Zoe

In all the watching and thinking I have done about TV over the years, I have come to the conclusion that the best, deepest, most memorable relationships are nearly always friendships. Even those that trip the line into sexual (a Jim and Pam, say) the deep abiding friendship stands out more than the kissing. We don’t want Fox and Mulder to be married (and, having seen the second X-Files movie: trust me, we don’t want that) what we want is some sort of firm assurance that their deep caring and love for each other will last.

But, of course, nothing can be so easily assured. Friends wax and wane and consummated relationships end and everything muddles on. As Don and Peggy lamented at their Greek diner–of only everything could be as easy as picking the good idea from the bad idea. If only we could know which relationships would be worth it when we saw them, rather than having to deal with the trail and error of getting to know someone.

And, of course, illustrating this beautiful as the episode centerpiece is Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss just absolutely killing it. The stages they go through–from angry to resentful from friends on a drunken bender to friend dealing with the results of a drunken bender–is absolutely pitch perfect. And while Peggy, for all her insecurities and worries, seems to be growing more confident and self-assured, Don is a mess. He’s an angry asshole, than a jerk, then a guy with vomit on his shirt.

The beauty of course, is not that Don and Peggy–both to the point kind of folk–spend endless time talking about their feelings or the changes in their relationship or what to do about. The beauty is that they stay. The best friendships aren’t always the most showy, or the most emotional, or the most talkative. Sometimes they best friendship are simply the ones where you can count on that other person to be there when you need them to be there. And while Don bullies Peggy into helping him handle Anna’s death at first, she sticks it out into the messy, crying, end without even needing to know why.

Of course, I doubt this will change much. Life doesn’t work like that, with having a moment and the everything is different. Don will continue to be harder on Peggy than anyone and Peggy will continue to resent him for his many faults. But at the end (as at the beginning), one of them will risk something to squeeze a hand, to let the other know it was worth it.

Dennis

Glory be, it’s a holiday! No not Memorial Day, important as that is. Rather, it’s the birthday of our lord, our savior, Peggy Olson, Holy Mother of Fantastic. Naturally, in honor of Peg’s birthday she gets a whole episode to herself. Sure there are other players in this episode: Don. Duck. Trudie. Mark. Simon. Garfunkel. Cassius Clay. But they’re all here for The Peggy Show. And what a show it is!

And while I enjoyed the conversation between pregnant Trudy and “witty” Peggy in the ladies room (and Pete’s frightened look as they walked out), it’s “The Peggy Show, With Special Guest Star Don” that was my favorite part to watch. Anytime these two get a solid moment together, it’s an exciting time. Tears are shed by all, passions flare (Peggy is upset Don got the credit and the Clio for her idea!), secrets get discussed (Peggy’s pregnancy, Don’s parents, Peggy and Duck’s relationship, Don’s dalliance with Allison). But it’s the little (and yet, paradoxically, still big) bits that always get me, from Peggy assuring Don after the death of Anna that she wasn’t the only person who knew the The Real Him, to that hand grasp in Don’s office at the end. I’m sure there will be a lot written in regards to will-they-or-won’t-they speculation, but The Nanny this is not. Whether Don and Peggy ever do the deed is inconsequential (and I’m sure if it does happen, it’ll happen, pardon the cliche, organically), they already have always had a special connection. No one else gets these two creative, conflicted people like they do one another, and I’m always happy when we get to witness those moments where their minds meld.

Robert, Paul and Scott are back to discuss their favorites from this summer’s releases, including Iron Man 2, Inception, Toy Story 3, Salt, The Other Guys, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and more. Let us know what you think and be sure to subscribe in iTunes!

NOTE: There is some noticeable audio noise during portions of this recording. We’ve done our best to minimize it and while we can’t promise it won’t happen again, let’s just say it’s not easy being on top. M’kay?

Listen now

Scott

Knowing that most discerning TV viewers were probably tuned in to the Emmys for no good reason, Mad Men took the liberty of becoming Lost for a week and engaging in some fun but unnecessary character moments through the extensive use of flashbacks. I think most of us always wondered how Don transformed from a lowly car/fur salesman to a God Among Men, and “Waldorf Stories” handled the task well by juxtaposing plucky upstart Don begging snooty upscale drunk Roger for a shot and getting it begrudgingly because of drunken confusion with plucky upstart Danny begging snooty upscale drunk Don for a shot and getting it begrudgingly because of drunken confusion, with lonely drunk Duck in the background as a cautionary tale.  And Don is definitely seeming more like Duck every day. He’s a loser really, an alcoholic who isolates himself from everyone, including his children, and makes lewd comments to nearly every woman he sees (I didn’t like his hand-holding with Joan one bit). If the guy I just described didn’t have a chiseled jaw and a hell of a haircut, nobody would have anything to do with him.

Dennis

Thanks to AMC for re-airing Mad Men at 11 so that I could see the end of the Emmys (where the show won for a third consecutive time) and then switch directly over to watch Don win a Clio. What’s that? The Emmys and Mad Men‘s foray into an awards show are the same night? Coincidence? This is Mad Men and Matt Weiner we’re talking about, so probably not. Either way, I’m happy we got the Clios, as it brought us a few interesting gifts: John Aniston (yep, Jen’s dad, and a Days of Our Lives mainstay) showed up as the presenter. Duck returned, and while he’s never been my favorite character, this was a nice little cameo, still tragically off the wagon before being escorted off the show yet again. And most importantly, we got to see thankless Roger flashback to that time he hired Don (or didn’t hire, but was too drunk to remember).

I liked the parallel between the early days of Roger/Don to Don hiring Danny (who I believe was played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum and a TV movie writing Emmy winner himself, Danny Strong, after his own alcoholic blunder. Yet, my favorite storyline of the week was brought to us by Peggy Olson, ever increasingly the show’s envelope pusher. While Joan gets all the credit for being the walking sex symbol of the show, it was nice to see Peggy get her chance to shine (or strip) here and really bust Stan Rizzo’s obscured (in a sight gag worthy of Austin Powers) balls. While the aging Don and Roger might get increasingly drunk and depressing, at least we have Peggy to keep bringing a little modern 60s flair to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

Zoe

Sure, Don deserves a lot of accolades for his Clio, but if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to be at the other end of the stage, congratulating Peggy for her “Smuggest Bitch in the World” award. Her winning entry was nothing more than amazing.

In other news, we get a bit of Roger/Don flashbacking this episode and we see what brought them together–and why Roger’s insistence on Don noting he couldn’t have done it without Roger it both true and not true (given the nature of Roger’s gift, all credit clearly goes to Joan). In any case, this flashback is given to parallel the experiences of the welcomed sight of Danny Strong as the teeny cousin of Jane and Don’s experiences trying to get a job with Sterling and Cooper back in the day.

This device mostly works and it’s always nice to see Don back before he was the slick drunk we know him as, back when he was a bit of an eager beaver with poor taste in ties. An earnest (but hungry!) guy like that and you can see why he got the job and why Betty agreed to marry him, not realizing it’d lead to misery.

Speaking of Betty, though the fanbase seems to want to paint her as History’s Greatest Monster, and while I’m not fan of her as a person, it’s worth noting that her anger was beyond justified here. For all the grief Betty gets from viewers, Don is well on his way to being a total deadbeat dad. In fact, one of the reasons Peggy deserves her award if for the “fix it” speech she gave Don. It was just about the job, but it was so clearly about the terrible, bleary mess his life has become. And I sure hoped he was listening.

BLOODY GOOD
Hot Hot Hessica
Last season I remember there being some internet discussion about the role reversal in the Twilight age of having a female vampire and male human for once. Then Hoyt and Jessica broke up a few episodes later and have been sadly apart ever since. Let’s rejoice in their return! Who cares about Sookie offering herself up to Bill for the billionth time, the millisecond we got of Jessica feasting upon Hoyt was more interesting than well, everything EVERYTHING we saw in this episode. (Except the tender Eric and Pam moments, which Zoe highlights). -D

Hate-filled and Angry Sookie
Out of all the Sookie’s we’ve seen, turns out she’s the very best one. I mean, I don’t believe it for a second, but it was nice to see her dismissive “I am through with this shit” talk with Bill in the car. Bill’s desperation played nicely off of Sookie’s very justifiable bitterness and anger. I have a feeling this season is going to end with Sook’s version of “I choose me” and I can’t wait. Of course, they’ve pulled this trick on me before… -Z

Eric and Pam
In a show that seems to require that every character not just be a supernatural murderer, but also attracted to each other, I really love Pam and Eric’s relationship. It has all the hallmarks of a deep, abiding friendship with none of the bull and no forced sexual tension. Plus it highlights Bill’s utter failings as a maker, which I always like. -Z

[Yeah I like Eric and Pam a whole lot too. There aren't enough straight (albeit, occasionally gay for revenge) male/gay female friendships on TV. Are there any? More of this please! -D]

Summer’s Back
And so is Bear! I’m glad not only that America’s favorite nickname returned, but that this might not be the last of summer. And it showed us some more adorable Hoyt and Jessica (sure, this all counts as one thing) which I’m always glad for.

[I am happy this wasn't the last of Summer, or the last of her awesome nickname for Hoyt. I just wish we didn't have to encounter Maxine not to give up on the man she "loves." It was all very Passions. And I don't think this is even the first time I've negatively compared True Blood to Passions this season. If a talking doll shows up, I'm out of here -D]

[Word to that. Couldn't Summer and Jessica just become awkward and hilarious best friends? -Z]

BITES
Jesus and V
So…Jesus has gone from an adorable and principled guy to some sort of warlock with a (potential) V addiction? Great, thanks. Because what this show needed was more drug-involved characters with supernatural powers and less adorable nurses. -Z

Russell Falling for the Trap
Ok, the trap was fine, but really Russell has been around 3,000 years, you’d think he had seen through this painfully obvious ploy a little faster. But maybe I am just sad at the thought of losing my beloved Russell soon (unless Pam’s inevitable rescue also includes him.) -Z

[Yeah Russell fell for that a little too easily. Also, does anyone really think Eric is actually going to die? Anyone? I don't care if this season ends and he's still "presumed dead." Will anyone actually believe it? Besides the wayward viewers of Passions. Hey, look, another Passions reference! -D]

Merlottes, Mickens, My God Who Are They? Who Cares?
Can we write Sam and Tommy consistently from episode to episode once this season? Let me get this straight, Sam became a belligerent alcoholic OVERNIGHT? Well OK. Why? Because he happened to remember that he shot some people back in the day after his brother told him to man up? And then there’s Tommy. He’s gone from being brooding to being nefarious to being “aw Sam, I didn’t mean it, please don’t send me to bed without my dinner” in the course of three weeks. What was he doing at the end of this episode I don’t even remember? Hopefully stealing next week’s script and writing himself a new storyline. -D

[Role reversal on Tommy! While I usually don't like him. I thought his reaction to Sam this week was very much in line with his past as an abused kid. Sam was being abusive and Tommy reacted the way a lot of abused people do. It made sense to me. Less sense: what's his stealing. I think it's the Merlotte's safe? Whatever. -Z]

Uh, Sookie?
To “not be a waitress anymore” I think one first has to show up for work, like, ever. Consider this latest kidnapping your exit interview from Merlotte’s. -Z

Jason Stackhouse Night Lights
Seriously, the football storyline is back? Who thought this was a good idea to keep bringing back? Jason hates a high schooler for breaking a record? I don’t care if he’s taking V. I don’t like him on the V. I do not like him on my TV. I would not like him with green eggs and Sam. -D

[Oh my god, I hated this SO MUCH. Yeah, not a fan of Bon Temps McCoy (about as much of a fan as I am of the original McCoy) and so this was awful. Like, unless Jason murders that guy in the face, I do not care. -Z]

Communal Tara
Remember when Eggs died and then for the next week Tara sucked face (among other things) with everyone in sight? She jumped into the sack with Franklin because her heart was dead and bla bla bla. Then the poor girl got imprisoned and sexually assaulted. Then she got out. And promptly made out with Jason Stackhouse until he told her he killed her boyfriend from last week, she got bummed out, got drunk, and slept with Sam. Alan Ball has joked that next season will take place with every one in therapy. Can we at least put Tara at the front of the line? Because I don’t think that support group with Holly had the desired effect. -D

Sookie: Still a Dumbass
Sookie, if you’re going to continue to be an idiot, you’re not allowed to hang out with vampires. You see, vampires are bad people yes. But apparently, the MINUTE you assume they’re trying to kill you (again) they probably, actually have a plan to save you (again). -D

[In fairness to Sookie (WORDS I NEVER SAY) Bill and Eric are huge dicks who need to maybe try harder to tell her that they are doing good things. Like, seriously, how hard would it be to give her some information for once? Otherwise it's sort of hard to distinguish killing for helping. -Z]

More Useless Crap Please!
I’ll take as much Hoyt and Jessica as possible, but did anyone else get the impression that True Blood was mostly treading water this week? You know when Arlene’s predictable (and prolonged) Rosemary’s Baby storyline is one of the most prominent storylines in the episode, this episode ain’t going much of anywhere. And Arlene’s Rene baby drama wasn’t even half bad compared to most everything else: All the aforementioned stuff (Jason and the football hero, Sam and Tommy), plus Jason and Crystal, Summer and Maxine colluding on a front porch. Even Lafayette wasn’t doing anything interesting. That’s a baaad sign. Hey, why not spend a half hour watching a retired Bud Dearborn wax his hardwood floors? I think that make a good addition to this penultimate pinata loaded full of filler! -D

Each week Dennis and I assemble a list of our favorite (and least favorite) moments for the latest episode of True Blood.

Part of that is inherent in award shows in general–they have no relevance to my daily life. They won’t affect what I watch and the effect they will have on what shows are available to me is pretty minimal. They’re a showcase of self-congratulation and faux-surprise and that doesn’t appeal to me. A good host, like a Neil Patrick Harris, can turn that around, but nothing about Jimmy Fallon makes me want to tune in Sunday.

Of course, the same can be said of the Oscars, which I will watch, which brings me to my second point: the predicability. Sure, the Oscars hardly go for surprises these days, but even they are more exciting or unusual than the Emmys. While I am usually a huge proponent of TV based off the longevity  depth it can bring, awards are the one area this can be detrimental. The Oscars, by definition, change every year. The Emmy’s can reward the same shows year after year, no matter how long they’ve been on the air or how past their prime they are.

So what do I hope for this year? I hope that Friday Night Lights scoops up as many awards as humanly possible and that Glee wins as little as possible. But, of course, the opposite will happen, just as Mad Men and 30 Rock will likely grab a bunch too. Because the Emmys are something you could almost set your clock to at this point which is why, with some of the best television being produced ever, I won’t care about the awards being handed out.

Scott: Yes, the Emmys definitely belong in the embarrassing Grammys realm as opposed to the shred-of-credibility Oscars realm. Like most useless awards shows, they’re voted on by old industry vets who could give a shit about whatever’s new and exciting in a medium they likely stopped actively working in decades ago. That’s an especially sad state of affairs when it comes to the Emmys, which happen to celebrate a medium that’s currently in a golden age. The voters are hopelessly and notoriously out of date. The peerless first season of The Sopranos roared into TV in 1999 and changed it forever… but Emmy voters gave Best Drama to a ho-hum season of The Practice instead. The Sopranos finally took home the gold five years later… when the show was past its prime and Deadwood deserved it. It’s pointless to list all the great shows that were completely ignored during their runs (ahem… The Shield).

That’s not to say that great actors and shows won’t win; Mad Men is a masterpiece that will probably win Best Drama again and Bryan Cranston is pure perfection in Breaking Bad. But even when good people win, it feels like a combination of trendiness and inevitability instead of Emmy voters spending time with hundreds of hours of great TV and finally coming to the hard-fought conclusion that, while Jon Hamm is masterful as Don Draper and Michael C. Hall brilliantly portrays one of the darkest characters ever on television in Dexter, Bryan Cranton simply cannot be denied, and the challenging decisions he made this season took his performance of Walter White to a whole new level! Instead it’s, “Oh, Glenn Close is in something. I’ll pick her.”

Complicating matters further is the fact that nearly every good show is now on cable and the Emmys are a very expensive event televised on the networks. Five of the seven Best Drama nominees are on cable, and one of the only network nominees won’t be back next year (Lost). As the gulf in quality widens year after year, it’s hard to imagine that the industry won’t start making this an issue.

So am I devoting entirely too much mental energy to something that doesn’t matter in any way, shape or form?

Zoe: You know, as much as we both agree that the Emmys are absolutely beyond pointless, I think at this point in time we are literally the only people devoting mental energy to the Emmys. I mean, sure, the voters probably care a little, but I think you are absolutely on point with your thesis that the few times they have recognized good shows has been more driven by trendiness than by quality (which is why I believe Glee and not the better Modern Family will sweep the thing).

But honestly, I can’t say that the winners even care. I mean, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report treat their Emmys like big jokes and while I’m sure Jon Hamm or Tina Fey or the guys behind Two and a Half Men are flattered to be nominated or win, I doubt it’s their driving force. Their awards might be on the mantle, but that’s about it. Likewise, I think shows can only care insofar as it gives them a gauge for potential renewal or cancellation. If the Emmys have any power, it’s getting to lambast networks for cancelling “Emmy award winners”, which they seem less inclined to do.

I think our wasted mental energy aside, the question that has to be asked of all bloated, pointless award shows is, Can the Emmys be saved or should they just be canned?

Scott: I think we have a natural desire for great stuff to get recognized with some kind of award. That’s why year-end lists are so addictive, and why the Oscars race seems like the most important thing in the world from December until until one minute after the show ends, at which point we all forget everything that just happened (seriously, Sandra Bullock won an Oscar this year?). The Oscars still retain a bit of gravitas despite the fact that Crash won Best Picture, and it’s a shame that there’s not a reputable TV equivalent since there’s currently so much better stuff on the small screen than there is on the big screen. There have only been a handful of notable movies this year — only Inception, Shutter Island (what up, Leo!) and Greenberg come to mind — while TV is churning out greatness every week. We’re only 2/3 through the year and heading into prestige movie season, but I seriously doubt I’ll see any performance that can top Zach Gilford’s on Friday Night Lights, or have my nerves frayed like they were by Breaking Bad‘s third season, or watch a villain as complex and compelling as Walton Goggins’ Boyd Crowder on Justified, or laugh harder than I do at Louie.

As to whether the Emmys can be saved, it seems doubtful. Most of the TV world revolves around routine CBS detective/lawyer/doctor shows, and the people who make those are unlikely to vote for or pay attention to all those series I just mentioned. I guess we’ll just have to start our own awards, Zoe. Let’s call ‘em the ZoSco’s. At least there, I can guarantee that Connie Britton won’t go home empty-handed.

Zoe: I agree whole-heartedly. I guess what gets me down about the Emmys, once I get past my vast indifference, is that I. Love. Television. I mean, as people on the site no doubt know, it’s most of what I write about. And while I see plenty of movies (though my tastes lean more towards stuff with guns than anything else) I don’t participate in them and criticize them the same way.

For me, part of this “Golden Era” of television is about people, through pay channels and increased recognition of television and increased leisure time or whatever, fulfilling this medium’s potential. Television is wonderful because even the shortest season gives you 13 hours with the characters, to grow and learn and explore them. A film–even a good film–is nothing at a mere two. Even procedurals are becoming more about continuity, though is subtler (and smaller) ways than the big gun shows. And that’s great.

What’s not great is that, ultimately, the one award show dedicated to something I love so much, and see so much value in, sucks. And I think only some of that can be attributed to the lackluster or undeserved nominees. I mean, as you noted, it’s not like the Oscars don’t have their share of head-scratching nominees. No, I think the biggest thing is that TV people still feel lesser. Like their chosen media is somehow less important than film or literature or anything else. It’s still OK to slag off on TV and the amount of time we spend watching it.

Is that entirely wrong? No, but it belittles something that has really gone above and beyond recently. I never thought I would be saying this, but if anything the Emmys maybe need to become a bigger deal. To have the sort of pomp and circumstance and breathless anticipation and petty fights that we expect from the Oscars. I don’t think this would make the nominees better, but maybe it would force people who aren’t me or you or other TV critics and fans, to begin to take the whole thing a bit more seriously. At least then we’ll have more people enraged over how robbed Connie Britton is.

Zoe

If you were to poll the viewers of Mad Men, I think most of them would pick Betty to be a monster greater than the Japanese businessmen we saw today. And while I don’t disagree that Betty has many, many flaws, I appreciate the way this episode let both Henry Francis (and later Don himself) talk about Don’s flaws as a parent. Sure, he loves his kids, and sure, he’s less inclined to hit them than Betty, but he’s just as inattentive as she can be. He sees them a few days a month, and yet chooses to go on a date (to Benihana, which I was mildly amused to find out existed back then). He simply doesn’t know what to do with his kids when there’s not someone else to help them. Which us unfortunate, as Bobby and Sally both clearly need a lot more positive attention in their lives, and Sally especially desperately wants that from her father. Betty is a bad, childish mother, but Don is bad and childish in his own ways and, as always, we need to remember that.

Speaking of memory: on the one hand, Roger’s outburst was cruel and rude and detrimental. On the other hand it was funny and, well, understandable. I have to wonder if he would be as opposed to the firm working with a German company–if some of his vehement disagreement just comes from the fact that the Japanese are not white–but it also makes sense for a Pacific veteran to hate the idea of working with the people he spent years trying to kill. It has been twenty years, as many people rightfully point out, but serving was, in a lot of ways, the best, most honorable, most important thing Roger has done. It also something that he made for himself, unlike the companies he has worked at since the war. Roger is a fun-loving, tipsy, trust fund kid. But he’s also one that fought and dealt with the realities of war. Maybe it’s time for him to let that go (especially considering how important Honda cars will end up being to the company) but, given how little he’s accomplished since the war, I can see why it remains the focal point of his identity.

Scott

A show like Mad Men is so richly textured and complex that people watch it for completely different reasons. Clearly, we here at Angry Fellas love material about Sally, but I know some people who could care less about her and just want the whole show to be Don. Others find Pete an annoying rich kid, while I think he’s a clearly flawed but ultimately sympathetic young man trying to make his own way in the world. I find it hard to believe, though, that anyone watching the show at this point cares about Don’s romantic life. It’s sort of excruciating watching him go on dates with prim and proper Bethany, invite Nurse Phoebe into his very brown home and flirt with psychiatrist Mrs. Fay Miss Fay like this is some sort of LBJ-era Grey’s Anatomy. TV is very driven by soap opera-esque notions of who’s going to end up with who; it’s hard to think of a single series without some kind of romantic tension (intentional or imagined), even on shows like 30 Rock where — despite Tina Fey’s claims to the contrary — half of the people who watch it are sure that Liz and Jack will get married someday. But Mad Men is better than that, and Don’s slow march toward self-discovery is so much more interesting than his casual flings with underwritten characters.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed watching this episode even though in retrospect it was a mixed bag. Roger’s WWII-spawned racism was handled with the perfect blend of shock (his raging boardroom invasion) and nuance (his sincere devotion to the men he served with). The elaborate con game to drive Ted Shaw’s agency into bankruptcy using his own arrogance was fun and pretty ingenious even by Don’s standards, though I would love it if Don had some actual competition instead of a weaselly nerd who is vanquished in a single episode (Shaw felt a lot like the hapless, departed Duck). And poor Sally. Despite the writers laying it on too thick with Betty, who basically turned into Cruella de Vil this week what with the slapping and her venomous delivery of the word “masturbation”, Sally’s shame-filled introduction to the birds and the bees was as sad and agonizing as anything I’ve ever seen. The anxious final shot of the young Miss Draper waiting outside the psychiatrist’s office with Carla, the only real mother she’s ever known, was heartbreaking.

Dennis

Well, we saw another familiar face this week. It was uh, that guy who wasn’t Kurt. (Speaking of which, where is Kurt? No Sal, no Kurt. If it weren’t for Peggy’s new lesbian friend I’d wonder if Weiner had de-gayed the whole show). But more importantly, Sally Draper’s back, and the kid is probably not all right. She’s taken to impromptu haircuts and (gasp) sleepover masturbation. What are we going to do with you, Sally? Answer: send her to therapy, though as always, it’s child-trapped-in-an-adult’s-body Betty that needs it more.

Between the increased dosage of Sally (now with stylish new haircut), Don’s always delightful elderly secretary, some solid Roger moments, and a new rival for Don (as played by Desperate Housewives‘ Kevin Rahm), I was more pleased with this episode than last. Still, I’m already getting bored with Don’s myriad of love interests. Will he choose his nurse neighbor, with her weirdly intermittent Southern accent? Or the Betty doppleganger Bethany? Or how about his hard-to-get coworker Faye? (Because, let’s face it, as Miss Farrell can attest, no one stays impervious to Don’s charms for long). Someone earlier in the season told Don he’d be married again within the year. Can’t happen soon enough, I say. I’m starting to get dizzy on Don’s lady merry-go-round.

BLOODY GOOD
Hoyt Punching Tommy
It’s basically already been said, but it should be reiterated. This was like the show rewarding me for sitting through all of Tommy, from his terrible angst to his classy “That gives me wood” lines. God bless you, Hoyt. -Z

Jason and Tara: BFF’s
Ok, so there’s a clear sexual undertone, but I always bought Jason and Tara as friends more than I bought Sookie and Tara as friends. An frankly, it was nice to see the two of them get some alone time to talk to each for the first time since, oh, first season. -Z

[I like Jason and Tara time, especially since it means less Jason and Crystal time. Still seems kind of short-lived now that Jason up and confessed to killing her last boyfriend --D]

Sam in a Suit
The show has always hinted at the idea that Sam had a cool backstory and it turns out (as Dennis explores below) his backstory is apparently everyone’s backstory. But it was nice to see him in something other than Merlotte’s duds, even if he was predictably clueless. -Z

Sookie and Eric Making Out
Ok, it’s pandering. But it’s pandering I can get behind. Even if it ended in even more violence against women/Sookie/next week Sookie will be saved by Bill again. -Z

Jason Not Being Stupid and Also Mean to Bill
Jason is one of my favorite characters, but particularly in episodes like this where it’s less about him being the comic relief or having some absurd dream about law enforcement and more about him being human. I like that Tara called him on his dumb act, that Sookie and him seemed like siblings who cared about each other, and that he shoved Bill out of his house. A little nuance goes a long way with Jason and it worked perfectly this week. -Z

[I feel like people tell Jason he's not as dumb as he looks every so often, and then he goes back to being an idiot. Maybe he really IS as dumb as he looks, and maybe Jason, and the writers, need to stop fighting it? --D]

Revelations!
Hey look, some stuff happened. Lots and LOTS of stuff. Jason told Sookie, then Tara he killed Eggs! Tara told Sookie she was raped! Arlene told Terry the kid ain’t his! Sookie’s a fairy! Crystal is a werepanther. This being the third to last episode of the season it’s probably about time some reveals finally started occurring (why they all had to happen in one hour and not spread out over the season is beyond me, but I’ll take what I can get). -D

Pam!
“Blah blah vampire emergency blah.” Oh Pam, you slay me. Get it!? Because she’s a vampire? Luckily Pam’s wittier than I am. -D

Hoyt Mans Up
Hoyt finally dumped Summer (considering he confessed he hated her last episode, that took a little long), reminded Jessica for the billionth time that he loves her just the way she is, and then punched a deserving Tommy in the face. Ok, so he ended up getting mauled by the bulldog version of Tommy, but even that got him closer to Jessica. Also, that might’ve been the last we’ve seen of poor Summer for awhile (though Jason DID love her biscuits), but at least she didn’t leave without calling Hoyt “Bear” repeatedly. Hoyt may not get a love of antiquing or dolls from his short-lived Summer relationship, but I hope that nickname sticks. -D

[Bear was a great nickname and her telling Hoyt was a "sexual person" was also choice. I'm all for Hoyt and Jessica 4evah! but I hope Summer's able to stick around. -Z]

Steve Newlin
Zoe and I have discussed before that it seems the shows finds it necessary to off the big bads on this show at the end of their seasons (Rene, Maryann, if I had to guess Russell), so it was nice to see Steve Newlin, season 2′s secondary antagonist alive, and still smarming it up in his cameo tonight. I wish Anna Camp’s Sarah Newlin could also return (she had better chemistry with Jason than, ugh, Crystal), but Camp was on Mad Men tonight instead. Those Newlins are all over Sunday night TV! -D

9021-gigolo
It was nice to see nu90210′s Michael Steger as Russell’s doomed prostitute companion. Considering I always thought Theo Alexander (Talbot) was on 90210 (he wasn’t) at least now an actual cast member from the CW spinoff has show up here. Steger’s Naveen may not be the male character going gay this fall on 90210, but well, he got to here. Though, I can’t imagine if he had on 90210, it would’ve ended so bloody (oh good, more blood puns!) unfortunately. -D

BITES
Flashbacks
In Entertainment Weekly’s review of True Blood earlier this season, it noted that “Flashback scenes just take up valuable time we could be spending in the present” and I think that’s grown even more true as this priority-confused season has progressed. This is the third-to-last episode of the season and you’re subjecting me to Old School Sam killing some people? Just like viking Eric and and the “good” old days of Bill and Lorena, no one cares. Get back to 2010 (or whatever year this time-confused show is in these days). Another reason I could care about Sam’s murdering past? See below -D

Everyone’s Super and SuperHomicidal
If this show has taught me anything this week, it’s that as it turns out, everyone on this show is supernatural in some way. Sookie turned out to be a fairy (and Jason is at least partially descended from them), Holly’s a witch, Crystal’s a werepanther, and apparently Jesus and Lafayette (and thusly I guess, Tara) are descended from sorcerers. Is there anyone on this show that’s not super in some way? And furthermore? Has anyone not killed someone or at least tried to? Jason killed Eggs and Franklin. Tara tried to bash Franklin’s brains in. Eric staked Talbot. Sam shot some flashback lame-os. You know why we don’t care about your secret past Sam? Because your secret is everyone else on this show’s not-so-secret secret too. -D

[Yea, like everyone's PTSD, this seems a bit much. Especially because by this point everyone's so used to this stuff that it seems silly that people work so hard to conceal it. I mean, how much of Hoyt's balls could Sam have saved by telling people him and his brother can become dogs? How much boring Crystal plot could we have missed if she had just fessed up to Jason right away? -Z]

Creepy Tommy
Zoe and I have thus far disagreed on Tommy, but this show sure isn’t making it easy for me to like him anymore. Sure Tommy always was a little bit screwed up, but I thought the whole thing was that Tommy actually had some good in him unlike his messed up parents? Now he’s stealing Arlene’s tip money and trying to tear Hoyt to shreds to get to Jessica? -D

[Having always found Tommy a bit creepy, I'm ok with this, but also bored. Like, for a show about vampires trying to integrate into human society there's a lot less "struggling against your darker instincts" than you'd think. It seems people like Tommy do that for half a second and then go right back to being dark. Meh. -Z]

Where’d the Confusing Vampire Hierarchies Go?
Not like I’m missing all the kings and queens and magisters and shadowy figures sitting in front of a television screen, but was there a point to all of Russell’s machinations? Now that he’s gone nuts, all he seems to be doing is killing gigolos. Once Russell had dreams of taking over the world, now he just dreams of his dead husband. That’s rough, Russ. -D

[Yea, I loooooooove me some Russell, but he was pretty meh this week. I guess it's hard to top last week's exit and I guess he needed to work through Talbot's death but come on! Let's have our head to head battle with him an Eric already. -Z]

Jesus and Lafayette Trip Balls
I love Jesus. I love Lafayette. I do not like the drug cam the way Alan Ball does. And while it was sort of nice to get some background, I mostly hated the exaggerated highness of it (I guess V is peyote now???) and frankly, I’m fine with Lafayette having some magic or whatever, but it’s dull to see it arduously explained. -Z

[Yeah, couldn't Jesus just have TOLD Lafayette that they both came from magic families? -D]

The New Mystery of Bill
Yay, much was revealed this week (finally!) Boo to the new “mystery” of why Sookie can’t trust Bill. Especially boo because it’s likely just: Sophie-Anne wanted him to procure you and also his creepy file on your family. We already know those things show! Why can’t you let people talk like people sometimes? -Z

[Yeah, seems to me anyone with half a brain could've figured out the rest of the Bill mysteries. Last I checked, unlike sweet, dumb Jason, Sookie actually had half a brain. -D]

Sam’s Two Rules
What kind of asshole bans dancing at his bar? What the hell, Sam!? -Z

Each week Dennis and I assemble a list of our favorite (and least favorite) moments for the latest episode of True Blood.

Ellen

Nothing good can last forever. Every week can’t be Get Drunk with Don and Lane and Watch Gamera Week, and this week’s episode “The Rejected” was, despite starring turns for Pete and Peggy, definitely the weakest of the season so far. I’m not much of a Pete fan, so I relished seeing him squirm around having to drop the Clearasil account he had worked so hard for, then the suspicion that Trudy was keeping her pregnancy from him. (His bitchy little shrug after challenging his father-in-law was, sigh, earned.) And “Peggy gets in a situation over her head” is a plotline with a good amount of mileage on it, this week including both artists and possibly the show’s first lesbian. (Played by Zosia Mamet, daughter of David. Can’t make it up!) But then we had to endure Allison’s resignation and Don’s cliched “What? We’re all adults” moment. Other stops at Obvioustown that came into play: Trudy asking Pete how he would know what being a father was like, and Don’s halting in the middle of the hallway to watch the crotchety old couple, painful symbols of the life he gave up. Pete and Peggy’s long moment through the glass front of SCDP, though: that was perfect.

Scott

I’m a tad shocked by the reactions here and elsewhere to “The Rejected” since, for my money, it’s my favorite season 4 episode so far by a mile. When the pre-show warning about brief nudity came up, I was prepared for more of Don’s tawdry whoremongering. Thankfully, we got a much-needed break from  sleaze, along with a generous side helping of Don’s shitty treatment of women being thrown back in his face for all to see. While it’s rare that a Mad Men episode isn’t filled with snappy comic moments, “The Rejected” was chock full of particularly good ones: Miss Blankenship’s redubbing the agency “Draper, Pryce, Sterling, Campbell… Misters”, Peggy’s curious head peeking into Don’s office and withdrawing at the very last second, Roger and Don getting out of a conference call with “Oh my God, there’s a fire,” Peggy’s discovery of Malcolm X a week after his assassination, much to Joey’s bemusement. Perhaps the tone was set by the direction of Mr. Sterling himself, John Slattery, whose tremendous debut behind the camera gave us not only a great episode overall, but also defining images of the gulf between Pete and Peggy (one a conformist suit and the other a blossoming bohemian) and Don’s urban isolation (a gorgeous wide shot of our hero [?] as a lonely figure dwarfed by the New York skyline, and an almost Lynchian final scene where he begins rethinking the bliss of solitude).  It’s hard to know what next week’s cryptically-titled “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” holds, but for the first time this season I’m not approaching it with dread.

Dennis

Behold, Ken Cosgrove is back! OK, so Ken Cosgrove was never my favorite character (really Matt Weiner, between him and Sal, this is the guy you thought we urgently needed to see?), but it’s another float from the Parade of Familiar Faces from Yesterseasons nonetheless. And most of the episode was spent with Don, Pete, and Peggy. It was good to see Allison finally flip out on Don, and Don try to type up an apology (see, he’s almost a good person) to her. I bet Alexa Alemanni was bummed that they brought her to the new agency only to turn around and have her leave the company a few episodes later. But hey, at least she got to make sweet sweet drunk not-love to Don Draper!

And speaking of non-love, it was nice to see Pete and Peggy have their little moments in the face of Trudy’s surprise pregnancy. I wonder how their secret kid is doing? Though, their final moment toward the end of the episode, with Pete planning to go to a fancy business lunch and Peggy dashing off with her new beatnik friends was a surprisingly blatant parallel for a show that usually relies so heavily on subtlety and subtext. At least the episode didn’t end with that moment. Instead we got the show’s coolest characters (especially since Bobby “There’s an Egg in My Bed” Draper was again missing from this episode), the old couple that live down the hall from Don. Don’t keep us in suspense. I want to know if she got the peaches!

BLOODY GOOD
Crazy Russell
Now Zoe and I have differed thus far on Russell (I could be found muttering “it should’ve been you, Russell” after Talbot got staked last week) but I enjoy Russell now that he’s in mourning and even more unhinged, wandering around with his manfriend’s blood in an urn, and tearing out people’s spines on the news. -D

Lafayette’s Mom
Speaking of nuts, I think I’m on record as saying I think Lafayette’s mom is delightful. She seems to love Lafayette in her own crazy way, pointing out the lovely glow he had, and uttering the phrase “maybe god loves f*gs.” Amen to that. -D

[See, I feel like Lafayette's mom is both awesome, but also maybe one "crazy black lady" too many on this show. Alfre Woodard is fantastic, though. So. We'll see. -Z]

Eric, Pam, and Nan
We got some quality Eric and Pam time, thanks to being sequestered by Nan and friends, and hooray for that. (Although, why did Nan have to set up temporary coffins? It’s their business establishment, wouldn’t they have coffins there already?). I enjoyed Nan told Eric to stop being a little bitch. -D

Angry Sam
Yet another reason to be thankful for Tommy, someone finally told Sam to man up and he gave (ugh) Crystal’s father the beating he so richly deserved. Can’t Sam go to the East Dillon of Bon Temps and beat up EVERY ONE now? Please? -D

Jason
Oh one hand I was happy Jason and his wooden bullet gun (hey show, way to remember something from one week to the next! Continuity!) took care of Franklin. On the other… -D

Good Villainy
I’ve made no secret of my love of Russell this far (the campier the villain, the better, in my book) but I also want to highlight something else that makes Russell (and others) great villains: he’s not wrong. Sure, his final speech was just a “screw you” to the American Vampire League, but can you dispute what he said? Likewise, why would thousand year old immortals to submit anything as controlling as The Authority? His camp is his selling point, but it’s also nice when a show offers you a villain you want to side with. -Z

Rape Support!
I’ve been digging the crap out of Tara this season, so I was pleasantly surprised (and really happy) when she went to a rape support group. So many fans seemed to want to wave away Franklin’s crimes with “he’s so funny!” and “I hate Tara” and it’s nice for the show to force the point that, you know, as funny as his speed texting was, the dude was still a rapist and an abductor. And if that wasn’t enough, new waitress Holly got to talk about a rape that was like most rapes–done by someone she knew. Thumbs up True Blood, for being accurate and letting one of your characters get help. -Z

I enjoy that Eric wear classy, colorful sweaters and button downs when he’s doing gay for pay-off, but upon coming home immediately changes into the wife beater and relaxed fit pants befitting a strip clbu owner. -Z

‘Bout Time, Sooks
Man, it’s been three seasons, but we finally get Sookie pointing out that she’s not inherently Bill’s Damsel in Distress and it’d be nice if he started viewing her as a person, not a precious jewel. It’s maybe a bit late for this talk (I, for example, would do it pre engagement) but it’s appreciated. -Z

[I feel like Sookie's had versions of this speech before, which is even more insulting because then she turns around AND IS BILL'S DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. But the Debbie beat down does do a little to rectify this. Besides the fact that again I say, she didn't actually shoot Debbie --D]

[Ok, true. But I feel like, maybe (hopefully) Bill actually freakin' got it this time. I am sure the show will crush my dreams, though. -Z]

BITES
The Authority
I don’t get the obsession vampire-based works have with creating large, central papacies for their vampires. I mean, I guess because in real life we’re all so into what goes on with the Popes and the Cardinals!? Seriously, not only doers The Authority bother me on a meta-level, they also appear to be really, really boring. Webcams? Some faceless dudes sitting in front of a giant monitor? Snooze. Wake me up when they start carrying around urns of their dead husbands. -Z

Bill: Dumb
He started a file on Sookie because he wanted to know why Eric was so interested in her? Uh, maybe because she’s hot and he’s attracted to her? -Z

Fairyland
Seriously, they shit looked like something out of Cleopatra 2525. I’m not saying everything needs amazing special effects (I appreciate the good werewolves and awesome vampire explosions just fine), but if you’re not going to make it look amazing could you make it look less…12 year old girl-ish? -Z

Just Tell Her Already!
We get it. Sookie isn’t human, She’s strange and beautiful and can read minds. I am sick of them delaying information about her. For cripes sake, her cousin has time to get Sookie to see if her son is a mind-reader, but not enough time to by like “Oh, bee tee dubs, you’re a ___!”? Pffft. I’m all for mysteries and cliffhangers, but come on. -Z

[Yeah they're really drawing this out. Further proof that this was a filler episode. They teased the HELL out of Sookie's mystery all episode and STILL didn't reveal it. We only have like 4 episodes left in the season, let's get movin, yo -D]

Hot Shot
So Andy is just going to go in and arrest everyone for living in a certain area of town? That seems illegal, right? Like…very, very illegal. Where’s the Louisiana ACLU when you need them!? -Z

Poor Tara
I assumed that might not have been the last we saw of Franklin (can you kill a vampire by braining him?) but thought in the grand scheme of the show, I wish Franklin’s first death would’ve been his last. It would’ve been better to have vampire rape victim Tara kill her assailant than some other dude. Which brings me to my next point… -D

All the Single (Dimensional) Ladies
Ok so let me get these straight. There are the perpetual damsels in distress of this show, namely Tara and Sookie (though she did open a decent-sized can of whup ass on Debbie last week, IF ONLY SHE HAD KILLED HER). Then there are the two strongest female figures, Pam and Nan, who appear to be lesbians. Are we really relying on tired feminist stereotypes? At least there’s Jessica. She’s pretty strong, Oh wait, there she is crying over Hoyt. Again. -D

I Want My Ear Drums Back
I realized this show relies way too heavily on ladies screaming to end an episode, a season, or other assorted cliffhangers. This week it was Ginger screaming over one thing or another right before the credits. Ginger spends most of her time at Fantasia. She really shouldn’t be so easily phased by Eric being silvered at this point. -D

[I've never really been sure why they keep Ginger around. I mean, surely there are lots of young, hot women dying ti hang around some vampires? You probably wouldn't even need to brainwash them so much. -Z]

Crystal (Times Infinity)
Good god, did we have to devote so much of this episode to this storyline? Every time I turned around I felt like we were back to her. Oh look the Summer/Hoyt/Jessica/Tommy quadrangle is on. Wait no, a minute is all the time we have for that because we have to get back to Crystal. No, we REALLY don’t. -D

Each week Dennis and I assemble a list of our favorite (and least favorite) moments for the latest episode of True Blood.

This week Robert welcomes special guests Kevin Gifford and Chris Johnston for a mini Newtype USA reunion, wherein they reflect on their days of working for enthusiast media and how much it’s changed over the last few years. They also discuss the big question of whether the days are numbered for high-profile coverage of anime, games and genre entertainment in print magazines.

Catch up with Chris as he talks about video games on the Player One Podcast and find Kevin’s musings on games at Magweasel and gaming magazines at GameSetWatch. And remember, you can now subscribe to the Sodapop Journal Podcast in iTunes.

Give it a listen and let us know what you think in the comments!

Listen now

Dennis

I hope this episode has inspired everyone to befriend a British man, get him drunk, and watch Gamera with him (steak and strippers optional). Lane was my favorite part of this episode. Sure he was mean to Joan, but he said funny things and rubbed beef on his crotch!

I was also pleased to see The Real Don Whitman’s wife back, even if this might be one of (if not the) last time we see her. Poor Anna can finally meet Dick’s kids now that Betty’s in the know, but she might not even live to see that visit. I’ve enjoyed Melinda Page Hamilton’s mellow portrayal of Anna in the moments we’ve seen her and am sad we won’t get to see her. But if Sal has taught us anything, nothing gold can stay on Mad Men (yes, I’m going to mention Sal every episode until that time if/when he shows up, and then I’m going to mention how excited I am that he’s back, dammit!!).

I’m actually surprised at how few characters were in this episode. Don, Lane, and Joan had a lot of screen time, with just slight cameos for the rest of the office folk, and nary a glimpse of Betty, Sally, and the rest of the (fake) Drapers. Still, I like that the writers don’t try and force everyone into every episode of the show, especially when it’s Don, Joan, and drunk Lane we get to spend time with. I’m sure Peggy’s New Year’s with her boyfriend (which she humorously had to remind Joan, and us, that she had) was delightful, but I’m happy I got to spend the first moments of 1965 with this threesome of characters instead!

Zoe

“I know exactly who you are, and I love you.” Is there anything as rare and wonderful as that sentiment, especially when it’s true? Mad Men‘s strength is the way it plays with dualities and the past, forcing us to consider the many faces we end up showing to the world. Don is not alone in his secrets, though he certainly has heavy ones. Each and every character and viewer has one–what many of us lack is our Anna, the person who offers us a reprieve from the burden of having so many different roles.

I hate to think that’s the last time we’ll see Anna, if only because the idea of her and Sally meeting is too amazing, but what a send off. Not only does she offer Don some of the kindest words he’ll ever hear, but Melinda Page Hamilton plays her so well, as this light and beautiful woman who has faced some terrible hardships and come away loving and fun and just the right amount of sarcastic.

And, so, of course when faced with her–with everyone’s–mortality, Don goes on an epic bender with the perfectly British awkward Lane, a man who has done some many things the proper way, only to have them fall apart in his hands. No wonder he’s embracing America, Texas belt buckles and all. Lane’s public face is so much more rigidly enforced by the standards and protocols that he grew up with, that it’s great to see him lose them for a bit and realize that it’s OK.

Lastly, Joan. Joan and her terrible marriage to a nice, handsome, but awful man. A man who denies her passions while abandoning her to whatever fate awaits him in Vietnam. A man who treats her like a child, failing to recognize how much she has kept everything together. And Joan has no refuge, no drunken coworker, no Anna. And so when her dualities confront her, it’s heartbreaking, a person who sees how doomed they are, but no way out. And, unfortunately, I’m not sure that there is.

Scott

Clearly, “The Good News” was a fine hour of television, mostly as a chance to spend time with some of the show’s most underused characters (maybe only the  fifth or sixth time Joan’s been given considerable screen time and only the third notable Lane appearance). But it also spent a while wallowing in sleaze, an unwelcome development for this fourth season that’s gnawed at me in every episode. I hate to sound like a prude, but one of my favorite elements of the first season of Mad Men was that while the male characters would behave like demented sailors on shore leave, their vices were handled in tasteful ways. We wouldn’t see, for example, Don having graphic sex with sadomasochistic prostitutes, or pathetically propositioning teenagers he’s known since they were babies.

This isn’t a new problem, it’s just worse than ever. Don’s mistresses in season one – Rosemarie DeWitt’s deceptively deep beatnik Midge and especially Maggie Siff’s tortured Jewish career woman Rachel Menken – were two of the show’s brightest stars, complex and compelling women who challenged and ultimately rejected Don. His two main mistresses since then – the callous Bobbie Barrett and the airheaded proto-hippie schoolteacher Suzanne – were one-note bores whose relevance to the story was more theoretical than actual.

I know there’s a reason behind this. The Don we also worshiped for his effortless cool now seems like a creep. A guy who could get any girl he wanted while he was married is now single and pays for sex. He’s been turned down in every episode so far by women of a younger generation who aren’t eager to hop in bed with a handsome man just because he told them to. But he’s also gotten laid in each of the three episodes by three different woman in an increasingly cringe-worthy fashion. Now I dread the moment every week when Don turns predatory, engaging in grossness that sends one of TV’s most high-minded shows directly into the gutter. We get that he treats most women like trash and that he’s bad for doing so, do we really need to see it every week?

Ellen

After this week’s episode, the friend I was watching with turned to me and exclaimed, “I love this show but it always leaves you wanting more.” Not only did she set me up for a perfect That’s What She Said, she ably summed up the glorious frustration of this week’s ep ending on the cusp of a new year, with life and death literally hanging in the balance. This week brought us the welcome spectacle of a Don Draper New Year’s Eve, but also a number of unanswered questions: Why does Joan seem so single-minded all of a sudden about starting a family? Will loyalty or dishonor win in Don’s behavior towards the California Drapers? Seriously, can we hand Lane Pryce his Emmy right now? We’ll probably have to wait all season for these, but the writers are digging us in and I am right there in the trenches with them. Next week hopefully we’ll know how everyone else spent their New Year’s Eve, but I’m guessing Gamera wasn’t involved.

BLOODY GOOD
Talbot
I’ve made no secret of my love of Russell, though Dennis disagrees, but a big part of that love is due to his hilarious, wonderful marriage to Talbot. I mean, a few hundred years of having the same fights about the drapes wears on anyone, but Russell and Talbot managed to strike a good balance between pissy old married couple and people who genuinely care about each other. Sure, Eric was temptation, but that holds for most everyone in the True Blood universe, Alas, as part of his revenge Talbot had to go. Fare thee well, Talbs. I’ll miss your blood ice cream most of all. -Z

Shirtless, Naked Fan Service
Each week I think this show can’t get gayer and each week it proves me wrong. And let this be evidence to anyone who thinks that being too explicit about homosexuality (especially male homosexuality) will lose you viewers–I don’t know a single True Blood fan who isn’t lapping this up–myself included. While Lafayette and Jesus manage to bring the sweet, it’s Eric’s ad Talbot’s deadly tryst that was something to write home about this week. -Z

Shit’s Coming Together
I know, I know, there are four more episodes. But with Talbot’s death, it seems like whatever Eric’s plan to get back his shiny, shiny crown is (Kill Russell, Wear crown, Look melancholy at Fangtasia while wearing crown?) coming together. I’m sure it will take a bit, but unlike last years constant, dull orgies it’s nice to see a season-long arc that’s engaging, instead of just full of engaging people. -Z

Eric: A Terrible Stripper
Eric’s dour, expressionless face as he “took off his clothes” for Talbot cracked me up. You’d think a guy who worked for hard for this seduction–a guy who owns a strip club–would know a thing or two about selling it with a smile (or even just a smeyes), but I guess not. -Z

Continuity!
Hello Jason’s Fellowship of the Sun gear! It’s nice of you to remember that your plot existed. -Z

Rene!
One of my favorite characters in season one was Bon Temps’ ragin’ (fake) cajun, so it was a bummer that he turned out to be a serial killer, and then a killed off serial killer at that! So it was nice for him to show up in Arlene’s dream (with cajun accent still in tact). As long as Arlene’s Rosemary’s Baby subplot doesn’t take up too much time each week, and gives us further glimpses of of Rene, I’m a-OK with that, cher. –D

Stackhouse Family Reunion
With Gran and Uncle Bartlett offed in season 1, there aren’t many Stackhouses left, so it’s nice to see Hadley (who we saw glimpses of last season and last week) finally get to come to Bon Temps, find out her Gran had died, and have a revealing scene with Sookie. –D

Bill and Jessica in The Matrix
Bill went all Morpehus to the Neo that is his baby vampire Jessica, and trained her to do some fancy, fast, gravity-defying fighting which was fun (that sentence needed more f’s). Also, this lead to one of the episode’s MANY quotables, where Jessica says “no way” and Bill says “way.” It’s the funniest thing Bill’s done since he discovered the Wii in season 2. Speaking of this episode’s copious quotes… -D

The Humor!
I’ve lamented that, save from Jason, there hasn’t been enough comic relief this season, and while this episode moved the plot along at a breakneck pace (yay!) it also had some good lines along the way. Tara told Alcide to “flirt some sense” into Sookie! Hoyt, towering over a snarling Tommy called him “little buddy” (seriously, as Sookie standing next to Alcide or Russell standing next to Eric reminded me, the height differences on this show are quite staggering). Lafayette’s mom’s salty but hilarious quote about what sort of characters are on TV! Talbot telling Eric “I’m bored, take off your clothes” (sometimes this appears to be the motto for the show’s writers, not that anyone’s complaining!). Hell, even Debbie had a funny little Big Bad Wolf reference before busting down Sookies door. You know it’s a good week when even Debbie makes the good list (did she do something different, less white trashier to her hair this week?). -D

More RIPs
I like that this show apparnetly introduced so many characters so that it had more people to kill in any given episode. Cooter, Lorena, and the Magister died last week, and this week it’s poor Talbot’s turn. Still there could be worse ways to die than getting (double entendre alert!) staked by Eric Northman. -D

BITES
Crystal Clearly Boring
Jason’s back to spending time with Crystal. Um, we already have Sookie, do we really need another damn damsel in distress on this show? I’m a bit familiar with Crystal’s backstory in the books, I’d just wish they’d GET THERE already. -D

(UGH. Crystal’s entire plot could just be a text screen reading METH METH METHY METH METH METH WHITE TRASH STEREOTYPES METH. It’s at least be faster. -Z)

[Get it? Her name is Crystal and she cooks meth!? Screw you, Crystal. -D]

Bill and Sookie ReReReReRe-United
Sookie tells Bill they can never be together. He pouts bloodily. She looks through the lamest effing photo album of their coupling (seriously, if even your relationship specific photo album is boring, that’s probably a sign). Then he saves her for the 91st time from near death, and then they do it on a floor. Wash. Blood Rinse. Repeat. Ain’t love grand? –D

(I grew so, so hopeful for a second, only to have it whisked away. I kind even enjoy that their relationship is taking a dark turn, because the show has enough of that. And I’ve had enough of Bill and Sookie. Also, why would you even make a photo album that has one photo!? -Z)

Tara and Sookie’s Friendship
For a show that is theoretically about human relationships, True Blood can be really bad about friendship. Sookie and Tara never seemed like that great of friends. Good acquaintances, maybe, but not best friend. Frankly, Sookie seems to focus everything on her and so it’s no surprise that Tara’s many and real issues get lost in that. For a brief moment I thought that was changing this week, only to have it end with another fight and storm out. Pfft. -Z

Everyone’s PTSD
It seems like there are few people in Bon Temps who don’t have traumatic baggage to deal with and, frankly, it’s starting to get a little unrealistic (ok, it continues to be unrealistic) that no one is seeking out so good old fashioned therapy. Maybe next season one can show up and help everyone deal with their violent, dark lives. It’s sorely needed. -Z

Alcide and Sookie’s Non-Moment
Ok, I’ll admit–after a few nice moments last week, I was hoping Tara and Alcide would become a thing. Instead we get fairly forced, boring flirting with Sookie. The Bill/Eric/Sookie love triangle works because, well, Sookie hs chemistry with Eric. Adding Alcide in not only doesn’t make sense, it falls flat. He’s a nice guy saddled with a pointless plotline and one liners at a woman he doesn’t seem to like that much. Pass. Let’s get Tara her sexual healing instead. -Z

[I didn't necessarily notice the show planting seeds of a Tara/Alcide romance, but I'll sure as hell welcome one. You're right, Sookie has enough suitors as it is, and meanwhile Tara has one that's dead and another that was oh yeah, crazy, then dead. --D]

Stereotype City
Bringing back Lafayette’s mom just reminded me that out of the three black women on this show, two are crazy and one has sever emotional trauma. Plus one is an alcoholic. I get that the show is hardly realistic or gentle with anyone, but can we get some less stereotypical people of color in Bon Temps!? Or more than 5? -Z

Each week Dennis and I assemble a list of our favorite (and least favorite) moments for the latest episode of True Blood.

Zoe

We’re almost halfway through the decade and everything is falling apart. Isn’t that just the way holidays feel sometimes, though? You have all these dreams of what could and should happen–from the presents you want to something as simple as a parent being present–and so rarely does the reality match up. Everyone’s dreams conflict and grind together, which is why the holidays can be the most stressful time. But if you’re on Mad Men and you used to be somebody, those holidays of 1964 are about telling you how much smaller you’ve become in everyone eyes.

From Roger having to ham it up as Santa to please the firms only client to Freddy’s old fashionedness being attack by his former underline to Don’s continued descent into pathetic drunken sadness (with a delicious topping of jerk, ruining Allison’s dreams) nothing is what it used to be or was supposed to be when dreams were being dreamed.

And then there’s Sally, angry and alone, finding solace in the frustrated, creepy friendship of Glen, a former pariah. I am not the child of divorce and I’m too young to have been a child of divorce when it was such a scandal, but Sally’s building frustration and anger is, of course, only going to grow to mimic the wider cultural anger that is about to explode.

As for Peggy, her dreams didn’t get dashed as handily as everyone else’s this week, but while we smiled at the joke of Mark thinking her a virgin and old fashioned, the truth is she’s more Freddy than future hippie. She wants the dream of marriage and happiness, combined with her dash of feminism. And looking so post-coitally let down it seems like her dreams might be dying too.

Dennis

This week’s returns include a recovered (but still old school) Freddy, the Drapers’ loveable housekeeper Carla, Lucky Strike louse Lee (it’s his fault we don’t have Sal anymore!), Pete’s wife Trudy (Community’s versatile Alison Brie), and the ever creepy neighbor boy Glen! It seems Mad Men is bringing back more and more familiar faces with each episode (the fact that Aaron Stanton and a few others from the old agency are still in the opening credits indicates there will be more reappearances to come).

I’m most excited to see Carla (the closest thing Sally has to a real mother figure) and Trudy back. It seemed that the season finale had primed Trudy to be a bigger presence in the new agency, but I wonder if Brie’s regular role on Community may have derailed that. Still, I’m glad to see she’ll still pop up in a guest starring capacity from time to time. I also dig the dynamic between Peggy and Freddy. Peggy seemed fairly broken up when a drunken Freddy was ousted, and it’s interesting to see him back with Peggy a much more mature, established person.

I’m least excited to see Glen, since I fear what his creepy plans are for sweet Sally. I do hope we see (not just hear) Glen’s mom Helen again, as I always felt like she too was previously primed to be a bigger character and am curious to see what remarried life is like for her. Maybe she and Betty can compare notes, without further slapping ensuing?

Meanwhile on the actually NEW faces front: I also wonder if this is the last we’ll see of Don’s nurse neighbor, as played by Grey’s Anatomy’s recently deceased doctor Nora Zehetner. (Is it me or is Don averaging like 3 love interests an episode now that he’s single?). And why did it take me TWO episodes to realize that Betty’s new beau is played by Blake Bashoff, aka Lost’s dearly departed Karl? He was one of my favorite recurring characters!

Ellen

Okay, so I had a nightmare that every Mad Men episode this season was going to revolve around a holiday, and it made me really upset. Not that Matthew Weiner couldn’t potentially pull it off, but I suspect every holiday will cause a wave of similar behaviors: Don, feeling guilty over the divorce, will spend too much money and then do something stupid with a lady to get over his guilt. Everyone’s spouses will make a cameo. There will be seasonal decorations. So let’s hope next week’s trip to Acapulco isn’t quite so seasonal.

On this week’s Christmas episode, we unwrapped all kinds of secrets: Freddy didn’t die! Peggy’s boyfriend is kind of a dim bulb! Making his first appearance in season 4, Gene is no longer a baby! Okay, we could have guessed that one.

I really had thought Freddy was dead to us, though, and his reappearance suggests that no one in the repertory is gone forever. As a Sal fan, comforting news indeed. Secondary case in point: Creepy Neighbor Kid Glen, working at the tree stand with his stepfolks. (Tangent: I learned on Twitter today that the kid who plays Glen is Weiner’s son Marten. I’d love to have heard that kneeside chat. “Son, I’ve got a part for you in my project, but there’s a catch…”) When Glen hears that Sally Draper wants to move he decides to “help” by trashing the entire place, except her room. Bit weird, that kid, but a great way to deliver the information that Sally also wants out of Bullet Park Rd.

Peggy’s decision to let Freddy’s words get to her and sleep with her unremarkable man was disappointing, but not surprising; she’s still trying to figure out the kind of girl she wants to be, and we are right along with her. (I had at least a 30-second memory blank before I remembered her affair with Pete Campbell. It’s been a long time since then!) I’m disappointed and surprised, however, in Don’s decision to add his faithful secretary to his list of conquests. The excitement of seeing Don back in action was ruined by his ill-picked and ill-timed target, even if she was right there falling into his arms. Really, who didn’t see that one coming out awkward? Are we going to have to send Don to “the fraternity” too? At least he could have written a check.

BLOODY GOOD
Sayonara, Lorena
I saw an interview with Lorena’s portrayer Mariana Klaveno recently, and she seems like a sweetheart, so I’m bummed for her that she won’t be on this hit show anymore, but still, I can’t say I’m sad her character finally bit the big one. Just last week I lamented that the show needn’t keep characters around just because they appear in the books, and I’m happy to see that the writers are well aware of this as well. I haven’t read later books in the series, so I can’t speak to how Lorena was written there, but I was never fan of the character here. Now, let’s see, who else can I request the show stake? -D

Sookie’s Secret
Hm it appears the queen has a Sookie secret, that now Eric (courtesy of Hadley) knows. It seems I’m finally the tiniest bit intrigued by the queen…for the first time since her camptastic character arrived on the scene last season! –D

And More Sookie!
Sookie’s fairy dream world was a little cheesy (though certainly no more than most anything else on this show, and at least it’s more interesting than viking Eric flashbacks!), but I’m happy this show is plowing ahead into Sookie’s backstory. She has no blood type! Bill might still her light! Keep it coming… -D

Jason: Saved From Lamesville
As I said last week, I was looking forward to Jason getting to mix it up with the rest of the cast a little more this week. We got to see him and Hoyt again as the best roommates ever (I can only imagine the internet fanfiction fueled by the few minutes of Hoyt and Jason’s shirtless hang out timel), hitting up Lafayette for crystal meth (even if it was connected to this episode’s few mentions of, ugh, Crystal), and then standing vigil at sister Sookie’s bedside. If ever there was an argument that this show does better when it gets its core cast regulars together, it’s in Jason Stackhouse. -D

Russell
God help me, I love Russell. He’s a wonderful, awesome villain and I think he just founded Vampire Lutheranism. And frankly, given how dull and, well, unvampiric, those traditions seems to be it makes sense. I mean, why wouldn’t vampires take over the world? Other than laziness and in-fighting, which the seem to have in spades. Regardless, I am enjoying his villainy far more than Maryanne’s, especially as it’s clipping along well without taking too much away from Interesting B plots. -Z

A Week of Death
Even though some of these character losses make me sad (and some make me cheer), I appreciate how bloody and violent this week was. It’s a nice reminder that sure, Sookie is running through meadows tra la la laing about vampire, but there are very clear and present dangers and it’s wise not to forget that. -Z<

Tara’s Bill Hatred
Tara, for all the complaints her character gets lodged against her, has been rocking it this season with her badass plans and her not taking shit and now with her totally justified hatred of Bill. I mean, sure, she’s never been a huge vampire or Bill fan, but it’s nice to see that come back with her new take no prisoners approach. Because, frankly, if Sookie was my friend I’d be pretty damn worried too, especially after her supposed fiancée tried to kill her. Again. -Z

Summer and Hoyt
Ok, ok, so Jessica and Hoyt and still the most adorable couple, but while that relationship is clearly on hold, and while Hoyt remains adorable and awesome, I’m rooting for Summer. One, she has a good sense of humor, two she makes delicious biscuits, and three, she’s honest and upfront. Somehow, some way the show will manage to destroy her, but for now I’m enjoying the bit of, um, sunshine she brings to the show. -Z

Sam’s Southern Drawl Gets Drawlier
I don’t often praise Sam, because he gets stuck with boring plots and because he does ill-advised things like set a bunch of dogs trained to fight each other free. That said, I liked the extra twang his put in his voice to try and get into the dog fight this week–as well as the fact that he failed miserably in this attempt. -Z

BITES
Sookie’s Bedside Vigil
On the one hand, it was nice to see the gang together again, so to speak. On the other hand, Tara was kidnapped for how long (and Lafayette has been as well) and was anyone hovering over them and freaking out about their health? Is anyone doing so now with Tara, who is undoubtedly in need of some therapy? Maybe it’s because I’m not a fan of the Sookie as the center of the universe thing or because it’s becoming harder each season to buy her as being good friends with Tara and Lafayette, given how they all act, but their hand-wringing and tears failed to move me. -Z

The Death of Cooter
Granted, besides Alcide’s kindness to Tara and general “What do I have to deal with now” attitude, the werewolves have given us precious little to care about. However, Cooter was fun! I’m a little sad to see him go, even as it’s probably for the best. -Z

Oh Good, More Sophie Ann
I don’t hate Sophie Ann, but I’m not really sure why she’s not dead. Russell has made his disinterest in vampire protocol pretty clear, so it’s not like he would have qualms about killing her. And she doesn’t seem to have much worth, as a vampire. I’m not saying I want her dead (she’s been known to amuse me) but I would like a better reason for her to be sticking around with Team Most Entertaining Actors on the Show other than “because”. -Z

Vampire Power Struggles: Still Confusing
I’m still quire confused as to what’s happening with the kings and queens and magisters of True Blood. What does the marriage of Sophie Ann and Russell mean? Why did they need the Magister to sign off on it? Wouldn’t they have needed the Magister to still be alive so that he could SAY he signed off on it? It all makes my head hurt. Speaking of the Magister… -D

A True Death I’m Truly Sad Over
I’m sad to see the Magister go! I found Zeljko Ivanek (who also got killed off too early in his Damages run) to be a more interesting and believable villain than the king or queen. Tell me I wasn’t the only one squirming as he almost pierced poor Pam’s eyelids? They should’ve kept his deliciously evil vampire around! -D

Doggie Doo Doo
Let’s hope this is the last we see of Sam and family’s dogfighting storyline! Get back to Merlotte’s Sam! You can even bring Tommy with you so that he can bus tables and hit on Jessica some more. -D

Each week Dennis and I assemble a list of our favorite (and least favorite) moments for the latest episode of True Blood.

Join Scott, Robert and Paul as they talk about Inception, its perplexing critical reception and how it succeeds where so many other films haven’t this summer, and afterwards, a discussion of Paul’s recent Comic-Con experiences and how far-reaching the event itself has become.

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