3 season finales and a season premiere…
Mad Men…The show ended its sixth season with more of a reflective door slam (firing) than a bang (death, as some rumored). It wasn’t as elegantly existential as last year’s finale (the one that finished with “You Only Live Twice” playing over Don being asked if he was alone at a bar, perfect) but this entire season was a little stilted. The big theme was about stalling out and wondering if you can ever really break out of old patterns, but that turned out to be a theme of diminishing results as most of what we saw this year looked a little too familiar. Still, there were some damn good moments in the middle of the season and who didn’t love seeing Sally Draper become daddy’s little girl? [For added irony, she said last week that her dad didn’t give her anything, when most of her manipulative, acting-out behavior comes from him.] [Spoilers now] Most of the big developments came from Don. His decision of whether or not to move to California compounded everything for all the other characters, and now it looks like Ted (who really cares about his affair with Peggy? Is anyone that interested in this?) and Pete will go instead, Megan may leave him, and Don has been “suspended” (or perhaps fired) from his own agency.
It was extra resonant and ultimately tragic that Don’s emotional Hershey’s pitch revolved around the desire to be wanted/needed, and his agency is, essentially, saying that the man who built and merged the agency isn’t absolutely needed anymore…right at the time he’s revealing his true self the most. You could also argue that that’s the reason Don began cheating on Megan at the exact moment her career took off and she didn’t really need him anymore. Matthew Weiner’s thoughtful approach to his own show keeps finding ways to deepen the characters even six seasons in, and maybe that’s why AMC pays his huge salary: he’ll always be needed. Grade for season: B+ (which isn’t terrific for a Mad Men season)…Grade for finale: B…Best Scene: Don’s Hershey’s pitch, which finally revealed the ugly truth behind the fake advertising exterior, it was a beautifully honest moment (the perfect rebuke of the big Kodak/Carousel presentation at the end of season 1) and, naturally, something that leads to his professional downfall.
Veep…Do all the jokes on this inside-the-beltway comedy land? No. Some of the insults (usually delivered by disgusting and aggressively unlikable congressman Roger Furlong) are overkill, and Jonah-the-intern has a way of making you want to punch him when he’s just smiling. And has Anna Chumsky ever really worked on this show? Not so much. Still, I find this collection of heartless politicos a lot of fun to watch and there’s no denying that it’s one of the breeziest, fastest moving hours on television. It takes real guts for Julia Louis Dreyfuss to free herself from broadcast sitcoms (she’s gotten syndication deals from great shows like Seinfeld and not-so-great ones like The New Adventures of Old Christine) and embrace alienating premium cable when she could have easily kept churning out the bucks. Her portrayal of a flawed Vice President trying to stumble into higher office is vulnerable, hateful, hilarious, and oddly sympathetic. I love Vice President Selina Meyers and can’t wait to see her campaign for the big office next season (and against her rival, Minnesota Governor and war hero Danny Chung, who milks his veteran status so much it inspired Dan to say “I wish I had a nickel for every time you bring it up so I could buy a bazooka to blow your fat fucking head off with”) now that the president has declined to run again. Grade for season: B+…Grade for finale: A-
Ray Donovan…The premiere of Showtime’s new crime drama (their first true crime drama since Brotherhood, my pick for the best show they’ve ever produced) left a lot to be desired. It’s busy, but perhaps in all the wrong directions. Liev Schreiber is certainly compelling as the title Hollywood fixer but there are probably too many supporting characters, none of whom are that fascinating. Why is Ray (and everyone else) so interested in a former Disney star? Why does he hate his father so much? What connection does his father have to a pedophile priest that molested most of Ray’s siblings and maybe even Ray himself? Why don’t I care more about all these questions? This is an interesting vehicle for Schreiber (clearly relishing the chance to play against type as low-key thug who barely talks), but maybe not an interesting show. Although it’s worth noting that serialized dramas can sometimes take an episode or two to find their footing, they usually start out with more promising material than this. Grade for Premiere Only: C
Hannibal…What can be said about this show that my review last Thursday (before the season finale aired) didn’t say? Only that the season finale was awesome, and if you aren’t watching this show, you are really, really missing out. [Spoilers] To have Hannibal be the one to set up Will Graham and then visit him in the insane asylum, completely flipping where we all thought it was going, was genius. I look forward to watching season 2 and for the chess match between these two equals to begin in earnest. Will Graham vs. Hannibal Lecter is shaping up to be the best TV duel since Gus Fring was bested by Walter White in Breaking Bad. Grade for season: A…Grade for season finale: A