Howdy, folks. Welcome back to our Mad Men roundtable. This entry comes a bit late thanks to the agency taking an extra classy four-day weekend. That is just how we do. Nevertheless, we had a lot to discuss with “The Other Woman,” one of Mad Men’s most powerful episodes ever. Cory: Gentlemen, I am full … Continue reading Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “The Other Woman”
Category: MAD MEN
Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “Lady Lazarus”
It’s that time again, folks. This is the Barker Chappell Daglas Reviewing Agency. It’s time to reconsider our life insurance policies and sleep with our favorite WB starlets, as Les, Andy and I take on this week’s great episode of Mad Men, “Lady Lazarus.” Cory: Welcome back, gents. I'm sorry. I said I was out … Continue reading Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “Lady Lazarus”
Recent plugs from around the web — Mad Men, House and more
As I think most of you know, this has been an extremely crazy, busy time for me. Content has been sparse around these parts -- something I promise that will change as early as next week -- but I've still been lending my voice to various television-related works over the last few weeks. I just … Continue reading Recent plugs from around the web — Mad Men, House and more
Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “Signal 30”
Hey all, it’s that time again. This Sunday’s Mad Men was one of the strongest the series has ever done, and the Barker Chappell Daglas Reviewing Firm is here to break it all down for you. Enjoy this, or Les will challenge you to a round of gentleman’s fisticuffs. Cory: Les, Andy: Welcome back to … Continue reading Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “Signal 30”
Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “A Little Kiss”
The world doesn’t really need three more 4,000 word opuses on Mad Men each week, so Andy Daglas, Les Chappell and I decide to combine our powers for the sake of good (and brevity). After each new episode of Mad Men’s fifth season, the three of us plan to exchange a bunch of emails about … Continue reading Barker Chappell Daglas Mad Men Roundtable: “A Little Kiss”
Showrunner Series: Ryan Murphy = Matthew Weiner (Except, you know, awful)
I received the book Prime Time, Prime Movers for Christmas and have been plowing through it over the last week or so. As these things go, reading a book about the big individual creative forces in television history has me thinking about contemporary writer/producers. Therefore, today, I debut a new occasional feature where I will discuss … Continue reading Showrunner Series: Ryan Murphy = Matthew Weiner (Except, you know, awful)
Quality television-by-the-numbers: On AMC’s continued misguided laziness
This is not a review for the pilot episode of Hell on Wheels. You see because I don’t think I could barely muster up more than 150 words about that initial offering. At the pilot stage, Hell on Wheels is dull, sloppy, clunky and generally trying to do way too many different things without accomplishing … Continue reading Quality television-by-the-numbers: On AMC’s continued misguided laziness
Season Finale — Mad Men, “Tomorrowland”
As someone who is coming to the Mad Men finale "Tomorrowland" criticism late, I feel as if there might not be a whole lot of value in me spewing thousands and thousands of words with my interpretations when there are so many great writers who have done an exceptional job since 11 p.m. last night. So … Continue reading Season Finale — Mad Men, “Tomorrowland”
Mad Men, “Blowing Smoke”
Penultimate episodes often make things really, really bad for characters, creating a world where there looks to be no hope. Even in a series like Mad Men where characters are not necessarily in mortal danger and when things have already been unraveling at a consistent rate, "Blowing Smoke" has no problems making things just a little worse. … Continue reading Mad Men, “Blowing Smoke”
Mad Men, “Hands and Knees”
Ed note: I'm currently with a laptop, so that's why there was no posting over the weekend, why this is later than usual and why there might not be any other posts the rest of the day. Sometimes Mad Men is more obvious with its thematic concerns, but in most cases, that's okay. If the themes … Continue reading Mad Men, “Hands and Knees”
Mad Men, “The Beautiful Girls”
The world of '50s and '60s advertising is certainly a boys club, and although things have been changing, particularly for Peggy, "The Beautiful Girls" goes a long way in suggesting that despite the advancements out in the world, the women of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are still being held down, either professionally or personally. A … Continue reading Mad Men, “The Beautiful Girls”
Mad Men, “The Summer Man”
In almost every piece of criticism I read about last week's fantastic episode of Mad Men, the writers wondered if Don and Peggy's night together signaled a turnaround for Mr. Draper. Well, I think "The Summer Man" answers that question fairly handily. Of course, it's not going to be easy for Don Draper, but it … Continue reading Mad Men, “The Summer Man”
Mad Men, “The Suitcase”
I've been taking some much-needed R&R over the holiday weekend, a little rest up that included a television without AMC. But I couldn't take it anymore when my Twitter feed completely blew up last night with hyperbolic praises for last night's Mad Men. I didn't read any reviews, but multiple folks were using phrases like … Continue reading Mad Men, “The Suitcase”
Mad Men, “Waldorf Stories”
"Waldorf Stories" is a really compelling hour of Mad Men and definitely the most enjoyable hour of the season, but I feel like there's an odd reason for that fact. I know that Mad Men isn't the greatest television program of all time, nor does it always present its stories in the most subtle of … Continue reading Mad Men, “Waldorf Stories”
Mad Men, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”
I'm actually glad that graduate school started today and I had more time to think about the latest episode of Mad Men, even if my opinion didn't really change with that time. Thematically, it seems like this episode wanted to discuss how people act out when they're still uncomfortable with some sort of new equilibrium … Continue reading Mad Men, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”
CORY BARKER 