Looking S2

If I had to bet, there aren't many shows at all to where I can honestly say that I'm watching a program nobody else I know is watching.  Usually, that's probably wrong and you just haven't asked them.  In the case of Looking, that may actually be the case.  The ratings for this show are low to the point where there's a threat it will be cancelled.  And while it's certainly too late to get people to watch this show as the season is over, that would be a shame.

To explain the premise - which I no doubt need to do because nobody watches this show - it's simply about three gay friends who are looking for love, fulfillment, whatever.  Basically, they are in a point in their lives where much is uncertain.  Usually, that leads to the main characters trying to find love.  It's not a wholly unusually tale except for the fact that it's completely focused on gay males.

That focus is evident in a San Francisco that seems 90% gay and not the other way around.  There's maybe six characters in total over the course of 10 episodes who aren't gay.  There's a mother, a sister, a best friend, the best friend's boyfriend, the main character's work buddy, and then some random childhood friend who we meet a funeral.  And they've still avoided having any lesbians in the show either (except some random ones at a party who don't speak).  Everybody's a homosexual male.

This is a world where a character expresses concern that the heterosexual members of the work will be treated unfairly.  The sister similarly says that another character always gets to do things because he's gay.  It's ridiculous (and certainly is meant as ridiculous), but given the world Looking presents us, they both have points.  This isn't a complaint either.  As mentioned in last review, I find it kind of funny and appropriate given the history of the medium of television and movies.

The show unfortunately seems a little more invested in a love triangle than I am.  Patrick, played by Jonathan Groff, is torn between his boss Kevin, and his ex-boyfriend, Richie.  Two problems are that Richie's not exactly interested.  It's not so much a love triangle, but given that Raul Castillo is a regular and it's obvious the show is headed towards a Richie/Patrick final - that is if it gets there - he's obviously a part of the long-game.  Also Kevin as a long-term boyfriend.

If there's one weakness, it's that I'm not sure the creators are completely aware of terrible Kevin comes off.  For a love triangle to really work well, you need to be equally invested in both options or at least you need to believe there's a contest.  But Richie's clearly better and he's clearly going to win.  The last episode helped a little - maybe the best scene of the season was Patrick and Kevin's fight about whether to remain monogamous.  Also, Patrick is kind of terrible.  It's fine, because I don't mind having unlikable leads, but damn so many shows seem to center around the wrong lead.

As always, I find Dom the most interesting character.  However, unlike the usual route for these characters, this season is about Dom and Doris' friendship more than it is about Dom and a romantic partner.  Sure, he and Lynn are dating to begin the season, but by the end I nearly forgot about him.  To get ahead of myself, he's also a nice contrast with Eddie, who's able to get past his past in order to be with Agustin whereas Lynn cannot ever get past his "true love" dying.

But the true season-long relationship with Dom - I have a feeling that will be a theme with this show if it continues - is with Doris.  This is the season of Lauren Weedman, who's particularly excellent as her role increases.  In a sort of meta moment, she gets recognized by Malik and she just assumes he's gay and looking at one of the guys.  (I actually find it kind of funny that Malik behaves somewhat like a gay character - there is no way I'm being a Sonny and Cher couple for Halloween - and he camp up with it!)

The season of Doris is reflected best by the episode where she goes back to her hometown with Dom and awkwardly Patrick for her father's funeral.  (This would be her Emmy submission I would guess, but lol at this show having a chance at winning an Emmy)  It's a standout episode all around.  We learn Dom never came out to his father, an experience I can't exactly relate to, but there's a universal aspect to never getting a chance to tell a loved one some secret you hold.  Also, her commitment to Malik is established when he arrives at the end and breaks down and cries while hugging him.  It allows her to realize she really does love him.

Back to the Dom and Doris friendship though, it's pretty clear both have commitment issues and both are making it more difficult to have a solid relationship.  It's just easier to not commit and stay with your best friend.  Although some plot contrivances made it happen (bank takes away Doris money, their fight seemed to kind of explode out of nowhere), both really needed to move on from each other.

Lastly, the rehabilitation of Agustin was successful as he mostly failed as a character last year.  I think the writers did an admirable job in improving his character quite a bit while not making it a completely different character.  (He takes some hard drugs and passes out on the street for instance)  A clever way of doing this was having him prove himself to Eddie, who has HIV.  Oddly enough, at the end of the season, they probably have the most comfortable relationship on the show.

In all, the final episode could work as a series finale.  When Patrick discovers his mother left his father, he suddenly doesn't feel like he needs to live up to anything.  This helps him discover subconscious feelings about Kevin being a possible sex addict.  He gets a haircut from Richie and says I'm ready - notable because the first season ends with Richie telling him he's not ready.  I would have no qualms about Agustin's story ending here because no doubt a new season may destroy his relationship with Eddie (it remains to be seen whether this show can write an effective stable relationship as pretty much every one of them hasn't worked out).  Dom is forced to grow up as his best friend moves on.  It's not hard to imagine him finding someone and being able to commit at this point.  In all, it'd be a solid series finale, although there could certainly be more on Patrick, Dom and even Augustin could be an interesting test case on healthy relationships from the writers.

This second season continues to be one of the best directed shows on television.  It's a bevy of well-reviewed indie directors from Andrew Haigh (Weekend), Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson), Craig Johnson (The Skeleton Twins), and Jaime Babbit (who kind of seems like she should stick to television judging by her movies).  San Francisco is not near as prominent in this season as the first, but the cinematography is still naturally beautiful.  I'm terrible at last paragraphs and don't have anything particularly sophisticated to add, but the second season is an improvement of an already good first season.

Grade - A-

Rewind: Mad Men S5

With the final season of Mad Men returning in April, I will re-watch the first four seasons and watch the following two-and-a-half seasons for the first time.  After each season, I will share my thoughts on the show.

Season 1
Season 2

Season 3
Season 4

The fifth season of Mad Men feels like a radical departure from previous seasons while still being undoubtedly Mad Men.  Don Draper is a dedicated husband who has lost interest in work at a time when the firm needs him more than ever.  Roger Sterling for the first time comes to a sort of peace thanks to an LSD trip.  Peggy Olsen gets promoted by another firm simply because her career would be in stasis if she were to remain at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.  Joan Harris finally leaves Greg, realizing he's a poor excuse for a husband and lives life as a single mother.

That's not mentioning the newest principal character, Megan Calvet.  In between seasons, she became Megan Draper and got promoted into a copywriting position.  Mad Men avoids the easy route by making her both good at her job and largely uninterested in it.  She also seems to be good for Don in a way Betty clearly never was.  This may sound like a weird complaint, but I almost feel like the show went too hard in the other direction here - making her an impossibly good person so that when Don inevitably cheats on her, there's no one to blame but Don.

It's weird because I think Jessica Pare does a fantastic job as Megan - she certainly feels like a person.  But try as I might, I cannot think of one single flaw that Megan possesses.  She's certainly the opposite of Betty in most ways.  However, usually when you think of a character having no flaws, it's mostly because they don't seem like an actual person, but simply as a plot device.  Which isn't a problem here.  But Don rushed into this marriage and you wouldn't really expect him to just happen to rush into a perfect woman for him.  Let's get past that though because obviously that's what Matt Weiner is going for - Don Draper will be Don Draper no matter who he is with.

I think the arc of Don Draper is most fascinating in this season of all seasons, mostly because he finally goes through an arc.  Don has always had a thing for strong woman - I'm not really sure why he married Betty anymore as she is literally the only woman he's had an extended relationship with that doesn't seem ahead of her time.  Anyway, you'd expect philanderer Don to have a problem working with Megan, but strangely he seems happiest and most comfortable when she's working.

When Megan realizes she'd rather become an actress - with the help of her parents (which seriously how is she not more fucked up with those two?) - it seemingly devastates Don.  That's not what seems to get Don back in his natural state though.  It's after Megan asks Don to use his connections to help her land a commercial.  Don would rather she do it on her own and be independent.  Something is lost when she's relying on him to further her career.  I think he loses some respect for her.

Meanwhile, I usually don't talk about Roger Sterling this early in the post as he's more of a side character, but this is definitely the season of Roger Sterling.  For seasons, he's been feeling useless and the end of the fourth season made it official with the loss of Lucky Strike.  So here's a Roger who's actually trying to work - in his own way by stealing clients off Pete.  Pretty much the entire season is a showcase for John Slattery's charms, whether it be his feud with Pete, his LSD trip, or his post-LSD trip where is he as happy and content as he's ever been.

After roughly four years, he finally breaks up with Jane - it was clear that they've been unhappy for a while and the LSD simply enlightened him.  Basically, previously I had noticed that every Roger Sterling story bottled down to the same thing - he's increasingly useless at work and getting to an age where he can't behave like he was when he was younger - and now finally we get something new.  Hell, that's kind of a theme with this season I suppose - Don has new storylines, Megan's a new wife to Don, and Roger.

Plus, Joan finally escapes her awful, domineering husband.  It took him deciding to volunteer for an extra year in Vietnam for her to realize it, but nonetheless it is still a welcome surprise.  At work, she's clearly one of the most vital people, making Lane Pryce essentially useless because she performs most of his job duties.  At home, with the help of her mother, she is learning how to raise a child in a time when being a single mother was most certainly looked down upon.  And I have little doubt when I start season six later, that she will have found herself another man - if not as a husband, at least a potential one.  (Foreshadowed by that great scene at the bar between Joan and Don - which if Megan's reaction afterward is any indication, he won't get away with the same shit he did with Betty, but he'll try)

Another thing Joan experiences is that she's made partner because she sleeps with a client to land an account.  This is strongly encouraged and manipulated by Pete, who's never seemed more dickish than that episode.  Don opposes, but it doesn't matter.  I will say that if there's one character who would get over this fast, it's Joan.  I'm not even sure it will weigh on her given her attitude as the head of secretaries, but this being Mad Men, it could go either way.

Speaking of Lane, he finds his role in the company in doubt since his main function was to transition companies to be more efficient.  Well, this company can't really be more efficient and seems to be mostly skating by from account to account.  Joan handles the finances and day-to-day leaving not much for Lane to do.  One of the better established traits of Lane is that he loves America - ever since he was threatened with going to India, we've known he wants to stay.  Thanks to his move from England, his $50,000 deposit, and his tax troubles, Lane is potentially at risk with leaving.  So instead of asking for the money - probably due to pride -he embezzles money out to pay his taxes.

When it's discovered, it's not a surprise that he would rather stop living life than have to uproot and face the humiliation.  If there's one weakness to his story, it's that the show kind of piled on him in his last episode.  His wife gives him the car and he gets a position in some esteemed club at the exact moment when everything falls to shit for him?  I will say that I did however enjoy that the piece of shit car that won't start causes his suicide attempt to fail.  Enjoy is perhaps harsh, but there's a cruel sense of humor in that.

Peggy meanwhile remains with Abe Drexler from last season.  She gets excited at the prospect of marrying Abe - though probably more due to the societal expectation - but he only asks if he can move in with her.  Apparently, that was highly frowned upon back then, because her mother does not respond well.  But because she is Peggy Olsen, she does it anyway.  I'm interested to see the sixth season version of Peggy Olsen, because her in a new work environment could be one of the most interesting plot developments of her character.

Pete is more Pete than he's ever been.  Despite being responsible for most of the accounts at the firm, he still doesn't have enough.  He has an affair with his fellow train commuter's wife - who to be fair is one of the most giant pieces of shit Mad Men has ever had and that's saying something.  Pete had made something of a comeback from his first season character - mostly because he goes from a spoiled, entitled brat to one who's good at his job.  Being good at your job will make people forgive a lot of your sins.  Well, this season Matt Weiner seemed to remind the audience why Pete sucks.

This may sound harsh, but this season might have been my favorite season and I can't help but think Betty appearing in only four of them has something to do with it.  She gets her own win in the episode when she's there for Sally when she unexpectedly has her first period.  But in order to gain the audience sympathy, the writers gave her a cancer scare and made her overweight.  First off, I can't imagine her letting herself go like that due to her outsized focus on her appearance.  It would have made more sense after she had her kid in my opinion.  Secondly, her compulsion to stress eat came literally out of nowhere.  She's never had that problem.  Mad Men is usually good at setting the groundwork, but they needed something for January Jones to do when she's not dealing with Don so they created this out of thin air.  And lastly, the makeup is completely unconvincing to the point of distraction.

But I went into this season - this is my first season that I've written about that I have not seen before - with little expectations.  I don't know if I thought Mad Men declined, but subconsciously I must have, because I was surprised at how good this season was.  I suppose I just naturally assumed due to the nature of how TV shows usually work.  Nonetheless, season five so far is probably my favorite mostly from the new directions several characters take.  It's my favorite take on Don, it establishes an interesting new character in Megan, Roger has never been better, Peggy's still Peggy, and Betty is marginalized (which - look her character is good, but there's not really anywhere new to take her character at this point - she'll forever be unhappy and she'll probably never grow)

- Because these posts are so long, I'm never able to expound on the acting so I'll just say it here.  Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, Jared Harris, and Vincent Kartheiser are all excellent.  I think Kartheiser is perhaps the most underrated of the bunch.  (I already mentioned Slattery above)

- Ken Cosgrove is the most normal, well-adjusted person in this show so there's not much interesting things about him.  His actions when Sterling Cooper Draper Harris (is that the name now?) land his father-in-law accounts was a notable exception where he made sure Pete was in no way a part of it.  I like Aaron Staton's work and I like the character a lot.  Who knew, from the first season, he'd be the most likable person on this show or at least the one who you could easily imagine being friends with?

- Harry Crane's de-evolution is nearly complete.  I heard his character from seasons 1-4 and 5-7 are completely different and he's gone the full way towards being a lousy person.  He's always been clueless, but here he shows no remorse at cheating on his wife.  His episode with Paul Kinsey was certainly interesting as he did a good thing for his friend, sending him away from the cult, while still being Harry Crane.

- I hope I will be able to talk about him more in next season's review, but Michael Ginsberg is probably the quickest character to instantly be compelling as a side ad man.  The loss of Peggy might be felt in the firm, but both due to the talent and the character, the show will be alright.  Good work from Ben Feldman.

- Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce accidentally becomes progressive in hiring a black secretary.  That's a pretty smart way of doing that because no way would they do this on their own and Mad Men writers probably still wanted to do that.

- Alexis Bledel - never seen Gilmore Girls - but she's not that impressive here.

Playlist
1. "Zou Bisou Bisou" - Gillian Hills (sung by Megan)
2. "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" - Dusty Springfield
3. "Ebb Tide" - Ken Griffin
4. "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" - Rolf and Liesl
5. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" - The Crystals
6. "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" - The Beach Boys
7. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - The Beatles (whistled by Don)
8. "September in the Rain" - The Wedgewoods
9. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles
10. "Sweeping the Clouds Away" - Maurice Chevalier
11. "The Christmas Waltz" - Doris Day
12. "You Really Got Me" - The Kinks
13. "Butchie's Tune" - The Lovin' Spoonful
14. "You Only Live Twice" - Nancy Sinatra

Review: Netflix's Bloodline and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

I could be wrong (and in fact frequently am), but I feel like Bloodline kind of went under the radar.  In the slate of new programming for Netflix, Marco Polo got attention for being set in a foreign country headlined by non-white actors, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt for Tina Fey (and being sold by NBC), and Daredevil for its comic book origins.  I blinked and Bloodline was available, but I saw nearly no attention online for it.

In any case, Bloodline deserves to be more known.  It's the age old story of a seemingly perfect family that's actually dysfunctional due to the expectations and actions of the father.  I'm only through four episodes, which I feel the need to point out because some crazy people have already seen the entire series somehow.  I'm not saying this show is not binge-worthy, but I don't know how you people do it.

When introduced, the Rayburn family seems like the mostly perfect family with one outcast brother.  The father and mother, owners of a nice beach resort, are models of the community.  John is the best representation of their children, the county sheriff and all-around good guy who helps out.  Kevin is an outgoing, warm person who maybes gets a little too passionate at times.  Meg, well she doesn't immediately stand out except for being played by Linda Cardellini, and that's a pretty good indication she's a good one of the family.  The first episode is the 45th anniversary party of the parent's marriage.  Danny, the outcast, comes home and he seems like a lot of trouble, but at first he seems like the only troubled member of the family.

As you can expect, that would be a somewhat boring TV show if that were the case, and it turns out everyone in the family has their demons.  It becomes more clear that the father has a very clear idea of what his children should do.  One child is letting them down because they aren't married yet and another child still doesn't have a kid.  The mother has her own problems, such as being unwilling to discuss a will despite a health scare from the father, but so far in my run of episodes, it hasn't been well-detailed (though I'm sure they are coming).

You can't really discuss the merits of watching Bloodline without mentioning the insanely stacked cast.  There's Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), who plays the same character he always plays, but really you got a problem with that?  The aforementioned Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks) plays the sister in a way that she seems like she's trying to impress everybody (no doubt because she could never impress her father).  I've never heard of Norbet Leo Butz, but he's very good as the hothead brother.  And hell if Sam Shephard doesn't nail the patronizing disappointment of a father who doesn't exactly say he's disappointed in you, but you leave the conversation feeling like you did.  (Also: very easy to imagine him as a man with heavy burdens).  Lastly, Sissy Spacek doesn't really have that much to work with on the surface, but she sure as hell makes it seem like her character is fleshed out.

With all that said, none of them have the standout performance.  That belongs to Ben Mendelsohn who, despite all the acting talent, is the reason to watch this show.  He's fantastic.  I know there have been some grumblings about his accent, but - with the necessary caveat that I don't give a shit or tend to notice accents that much - I didn't have a problem with it.  You can never quite tell if he's sincere in his intentions.  He wants to work back home, but he might be escaping his past and he seems a little more concerned with money than you'd probably like for a guy desperately trying to get another chance.  (It's unclear how many times he has been given another chance, but he's probably higher than five)

This isn't a perfect show though.  For one, and I'm not sure if they've stopped this because it wasn't in the fourth episode, the voiceover narration bothered me.  It basically worked in the first episode (mostly for the cliffhanger), but I think it was completely unnecessary in the next two episodes.  For example, the second episode established that Kevin was a hothead, but if you watch the episode, you'd figure that out for yourself.  Voiceovers should only be used in film noirs and Martin Scorsese movies as a general rule.

Secondly, this show is remarkably humorless.  I'm not saying the show needs to be a comedy, but there should be some lightness injected into the script.  Unrelentingly bleak is not fun to watch.  Frequently missed in the age of anti-heroes is that all the good shows about antiheroes were sometimes funny.  You don't need to be serious the entire time.

Lastly, so far, the murder behind-the-scenes seems out of place and incredibly slow-moving.  In the first episode, they find the body.  In the second and third, they look at the body and determine what happened to it.  Finally, the fourth episode focuses its attention more on the death.  Just because I know they will get to the body doesn't make the storyline more connected to the story in the first few episodes and that's a weakness.

But, through four episodes, would I recommend this?  Sure.  But you should expect an extremely bleak and depressing look at a dysfunctional family.  Honestly, I don't know how people can binge-watch this show, because I don't think I could watch two in a row.  It's a little too serious for my liking.  I watched four episodes so I could talk about it, but I'm afraid it will take forever to finish the show for that reason.  Or I'll finish it quickly because it gets addicting.  Who knows?

Grade - B

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Speaking of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, I am taking the opposite approach to this show.  I have seen the whole season by now and it's about two weeks later than when it became available.  For fans of 30 Rock, obviously you should watch this show, but you probably already knew that.  I've seen it described as having the wit of 30 Rock and the heart of Parks and Recreation.  I say that not because I agree with it, but because some people believe it.  Personally, the show is a little too cartoonish to have that much heart for me.

In fact, if I have a complaint, it's that the show's too cartoonish in general.  I like Tim Blake Nelson a lot from O Brother, Where Art Thou and Holes, but his character does not work at all to use an example.  He's the sheriff who looked for Kimmy and never found her.  Some of his jokes work, but his character is the definition of broad and his dumb ineptitude reaches absurd levels.  And I got to be honest, Tina Fey's character disappoints too, though I'm guessing it might be better for people who experienced the OJ Simpson trial.

 Ellie Kemper is great as is Jon Hamm when he makes a surprise appearance.  Jane Krakowski plays a very similar character to her 30 Rock character, which is right up here wheelhouse.  And Titus Burgess is also hilarious as Kimmy's roommate.

I'm in the position of liking this show, but not loving it.

Grade - B+

Rewind: Mad Men S4

With the final season of Mad Men returning at an undetermined date in April, I will re-watch the first four seasons and watch the following two-and-a-half seasons for the first time.  After each season, I will share my thoughts on the show.

Season 1
Season 2

Season 3

I would like to see the popular consensus on the best seasons of Mad Men - of which I'm sure I can find with a simple google search - but I will hesitate until I've seen every old episode.  I'm pretty clear on my ranked seasons so far surprisingly enough: 3, 1, 2, 4.  The third season is proof that a fantastic ending will just about elevate everything before it (whether that be a book, movie, or a full season.)  The first season will hold a place in my heart for its novel-like structure.  And I don't have any problems with the second season like I do with the fourth.

Quality-wise, it's really hard for me to grade episodes against each other, because Mad Men is so damn consistent.  They've definitely never had a bad episode.  So when I say the fourth season is the lowest in my seasons, it's not like I'm saying the show is noticeably worse than the first three seasons.  It's not even that it IS worse, but there are certain things that got repetitive or annoying.

It's not like it's a big variation from previous seasons, but holy hell did Betty Draper become unbearable this season.  Ok, I get what the show is going for.  She clearly wants to be more than a housewife and she didn't realize replacing Don with another husband would fix those problems.  Fine idea.  The problem is that she's exactly the same with her new husband - a vastly better husband and person than Don - except now we can't point to Don being a massive asshole and explain her behavior.  Which I guess is kind of an interesting direction to take the character instead of making her likable all of a sudden.  There HAS to be a way though to compound that and make her sympathetic in some way though right?

Like I said before, through this rewatch through the series, I was looking for my opinion on January Jones' acting ability.  Honestly, I think her performance has something to do with the unbearableness of the character.  She was well-cast in the first season, where her extremely limited abilities were perfectly suited to the character.  But since she has no other mode, the writers are kind of stuck.  I think a better actress - say the wonderful Caitlin FitzGerald on Masters of Sex - would have done more with the material.  I think the writers are letting Jones down a little in this season, but I also sort of think on a subconscious level (or even conscious, but I doubt it) they are afraid to give her more complex storylines.

Moving on, I hope they do something more interesting with Don's annual season-long affair going forward.  This is probably where watching four seasons in a couple months probably hurts my opinion of the season more than if I had waited a year.  Because there's nothing wrong Dr. Faye Miller if you look at her character, but man I am so tired of "woman compromises her character in order to be with Don Draper."  It's gotten to the point to where I'm liking the Bobbie Barrett arc so much more in retrospect, because it's so much different an affair than the other three - which essentially are all variations on the same thing.  The teacher storyline last year was actually less interesting than this, but because it came after Bobbie Barrett, I was probably less frustrated by it.

With that said, Faye Miller does in fact answer a question: If Don Draper weren't married, would he marry one of his "interesting" woman with whom he has an affair?  And the answer appears to be no.  He's basically presented three futures throughout this season: Bethany Van Nuys, kind of a "new" Betty; Dr. Faye Miller, and Megan Calvet, who's kind of a mix between the two it seems.  Van Nuys was never going to be with Don if she knew of his past so that was really never going to work.  And the reason he's not with Faye is actually really simple: she's not good with kids.  That's apparently a deal breaker for Don.

Season four represents a Don Draper in transition between marriages.  His divorce from Betty has left him at a low point in his life, where he makes a pass with anything with a pulse.  Has he always come off as much of a creep as he does in this season?  Before, it kind of seems like woman would just fall in his lap with seemingly very little effort from him.  This season, he might literally fuck anything that walks.  His previous "standards" of not dipping his pen in the company ink falls flat TWICE: the first time to devastating effect removing his most competent assistant ever (yes even over Peggy whose talents are better suited elsewhere) and the second at least coming with a disclaimer from the bedded.

The worst part is that he could have solved the entire issue by being honest with his first dalliance in the first place.  But unfortunately, he has a Mark McGwire level of commitment to not talking about the past.  At least he slept with Megan with the knowledge that both knew exactly what they were getting into, which ironically leads to marriage and not a one-time thing.

I've already seen the two-part premiere of season five, so I know that Megan is more than she appears to be, but there are already hints of that here. It's not as simple as labeling her another Jane - despite the fact that she manipulates her way into Don's good graces, she also seems to get along with his kids and has actual ambitions.  (It admittedly wasn't clear if her ambition was genuine until she in fact gets promoted in between seasons, because she clearly sees the way to win Don's heart is be more like Peggy - something we should all live by.)  It's weird, but I do think Megan was a better choice for Don than Faye, mostly because I can't imagine the latter would have worked out long-term.  Not that the Megan one will either in a likelihood, but it at least has something resembling hope.

Don and Peggy's relationship gets put to the forefront in the astoundingly good "The Suitcase."  Their relationship has been on the backburner since season two so they address all their problems with each other, which have been growing ever so slowly since he saved her from her surprise pregnancy.  But they blow up at each other putting everything on the table, bond while getting drunk, and it culminates when they hold hands the next day.  Don finally acknowledges something happened and it makes their relationship grow stronger.

Meanwhile, Joan is dealing with her husband enlisting without even consulting her, which even Roger finds appalling.  (Roger's opinion of Joan can be succinctly described in a quote of his: "You are the finest piece of ass I've ever had and I don't care who knows it.  I'm so glad I got to roam those hillsides.")  Roger eventually chips away at Joan eventually scoring post-robbery.  She gets pregnant - one of the benefits of Mad Men's time period is surprise pregnancies seem less convoluted as a storytelling device - and decides to keep the baby.  Apparently, Matthew Weiner thought it was being clear she would keep the baby, but I'm not sure how you can read the abortion clinic as anything but ambiguous at best.  (I feel like she would have told Roger immediately as well, but she just lies to him)

Anyway, Joan's importance to the firm is more evident than ever and everyone at least seems to realize it.  She gets promoted, but without a raise, and really what's a promotion without a raise?  And while she finally seems to have a job suited to her talents, it still kind of feels like she could be higher, because there's no question she's as valuable to the company as Don or Lane or Peggy.

Meanwhile, Pete has everything he has ever wanted, but that's still not enough because he will always want more.  He's got a loving wife, which some infidelities excluded, seems to be about the best marriage in this entire show (which wow is that depressing unless someone can give me a better example).  He's a junior partner in an advertising agency, clearly one of the most useful and hardworking people at that agency, and I cannot emphasize enough how good he seems to be at his job.  Remember the Pete back in season one?  He's come a long way.

Peggy continues to excel at work and experiment away from work.  First, she tries to create a new persona for herself for the very vanilla Mark.  I actually had to IMDB his character's name he makes so little of an impression.  (Not a complaint: I have no desire to see more of him.)  That doesn't work and while Don and work cause him to break up with her, there's little question that's a good move for Peggy.  

Peggy becomes friends with Joyce Ramsey, a woman clearly interested in something more than friendship with Peggy.  She leads him to Abe Drexler, a character I hope becomes better because for some reason after awesomely rejecting him, she gets back together with him.  It's probably leftover from his awful decision to write a patronizing letter about the ad agency and think it would just magically make her fall in love with him, but she can do better.  (Again, having seen the season five premiere, I know he returns and my impression of him didn't exactly rise after having seen it.)

I hadn't realized watching the first time, but Roger Sterling's increasing irrelevance and old age is a constant theme throughout the show.  I mean there's more there thanks to John Slattery's performance, but that's basically it if you break it down.  Thus, it of course makes sense that after he is only prominent due to his old-standing relationship with Lucky Strike that at the end of the season, he is quite literally irrelevant.  He longer contributes anything or has any value to the company.  That's always been his greatest fear.

In terms of the side Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce side characters, they get a little more polish than in the beginning seasons, when they were mostly indistinguishable except by one specific thing.  Joey Bard is an entitled, condescending artist who probably thinks he's a "nice guy."  His behavior was like a truncated version of Harry Crane as he at first seems likable, but then quickly grows irritable.  Unlike Harry Crane, he gets fired for disrespecting Joan.  (And in an interesting twist, Joan is pissed at Peggy for firing him, but really I think she made the right move, even if Joan has a point.)

Ida Blankenship provides comic relief in her short run as Don Draper's secretary.  I read there was some people who didn't like the overtly comic tone this took in a way unlike Mad Men, but I didn't mind and Mad Men has always been a stealthily hilarious show.  There's also Danny Strong, who doesn't last long, and to be honest, his character is every Danny Strong character ever: small, meek, and oh so small.  There's also Stan Rizzo, who comes across as a dick immediately, and then less of a dick throughout the season as he becomes smitten with Peggy. (Probably has something to do with her freely getting naked in front of him without letting it impair her work)

Lastly, I've been expecting some great acting from Kiernan Shipka since I've seen a few people refer to her as one of the greatest child actresses.  Last few seasons, I won't say she was bad by any means, but I was certainly confused by her designation.  But this season, I think she definitely elevates and I am starting to understand that praise.

Other Points

- Though I've liked Mark Moses as Duck Phillips, I've never been a fan of his romance with Peggy so I was happy with how this ended.  I wasn't really pleased he is now sadly drinking again and unhinged, because Moses did a good job portraying him as sympathetic.  I oddly lose that sympathy when he's with Peggy though.

- WHY IS GLEN BISHOP ON THIS SHOW?  It gives Shipka something to do when she's not with her mother, but I do not think this show should be devoting so much time to him.  (I am aware he's Matthew Weiner's son and I can't help but think that is impacting his judgment.)

- IMDB tells me that's the last time we see Midge: apparently addicted to heroin and life going downhill fast.  That was the prologue I didn't need to see.

- Goodbye Carla.  They really didn't even try to make Betty understandable this season, did they?

- This doesn't really fit and I don't know how to insert into the review, but I've made it four seasons and I've never said anything about Alison Brie.  I don't have anything to say, except that I want to acknowledge I am aware she is on this show and she is good.

Playlist (Songs from Season Five)
1. "Tobacco Road" - The Nashville Teens
2. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - Teresa Brewer
3. "Sidewalk Surfin" - Jan & Dean
4. "Old Cape Cod" - Patti Page
5. "Signed D.C." - The Brave New World
6. "Ladder of Success" - Skeeter Davis
7. "Bleecker Street" - Simon & Garfunkel
8. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones
9. "I Know a Place" - Petula Clark
10. "Welcome to My World" - Jim Reeves
11. "Trust in Me" - Etta James
12. "Name Game" - Shirley Ellis
13. "I Got You Babe" - Sonny & Cher