If you're already mourning the finales of your favorite Spring shows, not to worry — there's an exciting Summer TV lineup that's sure to fill the void. With the much-anticipated return of Arrested Development, the final season of Breaking Bad, new episodes of True Blood and The Newsroom, plus plenty of brand-new series, you'll have more than enough reasons to keep tuning in. Take a look at the must-see shows coming up this Summer!
The physical merging of the merger happens on this week's Mad Men, and people aren't just butting heads because there's not enough room at the SCDP office. While some people are having a tough time transitioning into the new situation, some employees have it worse and get the boot. Meanwhile, Don pushes his extramarital relationship too far, Pete's mother pops up, and Joan and Bob Benson both help each other.
The show ends with one of the most shocking moments of the late '60s: Bobby Kennedy's shooting. Since it happens in the closing moments, it doesn't permeate the episode like Martin Luther King Jr.'s death did a few episodes ago, but it's a bold punctuation to the end of the episode. But before we talk about the end, let's get to the five maddest moments of this week after the jump.
There's some sad breakup news today, as we heard that Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder have reportedly split. Of course, it'll make it a little bit more interesting to see what happens with their characters on The Vampire Diaries, and their three-year relationship also has us thinking about other TV couples who've been couples on TV. From pairs we'll never forget (Seth and Summer!) to those you may not have even known were together (yes, Felicity and Ben were really an item), check out these TV couples who were together both on and off the small screen.
—Additional reporting by Laura Meyers
Well, color me surprised! This week's episode of Mad Men ends on a rather exciting note — Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is merging with Peggy's firm! There are a lot of ups and downs for SCDP's business this week — first, they're set to go public and make everyone rich, then it feels like they're losing accounts like it's going out of style. But after a stroke of inspiration, Don and Ted Chaough realize they may be better off as partners than competitors.
Before Peggy taps out that press release, though, there are more than a few mad moments, including a couple of steamy scenes and arguments. Get the five maddest moments of the week when you read more.
We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango. Live on the wild side for a night with these Don Draper-esque date ideas.
OK, so we all know the web loves Mad Men actor Jon Hamm's penis a little too much. It's farcically large, and I, for one, am sick of hearing about it. But apparently people are still watching the actual show, too! Season six opened to 3.4 million viewers last month, and many fans have strong opinions about the long-running series, a few of them disappointed with aspects of the new season. During a Mad Men panel event at the Paley Center For Media in Manhattan on Tuesday night, show creator Matthew Weiner even told fans to just "sit back and enjoy where we're going."
Some of the gripes Weiner said fans have are "there's not enough agency advertising. There's too much advertising. There's not enough Betty. There's too much Betty. Who is Megan? Why isn't there more Megan?" Basically, people need to simmer down and just watch the show.
You can't please everyone, but one thing we can agree on is that we're collectively fascinated with the vices of that era: drinking in the office, smoking like a chimney, and illicit affairs. And the clothes are just so tailored and stylish — I personally liked the early '60s styles more, but we can all agree that Joan Holloway is still rocking it.
It's fun to live vicariously through these characters, so people do things like dress up and go to Mad Men-viewing parties — I've been invited to more than one. And maybe even go on Mad Men-inspired dates. So if you're a fan of the show, here are a few Don Draper-esque date night ideas. Go have a ball.
Dress Up With Nowhere to Go
Have you noticed how often we see the characters lounging about at home, smoking endless cigarettes and drinking endless martinis? When was the last time you dressed up just to sit around the house? Leave sweatpants territory behind and put on a bright 1960s-inspired dress, then invite your guy over for cocktails. Tell him no t-shirts or sneakers allowed!
Venture to a Dimly Lit Hotel Bar
Don Draper just adores hanging out in out-of-the-way cocktail dens. Why not take your guy on a sexy adventure to one, whether it's a trendy hotel bar or an underground speakeasy? He'll have a scotch on the rocks, and you'll have the finest artisanal cocktail their mixologist makes.
For three more ideas, head to YourTango: Five Mad Men-Inspired Date Night Ideas.
Check out these other great stories from YourTango:
This week's episode of Mad Men is marked by the death of an icon, as we see how each of the characters respond to the death of Martin Luther King Jr. Everyone's a little more emotionally volatile than usual (especially Pete), and even little Bobby Draper is deeply affected by the event and its aftermath.
The unraveling of Don continues as usual, and this week, he makes a pretty big confession to Megan about parenthood and his own father. Let's break down the biggest moments of the episode when you read more
Tonight we'll watch a new episode of Mad Men, and we're sure to learn even more about life in the '60s as we continue to relive the decade through the show. There have been many ups and downs for the women of Mad Men, which mirrors what the real-life ladies of the '60s went through, dealing with sexism and the growing pains of the women's lib movement. If you're curious about the references and themes of Mad Men, then check out the real-life historical moments behind the show that has brought this swingin' slice of our country's yesteryear to the limelight.
Wedding season is just getting started, and what better place to find inspiration than from some of the most memorable nuptials in pop culture? Whether the marriages lasted for minutes, months, or never even happened, we've compiled some of the best weddings from TV and movies. Take a trip down memory lane with all of these ceremonies, complete with gorgeous gowns, scenic locations, and sweet kisses!
— Additional reporting by Laura Marie Meyers
This week's episode of Mad Men almost turned into an episode of Wife Swap. While out to dinner with Megan's soap opera costar and her head-writer husband, who have been married for 18 years, the Drapers are propositioned to trade spouses. As they're wrapping up dinner, the husband, who seems to be making eyes at Don, says, "Why don't you let me get the check. We go back to our pad, smoke some grass, and see what happens."
Don's not so into it. If he's going to sleep with a friend's wife — which he does — he wants to do it in secret. And as we see later during Megan's soap opera love scene, Don doesn't like the idea of his wife kissing another man, even for professional reasons. While it's not Don's bag, by 1968, partner sharing had swung into popular consciousness. Already in the 1950s, "wife swapping," as it was called, had caught the media's attention. Legend has it that "key parties" began on military bases and moved into suburbia after the Korean War. Without all the subtle wining and dining Don and Megan experience, there was no mistaking the point of such events. At key parties, husbands would toss their house keys into a bowl. Then the wives would draw a set from the bowl at random and hook up with the owner.
By 1969, swinging came to Hollywood with the critically acclaimed film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice. In the clip below, you can see the two bourgeois couples attempting to get in on the free love of the late '60s. With the intention of trying out the swinger lifestyle, they smoke some grass and see what happens. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice received four Oscar nominations, and the film went on to become a sitcom in the '70s.
On this week's Mad Men, Don and Megan's marital problems are rivaled only by that of the firm, which experiences strife among the employees and loses one of its accounts while failing to win a very important one. Things also get cutthroat in the advertising world, and we see some unfriendly competition between Peggy's new firm and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce when Peggy acts on the tip Stan unwittingly gives her in last week's episode.
Meanwhile, Joan is struggling to maintain the respect of her colleagues at SCDP, even though it's clear that some people know the unsavory way she got her partnership. Ready to talk about these points and the rest of this week's maddest moments? Just keep reading.
