What About Don?

I have to admit to having second thoughts about not including Don Draper in the most recent Three Up, Three Down. It was not a good episode for him, from the aborted pitch to McCann about keeping SC&P West running to not being able to find Diana to his inability to pitch the folding into McCann as a new beginning to the SC&P staff.  As has been the case for this half season, Don is losing parts of him at every turn, to the point where all he has is his assumed name.

But I left him off because the four people had arguably worse episodes. Joan, whose position as an executive has always been shaky, is going to get sidelined at McCann. Peggy has to go to McCann if she wants the sort of career success she's already identified as what she wants (all while keeping the stress of giving up her son under the surface). Roger is facing mortality even more squarely than usual, with the Sterling name now, as he notes, ultimately only naming the family crypt. And Trudy Campbell is facing parts of all of these issues, being a single divorced mom who knows that, soon, the husbands who keep sniffing around will stop doing so.

So as much as this episode continued Don's decline, I don't think it did so in a way that made things as measurably bad for him as the episode did for others. I do think Don's the one character in this group who is least likely to find the new beginning that he tried to sell to his SC&P colleagues. Unless he decides to head west on his own to take over the SC&P West space (maybe with Joan in tow if she decides to marry her new beau?).

Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Time & Life"

Three Up

 1. Pete Campbell. OK, it feels very odd to put Pete here, especially as his role in this last half of the season has been minimal, but for once he has an episode where he's (mostly) not a schmuck. He works gamely to keep Dow Chemical, even when Ken is clearly jerking them around. He stands up for both his wife and daughter in regards to day school admissions (he even gets to settle a score related to an ancient clan feud). And after the meeting where McCann says the absorbsion of SC&P is a done deal, he even has a good moment with Joan. He also gives Peggy a head's up on the move to McCann, which is also surprisingly chivalrous.

2. Lou Avery. He had to go overseas to do it, but Lou finally found someone interested in turning Scout's Honor into a cartoon. He's moving to Tokyo and working with the same studio that did Speed Racer. Roger is probably right that the Japanese will eat Lou alive, but for now Lou is pretty happy with himself - especially as he got to deliver the news to Don in typical asshole fashion.

3. Ted Chaough. Ted's happy with the move to McCann, as it means he'll stay in New York and get to work on the pharmaceutical account he's always wanted (assuming Jim Hobart isn't full of it), and not have to be in a leadership role. He'll also get to work on his new relationship with a woman he knew in college.

Honorable Mention: McCann-Erickson.  Folding SC&P was pretty much always in the cards, you'd have to think. The only down side is that they'll have to cut loose some conflicting accounts, which they'll likely make up elsewhere.

Three Down

1. Joan Harris. The folding is going to be especially hard for Joan, given how poorly they've treated her to date. She's also the only partner to whom Jim Hobart doesn't mention a specific, high-level account. She's going to be sidelined at McCann, and will be lucky to even keep Avon. The only bright side to this is that her new beau is dropping everything to come to New York to help Joan through the difficulties.

2. Peggy Olson. On the personal front, a casting call with children brings up tough memories for Peggy, which leads her to tell Stan about her son. She makes the argument that women should be able to move on from giving up a child just like men, but may not completely believe her own argument. Professionally, Peggy meets with a headhunter to see what her options are, and he suggests staying with McCann. Three years and she'll be able to write her ticket. But she's ambivalent about staying given that her treatment by the McCann execs. In the end she decides to stick with McCann and forward her career.

3. Roger Sterling. As one of the prime movers of the McCann deal, Roger feels pretty guilty about what's happening, and that he's pretty much powerless to stop it. When the announcement is made to the SC&P staff, Roger is unable to hold the audience, which dissolves into several small conversations before the staff walks off on their own. Roger also has to admit to Don that he's in a relationship with Marie and explain why he'd not mentioned it previously.

Honorable Mention: Trudy Campbell.  The issues with Tammy not getting into Greenwich Country Day, outside of the ancient MacDonald-Campbell feud, mostly lie with Trudy. Trudy didn't submit applications to other schools, which struck the headmaster at GCD as arrogant. Trudy also didn't share all of the information about Trudy's rejection with Pete (low test scores, for example). Trudy also is having larger issues living in the suburbs as a divorced mom - the husbands won't stop pestering her, and she fears that in 10 years no one will want to pester her.

Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "The Forecast"

Three Up

 1. Joan Harris. Joan gets sent out to LA to help interview new staff, and manages to meet a nice, older gentleman, a retired developer named Richard Bergoff who got lost while looking for his eye doctor. They hit it off immediately, to the extent that Richard follows Joan back to New York. Their courtship hits a bump when Joan admits to having a young son. Richard, who has grown kids, admits that he doesn't want to start over and be tied down. This leads Joan to decide to send Kevin away so she can choose love. Thankfully, Richard has decides he wants to be in Joan's life, including her son.

2. Betty Francis. Betty has some reasonable parenting moments, between a talk with Sally about a teen tour she's going on and confiscating a toy gun from Bobby in return for letting him watch the Brady Bunch. Her best moments are with the now grown Glen Bishop. They still have their weird energy, and Betty has to rebuff a pass from Glen, but she's very good with him as he admits to why he enlisted in the Army. Even if she might not believe the positive outlook she keeps spinning to Glen.

3. Peggy Olson. There's not a ton of Peggy in the episode, but what she is in she's nicely assertive. She gets to tell Pete off when he tries to get one of her people fired, while she calls Don on his BS when he mocks her answers as to what she wants for herself in the future. She's never been more confident or fun to watch.

Honorable Mention: Melanie. Don's real estate agent is having trouble selling his place - too empty and in need of new carpets - and while Don tries to tell her that she can find a different way to sell the place, she cuts close to the quick when she says the apartment looks like it's home to a sad person. She's more right than she knows. As a bonus to using Don's apartment to describe him, she also manages to sell the place. It's a win-win! Double her commission.

Three Down

1. Glen Bishop. Glen stops by the Francis residence to see Sally (and Betty), and eventually announces that he's shipping out shortly. Betty tries to be supportive, while Sally is pissed at Glen becoming part of the war machine. Turns out his motivation isn't just love for country; Glen failed out of college and enlisted as a way to keep his stepfather from laying into him (he also had some odd hopes for Betty, which she rebuffs). He knows he's screwed up, and is doing his best to get through things.

2.  Don Draper. Don is tasked by Roger to write a speech about the future of the firm. This leads him to ask several SC&Pers about their dreams for the future, all of which he finds lacking. It doesn't help that he's having similar issues personally, now that he's unattached and selling his place. It doesn't help that more than one person accuses him of being sad or empty. He also gets into things with Sally before she leaves for her tour, as she's mad about how he can't turn his masculinity off, even for one of her high school classmates. But the bigger issue is Don seemingly set adrift without a clear vision for his future.

3. Mathis. He gets into a fight with Ed during their pitch for a Peter Pan peanut butter-based cookie and drops an F bomb. Don helps defuse Pete, who wants Mathis gone, and gives Mathis some advice about how to approach their next meeting. Turns out Mathis takes Don's advice too literally, using a line Don once used. He fails miserably, not being Don and not having enough of a sense of the room to know that the line isn't going to work. Mathis gets into it with Don afterwards, and Don fires him. At least Mathis got to tell Don that's he's basically empty inside.

Honorable Mention: Sally Draper.  Sally is unable to apologize to Glen in person about his decision to join the Army, which weighs on her given their long-standing friendship. She also gets into it with Don over his constantly engaged libido, and says her greatest wish is to get on the bus and go somewhere where she can be unlike either of her parents. Don's retort is that she will someday realize she's just like her parents, and that it's up to her to be something more than pretty. There is probably nothing worse to a teenaged girl than being told she's going to be just like her parents. Nice to have Sally in an episode, though.

Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "New Business"

Three Up

1. Megan Draper. Megan is still living off of Don's generosity, but is coming to New York to get her things and hopefully finalize the divorce. Things then get worse when she has to fend off Harry Crane's casting couch advances and then discovers that her mom not only stole all of Don's furniture but that she had a fling with Roger Sterling. What turns things around for Megan is (a) a million dollar payout that Don makes so she can have the life she deserves, and (b) the realization that she, like her mom, has done something to get out of a bad situation (unlike her sister, Marie-France, who is a total pill). If  nothing else, Megan now has the money to buy a place that will fit all of her ill-gotten furnishings.

2. Stan Rizzo. Stan starts off the episode getting bumped from Cinzano in favor of Pima Ryan, an art photographer. He clashes with her to start, but then she sees his drawing, likes his talent, and suggests that he shows her some of his photography. He does - shots taken of his girlfriend - and Pima suggests that he should focus on drawing. And that his girlfriend isn't that into him. Stan and Pima do it in the darkroom, but the bigger win for Stan is getting a dose of reality.

3. Marie Calvet. Not only does she mastermind the theft of Don's furniture, she winds up making a life change by staying in New York with Roger, who bails her out when the movers demand more money (to their credit, they weren't expecting to move an entire apartment). It's not great that Megan catches her post-dalliance, and it seems unlikely that Marie's stay with Roger will be permanent, but for now she's made a positive step away from a very unhappy home life.

Honorable Mention:  Bobby and Gene Draper. They get screen time! And Don makes them chocolate milkshakes! Hooray!

Three Down

1. Diana. Don tracks down Diana in an attempt to get to know her better, and we learn that she's like Don in a few ways - she's not from New York, and is running away from a past tragedy (she lost a daughter). She's also like Don in that she's not always entirely truthful. She did lose a daughter, but has left another daughter (and a husband) in Racine. In the end she tells Don that she doesn't want anything from him, and would like him to go away. When she's with him she forgets about what she's left behind, which she doesn't want to do. Diana is keen on punishing herself, and can't let Don get in the way.

2. Don Draper. Don's rebuffed by Diana, cuts Megan a huge check out of guilt for the way their marriage went, and has to see Betty's happy homelife after time with the boys. And his former mother in law steals his furniture! The episode closes with Don standing, confusedly, in his bare living room, and it's a nice depiction of where Don is right now personally. There are bits and pieces of his past life, but for the most part things are a blank canvas.

3. Roger Sterling. He has two secretaries and three phones, which is more of either than he'd care for. He has to dodge a golf meeting so he doesn't have to be around Bert Peterson. And he's apparently gained a new woman now that Marie has decides she's staying in New York. That should be fun for a while, and Marie can certainly keep up with Roger verbally, It's just unlikely that she's going to be good for him long term.

Honorable Mention: Sally Draper. We've seen more of her brothers (and her room in Don's apartment) than we've seen of Sally in the second half of this final season. She'd better make a significant appearance in the next episode.

Three Up, Three Down: Mad Men, "Severance"

Three Up

1. Ken Cosgrove. Ken's father in law is retiring from Dow, which gets Ken's wife thinking about how Ken shouldn't stick with a job he hates, and that he should quit so he can write. He's reluctant, but the next day he gets what he considers a sign: he's fired due to some ancient history with McCann. So he's ready to buy that farm, right? No. With all the movement at Dow, Ken gets hired to be their head of advertising. When Roger and Pete ask if he's firing SC&P, Ken gets to tell them that it's worse: he's going to be their client. Maybe this will be the basis of the advertising book he mentions to Pete.

2. Peggy Olsen. Professionally, Peggy has an issue with Topaz, as they're getting beaten badly by L'Eggs, the cheap supermarket pantyhose. This leads to a meeting with SC&P's colleagues at McCann, which goes poorly (moreso for Joan, who is the focus of the McCann double entendres). Peggy even gets a dig in at Joan for inviting the comments based on her appearance. On the personal side, Peggy winds up on a date with Mathis' brother in law, and it goes very well. They almost run off to Paris, but Peggy can't find her passport. In the end, she returns to her very Peggy mindset about how she wouldn't run off with a guy she barely knows, but she previously said that she's interested in the brother in law in the long term, which was hopefully not just the wine talking.

3. Pete Campbell. He's getting to take over from Ken as head of accounts, and he's so rich now he may have to buy an apartment building so he can keep his money. Not so great that Ken is going to have his nuts in a vice where Dow is concerned, but Pete's now big enough that his position may just be equal to his ego.

Honorable Mention: Ed Baxter. He's retiring, and will get to enjoy golf, his boat, and his adventures in cooking. His first dish? A Pop-Tart. It was very good.

Three Down

1. Joan Harris. She's fully moved into accounts, and is rich thanks to her partnership buyout, but she's still having issues being taken seriously, as seen in her meeting with McCann (though that may be a function of how McCann runs). She's also got some issues at SC&P, based on Peggy's reaction to their McCann meeting and her somewhat prickly meeting with Don about Topaz. Joan's response to all of this is to fake a meeting and go shopping, where's she's almost outed as a former store employee. So while she can afford the retail therapy, it's not going to help the bigger problems.

2. Rachel Katz. Dead of leukemia, which Don discovers when he tries to set up a meeting involving Topaz moving into department stores. She does appear in one of Don's dreams as a model (there's a casting call going on for a fur company), and tells him that he missed his flight. Not a main character, of course, but dead's dead.

3. Don Draper. In some sense he's back to being Don - back running creative and having enough women that his message service is basically a telebordello - but he's really taken aback when he learns of Rachel's death. He tries to pay his respects while Rachel's family is sitting shiva, but he's pretty much stopped at the door by Rachel's sister. She knows who he is, and asks Don what he wants. He mostly wants to know what happened and how Rachel's life went. While Don is processing Rachel's death, he becomes interested in a diner waitress who looks a little like Rachel. They have sex (she thinks a large tip that Roger left previously was some sort of advance payment for services), and at a later visit Don tells her about Rachel, at which point the waitress says that when people die, things get mixed up and people try to make sense of it. Which is kind of where Don is right now - he's getting divorced from Megan, kind of drifting back to his old life, and he has to process Rachel's death.

And can we take a second to ponder Rachel's statement in Don's dream that he missed his flight? Is this a reference to the flights he used to take to see Megan, or is it more general towards the show's flight and death imagery? Is Rachel telling Don that he cheated the Grim Reaper?

Honorable Mention: Mustaches. Both Ted and Roger are sporting some really gruesome facial hair.  You think all the work on the Wilkinson account would spare us from this sort of thing.

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 6

Three Up

1. Lady Mary. Mary kind of hits the trifecta in this episode, as she adopts a controversial new haircut (a bob), gets to flaunt it (and her riding prowess) in front of Gillingham and Blake, and gets to be annoying about Edith finally learning that Gregson is dead. Almost a perfect episode for her.

2. Mrs. Hughes. She and Carson go with Mrs. Patmore for the final walk-through of the cottage she's buying with the money she inherited, which leads Carson to talk with Mrs. Hughes about buying a place for them to make rental income and eventually retire to. It's not clear if that's meant to be a personal proposal or strictly business, but it's the closest Mrs. Hughes has come in years to seeing her unrequited feelings for Carson be reciprocated, so let's take it.

3. Joseph Molesley. With Miss Bunting gone, Daisy is on the fence about continuing her studies. Molesley won't let her quit, and loans her a history book so she can continue. Molesley had designs on becoming a teacher but couldn't due to financial issues, so it's good to see him get a shot to live this out in some respect.

Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. He shares a moment with Lady Violet when she visits him to tell him that his wife is still alive. He talks about how much he wanted Lady Violet from the moment they first met, which might be an unusual topic of conversation given the news about his wife, but it's good to see him energized about something. That it may put Lady Violet in a bit of a state is a bonus.

Three Down

1. Thomas Barrow. His health continues to decline, so Baxter forces him to see Dr. Gregson, which means the doctor has joined the circle of people who know about Thomas's tastes. Anyway, it turns out that the anti-gay cure was simply saline, with the source of Thomas's illness an infection from the unclean needle used for the injections. On top of this, the investigation into Green's death reaches Baxter thanks to a letter Thomas wrote to Scotland Yard saying that Baxter has knowledge about his death. So he's been a total jerk and yet still gets kindness from Baxter, which just makes him more miserable.

2. Lady Edith. Finally learning of Gregson's death pushes Edith over the edge, as after a period of mourning she gets Marigold from the Drewes and takes off, only saying goodbye to Branson. We have no idea where she's heading, but at least she can finally be with her daughter.

3. Lord Robert. He continues to keep Cora at length given the whole Simon Bricker issue, and he's pretty much as insufferable as he's been all season. The issue with Cora gets resolved when she tells him to move back into their bedroom, unless he can say that he's never misled a woman about his intentions. He remembers his kissyface with one of the maids, and moves back into the bedroom. Also, Isis continues to be listless, which can't help his disposition.

Honorable Mention Anna Bates. Bates discovers Lady Mary's diaphragm stashed in the drawer that Anna hid it in so it wouldn't be found in the big house. This leads Bates to think that Anna is using it to avoid being impregnated by a murderer. This leads to a lengthy discussion about the device, and Anna swearing that it's not hers. He eventually says he believes her (not sure that's 100 percent true), but as a bonus we learn that Bates thought about killing Green, and even bought a ticket to London to confront him, but he didn't go. Which means Lady Mary burning the ticket actually destroyed the evidence of his innocence. So maybe Lady Mary isn't the big winner this episode?

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 5

Three Up

1. Lady Rose. Struggling to get from a shop to the church that's hosting the Russian refugees, Rose is assisted by Atticus Aldridge, a young lawyer whose family emigrated from Russia in earlier times. She eventually learns from the refugees that Atticus' family emigrated during the pogroms. That Atticus is Jewish doesn't seem to faze Rose at all, and it's clear that the two of them are hitting it off, which is nice to see for once.


2. Tom Branson. While he's sad to see Sarah Bunting leave the village (she's taken another job, though her rough relations with the local gentry can't have helped), he is happy that she's reminded him of who he is. It's good to see Tom gaining some direction, even if it means he's going to move to America.

3. Baxter. She finally tells Molesley about her past, and he's as understanding as you might expect. It also helps Baxter continue to get out from under Thomas's influence, so a win-win for Baxter.

Honorable Mention: Charles Blake. He apparently has a plan for getting Tony Gillingham to finally give up on Lady Mary. And if it means he gets a shot with her, so much the better.

Three Down

1. Lady Edith. Things continued to deteriorate with the Drewes, and the situation is made worse when Lady Rosamund visits and learns that Marygold is no longer in Switzerland. And then the dowager countess learns of her secret great granddaughter, which just turns things up to 11. But we may finally learn that Gregson is dead, which is... good news?

2. Lady Cora. The inevitable advance by Simon Bricker comes to pass when he comes back to Downton to finish his work on that painting. Making it worse is that Robert, who has returned early from a dinner, catches Cora and Bricker in their bedroom. Cora wanted no part of Bricker's plan, and even to the extent that she can get Robert to believe that he still blames her for what's happened and being too blind to see it. There's a modicum of truth in that - Bricker's been walking the line of being appropriate with a married woman for quite a while - but she's taking too much of the blame, I think.

3. Tom Barrow. His anti-gay treatments aren't going well, and everyone at Downton is noticing that he's in a bad way. He continues to say he's fine, but that's obviously untrue. Whether or not he'll admit to feeling poorly before he collapses is to be seen.

Honorable Mention: Isis. Random mention of how she's feeling poorly. Hopeful that it's puppies, but concerned it's something worse.

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 4

Three Up

1. Lady Violet. The dowager manages to stick her oar in for pretty much every story line, between needling Isobel about Lord Merton's proposal, commiserating with Edith about her troubles, trying to keep Robert from getting too worked up over Sarah Bunting, and helping to find the Princess Kuragin (she's apparently in Hong Kong).

2. Daisy Mason. She's moved from math on to history, and while that causes a slight hiccup in the kitchen it does seem that Daisy is quite inspired by her studies, and is effusive with praise for Miss Bunting when called upstairs to answer if her studies are causing problems (for the most part they aren't). Her increased confidence leads her to write a letter on behalf of Mrs. Patmore to get her nephew included in a war memorial, and as much as Daisy says she may be a cook for the rest of her life that's looking increasingly unlikely.

3. Isobel Crawley. Lord Merton finally makes his intentions known and pops the question to Isobel, stating that his motivation is romantic rather than pragmatic. He asks Isobel to think about it rather than answer immediately, and she accepts (and is clearly moved by his admission of love). Otherwise, Isobel hasn't changed much, vocally supporting Daisy's new-found confidence through education (and, by extension, supporting Miss Bunting and Tom). The liberal streak still lives in the future Lady Merton.

Honorable Mention: Simon Bricker. The art critic returns to Downton to further study the painting he came to see the first time, and is even more effusive in his praise for Lady Cora. He is a shameless flirt with her, and when he almost gets caught manages to save things by directing his comments towards the painting. He's walking an even thinner line than previously, but is getting to further both this career and his personal interest in Lady Cora, which he's clearly enjoying.

Three Down

1. Lady Edith. On the good side, we learn that we're closer than ever in learning what happened to Michael Gregson. On the bad side, it's clearer now than before that he got mixed up with some brownshirts, to a possibly permanent end. Edith doesn't really want to know what happened, as she feels that not knowing allows her to keep him alive by thinking he is only missing. On the daughter front, Mrs. Drewe strongly rebuffs a visit, with Mr. Drewe following up to tell Edith that his wife thinks Edith is unsettling Marigold. So Edith is even further separated from those she loves, and the advice from her grandmother to learn how to put things behind her doesn't help.

2. Tom Barrow. Tom returns to Downton saying his father has rebounded, but it becomes clear that Tom's time away wasn't related to his father at all. Baxter, hearing distress, finds Tom with a syringe, and based on what Baxter later sees in a magazine Tom dropped in a hallway, he's taking some sort of treatment (guessing that he's trying to "curse" his attraction to men). Tom's clearly in a difficult place, and is refusing to take help from the one person who seems sympathetic to his plight.

3. Sarah Bunting. For all of the success she's having downstairs she's flaming out upstairs, as her every utterance rubs Sir Robert the wrong way And in this episode she does seem to be taking pointed shots at Lord Grantham, questioning his feelings towards the servants and even if he knows Daisy's name. This eventually causes Robert to explode, saying he wishes that she never returns to Downton just before he storms out of dinner. For whatever good she may be for Daisy (and for Tom), you have to think Miss Bunting will be keeping to the village for a while.

Honorable Mention:  Joseph Molesley. There are plenty of contenders here (from Tony Gillingham for his refusal to believe Mary is rejecting him to his former fiancee, Mable Lane-Fox, encountering Mary at a fashion show), but the honors here goes to Molesley, who finds that being first footman isn't everything it's cracked up to be when he gets tasked with every bit of extra work that seems to crop up. He eventually asks to not hold the title, to which Carsten agrees. And he seems to take some added pleasure at that, which kind of annoys me. Molesley brings a lot of this on himself, but it does seem like Carsten takes a little too much joy out of knocking him down.

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 3

Three Up

1. Lady Violet. The dowager gets wind of Lady Mary's salacious vacation - Spratt saw Mary and Gillingham while in Liverpool for a relative's wedding - and she gets to read her the riot act about stepping out and how in her day that didn't happen until orders came from on high (one's mother). We learn later, however, that Lady Violet had an admirer in a Russian prince who is now a refugee. The pair are reunited at a tea Lady Rose put together for the refugees, which gives the dowager a little more context for Mary's assignation (not that Violet engaged in any hanky panky, just that she understands the impulse a little more than she let on). She even gets to slip in another dig at Lord Merton and Isobel, so a good outing all around.

2. Baxter. Baxter finally comes clean with Lady Cora as to why she stole from her former employer - she was under the influence of a man who left her holding the bag after he split with the booty. She never put the police on him as she wanted to put the entire thing behind her. Lady Cora winds up letting her stay. We also learn that Baxter knows Thomas's family pretty well, enough to express concern over the ill health of his father (which he doesn't take well, saying his dad treated her better than him, and it may be untrue to boot). We also get another moment of Baxter getting advice from Molesley, further the possibility of their relationship developing into something more intimate.

3. Daisy Mason. Her studies with Miss Bunting are apparently going well, as we see Daisy at the start of the episode flitting around the kitchen, chirping about where she might have wound up had she been able to go to school until she was 14 rather than only going until she was 11. There's some talk about her taking an examination, which sees like it will happen in short order. Interestingly, her success has seemed to put a spark in Thomas, as he makes a phone call about a self-improvement course (not that she knows about this). Daisy still has to work hard in the kitchen, but you can tell she's thinking more and more about life outside of it.

Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. While he's been holding himself apart from the other refugees in York, Lady Rose does get him to come out of his shell a bit, especially after she mentions she's currently living at Downton. As noted above, he seems to have taken a shine to Lady Violet back in the 1870s, when she and her husband went to St. Petersburg for a wedding (turns out the Earl of Grantham was part of the household of the groom, the young Prince Albert). He is genuinely pleased to see her again, even finishing the story of how Lady Violet came in possession of a fan during one of the balls. There is a tinge of sadness, though, when he mentions he does not know if his wife is alive (the assumption being that she didn't get out).

Three Down

1. Lord Robert. The season-long campaign of being an ass continues. To start, Robert rejects out of hand a plan to build 50 houses on or near the estate, complaining of not wanting to see modern houses  (by which I think he means anything built after 1800). He then goes to London to surprise Lady Cora (who's gone down to see that art historian again to talk about paintings), only to have to cancel plans when she dines with the historian. He suspects the historian wants more than her opinion on paintings, and while Robert's not wrong he comes across as saying Cora has no opinions that the historian would want to hear. It's needlessly cruel, and his attempts to apologize the next day are rebuffed. He's also immediately cross when he sees Sarah Bunting at the tea, and while her outspokenness almost leads to the abrupt end of the tea he's still kind of an ass about her. He's becoming less able to deal with the present by the minute.

2. Lady Edith. Her attention to Marigold comes to a head, with Mrs. Drewe finally putting the kibosh on further visits (at one point she literally thought Edith had ran off with the child). This causes obvious distress, as Mrs. Hughes notes it's a blow to someone who has little enough love in her life as it is. Edith also casually asks Mary to show the sketches from her trip around, clearly not believing any were made. Mary is seen leafing through some later in the episode, so Edith doesn't get the pleasure of blowing Mary's cover, either.

3. Lady Cora. In some ways this is a good episode for her, as we get to see her demonstrating knowledge about something she cares about and gets to talk about herself and how she wound up in England looking for a husband (short version: a new money partly-Jewish family in New York City climbs up the social ladder more quickly if they marry into European aristocracy). What turns this into a negative isn't just Robert's dismissal of her intellect, but the way Cora notes that a night out in London is past her now, and as much as her art historian would like to keep the night alive and meet again in the future, neither are really in the cards. Cora has accepted her role as an older, country-dwelling countess, and we can see some of the regret in not having a more exciting or fulfilled life.

Honorable Mention: Anna Bates. In some ways she had a worse episode than Lady Cora, as she has to hide Lady Mary's birth control (and the book that inspired the purchase) in some corner of her cottage (ripe for Mr. Bates to discover in the next episode or two, I'm sure) and continue to keep the secret about Lady Mary's trip. Now throw in the police investigation into the death of Green, as there's now talk among Gillingham's household staff that Green spoke of not getting along with Mr. Bates. Bates is able to put together enough of an alibi to satisfy the local cop, but Anna (and Mrs. Hughes) fear that a more skilled officer may be able to determine that, even with the alibi, Bates could have had time to get into London, off Green, and get back to Downton. I fear Anna is going to worry her way into getting Bates caught.

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 2

Three Up

1. Mary Crawley. No title for her this week, as she's off on her assignation with Tony Gillingham, disguised as a week of sketching with a friend.  And she's gotten to this point with minimal work, between getting her friend to cover for her and sending poor Anna Bates to get protection for her. To her credit, Mary does give a fairly well-reasoned speech about how she needs to be sure that she's completely compatible with Tony, as she wants to marry again but absolutely does not want to divorce.

2. Lady Edith. She's continuing to spend time with her daughter, and has finally found a way to normalize that relationship to the extent one can - she's going to back up her personal support with finances, etc. as some sort of godmother. This does not necessarily sit well with Marigold's adoptive mother - she's still on the fence about Edith's presence, and shares Lord Grantham's concern that Edith will lose interest - but it seems to suit Edith's need to be close to her daughter. And with others thinking it's a way for her to distract herself from Gregson, they're thrown even farther off the scent as to the real connection between Edith and Marigold.

3. Isobel Crawley. The work of the Dowager Countess to get Lord Merton interested in someone of the appropriate station seems to not have worked, as he's still interested in Mrs. Crawley. Lady Violet continues to try to run interference between the two, but a visit to Lord Merton's estate to visit the gardens keeps things alive. The dowager is going to have to break out her finest cutting remarks, as her regular ones aren't quite working.

Honorable Mention: Mrs. Hughes. Her relationship with Carsten looks like it's going to take a hit when they disagree on the location of the village's war memorial, but when the location winds up being where Mrs. Hughes favored Carsten notes that one of the benefits of the location (which he didn't favor) is the the two of them are back on the same page. She's clearly pleased by that.

Three Down

1. Tom Barrow. While his position is secure, the loss of James makes him realize that he's lost the closest thing to a friend he has at the house. And now that he doesn't have the power of Baxter that he used to have, he doesn't even have a source for information that he can use against others. Even Molesley gets the upper hand on him at one point when discussing Baxter. Anna does reach out to him at one point, but he's seemingly comping to grips with being alone in the house.

2. Lord Robert. Mostly small issues - he's against the original location for the war memorial (though he wins that one), and is resistant to having a wireless set (though he relents after renting a set to listen to a speech by the king) - but he comes off as a dick in a couple places. He's flippant about Edith's interest in Marigold (he also thinks she'll tire of her), and is openly rude about Branson, Sarah Bunting and the return of Branson's leftist leanings (he as much as says he's parroting Sarah, which ignores pretty much all of Branson's political past). He also grouses about a visiting art historian flirting with his dog - missing that he was actually flirting with Cora.

3. Mrs. Drewe. As much as she appreciates Edith's interest in Marigold, her increased presence (and financial backing) isn't sitting as well as it could. She's concerned about Edith losing interest, but also that Edith is trying to muscle in on areas that are already covered (noting, for example, that Marigold already has a godmother when Edith suggests that sort of role for herself). I fear this conflict is going to continue to build over the course of the season.

Honorable Mention: John Bates. He's not in the episode much, but when a policeman comes to visit Carsten at the end of the episode, asking about the death of Green and revealing that there's a witness, we all know who is going to be in the middle of the investigation.

Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 1

It's 1924. Who's having a good year one episode in?

Three Up

1. Lady Mary. The semi-surprise visit by Tony Gillingham leads Mary to admit that she loves him, but wants to be as happy with he second husband as she was with her first, so she wants to play it slow. In response to that, Gillingham invites her on a week away where they'll get to know each other - in every sense of the word. This appeals to Mary, who suggested such a course of action to Anna (in a theoretical sense). She agrees to their assignation, saying no one must ever know. Which means it will be common knowledge by episode 4. Still, Mary's getting what she wants here.

2. Tom Barrow. He's on thin ice with Lady Cora after Baxter spills her big secret - she's a convicted felon due to stealing jewelry from a former employer, for reasons as yet unexplained - but his role in discovering the fire and saving Lady Edith puts him back in Cora's good graces. Another one of Tom's nine lives spent, but he's going to get some mileage out of this.

3. Lady Violet. As much as she's friends with Mrs. Crawley, and as much as Mrs. Crawley denies she has any interest in Lord Merton (who is still sniffing around), the Dowager Countess arranges a luncheon where she manages to steer another dowager aristo toward Lord Merton and isolate Mrs. Crawley with Dr. Clarkson. And while two parties in one day tuckers her out, she does manage to get off a couple of witticisms during the charged conversation at Lord and Lady Grantham's anniversary dinner, which Sarah Bunting does her best to ruin with her strident opinions.

Honorable Mention: Baxter. Her secret is finally out, but she takes Molesley's advice and tells Lady Grantham before Tom can (Tom is pressuring her for dirt on Mr. Bates, related to his day out where we believe he committed murder). Lady Cora is shocked, and is frustrated that Baxter isn't sharing more background as to why she stole from her former employer, and why she was unable to return what she stole. But Lady Cora has had no beef with Baxter, and isn't prone to sacking her straight off. She may still fire Baxter - and with Tom's good fortune with the fire he may have an opening to influence things - but Baxter is safe for now, and is a freer woman to boot.

Three Down

1. Lady Edith. Michael Gregson is still missing, and their love child continues to live with a family in the village. Edith apparently spends some time with the family, doting on their youngest, leading the wife to think that Edith fancies her husband. He has figured out why Edith is so interested, and they begin to work out an arrangement whereby Edith can continue to see her daughter. Still, she's despondent over the situation, and flings a book that belonged to Gregson across her bedroom. It manages to catch on fire, which causes the blaze that is confined to her room. Whatever light may be at the end of the tunnel for Edith is still a long way off.

2. Jimmy Kent. A former employer of Jimmy's continues to write letters to him, and she gins up a reason to stop at the abbey (and even fakes car trouble so she can spend the night). She passes a note to Jimmy at dinner inviting him to her room (which Carsten sees, but Jimmy is able to dodge giving the note to Carsten with an assist from Tom). He does go to her room, and is caught there by Lord Robert as he's going door to door raising the alarm. After the fire, Lord Grantham asks Carsten to let Jimmy go, but give him a good reference to cover for how he got the sack for getting in the sack.

3. Lord Robert. The generational (and ideological) shift is giving Lord Robert trouble, from the new Labor government to Sarah Bunting nearly ruining his anniversary dinner to a group from the village choosing Carsten over him to chair a war memorial committee. Throw in the fire and discovering the help rogering a guest and it was a tough episode for Lord Grantham. The only reason he doesn't finish higher is that the committee (or Carsten) asks Lord Robert to serve as the project's patron, helping to save face. He also has a bit of a talk with Tom about Sarah and his political past which I think helps to frame their relationship a bit, even if its ending was a bit sharp.

Honorable Mention: Spratt. Lady Violet's butler doesn't like serving the common folk. He continually snubs Dr. Gregson when serving other aristocrats, and has to be put in his place by Lady Violet on more than one occasion. You would think that one talking to from her would be enough, but his prejudice is apparently a little too entrenched.

That Championship Season

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.