this is a post

A post where I post things. It's been since January since I last made a post of my own. So here's some of the things I've missed posting about or just have on my mind:

True Blood Season 5

• Yes, this is still a thing that I watch. 
• Yes, it's still as trashy and ridiculous and as not good as ever.
• Yes, I still kind of enjoy it for its trashy ridiculousness and cheesy badness.
• I think this season was better than season 4? Most of the seasons kind of run together for me at this point, but the main storyline with the Authority was pretty interesting and I even kind of liked the faerie stuff for once.
• I've come to the realization that Jason Stackhouse is the only character on this show that is always enjoyable and wonderful even if his storyline is horrible. Not that Jason's storyline was horrible this season (I can't even really tell you what his storyline was, tbh. Something about visions of his dead parents), but there are some characters who crumble under the weight of shitty writing (Tara and Sam come to mind). But not Jason. If he was just in every scene ever that would be fine with me. Seriously, gosh I love Jason.
• Speaking of Jason, the resolution of the Hoyt/Jessica/Jason storyline was the absolute best part of the season and one of the very few times I can remember True Blood ever making me cry! I've been really pissed at this show for what it did to Hoyt and Hoyt/Jessica, but the resolution was so beautiful and heartbreaking and if Hoyt/Jessica wasn't going to be endgame, than this is the perfect way to end it. Way to surprise me, True Blood!
• This is the most I think I've ever liked Sookie. Mostly because she didn't have a lot to do. Except get drunk and complain about her life. Which was kind of hilarious.
• Vampire!Tara was better than I expected, but Pam is starting to annoy me.
• THAT ENDING WAS SO RIDICULOUS WTF BEEL?! W T F.

The Legend of Korra

• Why do I do everything out of order all of the time?!
• I still haven't finished watching Avatar, but I watched this show because I was bored one Saturday morning.
• I liked it a lot! The animation style is gorgeous and the characters were really fun! Also, the action scenes were kind of incredible.
• I can't compare it to Avatar too much since I've only seen the 1st season of that show, but I liked how the characters in Korra are more grown-up. As such, the storylines seemed more sophisticated, especially with all of the politics revolving around the benders vs. non-benders.
• The look and feel of Republic City reminded me a lot of Fullmetal Alchemist.
• I have to say though, the finale was kind of disappointing. Hated how easily things got resolved for Korra.
• Bolin is definitely the best character.

 Game of Thrones Season 2

• Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
• I can't believe I didn't post about this season at all this year! Besides Breaking Bad, it was probably my favorite tv thing I experienced.
• I'm not going to say this season was better than season 1.  I think season 1 had the benefit of a more linear story to tell, so the episodes fit and ~flowed better than this season. But at the same time, I think season 2 was a lot more confident in its storytelling and was able to delve into the characters in more interesting ways.
• Season 2 definitely had more divergence from the book than season 1, but it was still quite faithful. There are a few changes here and there where I was wondering what they were thinking, but for the most part, I think they did a good job at the adaptation.
• And Clash of Kings is kind of a transition book anyways, so if some of the storylines were boring or didn't go anywhere, well...they were probably boring and didn't go anywhere in the book too (See: Daenerys Targaryen).
• Fucking hell, but I hated Theon so much in the book when I read it, but good lord, did they do a fantastic job on his storyline this season. You understood him so much more in the show and I genuinely felt badly for him on numerous occasions. Kudos to Alfie Allen and the writing for giving Theon so many more layers than I ever thought. Just thinking about his conversation with Maester Luwin in the last episode makes me want to cry.
• Speaking of Maester Luwin, his death and Ser Rodrik's probably affected me more than any death on the show thus far. Why are these minor characters making me love them so much?! I pretty much openly wept at Rodrik's execution (I'll never forget you Beard Burns!) and forlornly shouted 'noooooooooo' at the screen while Luwin was dying. Although maybe I was so affected because I can't handle seeing my little Bran-Flakes and Rickon-King upset (holy crap y'all, Rickon has lines! And that little actor is actually acting! And doing a really good job! Future King of Westeros!).
• All of the new actors were phenomenal. How amazing were Davos, Melisandre, and Stannis?! Every time Davos was onscreen, I think I screamed from joy.
• Every time Jorah has said 'Khaleesi' on the show.
• No lie, ever since the show was first announced, the thing I've most been looking forward to seeing onscreen is Jaime's storyline with Brienne from Book 3. And it's here! It's already here!!! And it's so perfect I could cry! In fact, I believe I did cry whilst watching the first scene they had together. He was being so mean to her!! It was so beautiful! :')
• LOOK AT ALL THIS BEAUTIFUL SEASON 3 CASTING! The Reeds, you guys! THE MOTHERFUCKIN REEDS! And Blackfish!!!!!!!

Mad Men Season 5

• I'm gonna be honest, I don't really remember a lot of individual things about this season.
• I do remember being kind of disappointed by it though?
• Maybe disappointed isn't the right word. I think I might just be losing my interest in it a bit.
• Because most critics are calling this the Best. Season. Ever. And I don't see it? 
• It was very good, don't get me wrong. Still one of the best things on tv, but eh...I think I miss Betty too much. And there was just too much Megan!
• I miss not feeling guilty about loving Pete. 
• I was reading through some of my old Mad Men posts and I was struck by just how much joy Pete brought to me. Even when he was acting slimy, I still found everything about him so utterly enjoyable. 
• It was HARD being a Pete fan this year. I still love him, but man, I was pretty disappointed with all of his choices.
• I realize that this is a very specific issue that probably only I have.
• The best (and probably worst) thing to come out of this season of Mad Men:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXoILGnHnvM.
• Actually, years from now I'm pretty sure that's the only thing I'm going to remember about this season of Mad Men.

Downton Abbey

• Here's a preview for season 3
• Season 2 of Downton Abbey was.....ridiculous!
• Sometimes in a good way, often times in a bad way.
• Mary/Matthew was still wonderful though.

Breaking Bad Season 5.1

• Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
• 'Whee' is probably not the right reaction to this show, but ahh I can't help it, I love it so much!
• This was the first season of the show I got to watch 'live' and it was awesome yet painful having to wait weeks between episodes.
• I loved the first half of Season 5. Absolutely loved it.
• I do think it started off a bit slow. But I think that's par for the course with this show.
• I think those early episodes work though because they felt like they were all leading up to that moment where Todd shoots that poor kid. Everything seemed to fall apart after that happened.
• And what a moment that was! I was so preoccupied with the train heist (which was awesome, btw) that I had completely forgotten about the kid on the motorbike from the opening scene. And then...
• The last 3 episodes of the season were amazeballs. It was kind of similar to season 4 for me, where the first part of the season was good, but kind of slow, but as soon as we got to the last 5 or so episodes it became truly amazing.
• This season further cemented my hatred of Walter White. I've hated him for a while, but seeing him in full Heisenberg mode made me loathe him. He's still a fascinating character and I love watching him on the show, but I really know that I can never root for him again (even though I pretty much knew that since the end of season 2).
• And a lot of that had to do with him killing Mike. Who was a character I always really enjoyed. Mostly because he was always so grumpy! But I felt like we got a lot of good Mike stuff this season and I really liked the relationship he had been building up with Jesse since season 4. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen, but I was still shocked at the reactionary way Walt killed him. Mike did end up getting a great last line though.
• If there's one thing I do think this season was missing was more Jesse-focus. Of course I'm always going to want more Jesse since he's my favorite. But I feel like in every season we are right there in Jesse's head along with Walt's and this time, we didn't get that as much. Or maybe I didn't like the direction Jesse was going in - obediently following all of Walt's plans to further the business. I think that's why I really loved the last 3 episodes because we got a little more from Jesse and what he was going through. We saw the toll the murder of the little boy was taking on him, and his ultimate decision to quit the business made me so proud of him! All of his scenes with Walt in the last 3 episodes were brilliant (and occasionally hilarious like that scene with the Whites at dinner), especially their fight in "Say My Name". Jesse is the one character I most want to be happy at the end of this crazy mess, but his life has been just one big tragedy and I'm afraid it's going to end that way.
• I love the notion that Hank is really the hero of the show, so the last scene of the mid-season finale was awesome! I think I was expecting Hank to find out in a "bigger" way, but that's why it was so great. It was very unexpected. I can't wait to see what will come of it!
• To end I'll start at the beginning. With a Walt with hair celebrating his 52nd birthday and buying a gun to do, well, we don't know exactly! But I love this glimpse into the future and I love that Breaking Bad is still taking risks in its 5th season. 
• Basically I just really love this show!

Haiku Recap! Mad Men 4.13 "Tomorrowland"

I'll admit I have been guilty of neglecting Mad Men on the blog, but no longer! In fact, I'm just in time to comment on...the season finale! Wait a minute. Season 4 is over already?! Say it ain't so. This season had so many intriguing plot and character developments that I never wanted it to end! And now, I have to wait how long until season 5, Matt Weiner and AMC?! My little Mad Men-loving heart can't take it. Summer of 2011 (or whenever season 5 will air) can't arrive soon enough. 

Anyways, in true Ashitaka's Angels fashion (we love making haikus here), here is a quick recap of Mad Men's season finale, "Tomorrowland," in haiku form:

To: Don; From: Everyone, especially Dr. Faye Miller

Oh, no, you didn't!!

She's just another escape.

Oh, no, you didn't.

A New Low, Even for Her:

She fired Carla?!

Little girl in adult's clothes.

No one's on her side. 

Oh, Wise Henry Francis:

Read from your tomes,

only adult in your marriage.

"There is no fresh start."

Can These Two Just Become Friends Now?!

The men around you

act stupidly; smoke your cigs,

BAMF Peggy and Joan.

Ode to Creepy Glen

I'm not creepy, really.

Can I have some of your hair?

Making Drapers move

Ode to Mad Men Season 4

SCDP's world

lights up my TV as does 

Jon Hamm. Come back soon!

Special thanks to guest haiku-maker, Lea, for her contributions to "Ode to Creepy Glen" and "A New Low, Even for Her." Snaps all around.  

Photo Credit: AMC

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETE

Hells Bells

Pete Campbell, you are

an advertising genius.

"Christ on a cracker!"

Yeah...

we're hot

Mad Men 3.11 "The Gypsy and the Hobo"

Before I get to anything, can I just say that the last line of the episode coupled with the look on Don's face coupled with the abrupt ending literally made me gasp aloud. I gasped aloud, shouted 'no!', and then started crying. This is what this show devolves me to.

And I'm not going to really go into this episode at all. I'm not going to talk about Joan or Sterling or anything else. I really just need to talk about Don and Betty. Because the scene where Betty finally confronts Don about his past is one of the best scenes this show has ever done. I have always had a love/hate relationship with Don, but Jon Hamm has always been amazing, and I have never felt it more than in this scene. Don is always so in control all time, that to see him so vulnerable, so lost, so....weak, was completely jarring, and Jon Hamm sold the hell out of all of his scenes. The stuff with Don's brother has always been so upsetting to me, and when Don started crying, I was close to bawling. There was so much emotion packed into every scene, I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Will I talk about this episode more later? Perhaps. Right now I had to get down my feelings about certain things, because I still cannot believe how amazing this show is. How is it so good? I thank God I started watching, because it truly is the best show on television.

Mad Men 3.10 "The Color Blue"

Because I'm kind of embarrassed that my flaily Kris Allen post is the only one that's been posted on here in a while, have a Mad Men post!

Yeah, not coherent again (read Master Sepinwall instead), so here's a bullet point list:

• Peggy! She. Is. Amazing. I could not stop saying 'You go, girl!' Her being so awesome and amazing though....setting up a departure to Duck's company where her talents will be more appreciated, perhaps? Hmm....

• I missed Pete. I also missed Joan and Sal. Saaaaaaaal!!!! Will we ever see him again?

• How do we feel about Miss Farrell? She seems like a nice lady, but I just hate how close she seems with Don all of a sudden. I feel like her story line with Don is a bit of a retread of all the other times Don's cheated. It's annoying. I am not happy with Don right now.

• Have I ever mentioned that I love Pryce? I could just listen to him talk all day. His accent is fantastic. Also, I just like him. He's a good guy.

• These British guys though! They're going to sell Sterling Cooper? What does that mean? What's going to happen? I'm concerned.

• Paul lol. I love all of the guys who work at SC. Paul, Ken, Harry, they makes this show what it is, and I love when each one gets a chance to shine. Or not shine in Paul's case, heh.
  

• Silver Fox (Sterling) used to be one of my favorite characters. What happened? He's so bitter now. It was Jane, wasn't it?

• Ok, can't hold it in any longer....BETTY SLZKFJD;LSADJFOWAIEJRSKLNCVSDF OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. OH. MY. GOD. Those were the exact noises I was making when she was looking through the box. Holy crap. This is big stuff. This is HUGE. Poor Betty. And she had to go with Don to the party too and act like everything was fine. I have no idea what's going to happen. I'm so scared. Oh my god...

I can't believe there are only 3 episodes left!

New. Favorite. Picture

My two favorite characters. How great was their scene together last episode?

LOL WAT?

KEN AND KENNETH. NOT EVEN GONNA LIE, THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE PICTURE :D

What can one say, but....

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111one

Yeah, that's all I got in reaction to the latest episode of Mad Men, "Souvenir". He reduces me to a flailing, fangirly mess.

So because I am unable to talk about the episode, watch this:

Mad Men 3.06: Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency: Reactions, Pt. 2/2

WAIT!! Don't read this yet!!

Ahem, before you read this part, be sure to read Pt. 1 of my reactions below this post.

Other thoughts...

Betty’s still an awful mother. The more she adores baby Gene, the colder she is towards Sally and Bobby. Especially Bobby. “Go bang your head against a wall. Only boring people are bored.” Poor Bobby. I foresee lots of therapy for him in the future.

And, though she is nicer to Sally, Betty doesn’t really understand the complexity of her daughter’s grief over (Grandpa) Gene’s death—i.e. when she misinterprets Sally’s standoffishness around (baby) Gene as mere jealousy and tries to pacify her with a note suspiciously ‘penned’ by baby Gene and a Barbie doll. I don’t blame Sally for throwing that Barbie out her window.

Anyways…I was delighted that this episode was very Joan-centric.

I know I could say it about almost every character on this show, but Joan is such a fascinating character to watch. She’s like…a witty super-hero, who can do practically everything. Even the annoying Mr. Hooker acknowledges in this episode that “Mrs. Harris knows everything…” I don' t know about you, but I still have trouble when people call her 'Mrs. Harris.'

Maybe (just maybe) the superhero thing is an exaggeration, but there is much to be said about Joan’s secret gamut of skills, which have been revealed to us over the past few episodes. Remember when she helped revive Peggy’s sad roommate ad off the top of her head? Or when she begrudgingly, yet beautifully, played accordion and sang for her pushy husband and his colleagues at their dinner party? Well, it turns out Joan’s hidden skills don’t end there.

In this episode, another one of Joan’s talents is revealed! Mainly, her ability to quickly patch up a man’s foot after it gets mangled by a John Deere’s tractor blades. I am convinced she is the 1960s female version of MacGyver. Geez, at this rate, she could probably become a surgeon more quickly than her husband--if she really wanted to. But, the thought has probably never crossed her mind (that's not meant to be an insult, it's just an assumption; her goals just don't seem to include being self-sufficient and single at this stage in her life).

It was difficult to see Joan burst into tears once MacKendrick made a toast congratulating her on her ‘new life’. A life that is falling shorter of her expectations every time she tries to move forward.

Despite all of her talents and charm, she seems to be getting ‘stuck.’ And it’s hard to surmise exactly who/what is to blame. On her own, she could be almost anything. Sometimes, I think that if Joan were transplanted into the present, this could be especially true. But she isn't. “If [she] only knew what was possible…,” right, Grandpa Gene? But then, I wonder: even if she did know what she could achieve, would she even want it? I’m not an expert on 1960s social thought, so I’m just gonna say I really don’t know.

Needless to say, she’s just pretty awesome. And how about that scene with her and Don?! Watching their exchange while they’re sitting together at the hospital was like beholding the king and queen of the universe (if said universe was Sterling Cooper). They are the greatest couple that never ‘officially’ was.

Another great exchange occured between her and Peggy. Though both women have shown themselves to be widely different in terms of goals/desires, they both seemed ready to wish each other the best, ready to effectively part in a nice tie-it-in-a bow way. And wouldn't you know it...just as Peggy was about to express heartfelt gratitude to Joan, the John Deere started veering out of control, and well, you know the rest... Mad Men is not a tie-it-in-a bow show.

Anyways, if you couldn’t tell, I loved this episode. It was crazy good. But, enough about what I thought.

What did you think?

*If you're in the mood for more commentary on this episode (that is also less rambly and far more coherent than I ever could be), be sure to check out Sepinwall's and TLo's reactions!*

Mad Men 3.06: Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency: Reactions, Pt. 1/2

“…that’s life…one minute you’re on top of the world; the next minute, some secretary’s running over you with a lawn mower.”

--Joan

First things first: Congrats to Mad Men on its Emmy wins last night!!! It deserved them, without a doubt.

Now, on to the reactions..

Twice. That's how many times I watched this episode because with Mad Men, one pass is never enough. Especially when an episode involves a guy getting his foot run over by a secretary driving a mower *inside* Sterling Cooper.

In short, this. episode. was. amazing. Here are some things I thought were interesting—it’s all kind of thrown together. You have been warned.

More changes seemed to loom ever closer for many in the Mad Men universe, and so did the uneasiness. One example--the crew over at Sterling Cooper being anxious about PPL’s sudden inspection of its American acquisition.

For a second there, it looked like the old order at Sterling Cooper would get phased out even more. For example, Guy MacKendrick, the charming young account master who had everything going for him (i.e. being attractive, suave, rich, intelligent, etc.), was getting set to take over. Lane Pryce, who was starting to grow on me, was on the brink of being shipped off to Bombay. Roger Sterling wasn’t even assigned a position after MacKendrick’s takeover. And Joan’s last day was going to be relegated to a non-event due to MacKendrick’s arrival. And then, I remembered…

Ken Cosgrove drove in on a John Deere at the beginning of the episode, and I thought...this can't be good...

Didn’t Chekov have a literary principle that says, ‘If a John Deere mower shows up in act 1, then someone has to drive it over someone’s foot in the next one?’

I felt really bad for MacKendrick when his foot got mangled, but, part of me was…oddly relieved that a) Bombay would not gain a snake charmer in Lane Pryce and that b) the order of the Sterling Cooper universe would not drastically change for at least one more day. I'll be honest--I mostly felt relieved about (b).

(Cont. in Pt. 2!)

Yo Bryan Cranston. I'm really happy for you and Imma let you finish...

But Jon Hamm is the greatest actor of all time.

OF ALL TIME


(yay yay yay to Kristen Chenoweth and Michael Emerson though)

Mad Men and True Blood: Bizarro world

In what alternate reality am I living in that Mad Men has a crazier episode than True Blood?!

Ok, ok, so Sam turning into a giant white bull and stabbing a Maenad with his horn, thus removing her heart and killing her is crazier than anything that happened on Mad Men, but I was certainly more surprised while watching the 4th episode of Mad Men, "The Fog", than watching the finale of True Blood.

I really did enjoy both episodes immensely though. Some thoughts:

True Blood

• The first half hour of this episode was awesome! It was crazy and scary and freaky and exactly what I want True Blood to be. The second half however...I understand wanting to have resolution, but there was a little too much resolution for my tastes. And some cliffhangers I didn't really care about.

• Some cliffhangers I do care about: Sam and his quest to find his real parents. I love Sam so much it's kind of ridiculous. I love that he's getting his own storyline again. Very intriguing. Also, Jessica/Hoyt. I do love them together. And the fact that they are having problems now makes me sad. Hoyt's mom is stupid, btw.

• Cliffhangers I don't care about: Bill. IDK, It's not just that I don't really like Bill, I just didn't really like the way the episode ended. Bill was gone and I kind of just sat there and went, "Oh...Ok". It was kind of anticlimactic or something. IDK it's hard to explain. I know he'll be fine next season anyways.

• There was about 1 minute there where I thought the show killed off Sam and I screamed and despaired and vowed to never watch again. I never thought I would say this, but thank you Bill Compton!

• There was a disturbing lack of Eric in this episode.
  

• I thought Jason shooting Eggs was kind of...dumb. The way that scene was shot was not good. LOL at me totally forgetting that Tara used to be in love with Jason though. According to this interview with Alan Ball done after the finale, this could potentially bring them back together.

• Yep, still in love with Michelle Forbes.

• And...yeah, still in love with Jason Stackhouse :D

Mad Men

• FUCK YEAH, DREAM SEQUENCES! I mean....what? That was some heavy stuff going on right there...and I loved it. I don't pretend to know what the hell I'm talking about when it comes to this show, but I felt like a lot of it was setting up Betty to accept her role in life. Betty is so unhappy all the time because she can't get what she wants. But this episode did seem to imply that Betty believed that the new baby was going to make everything better. She could accept her role as a housewife and take care of the baby and everything was going to be OK. Of course, by the end of the episode, we see that's probably not the case.
  

• "I left my lunch pail on the bus and I'm having a baby." Best line on this show ever yes/yes?

• LOVED the scene with Peggy and Don in his office. That little scene said so much about both of them and where the show might be headed and both of those actors are so good and...this show is the greatest show on television right now. Fo real.
  

• I enjoyed Duck's turtleneck.

• Let's talk about Pete. No, I cannot talk about Pete. Because to talk about Pete would be to flail around and keysmash incoherently. That is how great my love for him is. I just...Just...No, can't do it. My love for him cannot be textually rendered.
  

• And once again, Alan Sepinwall says it way better than I ever could.

I will miss you True Blood, but YAY more Mad Men! I think this might have been the best episode of the season so far.

This is a Pete Campbell Post

I wish I was smart. Mad Men is smart. Alan Sepinwall is smart.

So, instead of talking about the latest episode of Mad Men, "The Arrangements" (except to say: Hold your child, Betty! Jeez!), I'm going to post these:





Pete :D

incoherent ramblings for a sunday night of television

maybe I'll write coherently tomorrow, but today is not that day

True Blood 2.09 "I Will Rise Up"-
What is with the boring tonight, True Blood? Nothing happened in this episode until the very end. Except Eric. Eric happened. Oh, how Eric happened. I've always really liked the guy, but now? Now...I am full blown obsessively in love with him. He's hot, he's way better with Sookie than Bill, and he cried! He fucking cried at the end. He was in love with Godric! It was so strange to see him so vulnerable at the end. The man was bull blown weeping, and I was getting super emotional over the whole thing. I'll miss Godric too. Miss him A LOT (note to The Derelict, Godric is the potential actor playing Robb or Theon. He was killed off of True Blood this episode, which means his schedule is now open!). That was the only thing worthwhile this episode, since I'm choosing to ignore the creepy Sookie/Jason incestual conversation. What was up with that? Also, Sam needs to be in the episodes more.

Mad Men 3.01 "Out of Town"-
SAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! SAL! OMG SAL *cries* Poor poor Sal. He has always been one of my favorite characters. I cried for him in that season 2 episode when he realized he had a crush on Ken (and who doesn't? He was fantastic this episode), and I was so so happy when that (extremely forward) bellman started kissing him. At that moment, I didn't care that Sal was married, I want him to be happy SO badly...and then it was all taken away. He breaks my heart. Best part of the episode for sure. As far as the rest goes, Don...just, why? And Pete. Oh Pete....I was watching this episode with 3 people who had never seen the show before and they all couldn't STAND Pete. When I told them I adored Pete, they were so confused, heh. I'm still pretty confused as to why I like him so much, but he's always been one of my favorites. Even when he was acting like a little whiny bitch this episode, I still loved him. Pete! Also, get down with your bad self, Peggy!

MAD MEN SEASON 3

Premiers tonight! At 10 o'clock on AMC.

I just finished watching Season 2 on DVD in the span of a week. As much as I would love to go into every last detail, I find that it's hard for me to form words when dealing with this show. So, I will say this, Mad Men is the greatest show I've ever seen. I don't flail over it, I don't fangirl over it, I'm not obsessed with it. Heck, I probably wouldn't even say it's my favorite show, but it is certainly the most well put together television show I've ever seen. It's like a piece of art. I can just sit there and admire how absolutely brilliant it is. I feel bad for all the people who have never watched.

The cast is also ridiculously gorgeous and awesome



















So excited for the True Blood/Mad Men double feature tonight! :D

TV Season Recap Podcast Adventure!

Ashitakas Angels Podcast #3 - Ashitakas Angels

Long time no podcast, dear readers. That's right, Mind Grapes and I decided to do another podcast. This time around, we decided to do a sweeping season recap! Exciting, I know. We basically talk about all the shows we watched (in part or in total) and give our general impressions (plus bonus haikus! yay!). Just be warned, it's a long one. So, do whatever you need to do to settle yourselves in...grab your favorite beverage, pick your favorite chair, etc., and let the beautiful yet (hopefully) entertaining chaos that is an Ashitaka's Angels podcast overtake you.

ETA: Please ignore the random musical interlude around the 4 minute mark. Don't really know what happened there. Oh yeah...we're professional.

Mad Men Season 1

So I'm a little late on the Mad Men bandwagon, huh? Better late than never I always say! Because I'm really really glad I finally sat down to watch this show. I haven't been writing about my Mad Men experiences yet because it actually took me a while to get into the show. Compared to the other show I watched on DVD this year, Veronica Mars, where I would watch like 7 episodes in a row, Mad Men was different. Mad Men is a bit of a slow burn. It grows on you. I didn't realize how much I really enjoyed the show until I watched the end of the finale and cried out in frustration because I never wanted it to end.

From the very first episode I could see just how great of a show this was. The attention to detail, the rich characterization, the dialogue, everything about it was fantastic. I don't think I really started caring about this show however, until I really embraced the characters. I look at the episode "The Hobo Code" (which along with "Nixon vs. Kennedy" and "The Wheel" are my favorite episodes of the show so far) as the one which really dragged me into the show, because all of a sudden I felt truly immersed into these characters lives. Before that episode I spent so much time trying to figure all of the characters out, that I didn't realize that I never was going to figure them out. Not completely. Because they are just too complicated, and that's when I knew I couldn't quit the show. I cared too much about all the characters, even the ones I sometimes hated (I have a really strong love/hate relationship with Don).

I originally had written here a list of my favorite moments from the show, but of course, I ended up making it way too long and cut it out because all of my posts are way too long. Perhaps I'll make a separate post about them later, but for now, know that most of my favorite moments involve Betty shooting at birds, Don and Pete's rivalry, Sterling's softer side, Joan, Peggy/Pete, and any focus on the more minor characters (Sal, Harry, Paul, etc.).

I've still only watched the first season and I don't know when I'll be able to watch the second. Perhaps I'll just wait for the DVDs. Even so, Mad Men is a show I would recommend to anyone who likes good television, and really really awesome theme songs: