mad for jon hamm

My weekend spent inside was not wasted - I managed to watch all 13 episodes of Mad Men's second season, which is excellent, I can start the season with the opener on 8/16, which makes me very happy. So far, I'm on par with my summer shows.

The writing on this show amazing me. How many shows have a writing staff deep enough to pull off four of the five Emmy nods this year? (#5 belongs to Darlton and The Incident, but do they even have a chance?) Sometimes I'll watch a period piece and really feel that the character are just cut out of an old Time magazine, they look good but they are flat and not real, a pale comparison, a sad attempt at a xerox, if you will. The depth of the characters, the red blood that I can feel pulsing through their veins compels me to spend my entire weekend watching On Demand...Season Two was in my queue, but when I realized I didn't have to wait (I'm already trying to plow through Torchwood 1 & 2) I grabbed my remote. I'll still line it up in order to watch the special features, which if I remember correctly, were pretty fantastic on the first go round.

One of my favorite stack em up, knock em down devices was used at the beginning and end of a few episodes. Working with stars, I've always told my friends that they're just people, they put their pants on one leg at a time just like we do, granted, they might be $1500 pants, but pants just the same. I loved showing how everyone puts on a face and even more so, the wear and tear at the end of the day when that mask is pulled off. I think it started with Maidenform, but it wasn't just the girls with a little Decemberists sprinkled on top, we see the guys as well, with Pete's wife handling his cuff links. What made this most real was Joan's bra straps, when we think of her, we think of that figure, for her, at the end of the day, she feels the pain of that persona. Colin Hanks really drove that home - which is more identifiable when you think of him as a priest, taking off his clerical black and white, removing his collar before he sits on his bed on his undershirt, with his guitar. Sometimes, even a priest just wants to be a rock out to Peter, Paul and Mary.

I could go through each character, their growth, their turn down a path they don't want to take but must, but that could take me hours. What are my highlights? Of course, everyone wants to know about Don, who the hell is he? Meeting Mrs. Draper, the path that took us there was well worth the nailbiting. Peggy is my bright star - Elizabeth Moss plays her so well - you never really know if Peggy's just a little slow, too dry, modest, etc, etc, but she pulls that silk handkerchief out of her sleeve so well. Just when you thought she might cave, she slams Pete out of no where, reminds you that despite her little visit to St. Mary's, she's a woman who actually does know what she wants, where she wants to go and that although she's no Joan, she's still learning how to walk in heels - the need to know what to do to get there - she's working on it. Granted, she's no Joanie, and quite frankly, I'm really sad for her character, horrified, actually. But it's Joanie and we know that her true colors will come through and she'll be resilient after the Missile Crisis blows over on Monday morning.

My big question is whether or not Betty will string Don along...we know the cat in her can come out, it's just a matter of whether or not she's going to do that to Don as a pay back. Don can talk anyone into anything; was this the purpose of his letter? Was he really being honest with Betty that although she can find another life after him, that he cannot? I think he was, he's past the point of playing games, we've seen his hand, really know him now. Will Betty allow him to think that she was with AWESOME (how awesome was it that Awesome was her fling?!) before that night and the bump isn't his? Does Don's letter allow her to play out a game? Honestly, I don't think Don cares, he wants his family back, whether or not it's his. I think grasping her hand was his gesture that he will do anything to be with her and his family.

Seriously, just how beautiful is Jon Hamm? Although the SoCal heat knocked him out, he looked dashing in white with a tan. Please tell me I'm not the only one who cringed thinking that Father Gill was gonna try to get a little cozy with Peggy? Personally, I have a notion she's gonna start taking Communion again. Father Gill might be a little confused because she hasn't confessed to him, but I don't know what else you'd call her little one on one with Pete, other than a nice tail between his entitled little legs.