Book shopping for the month of May, or how I’m trying to get through the 1000 books “The Guardian” thinks I should read…

The Guardian compiled 1000 books that its panel of experts believe everyone must read. I tend toward funny books, but was shocked at how many books I’ve never read, so I decided to brush up on my “great literature” readership. I also picked up some books not listed by the Guardian.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - I have to admit, it’s been years since I read Heller’s book (it was for an English class in junior high). I’m reading it again, as I don’t remember much of it. To be honest, it’s well-written and I get some of the satire, but I’m not finding this a laugh out-loud read like a lot of folks have. The anti-war sentiment is great, and I do like Heller’s take on the absurdity of war as well as the ridiculousness of a war machine, but the episodic nature of the book makes it drag just a bit – though the dialogue is pretty funny.

A Fairly Honorable Defeat by Iris Murdoch – I don’t think of Murdoch as a comedic writer, but she’s listed under “comedy” books, so I picked up a couple. A good friend of mine loves this book and swears by it, so I picked up, along with Murdoch’s debut novel Under the Net.

An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton – this book wasn’t on the list – I heard of it from Inside the Actor’s Studio. Yes, the author is that James Lipton. This was an older episode – about 10 years ago, when he was interviewing Sharon Stone, who talked about the book. It’s a weird book that talks about idioms and turns of phrase.

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennet – another book from the list. I’m a fan of Bennett’s – his Talking Heads series was very interesting – funny, tragic. This is a strange little book about the Queen of England who discovers the joys of reading when stumbling upon a library mobile. I read the reviews and they were pretty much universally positive.

Under the Net by Iris Murdoch –  I was able to finish this book before writing this post. It’s a pretty short book, and very easy to read. It’s the story of this guy who gets himself into scrapes, and manages to pull himself out, but always lands in some other kind of mess. It’s touted as a “hilarious” romp, but to be quite honest, I didn’t think it was all that funny. It’s a very well-written book – Murdoch’s got a great ear for dialogue, but the situations that the main character keeps getting into feels a bit goofy and absurd – a bit like the Keystone Cops.

The Complete Talking Heads by Alan Bennett - This is a collection of monologues. I watched Patricia Routledge doing “A Woman of No Importance.” It’s a fantastic book with some excellent pieces. The monologues all have barbed, sarcastic humor, though they are all pretty sad – some even tragic. There are some photographs of the actors who performed these monologues including Routledge, Maggie Smith, Stephanie Cole and Julie Walters.

Lucky Jim by Kinglsey Amis - I tried loving this, and there were some bright moments – it’s a satire set in a British university – like Oxford or Cambridge. The main character is a middle-of-the-road instructor who finds himself in predicaments as he relates to the allegorical supporting characters in the book. The humor is good, but it’s a bit stuffy and old fashioned for my taste.

Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5 by Stella Rimington - Judi Dench’s M from the Bond series is reportedly based on Rimington, the first woman to hold this position. I haven’t read it yet, but am interested because of the Bond connection.

 

Anderson Cooper shrugs off his “respectable journalist” guise in favor of a more tawdry persona

Anderson Cooper’s talk show Anderson has given him an entry to a new club: the trashy talk show host. He gets to join other illustrious members like Montel, Jenny Jones, Riki Lake, Maury, and the grand daddy of trash talk, Jerry Springer.

When I heard that Cooper was hosting his own chat show, I envisioned it being akin to The View – fun, fluff topics, juxtaposed by some more serious far – after all, Cooper is  known for some of his “real news guy” stuff like his coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

But judging from an appearance by Sarah Burge, a self-annointed ”Human Barbie” who completely transformed her looks through plastic surgery. She’s become infamous for giving her daughter 8-year old daughter Botox and a voucher for plastic surgery, as well as, letting her take pole-dancing classes. Obviously this woman is not well, and we can only pray for Burge’s daughter that she grows up into a well-adjusted woman who will someday become a productive member of society (good luck).

But what’s gross was Cooper’s obvious distaste for Burge. During the interview, Burge blithely defended her parenting choices and Cooper found her “dreadful” and discontinued the interview. Later he admitted regret over booking Burge. But he did book her – or at least his producers did.

And why? Because it’s shocking and disturbing (as well as entertaining to some) to see a woman completely done over through multiple surgeries; it’s also entertaining to many to hear about monumentally crappy parents because it makes us feel better about our parenting choices. I can just imagine absentee parents muse, “Well, I never see my daughter anymore, but at least I’m not like her.” Maybe Cooper had a dose of awareness during the interview, but I suspect that Cooper was trying to build up cred.

This story reminded me of a BBC sitcom, The Life and Times of Vivien Vyle. A brutal show starring Absolutely Fabulous star and scribe, Jennifer Saunders. The title character is a trash talk show host who created a persona of the caring, but strict, disciplinarian who berates her guests for making poor choices in their lives. In reality, Vivien loved that there were sick or dysfunctional individuals out there, because they provided constant fodder for her show.

I don’t know if Cooper’s secretly thrilled that Burge was reaching all kinds of levels of offensive crazy when talking about her 8-year old dancing on a pole. But one thing I do know is that he’s definitely stepping off the lofty mantle of “serious journalist.”

On his “real news guy” show Anderson Cooper 360  he includes a segment he calls “Ridiculist.” Sort of like Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person of the Week” only infinitely stupider, Cooper goes over some kind of goofy story – though lately he’s been getting a case of the giggles. When French actor Gerard Depardieu urinated in a plane, Cooper read copy full of bathroom puns, and dissolved into girlish giggles. He repeated this when “reporting” on a story about a goofy and obscure Polish holiday where folks spray water on each other and women swat men with pussy willow branches.

Whenever a news personality moves over to television talk show territory, there’s a risk of losing credibility. Barbara Walters is a prime example, though she didn’t have to cross over to The View to jump the journalistic shark. It happened when she abandoned her penchant of interviewing world leaders, to interrogate movie stars about their love lives in swaths of soft-focus. The View seemed like a natural progression forward for Walters. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Katie Couric launches her chat show.

To be fair, Anderson isn’t all bad. While not “changing TV good” he does have some fluff topics that are okay – you know the sort of thing that sells in daytime: diet tips, housekeeping ideas, celebrity appearances, etc. He could still become the new Oprah and maybe that’s his intent – remember, before she recast herself as the New Age, feel-good goddess, Oprah Winfrey also stooped down to tabloid territory.

Mad Men Recap: The Other Woman

So, the last two episodes of Mad Men were good – because, after all, it is Mad Men, but they were just kinda “eh” in terms of plot development.

Well, Matt Weiner and company really crammed a lot in this episode – it’s making me want to cheat and find out what happens at the end of the season.

Before I go on, I’d like to say – THERE WILL BE SPOILERS

Because Joan’s been pretty MIA during this season, it was a pretty fantastic Joan-centered episode. It’s pretty rough being a single working mom, with a deadbeat hubby off in ‘Nam.

Pete’s been extra weasely and he has to approach Joan with a proposition from an exec of Jaguar: a night of sex. Yes, folks, apparently, Pete’s new role at the office is office-pimp. Our Joanie’s rightly offended.

But Pete being Pete brings the offer to Roger, Don, Lane and Bert. For once the men on Mad Men act like decent guys and are offended by Pete’s idea: but this being Mad Men, they still manage to allow for Pete to put together some sort of proposal to bring in front of Joan; she’s not stupid and demands a 5% stake in the business. That’s right folks, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has a woman partner – and it ain’t Peggy (speaking of Peggy, we’ll get to her in a bit).

Even though Roger and Bert aren’t thrilled with the idea of Joan hooking for accounts, Don’s pissed at the idea – not only is his talent offended, but his genuine affection and regard for Joan have him angry at the idea. He insists that there will be no need for a late night tryst between Joan and the fucker from Jaguar because he’s justthat good.

The scene where Joan and the gross Jaguar exec have sex is disturbing; almost as disturbing as the season a couple seasons ago when Greg rapes her in Don’s office. Joan taking a bullet for the team (as well as ensuring her kid’s future) is a depressing low of the show, and seeing this beautiful, smart woman debased this way is crushing. I hated Pete with a renewed passion after this.

Don, meanwhile, predictably kills it at the meeting with Jaguar. He’s sure the account’s in the bag, so he dashes to Joan’s little apartment after the fact and lets her know that there’s no need for Pete’s plan. Joan, covering up her melancholy (as well as her cocktail dress with a silk robe), merely nods and agrees with him, not letting him know that the deed’s been done.

At the office, everyone waits for Jaguar’s response. The competing agencies are all getting their no’s, so Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s waiting for its yes. The partners are all called into the office. Don’s surprised (and disappointed) that Joan strolls into the office as well. He realizes that Joan did take one for the team. His sadness is palpable – his friendship with Joan is one of his healthiest with a woman. And the answer: drum roll please: yes. Pete’s happy, Roger’s thrilled, Joan’s happy, and Don, well now Don isn’t sure if they won the account because of his awesome idea or because of Joan.

Instead of celebrating with everyone he decides to see Peggy who has requested a meeting with him.

So, now onto Peggy. So far in this season, Peggy seemed to have coasted a bit – she wasn’t the dynamo of the past. Well, it’s interesting that she was able to save an account over the phone – it was like first season Peggy – the idea came out a dangerous spot when the exec from a cologne company was looking to the agency for a shot in its arm. Sales were slowing down and the agency was called on to figure out how women would be convinced to buy the cologne. On a conference call, Peggy pulls a fantastic idea out of thin air. It was awesome to see her backed up against the wall, and being able to save the day.

Don acts like a heel and throws money at Peggy when she balks at the idea of Mike Ginzberg going to Paris instead of she. She marches out of the room and spurns a conciliatory Ken Gosgrove. After a soulful talk with Freddy Rumsfeld, Peggy is wooed by a rival agency. The guy really wants Peggy and asks for her quote. She writes down a figure, but it’s rejected. For a larger sum. And she would be chief copywriter.

Back at the office after Jaguar says yes, the office erupts in joy, but Peggy and Don don’t join the party, instead they go into his office. It’s an ominous meeting and Don’s kind of a dick at first. He thinks Peggy’s going for more money, and to be fair, he’s willing to talk to Peggy. But it’s not money. And that’s what’s so sad about the whole affair: Peggy’s no longer a good fit for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce – she’s too good for the company, but will always be Don’s lap dog.

With tears in her eyes, she gives her notice. Don’s crushed. Thanks to Jon Hamm’s brilliant talent, he’s able to go from conceited, annoyed, terrified, pissed and finallydevastated. Elisabeth Moss is his equal. Peggy thanks Don for everything, but rightly insists that it’s time for her to move on – she’s gotten too big for the agency at this point and Don’s unable to handle it.

Peggy holds out her hand for a decent, “no hard feelings” handshake. Instead, Don takes Peggy’s hand and kisses it. It was heartbreaking.

Peggy walks out – and of course because it’s Peggy, it’s cute. She’s gathering her stuff from her office, and her arms are loaded (she doesn’t grab a banker’s box). She trudges out of the office arms laden, with her big-ass Thermos under arm. Joan spots Peggy leaving.

So, now I’m wondering – I heard rumors that an actor would be cut due to budget requests from AMC. I assumed it would’ve been January Jones – I would’ve been okay with that. I liked Betty at times and despite what loads of people say, Jones can be a fantastic actress when given tough direction. It might be Moss though, who’s about to leave, as Peggy’s departure from the firm may signal little screen time for Miss Olsen.

Oh, and Don’s also dealing with Megan’s thespian aspirations. She’s off to an audition – if she gets the part, it means a tour and being away from home for about 3 months. Of course Don’s not pleased and forbids Megan. Let’s take a pause to laugh. Don’s no longer calling all the shots, and Megan’s waaaay too sharp for his crap and refuses to kowtow to his demands. Unfortunately, the audition turns out to be a casting couch sort of thing.

It’s interesting to see Don’s relationship with women this season – specifically Megan and Peggy – the two most consistent women in his life. Both have “betrayed” him in some way: Megan by not being enamored by the life Don created for the two of them; Peggy by being more than just his protegé. They both leave Don, at least in a professional setting, but he cannot seem to separate his professional life from his personal live – instead, he allows for the two to mix, and his self-loathing causes him to place too much importance on certain people in his work world – namely Peggy.

Lane’s finances and his embezzlement will be interesting to see how it plays out – I’m awaiting the eventual shit storm that’ll rage through the office.

Joan’s a partner now – that’ll be interesting, too. I wonder if she’s going to be given more duties.

I miss Sally Draper and hope next week, she makes an appearance – Kirenan Shipka is a Emmy-worthy actress and needs to be honored, by the way.

I also miss Betty – we need to see more of her.

So, what do you make of Peggy’s departure? Is she destined to come back in season five, or has Elisabeth Moss, like Peggy, moved on to greener pastures? Or will she come back to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce with tail between her legs? Or will Don manage to get her to come back – remember, back at the end of the third season, Don promised Peggy that even if she left him, he’d still speak to her because he would be trying to hire her everyday. Don usually gets what he wants – I wonder if he’ll pull some crap to get his star copywriter back.

I’m not happy that we’re nearing the end, because I’ve really loved this season. The writing’s been awesome.

Your thoughts about “The Other Woman.”

Dharun Ravi gets a slap on the wrist? Or has justice been served?

Last night a Facebook friend posted that Dharun Ravi got sentences to 30 days in jail. Just a recap, Ravi is a Rutgers college student who was rooming with Tyler Clementi. After discovering that Ravi posted a video of an intimate encounter with another man, Clementi took his life. In the days that follow, Ravi tried to tamper with evidence and witnesses. He was found guilty, and faced a possible 10-year sentence. He still faces possible, if improbable deportation.

The response has been pretty profound: some believe that Ravi’s crime was simply a prank that went too far – Clementi was severely depressed and there was no way of Ravi knowing that he would’ve reacted the way he did.

Others point out that if Clementi was straight, the likelihood of his suicide would’ve been nill, as there would be no social repercussion if Clementi’s tryst with a girl was broadcast.

But Clementi was found guilty of bias intimidation and tampering with evidence and witnesses. He showed little-to-no remorse, as the scolding judge pointed out.

And yet, he’s gotten 30 days.

In my former line of work, I dealt with folks in jail. I’ve come across men who have gotten more for shoplifting, overstaying a Visa for a couple months and possessing marijuana. None of these offenses resulted in any deaths.

Initially when I heard that Ravi might get 10 years, I was a bit surprised. I didn’t believe he deserved such a long sentence, and I certainly don’t think he deserves to be deported.

However, 30 days seems awfully lenient – almost laughably so, if this didn’t involve a suicide. Removing the bias intimidation issue, which could be disputed, he did tamper with evidence – that was proven. The prosecution also proved witness tampering, as well.

One wonders what the outcome would’ve been if Clementi was a straight girl.

I believe that aside from the expected sympathy that Clementi’s anguish inspired, there have also been perturbative comments, as well – some from within the LGBT community. Some have expressed that Clementi should’ve been tougher, shouldn’t have succumbed to his despair, allowed Ravi to destroy his life, etc.

To those critics, I say you don’t know Tyler Clementi. No one, not even his closest confidants know what Clementi was going through and there is no one set reaction to being outed. Obviously the most ideal outcome would’ve been Clementi simply shrugging this episode off, but that didn’t happen – and the onus shouldn’t have been on Clementi, but on Ravi to understand just what he was doing.

I understand that the prosecution will appeal with ridiculous sentencing. The judge, in his remarks, shared that he felt this sentencing would be a deterrent for others to behave the way Ravi did; if his comments are taken in good faith, then the judge is sorely lacking in judgment and his creds should be re-examined.

Will Ravi likely “strike” again? Probably not. It’s pretty clear that his intent was a stupid prank, not murder. But then again, Ravi wasn’t up for murder…

It’s interesting that Ravi exhibited such callous, insensitive behavior in relation to Clementi. But then, hearing the testimonies of Ravi’s mom and dad – I’m less surprised – they both looked at the tragedy of the situation as more to do with Ravi’s blunted dreams and hopes, not Clementi’s death.

If there is to be any good that comes out of this terrible story, we shouldn’t just be seeking a heavy penalty for Ravi – that won’t be enough. A real dialogue has to be started among school administrators and our politicians about anti-bullying measures and legislation. Now too many politicians from the right, who may privately abhor bullying, are afraid to stand up for these kinds of laws because it could be construed as support of the LGBT community. It’s this craven fear of lost votes that continues to stain our society. And until we move forward, tragedies like Clementi’s will continue.

Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall – recap – warning: spoilers

Before reading this recap, please be aware there will be spoilers, so if you didn’t watch “The Reichenbach Fall” don’t read ahead…

So last week’s Sherlock had Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) deal tussle with the hound of Baskerville. At the end of the episode, Holmes’ arch nemesis, Moriarty (Andrew Scott) was released from jail. We also learn that Moriarty is Holmes’ biggest fear, as it’s his face that appears to Holmes when the great detective is under hallucinogenic gas.

“The Reichenbach Fall” opens with Watson at his therapist’s office. When asked why he was at the session, he finally manages to say, “My best friend, Sherlock Holmes is dead.”

Once we get this shocker, we’re zipped back a few months and Holmes is feted by various folks that Holmes had helped. He gets a lot of media attention – he even has to wear a hunting hat for the tabloids. Watson is worried about all this fame, because he points out that it’s hard to be a “private” detective when one is famous.

Meanwhile, Moriarty, done up in tourist drag makes his way into the Tower of London and eyes the crown jewels. In a swift move, he manages to breach the security of the Tower, the Bank of London and Pentonville Prison – all with a handy app. As with a lot of TV tropes – we’re treating to the whole “everything is controlled by a couple codes” thing. Moriarty lets himself get caught by the police.

Holmes gets to be the expert witness at Moriarty’s trial. Holmes being Holmes, he pisses everyone off by pulling his weird, Rain Man crap, except in the presence of the judge. He even lectures the prosecutor about how she’s going about the examination all wrong. The judge continuously warns Holmes about his behavior, but to no avail: he ends up being escorted into a jail cell.

Despite not having any witnesses, Moriarty is acquitted. He makes his way to 221 Baker Street, and the two have a tense tete-a-tete; Watson, on the other hand, is summoned by Holmes’ brother, Mycroft via an ATM. Mycroft lets Watson know that assassins have moved into Holmes’ neighborhood, and the great detective will need watching.

Because Holmes is a famed super-detective, he’s called on to solve the mystery of the kidnapping of the U.S. ambassador’s son and daughter. Holmes is able to deduce through some clues left over by the son the whereabouts of the purloined kids. The daughter was so traumatized, that the mere sight of Holmes sends her screaming. This coupled with Holmes’ ability to discover clues out of thin air, has a police officer suspicious of Holmes, believing he may have had a hand in the kidnapping. Convincing Sargeant Donovan that Holmes may be guilty, Holmes is arrested. He escapes by taking Watson hostage.

The two break into a reporter’s flat. There they run into Moriarty, who has successfully duped the reporter into believing that Holmes created Moriarty, the psychopath to prop up his own reputation. Moriarty creates a person of an out-of-work actor, hired by Holmes to go along with the ruse, so that Holmes can appear to be the heroic detective.

So, then viewers have to watch the rest of the episode with a notebook to keep track of what’s happening – because it’s nuts. Holmes goes over to a forensic pathologist friend for a “favor” – we don’t know what the favor is, and I’d love to…Holmes figures out that Moriarty was able to break open the security in the prison, bank and the tower by using a code that Moriarty tapped out with his finger when they had the terse meeting at Holmes’ flat.

Are you confused, yet? I had to take stock and make sure I understood what was happening. So, Moriarty and Holmes are on the rooftop, confronting each other – this is stupidly tense. During their confrontation, we learn that the assassins weren’t for Holmes. They were for Watson and Holmes’ beloved landlady Mrs. Hudson. Moriarty reveals that the assassins will kill Watson and Mrs. Hudson if Holmes doesn’t kill himself. Moriarty also reveals that there was no “big” code to breach the security – Moriarty had guys from the inside who were on the take.

Holmes at one point thinks he has the upper hand because he realizes that Moriarty can call off the killings with a code. Before convincing him to share the code, Moriarty shoots himself. Holmes realizes that he’ll have to die. Watson at this point jumps out of a cab, running toward the building where Holmes is standing on the edge of the roof. He asks that Watson watches and gives him a goodbye message before plummeting to his death.

After the funeral, Mrs. Hudson and Watson look at Holmes’ tombstone with grief. Alone, Watson begs Holmes to not be dead – and if you don’t cry watching this, then you need to see if your heart is made of stone. He leaves the cemetery…

I didn’t think I’d be so moved by an episode ofSherlock, but the way Holmes’ suicide is handled is beautiful. Freeman proves that he deserves every TV trophy out there. His performance in the therapy session scenes or at the cemetery is beautiful.

There’s another season for Sherlock – it’ll be interesting to see how this turns out. Holmes’ death is summed up by a tabloid headline: “Suicide of Fake Genius.” Even if Holmes is alive, his reputation is damaged.

Anyways, what did you think of “The Reichenbach Fall”?

Mad Men recap: Christmas Waltz

So tonight’s episode gave me a great smile because Paul Kinsey made a welcomed guest appearance. The only thing is that he’s a hare krishna now. Yup you read that right: Kinsey’s a hare krishna. Oh, and he wants to be a scribe forStar Trek. Joan also gets  some much-needed screen time (and she gets to be violent – a plus!). And Lane Price’s money issues are making him do some dumb shit.

But let’s start at the beginning: Paul Kinsey. The last we saw of Mr. Kinsey he was pissed because when Don, Roger and Bert flew the coop, they poached a bunch of employees, but left Kinsey behind. Viewers weren’t privy to what happened to Kinsey since and I was always curious and it was great to see him. It was also worth the wait to see him, robed and head shaved, with a perpetual beatific smile. Of course, for MadMenloyalists, we all knew that there would be a chink in Kinsey’s serene facade. Harry Crane runs into Kinsey and gets to sit in on a chant/prayer session, where everyone loses their mind – of course, we’re made to look at hare krishnas like they’re weird – and really, the joke’s pretty stale at this point (I don’t even see them banging their tambourines or selling flowers at the airport anymore).

So, Kinsey’s in love with a beauty called Mother Lakshme, who found Krishna Consciousness after a life of promiscuity and drugs. And to start a life with Lakshme, Kinsey has an idea: he writes a spec script for Star Trek. Harry’s not too sure that Star Trek will remain a hit because of its competition which includes Bewitched and My Three Sons. There is a hitch with Kinsey’s script – it’s terrible.

Harry takes the script to work and asks Peggy to read it. He also asks why she never looked to Kinsey when hiring a new copywriter  and we get a quick rundown of the descent of Kinsey’s career: he ping pongs through various ad agencies before ending up at A&P – Harry is confused: which agency is A&P? Nope, Peggy means the A&P, the supermarket. We can only guess what Kinsey did at the A&P. The two share a quick laugh at Kinsey’s expense, and Peggy advises Harry to be straight with Kinsey.

So Harry’s facing a dilemma: tell his friend the truth and crush his dreams or lie and let him be deluded. Lakshme rocks up to the ad agency and seduces Harry. After intercourse, she orders Harry to tell Kinsey the truth, so that the latter abandons the world of television and remain with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. She bargains sex for Harry’s compliance. In an awesome show of being pissed off, she hauls off and slaps him when he points out that she already gave away her bargaining chip.

A couple days later Harry and Kinsey meet at a coffee house. Instead of heeding Peggy’s advice and Lakshme’s orders, Harry butters Kinsey up, lying and saying that the Star Trek folks love the spec script but can’t hire him because of vague legal reasons. He then offers Kinsey $500 and tells him to flee to L.A. and try his hand at TV writing. Kinsey, moved, shares that the hare krishnas promised help and support, but Harry was the first to deliver. The two share a lovely hug and it’s goodbye Paul Kinsey.

The writer of this episode finally remembered how great Joan is and gifted her with some amazing lines. After rebuffing Roger’s offers of financial support again, she’s served with divorce papers. What transpires next is fantastic. The stupid receptionist who let the process server in, is completely oblivious to Joan’s fury – after all, the guy said he knew her and had a “surprise.” Joan then unloads a whole lotta mad on this dumb bunny, screaming “having you at the front desk is like having no one at the front desk.” She then grabs a model airplane and flings it at the stunned receptionist yelling, “An airplane’s here to see you!”

Don witnesses this and takes Joan away. Paying a car salesman $600 they drive away in a sweet, candy red two-seater. They share at the bar and Don and Joan bond some more. He shares that he was always intimidated by her, which explains why he never hit on her; Joan comments that her mother raised her “to be admired.” Apparently, she received so much flowers when she first started working at the agency, Don assumed Joan was being romanced by Aly Khan.

Don’s had too much to drink when he returns home to a fuming Megan. She flings a plate of pasta across the room and demands to know where Don went. Don thought this was one of their S&M moments, but thankfully it wasn’t – instead she barks at him to “sit down” and insist that they eat dinner together. Stunned but still blotto, Don obeys. Pissed, Megan remarks that Don used to love his work, but now he’s kind of phoning it in – and we’ve all noticed that. Ever since Megan left, Don’s famed mojo has been depleted. He’s also facing the fact that he’s not twenty-something anymore, and he’s now starting to be behind the curve (the last episode showed just how out of it, and tone deaf Don can be about what’s “in”). Picking at his pasta, he mumbles that work is different than it used to be.

Back at the office, we’re getting more glimpses into Lane Pryce’s financial woes – it appears that the British tax man is after Lane for about 8 grand. Not knowing where he’ll come up with that kind of moolah, he does something really stupid and raises the office’s line of credit. He then comes up with the bright idea of giving out Christmas bonuses. In something out of Bernie Madoff, Lane forges a check for himself in the still of the night because he desperately needs the funds.  

While his bonus idea is initially met with enthusiasm, the partners have to forgo their bonuses because Mohawk – the biggest client – has temporarily suspended its ad budgets. Don summons up some of his magic and delivers his version of the St. Crispin Day speech as he rouses the troops, letting them know that the office will land the Jaguar account. Everyone applauds, impressed and inspired, but Lane looks like he needs a bucket-full of Pepto Bismol.

Overall, this was a pretty good Mad Men episode. I like the addition of Joan – she’s started to become sort of a guest star and her freaking out in front of the receptionist was awesome – I also love how clueless the receptionist was: “You can’t talk to me like that” she admonishes the former Mrs. Harris.Excuse me? Joan has said worse to Roger.

I also like that we’re getting more clues to Lane’s money problems. I still feel like the issue is being handled too cryptically – I’m starting to feel like his wife, Rebecca – kinda clueless about what’s really going on.

I’m looking forward to more growth for Peggy – like Don, she’s been at a bit of a creative low. Up until this season, I figured Peggy would usurp and overtake Don – it seemed inevitable, except she seems a bit distracted by her personal life, as well as, by mentoring up-and-coming stars like Megan and Michael Ginsberg.

This season only had 3 episodes left, so it’ll be great to see how the stories will be resolved: what’s going to happen with the Frances marriage? And will the writers take advantage of just how awesome Kiernan Shipka has become as Don’s daughter, Sally? And will Roger and Joan eventually get it together, or will Joan become the pre-Murphy Brown and raise her kid on her own?

What did you think of this episode of Mad Men? Also, I’m curious, what was your reaction when you saw Kinsey in Krishna garb?

You must visit Jenny Lawson’s TheBloggess.com

I just finished reading Jenny Lawson’s book, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir, which I advise people to rush out and buy. Immediately. It took me a day and a half to read. I love reading comic or humorous memoirs, but I rarely laugh out loud – this time I did – unfortunately, it was on my way to work and it was on the Red Line, so I just looked like one more crazy nutbag on a field trip (Chicagoans – especially those forced to take the Red Line will know what I mean).

After reading this awesome book, which, by the way, defies explanation – the idiot at Barnes & Noble said, “She’s like David Sedaris. Only she’s a chick” I decided to check out her blog, which is naturally incredible. As she’s on a book tour at the moment, some of her posts are reposts – it’s like watching network TV, and having to sit through some reruns through the summer. Still these posts are fantastic.

So everyone on the planet should visit TheBloggess.com and buy Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir.