Black Sheep Does TV: MAD MEN Season 5

I am one of those people who only watches certain shows when they are released on Blu-ray or DVD. They air on television all season long and I play a fun little game trying to avoid all spoilers and the like, while they are dissected by the masses on Twitter and message boards. And in the meantime, I wait. I wait for months to go by in between releases and in the case of MAD MEN Season 5, I realized that I had waited a total of a year and a half to feast upon its brilliance once again. Having missed their original production start date for the fifth season of the AMC series, the four time Emmy Award winner for Best Dramatic Series was forced to make fans wait to find out the happenings at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The question is, was it worth the wait?

This year marks the first year since MAD MEN debuted in 2007 that it did not take home the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series. (That honour went to the fledgling season of HOMELAND.) The suggestion of course is that the series, created and still run by Matthew Weiner, is slipping. In the fourth season, we watched what felt like a very slow build that culminated in some very shocking and significant moments for the oh so fashionable cast. This fifth season was as stunning as always, as diligently performed as always and as poetically written as always but somehow, just not as memorable as always. There just weren't as many moments to mark the series this time around. Of course, this might be because a good chunk of the characters are depressed most of the way through the season. Pater Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) can't get comfortable planting roots in the suburbs, while Betty Francis (January Jones) gets too comfortable in the suburbs, putting on a noticeable amount of boredom weight. Meanwhile, the man at the helm, Don Draper (Jon Hamm, who has incidentally and questionably never won an Emmy for this role), doesn't even see that his new marriage to his former secretary, Megan (Jessica Pare), has distracted him from the fiery drive that once drew everyone to him.

MAD MEN Season 5 consists of 13 episodes and, even though I was thrilled to have everyone back in my living room, whether to watch Roger Sterling (John Slattery) go off on an LSD inspired enlightenment journey or just to see what Peggy Olsen (Elizabeth Moss) and Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) would be wearing each week, it felt as though I had episodes to get through to get to the end rather than my usual desperation to get to as many episodes as possible and inevitable depression when I realized there were none left. I will now have to wait another year or so to see how the series concludes (as the sixth season may be its last) and I'm sure by the time that time rolls around, I will be just as ravenous for more. The great thing about MAD MEN is that even if it falters just a little bit, it is  already so brilliant to begin with that it still remains a cut above everyone else.

FRIENDS WITH KIDS

FRIENDS WITH KIDS
Written and Directed by Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Ed Burns and Megan Fox

I don’t know if you’ve heard this one before but indulge me a moment. Couples, no matter how much chemistry they have, be that physical or emotional, will inevitably crumble to pieces when they bring kids into their lives. For years now, love and intimacy have been seen as the killers of freedom and individuality. Now, its time for babies to step in and bring their special brand of devastation to the cornerstone of American society known as marriage. Enter new comedy, FRIENDS WITH KIDS, from first time director, Jennifer Westfeldt, to either capitalize on or continue to perpetuate this modern notion.

FRIENDS WITH KIDS is a sharp, savvy comedy, set in what seems like the only place this story could take place, New York City. Two perfectly plutonic friends, played by the charmingly neurotic Westfeldt and the just plain charming, Adam Scott, decide to have a baby together when they see how their friends’ relationships have deteriorated after having them. They both want kids but they don’t want the disaster that comes with having them. Just look at their examples! To their right, they have Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig. They used to have sex constantly but post-baby, they can barely look at each other. To their left, Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd are drowning in diapers and despair. Can Westfeldt and Scott avoid the baby bomb that killed their friends? Though obvious counterpoints to play off of, this miniature BRIDESMAIDS reunion ensemble brings humanity to these characters, allowing them to be more real than they would have been in lesser hands. It may never get uproarious but Westfeldt provides her laughs with enough insight and heart to make them matter.

I know plenty of people who subscribe to this “Baby = Bad” theory and are putting off children specifically out of fear for what hell they will bring. That being said, I know just as many people who have children and who have become stronger families as a result. The truth of it is, and please keep in mind this is a truth spoken by someone who neither has children nor is in any position to have them anytime in the near future, that having children is difficult. It will place a strain on your relationship that may cause irreparable damage if you aren’t careful. If you survive the initial stress though, the strength derived from the experience is invaluable. And even though FRIENDS WITH KIDS is ripe with easy devices and tricks, Westfeldt (who incidentally wrote and starred in one one my favourite indies, KISSING JESSICA STEIN) is a clever enough writer to understand that even cliches have enough nuances of their own that separate them from the pack. From the way she takes care of her characters, you can tell this film is her baby.

Emmy Predictions - Drama Series

I'm saving the Comedy Series for last (or part 2) because since I actually tune in to the occasional TV scripted comedy show, I can relate to them better and assemble a small sense of excitement.  Also, I won't be predicting any of the directing, writing, or movie/miniseries categories.

The real nominations come out on July 14th.  So, here we go!  All my predictions can be seen over on GoldDerby.com, where you can conveniently make your own.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - DRAMA SERIES

• 1

  John Slattery  -Mad Men

• 2

  Alan Cumming  -The Good Wife

• 3

  Andre Braugher  -Men of a Certain Age

• 4

  Walton Goggins  -Justified

• 5

  Denis O'Hare  -True Blood

• 6

  John Noble  -Fringe

(There are a lot of possibilities for this category.  Broadwalk Empire has the possibility for a ton of slots, but given that wide field from the show and the fact it hasn't aired in forever, I think ultimately will hurt the show's supporting men.  Slattery and Cumming seem decent locks at this point, with last year's presumed second-place man and Emmy favorite Braugher close behind.  Three of last year's nominees aren't eligible this year, so I'm expecting some fanboy love to shine through for Fringe's Noble and True Blood's scenery-munching O'Hare.  Expect a slew of nomination for Justified, including The Shield alum Goggins).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - DRAMA SERIES

• 1

  Margo Martindale  -Justified

• 2

  Christina Hendricks  -Mad Men

• 3

  Archie Panjabi  -The Good Wife

• 4

  Debra Winger  -In Treatment

• 5

  Christine Baranski  -The Good Wife

• 6

  Kelly Macdonald  -Boardwalk Empire

(Emmy voters rarely like to change anything, unless it's season 5 or 6 of something.  That being said, I expect three of last year's nominees (Mad Men's Hendricks, The Good Wife's Baranski, and the winner Punjabi) to easily return.  All the ado over Justified is mostly focused on character-actor-savant Martindale, whom I expect to win and therefore be nominated.  In Treatment has been good to nominees in the past, and it may be hard to pass up a star like Winger on a ballot, though few saw the third season of this now-cancelled show.  And finally, if I expect anyone aside from Steve Buscemi to be nominated for Broadwalk Empire, it's Emmy-champ Macdonald.)


BEST ACTOR - DRAMA SERIES

• • 1

    Jon Hamm  -Mad Men

  • 2

    Steve Buscemi  -Boardwalk Empire

  • 3

    Michael C. Hall  -Dexter

  • 4

    Timothy Olyphant  -Justified

  • 5

    Hugh Laurie  -House

  • 6

    William H. Macy  -Shameless

(This category has gone to Bryan Cranston for Breaking Bad for the last three years, and luckily for these six men, AMC didn't air his show in the qualification window.  That being said, perennial nominee and also-ran Hamm should make a return, as should Hall and Laurie, all of whom have too often watched other walk away with an Emmy.  Of the last three slots, I expect one to go to newbie Buscemi, since Emmy voters love new series and movie stars.  During the nomination process, you have to be loved by at least a small voting body to be nominated, a qualification which Olyphant has, so I expect him to be a nominee.  Finally, Macy should fill out the final slot if anything because of his recognizable name.)

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA SERIES

• 1

  Elisabeth Moss  -Mad Men

• 2

  Kyra Sedgwick  -The Closer

• 3

  Julianna Margulies  -The Good Wife

• 4

  Katey Sagal  -Sons of Anarchy

• 5

  Mariska Hargitay  -Law & Order: SVU

• 6

  Anna Paquin  -True Blood

(For someone who doesn't watch these shows, this is an incredible boring category.  Marguilies and Sedgwick should be returning and contending for the crown alongside Mad Men standout Moss, who according to many, has a killer submission possibility this year with "The Suitcase."  Hargitay has been nominated just about every season since she joined the show, and has won in the past; her upcoming exit from the series should help her be spotlighted here.  With a Golden Globe win earlier this year, Sagel is a tempting choice on the ballot, and her show Sons of Anarchy has become vastly more popular this year.  Combined with her TV vet status, I expect to her to be nominated, because a small group love her work.  Finally, I'm predicting True Blood's Paquin to make it in the last slot, if only because I have a gut feeling about it.)

BEST DRAMA SERIES

• 1

  Mad Men

• 2

  The Good Wife

• 3

  Boardwalk Empire

• 4

  Game of Thrones

• 5

  True Blood

• 6

  Justified

(Well, this isn't the most predictable lineup.  I'm not buying The Killing talk whatsoever, but I could be totally incorrect on that front, and I'm feeling Dexter will be a disappointment this year after John Lithgow ran the table last season.  So, with those two out of the equation in my mind, that leaves the four frontrunners for the win, Mad Men, The Good Wife, Broadwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones.  Some aren't thinking Thrones has what it takes, but the buzz is there and you can feel it.  As aforementioned with Justified, the small, passionate fanbase will get it in.  True Blood made it last year, and I don't see why to bet against it this year.)

There they are: place your bets now.  So what do you think? Are my predictions totally crazy?