Mad Men - Season 5

I didn't get to watch the 2 hour premiere live last week because I was attending the J Street conference (that's my story - I was actually watching The Hunger Games with my friend Suzanne).  So I watched it On Demand during the week.  I had read a few reviews, and they all said the show was terrific; one said there was "something for everyone" (meaning every fan).  So I was shocked at how inert and almost boring the premiere was, especially the first hour.  There was a few good scenes (Joan and Lane, toward the end of the second hour, was the best), and I loved the race story line, which was pretty bold.  But overall I was very disappointed.

I almost didn't watch this week's episode live, because I was completely unenthusiastic, but the kids were settled, and I didn't have any excuse not to.  I was utterly thrilled.  I found the episode delightful - Roger being Roger, Peggy having several terrific scenes, and even the much reviled Betty creating scads of empathy, so unexpectedly.  Now I'm properly excited for the season.  But I'm still scratching my head over "A Little Kiss."

Side note: Watched the final episode of Shameless on Showtime right after Mad Men; terrific show and I'll miss it until it returns in 2013.  Also watched the last episode of House of Lies, also on Showtime; if Don Cheadle isn't nominated for an Emmy, he will have been utterly robbed.  Despite being a bit raunchy for my taste, it's a great show, and he's just a pleasure to watch.  Over the weekend, I watched the season finale of Whitney (on NBC), a rare network comedy that I've really enjoyed (not sure why they're wrapping up their season so early, but at least they had a full 22 episodes, unlike cable series, which rarely have more than 13).

Shows to start watching now: The Killing (on AMC)- Larry has been watching the first season and says it's terrific; Touch (on Fox), which is getting rave reviews; Awake (on NBC)- I watched the first episode On Demand and really enjoyed it;  The Big C (on Showtime)- I watched the Season 1 premiere on the airplane during our trip and was impressed; maybe Magic City (only 8 episodes in the first season!), which is another period show and has a great cast (on Starz).  I also have to catch up on Smash (on NBC), which isn't amazing, but it's a nice adult show, with some excellent acting. I also have to catch up on In Plain Sight (on USA), which just started its fifth and final season in March; I thought the show was getting a little stale in Season 4, but it's still better than most of the stuff on TV.