Mad Men - Episode 6.13 - "In Care Of"

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss)                                                                                            Jamie Trueblood/AMC

     I don't know why I ever doubted this show.  Maybe it's because most of this season has felt either meandering or repetitive.  Maybe it's because I went into this finale assuming it wouldn't resolve anything and leave me unsatisfied, like season 4's "Tomorrowland" and season 5's "The Phantom".  I was pleasantly surprised that "In Care Of" hearkened back to the classic Mad Men finales of the first three seasons that genuinely felt like the climax and resolution of their respective seasons.  Suffice it to say, "In Care Of" really feels like a finale.  Pete finally finds some version of happiness, even if it wasn't what he expected or intended, Don strives to make a change for the better and Peggy finally ends up in the position we were all hoping for since the series began.  In many ways, this could've been a proper series finale, since almost every character gets a resolution, but fortunately we have one more season to watch these characters as they finally transition into the 1970s.  Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, though...

Mad Men - Episode 6.12 - "The Quality of Mercy"

Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and Ted (Kevin Rahm)                                                              Jessica Brooks/AMC

     Mad Men seems to be fully embracing its inner soap opera this season and more often than not, it hasn't worked well for the show.  Soaps are infamous for their glacial pacing, coincidental encounters and over-the-top melodrama, and all three of those elements have been present in Mad Men's sixth season.  Characters like Don and Roger haven't changed at all, there was an all-too-convenient merger that placed Peggy back with her co-workers after barely a season apart and the overbearing, unsubtle death motif has weighed down on the show.  Sometimes, though, soap operas can feature some of the most compelling character moments in narrative storytelling, and that's how "The Quality of Mercy" felt.  The amount of tension in this episode through both dialogue and lack thereof made this one of the most compelling of the season.  What I liked is that the characters featured in this episode either went too far, said too much or tried to put a stop to either of those things.  Peggy and Ted's work flirtation finally reaches unbearable status to everyone around them, Don takes advantage of a dead man to help salvage an account and the continued mystery of Bob Benson causes Pete to invest himself too deep.

Mad Men - Episode 6.11 - "Favors"

Julie (Cameron Protzman) and Sally (Kiernan Shipka)                                            Jamie Trueblood/AMC

     Just when I thought I was out, they kinda, sorta pulled me back in.  That's how I felt by the end of Mad Men's 11th episode of the season, "Favors".  It's hard to imagine that this season is almost over when it feels like nothing has really happened, aside from Don's continued downward spiral and the merger of SCDP and CGC.  What I liked about this episode in particular, however, is that it felt like new things were happening in ways that will eventually lead to a satisfying finale.  Don has finally been caught cheating on Megan, and unfortunately the person who caught him was Sally, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  There is even more conflict at the office with Ted, Jim Cutler, Don and Roger with the men fighting for different accounts.  We even get to learn a little bit about Ted's life at home.  But perhaps most importantly of all, there is more character development on Bob Benson!  The development involves Pete in a way that some had already guessed based on earlier episodes' clues, but it was still interesting to see.  "Favors" represents people doing things for people under the guise of "just doing a favor" while really attempting to feed their own selfish desires.

Mad Men - Episode 6.10 - "A Tale of Two Cities"

Joan (Christina Hendricks) awaits her fate                             Michael Yarish/AMC

     Through the duration of "A Tale of Two Cities", characters concern themselves with business, and the pleasure or pain that goes along with it.  It is an episode that features characters like Joan trying to jockey for more power within the company while characters like Roger continue to abuse their power through "business" trips.  Unfortunately, this is one of the only compelling parts of "A Tale of Two Cities", an episode that shows how Mad Men has begun to lean on the "look how crazy/different people were in the '60s!" crutch and expecting it to be enough of a story.  The episode begins with Don watching the Democratic National Convention on television, one of many scenes in "A Tale of Two Cities" (in addition to the entire sixth season) that involves a character watching TV with a blank expression on their face.  Don's blank expression matched exactly how I felt watching this particular episode of Mad Men.  There's only so much that can be gained from watching a show involving characters watching TV.  Additionally, the episode features an uncharacteristically stereotypical view of what the '60s were (hippies smoking pot! sexism! accusations of fascism!) that it almost feels like a modern-day high schooler's take on what they thought the '60s were, based solely on Jimi Hendrix records and a casual glance at a history book.

Mad Men - Episode 6.09 - "The Better Half"

Betty (January Jones)                   Michael Yarish/AMC

     Not gonna lie, this one felt like the good ole days.  Thus far into Mad Men's sixth season, many of the episodes have felt completely random and purposeless, namely last week's "The Crash" in addition to early episodes "Collaborators" and "To Have and to Hold".  Now I think we're finally back to the Mad Men we all know and love, one that simply features our favorite characters bouncing dialogue off each other while also surprising us at the same time.  "The Better Half" is an exercise in demonstrating what happens when we cling to the past for comfort and security above all else.  After all, these are rapidly changing times, especially for a group of characters that aren't used to seeing such upheaval.  In this episode, we see characters like Don, Betty, Pete and Peggy trying to find comfort in other people, to the extent that they start to take advantage of the people or things they once loved.  They largely do it to give themselves assurance that they're okay.  That version of safety may be through the reigniting of an old flame, a former co-worker promising better opportunity elsewhere or a simple friendship.  

Mad Men - Episode 6.08 - "The Crash"

Cutler (Harry Hamlin) and Stan (Jay R. Ferguson) race through the office           Jordin Althaus/AMC

     Every season of Mad Men, there is an episode that diverges from the show's usual traditional, slow-burn storytelling.  These episodes are usually experimental in ways that feel innovative, such as "The Suitcase" from season four, which only features Don and Peggy as they stay up all night to finish an ad copy, or they can feel slightly self-indulgent, such as season two's "The Jet Set", otherwise known as the disjointed "Don visits California" episode.  As soon as the first scene of "The Crash" was over, featuring Ken Cosgrove getting into a car accident, I knew this was going to be one of THOSE episodes. This unfortunately fell into the "self-indulgent" category of experimental episodes with director Michael Uppendahl and writers Matt Weiner and Jason Grote ultimately choosing style over substance. 

Mad Men - Episode 6.07 - "Man With a Plan"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     Ah, the big merger episode.  The aftermath of last episode's impromptu merge between SCDP and CGC has resulted in an episode that almost feels like the start of yet another new show.  At the same time, though, characters repeat their histories in such a way that shows how very few of them ever change.  Don desperately clings to his sexual prowess to cover up the emptiness inside him.  Joan bolsters some regained confidence upon greeting the CGC employees and giving them a tour, but she also tries to hide her weaknesses away where no one can see them.  These characters have relied on putting certain traits on display in order to get what they want, and they're aware of those traits.  What they don't realize, however, is that they're repeating history over and over and expecting to be happy from this process.  Much of this episode feels like familiar ground for the show, with many characters continuing to live their lives as they always have by walking and talking the same way, but it feels different now.  Don is a lot less clever, Joan is less put-together and Pete feels even more pathetic.  It's a testament to the show's willingness to risk alienating viewers that it's showing the gradual, subtle destruction of these highly flawed individuals.

Mad Men - Episode 6.06 - "For Immediate Release"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     Holy cow.  For those complaining about a lack of plot developments thus far in the season, this episode more than makes up for this season's slower-than-usual pace.  Matthew Weiner wrote this one alone, and it almost feels like a response to fan complaints, despite the episode being written before the airing of the season's first episode.  Characters yell at each other, they cheat, they come together, and in some cases they fall, both literally and figuratively.  There is also more of a focus on the agency itself than individual character moments but I don't think Weiner is quite as good at the workplace drama version of the show compared to the character study version seen so often in the show's best episodes.   That's not to say that this episode isn't expertly done.  In fact, this is one of the best "work" episodes in a very long time, especially in how it tackles the themes of acting on impulse and the ramifications of those actions.

Mad Men - Episode 6.05 - "The Flood"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     Halfway through this episode, Michael Ginsberg's father tells his son the story of Noah's Ark in relation to weathering the overwhelming flood life can be sometimes.  It seems that he might have the most realistic, honest approaches to one of the most memorable events of the '60s: the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The moments in which our characters learn of this are completely unexpected, both for them and for viewers.  The reactions afterwards of the white characters is a fascinating mix of white guilt and forced sympathy towards their black co-workers, rendering the situation even more uncomfortable.  One of the more interesting aspects of this episode is how different if felt from the JFK assassination episode "The Grown-Ups" in Season 3.  That episode featured many of the main characters glued to the television set, feeling that their lives were forever changed.  With "The Flood", the copywriters of SCDP, Peggy, Betty, Henry and even the kids are in their own worlds; they reside outside (or above) the riots going on in the streets, so it's hard for them to feel truly affected by the civil rights leader's assassination.

Mad Men - Episode 6.04 - "To Have and to Hold"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     For those who don't completely loathe the behavior of Don Draper yet, this episode presents more evidence as to why you should.  The hypocrisy he shows in this episode is both astonishing and delusional.  Don wishes to hold on to his philandering as long as he can, as if it has become part of his identity.  And yet, as we see from this episode, the prospect of Megan doing anything approaching sex with another guy is seen as the worst thing in the world.  What I love about this episode is how it unapologetically shows Don for the artificial construct he is.  He is his own creation and he may have the classic look of successful, confident man but the absence of truth inside him has rendered him unable to do the things of which he used to be successful.

Mad Men - Episode 6.03 - "Collaborators"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     Upon glancing at the fan comments on Mad Men's Facebook page last week, it became clear that many hated the premiere.  They used words like "BORING." and "Way too dull for a premiere," while failing to articulate what it was they were unsatisfied about.  Much of the two-hour premiere's conflict was internalized for each of the main characters, so I can understand why those who only gravitate to the show for the adultery, sexism and excessive drinking would be disappointed.  Personally, I loved the premiere, with its obsession with death and aging weighing on the minds of the characters who once thought they had it all.  "Collaborators" does not carry those themes over from the premiere in any overt manner but it does show characters like Don, Pete and Peggy desperately clinging to whatever it is that makes them happy.

Mad Men - Episode 6.01/02 - "The Doorway"

Michael Yarish/AMC

     "You know, we sold actual death for 25 years with Lucky Strike. You know how we did it? By ignoring it."

     This particular line encapsulates the themes covered not only in the season six premiere of Mad Men but also in the series as a whole.  As the period drama returns to its penultimate season we have reached the year 1968, a time when the previously benign attempts at social revolution had reached a fever pitch.  The characters we've followed since 1960 have grown older, seeing the world they once owned slip from their fingertips before they even knew it.  Season Five was largely about what it means to grow older and facing the latter half of your life, especially for the male characters, and this theme has continued into "The Doorway", a two-hour masterstroke that sees Don, Betty and Roger facing an era that may not be suited for them.