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Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 13 — “In Care Of”

9:41 pm: Don Draper's downward spiral concludes tonight! It's lucky episode 13 of Mad Men's sixth season, and what better way to finish up the year than with Don's hubris bringing about his ruin. OK, probably not, but we can dream. This season feels unfinished, with so much time spent reinforcing the concept that, yes, Don […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 12 — “The Quality of Mercy”

9:40 pm: Tonight's Mad Men episode description states, "Don takes a day off." This is atypical? Don takes off every day. He's taken off this entire season, leaving Ted Chaough to run the SC&P machine. This is a fine outcome, by the way, because Ted Chaough is a modern Renaissance man who has actually tried something with Peggy […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 11 — “Favors”

9:51 pm: Does Don Draper's fate matter? Mad Men fans talked the last week about whether or not Megan is already dead, and then whether or not Bob Benson is a spy. [And about the Red Wedding, too. The stakes seem higher during a civil war than on Madison Avenue.] But who's talking or thinking about Don right […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 10 — “A Tale of Two Cities”

9:30pm: Mad Men is rediscovering its fastball as Season 6 ends. After an excellent episode last week, tonight's episode has two interesting plot lines. First, will the SCDP/CG&C boys lose the Chevrolet account? Does Ken Cosgrove get run out of Detroit? The episode's title is "A Tale of Two Cities" and the episode's description includes the […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 9 — “The Better Half”

9:45pm: Joan Harris looks to figure prominently in tonight's new episode of Mad Men. And yes, tonight is a new episode, even though it's Memorial Day weekend here in America. Roger Sterling and Don Draper are (fictional) veterans, and at least one of them left the war with his real name, so it's somehow appropriate to have […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 8 — “The Crash”

9:45pm: Tonight’s episode of Mad Men is entitled “The Crash,” which is hopefully referring to Don Draper’s untimely demise. Well, given Don’s rampant alcoholism, perhaps his demise is overdue. After last week’s episode, all I want in life is for Mad Men to focus exclusively on the adventures of Ted Chaough. I want the Jon Hamm of The […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 7 — “Man with a Plan”

9:37pm: Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner is a man with a plan. This series must end in the near future, and Mr. Weiner is working devilishly to end it with Don as ruined as possible. The merger of SCDP and CG&C (Ted Chaough's agency) adds another creative mind directly in Don's own company, and Don's never […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 6 — “For Immediate Release”

May 12, 5:52pm: Wow, can you believe what Peggy did? I would find it plausible, but then again, I would find anything plausible, since I haven't watched Mad Men Episode 606 yet. I have heard rumors, though, of another loss in character continuity. Characters can evolve, but not like Peggy's apparently done. Writers these days… Anyway, I […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 5 — “The Flood”

9:45pm: It's been a special weekend for me. Saturday, my beautiful bride and I married each other. Today, we further our new marriage through America's best celebration of fidelity: Mad Men (note: my wife came up with that line.) Don Draper continues to be unfaithful, just as in previous years. In his personal life, Don has used infidelity […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 4 — “To Have and To Hold”

9:30pm: It's been a long week here in Boston. What's even the right word for a week of tragic events, all spread out over three cities? If Don Draper were around, he would have figured out the right label for the week's events, and then created a great commercial to promote The One Fund Boston, the […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episode 3 — “The Collaborators”

9:30pm: Tonight's Mad Men features Don Draper right where we like him: in a fresh affair, running through ad pitches to big companies, and drinking himself slowly into the grave. Episode 603 is titled "The Collaborators," and Don's collaborators continue to ignore him as he starts his downward spiral. The finances of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce have never been […]

Mad Men Live Blog: Season 6, Episodes 1 and 2 — “The Doorway”

8:40pm: Season 6 of Mad Men will almost certainly feature the ascent of Peggy Olson, the descent of Don Draper, and the improbable continuation of Roger Sterling's life. But with the death of Lane Pryce, the moral center (centre?) of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, to what levels of depravity will Don Draper fall? And yes, Lane was the […]

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