'm thinking not enough.
5: The Mysteries of Laura. Debra Messing plays a female cop who has to balance work and home, with the "twist" that her potentially ex-husband (they're divorcing, but just can't quite sign the papers) becomes her boss. This is the (assumedly) family-friendly starter to NBC's evening of cop-centered programming, though the five alarm trope alert may not help if it's not quirky enough to get beyond the cliches. It may help that the timeslot seems reasonably favorable (ABC sitcoms will draw viewers, but Survivor and Hell's Kitchen are hoary enough that they may not be as big an obstacle as they once were).
4: Stalker. I didn't know much about this drama featuring a task force that hunts down stalkers (and is made up of apparently former stalkers), but it was easily the least favorably reviewed new show from what I could find by way of reviews. I hedged a little bit as (a) I've heard of the main cast (Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q), and (b) the competition isn't incredibly strong (Nashville and Chicago PD). But it sounded too horrific to pass up.
3: Utopia. I'm always suspicious of reality shows that plump themselves as a "social experiment," kind of a lipstick on a pig thing. So I threw this on here, even with the amount of promotion Fox gave it over the summer (at least on their on demand channel). And it looks like my skepticism was justified, as ratings for the show continue to drop, although it's been getting a decent DVR bump. Still, starting with numbers this low typically means doom, and if it can't beat repeats of shows in its timeslot, how much hope do they have of being competitive when those shows return?
2: State of Affairs. Katherine Heigl returns to the small screen playing way out of type for all of the marginal rom-coms she delivered to your local multiplex. In this show she plays the CIA agent who is responsible for putting together the President's daily security briefing. It also turns out she was engaged to the President's son, who died in a terrorist attack that Heigl's character is continuing to investigate (which is also supposed to have a shocking! twist!). Pretty much everyone sees this thing crashing and burning, mostly from the idea of Heigl playing a CIA agent. My fear is that (a) Alfre Woodard, who plays the President, will bring a level of quality to the show that will prevent it from being a complete disaster, and (b) by subbing in for The Blacklist it will draw from inertia alone.
1: The Mentalist. There's talk this is its final season, but it's not confirmed. I took a flyer that it will be.
Of course, there are shows that I didn't pick that landed on the top 10 of all entries submitted. They are:
Bad Judge - the top show I did not pick, it features Kate Walsh as a judge who is a mess personally but tough and inventive in the courtroom. In retrospect this seems like a good candidate for the pool - meh premise and deadly timeslot (against football on CBS and Scandal on ABC), but with NBC struggling in the sticom department maybe it gets a pass? I for one am always in favor of having Kate Walsh on my TV.
Manhattan Love Story - it's another story of a couple trying to find true love in the city, with the wrinkle here that we can hear their inner thoughts and see how they match (or don't) with their actions. Which is something, I guess. The show has Selfie for a lead-in, which may be enough to kill it even if it's decent.
The Late Show and The Late Late Show - still mad I missed this.
So there you have it. Ten show to immortality.
But on to this year's entry. As with the past, you get 20 points if the show gets axed, and bonus points based on how you rank them (so the show you most expect to get cancelled earns an extra 10 points, 9 for the next show, etc.). Here's what I've got:
10, 9, 8, 7: Glee, Parenthood, Parks and Recreation, Two and a Half Men. All of these shows were announced as this being their final season, so easy points all. But I also missed easy points on The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Colin Ferguson, both of which will change over to new hosts - and thus new shows - before the end of this year's competition.
6: Selfie. This My Fair Lady for the social media set is annoyingly named and, based on early reviews, is annoying in general. It also has to take on NCIS and The Voice. It may help that it's the only sitcom in the timeslot, but I'm thinking not enough.
5: The Mysteries of Laura. Debra Messing plays a female cop who has to balance work and home, with the "twist" that her potentially ex-husband (they're divorcing, but just can't quite sign the papers) becomes her boss. This is the (assumedly) family-friendly starter to NBC's evening of cop-centered programming, though the five alarm trope alert may not help if it's not quirky enough to get beyond the cliches. It may help that the timeslot seems reasonably favorable (ABC sitcoms will draw viewers, but Survivor and Hell's Kitchen are hoary enough that they may not be as big an obstacle as they once were).
4: Stalker. I didn't know much about this drama featuring a task force that hunts down stalkers (and is made up of apparently former stalkers), but it was easily the least favorably reviewed new show from what I could find by way of reviews. I hedged a little bit as (a) I've heard of the main cast (Dylan McDermott and Maggie Q), and (b) the competition isn't incredibly strong (Nashville and Chicago PD). But it sounded too horrific to pass up.
3: Utopia. I'm always suspicious of reality shows that plump themselves as a "social experiment," kind of a lipstick on a pig thing. So I threw this on here, even with the amount of promotion Fox gave it over the summer (at least on their on demand channel). And it looks like my skepticism was justified, as ratings for the show continue to drop, although it's been getting a decent DVR bump. Still, starting with numbers this low typically means doom, and if it can't beat repeats of shows in its timeslot, how much hope do they have of being competitive when those shows return?
2: State of Affairs. Katherine Heigl returns to the small screen playing way out of type for all of the marginal rom-coms she delivered to your local multiplex. In this show she plays the CIA agent who is responsible for putting together the President's daily security briefing. It also turns out she was engaged to the President's son, who died in a terrorist attack that Heigl's character is continuing to investigate (which is also supposed to have a shocking! twist!). Pretty much everyone sees this thing crashing and burning, mostly from the idea of Heigl playing a CIA agent. My fear is that (a) Alfre Woodard, who plays the President, will bring a level of quality to the show that will prevent it from being a complete disaster, and (b) by subbing in for The Blacklist it will draw from inertia alone.
1: The Mentalist. There's talk this is its final season, but it's not confirmed. I took a flyer that it will be.
Of course, there are shows that I didn't pick that landed on the top 10 of all entries submitted. They are:
Bad Judge - the top show I did not pick, it features Kate Walsh as a judge who is a mess personally but tough and inventive in the courtroom. In retrospect this seems like a good candidate for the pool - meh premise and deadly timeslot (against football on CBS and Scandal on ABC), but with NBC struggling in the sticom department maybe it gets a pass? I for one am always in favor of having Kate Walsh on my TV.
Manhattan Love Story - it's another story of a couple trying to find true love in the city, with the wrinkle here that we can hear their inner thoughts and see how they match (or don't) with their actions. Which is something, I guess. The show has Selfie for a lead-in, which may be enough to kill it even if it's decent.
The Late Show and The Late Late Show - still mad I missed this.
So there you have it. Ten show to immortality.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Three Up ,Three Down: Mad Men, "Waterloo"
The best things in life may be free, but we've to to pay Father Time almost a year before we see how the '60s close out. Ugh.
Three Up
1. Roger Sterling. Roger is put on the defensive when he learns of the Cutler-led lawsuit against Don for breach of contract (Cutler didn't tell him and Joan, who knew about it, didn't tip him off). He confronts Cooper about this, and gets a lesson on leadership from him about it. Which is good thing, as Cooper dies at home right after the moon landing. Roger get to the office and meets with Joan and Cutler, and Cutler is ready to use Cooper's passing to force Don's ouster. Roger finds the silver lining, though, by meeting with the exec from McCann who talked to him in the steam room and sets up a deal where McCann will buy a majority stake in SC&P, but only if they get the entire team that won Chevy - including Don and Ted, who wants out of advertising. Roger presents the offer to the partners, and once he explains the money people will make he gets everyone on board. Even Cutler, who Roger hoped to push out only to see him stay due to the money. Roger will lead the new subsidiary, taking on that leadership role that Cooper didn't see him in.
2. Peggy Olsen. The Burger Chef pitch is happening while this is going on, and Don pushes Peggy to make the pitch given the turmoil at work so she'll be sure to keep the account if he is forced out. She's doubtful that she can do it, but of course she nails it and the firm wins the account. Peggy is ready to stand on her own two feet, though how she'll fit in with Don and the return of Ted (I'm assuming Lou's contract will be terminated, though having him around to kick at would be entertaining).
3. The SC&P Partners. Are now rich. Or more rich. Joan can finally afford to move out of the Village (assuming she wants to), and Pete can get the hairplugs he needs (his glee at learning how much he stands to earn is hilarious).
Honorable Mention: Sally Draper. She's home for the summer and working as a lifeguard, and gets a bonus when a friend of Betty's comes by to visit with her family - including a hunky college-aged son. Sally shows interest - she wears lipstick to lifeguard, and she apes the older boy's cynicism at the moon landing - but she winds up kissing the younger, nerdy brother, and after he leaves she gets to light up and enjoy a smoke with the knowledge she's got power. She is a frightening amalgam of her parents.
Three Down
1. Bert Cooper. Song and dance aside, he's still dead. Too bad, too, as even though we didn't see much of Bert he was always fun in a racist, crazy old man sort of way.
2. Don Draper. For a man who now gets to keep his job and make millions for the privilege, Don's in an odd position as the half-season ends. He's clearly in the doghouse with Joan and Cutler, neither of whom are likely to forgive him for past transgressions (even if Don's agreement to the deal finally gets Joan the payday she missed from the company going public). His position as creative director is still unclear, now that Ted is sticking around and Peggy is proving her worth. His marriage is over, which learns over the phone with Megan, and then at the end of the episode he has a hallucination or vision or something where Bert Cooper sings "The Best Things in Life Are Free" to him. Whatever clarity that may have come from the McCann buyout is gone now thanks to Don's subconscious. Or a blood clot.
3. Harry Crane. His failure to sign the partnership agreement means he's going to miss out on the McCann payday, and he's probably not going to have a deal once it's done. That's why you don't act like a partner until you are one, dummy. Looks like that divorce is back on the fast track!
Honorable Mention: Jim Cutler and Ted Chaough. While both were enriched by the McCann deal, neither man gets what he wants. Cutler started the episode angling to have Don removed as part of his vision for the future of the company, while Ted (after a semi-meltdown with some guys from Sunkist) wanted out altogether. As it ends, Cutler is still around but will be second-fiddle to Roger and loses Harry as a potential partner ally. Ted opts to stay as well after Don sells him on being able to just be creative and not deal with business (which is Don selling Ted the position Don wants). Ted relents on that and so everyone can get their payday, but his comment that a five year contract would cover the rest of his life is ominous.
Three Up
1. Roger Sterling. Roger is put on the defensive when he learns of the Cutler-led lawsuit against Don for breach of contract (Cutler didn't tell him and Joan, who knew about it, didn't tip him off). He confronts Cooper about this, and gets a lesson on leadership from him about it. Which is good thing, as Cooper dies at home right after the moon landing. Roger get to the office and meets with Joan and Cutler, and Cutler is ready to use Cooper's passing to force Don's ouster. Roger finds the silver lining, though, by meeting with the exec from McCann who talked to him in the steam room and sets up a deal where McCann will buy a majority stake in SC&P, but only if they get the entire team that won Chevy - including Don and Ted, who wants out of advertising. Roger presents the offer to the partners, and once he explains the money people will make he gets everyone on board. Even Cutler, who Roger hoped to push out only to see him stay due to the money. Roger will lead the new subsidiary, taking on that leadership role that Cooper didn't see him in.
2. Peggy Olsen. The Burger Chef pitch is happening while this is going on, and Don pushes Peggy to make the pitch given the turmoil at work so she'll be sure to keep the account if he is forced out. She's doubtful that she can do it, but of course she nails it and the firm wins the account. Peggy is ready to stand on her own two feet, though how she'll fit in with Don and the return of Ted (I'm assuming Lou's contract will be terminated, though having him around to kick at would be entertaining).
3. The SC&P Partners. Are now rich. Or more rich. Joan can finally afford to move out of the Village (assuming she wants to), and Pete can get the hairplugs he needs (his glee at learning how much he stands to earn is hilarious).
Honorable Mention: Sally Draper. She's home for the summer and working as a lifeguard, and gets a bonus when a friend of Betty's comes by to visit with her family - including a hunky college-aged son. Sally shows interest - she wears lipstick to lifeguard, and she apes the older boy's cynicism at the moon landing - but she winds up kissing the younger, nerdy brother, and after he leaves she gets to light up and enjoy a smoke with the knowledge she's got power. She is a frightening amalgam of her parents.
Three Down
1. Bert Cooper. Song and dance aside, he's still dead. Too bad, too, as even though we didn't see much of Bert he was always fun in a racist, crazy old man sort of way.
2. Don Draper. For a man who now gets to keep his job and make millions for the privilege, Don's in an odd position as the half-season ends. He's clearly in the doghouse with Joan and Cutler, neither of whom are likely to forgive him for past transgressions (even if Don's agreement to the deal finally gets Joan the payday she missed from the company going public). His position as creative director is still unclear, now that Ted is sticking around and Peggy is proving her worth. His marriage is over, which learns over the phone with Megan, and then at the end of the episode he has a hallucination or vision or something where Bert Cooper sings "The Best Things in Life Are Free" to him. Whatever clarity that may have come from the McCann buyout is gone now thanks to Don's subconscious. Or a blood clot.
3. Harry Crane. His failure to sign the partnership agreement means he's going to miss out on the McCann payday, and he's probably not going to have a deal once it's done. That's why you don't act like a partner until you are one, dummy. Looks like that divorce is back on the fast track!
Honorable Mention: Jim Cutler and Ted Chaough. While both were enriched by the McCann deal, neither man gets what he wants. Cutler started the episode angling to have Don removed as part of his vision for the future of the company, while Ted (after a semi-meltdown with some guys from Sunkist) wanted out altogether. As it ends, Cutler is still around but will be second-fiddle to Roger and loses Harry as a potential partner ally. Ted opts to stay as well after Don sells him on being able to just be creative and not deal with business (which is Don selling Ted the position Don wants). Ted relents on that and so everyone can get their payday, but his comment that a five year contract would cover the rest of his life is ominous.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Strategy"
Three Up
1. Peggy Olsen. The team is getting ready to pitch Burger Chef, and Peggy presents a mom-based strategy that everyone loves. Pete and Lou love, it too - but want Don to pitch it, saying Peggy would be better introducing Don and presenting the emotional response. They say it's Peggy's call, but we're pretty clear what the class is supposed to be. Peggy asks Don, but then he says he's been considering a kid-oriented angle. This sets Peggy to doubting the strategy, and she spends most of the weekend trying to come up with a new one. Don shows up eventually, and she demands that Don thinks out loud so to how he'd save things. He does this, and they eventually land on a new strategy, one of anyone eating at Burger Chef being family. It's not all fun and games along the way - along with all the self-doubt, we learn that Peggy has turned 30 and kept it secret - but she has a nice moment with Don as they dance, which struck me as Don giving his blessing to Peggy's first big campaign.
2. Don Draper. Don's role in the firm is still very murky - he's still overshadowing Peggy and is stuck under Lou - but during the episode he works through the issues to get to a point where Peggy is standing on her own two feet with an idea she's behind. His role in marriage is also murky - Megan is in for a visit, and while she's happy to be home and with Don, there's still some tension as to their bicoastal arrangement. There's vague agreement about a vacation away from both New York and LA, but they're still unstable. Still, Don is in a better place at the end of this episode than he's been in the past.
3. Harry Crane. He's not in the episode, but at the end he gets a reward when he's made a partner. It's not unanimous - both Roger and Joan are very strongly against it - and it's done as part of a cover strategy for the loss of Chevy (more PR touting their computer and Harry). Cutler is the one who suggests it, of course, thinking it'll help his secret war to take over the firm.
Honorary Mention - Trudy Campbell. Really, this is just for getting to see Alison Brie again, but she does get to tell Pete off a bit when he visits while in New York and says her dating is immoral because she's a mom. It is a little obvious that she planned a date for the same day that Pete was coming out to visit Tammy, but anytime Trudy puts Pete is his place is something.
Three Down
1 Pete Campbell. Pete returns to New York with Bonnie in two, both having inducted the other into the Mile High Club. Pete's very happy with the Burger Chef pitch and is behind the idea of Don doing it. Things take a turn when he heads out to Cos Cob - without Bonnie - to see Tammy. Which he does - though she's very shy around him - but then Trudy is out, and he decides to wait for her. She was on a date, so he's there for a while. When she does return he gives her the business about "forgetting" his visit and the morality of her dating. He surmises she's got feelings for him She's very clear that they are getting a divorce and that he's no longer part of the family. In a bad mood, Pete buries himself in work and ignores Bonnie (bad idea). She winds up flying back to California by herself (on the same flight as Megan, though they don't seem to know each other). He then has to accept the changes to the Burger Chef campaign. At one point Bonnie says she doesn't like Pete in New York, and it does seem to cause him no end of problems.
2. Bob Benson. Bob's in New York with some Chevy execs, and gets to have a late night visit with one of them to pay bail. Turns out the exec propositioned an undercover cop - male - and then got roughed up in the cells. The two talk in the cab about the temptations of New York - they both know about the other, unclear if they've ever been involved - and the exec drops a bombshell - Chevy is moving the advertising in house, meaning SC&P is out of a job. But he hastens to add that Bob is well-liked at Buick, and he'll likely wind up there. This leads Bob, at the end of his visit with Joan and family, to propose to her. She turns him away, saying he shouldn't be with a woman. When did Joan learn that he was gay? Bob says GM expects their people to be a certain way, and that as a couple they'll have each other to lean on. Joan still declines, saying she's holding out for love, even if she never finds it. She's also stunned at the Chevy news, which doesn't help Bob. So while he may find a soft landing at Buick (and may even land them with SC&P), he's in a bit of a pickle if he can't find a beard.
3. Roger Sterling. Roger has a cryptic conversation in a steam room with an exec from another agency, involving SC&P's going after fast food and Philip Morris (while having Don Draper as an albatross around its neck). Roger has a similar conversation with Cutler, who tells Roger to think less about Don and more about the company. So while he's mulling this, he learns at a partner meeting that Chevy is out. He catches on that Joan knew about this, and stalks out at the double whammy of that and partner Harry Crane. Joan follows, and he gives her a ration about not getting a head's up when he finally pieces things together. The other exec is concerned about losing Buick to SC&P as GM liked their work on Chevy and are likely to bring Bob Benson in-house. Roger at least got that by the end - but still has to see Harry at partner meetings.
Honorable Mention - Bonnie Whiteside. She takes her vacation to New York and has to spend most of that time by herself while Pete moons over his lost family and buries himself in work. She even has to wash her feet after learning you don't wear sandals to walk around Manhattan. In a way it'd be best if she got off the Pete Campbell train now, but it is too bad that she had to waste her vacation on his disaster of a trip back.
1. Peggy Olsen. The team is getting ready to pitch Burger Chef, and Peggy presents a mom-based strategy that everyone loves. Pete and Lou love, it too - but want Don to pitch it, saying Peggy would be better introducing Don and presenting the emotional response. They say it's Peggy's call, but we're pretty clear what the class is supposed to be. Peggy asks Don, but then he says he's been considering a kid-oriented angle. This sets Peggy to doubting the strategy, and she spends most of the weekend trying to come up with a new one. Don shows up eventually, and she demands that Don thinks out loud so to how he'd save things. He does this, and they eventually land on a new strategy, one of anyone eating at Burger Chef being family. It's not all fun and games along the way - along with all the self-doubt, we learn that Peggy has turned 30 and kept it secret - but she has a nice moment with Don as they dance, which struck me as Don giving his blessing to Peggy's first big campaign.
2. Don Draper. Don's role in the firm is still very murky - he's still overshadowing Peggy and is stuck under Lou - but during the episode he works through the issues to get to a point where Peggy is standing on her own two feet with an idea she's behind. His role in marriage is also murky - Megan is in for a visit, and while she's happy to be home and with Don, there's still some tension as to their bicoastal arrangement. There's vague agreement about a vacation away from both New York and LA, but they're still unstable. Still, Don is in a better place at the end of this episode than he's been in the past.
3. Harry Crane. He's not in the episode, but at the end he gets a reward when he's made a partner. It's not unanimous - both Roger and Joan are very strongly against it - and it's done as part of a cover strategy for the loss of Chevy (more PR touting their computer and Harry). Cutler is the one who suggests it, of course, thinking it'll help his secret war to take over the firm.
Honorary Mention - Trudy Campbell. Really, this is just for getting to see Alison Brie again, but she does get to tell Pete off a bit when he visits while in New York and says her dating is immoral because she's a mom. It is a little obvious that she planned a date for the same day that Pete was coming out to visit Tammy, but anytime Trudy puts Pete is his place is something.
Three Down
1 Pete Campbell. Pete returns to New York with Bonnie in two, both having inducted the other into the Mile High Club. Pete's very happy with the Burger Chef pitch and is behind the idea of Don doing it. Things take a turn when he heads out to Cos Cob - without Bonnie - to see Tammy. Which he does - though she's very shy around him - but then Trudy is out, and he decides to wait for her. She was on a date, so he's there for a while. When she does return he gives her the business about "forgetting" his visit and the morality of her dating. He surmises she's got feelings for him She's very clear that they are getting a divorce and that he's no longer part of the family. In a bad mood, Pete buries himself in work and ignores Bonnie (bad idea). She winds up flying back to California by herself (on the same flight as Megan, though they don't seem to know each other). He then has to accept the changes to the Burger Chef campaign. At one point Bonnie says she doesn't like Pete in New York, and it does seem to cause him no end of problems.
2. Bob Benson. Bob's in New York with some Chevy execs, and gets to have a late night visit with one of them to pay bail. Turns out the exec propositioned an undercover cop - male - and then got roughed up in the cells. The two talk in the cab about the temptations of New York - they both know about the other, unclear if they've ever been involved - and the exec drops a bombshell - Chevy is moving the advertising in house, meaning SC&P is out of a job. But he hastens to add that Bob is well-liked at Buick, and he'll likely wind up there. This leads Bob, at the end of his visit with Joan and family, to propose to her. She turns him away, saying he shouldn't be with a woman. When did Joan learn that he was gay? Bob says GM expects their people to be a certain way, and that as a couple they'll have each other to lean on. Joan still declines, saying she's holding out for love, even if she never finds it. She's also stunned at the Chevy news, which doesn't help Bob. So while he may find a soft landing at Buick (and may even land them with SC&P), he's in a bit of a pickle if he can't find a beard.
3. Roger Sterling. Roger has a cryptic conversation in a steam room with an exec from another agency, involving SC&P's going after fast food and Philip Morris (while having Don Draper as an albatross around its neck). Roger has a similar conversation with Cutler, who tells Roger to think less about Don and more about the company. So while he's mulling this, he learns at a partner meeting that Chevy is out. He catches on that Joan knew about this, and stalks out at the double whammy of that and partner Harry Crane. Joan follows, and he gives her a ration about not getting a head's up when he finally pieces things together. The other exec is concerned about losing Buick to SC&P as GM liked their work on Chevy and are likely to bring Bob Benson in-house. Roger at least got that by the end - but still has to see Harry at partner meetings.
Honorable Mention - Bonnie Whiteside. She takes her vacation to New York and has to spend most of that time by herself while Pete moons over his lost family and buries himself in work. She even has to wash her feet after learning you don't wear sandals to walk around Manhattan. In a way it'd be best if she got off the Pete Campbell train now, but it is too bad that she had to waste her vacation on his disaster of a trip back.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Runaways"
Three Up
1. Don Draper. A call from his "niece" Stephanie reveals that she's pregnant, in LA, and needs money. Don sends her to Megan, and plans to head out to California that night, but is delayed when Lou throws a tantrum. When he does get out there he's out of sorts, as Stephanie has already left. He then has to suffer through a party Megan is throwing for her acting class, when who wanders in but Harry Crane (who didn't know whose party he was going to with an actress he's helping to "find an agent"). Don manages to cockblock Harry by dragging him out to a bar, and in return Harry lets him in on a secret overture Lou and Jim are making to Philip Morris. Don uses this to crash a meeting and either leverage his experience with tobacco to improve his station or get him out of the firm entirely. In between, he gets to have a three-way with Megan and her friend Amy. Some flashes of the old Don, certainly.
2. Stan Rizzo. While at the copier Stan finds artwork for a comic called "Scout's Honor" that Lou created. Stan spreads this around the creative staff and it develops into a running joke - until Lou overhears the joking while in the men's room. This leads to a confrontation where Stan pretty much gets to call Lou and idiot and still not get fired. Lou's response - make everyone stay late - is pretty bush league, and doesn't change the fact that Stan's assessment of Lou's idea is spot on.
3. Sally Draper. Sally winds up at Henry and Betty's after she seems to have broken her nose sword fighting with golf clubs. Betty sends her to her room, which is just fine with Sally. It also sets up a nice scene with her and Bobby where she allays his fears that Henry and Betty will get divorced - he overheard a fight of theirs - and apologizes for not being around to help him handle the stress of it all. She even ditches her plan to run away back to school so she can stay with him (as long as he doesn't wet the bed). And her nose wasn't broken after all!
Honorable Mention - Harry Crane. Harry's surprise at finding Don at the party is pretty funny, as he's clearly scared that Don will out Harry's hanky panky with his actress friend. His profession of respecting Don seems a little self-serving, but I do think he's sincere about trying to help Don by letting him know about Philip Morris. That it may also be self-serving - Harry doesn't seem to like the direction the firm is heading in, and maybe sees a shakeup as a way to finally get a partnership - is a bonus.
Three Down
1. Michael Ginsberg and/or Peggy Olson. The computer is causing problems for Ginzo, as the humming seems to be doing something to his already unstable mind. At one point he goes out to the computer and sees Lou and Jim having a conversation in the computer room - on a Saturday - and Ginzo immediately understands the problem. The computer is turning everyone homo. He goes to Peggy's home to let her know, and at some point decides the only way to protect himself is to jump Peggy. Peggy fends him off pretty easily, and he leaves without complications. Those come on Monday, when he goes to Peggy's office, says he has feelings for her, and that the data streaming into his head was causing the problem. He's solved that problem by opening the "valve" to let the data out. The valve is one of his nipples, which he's cut off and put into a box as a present for Peggy. She reacts to this better than expected - initial disgust, but she reins it in enough to have Ginzo take a seat while she goes out to call for an ambulance. Kind of sad that this is how Ginzo may go out. Maybe we'll visit him at whatever facility takes him in.
2. Betty Francis. There's a neighborhood party going on (an around the world sort of thing), and Betty steps in it with the neighbors Henry barely knows by voicing a hard-line position on Vietnam that's at odds with the party line voiced by Nixon (and by extension, Henry). That leads to a fight where Henry tells her to stop thinking. So she's already feeling marginalized when Sally shows up and Betty does her usual mother of the year routine. Even so, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for Betty, who is still trying to figure out what to do with her life while being bossed around by Henry and continuing to fail with her kids.
3. Megan Draper. Megan takes the news about Stephanie coming over pretty well, and the two get along at first - though Megan's first comment about Stephanie is how pretty she is - but Megan turns on a dime when Stephanie mentions that she knows all of Don's secrets. While Stephanie is quick to add that she and Don never did anything (what with her being his "niece"), it's obvious that Megan is jealous of Stephanie because she really does know Don better than Megan does. Megan cuts Stephanie a check and sends her packing for Oakland, but the visit causes a distance between Megan and Don for his entire visit, outside of the threeway. When Don announces he has to leave early due to work - and this after finally talking to Stephanie - Megan is even madder than before, as she is reminded that other things and people will come before her with Don.
Honorable Mention - Lou Avery. He'd rank higher, between the lame "Scout's Honor" and even lamer rant about it to the creative team and Don hijacking the meeting with Philip Morris, but as most of it just underscores the dickishness that we already knew about Lou he just gets the honorable mention.
1. Don Draper. A call from his "niece" Stephanie reveals that she's pregnant, in LA, and needs money. Don sends her to Megan, and plans to head out to California that night, but is delayed when Lou throws a tantrum. When he does get out there he's out of sorts, as Stephanie has already left. He then has to suffer through a party Megan is throwing for her acting class, when who wanders in but Harry Crane (who didn't know whose party he was going to with an actress he's helping to "find an agent"). Don manages to cockblock Harry by dragging him out to a bar, and in return Harry lets him in on a secret overture Lou and Jim are making to Philip Morris. Don uses this to crash a meeting and either leverage his experience with tobacco to improve his station or get him out of the firm entirely. In between, he gets to have a three-way with Megan and her friend Amy. Some flashes of the old Don, certainly.
2. Stan Rizzo. While at the copier Stan finds artwork for a comic called "Scout's Honor" that Lou created. Stan spreads this around the creative staff and it develops into a running joke - until Lou overhears the joking while in the men's room. This leads to a confrontation where Stan pretty much gets to call Lou and idiot and still not get fired. Lou's response - make everyone stay late - is pretty bush league, and doesn't change the fact that Stan's assessment of Lou's idea is spot on.
3. Sally Draper. Sally winds up at Henry and Betty's after she seems to have broken her nose sword fighting with golf clubs. Betty sends her to her room, which is just fine with Sally. It also sets up a nice scene with her and Bobby where she allays his fears that Henry and Betty will get divorced - he overheard a fight of theirs - and apologizes for not being around to help him handle the stress of it all. She even ditches her plan to run away back to school so she can stay with him (as long as he doesn't wet the bed). And her nose wasn't broken after all!
Honorable Mention - Harry Crane. Harry's surprise at finding Don at the party is pretty funny, as he's clearly scared that Don will out Harry's hanky panky with his actress friend. His profession of respecting Don seems a little self-serving, but I do think he's sincere about trying to help Don by letting him know about Philip Morris. That it may also be self-serving - Harry doesn't seem to like the direction the firm is heading in, and maybe sees a shakeup as a way to finally get a partnership - is a bonus.
Three Down
1. Michael Ginsberg and/or Peggy Olson. The computer is causing problems for Ginzo, as the humming seems to be doing something to his already unstable mind. At one point he goes out to the computer and sees Lou and Jim having a conversation in the computer room - on a Saturday - and Ginzo immediately understands the problem. The computer is turning everyone homo. He goes to Peggy's home to let her know, and at some point decides the only way to protect himself is to jump Peggy. Peggy fends him off pretty easily, and he leaves without complications. Those come on Monday, when he goes to Peggy's office, says he has feelings for her, and that the data streaming into his head was causing the problem. He's solved that problem by opening the "valve" to let the data out. The valve is one of his nipples, which he's cut off and put into a box as a present for Peggy. She reacts to this better than expected - initial disgust, but she reins it in enough to have Ginzo take a seat while she goes out to call for an ambulance. Kind of sad that this is how Ginzo may go out. Maybe we'll visit him at whatever facility takes him in.
2. Betty Francis. There's a neighborhood party going on (an around the world sort of thing), and Betty steps in it with the neighbors Henry barely knows by voicing a hard-line position on Vietnam that's at odds with the party line voiced by Nixon (and by extension, Henry). That leads to a fight where Henry tells her to stop thinking. So she's already feeling marginalized when Sally shows up and Betty does her usual mother of the year routine. Even so, it's hard not to feel some sympathy for Betty, who is still trying to figure out what to do with her life while being bossed around by Henry and continuing to fail with her kids.
3. Megan Draper. Megan takes the news about Stephanie coming over pretty well, and the two get along at first - though Megan's first comment about Stephanie is how pretty she is - but Megan turns on a dime when Stephanie mentions that she knows all of Don's secrets. While Stephanie is quick to add that she and Don never did anything (what with her being his "niece"), it's obvious that Megan is jealous of Stephanie because she really does know Don better than Megan does. Megan cuts Stephanie a check and sends her packing for Oakland, but the visit causes a distance between Megan and Don for his entire visit, outside of the threeway. When Don announces he has to leave early due to work - and this after finally talking to Stephanie - Megan is even madder than before, as she is reminded that other things and people will come before her with Don.
Honorable Mention - Lou Avery. He'd rank higher, between the lame "Scout's Honor" and even lamer rant about it to the creative team and Don hijacking the meeting with Philip Morris, but as most of it just underscores the dickishness that we already knew about Lou he just gets the honorable mention.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Upfronts 2014; The CW
And to end the week, The CW and its fare for teens and tweens.
What's Cancelled? The most notable cancellation was for The Carrie Diaries, though not unexpected. Also cut was The Tomorrow People, which I think punches the netlet's ticket for trying to adapt a British series and failing.
Starting this Fall
Monday - Starts off with the relocated vampire spin-off The Originals and is followed by new show Jane the Virgin, in which a Hispanic woman who is saving herself for marriage is accidentally inseminated during a doctor's visit and is now carrying the baby of the "reformed playboy" who owns the hotel where Jane works. This sounds like a slightly edgy Lifetime movie more than an actual series. I'm also not sure how these two shows go together.
Tuesday - The Flash fulfills the show based on a comic book quota that's in place this year. With this and Arrow in place, you get the sense that the CW may be to DC what ABC has become for Marvel. This is followed by Supernatural.
Wednesday - Arrow leads into The 100. And while it may be a little on the nose, would it be better to have the two comic book shows on the same night and The 100 paired with Supernatural?
Thursday - The Vampire Diaries lead into Reign. OK, new plan, pair Reign with The 100 for a night about past and future Earth.
Friday - A new and encore episode of Whose Line is it Anyway?leads into yet another season of America's Next Top Model. J Alexander returns, which may be the only reason to tune in.
Saturday and Sunday - local programming, which is still the best idea the network ever had.
And then at midseason
Hart of Dixie returns - maybe she's the one who accidentally knocked up Jane? - as does Beauty and the Beast, and two new shows are available:
iZombie is also based on a comic book, in which a teenage girl tries to balance a normal life with being a zombie. She's passing as human (calling her undead look goth) and has a job with access to fresh brains (coroner's office). Now if she can just find a date for prom!
The Messengers- some sort of pulse knocks out a group of people, who awaken with superpowers and some sort of mystical connection to each other. This may also be the start of the events in Revelation that lead to the Rapture. Somehow, Tim Kring is not involved.
Outlook
The CW is gonna CW. As much as the network talks about being inclusive of more viewers, this is still a lineup that skews young, if not so obviously female anymore. It's a good thing they have a solid lineup of returning shows, as anything that isn't The Flash sounds a little dodgy.
What's Cancelled? The most notable cancellation was for The Carrie Diaries, though not unexpected. Also cut was The Tomorrow People, which I think punches the netlet's ticket for trying to adapt a British series and failing.
Starting this Fall
Monday - Starts off with the relocated vampire spin-off The Originals and is followed by new show Jane the Virgin, in which a Hispanic woman who is saving herself for marriage is accidentally inseminated during a doctor's visit and is now carrying the baby of the "reformed playboy" who owns the hotel where Jane works. This sounds like a slightly edgy Lifetime movie more than an actual series. I'm also not sure how these two shows go together.
Tuesday - The Flash fulfills the show based on a comic book quota that's in place this year. With this and Arrow in place, you get the sense that the CW may be to DC what ABC has become for Marvel. This is followed by Supernatural.
Wednesday - Arrow leads into The 100. And while it may be a little on the nose, would it be better to have the two comic book shows on the same night and The 100 paired with Supernatural?
Thursday - The Vampire Diaries lead into Reign. OK, new plan, pair Reign with The 100 for a night about past and future Earth.
Friday - A new and encore episode of Whose Line is it Anyway?leads into yet another season of America's Next Top Model. J Alexander returns, which may be the only reason to tune in.
Saturday and Sunday - local programming, which is still the best idea the network ever had.
And then at midseason
Hart of Dixie returns - maybe she's the one who accidentally knocked up Jane? - as does Beauty and the Beast, and two new shows are available:
iZombie is also based on a comic book, in which a teenage girl tries to balance a normal life with being a zombie. She's passing as human (calling her undead look goth) and has a job with access to fresh brains (coroner's office). Now if she can just find a date for prom!
The Messengers- some sort of pulse knocks out a group of people, who awaken with superpowers and some sort of mystical connection to each other. This may also be the start of the events in Revelation that lead to the Rapture. Somehow, Tim Kring is not involved.
Outlook
The CW is gonna CW. As much as the network talks about being inclusive of more viewers, this is still a lineup that skews young, if not so obviously female anymore. It's a good thing they have a solid lineup of returning shows, as anything that isn't The Flash sounds a little dodgy.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
2014 Upfronts: CBS
As we've gotten used to, a fairly stable fall offering for CBS, but with one major addition that should shake things up.
What's Cancelled?
The only show that got axed that wasn't clear a while ago was The Crazy Ones. Which is kind of too bad, thought it was OK from what I saw of it.
Starting this Fall
Monday- big news here is that The Big Bang Theory will (temporarily) kick off the night before moving back to Thursday at the end of October. At that point 2 Broke Girls returns. Mom moves to 8:30, and at 9 we have Scorpion, about a group of genius misfits who help solve crimes using their massive brains. But because they suck at real life the mom of a gifted boy helps them cope with feelings and other icky stuff. This is apparently "inspired by a true story," curious as to how far the true story deviates from the show.
The night ends with a relocated NCIS: Los Angeles.
Tuesday - NCIS leads into the new NCIS: New Orleans. I assume I can skip the plot description. The evening ends with Person of Interest, so a nice night of people getting shot at.
Wednesday - Survivor leads into Criminal Minds which leads into a new drama, Stalker, which follows a unit of the LAPD that investigates... stalkers. Just in case one hour a week of Law & Order: SVU wasn't enough for you.
Thursday - FOOTBALL. CBS now has a slate of Thursday night games, which will also air on the NFL Network. It's not quite the deal that NBC has where they can flex games into the night (not surprisingly, given that it's a different day and during the first eight weeks of the season), but given the apparently limitless appetite for the NFL this should give CBS a huge boost early in the fall.
Once football is over, The Big Bang Theory moves back to kick off the night, followed by The Millers, Two and a Half Men, The McCarthys, and Elementary. The McCarthys tells the story about a "loud and sports-crazed" Boston family where the one unathletic son is tabbed by his dad to be his assistant basketball coach. The son, who is gay, just wants to move away and find a partner, but feels compelled to take the job. News flash: not everyone who lives in Boston is Irish. Also, the son could just as easily stay in the city, find a guy, and get married while also being a basketball coach. Ugh.
Friday - the final big move is that The Amazing Race will move here from its long-held Sunday slot. I really don't like this, but do at least appreciate that my DVR won't cut it off due to football or NCAA basketball overruns. Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods return.
Saturday - Crimetime Saturday and 48 Hours, which at least gives us a break from reruns and sports.
Sunday - 60 Minutes leads into the new show Madame Secretary, where Tea Leoni plays the new Secretary of State, who, in a shocking turn of events, has to balance her work and home life. This is followed by The Good Wife and CSI. At some point CSI will give way to CSI: Cyber, about a group that investigates crime that is planned/starts/somehow involves the Internet. Patricia Arquette is the only cast member I've seen mentioned, so I kind of hope this is just an hour of her sitting in front of her computer. Gripping!
And then at midseason
At some point Mike & Molly, The Mentalist, and Undercover Boss will all return. There are two new shows as well:
Battle Creek features mismatched cops, played by Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters, fighting crime in the titular Michigan city. Duhamel is apparently an FBI agent who takes on Winter as his partner, which makes me wonder how a city cop can just become an FBI agent, but I'm thinking too much about this.
The Odd Couple is the latest reboot of the quintessential TV show about mismatched guys. Matthew Perry stars as Oscar, which is funny as I think of him as a Felix.
Outlook
The rich get richer, as even if the new fall shows tank the presence of football will keep ratings up, and the return of so many known shows in the spring should keep CBS at or near the top.
What's Cancelled?
The only show that got axed that wasn't clear a while ago was The Crazy Ones. Which is kind of too bad, thought it was OK from what I saw of it.
Starting this Fall
Monday- big news here is that The Big Bang Theory will (temporarily) kick off the night before moving back to Thursday at the end of October. At that point 2 Broke Girls returns. Mom moves to 8:30, and at 9 we have Scorpion, about a group of genius misfits who help solve crimes using their massive brains. But because they suck at real life the mom of a gifted boy helps them cope with feelings and other icky stuff. This is apparently "inspired by a true story," curious as to how far the true story deviates from the show.
The night ends with a relocated NCIS: Los Angeles.
Tuesday - NCIS leads into the new NCIS: New Orleans. I assume I can skip the plot description. The evening ends with Person of Interest, so a nice night of people getting shot at.
Wednesday - Survivor leads into Criminal Minds which leads into a new drama, Stalker, which follows a unit of the LAPD that investigates... stalkers. Just in case one hour a week of Law & Order: SVU wasn't enough for you.
Thursday - FOOTBALL. CBS now has a slate of Thursday night games, which will also air on the NFL Network. It's not quite the deal that NBC has where they can flex games into the night (not surprisingly, given that it's a different day and during the first eight weeks of the season), but given the apparently limitless appetite for the NFL this should give CBS a huge boost early in the fall.
Once football is over, The Big Bang Theory moves back to kick off the night, followed by The Millers, Two and a Half Men, The McCarthys, and Elementary. The McCarthys tells the story about a "loud and sports-crazed" Boston family where the one unathletic son is tabbed by his dad to be his assistant basketball coach. The son, who is gay, just wants to move away and find a partner, but feels compelled to take the job. News flash: not everyone who lives in Boston is Irish. Also, the son could just as easily stay in the city, find a guy, and get married while also being a basketball coach. Ugh.
Friday - the final big move is that The Amazing Race will move here from its long-held Sunday slot. I really don't like this, but do at least appreciate that my DVR won't cut it off due to football or NCAA basketball overruns. Hawaii 5-0 and Blue Bloods return.
Saturday - Crimetime Saturday and 48 Hours, which at least gives us a break from reruns and sports.
Sunday - 60 Minutes leads into the new show Madame Secretary, where Tea Leoni plays the new Secretary of State, who, in a shocking turn of events, has to balance her work and home life. This is followed by The Good Wife and CSI. At some point CSI will give way to CSI: Cyber, about a group that investigates crime that is planned/starts/somehow involves the Internet. Patricia Arquette is the only cast member I've seen mentioned, so I kind of hope this is just an hour of her sitting in front of her computer. Gripping!
And then at midseason
At some point Mike & Molly, The Mentalist, and Undercover Boss will all return. There are two new shows as well:
Battle Creek features mismatched cops, played by Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters, fighting crime in the titular Michigan city. Duhamel is apparently an FBI agent who takes on Winter as his partner, which makes me wonder how a city cop can just become an FBI agent, but I'm thinking too much about this.
The Odd Couple is the latest reboot of the quintessential TV show about mismatched guys. Matthew Perry stars as Oscar, which is funny as I think of him as a Felix.
Outlook
The rich get richer, as even if the new fall shows tank the presence of football will keep ratings up, and the return of so many known shows in the spring should keep CBS at or near the top.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Upfronts 2014: ABC
If nothing else, ABC's quick hook makes for fun upfront recaps. So here we go again!
What's Cancelled?Everything. OK, maybe not everything but a lot of things. Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, Suburgatory, and The Neighborsall got the axe, as did anything that was mid-season that's not Resurrection.
Starting this Fall
Monday - Dancing With the Stars leading into Castle. Easily their strongest night of the week.
Tuesday - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. moves back and hour to open up the first hour for two new sitoms. The first is Selfie, which by name alone makes me hope it gets cancelled during its first episode. It's about a woman who is Internet famous and realizes she'd rather be an actual person, and hires a guy to help her. It's apparently based on My Fair Lady, and as much as one may like Karen Gillian and John Cho, they aren't exactly Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
That leads to Manhattan Love Story, about the start of a relationship where we can apparently hear the couple's thoughts. I think. Can't say I care.
The night closes with Forever, the story of an immortal medical examiner who uses his current cases to try to discover why he hasn't died. We're apparently not done with TV shows about people who can't die.
Wednesday - mostly returning shows (The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, and Nashville), with the new sitcom Black-ish at 9:30. It's about an African-American family whose dad (Anthony Anderson) is concerned that he's assimilated too much. Helping him address this is his father (Laurence Fishburne). Worried about the potential for devolving into cliche, but given who is involved there's hope.
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy moves to 8 - too early! - and is followed by Scandal and the new drama How to Get Away with Murder. The latest from Shonda Rhimes, it's about a law professor (Viola Davis) who gets involved with four of her students in applying what they learn in class to real life cases. Kind of meh, though having Viola Davis around is promising.
Friday - Last Man Standing returns, leading into Cristela, about a woman whose six year law school career is finally leading to a big job. But at what cost to her ethnic identity? Not feeling it. Shark Tank and 20/20 finish the night.
Saturday - college football
Sunday - America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, Resurrection, and Revenge all return. A good night of shows that are still growing.
And then at midseason
OK, I'm not going to go through all of the shows. Most notable are:
American Crime - a killing with racial overtones begins to tear a town apart. Some notable names here (Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton), making this the show that will probably get the biggest push.
Galavant - a musical about a knight who loses his princess and is going to get her back. Just goofy enough to work? Alan Menken is involved, so the songs should be pretty good.
Marvel's Agent Carter - ABC's required new show based on a comic book, the former girlfriend of Captain America has to balance a reduction in work now that men are coming back from WWII, the occasional secret mission, and her newly single status. This will work well once something gets cancelled and they can put it after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Secrets & Lies - a man (Ryan Phillipe) discovers a dead boy and is arrested for the killing. He has to prove his innocence while the investigator on the case (Juliette Lewis) starts to reveal the town's... secrets and lies. It's apparently based on Australian show, even if sounds like a neatened up version of Twin Peaks.
The Whispers - aliens have invaded, but are using children to unwittingly set things up for their final assault. I actually like this twist for what is a pretty hoary subject.
Outlook
Not sure some of the time slot moves are going to work - well, Grey'sat least - and there's enough high concept stuff here to be worried about midseason shows sticking around as well.
What's Cancelled?Everything. OK, maybe not everything but a lot of things. Trophy Wife, Super Fun Night, Suburgatory, and The Neighborsall got the axe, as did anything that was mid-season that's not Resurrection.
Starting this Fall
Monday - Dancing With the Stars leading into Castle. Easily their strongest night of the week.
Tuesday - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. moves back and hour to open up the first hour for two new sitoms. The first is Selfie, which by name alone makes me hope it gets cancelled during its first episode. It's about a woman who is Internet famous and realizes she'd rather be an actual person, and hires a guy to help her. It's apparently based on My Fair Lady, and as much as one may like Karen Gillian and John Cho, they aren't exactly Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.
That leads to Manhattan Love Story, about the start of a relationship where we can apparently hear the couple's thoughts. I think. Can't say I care.
The night closes with Forever, the story of an immortal medical examiner who uses his current cases to try to discover why he hasn't died. We're apparently not done with TV shows about people who can't die.
Wednesday - mostly returning shows (The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, and Nashville), with the new sitcom Black-ish at 9:30. It's about an African-American family whose dad (Anthony Anderson) is concerned that he's assimilated too much. Helping him address this is his father (Laurence Fishburne). Worried about the potential for devolving into cliche, but given who is involved there's hope.
Thursday - Grey's Anatomy moves to 8 - too early! - and is followed by Scandal and the new drama How to Get Away with Murder. The latest from Shonda Rhimes, it's about a law professor (Viola Davis) who gets involved with four of her students in applying what they learn in class to real life cases. Kind of meh, though having Viola Davis around is promising.
Friday - Last Man Standing returns, leading into Cristela, about a woman whose six year law school career is finally leading to a big job. But at what cost to her ethnic identity? Not feeling it. Shark Tank and 20/20 finish the night.
Saturday - college football
Sunday - America's Funniest Home Videos, Once Upon a Time, Resurrection, and Revenge all return. A good night of shows that are still growing.
And then at midseason
OK, I'm not going to go through all of the shows. Most notable are:
American Crime - a killing with racial overtones begins to tear a town apart. Some notable names here (Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton), making this the show that will probably get the biggest push.
Galavant - a musical about a knight who loses his princess and is going to get her back. Just goofy enough to work? Alan Menken is involved, so the songs should be pretty good.
Marvel's Agent Carter - ABC's required new show based on a comic book, the former girlfriend of Captain America has to balance a reduction in work now that men are coming back from WWII, the occasional secret mission, and her newly single status. This will work well once something gets cancelled and they can put it after Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Secrets & Lies - a man (Ryan Phillipe) discovers a dead boy and is arrested for the killing. He has to prove his innocence while the investigator on the case (Juliette Lewis) starts to reveal the town's... secrets and lies. It's apparently based on Australian show, even if sounds like a neatened up version of Twin Peaks.
The Whispers - aliens have invaded, but are using children to unwittingly set things up for their final assault. I actually like this twist for what is a pretty hoary subject.
Outlook
Not sure some of the time slot moves are going to work - well, Grey'sat least - and there's enough high concept stuff here to be worried about midseason shows sticking around as well.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Upfronts 2014: Fox
Fox also went today, and if NBC putting dramas before 10pm on Thursdays threw you, you may want to prepare for the new Fox Sunday.
What's Cancelled? Nothing surprising. Dads finally got the hook, as did mid-season comedies Enlisted and Surviving Jack. Almost Human got dropped a few weeks ago, everything else was known before that. And American Dad is moving to TBS.
Starting this fall
Monday - Sleepy Hollow returns (still kind of astounded that this caught on, but that's the risk you take when you snark on TV shows based on a PR blurb and nothing else), with the new show Gotham as its lead in. Gotham tells the story of the future police commissioner James Gordon, and his experiences fighting crime and corruption in a pre-Batman Gotham City. Hard to see this one failing, unless it pisses off the Batman fanboys in some way.
Tuesday - New Girl and The Mindy Project return, with new lead in Utopia, which takes 15 people and puts them in some isolated location to form their own society, and you can watch along both on the show and 24/7 online. I don't think I can quantify how disinterested I am in this show.
Wednesday - Hell's Kitchen leads into Red Band Society, about a group of kids who become friends while staying in the same pediatric ward. The narrator is in a coma. This can't be as depressing as I'm making it sound, can it? We should at least be happy Fox didn't pair this with Master Chef Junior.
Thursday - Bones returns for its 84th season, followed by Gracepoint, an American version of the British crime series Broadchurch. Kudos to Fox for getting David Tennant to star, but why not just seek out/Netflix the already excellent original series?
Friday - Master Chef Junior leads into more Utopia.
Saturday - sports
Sunday - Animation no longer dominates, as live action programming returns to Sunday night for the first time in forever. Brooklyn Nine-Nine moves in between The Simpsons and Family Guy, which is followed by Mulaney, a show about a stand-up comic who is trying to get his career going while also writing for an aging comedy legend played by Martin Short. Meh.
And then in midseason
We know American Idol will be back, as will The Following and Glee, which for the first (and last) time will start late. Several new show are also available:
Backstrom - Rainn Wilson stars as a darkly comic detective who returns to Portland's major crimes division after being transferred as punishment for his ways. I'd be less optimistic about something that reads like House for cops if it weren't for Wilson and the possibility of channeling that odd Dwight Schrute energy in a new direction.
Bordertown - the latest attempt to examine Anglo-Hispanic relations in a comedic setting. This one takes place in a town near the US-Mexico border, which I suppose is better than the "there goes the neighborhood" vibe of some past shows. Still not that interested.
Empire - this drama set against the backdrop of a music label and the jockeying by the sons of its founder has a lot of big names attached - Lee Daniels, Timbaland, Terrence Howard, among others - could be the most promising of the bunch.
Heiroglyph - set in ancient Egypt, a convicted thief is plucked from his cell to find out who stole an important scroll - but to do so he has to navigate all of the palace intrigue, etc. If nothing else the setting is original.
The Last Man on Earth - Will Forte is, literally, the last man on Earth. Watch him die of food poisoning in episode 4 when he eats some bad canned corn!
Whispering Pines- an FBI agent (Matt Dillon) is looking for a missing FBI agent (Carla Gugino) and after a car accident ("accident"?) wins up in the Whispering Pines hospital - from which he may never get out. A ton of big names (Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis, Terrence Howard again, among others), and there's a lot of promise here. It also looks like a limited 10 episode run, which will keep things from getting too drawn out.
Weird Loners - four romantically challenged strangers wind up living in the same building and get involved in each others' lives. Sounds a little New Girlish to me, with less adorkability.
Outlook
Questionable. Not a fan of most of the new fall shows, but there's enough there between returning shows and some of the mid-season shows for Fox to not backslide. I think.
What's Cancelled? Nothing surprising. Dads finally got the hook, as did mid-season comedies Enlisted and Surviving Jack. Almost Human got dropped a few weeks ago, everything else was known before that. And American Dad is moving to TBS.
Starting this fall
Monday - Sleepy Hollow returns (still kind of astounded that this caught on, but that's the risk you take when you snark on TV shows based on a PR blurb and nothing else), with the new show Gotham as its lead in. Gotham tells the story of the future police commissioner James Gordon, and his experiences fighting crime and corruption in a pre-Batman Gotham City. Hard to see this one failing, unless it pisses off the Batman fanboys in some way.
Tuesday - New Girl and The Mindy Project return, with new lead in Utopia, which takes 15 people and puts them in some isolated location to form their own society, and you can watch along both on the show and 24/7 online. I don't think I can quantify how disinterested I am in this show.
Wednesday - Hell's Kitchen leads into Red Band Society, about a group of kids who become friends while staying in the same pediatric ward. The narrator is in a coma. This can't be as depressing as I'm making it sound, can it? We should at least be happy Fox didn't pair this with Master Chef Junior.
Thursday - Bones returns for its 84th season, followed by Gracepoint, an American version of the British crime series Broadchurch. Kudos to Fox for getting David Tennant to star, but why not just seek out/Netflix the already excellent original series?
Friday - Master Chef Junior leads into more Utopia.
Saturday - sports
Sunday - Animation no longer dominates, as live action programming returns to Sunday night for the first time in forever. Brooklyn Nine-Nine moves in between The Simpsons and Family Guy, which is followed by Mulaney, a show about a stand-up comic who is trying to get his career going while also writing for an aging comedy legend played by Martin Short. Meh.
And then in midseason
We know American Idol will be back, as will The Following and Glee, which for the first (and last) time will start late. Several new show are also available:
Backstrom - Rainn Wilson stars as a darkly comic detective who returns to Portland's major crimes division after being transferred as punishment for his ways. I'd be less optimistic about something that reads like House for cops if it weren't for Wilson and the possibility of channeling that odd Dwight Schrute energy in a new direction.
Bordertown - the latest attempt to examine Anglo-Hispanic relations in a comedic setting. This one takes place in a town near the US-Mexico border, which I suppose is better than the "there goes the neighborhood" vibe of some past shows. Still not that interested.
Empire - this drama set against the backdrop of a music label and the jockeying by the sons of its founder has a lot of big names attached - Lee Daniels, Timbaland, Terrence Howard, among others - could be the most promising of the bunch.
Heiroglyph - set in ancient Egypt, a convicted thief is plucked from his cell to find out who stole an important scroll - but to do so he has to navigate all of the palace intrigue, etc. If nothing else the setting is original.
The Last Man on Earth - Will Forte is, literally, the last man on Earth. Watch him die of food poisoning in episode 4 when he eats some bad canned corn!
Whispering Pines- an FBI agent (Matt Dillon) is looking for a missing FBI agent (Carla Gugino) and after a car accident ("accident"?) wins up in the Whispering Pines hospital - from which he may never get out. A ton of big names (Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis, Terrence Howard again, among others), and there's a lot of promise here. It also looks like a limited 10 episode run, which will keep things from getting too drawn out.
Weird Loners - four romantically challenged strangers wind up living in the same building and get involved in each others' lives. Sounds a little New Girlish to me, with less adorkability.
Outlook
Questionable. Not a fan of most of the new fall shows, but there's enough there between returning shows and some of the mid-season shows for Fox to not backslide. I think.
Upfronts 2014: NBC
It's upfront week for the broadcast networks, as they tout next year's lineup in the hopes of selling all that precious ad time as soon as possible for as much money as possible. NBC, the doormat who managed to be the number 1 network at some point this season, got to go first.
What's Cancelled? In case you were off the Internet last week, the most notable cancellation for NBC is Community. And if you were off the Internet because electricity no longer works, you've been saved as NBC also axed Revolution.
Everything else that got whacked was either a mid-season replacement, a planned short run (Dracula), or had been cancelled a while ago.
Starting this Fall - here's your night-by-night schedule.
Monday - The Voice leads into The Blacklist. You should get used to seeing a lot of The Voice, as it will run twice during the season. The Blacklist will also get the post-Super Bowl slot.
Tuesday - The Voice results show, then a one-hour sitcom block, with Chicago Fire capping the night. The sitcom block has a new show, Marry Me, leading into the return of About a Boy, which seemed to disappear after its heavy promotion during the Olympics but apparently did enough to earn a second season.
Marry Me is about a couple who, botching their first attempt at an engagement (he planned to do it after a vacation, she slams him after they get back because she thought he'd pop the question on vacation), decide not to do it until everything is just right. Can't say I'm particularly interested, but it apparently involves a variety of people from Happy Endings, which enough people seemed to like that this may work.
Wednesday - A trio of dramas, as The Mysteries of Laura leads into Law & Order: SVU and Chicago PD. Laura is about a NYPD detective (Debra Messing) who is great at work but can't keep things together at home. Oh, and at some point her soon-to-be (maybe) husband winds up being her boss at some point. Ugh.
Thursday - The Biggest Loser and Parenthood bookend two new sitcoms that make me wonder if the cancellation of Community was premature. Bad Judge starts Kate Walsh as the titular bad judge, though the bad refers to her wild personal life (and occasional idiosyncracies behind the bench). Then some 8 year old kid shows up and may just be what causes her to settle down. So really, About Another Boy.
A to Z follows the wacky dating hijinx of a guy (Andrew) and a woman (Zelda) who meet thanks to an online dating error. He's a romantic! She's the practical one! Wacky! I would watch this only if Andrew, played by Mad Men's Ben Feldman, played the character as a modern day Ginzo.
Friday - Dateline, Grimm and Constantine, the latter based on the Hellblazer series by DC Comics. Get used to seeing comic book properties among new series, by the way.
Saturday - reruns
Sunday - football.
And then at mid-season
The big move is The Blacklist going from Monday at 10 to Thursday at 9, putting a stake right though the Thursday comedy block's heart. Taking its place on Monday is State of Affairs, which sees Katherine Heigl play a CIA analyst who puts together the president's daily intelligence briefing. She was also once engaged to the president's son. The president is played by Alfre Woodard, and I can only hope this thing gets retooled for her.
Replacing Parenthood at midseason is Allegiance, a broadcast network version of The Americans, but set in the present. Timely, I suppose, and the presence of Hope Davis is heartening. Maybe the best thing to happen here would be for this show to spur interest in the FX show.
There are several unscheduled shows, including returners like Parks and Rec and Hannibal (and the Heroes reboot, as much as no one seems to be looking forward to it). Among the new shows not yet scheduled:
Aquarius - David Duchovny stars as a 1960s cop investigating disappearances linked to a small-time cult led by a guy named Charles Manson.
Emerald City - a gritty reboot of Gone With the Wind, straight from the Once Upon a Time playbook.
Mission Control- a sitcom set in the 1960s about a female engineer trying to work within the boy's club that is NASA.
Mr. Robinson - musician turned substitute teacher uses music to inspire his students. It's the School of Rock adaptation we've never been waiting for! Craig Robinson stars, in case you were wondering how they came up with the name.
The Odyssey - the lives of three strangers collide with unexpected results. It's the Traffic adaptation we've never been waiting for! I'm not even going to try to explain it here, the synopsis made my head hurt.
One Big Happy - friends decide to start a family, but just as the woman discovers she's pregnant the guy announces he's married his recently-acquired girlfriend - who the female friend does not like. Another spin on Modern Family, though having Ellen Degeneres as an executive producer can't hurt.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - a woman recently freed from living in a cult for 15 years (played by Ellie Kemper) decides to stay in New York after a Today appearance and rents a room from a Broadway wannabe. I'd be less interested in this if it wasn't from Tina Fey. I'm actually a little surprised it didn't get on the fall schedule, but you can also see where this and Parks and Rec could make a nice hour once something gets cancelled.
Outlook
Not the worst that NBC has ever thrown at us. Still, I get the feeling that they're going to ride football and The Voice as hard as possible and just hope for the best with everything else.
What's Cancelled? In case you were off the Internet last week, the most notable cancellation for NBC is Community. And if you were off the Internet because electricity no longer works, you've been saved as NBC also axed Revolution.
Everything else that got whacked was either a mid-season replacement, a planned short run (Dracula), or had been cancelled a while ago.
Starting this Fall - here's your night-by-night schedule.
Monday - The Voice leads into The Blacklist. You should get used to seeing a lot of The Voice, as it will run twice during the season. The Blacklist will also get the post-Super Bowl slot.
Tuesday - The Voice results show, then a one-hour sitcom block, with Chicago Fire capping the night. The sitcom block has a new show, Marry Me, leading into the return of About a Boy, which seemed to disappear after its heavy promotion during the Olympics but apparently did enough to earn a second season.
Marry Me is about a couple who, botching their first attempt at an engagement (he planned to do it after a vacation, she slams him after they get back because she thought he'd pop the question on vacation), decide not to do it until everything is just right. Can't say I'm particularly interested, but it apparently involves a variety of people from Happy Endings, which enough people seemed to like that this may work.
Wednesday - A trio of dramas, as The Mysteries of Laura leads into Law & Order: SVU and Chicago PD. Laura is about a NYPD detective (Debra Messing) who is great at work but can't keep things together at home. Oh, and at some point her soon-to-be (maybe) husband winds up being her boss at some point. Ugh.
Thursday - The Biggest Loser and Parenthood bookend two new sitcoms that make me wonder if the cancellation of Community was premature. Bad Judge starts Kate Walsh as the titular bad judge, though the bad refers to her wild personal life (and occasional idiosyncracies behind the bench). Then some 8 year old kid shows up and may just be what causes her to settle down. So really, About Another Boy.
A to Z follows the wacky dating hijinx of a guy (Andrew) and a woman (Zelda) who meet thanks to an online dating error. He's a romantic! She's the practical one! Wacky! I would watch this only if Andrew, played by Mad Men's Ben Feldman, played the character as a modern day Ginzo.
Friday - Dateline, Grimm and Constantine, the latter based on the Hellblazer series by DC Comics. Get used to seeing comic book properties among new series, by the way.
Saturday - reruns
Sunday - football.
And then at mid-season
The big move is The Blacklist going from Monday at 10 to Thursday at 9, putting a stake right though the Thursday comedy block's heart. Taking its place on Monday is State of Affairs, which sees Katherine Heigl play a CIA analyst who puts together the president's daily intelligence briefing. She was also once engaged to the president's son. The president is played by Alfre Woodard, and I can only hope this thing gets retooled for her.
Replacing Parenthood at midseason is Allegiance, a broadcast network version of The Americans, but set in the present. Timely, I suppose, and the presence of Hope Davis is heartening. Maybe the best thing to happen here would be for this show to spur interest in the FX show.
There are several unscheduled shows, including returners like Parks and Rec and Hannibal (and the Heroes reboot, as much as no one seems to be looking forward to it). Among the new shows not yet scheduled:
Aquarius - David Duchovny stars as a 1960s cop investigating disappearances linked to a small-time cult led by a guy named Charles Manson.
Emerald City - a gritty reboot of Gone With the Wind, straight from the Once Upon a Time playbook.
Mission Control- a sitcom set in the 1960s about a female engineer trying to work within the boy's club that is NASA.
Mr. Robinson - musician turned substitute teacher uses music to inspire his students. It's the School of Rock adaptation we've never been waiting for! Craig Robinson stars, in case you were wondering how they came up with the name.
The Odyssey - the lives of three strangers collide with unexpected results. It's the Traffic adaptation we've never been waiting for! I'm not even going to try to explain it here, the synopsis made my head hurt.
One Big Happy - friends decide to start a family, but just as the woman discovers she's pregnant the guy announces he's married his recently-acquired girlfriend - who the female friend does not like. Another spin on Modern Family, though having Ellen Degeneres as an executive producer can't hurt.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - a woman recently freed from living in a cult for 15 years (played by Ellie Kemper) decides to stay in New York after a Today appearance and rents a room from a Broadway wannabe. I'd be less interested in this if it wasn't from Tina Fey. I'm actually a little surprised it didn't get on the fall schedule, but you can also see where this and Parks and Rec could make a nice hour once something gets cancelled.
Outlook
Not the worst that NBC has ever thrown at us. Still, I get the feeling that they're going to ride football and The Voice as hard as possible and just hope for the best with everything else.
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Monolith"
Three Up
1. Jim Cutler. While we don't see much of Jim, the events of the episode help build his position in the office. It opens with an announcement about the computer that he championed, which gets media behind him. He seems to miss the mark when trying to bring Ted back to New York to work on landing a new national account, but wins by supporting Ted's idea to give it to Peggy and then having Don wind up on her team. Any potential fallout there helps Jim, as he's either supported success or gets to blame former SCDPers if things go south.
2. Pete Campbell. He's responsible for getting a crack at Burger Chef, as he runs into one of their execs, a former Vicks man, while out to dinner with girlfriend Bonnie. He also learns that things back in New York changed when his soon to be father-in-law had a heart attack. He's OK, but you can see Pete's taken aback by the news, suggesting he's still thinking about Trudy and Tammy on some level. Finally, this new account would not run through Bob Benson, so it's an even bigger win where Pete's concerned.
3. Freddie Rumsen. He only shows up in the last quarter of the episode - Don calls him to go to a Mets game, Freddie takes him home because he's three sheets to the wind. The next morning, Freddie gives Don a talking to, using his experience to help Don figure out that it's time to play ball with the partners if he wants a crack of getting back to where he was. It's also a rare instance of true friendship between ad men.
Honorable Mention - John Mathis. He's on the Burger Chef account as well and quite pleased to be there, apparently unaware of the larger issues of how the team was set up. He'll write tags all day and be happy to do so! Too bad he's about to be crowded out by whatever Don comes up with.
Three Down
1. Roger Sterling. So that brunch with Margaret where she forgave him has finally led to where we thought it would - she's run off to join a commune, leaving husband and child behind. Roger gets Brooks to go up to get her, but he winds up in jail. So Roger and Mona go up, and while Roger tries to understand what's going on - he stays overnight after Mona gives up trying to talk reason - he falls short after Margaret (now Marigold) wanders off in the night to hump one of the commune's men. Roger tries to physically force her to leave, which results in a savage dressing down from Margaret about his absentee parenting. And he gets mud on his suit, which I suppose will dry up on his walk back to town.
2. Don Draper. He's back but isolated - he doesn't get the memo about the computer, and he's frozen out of partner meetings due to the rules set up for his return. Don hits bottom when he finds out he's working for Peggy and then gets shot down by Bert after suggesting their computer company could become a client. So Don looks to get below the bottom by getting tanked in his office, which is when he calls Freddie to go to the Mets game. Things turn around at the end, with Don working on his tags for Peggy. He's down but working back up.
3. Peggy Olsen. Good news to start for Peggy - she gets a shot at a national account and a $100/week raise. The price, of course, is that Lou saddles her with Don, which effectively get him out of his hair and potentially may see him gone for good if he implodes (almost, Lou!). Peggy broods about this all episode, but in a small talk with Joan gets some good news when Joan suggests that the partners probably didn't even think about anything when they set the team up, never mind sabotage (I'm pretty sure Ted was working off of residual guilt when he suggested Peggy, though). The bonus comes on Monday morning, when she stops in to see Don and he says he'll get his tags to her by lunch. Things are looking up for Peggy, too.
Honorable Mention - Lloyd Hawley. The owner of the company that's installing the computer, he and Don strike up a bit of a friendship, to the point where Lloyd seeks advertising advice from Don. This is what gets Don to propose new business to Bert, who shoots it down as a violation of rules. Don later drunkenly accuses Lloyd of being in cahoots with everyone else. Lloyd has no idea what he's talking about. Welcome to SC&P, Lloyd. Hope they paid you in advance!
1. Jim Cutler. While we don't see much of Jim, the events of the episode help build his position in the office. It opens with an announcement about the computer that he championed, which gets media behind him. He seems to miss the mark when trying to bring Ted back to New York to work on landing a new national account, but wins by supporting Ted's idea to give it to Peggy and then having Don wind up on her team. Any potential fallout there helps Jim, as he's either supported success or gets to blame former SCDPers if things go south.
2. Pete Campbell. He's responsible for getting a crack at Burger Chef, as he runs into one of their execs, a former Vicks man, while out to dinner with girlfriend Bonnie. He also learns that things back in New York changed when his soon to be father-in-law had a heart attack. He's OK, but you can see Pete's taken aback by the news, suggesting he's still thinking about Trudy and Tammy on some level. Finally, this new account would not run through Bob Benson, so it's an even bigger win where Pete's concerned.
3. Freddie Rumsen. He only shows up in the last quarter of the episode - Don calls him to go to a Mets game, Freddie takes him home because he's three sheets to the wind. The next morning, Freddie gives Don a talking to, using his experience to help Don figure out that it's time to play ball with the partners if he wants a crack of getting back to where he was. It's also a rare instance of true friendship between ad men.
Honorable Mention - John Mathis. He's on the Burger Chef account as well and quite pleased to be there, apparently unaware of the larger issues of how the team was set up. He'll write tags all day and be happy to do so! Too bad he's about to be crowded out by whatever Don comes up with.
Three Down
1. Roger Sterling. So that brunch with Margaret where she forgave him has finally led to where we thought it would - she's run off to join a commune, leaving husband and child behind. Roger gets Brooks to go up to get her, but he winds up in jail. So Roger and Mona go up, and while Roger tries to understand what's going on - he stays overnight after Mona gives up trying to talk reason - he falls short after Margaret (now Marigold) wanders off in the night to hump one of the commune's men. Roger tries to physically force her to leave, which results in a savage dressing down from Margaret about his absentee parenting. And he gets mud on his suit, which I suppose will dry up on his walk back to town.
2. Don Draper. He's back but isolated - he doesn't get the memo about the computer, and he's frozen out of partner meetings due to the rules set up for his return. Don hits bottom when he finds out he's working for Peggy and then gets shot down by Bert after suggesting their computer company could become a client. So Don looks to get below the bottom by getting tanked in his office, which is when he calls Freddie to go to the Mets game. Things turn around at the end, with Don working on his tags for Peggy. He's down but working back up.
3. Peggy Olsen. Good news to start for Peggy - she gets a shot at a national account and a $100/week raise. The price, of course, is that Lou saddles her with Don, which effectively get him out of his hair and potentially may see him gone for good if he implodes (almost, Lou!). Peggy broods about this all episode, but in a small talk with Joan gets some good news when Joan suggests that the partners probably didn't even think about anything when they set the team up, never mind sabotage (I'm pretty sure Ted was working off of residual guilt when he suggested Peggy, though). The bonus comes on Monday morning, when she stops in to see Don and he says he'll get his tags to her by lunch. Things are looking up for Peggy, too.
Honorable Mention - Lloyd Hawley. The owner of the company that's installing the computer, he and Don strike up a bit of a friendship, to the point where Lloyd seeks advertising advice from Don. This is what gets Don to propose new business to Bert, who shoots it down as a violation of rules. Don later drunkenly accuses Lloyd of being in cahoots with everyone else. Lloyd has no idea what he's talking about. Welcome to SC&P, Lloyd. Hope they paid you in advance!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Field Trip"
Three Up
1. Don Draper. It's not all sunshine for Don, as a trip to California to buck up Megan (at the behest of her agent) goes completely sideways when he tells her the truth about work. The ensuing fight, however, clarifies for Don that he needs to get back in the game, so he gets an offer from a competing firm that leads to a return to SC&P, albeit under strict conditions (including reporting to Lou, which I thought my be a deal breaker). While this may not be the best thing for him in the long run, in the now Don is back where he identifies with what it is to be Don Draper. That's probably going to have to be enough for the time being.
2. Peggy Olsen. Still chafing under Lou's cardigan-wearing tyranny, now notable for his lack of push to get anyone nominated for Clios, she seems to react positively to Don's return, but manages to burn him later by saying he's not been missed (a sentiment not fully shared by the rest of creative, though Rizzo is on the fence). Not sure how she'll react to Don's return, but she's likely gained an ally that she's not had in the office, well, ever.
3. Harry Crane. Harry has to respond to a client's question about computer-driven market data and replies with how SC&P is just as good - if not better - in that department. Of course it's all lies, as the firm has to farm out their computer needs to someone else. His prevarication does get Cutler to call Harry the most dishonest person he's met, but it does show Harry in a more competent light as he was able to talk the client down and then impress upon a partner the importance of supporting the media division. Sadly for Harry, Cutler uses the computer as an argument against bringing Don back. Roger also make an off the cuff statement that Harry is gone, so maybe this isn't going to go so well for him as first thought.
Honorable Mention: Francine Hanson. Francine is back! She's working at a travel agency three days a week now, and stories of the office are just the thing to get Betty worked up about what she's doing with her life. Francine should show up to sow the seeds of discord more often.
Three Down
1. Betty Francis. So in response to her coffee date with Francine, Betty decides to chaperone a field trip that Bobby's class is taking to a farm. And Betty does well for a while, making small talk with Bobby on the bus, connecting with another chaperone, and even tasting milk fresh from the cow. Things go south when Bobby trades her sandwich for some gumdrops. I mean, Bobby may have thought she wasn't going to eat (having flashbacks to fat Betty, I suppose), but it's still a stupid thing to do. What's stupider, though, is Betty forcing Bobby to eat the gumdrops while she sits there and smokes disapprovingly. Her snit lasts the rest of the day, and pretty clearly crushes Bobby. In a conversation with Henry later she asks why the children hate her, and when Henry deflects by pointing out Gene is sleeping in her arms she just says it's a matter of time. Good that she recognizes the problem, I suppose, but it'd be helpful if she actually tried to do something about it.
2. Megan Draper. The return to constant rejection is not sitting well with Megan, who took to arranging an "accidental" meeting with a casting director so she could plead to redo a reading for a part. Her agent is concerned and calls Don to see if he can calm her down. This leads to a surprise trip to LA and the talk that may have ended their marriage. A later phone call may have repaired some of the damage, but Megan's trust in Don is pretty severely broken. That he's now going back to work in New York rather than moving out to LA as originally promised isn't going to help.
3. Lou Avery. We'd already seen the new depths that Lou could go to before Don showed up at the office and ran into him, putting Lou in panic mode. He angrily reminds Cutler about his contract and gets to chew out the creative staff for talking to Don. Which should make for a very comfortable work environment now that Don is back. I can't believe that Lou thinks he can actually supervise Don, but he's just egotistical enough that it could be the case. I'm looking forward to seeing how Don tortures Lou.
Honorable Mention: Gumdrops. Few things have looked less appetizing than when Bobby started to choke down those gumdrops. Tough enough market for a legacy candy, but throw that in and what chance is there of a comeback?
1. Don Draper. It's not all sunshine for Don, as a trip to California to buck up Megan (at the behest of her agent) goes completely sideways when he tells her the truth about work. The ensuing fight, however, clarifies for Don that he needs to get back in the game, so he gets an offer from a competing firm that leads to a return to SC&P, albeit under strict conditions (including reporting to Lou, which I thought my be a deal breaker). While this may not be the best thing for him in the long run, in the now Don is back where he identifies with what it is to be Don Draper. That's probably going to have to be enough for the time being.
2. Peggy Olsen. Still chafing under Lou's cardigan-wearing tyranny, now notable for his lack of push to get anyone nominated for Clios, she seems to react positively to Don's return, but manages to burn him later by saying he's not been missed (a sentiment not fully shared by the rest of creative, though Rizzo is on the fence). Not sure how she'll react to Don's return, but she's likely gained an ally that she's not had in the office, well, ever.
3. Harry Crane. Harry has to respond to a client's question about computer-driven market data and replies with how SC&P is just as good - if not better - in that department. Of course it's all lies, as the firm has to farm out their computer needs to someone else. His prevarication does get Cutler to call Harry the most dishonest person he's met, but it does show Harry in a more competent light as he was able to talk the client down and then impress upon a partner the importance of supporting the media division. Sadly for Harry, Cutler uses the computer as an argument against bringing Don back. Roger also make an off the cuff statement that Harry is gone, so maybe this isn't going to go so well for him as first thought.
Honorable Mention: Francine Hanson. Francine is back! She's working at a travel agency three days a week now, and stories of the office are just the thing to get Betty worked up about what she's doing with her life. Francine should show up to sow the seeds of discord more often.
Three Down
1. Betty Francis. So in response to her coffee date with Francine, Betty decides to chaperone a field trip that Bobby's class is taking to a farm. And Betty does well for a while, making small talk with Bobby on the bus, connecting with another chaperone, and even tasting milk fresh from the cow. Things go south when Bobby trades her sandwich for some gumdrops. I mean, Bobby may have thought she wasn't going to eat (having flashbacks to fat Betty, I suppose), but it's still a stupid thing to do. What's stupider, though, is Betty forcing Bobby to eat the gumdrops while she sits there and smokes disapprovingly. Her snit lasts the rest of the day, and pretty clearly crushes Bobby. In a conversation with Henry later she asks why the children hate her, and when Henry deflects by pointing out Gene is sleeping in her arms she just says it's a matter of time. Good that she recognizes the problem, I suppose, but it'd be helpful if she actually tried to do something about it.
2. Megan Draper. The return to constant rejection is not sitting well with Megan, who took to arranging an "accidental" meeting with a casting director so she could plead to redo a reading for a part. Her agent is concerned and calls Don to see if he can calm her down. This leads to a surprise trip to LA and the talk that may have ended their marriage. A later phone call may have repaired some of the damage, but Megan's trust in Don is pretty severely broken. That he's now going back to work in New York rather than moving out to LA as originally promised isn't going to help.
3. Lou Avery. We'd already seen the new depths that Lou could go to before Don showed up at the office and ran into him, putting Lou in panic mode. He angrily reminds Cutler about his contract and gets to chew out the creative staff for talking to Don. Which should make for a very comfortable work environment now that Don is back. I can't believe that Lou thinks he can actually supervise Don, but he's just egotistical enough that it could be the case. I'm looking forward to seeing how Don tortures Lou.
Honorable Mention: Gumdrops. Few things have looked less appetizing than when Bobby started to choke down those gumdrops. Tough enough market for a legacy candy, but throw that in and what chance is there of a comeback?
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "A Day's Work"
Three Up
1. Joan Harris. Turns out Joan's involvement with the shoe company last week was a part of something bigger - she's been juggling accounts and personnel work, and just when the latter is proving difficult Cutler shows up and suggests she choose one over the other. It's not a hard choice - Joan packs her things and moves upstairs, opening up room for...
2. Dawn Chambers. Dawn's been juggling working for Lou Avery and covering for Don, and when those two ships collide - Sally comes to the office and finds out Don's not there anymore - she takes a ration from Lou. This turns out to work in Dawn's favor, as (a) she gets to tell Lou off when he asks to have her moved, and (b) she winds up in Joan's old office after a brief stint out front.
3. Sally Draper. Sally goes into the city for the funeral of a roommate's mother, and loses her purse. She goes back for it, and that's how she winds up stopping by the office. She then goes to Don's apartment, but never confronts him about his job, leading to a later confrontation when she calls him out. Don eventually explains what happened, and they wind up getting past things, sort of. In the end she even says she loves him.
Honorable Mention: Michael Ginsburg. He's only in one scene, but has the best line of the night, in reference to Peggy's Valentine's Day plans. "She has plans, look at her calendar: February 14th, masturbate gloomily."
Three Down
1. Peggy Olsen. Besides the burn that Ginzo puts on her, Peggy winds up in a misunderstanding over some roses sent to her secretary, Shirley. Peggy thinks they're for her, and Shirley never gets a chance to correct her. Peggy believes they're from Ted, and spends most of the episode trying to tell Ted off, indirectly. Eventually Shirley tells Peggy about the flowers, which Peggy takes as a humiliation and asks Joan to move Shirley off her desk. In the end, masturbating gloomily would have been a step up.
2. Roger Sterling. Roger gets into something with Cutler over new business the LA office landed, and is outvoted. He ends the day discovering that Joan is moving in next door as an account rep, and on the way down is stuck in the elevator with Cutler, who says he hopes Roger would never be an adversary, but in a way that makes it clear that Cutler is an adversary. Back to the free love and acid?
3. Lou Avery. Continues to be a colossal dick, which will make his eventual comeuppance that much sweeter.
Honorable Mention: Bert Cooper. Also proves himself to be a dick, but in a low key way when he asks Joan to move Dawn off of front reception because she's black. I hope he steps on a thumbtack.
1. Joan Harris. Turns out Joan's involvement with the shoe company last week was a part of something bigger - she's been juggling accounts and personnel work, and just when the latter is proving difficult Cutler shows up and suggests she choose one over the other. It's not a hard choice - Joan packs her things and moves upstairs, opening up room for...
2. Dawn Chambers. Dawn's been juggling working for Lou Avery and covering for Don, and when those two ships collide - Sally comes to the office and finds out Don's not there anymore - she takes a ration from Lou. This turns out to work in Dawn's favor, as (a) she gets to tell Lou off when he asks to have her moved, and (b) she winds up in Joan's old office after a brief stint out front.
3. Sally Draper. Sally goes into the city for the funeral of a roommate's mother, and loses her purse. She goes back for it, and that's how she winds up stopping by the office. She then goes to Don's apartment, but never confronts him about his job, leading to a later confrontation when she calls him out. Don eventually explains what happened, and they wind up getting past things, sort of. In the end she even says she loves him.
Honorable Mention: Michael Ginsburg. He's only in one scene, but has the best line of the night, in reference to Peggy's Valentine's Day plans. "She has plans, look at her calendar: February 14th, masturbate gloomily."
Three Down
1. Peggy Olsen. Besides the burn that Ginzo puts on her, Peggy winds up in a misunderstanding over some roses sent to her secretary, Shirley. Peggy thinks they're for her, and Shirley never gets a chance to correct her. Peggy believes they're from Ted, and spends most of the episode trying to tell Ted off, indirectly. Eventually Shirley tells Peggy about the flowers, which Peggy takes as a humiliation and asks Joan to move Shirley off her desk. In the end, masturbating gloomily would have been a step up.
2. Roger Sterling. Roger gets into something with Cutler over new business the LA office landed, and is outvoted. He ends the day discovering that Joan is moving in next door as an account rep, and on the way down is stuck in the elevator with Cutler, who says he hopes Roger would never be an adversary, but in a way that makes it clear that Cutler is an adversary. Back to the free love and acid?
3. Lou Avery. Continues to be a colossal dick, which will make his eventual comeuppance that much sweeter.
Honorable Mention: Bert Cooper. Also proves himself to be a dick, but in a low key way when he asks Joan to move Dawn off of front reception because she's black. I hope he steps on a thumbtack.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Time Zones"
Well, it's the start of the first half of the last season of Mad Men, and we've moved into 1969. How's that working out?
Three Up
1. Joan Harris - After listening to Ken complain about how he has no help, Joan freelances a meeting with Butler Shoes, a client who is planning on taking their advertising in-house. With some help from a surprisingly non-lecherous professor, she gets information which helps turn the company's director of marketing around, to the point where he's asking her for advice. Ken calls her out on it, but it's a good step forward for Joan given how she's been marginalized in the past.
2. Megan Draper - Now set up in LA and still married to Don, she's living in the hills and just got a callback for a pilot being shot for NBC. Things aren't perfect - her career has clearly receded since leaving New York, and she's got some anxiety stemming from Don's part-time presence, but things seem to be moving forward for her - except there's some talk about "fixing her teeth," which is blasphemy.
3. Pete Campbell - Of everyone who's decamped to LA, Pete seems to be reacting to it the best. He hates the city (flat, ugly, brown air) but loves the vibe. He's tan, dressed for tennis and has hooked up with a comely real estate agent (who will hopefully get him out of his apartment overlooking the tar pits soon). I'd rank Pete higher if I didn't expect him to Campbell it all up in short order.
Honorable Mention: Margaret Sterling - She invites her father to brunch, where she forgives him for everything. He forgives her back, only getting that she's on some sort of spiritual quest late in the conversation. She seems happy, thus the honorable mention, but I do fear that she's hooked up with some sort of cult.
Three Down
1. Peggy Olsen - Peggy did not get the head of creative position once Don was cashiered, and is now the senior person under some guy named Lou who is both lousy at his job and has all the gaiety of an impacted wisdom tooth. On top of work problems Peggy is now the landlady for the building she bought with Abe, meaning she's stuck in dangerous territory with tenants who send their kids to yell at her about their toilet. Oh, and Ted is back from LA for a visit, which just adds to the problems in both personal and professional areas. Peggy breaks down at the end of the episode, realizing just how isolated she is.
2. Don Draper - Don's "bicoastal" now, visiting Megan on weekends and such while "working" in New York. That "working" is doing freelance work with Freddie Rumson, who is the public face of the team when making pitches (their pitch for a watch company is the account that Peggy and Lou square off on for most of the episode). Don seems to have some positives here - he rebuffs a woman on the plane with whom he easily could have hooked up, for example - but at the end, sitting alone on his balcony in the cold, we get the bookend of isolation to Peggy. He's married, is getting some work done, but is essentially on his own.
3. Roger Sterling - Roger has turned his hotel room into some sort of commune/ashram/love-in, based on the number of nude people (and their various states of consciousness) in the room when his daughter calls to arrange brunch. His return from brunch shows that Margaret's forgiveness has sparked something in him, suggesting that all the free love and acid he can get isn't going to fulfill him.
Honorable Mention: Ken Cosgrove - it's only been two months since the last episode, so that eye patch may not be permanent, but its appearance does make me nervous. Ken is not having a very good time at work - he's the head of accounts in New York, has to juggle Detroit and LA and has little help - which given his ambivalent nature about his job must be killing him (I'm also guessing that Dave Algonquin hasn't had much time to write). I'd rank Ken higher if they didn't play him for comedy based on his newly limited eyesight.
Three Up
1. Joan Harris - After listening to Ken complain about how he has no help, Joan freelances a meeting with Butler Shoes, a client who is planning on taking their advertising in-house. With some help from a surprisingly non-lecherous professor, she gets information which helps turn the company's director of marketing around, to the point where he's asking her for advice. Ken calls her out on it, but it's a good step forward for Joan given how she's been marginalized in the past.
2. Megan Draper - Now set up in LA and still married to Don, she's living in the hills and just got a callback for a pilot being shot for NBC. Things aren't perfect - her career has clearly receded since leaving New York, and she's got some anxiety stemming from Don's part-time presence, but things seem to be moving forward for her - except there's some talk about "fixing her teeth," which is blasphemy.
3. Pete Campbell - Of everyone who's decamped to LA, Pete seems to be reacting to it the best. He hates the city (flat, ugly, brown air) but loves the vibe. He's tan, dressed for tennis and has hooked up with a comely real estate agent (who will hopefully get him out of his apartment overlooking the tar pits soon). I'd rank Pete higher if I didn't expect him to Campbell it all up in short order.
Honorable Mention: Margaret Sterling - She invites her father to brunch, where she forgives him for everything. He forgives her back, only getting that she's on some sort of spiritual quest late in the conversation. She seems happy, thus the honorable mention, but I do fear that she's hooked up with some sort of cult.
Three Down
1. Peggy Olsen - Peggy did not get the head of creative position once Don was cashiered, and is now the senior person under some guy named Lou who is both lousy at his job and has all the gaiety of an impacted wisdom tooth. On top of work problems Peggy is now the landlady for the building she bought with Abe, meaning she's stuck in dangerous territory with tenants who send their kids to yell at her about their toilet. Oh, and Ted is back from LA for a visit, which just adds to the problems in both personal and professional areas. Peggy breaks down at the end of the episode, realizing just how isolated she is.
2. Don Draper - Don's "bicoastal" now, visiting Megan on weekends and such while "working" in New York. That "working" is doing freelance work with Freddie Rumson, who is the public face of the team when making pitches (their pitch for a watch company is the account that Peggy and Lou square off on for most of the episode). Don seems to have some positives here - he rebuffs a woman on the plane with whom he easily could have hooked up, for example - but at the end, sitting alone on his balcony in the cold, we get the bookend of isolation to Peggy. He's married, is getting some work done, but is essentially on his own.
3. Roger Sterling - Roger has turned his hotel room into some sort of commune/ashram/love-in, based on the number of nude people (and their various states of consciousness) in the room when his daughter calls to arrange brunch. His return from brunch shows that Margaret's forgiveness has sparked something in him, suggesting that all the free love and acid he can get isn't going to fulfill him.
Honorable Mention: Ken Cosgrove - it's only been two months since the last episode, so that eye patch may not be permanent, but its appearance does make me nervous. Ken is not having a very good time at work - he's the head of accounts in New York, has to juggle Detroit and LA and has little help - which given his ambivalent nature about his job must be killing him (I'm also guessing that Dave Algonquin hasn't had much time to write). I'd rank Ken higher if they didn't play him for comedy based on his newly limited eyesight.
Monday, April 07, 2014
How I Killed Your Mother
I stopped watching How I Met Your Mother some time ago, and the apparently disappointing finale aired a couple of weeks ago, but I still wanted to discuss one of the more entertaining theories I saw in relation to it: that Ted Moseby killed the mother so he could wind up with Robin.
It seems unlikely - Ted doesn't exactly seem like the murdering type - but we know nothing about his life between his meeting the mother and his 2030. Years of being stuck with the "wrong" woman and seeing how the "right" woman was in a doomed marriage may have spurred him to action.
Also, we got very little information about the mother, which you could take as Ted trying to avoid uncomfortable questions about the mother's passing. He would obviously talk up Robin given his plan to win her back, but it conveniently gives the kids something else to think about.
Also, given the job prospects for architects, it may be that Ted needed to bump off the mother for insurance money. Not sure how much insurance a bass player carries, but every little bit helps.
Of course, this theory ignores one obvious fact: Ted would probably kill himself by accident if he tried to take out the mother. He'd spend all sorts of time being wishy washy about it and forget that he poisoned the food he just ate.
Still, I'd like to think this theory has legs, if only to make Ted more interesting in the aftermath of the show than he ever was during it.
It seems unlikely - Ted doesn't exactly seem like the murdering type - but we know nothing about his life between his meeting the mother and his 2030. Years of being stuck with the "wrong" woman and seeing how the "right" woman was in a doomed marriage may have spurred him to action.
Also, we got very little information about the mother, which you could take as Ted trying to avoid uncomfortable questions about the mother's passing. He would obviously talk up Robin given his plan to win her back, but it conveniently gives the kids something else to think about.
Also, given the job prospects for architects, it may be that Ted needed to bump off the mother for insurance money. Not sure how much insurance a bass player carries, but every little bit helps.
Of course, this theory ignores one obvious fact: Ted would probably kill himself by accident if he tried to take out the mother. He'd spend all sorts of time being wishy washy about it and forget that he poisoned the food he just ate.
Still, I'd like to think this theory has legs, if only to make Ted more interesting in the aftermath of the show than he ever was during it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)