“Mad Men” Emmy “For Your Consideration” Print Ad

Here are the Emmy “For Your Consideration” print ads for “Mad Men” which appeared in the June 2, 2015 issue of “Variety.”

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“Mad Men” & “The Killing” Emmy® “For Your Consideration” Print Ads

Here are the Emmy® “For Your Consideration” print ads for “Mad Men” and “The Killing” that appeared in the June 13, 2012 issue of Daily Variety.

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Mad Men Season 5 Cast Portraits

Here are the new cast portraits for season 5 of “Mad Men” which will have a special 2-hour premiere on Sunday, March 25, 2012 at 9:00 PM ET on AMC. The photos feature Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks, Jon Slattery, Vincent Kartheiser, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Harris, Robert Morse, Aaron Staton, Rich Sommer, and Jay R. Ferguson.

Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC

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Mad Men Season 5 Promos

Here’s 2 new promos for the new season of “Mad Men” which will premiere on March 25, 2012 on AMC. The promos feature Jon Hamm (as Don Draper) and John Slattery (as Roger Sterling).



Please note: I am sorry, but the videos are no longer available.



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Emmy Ad Honoring "Mad Men" Series Nominees

Here is a new Emmy print ad from AMC for “Mad Men” honoring all the nominees for the series, and listing the show as the “Most Emmy Nominated Series 2011.” The ad appeared in the July 29, 2011 issue of  "The Hollywood Reporter.”

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“Mad Men” Emmy “For Your Consideration” Ad

Here is the Emmy “for your consideration” ad for “Mad Men” that was in the June 24, 2011 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.

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Don Draper Says “What?” (A Suggested Emmy Reel for Jon Hamm?)

It just shows the acting skill of Jon Hamm that he can take one word – “what” – and say it so many ways for such varying dramatic effect. Mad Men fans should enjoy the video compilation below of an example of “what” Jon Hamm – as Don Draper – can do. The last example should leave you laughing!






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Mad Men “Tomorrowland” Recap & Review: Dull, or Genius?

All photos from AMC

It was either the dullest Mad Men of the season, or the episode was genius. It was dull as viewers likely expected some big, earth shattering event – like a suicide or a death of a major character. Instead, we find that Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has decided to get married to his secretary, Megan (Jessica Paré), something that wasn’t all that usual in that day, in fact it was almost expected. And that is the genius part of the episode – I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for something gut wrenching to happen and it never did. The whole season seemed to be building up to a shocking, dramatic ending and many viewers sat through the episode waiting for it, the anticipation only getting greater as the clock ticked away. The big event: Don, a guy who finds it nearly impossible to keep it in his pants, decides to tie the knot and this will likely cause a whole host of new problems next season. A happy Don Draper is a complete 180 degree swing from the Don Draper that we saw sobbing at his desk after hearing that Anna had died, and it is nice that he seems to have found someone who makes him feel truly good. We can only wait to see how long that will last.

Don’s big decision comes after spending time with his three children in California where they visit Disneyland. Betty (January Jones) has fired the maid/nanny Carla (Deborah Lacey) because she allowed Glen to say his goodbyes to Sally (Kiernan Shipka). This means Don no longer has Carla to take with him to watch the kids while on the trip. Lucky for Don, his secretary Megan was ready and willing to take her place. It was plain to see the writing on the wall when Megan comes into Don’s room to let him know she’s going out with a female friend to the Whiskey A Go-Go, and she is in a spectacular dress and looks fabulous. I think Don's eyes would have popped out of his head had his kids not been there. He also sees she has a wonderful way with the kids. He later takes the kids to visit Anna Draper’s home, and sees the "Dick + Anna '64" message he painted on the wall, admitting to Sally that Dick is a nickname. There, he is given the diamond ring the real Don Draper gave to Anna. You can see that the gears are working in his head.

Meanwhile, back at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) gets a lead on a possible account in Topaz pantyhose. She and Ken (Aaron Staton) work to land the account, which they later get because Peggy has a good understanding of the product and how women use it. By the way, earlier in the episode, the SCDP partners approach Ken about leveraging his father in law to help them get the Dow Chemical account, and Ken flatly refuses, somehow trying to give them the impression it’s not like him to take that low road.

Back home at the Francis household, Henry (Christopher Stanley) has heard about Betty's firing pf Carla from Carla, who tells him Betty refused a letter of recommendation. Henry has a beer in his hand and clearly looks like he’s already had a few. (Betty is an expert in driving men to drink.) Betty's rationale is that she "...wanted a fresh start" but Henry is irate, saying "There is no fresh start…lives carry on.” It may be a sign that while the season is over and that people may expect a fresh start next season, things will likely be the same for everyone, especially Don, who seems to be looking at his upcoming marriage as a new, and clean, beginning.

Lane (Jared Harris) promotes Joan (Christina Hendricks) to Director of Agency Operations, but there is no money for a raise at that time. She says, "Well, it's almost an honor," and goes back to delivering mail, something she must do since most of the office seems to have been fired to keep down costs. Later, we hear her talking to her husband Greg (Sam Page) via phone and is telling him she is pregnant. Oh boy, is Roger in for a surprise; it seems Joan didn’t really get that abortion.

Back in California, Don leaves the kids in the hotel room alone and heads over to Megan’s room. (I kept waiting for something bad to happen to one of those kids while they were alone in the room, but nothing did.) When Don and Megan spend the night, it’s clear that she has him on the ropes. I laughed when Megan was clearly self-conscious about her teeth and Don was not bothered by them at all, seeing that some fans of the show have made Megan’s teeth a point of ridicule. Don is roped in even further when, in a restaurant, Sally knocks over a milkshake and spills it. Don’s response is to get angry, and Megan stays cool and calm and quickly handles the matter. She’s got him now, hook, line, and sinker.

When they return home and after Megan spends the night at Don’s place, he asks her to marry him, the ring that the real Don Draper gave to Anna serving as the engagement ring. She seem speechless at first but then quickly agrees. I find myself getting more suspicions that he played right into Megan’s master manipulations, and his desire to be happy and to have someone love the kids has clouded his judgment.
When he gets to the office the next day, he gives the news to a stunned Roger (John Slattery), Pete (Vincent Kartheiser), Lane, and Joan. He later gives the news to a shocked Peggy, who came in to tell him he landed the Topaz account. Don tells Peggy that Megan has the same “spark” as Peggy, and that Megan admires Peggy as much as he does. Later, Peggy and Joan bemoan the developments: Peggy has a new client yet her news was overshadowed by Don’s engagement and Joan tells her she got a promotion – in title only. The both share a laugh over it.

But Don’s not laughing, as now he has to give Faye (Cara Buono) the news that he has found someone and is engaged. Faye is clearly devastated by this news, and tells Don that she hopes his fiancée knows he only likes “the beginnings of things” before she slams down the phone.

Later, Don stops by the empty Ossining house in order to meet with his real estate agent, and sees Betty there getting a box of items that were left behind. They share some memories about the house, and Betty adds "things aren't perfect" at the new home. She seems shocked when he tells her about his engagement to Megan, and then gives him gracious congratulations and also the Ossining house key.

As the episode closes, back in his apartment, Megan sleeps as Don lies awake, staring out the window.

While the episode was anticlimactic, Don’s impulsive engagement to Megan may have more serious repercussions than he thinks. Faye knows who he really is, and will her anger over his impending marriage cause her to use that information against him? Is Megan as harmless as she seems, or is she using Don as a means to an end? Will his marriage make his life more stable and help Don to purge himself of his demons and his past, or is he just buying himself a little happy time? Did Don have subconscious reservations about Faye, a career woman who seemed uncomfortable - and useless - with his kids, and did he not want to get into a relationship with another cold fish like Betty? Was Faye getting fired from her job and her telling him they were now free to have an open relationship the thing that made him feel like he was not in control of the relationship and being pressure by her? Was Megan just in the right place at the right time, the person that Don could feel like he could control and would be a wife to him and a better role model as a mother for his children than Betty? Or, does Megan have a master plan all her own and is she using Don? Have he and Betty finally buried the hatchet? Has Don really learned from all his past mistakes, and does he genuinely want to change his drinking and philandering ways in order to settle down? Has Don found his own version of Tomorrowland or, like Disneyland, is he just in a life that can only work in a fantasy? Don staring out the window at the end of the episode gives me the feeling that he’s still unsure. And that’s the genius of the episode. Even with no real shocking dramatic event taking place, we are still left with more questions than answers, and still find ourselves, like Don, roped in for more.

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Mad Men “Blowing Smoke” Recap & Review

All photos from AMC

Things seem to be unraveling fast for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The company, already on the brink of collapse, gets helped along by what the partners think is a reckless moved by Don Draper (Jon Hamm). Also, Don’s daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka) seems to be coping with life at home, until her mother Betty (January Jones) decides it’s time for a big change. The episode is aptly named, as “blowing smoke” means to trick someone or obscure something so that the truth is not obvious or to cover a falsehood. It also means to make a statement that one knows can’t be backed up. Mad Men “Blowing Smoke” has Sally finding a way to play the role of the cooperative child in order to make things work, and Don finding a way to turn the loss of the company’s largest account, Lucky Strike, into something positive. Don’s action comes from an idea that may have been spawned by an off the cuff comment by Peggy which repeated one of Don’s own maxims: "If you don't like what they're saying about you, change the conversation." His move looks to mean certain failure for SCDP. Viewers, who have the advantage of knowing how the public will view tobacco over time, may see his action as a big leap forward for the company and not a jump off a cliff. This was an excellent episode that can only make viewers anxious for next week’s season finale.

With Sally, it looks like her counseling is having some positive effects, and she and her mother Betty seem to be getting along much better. Dr. Edna Keener (Patricia Bethune) tells Sally she is proud at how well Sally is coping, yet when Betty comes in for a progress report, Betty tells Keener that Sally is not better. Keener wants Betty to start seeing her own psychiatrist, and Betty resists the idea. Meanwhile, Sally continues to cement her friendship with neighborhood friend (and I think a stalker in the making) Glen Bishop (Marten Weiner). During one of the conversations she has with Glen, she tells him she doesn’t think there is a heaven, and doesn’t like the idea of doing something for eternity. She makes a very interesting observation about it, comparing eternity to the lady on the Land O Lakes box who is holding a box with a picture of herself holding a box which has the same picture on it, ad infinitum. This is a deep observation for such a young child; some may say it’s troubling that Sally doesn’t see anything positive in her life or death.

When Betty sees that it looks like Sally and Glen are going off to do something inappropriate, she chases Glen away and takes Sally home. When Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) comes home early for a rare dinner with the family, Betty announces that she doesn’t like the neighborhood anymore and wants to move. This makes Henry happy but causes Sally to run away from the table to cry in bed.

Meanwhile, Don Draper is trying to drum up business, and the meeting that Faye (Cara Buono) arranged with Heinz turns out to be a bust, as they want to wait 6 months before making any more to SCDP. Fyae’s boss Geoffrey Atherton (John Aylward) encourages SCDP to stick with what they do best – tobacco. He says he has an in to get them a meeting with Phillip Morris about a new women’s cigarette line – and this later falls through. They find that Philip Morris just used the threat of meeting to cut a better deal with someone else. It’s as if a pall of death is hanging over the company. Lane is working with the bank but each of the partners must come up with some money in order to help secure a bigger loan, but Pete doesn’t have the money and Trudy (Alison Brie) refuses to let her use any of theirs.

As he leaves for work, Don has what seems like a chance encounter with Midge Daniels (Rosemarie DeWitt), and he later finds that she tracked him down in order to sell him one of her paintings to feed her heroin habit. At home, while Don looks at the painting, he also seems to be thinking about what Peggy told him about changing the conversation, and he rips out the pages in his journal and starts writing something else. It’s a new full page ad that he places in the New York Times about “Why I’m Quitting Tobacco.” Needless to say, it rocks the company and the partners are furious, with Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) taking his shoes and quitting on the spot. Megan (Jessica Paré), however, applauds Don in private for his actions, saying she knows the purpose of the ad was to make it look like "he didn't dump me, I dumped him." Peggy is also pleased with what Don did, and seemed to recognize that Don really may have listened to her. Frankly, I’m not sure why none of the other partners could see Don’s point of view, but as Don is part of Creative, it’s not surprising. Of course, viewers have the benefit of hindsight and know that tobacco will soon be scorned and a highly unattractive account to have. It was a risky move on Don’s part, but it was also another look into his genius as an ad man.

Later, as they get ready to fire employees in order to keep the company afloat, they find that they may have a legitimate lead with the American Cancer Society because of Don’s anti-smoking statement. This may bring them additional contacts and leads. Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) finds that Don has ponied up Pete’s share of the money they need to keep afloat. Faye also gets fired from her job, seeing that Don’s actions have alienated tobacco so much that Atherton is severing ties with SCDP to avoid alienating his own potential cigarette accounts. Don is sorry but Faye sees this as an opportunity: they can now date openly. Somehow, I have this feeling that Faye has an inkling that Don and Megan have had a fling and Faye may think that dating openly may keep Don’s attention on her. We all know Don, and I suspect that Faye wanting more relationship time with Don may only serve to smother him.

As they fire people, Don looks back on the scene with people crying. We can only wonder what Don is thinking. Does he have regrets? Does he not care, and just sees this as a means to an end? Did his encounter with heroin addict Midge make him realize that he has to get off the tobacco accounts and kept the agency “clean”” and this is all part of the process? Somehow, I think Don Draper and SCDP could come out better and stronger. Don’s big risk may have been the best gamble that Don ever made and it may have the biggest payoff. Sally. However, seems to be headed for disaster. Any progress she may have made with her counseling may take a huge step back if Betty gets her way and moves the family. While Sally may have been trying to understand her mother’s perspective, Betty’s actions tell Sally that nothing with Betty has really changed.

“Blowing Smoke” was an interesting look into life through Sally’s eyes. Maybe both Sally and Betty have being blowing smoke about making their relationship work. This has been exposed as just a thin veneer that is cracking at the slightest hint of stress. Don, however, uses his desperation to blow smoke at the ad world through his full page ad, making people think he’s taken the high road by blowing away the tobacco companies. It all makes for an interesting set up for next week’s finale, “Tomorrowland,” where anything can happen.

Inside Mad Men “Blowing Smoke”




Mad Men “Blowing Smoke” Video Recap


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Mad Men “Chinese Wall” Recap & Review

All photos from AMC

Mad Men “Chinese Wall” may not have had the fire and spark of other episodes of this season, but it certainly set the tone of gloom and doom for some of its key players. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is back to drinking – and philandering - to sooth all of this problems. Roger Sterling (John Slattery) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) seem to be going through a role reversal with Peggy becoming confident both professionally and sexually, while Roger is becoming weaker and needier.

The episode starts out on a light note – Peggy has what seems to be an accidental meeting with Abe (Charlie Hofheimer) which ends up with the both of them at her apartment, in bed. Things turn bad quick. Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton) is at dinner with his fiancée and her parents, and finds out from an employee of competitor BBDO that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has lost their largest account, Lucky Strike. Ken spreads the news to Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), who is at the hospital waiting for his wife to deliver their baby. They later tell Don, who immediately starts drinking and then orders a meeting with the partners.

With Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) and Roger back at the office, Roger feigns shock and outrage, and then fakes a phone call to Lucky Strike’s Lee Garner Jr. and pretends to set up a face to face meeting. Of course, he has no intention of going, and while the employees of SCDP are notified of the loss of their account, Roger is staying at a hotel right in town, later calling in to lie that he met with Lee and there is nothing they can do.

When Pete returns to the hospital to wait for the baby to arrive, he tells his father in law Tom (Joe O’Connor) about the loss of the account. Tom clearly wants Pete to get out of SCDP. Typical for the day, Pete really doesn’t hang around while Trudy is going through labor; he goes back to work to pick up the pieces as best he can. (Later, Ted Chough (Kevin Rahm), a competitor, comes to the hospital to see Pete to give him a baby gift – and to offer Pete full partnership at CGC.)


As the key players of SCDP tell their key clients about the loss of Lucky Strike, more accounts begin to fall. Glo-Coat, the client whose ad won Don his Clio award, wants to move on. Don, hearing the news, slams his Clio statuette onto his desk and breaks it. Don later asks Dr. Faye Miller (Cara Buono) to use her contacts to get him an in to other new accounts. She is appalled that he wants her to compromise her ethics, and storms out of his office.


Peggy, however, is still working hard on the Playtex account and Don tells her he is counting on her. She has an ad idea, and it's one that seems to get Stan’s (Jay R. Ferguson) and Danny’s (Danny Strong) blood flowing. They think something is up (sexually) with Peggy. The two men are even more convinced when Abe shows up in the office, pretending to be a delivery man, and she takes him into her office for a little action. When Peggy is preparing for the Playtex presentation, Stan tells Peggy he can help her relax, and instead makes a move on her and she pushes him away. She later goes through the Playtex presentation with lipstick all over her teeth, not reading the signals from one of the Playtex people who keeps running his tongue over his teeth.

Roger, meanwhile, calls in to Joan (Christina Hendricks) and tells her that’s he’s really staying at a local hotel, he knew about Lucky Strike for weeks, and he wants her to come meet with him. She is appalled and turns him down.

When Roger returns to the office and tells them it is over with Lucky Strike, Don laces into him. (Pete also finds out that Trudy has had a girl, but keeps on working as if nothing has happened.) When Roger looks to Bert for support, Bert tells him "Lee Garner Jr. never took you seriously because you never took yourself seriously.”

Don, Pete, Bert, and other reps from SCDP head to a memorial for a competitor in order to scout out new business.

Later, Roger comes to Joan’s apartment and she tells him it is over. When Roger dejectedly heads home, his wife Jane (Peyton List) is waiting there for him, with a box full of copies of his memoirs, the book titled “Sterling’s Gold.”

When Don return to the office later that evening, his secretary Megan (Jessica Pare) is still there and Don sees she has repaired his Clio. She offers to stay and help him with her work, saying she want to know more about the ad business. She also has other ideas, and tells Don she wants him, and she won’t go running out of his office the next day. Don takes advantage of her offer, right on his office couch. He leaves the office as Megan is still putting on her clothes. When he gets to his apartment, Faye is waiting for him in the hall, and once inside, she tells him she set up a meeting with him and Heinz. Don says that she didn’t have to do it, but she says she wanted to. They sit on the couch, and she puts his head on his shoulder, and Don seems to immediately fall asleep.

The season will end soon, and while this episode moved slowly, it can only make me wonder about whether SCDP will meet certain doom, or if the loss of these accounts will only bring new, and better, business for the company? Roger seems to be heading for disaster. With his memoirs now published, yet his company on a downward spiral and his secret love Joan rebuffing him, will it eventually kill Roger? I had this feeling that Roger may be at the edge of possibly even taking his own life. Don may have also made a huge error in revealing his real identity to Faye. If she gets wind that he is cheating on her with Megan, or if he expects her to bring her more accounts, she just may use his secret against him. Don has fallen back on drinking (but expects Megan to help cut himself off) and it won’t take much before he’s back to drinking himself into oblivion. It seems like too many things are causing a crack in the “Chinese wall”, both for SCDP and for Don Draper. It’s only a matter of time before things collapse.

Video Recap – Chinese Wall


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Mad Men “Hands and Knees” Recap & Review

All Photos from AMC

This episode of Mad Men “Hands and Knees” closes with the melody of the Beatles Song, “Do You Want to Know a Secret,” because the episode was all about secrets. Things seem to be unraveling for everybody, and only the women seem to be keeping cool heads. Don’s (Jon Hamm) big secret has him teetering on complete ruin. The one thing that “Mad Men” does well is build a story over a period of several episodes. Don’s secret identity is the gift that keeps on giving over the years. In this episode, it is becoming clear that the stability of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is in question, and there isn’t much time to get the business back on solid footing. Roger’s life also looks solid on the outside, but he’s also on the edge of destroying everything, both business and personal. This was a wonderful episode that set up a horrible sense of foreboding for the company and for the key players. I wonder, though, if Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) has some secrets of his own that are just waiting to be exposed?


Joan’s (Christina Hendricks) secret: she’s pregnant. She drops the bomb on Roger (John Slattery), telling him the baby is his. Roger knows this is a big problem, and he and Joan later discuss whether Joan wants to keep it or not. She doesn’t, and Roger offers to go with her for the procedure. (I don’t think he really means it.) Joan calmly goes through the process and it isn’t the first time she’s had to do so.

Roger, meanwhile, is harboring his own secret. After Joan tells him she is pregnant, Lee Garner Jr. (Darren Pettie ) tells Roger that the board of Lucky Strike is dropping Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce to consolidate all their accounts with one agency - and that’s not with SCDP. Lee wants the files immediately, but when Roger begs and pleads for 30 days before Lee says anything, bringing out all things he’s done for Lee, Lee gives him that time. After Lee leaves, Roger pops what looks like a nitro pill. At a later time, Roger is making calls from his rolodex, trying to drum up new business.

Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) is expecting his son to come from London for a visit, and instead he gets his father, Robert (W. Morgan Sheppard). Lane is clearly disappointed, but tries to make the best of it, taking his father, along with Don, to the local Playboy club, where Lane seems to have a thing for a black Playboy bunny, Toni (Naturi Naughton ). Robert wants Roger to come home to London, and it becomes clear that he’s not happy with Lane’s dalliances. When Lane invites his father out to dinner, along with Toni, and it becomes clear to Robert that Lane seems to be in a very serious, intimate relationship with her, Robert essentially dismisses her. After she leave the apartment, Robert clocks Lane’s head with his cane, knocking Lane to the ground. He steps on Lane’s hand on the door until Lane agrees to return to England.

Don’s big secret – that he had taken the identity of another soldier who was killed in action – is threatening to come out in a big way. His day starts out well when he announces to his daughter Sally (Kiernan Shipka) that he is taking her to the Beatles concert in Shea Stadium and Sally shrieks with glee. He also goes to a meeting with executives of North American Aviation, an account that Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) has been working on for years, and it looks like things are a go. The first clue that there may be looming issues is the volume of heavily redacted documents that NAA gives them, and they are told the redacting will diminish as the partnership with SCDP progresses.

What Don - and likely nobody else – realizes, is that in order to do business with NAA, the key people at SCDP must go through a government background checks. Two government agents visit Betty (January Jones) without warning, and ask her very pointed questions about Don’s background, including "Do you have any reason to believe that Mr. Draper isn't who he says he is?" After a brief pause, Betty calmly answers no. When she calls Don to complain about the questioning, he knows nothing about it. Despite the fact that Don is clearly rattled, he thanks Betty for what she did. He takes it out on his secretary Megan (Jessica Paré) and is upset that even though he did sign the application, that she didn’t call it to his attention. Even more agitated, he gets on Pete’s case, and Pete at first seems flip about it. Don demands that Pete get with his contact in the defense apartment and find out how far it’s gone.

Later that night, Betty tells Henry (Christopher Stanley) about the FBI coming to question her about Don, saying she doesn’t want any secrets between them. (I have this feeling that Henry has some secrets of his own. )

When Pete gives Don the update on the background checks and thinks the agency can survive Don’s exposure, Don’s argues back that there is no statute of limitations for desertion, and despite Pete’s years of work to cultivate the account, Don tells him to get rid of it. Don later instructs his accountant to establish trust funds for his children and allow Betty access. Despite the accountant’s objections, Don tells him to create the trusts immediately.

When Faye (Cara Buono) comes for a visit, Don is clearly in a complete meltdown, and she says he has a fever and orders him to go home. When Don and Faye get to his apartment, two men approach them trying to locate an address, and Don seems to go into full panic mode, thinking they are government agents. When he gets into the apartment, he rips off his shirt and tie, thinking he is having a heart attack, but he throws up instead. Faye stays with him and when she tries to help him relax, he tells her he is tired of running and tells her his secret.

When Pete arrives at Don’s the next morning, he sees Faye is there, and she leaves silently. After she leaves, Pete tells Don that he hasn't been exposed yet and if the agency drops the account the investigation will cease.

At a meeting of the partners, Pete says that an error on his part has cost the agency NAA's business. Roger slams Pete over it and both Don and Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) object to Roger’s anger at Pete, with Cooper telling Roger to apologize (he does). Lane then announces he’s taking a long leave of absence to return to London and quickly exits the meeting, but before he leaves, he says the company is in sound fiscal shape. When Joan asks the remaining partners to report on the status of current accounts, starting with Lucky Strike, Roger gives the thumbs up.

Faye loops back with Don to make sure he's OK, and they set a date for Saturday. When Faye leaves, Megan enters with the Beatles tickets Don wanted, saying that “Everything worked out.” As the melody of The Beatles song “Do You Want to Know a Secret” plays, Don gazes at Megan, standing at her desk, applying lipstick, and we fade to black.
Video Recap of Mad Men “Hands and Knees”


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Mad Men “The Beautiful Girls” Recap & Review

All photos from AMC

“Jesus, what a mess”. Don Draper (Jon Hamm) couldn’t have said it any better, because things sure got messy for just about everybody in this episode of Mad Men, “The Beautiful Girls.” Don had what many may call a day from hell, but things weren’t exactly perfect for all the women in his life. This was an episode with lots of drama but also lots of dark humor.

It’s clear that Sally is having some serious coping problems that likely will not get fixed by her mother or her father. She wants out of her mother’s house, but Don, while he loves Sally, doesn’t want a young child complicating his life. While Don seems to be striking up a serious relationship with Faye, I wonder how long it will really last, and if the beautiful receptionist Megan – who seems to have a way with kids – will be Faye’s competition.

Joan is struggling with her husband going off to war, and the tug of her past relationship with Roger. Roger and Joan are great together but know that their respective marriages complicates thing greatly. Somehow, I have this feeling that the marriage issue will be “resolved” with Greg going to Vietnam (and maybe not coming back). Peggy, on the other hand, is growing a conscience, and while she is concerned about racial equality, she seems even more concerned about gender equality. Sadly, no one can see her viewpoint on the latter.

Here’s what happened:

It seems Don’s day is going to go well when Don slips out for a nooner with Faye (Cara Buono), but goes downhill fast when he gets back to work and things don’t go well with his meeting with Fillmore Auto Parts, Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton) also seems to be back to his normal, cocky self, which seems to annoy Don.

Joyce Ramsay (Zosia Mamet) drops by to invite Peggy for drinks, and Jjoyce seems to be impervious to Stan Rizzo’s (Jay R. Ferguson) lesbian jokes. It seems that the invitation for drinks is just an excuse for Abe Drexler (Charlie Hofheimer) to stop by and connect with Peggy. Things seem to be going well until Abe starts on his anti-corporate diatribe and talks about Fillmore Auto Parts’ refusal to hire black workers in the South. When Peggy relates it to the injustice women face in the workplace, Abe gets flip about it and Peggy gets offended and leaves.

Joan (Christina Hendricks), meanwhile, is in a bad mood as her husband Greg is now going to Vietnam right after basic training. Roger (John Slattery) – who is still trying to get someone interested in his memoirs - wants to console her in his own special way, but she is having none of it. He later sends two women to Joan’s apartment to give her a massage, manicure, and pedicure. She gets somewhat annoyed at him the following day when it seems he expects something in return for his gesture.

But the mess really cranks up when Sally (Kiernan Shipka) decides to take the train to Don’s office – alone, and without having the money to pay. An older woman (a stranger) escorts Sally to the office, and Don, who is taken out of the Fillmore meeting for this news, is not thrilled one bit with Sally, making her stay in his office. Things get worse when Miss Blankenship (Randee Heller) dies at her desk. The secretaries try to cover things up so the Fillmore people don't see the events when the coroner arrives.

Peggy gets even more upset with Abe, who has dropped by the office with an article he wrote, inspired by Peggy, called "Nuremberg on Madison Avenue." After Peggy reads it, she returns to a waiting Abe and she is furious as Abe has mentioned the corporate racial issue with Fillmore Auto Parts. She is worried this will implicate her and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, and tears it up, saying she could lose her job over it. Abe feels he misjudged her.

Joan tries to calm Roger after Miss Blankenship’s death, and Roger moans he doesn’t want to die in the office. He invites her to dinner, where Roger tells Joan she’s not in his memoirs, although she has been all the “good stuff” in his life. Later, after dinner, Roger and Joan are robbed, which shakes Joan up, especially since her wedding ring was stolen. That doesn’t stop her from responding to Roger’s kiss.

Don has to deal with Sally, and asks Faye to take her to his apartment and watch her until he gets home. After Faye exits Don's apartment, Sally promises Don she’ll never do it again, and then asks questions about Faye, which Don gingerly answers. The next morning, Sally makes Don some French toast and puts rum on it, thinking it is maple syrup. Don eats it anyway. He agrees to take the morning off and spend time with her before she has to go back home to her mother.

Back at the office, when Cooper and Roger have difficulty writing Miss Blankenship's obituary they call in Joan. After Bert Cooper (Robert Morse) walks out of the room – commenting that Blankenship was born on a farm and died on the 37th floor, calling her an astronaut – he leaves Joan and Roger alone. Roger apologizes for what happened "in the heat of the moment" but Joan replies that she not sorry, and reminds him that they're both married.

Working on the Fillmore campaign, Peggy suggests the use of black entertainers for their jingle, thinking this will help them in the south. But Don disagrees, saying, "Our job is to make men like Fillmore Auto, not Fillmore Auto like Negroes.”

Things get ugly again for Don when Betty (January Jones) arrives to get Sally and Sally does not want to go home with her. When Don brings in Faye to help out, Sally gets even more upset, screams and yells, then runs down the hall, making a scene. She falls face down on the slippery floor, and Megan (Jessica Pare), the receptionist, easily consoles Sally. When Megan tells her “It’s going to be alright,” Sally replies “No, it’s not.” Sally leaves with Betty, looking back sadly. This whole situation rattles Faye, who goes into Don’s office and pours herself a drink and gets upset with Don, saying she feels like she failed a test, going into why she wanted a career and not children at this time. Don assures her that what happened with Sally wasn't her fault. When Faye leave his office, Don sips on her drink.

When Joyce stops by to visit Peggy, Joyce tells Peggy that men are like soup and compares women to soup pots, asking. "Who wants to be a pot?" She adds that she wouldn't have helped Abe with Peggy "if I didn't think he was some very interesting soup." When Joyce asks Peggy "Are you angry or lovesick?" Peggy is not sure.

At the end of the day. Joan, Peggy, and Faye get into the elevator together, three beautiful girls who has three different kinds of days, all affected by three different men.

MAD MEN VIDEO RECAP





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Mad Men “The Summer Man” Recap & Review

All photos from AMC

Mad Men “The Summer Man” felt slightly different from other episodes this season. It was partly because of the intermittent voice over from Don Draper (Jon Hamm) as he writes in his journal, and partly because it seems Don is trying to cut back on his drinking. He’s exercising, his apartment looks a little brighter as it seems like he’s letting more light in. It also appears that Don, while he feels like he’s in a fog, is more than likely coming OUT of a fog.

But Don still hasn’t quit drinking. He substitutes a beer for the liquor, has wine at dinner, and seems to think twice about taking that sip of whiskey when in a meeting with his creative staff. And, when Miss Blankenship (Randee Heller), who is having vision problems after just recovering from cataract surgery, goes out and buys Don several bottles of whiskey, he tells her to take them back. I have also been waiting for a long time for the show to bring in a snippet of the Rolling Stones song, “Satisfaction” that includes the lyrics that pretty much describes what an ad man like Don Draper is supposed to do:

“When I'm watchin' my TV
and a man comes on to tell me
how white my shirts can be.
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke
the same cigarettes as me.
I can't get no, oh no no no.
Hey hey hey, that's what I say.”

Don also seems to be moving on with his life, still dating the somewhat prudish Bethany (Anna Camp), and then deciding to make a move with Dr. Faye Miller (Cara Buono). The latter happens after he overhears her talking on the telephone telling her apparent boyfriend to “go shit in the ocean,” a Yiddish term which may mean that Faye is Jewish. At dinner, Faye also tells Don that her father is not with the mob, but he has a candy store and has some association with mob people. I found that Don’s behavior with Faye in the back seat of the car was more like how Bethany acts towards Don - a bit of a tease but not ready to take things to the “next step.” The next step for Bethany – and for Don – may seem like the same thing, but I don't think they are.

Meanwhile, back at the office, Joey’s (Matt Long) cocky, bratty, and immature attitude cause him to get fired. At first, he crosses the line with Joan (Christina Hendricks) when, after she chastises him for his behavior, he tells her "What do you do around here besides walking around like you're trying to get raped?” Despite Peggy’s (Elisabeth Moss) warning that Joey should not cross the line with the powerful Joan, he draws a cartoon of Joan performing a sexual service for Lane Pryce (Jared Harris). Joan tries to handle the situation in her own way, but when Peggy sees the cartoon, she runs to Don and he observes that it is bothering her too so he tells her to handle it, saying "You want some respect” and telling her to "Go out there and get it for yourself." When Peggy takes Joey aside, he makes the mistake of turning the problem onto her, and she fires him. Later, when Peggy tells Joan that she fired Joey, she finds Joan is upset about it. Joan was handling it in her own way and thinks that Peggy only fired Joey because Joey crossed Peggy, adding that "All you've done is prove to them that I'm a meaningless secretary and you're another humorless bitch" and "No matter how powerful we get around here, they can just draw a cartoon." Peggy is one of those people who seems to need constant validation and approval from others, and maybe her firing of Joey was her way of trying to get validation from Joan, a person who always seems hard on Peggy. Joan may be right that Peggy’s action set back Joan trying to establish her own power base, but I think Peggy’s way of handling Joey showed that her new way of handling things – directly and to the point – may be where the real power lies. Personally, it was obvious that Joey’s days were numbered. His cocky behavior has been growing by the week, and even his belief that Harry Crane (Rich Sommer) is an “old fairy” coming on to him shows that Joey thinks a lot more of himself. OK, it WAS a little weird how Harry was gushing over trying to get a TV role for Joey, almost acting as his agent, but I chalked that up to Harry just wanting to give the appearance that he has some power with the Hollywood crowd.

We also find that Joan’s husband Greg (Sam Page) is heading off to basic training. Joan is worried for him but gets more upset when he tells her she will be able to talk to her friends at the office. Joan apparently doesn’t think she has any friends there.

Betty (January Jones) and Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) are having a little trouble of their own. At a dinner with a man who represents Congressman John Lindsay, who’s considering running for President and who wants Henry to run the campaign, Betty sees Don and Bethany at the same restaurant, and it’s all downhill from there. She has too much to drink and is clearly preoccupied with Don, and on the way home in the car, she and Henry have an argument. The next morning she seems to try to make it right. Henry, on the other hand, decides to run his car into the boxes of Don’s stuff that are stored in the garage, and later calls Don to come get them, using an excuse that he is buying a boat and needs the garage space. When Don comes to get them, the boxes are neatly stacked on the sidewalk, with Henry cutting the lawn with a manual rotary mower. Don takes his things directly to a dumpster and puts them in the trash.. Don has clearly moved on and apparently doesn’t want anything from that life.

Betty seems to make the attempt to at least appear that she has moved on, when Don shows up at Gene’s 2nd birthday party and she brings Gene to Don and refers to Don as Gene’s father. She had earlier told her friend Francine (Anne Dudek) that Don is "living the life," and that "He doesn't get to have this family and that." But Francine counters that "Don has nothing to lose, and you have everything.” Henry may think that her gesture of handing Gene to Don means that Betty is finally getting over him, but the look on her face gives the appearance that she really has not.

It was a bit of a relief to see that maybe Don hit bottom in last week’s episode, “The Suitcase” where Anna’s death, and Peggy’s pointed comments about Don’s behavior may have at least had him seriously reflect on where his life was headed. But, while his cutting back on his drinking is a positive step, until he stops altogether, he will always be at risk for jumping right back in to constant drinking if he hits another rough patch in his life. At least, while Don may not think he is completely clear headed, his life – and even his apartment interior - looks brighter.

Betty is still a simmering mess, though, and Henry’s tolerance for her may be wearing thin. If he does run the Lindsay campaign, he can’t afford to have a wife that is a liability. Betty may be trying to show a tougher exterior, but in reality I believe she is far more fragile than she lets on. Don should be the least of Henry’s worries; unless he gets Betty under control, she could wreck more that their marriage.




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Mad Men “Waldorf Stories” Recap & Review

All Photos from AMC

First and foremost, congratulations to Mad Men for winning the Emmy last night for the best drama. It is well deserved.

In “Waldorf Stories”, Don continues to drink too much and as a result, he seems to be forgetting lots of things and his judgment is getting more clouded. He forgets how much he hated a tag line used by a job applicant and steals it, using it as his own. He flirts with a colleague, who has to tell him he’s confusing a lot of things all at once. He takes one woman to bed and wakes up with another, having no recollection of how he got to that point. And he misses an appointment to pick up his kids from Betty, and instead drinks and sleeps the day away. One can only wonder how long Don can keep up the drinking without his whole career falling apart.

Peggy, meanwhile, is clearly feeling ignored and under-appreciated, and, in typical Peggy fashion, finds away to take control of the situation with a condescending co-worker.

Roger, who is working on his memoirs, recalls when he hired Don. The big question in my mind is did Roger really hire Don, or was Don savvy enough to realize that if he got a few drinks into Roger, Roger wouldn’t remember if he hired Don or not? It may be sooner rather than later that Don will be in the same spot, not recalling what he did because he’s had a few too many belts of booze.

Here’s the recap:

As the episode opens, Don (Jon Hamm) and Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) are interviewing Danny Siegel (Danny Strong), who wants to start a career as a copyrighter. The problem is, he has nothing original in his portfolio, only several proposed ads all based on the tag line "the cure for the common cold" plus ads created by other people which he liked. He’s also Roger Sterling’s (John Slattery) wife's cousin. Roger – who is also working on his memoirs - tells Don that his wife will make him pay if Don doesn’t hire Danny.

Peggy also gripes about having to work with the new art director, Stan Rizzo (Jay R. Ferguson), who we later see is a real jerk and condescends to Peggy. Peggy is also fuming that she hasn’t been asked to attend the Clio Awards, where Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is up for an award for the Glo-Coat Commercial that Don created – with Peggy’s help.


Roger also reflects on the time where he first met Don, who was working in retail, and who sold Don a mink coat that Roger gave to Joan (Christina Hendricks). Don also included a suggested ad for Play-Doh in with the mink, likely to catch Roger’s eye and give Don a chance at a real job – and Roger thinks this is out of line.


The “Life” cereal people are late for a meeting, so Don, Roger, Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) and Joan head off to the Clio awards at the Waldorf Astoria. Pete and Joan run into Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton) and Ken's colleague, the colleague implies that there is a merger in progress for SCDP. The SCDP gang also sees former colleague Duck (Mark Moses ) making a drunken scene. The team is thrilled when the Glo-Coat commercial wins the Clio for their category, and when they hear the “Life” people are back at the office, they head back to make the presentation, still glowing from winning the award and also from having a few drinks under their belt. When the “Life” people don’t like the first slogan pitched, Don improvises and ends up stealing Danny’s “cure for the common (fill in the blank)” theme, much to Peggy’s shock and dismay. When Peggy tried to bring it to Roger’s attention, he ignores her.

Peggy is also faced with being forced to work with Rizzo, locked in a hotel room, on the Vicks campaign. Rizzo is being his typical slacker self until Peggy calls his bluff about his fixation on nudity and she strips bare, forcing him to do the same. He’s showing his arousal and Peggy uses that to her advantage to get him to concentrate on the campaign and they finally come up with something.

Pete, meanwhile, is upset to find that Ken’s colleague wasn’t talking about a merger, he was refereeing to Ken getting a job with SCDP. Pete is apoplectic with Lane, but later settles down and when Ken is called in for a lunch meeting with Lane, Pete talks to Ken separately and makes it clear that Pete is in charge.

Don has had a night of partying, which causes him to flirt with Faye Miller (Cara Buono) who rebuffs him, saying "I think you're confusing a lot of things at once." He later ends up with one brunette in his apartment, and wakes up with a blonde waitress. He’s also late for picking up the kids, and Betty calls him to berate him. After he gets the waitress Doris out of his apartment, he has another drink and then slips back to sleep, wasting away the whole day.

The next day, Peggy tells Don that he stole Danny’s idea, and Don solves the problem by hiring the very diminutive Danny.

Roger also flashed back again to when he hired Don, seemingly after Don ambushed him at the office and asked him to have a drink before lunch. When Don arrives at the office the next day, he tells Roger that Roger hired him, and clearly Roger doesn’t remember. Who knows, maybe Roger was too drink to remember that he hired him – or too drunk to remember that he didn’t. Either way, Don got his foot in the door and it started his stellar career - a career that seems to be teetering on the edge of a liquor bottle.








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