Random TV Stuff - 6/5/13

AMC's MAD MEN - This season's been nicknamed "Sad Men." It's 1968, and the SCDP folks are living their lives while Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy get assassinated, drugs are on the rise, and Don Draper looks like a man getting passed by.  Only three episodes left, and next season is the last, and I picture that's the one where we see Don gone to full seed.  I'm still enjoying it, but I've enjoyed previous seasons more.  I do like Harry Hamlin's dapper partner as a different ingredient to the management mix.

A&E's BATES MOTEL - Watched the season finale the other day, and I think this show is great.  It ended with a cliffhanger that showed Norman apparently having killed his teacher, but I think we're going to learn in Season 2 he didn't actually do it.  Very interested to see where the show goes from here.

TNT's THE AMERICANS - Still have a couple episodes to watch, but I really enjoy the chemistry between Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

AMC TV Shows

THE KILLING starts up again next week. Wasn't the season finale just six months ago? Regardless, I'm glad it's back soon enough. My wife watched season 1 with me but she decided she has no interest in season 2. I'll watch season 2, but I really hope it's not as morose as season 1. One can only take watching grieving parents for so long.

Still haven't watched the season finale of THE WALKING DEAD. I just hope the writers get a hold of themselves in season 3. Season 2 was full of bad dialogue and confusing character motivations. Still love the show; I just hope since we're getting the Governor in season 3 that it picks up. Was sad to see Dale go, but I liked how they had Shane exit. It had to be him or Rick.  I know they leave the farm and I assume a couple more characters get killed, but it'll be good for them to be on the road again.

I loved the season opener of MAD MEN. So nice to see Don Draper and company back. Now we're in 1966, and times are a-changing even as the characters wish they weren't. I liked the power struggle of SCDP, where Pete's exploring his powers as junior partner. He can pull in the unglamorous work, and now Roger Sterling finds himself trying to hide his uselessness. I like how Pete's a petty jerk except when he's around his wife. She brings out the best in him.

The underlying theme of Mad Men continues to be people looking for what they want, and when they get it, they're still not happy.  Don impulsively proposed to Megan at the end of last season.  Now they're a few months into their marriage and they already have cracks showing.  Roger and Lane are clearly unfulfilled in their marriages as well.

By the way, I tried about half an episode of COMIC BOOK MEN, the new reality show from Kevin Smith. I lasted about half an episode. Picture all the friends you had in college. Now picture the four geekiest who never grew up. Now picture them with their own show. What you are now picturing is more engaging than the reality of the actual show.

[Update: I watched the finale of The Walking Dead tonight.  I like how the group's on the run now.  I would have guessed that Patricia and Jimmy would have become zombie-food; they were the least developed characters on the show.  The show is at its best in action-mode.  When it got into dialogue, it entered shaky ground, and some actors are better at making it work than others.  I also like that Andrea is separated from the group, and now we have this cool hooded sword-lady with armless walkers as pets.]

AMC's Mad Men Season 4 finale

This finale didn't quite have the bang last year's did. I was a little disturbed that Burt Cooper quit the agency and no one took it seriously. Are they really getting rid of Robert Morse just like that? Then again, they did dump Sal (Bryan Batt) and Kinsey (Michael Gladis) rather unceremoniously last season. Meanwhile Don's engaged, Peggy's proved herself once more, Joanie is still carrying Roger's baby but will pretend it's her husband's, Betty's still a bad mother, and Pete had his portfolio saved by Don. That final look out the window by Don... does that mean when we pick up next season, he'll already be thinking of cheating on his new wife?