Mad Men “Waterloo” Review: Bert Cooper the Musical

 Roger Sterling looks serious on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV

My review of tonight’s spectacular Mad Men “mid season finale” (curse you AMC) as soon as I fire everyone but Harry and the computer…

“The best things in life are free.”
-Bert Cooper

Rest in peace Bert you shall be missed, especially after your amazing song and dance number. Seriously though can’t every character that dies in every show ever have a post mortem song and dance number and in particular to “The Best Things in Life are Free.” Boy was that fantastic and I would love to think that that’s how Don handles grief or how he always thought of Bert as a mysterious figure. Either that or it’s a warning to Don to not give up his freedom to McCann, or something. Either way it was a fantastic, if not surprising, send off to one of the most mysterious of Mad Men characters.

The rest of the episode, sorry I mean mid season finale, was equally as fantastic with everything falling in line so very perfectly. Heck Sally even avoided the cynical shirtless hunk in favor of the optimistic nerd! “Waterloo” was another special episode of Mad Men and a beautiful way to end this year’s batch of episodes.

Peggy has been a frustrating character for a lot of people this year but because of her moody loneliness early on this season her redemption over the last two weeks has felt all the more satisfying. Said redemption comes full circle in “Waterloo” where she gets her biggest pitch ever in Burger Shack. Fearing the end of his tenure at the agency (more on that in a second) Don decides to give Peggy the go at the pitch and she knocks it out of the park. It’s a fantastic pitch, one comparable to Don’s big carousel speech way back in season one, and it’s especially satisfying given the time that she’s spent into darkness. It’s a huge sigh of relief for the show and gives Peggy her big rise from the ashes that so many (including myself) have clamored for throughout this half season.

Speaking of rising from the ashes let’s talk about Roger freaking Sterling. After Bert Cooper tells him that he was never a leader the day before he dies, Roger decides to take Cutler’s big threat to take Don down to heart and cut Cutler down before he can get the partners to do so. He does this via a bold move to have the firm be bought by McCann Erickson and for them to remain independent. This allows Roger to finally prove to everyone that he’s a leader by being the big figurehead of the firm and keep the people who he wants to have around the firm, namely one Don Draper. It’s one of the biggest power moves in Mad Men in a long time and the first move that Roger really spearheaded a deal on his own without following anyone else’s ideas. This is a huge and amazing step for Roger for the first time he gets to step out of the shadow of Bert and really get the chance to spearhead his own agency his way, while redeeming himself as a human being as well. Sure the agency goes to McCann and that might be problematic in the long run but for now this is Roger winning the war and getting his friend back into the fold finally after Cutler has been trying to push both Don and himself eventually out of the fold.

That’s the big stuff of this episode but that’s only the begging of what happened throughout “Waterloo.” Don Draper’s second marriage finally came to an end in the most perfect and least dramatic way possible, a simple phone call. The call was so perfect and so subtly emotional; we really didn’t need the big yelling and fireworks that came with the Don and Betty divorce because that wasn’t what this marriage was. Don and Megan always loved each other but it never felt like the thing Don had with Betty. This marriage almost felt like an extended fling of Don’s with a little more attachment in between. Don never fully felt there throughout many parts of the marriage and considering how it ended it all seems to come around full circle.

We also get brief glimpses of Sally oh sweet, sweet Sally. Much throughout the episode we (along with Betty and the rest of the crew) think Sally is going to fall for the cynical hunk who parades shirtless through the halls of the Francis residence, but instead she ends up kissing the nerdy telescope guy ironically named Neil. It’s a sweet way to end off the half season for Sally as it shows that despite hitting the puberty stages and starting to grow up a little too fast that there is still a sweet girl behind that vale, and that she’s not going to allow herself to be potentially trapped in a situation with a disingenuous hunky prick like the one we get to see enter the Francis residence.

Finally all of this takes place during the moon landing of Apollo 11 which, unlike many of the past real life events that passed through Mad Men, provided the episode with some amazing structure. The characters at the start of the episode felt fear of what was coming ahead, such as Don fearing the leave of the agency, Peggy fearing where her life is going, and Roger fearing the life after Bert and ended up in a place of hope where everyone gets to make their big move. It provided a perfect and optimistic ending for these seven episodes of the show as we get liftoff from Don, Peggy and Roger at the most ideal time.

Some other musings:

• It’s sweet that Julio gets to be the most important person (well maybe other than Don at this point) in Peggy’s life at the moment. The scene where the two share a hug is truly a sweet and somewhat heartbreaking moment as two lonely people who have seemed to find solace in each other might be separated due to people looking for houses.

• Lame Ted is a little bit lame, but Don’s speech to get him into the agency was awesome and the best pitch that don has thrown in a little while.

• Also Harry really needs to get in on this whole talking to people about this partnership idea as he again got thrown way under the bus here (which in very many ways was wholly satisfying).

• Meredith gets to play Hannibal Lector for this one as she tries to get Don to pull himself together by an attempted verbal (and a little bit physical) seduction. Didn’t quite have the charms of Lector but with time and practice she’ll get there.

And Folks that’s it for this year’s batch of episodes. As much as I don’t want to say goodbye to this show seven episodes for now the wait for the final seven is going to be unbearably long. This has been a really good first half of a season with two nothing short of spectacular episodes to cap it off. I’m going to miss this show when it’s gone that’s one thing I know for sure.

But we’ve still got seven more episodes and a year’s wait to go before we get there (Curse AMC for this stupid split). It’s going to be a wild ride.

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

Hannibal “Mizumono” Review: Let the bodies hit the floor!

 Hannibal Lector standing tall on Hannibal

Photo Credit: NBC

A brief review of Hannibal’s season 2 finale as soon as I do what needs to be done…

Due to time restrictions let’s go straight into point form musings:

• Boy is David Slade a great director and that is sure evident throughout this episode. One of the magical things that Slade pulls off is that he adds a hauntingly beautiful quality to all the violence that unfolds throughout the end of the episode. Horrific things are occurring throughout the last half of this finale but they never feel gross or played for shock value, instead it seems that Slade finds a sort of operatic beauty to the carnage. Take for example the beautiful shot of Alana being pushed out a window to her potential death; what’s occurring is horrifying but the shot is played in such a way that it lingers not only on the potential final struggle on the character but on the glass of her life breaking around her as she stumbles to the ground below. Even when Will is stabbed and the returning Abigail throat is being split it’s not the actual act of bloody violence that is being focused on but instead the direction (and due has to be given to the great writing as well) makes the viewer focus on the emotional strife of the scene. There are so many more examples of just how well shot and directed this episode was we could be here for a few thousand words just talking about the fight scene and the nightmare quality to the visuals the list goes on and on. In all Slade has crafted a visual masterpiece in “Mizumono” and it’s one of the best shot and directed episodes of television I have ever witnessed.

• While we’re on the technical end props have to go the unrelenting nature of the score and the sound design throughout this episode. The relenting clock like nature of the score during the last half and the wispy nature of the sounds of the actual action that is occurring give the feeling the horrid nightmare that we are witnessing. Not often do I mention Sound design or score when talking about television shows but it was so great throughout this episode that it’s really hard not to.

• Ok on to the finale from a point of wrapping up a season of television. “Mizumono” didn’t answer any questions about the how of the investigation, it didn’t pull back the curtain on how exactly Will pulled off his wizardry and it left us to our own accord about how exactly everything worked for the last half of this season; at the same time nor did it have to. The second half of the season seemed to me to be very disinterested with the how of everything and instead looked into the emotional end of the duel of Will and Hannibal; as a finale of said second half of this season of the show “Mizumono” worked fantastically. There has been a since of surrealism to the last half of this season in contrast to the cold realism of the first half and “Mizumono” took that to the brink essentially acting as an hour long nightmare of sorts. Everything from Will’s still dulling mind to the big Jack Hannibal fight to Will getting a glimpse of Abigail before her dying to Alana falling out a window felt less like a straightforward thriller and more of a lucid dream from the mind of Hannibal Lector. It’s a near perfect episode especially after the way the last many episodes have been slowly burning to this point.

• As for the season as a whole I have very few complaints. This was a fascinating and experimental season of television that built to a finale that caped everything off perfectly. Did I prefer the more straight forward start to this season than the dream like second half, probably, but most of that stems from the fact that the second half of the season was much harder to watch because it was so creepy and disturbing in its nature. I loved this season as a whole better than the first it seems as well and it seems at this point that Fuller really has a handle on this show and where he’s going with it and is not afraid to step into some wild places.

Let’s just say it’s going to be a long wait for next season.

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?

Mad Men “The Strategy” Review: I did it my way

Peggy looking slightly bewildered on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV 

A review of “The Strategy” as soon as I put this beer down right in the middle of your cake…

“She’s doing it the way she wants to do it!”

-Don

Every season there is always that episode of Mad Men that reminds me why I love the show so much. It’s not that the show isn’t great on a regular basis (which quite frankly it is) but there is always that special episode that really invigorates my love for the show. “The Strategy” is that episode, a beautiful, near perfect hour of television that could have strangely acted as the Mad Men series finale.

The best thing that “The Strategy” achieves is how well it manages to make Peggy look by the end of the episode. It’s not that I’ve really minded how Peggy has been treated by Weiner and crew over the last season or so, but for once it’s nice to see Peggy get some redemption, especially in regards to her relationship with Don. Peggy getting the thumbs up on her pitch for the burger project gets squandered early on when Pete wants Don to do the pitch for the project instead of Peggy. On top of this Don manages to try and sneak in his own idea regarding the add making Peggy fear that not only does her idea suck but that Don is going to change it up during the actual pitch itself.

The result is one of the best sequences in Mad Men history. Peggy and Don share a moment in the office for the first time in forever (remnants of what some would argue is the best Mad Men episode ever “The Suitcase”) brainstorming a new idea. For the first time in potentially forever it seems that Don actually cares about Peggy and her work and treats her like his protégé. It’s a great moment and everything lines up, the performances of both Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss are so perfect, the musical choices so perfectly unsubtle but beautiful, and the final dance being so beautifully emotional as a culmination of their relationship. If this was the end of the Don and Peggy relationship for the rest of the show (which it most certainly isn’t) I couldn’t imagine it ending on a more tender and perfect note. The sequence never forgives all the sins of these character’s past, but it also never forgets the special bond that these two have. Don never gave up on Peggy and thinks the world of her no matter how little he shows it and no matter how much she brings herself to hate him Peggy still looks up to Don as her mentor. As previously touched on above the sequence all culminates in a little dance to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” a song that not so subtly sums up their relationship. These are two broken people who have had a bond since the beginning of this show and while they’ve had their many ups and downs they will always have this bond, and no matter what both of them will end up doing things their own ways no matter how right or wrong.

While the Don and Peggy sequence was easily the best thing in “The Suitcase” it was not the only great event to take place throughout the episode. Heck this was the triumphant return (and probable send off) of one Bob Benson! Bob returned to find out that Sterling Cooper and Partners are losing Chevy, and that he has many opportunities through internal add production for Buick. Of course this is going to throw off his relationship with Joan, which as is discovered in this episode is much more complicated than it appeared at the end of last season. It seems that Bob isn’t really looking for love (and in fact is probably gay) and is essentially using Joan as a means of keeping appearances. His strange proposal to Joan perfectly illustrates this; he tries at first to sell Joan on the idea that he has true feelings for her but Joan sees right through it and eventually he transforms it into the “let’s be practical” speech (or as I like to call it the Walter White pitch) at one point promising her a mansion in Detroit. In season six we explored the idea of history repeating itself and Bob Benson essentially being the next version of Dick Whitman/Don Draper, but this takes it to a whole other level. Say what you want about Don but he never went this far to farther his career (notice the music and lighting changes whenever Bob is on screen it’s much darker and sinister in tone even during the proposal it seems that he is lit much darker). Joan backs up right away and rightfully so and tells Bob that she will never give up looking for love no matter how hard she tries. It’s a wonderful little sequence that is a good possible send off to the character of Bob Benson and finally reveals what his true intentions have been throughout his entire run in the agency.

Finally there are the marriage problems on both Don and Pete’s end. Pete seems unwilling to let Trudy go as he when she isn’t there the whole time he’s seeing his daughter (who as a representation to just how detached Pete really is with his former life manages to be afraid of Pete) he just waits for her and leaves his new seemingly more awesome girlfriend Bonnie alone in the hotel room while he drunkenly waits for Trudy to come back and allow him to pin his emotions on her. It shows that Pete, no matter how happy he is in California still has the same broken person problems that he’s always had. Pete is still really the same guy he’s always been just literal distance has kept him away from his problems. As Bonnie (and really a lot of the audience who have dealt with despicable Pete for many seasons) puts it that she hates him in New York.

Don’s marriage problems aren’t quite as obvious as Pete’s but are troubling none the less. Megan is growing much more distant from Don; she’s no longer as receptive to his affection and is beginning to take all of her things away from Don’s apartment in New York. She is so far removed from Don’s work life that she has no idea of his current working predicament nor does she know how to handle Peggy and Stan really at all. When she heads off on the plane on her own at the end of the episode (as we presume without Don really getting her there) we see that this marriage is falling apart at the seams and that Megan is probably much happier on her own than with Don. Potentially troubling times await…

Some other musings:

• Useless Ted comes back to deliver very useless comments to Peggy.

• We get a nice little nod to Ginsberg in this episode as he gets mentioned by Megan and Stan briefly. Off at a funny farm or something one can maybe assume.

• I love that Harry Crane becoming a partner was met with either utter indifference or complete disapproval depending on which partner you are.

• Having business meetings in a steam room should be a regular occurrence.

• Lou manages to go a whole episode without being all that awful! Yay Lou!

• Bob Benson always chooses to work for the unshadiest people who don’t manage to get themselves thrown in Jail… Great Job Bob!

• Also Great Job Bob is the best potential Mad Men spin off. Pair it with Better Call Saul and you have a great Sunday night lineup.

Okay time for me to get out of here. I can’t believe that we only have one more of these left this year.

That’s just me folks. What did everyone else think

Mad Men “The Runaways” Review: Michael Ginsberg vs. the World

 Don enters a meeting on Mad Men

Photo Credit AMC TV

A review of tonight’s Mad Men as soon as I give you my nipple in a box…

“You think this is going to save you, don’t you?”

-Cutler

So computers make people insane correct? And poor Ginsberg, all he wanted to do was give Peggy a thank you gift and she utterly shut him down and resented him. Sure the gift was the nipple that he got taken off but still poor Ginsberg…

Okay anyhow back to “The Runaways” as a whole which was a wildly strange episode of Mad Men, sometimes for the better sometimes for the worse that ultimately built to an awesome final sequence. The episode was ultimately a chance to set things up, get the rest of the season in motion and move towards what seems to be a big final confrontation. “The Runaways” was ultimately a messy episode of Mad Men but one that had and set up many intriguing events.

Most of the set up in “The Runaways” focused around Don in one way or another. The most important of this set up involves Don’s role at Sterling Cooper and Partners as they begin to look to get back into the Tobacco scene. Don wrote the now infamous New York Times article that slammed the Tobacco industry and ultimately ended the firm’s relationship with the big Tobacco companies; thus if the firm were able to potentially land Commander Cigarettes Don would probably have to be let go. Of course the two driving forces behind the Tobacco deal were Lou and Jim Cutler, the two who want Don out of the company the absolute most. The two sneak around and have secret meetings in the computer dungeon (which poor Ginsberg misinterprets, more on that in a second) and try to get the deal through without much of a fight.

Of course Don has to find out somehow and how he does is strangely through an accidental trip to California. Stephanie, one of the relatives of Anna Draper calls Don lost and pregnant and Don sends her to Megan. Of course not knowing too much about Don’s dueling identities this causes Megan to worry about who this person is and how the heck Stephanie actually relates to Don. The whole sequence where Megan sends Stephanie away is one filled with a great sense of tension as Megan is worried about Don’s past life coming and haunting her and Stephanie is worried about the pledge she had given to Anna to stay out of Don’s life.

  

The uncertainty of Stephanie, the uneasiness of Megan and yet another 1960s party drive Don into being a little bit down and he ends up getting a drink with the very reluctant Harry Craine. The two end up conversing about the Tobacco situation (again with the wonderful awkwardness one can come to expect from two people who have worked together for a long time but never really got along) and thus we get the wrench in the Lou and Cutler plan. It leads to the spectacular final sequence where Don actually gets to be Don the super ad man again for the first time in what seems like forever to try and pitch himself back into a job, whether the company lands the Tobacco or not. It’s fantastic to see Jon Hamm get to play confident Don Draper again, and the final pitch that ended the episode was absolutely gangbusters, with another great cut from the last line to the music and the credits to end the episode (which saw Cutler at his most supervilain looking).

The rest of the episode I could take or leave. I don’t really care at all about the relationship between Betty and Henry, but when put through the eyes of Bobby it’s a little more interesting. Anytime we get sequences with Sally and Betty yelling back and forth and Sally and Bobby plotting to run away together it’s fantastic but other than that I couldn’t care less about where the Betty marriage ends up going in the end. Nothing about talking about Vietnam or Betty telling Henry that she isn’t dumb interests me too much and I felt that everything about that storyline that didn’t set up anything with Sally and Bobby fell a little bit flat.

The final and strangest of the storylines this week focused around Ginsberg. I’ve loved Ginsberg when he was used in small doses earlier in the season (including having the line of the episode for the last two episodes) and here, when he had more to do, the character worked most of time but felt a little too out there at others. The computer drives Ginsberg insane arc seems like a blow off for the character this season and as such I think it worked in some ways and went way too far in others. The worst of the out there part was that Weiner and company kept hammering the” computers are metaphors for our worst fears” idea way to far, making Ginsberg seem over the top wacky and a little on the nose. On the other hand though we get a really interesting look at Ginsberg as a human and his anxieties and feelings (especially for Peggy) in a ways in which we’ve never really gotten before. Ginsberg battling with his desires and the lengths he’s willing to go to do it (severing his nipple) are really curious and interesting from a character stand part I just wish it wasn’t washed up as much in the computer metaphors.

Finally we’ve only got two episodes left before this season is over until sometime next year. I’m really curious and almost concerned for how the next two episodes will feel plot wise considering Mad Men (even at this point) feels like a show that isn’t built for a seven episode stand alone half season. I’m not doubting the ability of Matthew Weiner at this point but I am questioning the decisions of AMC and the parties involved as it seems like this season is going to either end in a really strange feeling pace or move at a pace I may not be comfortable with for this show.

We shall see...

That’s just me though. What did everyone else think?