Mad Men season two

Sigh — it's here. The end of Mad Men (for this season, anyway — it's coming back). I can't believe it! Sundays will feel a little different heading into the Winter without the drama of the gang at Sterling Cooper.

The final episode is titled "Meditations in an Emergency," and the only small hint AMC is giving us is: "Sterling Cooper is in play and the office scrambles without Don. Betty learns some disconcerting news." So that tells me that things are really going to get nuts in the office as this merger goes through, and apparently Don won't be back (right away? at all?) to save the day. I'm starting to wonder how legit this whole thing is given that Don wasn't able to place an official vote at the partner meeting last week.

Also! What about Don and Betty? I feel like we need one more mega-confrontation between the two before we break. And is Joan going to marry this guy? Dump him? I wonder why they would make her hit bottom last week if they weren't setting us up for something in the finale. And finally, Peggy's going to learn something, but who knows what it will be. Maybe Don's true identity? Maybe something about her baby? Perhaps Father Gill admits a crush (that's my secret Thornbirds-esque hope)?

Regardless of how it all turns out, 'tis a bittersweet combo of excitement and sadness that it's over for now. To check out a scene from tonight's episode, in which the gang speculates about Don's whereabouts all this time, read more

Any Mad Men episode with a lot of Roger Sterling in it is going to be among my favorites and that's a big reason why this first new episode after the show's big Emmy wins did not disappoint. There's a moment at a gambling club when a young woman approaches Roger and Don and asks if they're winners. His response is classic Roger: "Uh, losers tonight but winners in general." Another reason why this episode was good? That would be Betty's bone-chilling spiral into crazy-town, made even creepier with the suicide of Marilyn Monroe lurking in the background. The symbolism of Monroe's untimely death is rich with meaning and I can't wait to chat more about that after the jump.

It isn't just the ladies who have had it up to here with their lot in life. Apparently, despite the fact that they've long been having their cake and eating it too, the men are also feeling trapped. Roger and Don, in a scene that makes them out to be even bigger jerks than I thought possible, talk each other into a midlife crisis together. All of this combined with the sad and pathetic ending of one man's career at Sterling Cooper made for a very dark episode indeed. Ready to chat about it? Just read more

Last night's episode of Mad Men shall henceforth be known as "that time Betty totally melted down," despite its official title. I've been hoping for a while now that she would finally let some of the air out of the repressed tension by confronting Don about his lies and this week I was granted this wish. More on that after the jump.

Meanwhile, Joan gets a taste of making a contribution to the business beyond her secretarial duties — and she likes it! We also see more of her fiance, who certainly has some strong beliefs about male-female roles. Finally, Peggy and her priest friend continue to bond as he works to gain her trust and talk about the deep secrets he knows she harbors (thanks to her lovely sister).

Yes, this week it's all about the ladies and some of the men who do crappy things to them. Ready to chat about it all? Just read more

Last night's Mad Men ended on a totally shocking and gross note that rendered me unable to finish a piece of pizza. Just last week I was wondering when any of these men were going to get called out on their cheating ways (especially Don), and finally it kind-of, sort-of happened! I've also been wondering when we'd get back to some of the peripheral characters, like Ken Cosgrove (remember, he's a published writer of fiction?) and art director Salvatore Romano (remember, he's tormented by his sexual orientation?), and was happy to see the show pick up with those folks where we left off.

And then there was the Joan/new girl smackdown (totally awesome) and more flashbacks to Don's strange and mysterious past, including a little about how he got his start. He's come a long way, that Draper, but that only means he has farther to fall. To get chatting about the episode, read more

Last night's episode of Mad Men was a lot of things: illuminating, kinky, awkward, frustrating, and heartbreaking. I guess same old, same old for this show — but something about last night was a bit more intense, a touch more raw than the previous episodes this season. Maybe we're just at a place in the story arc of all the characters where, as Bobbie put it, "the gloves come off."

A lot of the characters in the Mad Men universe had moments of self-reflection: Don at the end of the episode, after another intense encounter with Bobbie, gazing at himself in the mirror; Pete taking a good look at himself in his own mirror after a night with a model. Meanwhile, Peggy's professional journey still captivates me, as she continues to face challenges as an up-and-coming woman at the office.

The part of Peggy's story that gives me chills is watching how ambitious she is becoming while knowing that, to some extent, she's not quite right in the head — or, at the very least, has experienced some emotional trauma we haven't seen her cope with yet. And this episode also had me laughing at the funny, old-fashioned terms people used for bras (like "brassiere")! So much to talk about, so let's start chatting — just read more

Whoa — big episode of Mad Men this week with all of my favorite characters getting a good amount of screen time. One of my favorite characters from last season makes a return and we learn a whole lot about what happened to Peggy a while ago, including how she managed to keep her job after going through her secret ordeal.

I don't know about you, but there were some heart-stopping, high drama moments for me in this week's episode. Pressure continues to build within the Draper marriage as Don's lies keep piling up, Pete is a tool to his wife as usual, and there's some exciting news for Joan!

To read the rest of my thoughts and chat about the episode, read more

After last week's episode of Mad Men, there has been lots of discussion about that scene in the restaurant between Don and Bobbie (you know, That Scene) and what it means for Don's character. My feeling was that this was the beginning of Don becoming dangerously unhinged, and after this week's episode I'm even more convinced. I would not be shocked if he became increasingly violent as this season progresses.

But Don's not the only one whose world is unraveling; it seems that many people in the Sterling Cooper universe are reaching their own breaking points. With the slow and deliberate pace of Mad Men, I find myself becoming more and more on edge with each episode, as though watching a storm slowly gather, and waiting for lightning to strike.

To talk about the chilling, funny and interesting new developments from this week's episode, read more

Last week I mused that the soul of Pete Campbell was being set up as a battleground for the competing forces at Sterling Cooper, but I may have been a little premature, as Pete was nowhere to be seen in the latest episode of Mad Men. Boo. Even though Pete can be slimy and repulsive, that's a heck of a lot more interesting to watch than, say, Harry angling for a raise. Joan was also pretty much MIA last night, which only added to a sense of wanting this episode to be over so that we can get back to the good characters next week.

That said, last night was not without its fair share of slime, although the target of my revulsion came as a bit of surprise to me. Plus, we got a lot more Betty, which means we're inching closer to to knowing what happened between her and Don during the break between seasons — and also means we're probably closer to her ilicit affair with the horse guy (at least that's what I'm hoping for predicting). To see the rest of my thoughts on last night's episode, read more

On Sunday's Mad Men, a tragedy struck the office and set off a chain of events that further divided Sterling Cooper into two competing sides: the good (Don) and the bad (Duck). Or at least that's how I like to think of it, even though nothing is as simple as good vs. evil in the world of these ad men. For now, though, the show seemed to kick off what I bet becomes a struggle for the soul of Pete Campbell (of all people), and we're probably in for some interesting office politics over the next several weeks.

The thing that continues to nag at me, though, is: What's wrong with Don? He's seriously lost his mojo and is constantly looking bewildered and sad. Last week the show hammered on the fact that he's growing old and might be losing touch with those hip kids so important to advertising. This week was all about watching him lose power and influence at the office and at home, and it clearly doesn't suit him. It's quite the departure from the cocky and ambitious philandering dreamboat we met in season one.

This week's episode also belonged to Paul, Joan, and Peggy, as we got some deeper revelations about what their lives are like outside of the office and what makes these people tick. To read my thoughts and chat with me about yours, read more

It's no secret that I'm quite addicted to AMC's Mad Men — I declared July "Mad Month," after all! It's fresh and smart, with great writing and fantastic characters (and the fashion is awesome, and Don Draper is one of the dreamiest men to hit the television in a long while . . . ), and because there isn't a lot going on this Summer in TV-land, the show's return on Sunday felt a little like Christmas in July.

So, since Mad Men keeps me riveted to my screen (both because of the entertainment value and multi-layered social commentary embedded in each episode), I'm going to be recapping each episode of season two. Together we can sort through the drama and thought-provoking topics the storylines touch each week.

I know a lot of people are still playing catch-up with season one, so I won't even hint at where we last saw these ad men and the women who loathe love them until after the jump. But if you're ready to chat about last night or just see my thoughts, read more