To say I was excited for the 4th season of "Arrested Development" would be an understatement. The original 3 seasons of the show compromise my favorite comedy series of all time. There is no series that I have watched more times on purpose than "Arrested Development." The series even ended well by coming full circle with the story and wrapping up most of the major storylines. I didn't need anymore. But if the creator and the entire original cast is going to come back and do the show, you better believe I'm going to get excited and pay attention.
The 4th season takes a different approach that embraces the spirit of "Arrested Development's" classic setup of jokes that will pay off many episodes later. Each episode focuses on one character where we get their story and a lot of setup for everyone else's story. This makes the season feel like an 8 hour movie instead of a 15 episode TV season. And that really is how it should be treated. It was made for binge viewing. Maybe finishing it off in 2 to 3 sittings of 5 episodes each. In fact looking back their are definite storylines that could be separated. The creator has long wanted to do a movie version of the show and you can almost feel that desire in this new season.
So how did it work? Well there is definitly some rust that takes a few episodes to shake off. The first 3 or 4 episodes are slow setup episodes were you don't get the payoff to the jokes until the last episode of the series. That's fine but there is a little too much setup and not enough funny. But once we get past those episodes things really start to click and the season really hits its stride during the last half of the season where it feels like every episode is a winner. The last 5 in particular were fantastic and I couldn't stop watching them, devouring them all in one sitting. "Arrested Development" was always slightly darker than most of the comedy available on TV and this season brought it to another level. They really embrace how awful some of these people are. I almost feel bad for laughing at some of things they end up doing to innocent people. Almost.
After getting through the entire season my only problem is with how it ends. As I mentioned already the original 3 seasons ended great with no need for a followup. Not so here. Now if there is no more "Arrested Development" in my future I will be very upset. There is some interesting stuff going on here and I want to see how it all plays out. This new season scratched an itch I didn't realize I had and has left we with a serious need for more. Hopefully I won't have to wait 5 years this time. Overall Season 4 gets 4 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Dark Knight Rises Review - Spoiler Free
The emergence of the comic book movie genre in the early 2000’s was started by 2 different trilogies, X-Men and Spiderman. In both instances the first two movies teased the third and when that third movie finally came out it was a disappointment. Both were overloaded with villains and failed to pay off on the storylines and character arcs that they had established. The Nolan Batman trilogy was not formed the same way. Each movie was not intended to build towards the next. However, “The Dark Knight Rises” solidified the three movies as a trilogy. A trilogy that does not disappoint in its final act like so many have before it. Nolan has made three different movies, each focusing on a different type of movie. “Batman Begins” will be remembered as one of the best origin movies, “The Dark Knight” will be remembered as one of the best Joker/psychological thriller movie, and “The Dark Knight Rises” will be remembered as one of the best action movies of all time.
During the build up to the movie concern began to grow as more and more new characters were added to the mix. But by casting high caliber actors and with the clever scripting the trap that many other third installments fall into was avoided by Mr. Nolan. The most notable new casting belongs to Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Bane is a difficult character as he has been mishandled in the comics for years until recently in “Secret Six;” but Hardy played Bane in the way that he should be played. As someone who becomes an evil Batman. He has the training and the strength but instead of trying to save the city he is trying to destroy it. The Bane in this movie is the best version of Bane I have ever seen and that includes the stories I have read in the comics. There has been a lot of negative press regarding Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I never really understood this, I guess people only know her from “The Princess Diaries,” but she is terrific, she portrays the sexuality and the conflicting feelings that Catwoman should have. Both put in a great performance and the returning cast puts in the fantastic performances that we have come to expect from them.
Nolan has filmed a great story here. I was fortunate enough to see the film at an IMAX theatre and all of the big action sequences in the movie were truly epic. One of the most memorable parts of the movie was the actual music. The chanting that has been heard throughout the previews for the movie builds throughout the film and when it starts playing the audience starts moving to the edge of their seat. All of this served to help the audience follow a plot that at times can feel a little complicated. If there is any weakness to talk about in the film it’s that there are parts in the middle of the movie that slow the flow down and we get an exposition dump that isn’t delivered clearly. This is all cleared up by the end of the movie but it was at this point where I wanted the movie to move forward. The ending of the movie had a couple of moments that took away from the impact of the film and it did get a little bit comic bookie at the end.
Overall though the film is a great piece of work and is a fantastic end to the Nolan trilogy. They don’t have to make another Batman film ever and I would be happy. But we all know that won’t happen. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
During the build up to the movie concern began to grow as more and more new characters were added to the mix. But by casting high caliber actors and with the clever scripting the trap that many other third installments fall into was avoided by Mr. Nolan. The most notable new casting belongs to Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. Bane is a difficult character as he has been mishandled in the comics for years until recently in “Secret Six;” but Hardy played Bane in the way that he should be played. As someone who becomes an evil Batman. He has the training and the strength but instead of trying to save the city he is trying to destroy it. The Bane in this movie is the best version of Bane I have ever seen and that includes the stories I have read in the comics. There has been a lot of negative press regarding Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. I never really understood this, I guess people only know her from “The Princess Diaries,” but she is terrific, she portrays the sexuality and the conflicting feelings that Catwoman should have. Both put in a great performance and the returning cast puts in the fantastic performances that we have come to expect from them.
Nolan has filmed a great story here. I was fortunate enough to see the film at an IMAX theatre and all of the big action sequences in the movie were truly epic. One of the most memorable parts of the movie was the actual music. The chanting that has been heard throughout the previews for the movie builds throughout the film and when it starts playing the audience starts moving to the edge of their seat. All of this served to help the audience follow a plot that at times can feel a little complicated. If there is any weakness to talk about in the film it’s that there are parts in the middle of the movie that slow the flow down and we get an exposition dump that isn’t delivered clearly. This is all cleared up by the end of the movie but it was at this point where I wanted the movie to move forward. The ending of the movie had a couple of moments that took away from the impact of the film and it did get a little bit comic bookie at the end.
Overall though the film is a great piece of work and is a fantastic end to the Nolan trilogy. They don’t have to make another Batman film ever and I would be happy. But we all know that won’t happen. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The Godfather - The Oscar Project Part XLV
Now we’re getting into the really good stuff. The 1972 winner for the Best Picture Oscar was “The Godfather.” I have seen this film many times before so there weren’t really any surprises for me here. It is one of the most influential film of the past 50 years. Not only does it begin the telling of a great story that is finished with “The Godfather II” (I won’t mention the third film), but it also brought to prominence a slew of great actors which includes Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and James Caan.
“The Godfather” follows the story of Michael Corleone, the youngest brother of a family of Italian-Americans. The first part of the movie sets up the world of underground crime that the family is involved in. Things take a turn for the worse when the head of the family, Vito, played by Marlon Brando, refuses to begin trafficking drugs. When he is shot, Michael gets drawn into the world of crime and eventually must flee the country and live in Italy. While there he marries a local girl who is then murdered in an assassination attempt on Michael. Eventually Michael returns to America after his older brother is killed and takes over the family, marries the girlfriend that he left in the states and then must deal with the fallout of the death of his father. The movie ends with him becoming a Godfather to his nephew and at the same time settling all family business by taking revenge on his enemies.
What more is there to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said, the first thing I think of when I think about “The Godfather” is the theme music. If you’ve seen the movie you are probably already hearing it in your head. The second would be the acting; my favorite scene is at the end when Michael is confronting someone that betrayed him. You can see that he has completely given into the world of crime at this point and is an evil man. Pacino puts in the performance of a lifetime here, and he isn’t the only one to give a solid performance, there isn’t a weak spot to be found in the acting. The only point that people have really ever found contention with is the complicated plot. It may take several viewing to fully understand what is going on. And it did take me more than one watch to be able to fully describe the plot to someone. It’s a movie that makes you work. But it is so good that you won’t mind.
“The Godfather” will remain on Top 10 lists for a long time. And it should. The film holds up to any of the gangster and crime films of today. If you haven’t seen it rent or just go buy the film. You won’t regret it. 5 out of 5 stars.
“The Godfather” follows the story of Michael Corleone, the youngest brother of a family of Italian-Americans. The first part of the movie sets up the world of underground crime that the family is involved in. Things take a turn for the worse when the head of the family, Vito, played by Marlon Brando, refuses to begin trafficking drugs. When he is shot, Michael gets drawn into the world of crime and eventually must flee the country and live in Italy. While there he marries a local girl who is then murdered in an assassination attempt on Michael. Eventually Michael returns to America after his older brother is killed and takes over the family, marries the girlfriend that he left in the states and then must deal with the fallout of the death of his father. The movie ends with him becoming a Godfather to his nephew and at the same time settling all family business by taking revenge on his enemies.
What more is there to say about this movie that hasn’t already been said, the first thing I think of when I think about “The Godfather” is the theme music. If you’ve seen the movie you are probably already hearing it in your head. The second would be the acting; my favorite scene is at the end when Michael is confronting someone that betrayed him. You can see that he has completely given into the world of crime at this point and is an evil man. Pacino puts in the performance of a lifetime here, and he isn’t the only one to give a solid performance, there isn’t a weak spot to be found in the acting. The only point that people have really ever found contention with is the complicated plot. It may take several viewing to fully understand what is going on. And it did take me more than one watch to be able to fully describe the plot to someone. It’s a movie that makes you work. But it is so good that you won’t mind.
“The Godfather” will remain on Top 10 lists for a long time. And it should. The film holds up to any of the gangster and crime films of today. If you haven’t seen it rent or just go buy the film. You won’t regret it. 5 out of 5 stars.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Mad Men - S5E13 - The Phantom
With two huge episodes before this one it is not surprising that “The Phantom” lacked a lot of big moments that we expect from the season finale of “Mad Men.” Instead we get a nice character piece. A large portion of this episode focused on Pete and his continued adventures with his mistress. It turns out that she is going to get shock therapy to help with her depression. She believes that she has found a kindred spirit in Pete as someone else that cannot be happy. But she’s wrong as he believes that he can be happy if he is with her. After the shock therapy, she no longer remembers Pete though. It is revealed later that her husband makes her do this every time she cheats on him. The ensuing fight on the train leads Trudy to let Pete get what he has wanted, an apartment in the city. Finally Pete gets what he wants just to have something that he actually cared about ripped away.
We also get a nice little check in with Peggy. It’s quite a different experience with her boss who wants her to do anything to land a client instead of Don who would look at the merit of the creativity as a means of landing a client. She is of course put on what will be named Virginia Slims and their future tagline, “You’ve come a long way baby.” Something that Peggy can relate too. The closing shot at the end shows that even though she has moved forward she still has a long way to go before she’s truly arrived and sees an Eiffel Tower out her window instead of two dogs having sex.
Roger had a minor story as well as he was able to bed Megan’s mother and tried to convince her to take LSD with him. She refused, but he was insistent on regaining the clarity and optimism that he had lost since last taking the drug. The ending shot clearly indicates that he has again tried the drug. Meanwhile Megan was being exceptionally pouty about not landing any acting gigs. She wines and complains until she finally gets Don to help her, sacrificing her marriage to help her career.
As for Don, he continued to struggle with Lane’s suicide since it so closely mirrored what happened to his half-brother during the first season. In fact it affected him so much that he began to see his brother everywhere. After trying to make things right with Lane’s wife and refusing to help Megan, with a perfectly reasonable explanation, all while suffering with a tooth ache he finally visits the dentist and while he is under sees his brother again who promises to help him remove the pain, but also promises that he will still be ‘hanging’ around. The whole experience and a quick meeting with Peggy that helps him clear out the cobwebs, inspires him to help Megan. But as Peggy told him, when you help someone they move on, and once Don helps Megan with her career, she will move on. As he walks away, you can see that their relationship is now over. She may still be around, but it won’t be the same any more. And if him walking away from Megan isn’t enough, the smile he gives when the young ladies hit on him should be more than enough to signal that Don is back on the market looking for someone new.
This season on “Mad Men” has been different. I’m used to a nice slow burn from a television series that doesn’t feel like TV. This year more than any other felt like regular television. Maybe it’s just that they’ve been away for a while and the bar has been raised, but I don’t feel like this was the same as previous seasons. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get great character development or great stories. It was just easier. I’m used to working to enjoy “Mad Men” and I liked that. We have a year to wait to see if this is a pattern or something that Weiner had planned to bring into focus how the final two season will need to play out.
We also get a nice little check in with Peggy. It’s quite a different experience with her boss who wants her to do anything to land a client instead of Don who would look at the merit of the creativity as a means of landing a client. She is of course put on what will be named Virginia Slims and their future tagline, “You’ve come a long way baby.” Something that Peggy can relate too. The closing shot at the end shows that even though she has moved forward she still has a long way to go before she’s truly arrived and sees an Eiffel Tower out her window instead of two dogs having sex.
Roger had a minor story as well as he was able to bed Megan’s mother and tried to convince her to take LSD with him. She refused, but he was insistent on regaining the clarity and optimism that he had lost since last taking the drug. The ending shot clearly indicates that he has again tried the drug. Meanwhile Megan was being exceptionally pouty about not landing any acting gigs. She wines and complains until she finally gets Don to help her, sacrificing her marriage to help her career.
As for Don, he continued to struggle with Lane’s suicide since it so closely mirrored what happened to his half-brother during the first season. In fact it affected him so much that he began to see his brother everywhere. After trying to make things right with Lane’s wife and refusing to help Megan, with a perfectly reasonable explanation, all while suffering with a tooth ache he finally visits the dentist and while he is under sees his brother again who promises to help him remove the pain, but also promises that he will still be ‘hanging’ around. The whole experience and a quick meeting with Peggy that helps him clear out the cobwebs, inspires him to help Megan. But as Peggy told him, when you help someone they move on, and once Don helps Megan with her career, she will move on. As he walks away, you can see that their relationship is now over. She may still be around, but it won’t be the same any more. And if him walking away from Megan isn’t enough, the smile he gives when the young ladies hit on him should be more than enough to signal that Don is back on the market looking for someone new.
This season on “Mad Men” has been different. I’m used to a nice slow burn from a television series that doesn’t feel like TV. This year more than any other felt like regular television. Maybe it’s just that they’ve been away for a while and the bar has been raised, but I don’t feel like this was the same as previous seasons. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get great character development or great stories. It was just easier. I’m used to working to enjoy “Mad Men” and I liked that. We have a year to wait to see if this is a pattern or something that Weiner had planned to bring into focus how the final two season will need to play out.
Friday, June 8, 2012
E3 2012 Recap
The first full week of June every year is always highly anticipated as it indicates that it is time for E3. For those that don’t know E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo and is held every year in California. It is essentially the biggest event for video games held every year. The show starts with a press conference from the larger companies, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, EA and Ubisoft. Then the actual floor opens for the press to try out the games that will be released in the future. The event isn’t open to the public, but they do air the press conferences on television and internet along with reports from the show floor.
Every year I look forward to this week so that I know what I can expect to play over the next year. Unfortunately with the conference getting larger many of the companies are releasing information ahead of time, which ruins some of the surprises that happened at past E3’s. Here is what went down this year.
It started with Microsoft. Their big game was Halo 4, which does look pretty cool and it will be nice to not fight the covenant or the reach for once. They were also able to show off Splinter Cell and Call of Duty, but to be honest I’m over the first person shooter genre. It just doesn’t offer enough interesting game play for me to keep coming back. A good chunk of their show was dedicated to the introduction of SmartGlass. This new piece of software will allow your smart phone and tablet devices to add additional functionality to the video games you are playing on the Xbox. While this seems interesting and is an obvious shot at Nintendo, it will be interesting to see if they can get it to work right with all of the different tablets and smart phones available. They also had Usher.
Then came EA who I barely watched. I thought they showed some generic stuff and nothing that really interested me except for SimCity 5. I loved the old SimCity games and this one looks to recapture some of the magic of old. If my computer can run it I might want to check it out. Then came Ubisoft which showed some great WiiU demos in Rayman and ZombiU, but I was much more interested in Assassin’s Creed III, which will switch things up and focus on the American Revolution. I also am very interested in their new IP, Watchdogs. It was a breath of fresh air to see something new up there.
The first day ended with Sony. I don’t own a Playstation but this conference brought me closer to wanting to buy one. They were able to show off three big exclusives, all of which looked like great and fun games with Beyond: Two Souls, Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale and The Last of Us. They all looked great but I have no idea how I am going to convince my wife that we need a Playstation. Suggestions are welcome.
The second day started with Nintendo, who had a lot of pressure on them as they are trying to launch a new system, the WiiU, this year. They needed to come out with something big and I just don’t think they were able to do it. Pikmin 3 looks great, but it’s not enough. I’ve played Batman, I don’t need to play it again even if the controls are different and NintendoLand is at best a tech demo and looks to be nothing more than a collection of mini games. They needed something big and they didn’t bring it. In fact the only really new game they showed was NintendoLand. That just isn’t enough. In fact the most interesting game, Project P-100, wasn’t even part of the conference. Swing and a miss.
I typically use E3 to make my Christmas list and right now Assassin’s Creed III is looking pretty lonely. Maybe Tomb Raider will get added, but I’m not really excited this year. I want to play guys, bring it.
Every year I look forward to this week so that I know what I can expect to play over the next year. Unfortunately with the conference getting larger many of the companies are releasing information ahead of time, which ruins some of the surprises that happened at past E3’s. Here is what went down this year.
It started with Microsoft. Their big game was Halo 4, which does look pretty cool and it will be nice to not fight the covenant or the reach for once. They were also able to show off Splinter Cell and Call of Duty, but to be honest I’m over the first person shooter genre. It just doesn’t offer enough interesting game play for me to keep coming back. A good chunk of their show was dedicated to the introduction of SmartGlass. This new piece of software will allow your smart phone and tablet devices to add additional functionality to the video games you are playing on the Xbox. While this seems interesting and is an obvious shot at Nintendo, it will be interesting to see if they can get it to work right with all of the different tablets and smart phones available. They also had Usher.
Then came EA who I barely watched. I thought they showed some generic stuff and nothing that really interested me except for SimCity 5. I loved the old SimCity games and this one looks to recapture some of the magic of old. If my computer can run it I might want to check it out. Then came Ubisoft which showed some great WiiU demos in Rayman and ZombiU, but I was much more interested in Assassin’s Creed III, which will switch things up and focus on the American Revolution. I also am very interested in their new IP, Watchdogs. It was a breath of fresh air to see something new up there.
The first day ended with Sony. I don’t own a Playstation but this conference brought me closer to wanting to buy one. They were able to show off three big exclusives, all of which looked like great and fun games with Beyond: Two Souls, Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale and The Last of Us. They all looked great but I have no idea how I am going to convince my wife that we need a Playstation. Suggestions are welcome.
The second day started with Nintendo, who had a lot of pressure on them as they are trying to launch a new system, the WiiU, this year. They needed to come out with something big and I just don’t think they were able to do it. Pikmin 3 looks great, but it’s not enough. I’ve played Batman, I don’t need to play it again even if the controls are different and NintendoLand is at best a tech demo and looks to be nothing more than a collection of mini games. They needed something big and they didn’t bring it. In fact the only really new game they showed was NintendoLand. That just isn’t enough. In fact the most interesting game, Project P-100, wasn’t even part of the conference. Swing and a miss.
I typically use E3 to make my Christmas list and right now Assassin’s Creed III is looking pretty lonely. Maybe Tomb Raider will get added, but I’m not really excited this year. I want to play guys, bring it.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Mad Men - S5E12 - Commisions and Fees
“Mad Men” is quite the ride this season. Normally we have a slow build up, but this season every episode is thrilling. I thought after the events of last weeks’ episode we would slow down a little before the season finale, but apparently not. This week let’s start with the adventures of Sally Draper. We see that the relationship between Sally and Betty has not improved as Sally refuses to go on a ski vacation and demands to stay with her Dad and Megan (rich people problems). While in the city Sally tries her best to act like a young woman and not a little girl; the signs clearly point to her not yet being a woman. She pours a ton of sugar into her coffee and when she calls her boyfriend, Glen, over she plays dress up while the two of them decide to go to the museum and pretend they are adults. But then suddenly and forcefully she does become a young woman by having her period; which makes her act like a scarred little girl by running to her mother for comfort. It is in this moment that Betty finally shows compassion to her daughter and the two of them bond in a way they haven’t before, because Sally is no longer just her little girl.
Over in the Don corner of the universe, we see that he is still upset about what happened with Joan and Jaguar. However, it is brought to his attention that he issued a check to Lane for $7,500. Knowing that he didn’t sign the check, he confronts Lane and asks him to resign. Witnessing Lane’s breakdown and how Don wasn’t able to help him drives him to build the business bigger. He confronts Roger and tells him he wants Dow. The company that told him he would never be hired because of his letter. They get the meeting and Don is ferocious, he is hungry. You could very well view his scene of Don talking Dow as Don talking to himself. It will be interesting to see how long this continues after this episode.
Before finishing Don’s story it is time to visit with Lane Pryce. After being honored with a position with 4A’s (and advertising association) he is confronted by Don. The breakdown leads him to fall even further with lies to his wife and inappropriate comments to Joan. However his wife has a surprise, she bought him a Jaguar. There is nothing more that could symbolize his failure more right now. It drives him to decide to commit suicide and the car won’t start. A fitting result given that he couldn’t start Jaguar at the company either. He decides instead to commit the deed at work. Seeing as he has already given everything to the company that is where he should end it all. When Don finds out what he did, he instantly knows why Lane did it. And he can’t leave him there. And so the three men who lifted him up from PPL are forced to bring him back down. Lifting him up from where he was is what ultimately led to his doom; it’s poetic that those three are the ones to bring him down.
Only one more episode left. I don’t expect anything as altering as the past two episodes to occur but it should help to wrap up the season nicely.
Over in the Don corner of the universe, we see that he is still upset about what happened with Joan and Jaguar. However, it is brought to his attention that he issued a check to Lane for $7,500. Knowing that he didn’t sign the check, he confronts Lane and asks him to resign. Witnessing Lane’s breakdown and how Don wasn’t able to help him drives him to build the business bigger. He confronts Roger and tells him he wants Dow. The company that told him he would never be hired because of his letter. They get the meeting and Don is ferocious, he is hungry. You could very well view his scene of Don talking Dow as Don talking to himself. It will be interesting to see how long this continues after this episode.
Before finishing Don’s story it is time to visit with Lane Pryce. After being honored with a position with 4A’s (and advertising association) he is confronted by Don. The breakdown leads him to fall even further with lies to his wife and inappropriate comments to Joan. However his wife has a surprise, she bought him a Jaguar. There is nothing more that could symbolize his failure more right now. It drives him to decide to commit suicide and the car won’t start. A fitting result given that he couldn’t start Jaguar at the company either. He decides instead to commit the deed at work. Seeing as he has already given everything to the company that is where he should end it all. When Don finds out what he did, he instantly knows why Lane did it. And he can’t leave him there. And so the three men who lifted him up from PPL are forced to bring him back down. Lifting him up from where he was is what ultimately led to his doom; it’s poetic that those three are the ones to bring him down.
Only one more episode left. I don’t expect anything as altering as the past two episodes to occur but it should help to wrap up the season nicely.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Mad Men S5E11 - The Other Woman
“Mad Men” gave us one of the best episodes ever this week in the form of “The Other Woman.” This time the storyline revolved around 2 people. Don, Joan and Peggy. Let’s start with Peggy. Due to the Jaguar pitch being the focus of all the men in the office, Peggy has to take care of all of the other business. While she is happy to be trusted with so much responsibility, she is disappointed that she is not being appreciated with catered lunches full of lobsters. To make matters worse, after she convinces a client to not pull a commercial she gets no praise and instead has money thrown at her face. This drives her to take a lunch with Freddy Rumson, who encourages her to try and spread her wings. We next see her take a meeting with Ted Chaough, Don’s arch-nemesis, who offers her a very good job and promises her appreciation.
Before getting to the end of her story let’s check in with Joan. It turns out that one of the people that will vote on the Jaguar ad campaign is a super pervert and is demanding a night with Joan for his vote. Pete, being the most perverted of the partners, pushes for ways to make this happen. Don wants no part of it and Roger can’t believe she would even consider it. After agreeing to $50,000 to offer her, Lane, who is still trying to hide his embezzlement, convinces her to instead ask for a partnership in the company. Pete works to make this happen and now that he feels more empowered at work he brings up the apartment again at home to Trudy. Her response shows us that not only is Pete not really in charge at work, but he has barely any say in things at home.
While all of this is going on Don and the boys are trying to come up with a slogan while at the same time dealing with the fact that Megan may have to go to Boston for a play. Fortunately for Megan as the play, “Little Murders” lasted a grand total of 7 performances. Megan in this becomes something beautiful that Don realizes that he can’t control that opposite of Jaguar. Eventually Ginsberg is able to put this together with a killer pitch for Jaguar, “At last, something beautiful you can truly own.” And as he said it my smile matched Don’s. It was the perfect counterpoint to what he was feeling with Megan. However he is then given the news that an agreement has been reached with Joan. Realizing they have the perfect pitch, Don rushes to Joan’s house to stop her. After their time out last week he has respect for her and doesn’t want her to do something she would regret and doesn’t want to lose her.
It is during Don’s pitch to Jaguar that we learn that Don was too late and Joan had already gone through with the date. In one of the best sequences ever on Mad Men we see Don sell an object as Joan is reduced to one. The firm ends up landing Jaguar as a client, but Don is of course less than happy because he knows what the price was. The show could have ended here and been perfect, but Mad Men hit us with one more great scene. Peggy enters, and then quits. Don tries to keep her, but all he can do is kiss her hand, realizing that no matter what he has done for her he has never and could never own Peggy and he now has one less beautiful thing in his life.
Before getting to the end of her story let’s check in with Joan. It turns out that one of the people that will vote on the Jaguar ad campaign is a super pervert and is demanding a night with Joan for his vote. Pete, being the most perverted of the partners, pushes for ways to make this happen. Don wants no part of it and Roger can’t believe she would even consider it. After agreeing to $50,000 to offer her, Lane, who is still trying to hide his embezzlement, convinces her to instead ask for a partnership in the company. Pete works to make this happen and now that he feels more empowered at work he brings up the apartment again at home to Trudy. Her response shows us that not only is Pete not really in charge at work, but he has barely any say in things at home.
While all of this is going on Don and the boys are trying to come up with a slogan while at the same time dealing with the fact that Megan may have to go to Boston for a play. Fortunately for Megan as the play, “Little Murders” lasted a grand total of 7 performances. Megan in this becomes something beautiful that Don realizes that he can’t control that opposite of Jaguar. Eventually Ginsberg is able to put this together with a killer pitch for Jaguar, “At last, something beautiful you can truly own.” And as he said it my smile matched Don’s. It was the perfect counterpoint to what he was feeling with Megan. However he is then given the news that an agreement has been reached with Joan. Realizing they have the perfect pitch, Don rushes to Joan’s house to stop her. After their time out last week he has respect for her and doesn’t want her to do something she would regret and doesn’t want to lose her.
It is during Don’s pitch to Jaguar that we learn that Don was too late and Joan had already gone through with the date. In one of the best sequences ever on Mad Men we see Don sell an object as Joan is reduced to one. The firm ends up landing Jaguar as a client, but Don is of course less than happy because he knows what the price was. The show could have ended here and been perfect, but Mad Men hit us with one more great scene. Peggy enters, and then quits. Don tries to keep her, but all he can do is kiss her hand, realizing that no matter what he has done for her he has never and could never own Peggy and he now has one less beautiful thing in his life.
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