Mad Men returns. Thumbs up or down?

I think we were supposed to figure out that Joan would be in deep shit if they didn't get Avon after she inserted herself, and she wasn't shown in deep shit at any point, so we should assume she got it.

 

Hard to imagine Joan being in trouble for very long on this show. She seems to be Weiner's pet. And after Jon Hamm, she is arguably the most publicized and recognized cast member.

 

As much as I love the show, Weiner comes off an asshole of the first order. His post-season interviews and recap interviews every year just underscore that. He often assumes we can read his mind. He has that especially confusing notion when it comes to a TV show, the artist's intent matters above all else. That's why Vince Gilligan is so refreshing. He makes a show just as expertly made and seems like a genuinely good person. Like Sorkin with the West Wing, I don't ever see Weiner making another great television show after Mad Men.

He's so full of himself at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if in the Mad Men finale, he comes down on a suspended chair wearing a yellow tuxedo singing Charlie Kelly's song about the show actually being about him all along.

 

Noticing this more and more.

 

Sepinwall threw him a softball on this, and W embraced it whole. It's sheer horseshit, but we're just supposed to accept it. Love the show, and make no bones about it, but as we rush towards the final concluding vision, there are substantial portions that are going to be slapdash and sloppy. Saw it the The Sopranos, and will see it, here.

 

You are never in deep shit if you screw over Pete.

 

Never. That would be a betrayal by Weiner, and move it into complete soap opera territory. There has never been a moment of sexual tension between them, established from episode 1. Nor with Joan. Don's a womanizer, but he doesn't look at each woman as a potential romantic partner. He and Peggy are like Liz and Jack from "30 Rock."

 

I think there is, or has been, an attraction between Don and Joan. But Joan knows Don is no good for women and deep down Don knows Don is no good for women and he avoids sleeping with women he truly admires and respects (Joan, Peggy, Anna). He wouldn't wish himself on them.