Mad Men “Lost Horizon”: Change, Change, Change

Peggy Making a statement on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV

My review of tonight’s Mad Men as soon as I roller-skate around the office to organ music…

“I did it, I just needed a push.”
-Roger

After last week’s rocking heist gone wrong episode of course Mad Men had to let us slow down and settle into the new world that these characters occupy. “Lost Horizon” was maybe not the type of plot driven romp that many (I include myself in this) were hoping to accompany the final season of this show at this point, but it sure was one heck of an entertaining episode of Mad Men. I may have no clue where this series is ultimately going, how we are going to get there, or if there is even going to be a definitive “this is an ending” at all but at this time, while at points it can be a bit frustrating, I’m glad that Matthew Weiner is making the show he has always made because at this point I would have it no other way.

“Lost Horizon” did provide some plot movement and character change just not with Don. Don going to chase after Diana seems strange at this point in the season, especially an episode revolving around how bad he is at doing this. It just seems like we are going nowhere with Don not only plot wise but character wise as well. Running away from a meeting to try and get the woman who doesn’t want him feels like an arc that we’ve seen before. Maybe the whole being shut down by Diana’s old husband thing provides a new horizon for Don. I also think that I have been hoping for this now for just about this entire season of Mad Men.

Probably the best bet, as potentially hinted at in the final scenes of the episode, is that Don may go all Hobo (maybe it’s unfair to call the guy who hitchhikes with Don a Hobo but we’ll go with it for now) on us and attempt one final “run away from the situation he does not want to be in.” It certainly seems like it at this point, there really is not anything for him at McCann, nor does he have anyone to consult with in this time of need. Either way by the end of the series I’m hoping for either some kind of change for Don Draper or no change at all. Honestly to me change would be the more interesting of the two but if Matt Weiner has wanted to hammer home the point that ultimately people can’t make fundamental changes to their core personality he has put in so much time and effort with Don that I am willing to run with it at this point.

While Don was off doing whatever he was hoping to do there were some awesome moments in “Lost Horizon” involving different characters trying to adapt to the idea and reality of working at McCann in a variety of different ways. Let’s start with Joan as this certainly seems to have the potential to be Joan’s last episode (or at least an episode with a focus on her). Joan has the worst position of everyone who has adapted to McCann as being a woman in a position of power is still something relatively unheard of in the early 1970s. It’s not only that Joan has to deal with sexism, incompetence, and guys constantly trying to hit on her, but she really can’t get help to rail against it in any particular way. As soon as she goes right to the top Joan is shut down by Jim Hobart, who not only takes no credence to the complaints but then proceeds to chew Joan out because of them. Joan ends up having to back down and accept only half her money, and she’s almost lucky for it. It’s an escape from this awful place, a final push towards what could be a potential happy ending. Sure it might have been more satisfying for her to fire on all cylinders it would also be a heck of a lot more painful for Joan and not the way for her to ultimately get out.

Peggy is taking the transition head on despite it seemly as though they really don’t want her to get there. The entire Peggy arc revolves around her trying to get out of the old office and towards the adventure ahead. Along the way we get a few amazing scenes with Roger, including lots of drinking, a great metaphorical boat story, and ROLLER-SKATING THROUGH THE OFFICE WHILE ROGER PLAYS THE ORGAN! It all leads to what is potentially one of the greatest Peggy moments that the series has ever gives to us as she enters the McCann offices in sunglasses, a sly smirk, a cigarette hanging from the side of her mouth, and the old octopus porn painting that Burt Cooper had in his office for so many years. It’s very possible that Peggy is going to be completely broken down from all the terrifying things that the people of McCann could do to her, but for now seeing the progression of Peggy as a character, from the terrified secretary to the super confident creative master who has command over every hallway she walks down was glorious and a fantastic example of just how amazing this show has been and still is.

While “Lost Horizon” did not really advance the characters towards finality or move the plot forward in maybe a way you would see in a final season, it was still another really great episode of this show. Everything surrounding the frustrating Don arc (which was still very good in its own right) was wonderful as our characters explore the new horizon that is the potentially horrible McCann. This is a great show that has managed to do great things in terms of payoffs with its characters and I hope we continue to get that as the final season nears closer to its close.

Some other musings:

• Bert Cooper was all over this one in a variety of different ways. Not only does the ghost of Cooper again talk to Don on his ride towards Dianna, but we get the magic of that Octopus painting that Peggy ends up getting.

• Nice little call back to Conrad Hilton whom it would nice to get a cameo from eventually.

• Pete and Teddy seem to be the ones making the best transition to McCann.

• Interesting callbacks in terms of Don’s office and the McCann boardroom both of which look like they are respectively ripped straight from the old Sterling Cooper offices.

Only two more episodes left. I’m not ready.

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

The Avengers Age of Ultron Review: Playing God

A large Iron Man in The Avengers Age of Ultron

The Avengers Age of Ultron

B-

A review by Frederick Cholowski

Lets hit an important point right off the bat; The Avengers Age of Ultron is a fun motion picture. Writer, director Joss Whedon can still expertly shoot an action scene, write fun quippy dialogue, and create a sense of comradery between characters that are as diverse as you can get. It’s a decently constructed action film that has many entertaining moments to keep its two and a half hour run time fairly breezy.

That’s where it ends sadly; the second Avengers film feels really empty and inconsequential for a film that is suppose to be a big culmination of a few years worth of story. It’s also the most generic of the last few Marvel films, following a formula that could almost be ripped from the first film. What I was left with walking out of the theatre ultimately is not excitement, or enthusiasm it’s just a sense of emptiness and indifference. I know that I had fun throughout the proceedings of the film but that never carried into the time afterwards. It leaves the film into feeling like a big, mostly entertaining, two and a half hour commercial for future Marvel films.

Age of Ultron opens in a post S.H.I.E.L.D world where the Avengers are running missions in order to rid the world of the last few remaining pockets of HYDRA. After they recover the tesseract during a mission, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) , out of fear of not being powerful enough to save the world,  decides to harness the power of the tesseract to create a new artificial intelligence in order to protect the world and keep it safe for good.  Of course as with most attempts to make a super intelligent AI it goes horribly wrong and instead of creating a force that can protect the world Tony has created a force that could potentially destroy it. Enter Ultron (voiced by James Spader) a super powerful AI program who has twisted Tony’s ideas of protecting the world into a scheme to tear it down and will stop at nothing to get the job done.

The most glaring problem in Age of Ultron is that its villain, and thus ultimately the thrust of its plot, feel inconsequential to everything in the Marvel Universe that has come before and to everything that will come after. It really feels like a B plot that is suppose to bridge us into the real A plot storyline that will culminate in the next Avengers films.  Ultron never feels like a full on credible threat and the loom of Thanos only helps to diminish it. It laves the viewer with the feeling that the film is just kind of there and will really play no part in the meta level proceedings which is rather disappointing given the expectations that come with the big culmination of all the individual heroes.

As a film on its own merits alone the film still suffers from rushed and messy storytelling. There are random subplots that come out of nowhere and pieces of attempted character development that are thrown at the wall so quickly that they do not even have a chance to stick. There is so much that Whedon is trying to do here and nowhere near enough time to do it thus certain relationships and backstories of characters kind of feel like they were inserted just for the sake of having them there. None of these developments or subplots have any sort of weight or importance, leaving them feeling empty and unnecessary.

It also does not help that Age of Ultron also feels a little formulaic. The last two Marvel films were so interesting because they changed up the formula in sometimes small but very effective ways.  Captain America Winter Soldier felt a bit like a spy film and Guardians of the Galaxy felt more like an obvert comedy mixed with a wacky space opera then anything else. Age of Ultron feels like it’s back to the average superhero film, just with more superheroes. A big villain is out to end the world in a particular way and it all culminates in a few big battles with way too much property damage. It makes the proceedings that already feel empty at their core and drain them even more.

The Avengers Age of Ultron is not a bad film, but it is one that suffers from being a lame duck. It just feels like none of the film is all that important and that ultimately the sole purpose of this film is to sell the viewer on the future of the universe. Not only that but its messy and even a little generic. Ultimately it makes what should have been a film that was overwhelmingly fun frustrating, empty, and one of the more disappointing efforts of 2015.

Mad Men “New Business” Review: The life and marriages of Don Draper

Don Draper waits in a restaurant on Mad Men

Photo Credit: AMC TV 

A review of “New Business” just as soon as I rent some pants…

“I told you about my heart, I don’t want to feel anything else. When I was with you I forgot about her… I don’t want to do that.”

-Diana

It almost seems like Don has always wanted a clean slate, well at least with his love life. “New Business”takes Don Draper from a state of repetition and moves him to a place where he can reflect on himself and potentially begin the road for a fresh start. The hour has to sadly tread over some familiar and often dull material but it leaves us in a place built with a lot of potential for a new Don Draper. Change may be on the way even if at times in "New Business" it's frustrating that it has not already happened.

“New Business” seemed to be a farewell of sorts for Megan. The episode focused a ton of her packing up her things, taking them away from the apartment, and ultimately seemingly taking herself out of Don’s life for good. It also showed the effects that Don has seemingly had on her drama filled family, her sister is trying to play super catholic by completely condemning Megan’s divorce, and her mother is so angry that she decides to run off with Roger Sterling. When Megan ultimately takes Don’s final one million dollar check it seems like closure for her character, it’s her means of moving on from her life with the man who took her life, career, and family.

Sadly though none of this really worked at all. “New Business” was not Mad Men’s finest hour and seemed only to exist to get us to the point of Don standing with an empty apartment and an empty love life. Nothing within the hour really felt all that essential or interesting in regards to the Don and Megan arc and at times felt like old material that we really didn’t need to revisit. Maybe it’s my dislike for Megan’s family drama or that her and Don’s relationship was never really the most gripping one on the show. Either way it just felt dull and plodding in a way that an episode of Mad Men has not felt like in the last few years, never really grasping my interest closing off a relationship that should feel extremely vital but really did not.

It didn’t help that the rest of the plots throughout this episode were so disjointed and all over the place. I still don’t understand what the point of all the scenes involving Peggy, Stan, and the new photographer Pima. There was some interesting power relations going on between her and the rest of the crew as she seemingly tried to seduce them all, but none of it seemed to get anywhere. Sure it’s nice to see a little bit of focus on the always awesomely bearded Stan but it really accomplished nothing in terms of his character. It just kind of seemed like a plot used to fill an hour, something strange to be saying at this point in the series.

The most interesting plotline in “New Business” comes from Don’s relationship, or really at this point lack thereof with the waitress Diana. Yeah that one, the Rachel look alike from last week. It seems like Don continued to display similar types of behavior from his relationships past to try to seduce her and she absolutely sees right through it, right down to the point where she realizes that he had slept with Silvia after a simple awkward trip through the elevator. Her ultimate rejection of him in her apartment is an acknowledgement that Don hasn’t changed much and to Diana and the audience (many of whom have been complaining for a few seasons of Don’s static nature). As mentioned at the opening of this review, this seems to give Don a clean slate, maybe a chance to reflect upon what he has done throughout his many relationships and move forward. His blank apartment may reek of rejection, but maybe that’s what Don needs to finally move forward with some change in his life.

“New Business” was a frustrating and ultimately dull episode of Mad Men that despite this managed to leave us in an interesting place. Maybe gone is Megan and along with her the old womanizing Don whom has now been seen right through. This maybe a chance for Mathew Weiner and crew to set up a fascinating final few episodes and set us towards the path of sticking the landing. I hope we can look back in a few weeks and view “New Business” as a somewhat necessary bump in an otherwise smooth road to the finish.

A final note before we go into the bullet points... It’s exam season for me throughout these coming weeks which means that for the next two weeks or so I won’t be able to review Mad Men in full the night of. I may do some quick bullet points or try to write something in the middle of the week, depending on the importance of the episodes to come, but life is going to be hectic with all the preparation and study so don’t hold your breath.

Some other musings:

• Angry Pete is the best Pete!

• I love the fact that Roger just gets to play the bystander to almost everything throughout this episode. From having five thousand secretaries to Megan’s mother all over him again, there were a lot of amusing confused looks from Roger throughout this one.

• Harry is still the worst person on earth. Him trying to slime his way into Megan’s pants by trying to get her a better agent was a disgusting display to behold.

• Pete’s driving is the best driving!

That’s all for this week folks! Again I’m probably off the grid Mad Men wise for the next few weeks so we’ll see where we are whenever I am able to hop on and write about it.

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

Mad Men “Severance” Review: The life not lived

Mad Men's cast prepares for its final season.

Photo Credit: AMC TV 

A review of the premiere of Mad Men’s final season (sniffle) as soon as I take you to Paris in two weeks…

“Do you want to hear something spooky?”
-Ken

Every key decision has multiple paths. Who we are and what we do as people depend on the choices we make and the paths we choose. But what about the choice we did not make, the place we did not go, or the person we did not meet? What does the life on the other side look like? Are you still the same person you are today?

What if Don had not scared Rachel away all those years ago? What if Ken would get out of the game and just write that bloody book? What if the firm had not chosen to be bought by McCann after all? Or what if 

Peggy would just go to freaking Paris with Stevie? “Severance,” Mad Men’s final season premiere takes time to reflect on the choices of our characters and how life could have actually turned out while pushing our characters into strange and potentially frustrating places with their new found situation with McCann.  It sets us into the breezy and almost laid back time of early 1970 and lets the pieces slowly slide into place in truly wonderful fashion.

What if Don had never scared Rachel away? Don, factually is in a much better place at work then he has been in a very long time yet at the same time seems to be in a very odd position personally. Don’s strife in “Severance” is focused around his main mistress in season one Rachel, whom after disappearing for a large portion of the series, suddenly pops back into Don’s life via a very similar looking waitress and strange visions during casting, before we discovered that she has passed away from leukemia. The result is a strange series of occurrences for Don like random sex in the parking lot from the waitress Rachel look alike to an almost comically awkward conversation with Rachel’s sister.

What if Don had never scared Rachel away? Would his life looked any different? Would Rachel have been a better suited second wife to help clean Don up? Or would life have blown up in the exact way? Don’s left a tad distraught by thoughts of what have could been, what if he was still closer to Rachel? Would his life been any more fulfilling to this point?

Or maybe this is slowly a way for Mathew Weiner and crew help divorce our new much more productive Don from the Don of the past. We could be stepping into profound change for Don in certain aspects, and having to leave ghosts (literally at times in this episode) behind him is a big necessary step towards moving on. It seems by the end of the experience at the memorial for Rachel that he’s moved on with the thought of what if, and ultimately decides just to sit at the diner instead of keep asking the waitress if he has ever seen her before. Only time will tell if Don is really moving on with his life or is just the Don Draper we all know from the past, but for a start this Don seems much more ready to not revisit sins from the past.

What if Ken would get out of the game and write his book? He would seem that he would sure as hell look a lot less pale and worn down then he does in “Severance.” He is still eyepatch clad and as stressed as ever running around from client to client trying so hard just to please them. It should be a relief in a way then when he is suddenly (or probably not so suddenly given his history with McCann) fired from the company. Now he can finally go and work on that book of his, and spend much more time with his wife and be potentially super famous. Sadly it seems though Ken is still just as eager to be a player in the game though as he hops on the chance to take his father in law’s position as advertising executive at one of the firm’s biggest clients and in a great scene essentially flips the bird to Roger saying that he will be very hard to please.

What if the firm had not chosen to be bought by McCann after all? Joan and newly mustache clad Teddy would have been much happier, and maybe the firm would actually be able to run without complete obstruction from outside forces. It seems that McCann is being very frustrating in regards to the everyday process of the firm which we get in spurts throughout the premiere. Poor Joan who has more money and influence than any of the male blokes that sit across from her in these meetings but has to hear all of their mockery of her just because she is a woman and its 1970. And poor Teddy who has to look at so many casting photos just because the McCann guys want to peer at beautiful women. It seems as though we’re going to get more obstructions as the season moves along and maybe some fun conflict will ensue along the way.

Finally what if Peggy would just go to freaking Paris with Stevie? Maybe this is finally Peggy’s opening to be happy in a relationship and be the perky girl of old instead of the Don Draper 2.0 of new. Just how happy Peggy seemed while drunk in her room contemplating going to Paris with a man whom she hardly knew and yet seemed to have more of a connection with than anyone else made me a little bit heartbroken when sober Peggy started to skirt away from the idea. Let’s hope Peggy’s arc this season is one to total happiness because if there is ever a character who ever needs and deserves it is Peggy.

“Severance” was a great Mad Men premiere. It gave us our new pieces to play with while at the same time reflecting on where these characters could and maybe would have been given slight changes in course. It’s a perfect mix of light and darker material that pushes the characters forward and allows them to look in full circle fashion in only the way that Mad Men can. Boy am I going to miss this show.

Some other musings:

• Roger and Teddy’s mustaches are the greatest things in human kind!

• If there is anyone’s name that I don’t want on the jacket of my next book it is Pete’s…

• Can Don Draper see ghosts or something? First Burt Cooper now Rachel.

• I love the look of this episode. It feels much more breezy and relaxed in turn of color palate. The 1970s are in full swing not only for some of the characters but for the show itself!

That’s it for this week folks. Only six more episodes of this amazing show are left.

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