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Pop culture dispatches from the Great Lakes

Mad Men

Alex & Becky Talk About the 2015 Emmy Nominations

July 17, 2015 by Alex Bean Leave a Comment

Alex and Becky watch a lot of TV. Probably too much. But that means that they sort of know what they’re talking about when the annual Emmy nominations come out. For reference’s sake, Becky has seen most of the programs we talk about here. Alex has seen some of them. He may be talking out of his ass a lot more.

Comedy Series

Will Win: Right off the top, it’s worth noting that this might be the strongest set of nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series in Emmy history. The voters done good! They can follow up on that by giving this award to anything not named Modern Family. ABC’s mainstay has won this award every year since it debuted, which would make it six if it triumphs again. There’s a chance that it happens, since it’s the only series in this lineup that we would call “traditional.” But five seems like (more than) enough and its relative lack of other nominations points to the voters agreeing. We think Amazon’s freshman dramedy Transparent is in the best shape to finally take the crown.

Should win: Speaking of Transparent, it’s a really great show! Problem is, it’s not very funny. It’s essentially a half-hour drama that is handled with a light touch, which is enough to be called a comedy. Still feels weird to us, but we won’t yell if it wins. Our personal pick is another new show: Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. We love its screwball energy and the wonderfully committed performances from its regular cast. Worth giving a shout-out to Parks and Recreation, which got its second Series nod for its outstanding final season. It’d be great to see Pawnee get some long overdue recognition.

WTF?: Modern Family needs to be stricken from the ballots. It stopped being even passably entertaining in its third season and its Emmy success has gotten more grating every year since then. Another win would be deadening. [Read more…]

Posted in: Arts, Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Amy Schumer, Downton Abbey, Drunk History, Emmy Awards, Game of Thrones, John Oliver, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Costuming Mad Men from Beginning to End

May 19, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment

mm_end_frame-0-1280-0-1024

As Mad Men comes to an end, there are thousands of articles being written about “The End of an Era.” I’ve always been drawn to the costuming work that Janie Bryant has done on the series, because it goes above and beyond anything that other television shows are doing. I could write for days on each and every costume created for the show, but I’d like to focus on the journey that each of our main characters made from the first episode to the last one. While the characters grow and change, we can still see bits and pieces of who they once were ten years ago. [Read more…]

Posted in: Mad Men, Television Tagged: Costumes, Mad Men, Television

The End of an Era: Reflections on the Mad Men Finale

May 19, 2015 by Alex Bean 3 Comments
A fitting end.

A fitting end.

Alex:

Mad Men is over. This is still a difficult idea to process. When Becky and I did our binging re-watch a few months ago I kept trying to remember where and when I was as each big episode queued up on Netflix. I originally watched the premiere on a friend’s couch, because that’s where 20-year-old Bean lived in the summer between his Sophomore and Junior years of college. I caught up on seasons two and three in my apartment in Hyde Park in between sessions of frenzied Master’s Thesis writing. Season 4 was in a crappy starter apartment. Season 5 was in a high rise I always sort of felt like a tourist in. I moved in the middle of both the 6th season and the first half of the 7th. On Sunday night, I watched the series finale from the living room of the grand condo that Becky and I bought six months ago. [Read more…]

Posted in: Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men, Television

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Seven – Part One

April 3, 2015 by Alex Bean Leave a Comment

mm-S7-KeyArt-2Sheet-1024x768-post

Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing. [Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Drama, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Six

March 25, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment

248e8396-MM-S6-explore-980x551-cleanMad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing. [Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Five

March 16, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment
Best. Shot. Ever.

Best. Shot. Ever.

Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing.

[Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men, Matthew Weiner

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Four

March 9, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment

madmen1Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing.

[Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Three

March 3, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment

mm-season-3-key-art-590

Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing.

For Season 3, we decided to just chat about what stuck out for us. Not gonna lie, it was a little hard to parse because this is our third season in as many weeks. Was Don in California this week? No? When was that? Oh! [Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season Two

February 24, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment

mad-men-cast

Alex:

One of the most consistent qualities of Mad Men is how deftly it weaves its characters and their story into the larger historical narrative of the 1960’s. I remember when the series debuted there was some worry that the narrative might developed what I’ll call Forrest Gump Syndrome: the tendency to artlessly insert the characters into gigantic historical events. Maybe I just play Assassin’s Creed too much, but that type of story is a dark and dangerous hole from which no compelling story can emerge. It asks too much of the viewers’ suspension of disbelief and often robs the characters of their agency within the narrative. So it’s always a welcome relief to watch Mad Men and revel in how well it handles history. The approach is usually two-pronged, and I think season two gives us solid examples of each. [Read more…]

Posted in: Arts, Becky's Been Bingewatching, Drama, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men

A Becky’s Been Binge-Watching Special: Rewatching Mad Men Season One

February 16, 2015 by Becky Bean Leave a Comment
Mad Men

They all look so young!

 

Mad Men will begin airing its final episodes on April 5th. Both of us Beans have been fans of the series since it premiered way back in 2007, so we’re going to re-watch one season per week before the final season begins. Each of us will put together their own reflection about what makes each season special, and what aspects stick out on the umpteenth viewing.

For Season One, we decided to concentrate on the pilot episode. Becky will dive into how the costumes instantly establish the personalities and aims of the major female characters. Alex will examine how the pilot’s plot sets up the series’ main themes for the long run. [Read more…]

Posted in: Becky's Been Bingewatching, Mad Men, Television Tagged: Mad Men
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