Bones 100th episode news

Rumours from Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly last month suggested that the 100th episode of Bones was going to flashback to the first case that Brennan and Booth worked together where everything did not run exactly very smoothly, well Ausiello has now confirmed that this has been given the green light. In the pilot of Bones it was made clear that something had occurred in this first case that made Brennan not want to work with Booth again and it will be great to see what the writers will come up with as to what created this apparent early dislike of one another. Stephen Nathan, an executive producer on the show also revealed that:

“We’ll also see the introduction of Angela and the genesis of her friendship with Brennan. And we’ll try and work in a Smurf reference, of course. They certainly have been absent from season 5 so far.”

It has previously been mentioned that David Boreanaz will direct the episode, so I think it will be a pretty special affair, I can't wait.

Mad Men- The Gypsy and the Hobo

Holy wow, what an episode, spoilers ahead for season 3 episode 11

This season of Mad Men has really kicked in to hyper drive and it is hard to anticipate what is going to happen in the final two episodes of the series after this humdinger. I was really expecting the confrontation between Betty and Don regarding what she had discovered in his desk drawer to not occur so soon, so it was a shock when it did happen, but the fact that it did happen so soon did not take away from the tension of the scenes, from when Don walked in to a seemingly empty house until Miss Farrell slinked away in to the night I was on the edge of my seat. And the fact that Miss Farrell was sat in the car just a few feet away from the Draper house made these scenes even more on edge, would she come to the house wondering where Don was? In the end she waited for who knows how long before going home, painfully aware that whatever had occurred in the house meant the end for their tryst, no romantic getaways for them. Although somewhat to my annoyance when Don did ring her to explain his absence he only said that it was over for now, suggesting that the door could still be open for their affair.

Prior to Betty confronting Don we saw her at her fathers house, sitting at his desk taking command of her situation, asking the family lawyer for some advice regarding the situation she is now in with Don after finding his secret box and to her dismay (and mine) all he offered her was a reason to stay with Don, he is a good provider and divorce is hard to get if you are a woman in the 1960s unless adultery can be proven so she should just try and make do with staying married to Don. This answer thankfully does not stop Betty from confronting Don with what she knows and thankfully she does not give up or give in as we might have expected her to, Betty Draper is strong willed, and though there have been many moments where I have wanted to shake her to stop being so passive it was wonderful to see her take control with Don.

The role reversal that occurred from when Betty thrust the desk keys on to the table and Don realised that she knew the truth was wonderful to watch, with Don being reduced to a figure who looks like he is about to lose everything (much like he did last season when we saw Anna Draper call him out on he was at the car dealership). Jon Hamm is a joy to watch normally but in these scenes he really surpassed himself, from stumbling in to the kitchen realising that his 'perfect' life is over, when he dropped his cigarette on the floor and struggled to pick it up it became apparent that his cool exterior had really been shattered by Betty and what she had found out. Betty was definitely the commander in this conversation, knowing that her husband is good at selling anything she called him out on this, also noting that he has been lying to her every day. When baby Gene started crying and Betty went to attend I really thought that Don might do a runner, with so many doors to escape in to, however we see him pick up the box of evidence of his previous life and go in to the hallway.

Don takes the box to the bedroom, this is where he spills the secrets from his past life that he has tried so hard to conceal from everyone in his new life (though as Betty notes if he had really wanted to keep it secret then why would he leave it in their house). I was half expecting him to fudge some of these details with the only lie he really tells is saying that the army made a mistake about who he was, when in fact he was the one who enabled this mistake by switching dog tags, though this is a lie I can let him tell, would Betty really want to know that about him. Although he also says that he asked for a divorce from Anna when he first met Betty, this she calls him out on as the divorce decree was only three months before they were married, I guess he said this to make the whole thing appear to be romantic. He reveals everything else though, why he helped Anna, where he came from, that he is the son of a prostitute and that he was from a family that was very poor. He finally cracks emotionally when Betty asks her about Adam, and he even reveals that Adam killed himself and he contributed to this by sending him away so not to ruin his Don Draper life, this break in Don endears him to Betty and to me as recently his actions have seemed more deplorable than normal and it is good to see his emotional side rather than his charm and arrogance. As I have said already Hamm is amazing in these scenes but props must also be given once again to January Jones who in these scenes also goes through a transformation of emotions and performs incredibly with her co-star.

I hope that after this reveal that the Draper marriage will get stronger, now that Betty knows the real Don can they make a success of what they have beyond the exterior which seems to be perfect whereas it is actually deeply flawed. Though with Miss Farrell around the corner will she rear her head before the season is out?

The other stories in this episode of Roger and his former (first?) love Annabelle and of Joan and her not so hot doctor husband Greg were also pretty fabulous. First it was nice to see both Joan and Roger with plenty of screen time, even with the two of them reconnecting over the phone with Joan asking Roger to help her find a job that is not back at Sterling Cooper (boo, I really miss her round the office), the chemistry between these two even crackles on scenes on the phone and I hope that this isn't the last we see of these two together this season.

Joan in this episode was being the supportive wife that Dr Rapey really does not deserve, she helped prep him for his interview, giving him great advice and support that he neither listened too nor used in his interview that he says he crashed and burned in (though would you really want someone so introspective as your psychiatrist?). Though what followed this whining had me cheering at the screen, with Joan picking up a vase of flowers and smashing it over his head (the gif for this can be found here). Greg after this buys Joan flowers to apologise for how he has been and then reveals that he has joined the army, will this be how we get rid of Greg when he hopefully gets sent to Vietnam?

The Roger and Annabelle story revealed that Roger was once a man that had been ditched in favour of another and that this event was an important one in the making of who he has become and it was interesting to see him turn down is former lover because he is married. I don't really take this to be the reason though I do think that in this early stage of his marriage to Jane he does not want to return to his usual adulterous ways but he also does it out of some place of revenge, revenge for having his heart broken over twenty years ago. Annabelle declares that Roger was the one, he states that she isn't but is Jane really the one for him? I would like to think not, that his perfect match is Joan, a woman who really is his equal, but is she too strong willed for him, would he just like a continuing flow of Janes until his ad man lifestyle gets the better of him?

The funniest line of the episode came from Peggy during the focus group regarding the dog food that Annabelle's company was trying to re-market, when the group started complaining that the food was made of horse meat Annabelle demanded that it was turned off, Peggy responded to this with: "I can't turn it off. It's actually happening." I wonder how many of these characters wish they could turn off what is actually happening to them?

Zooey Deschanel in Bones

So finally after several mentions that Emily Deschanel's sister Zooey would star in an episode of Bones, it has been confirmed that she will appear in the Christmas episode which will air December 10th. Zooey will be playing Brennan's previously mentioned cousin from Minnesota and I am really looking forward to how they will work this in to the show. I am a huge Zooey Deschanel fan (I think Emily is pretty great too) and have liked her  since way back when Almost Famous came out and have followed her career since. I hope that this will be a great Christmas episode as the first episode of Bones I saw was the season 1 Christmas episode and it got me hooked.

Mad Men- 'The colour blue'. What do you see?

Spoilers for episode 3.10 'The Colour Blue':

Wow, this episode has opened up many possibilities for what could happen at the end of the season and the central theme appeared to be have things actually are versus how people perceive things to be. This topic is first broached with Don in bed with Miss Farrell (a story line that bothers me but seems important in the overall nature with Don and how he behaves with women), she recounts how one of her students asked whether the blue that he saw was the same blue that everybody saw. Don waxes lyrical stating "The truth is people see things differently, but they don't really want to." This sentiment applies to much of the programme with the whole nature of advertising being about creating something that is something that everyone is wanting, desire is key to selling to the masses. This sentiment also applies to many of the characters, you could really pick any one of them to reveal how they see things differently but don't want to state this, it could also be a sentiment for how characters feel that they should be perceived even if that perception is false.

This leads to the central point of action in this episode, where an act of carelessness leads Betty to discover what Don really keeps in his desk drawer and how this will blow her perception of who he is out of the water. The moments preceding her finding the key and as the audience and Betty both waited for Don to come home were some of the most tense that I have seen this show produce, what would she do when he got home? Well he never did come home, so Betty defeated returned the key to the dressing gown pocket and put the box back in the drawer and retired to bed. Now the scenes between these two will be fuelled by more than just the audience knowledge of who Don is but also with the bits of information Betty has learned from his Dick/ Don box. The final scene at the Sterling Cooper party was one where most of the room perceive Don as a man with everything; a great job, a beautiful and loving wife, and a boss who really likes and respects him, the truth of this is obviously completely different, he is a man who despite 'having it all' is still not satisfied and still does not know who he really is.

I must say also after my previous piece on January Jones that once again her performance as Betty Draper was fantastic, from before her finding the key to pretending that she was only feeling unwell to the anxiety that she demonstrated whilst preparing her self in the bathroom before the party, to her look of resolve yet disdain at the Sterling Cooper party toward Don and the wonderful words that were used to describe him.

Other actions that got set in motion, Sterling Cooper is up for sale and only Lane Pryce is aware of this, will he reveal this information to Roger or Bert so he can stay in New York (despite his wife longing to return to London) as he has done such a good job there or will he remain silent. Will this sale mean that Joan and Sal will both come back? I do really hope so as both have been missed (even though Sal has only be gone for this episode).

The Paul and Peggy scenes were also a treat and it was great to see that Paul finally 'got' Peggy and that she is talented, hopefully we will get to see them working together in a more positive way in future episodes.Also on the point of Peggy it will be great to see if she has had any further contact with Duck and what this might mean for her future, though I really want to see some more scenes with her and Pete and whether there will be any more fall out from her baby revelation at the end of last season.

Overall that was a brilliant episode and I'm really excited as to where this season is heading.

January Jones in GQ

Photos have just been released from January Jones' November GQ cover shoot which seem to be mixing in the 60s background with a modern twist (as well as a severe lack of clothing):

However one of the highlights of the interview is that she was highly motivated in becoming an actress due to negative comments made by her boyfriend at the time (said boyfriend being a certain Ashton Kutcher):

“The guy I was dating when I first got to L.A. was not supportive of my acting,” she says. “He was like,I don’t think you’re going to be good at this. So—fuck you! He only has nice things to say now—if anything, I should thank him. Because the minute you tell me I can’t do something, that’s when I’m most motivated.”

I like that she has certainly proven him wrong, she is a good actress and despite Betty not being one of my favourite characters on the show, I can certainly appreciate how Jones portrays the bored and melancholic housewife. Last weeks episode (The Souvenir) demonstrated the dichotomy of the character, how in Rome she is so happy at being able to live a life of glamour, but on returning home the facade drops and she returns to being the apathetic person that she was before, the mother and housewife who is not equipped emotionally to deal with household issues such as Sally and her temper. This is further reiterated in this weeks episode (Wee Small Hours) when the affair that she thinks will bring her some kind of happiness brings nothing but bad feeling, it is not the romantic entanglement that she expected, it is just 'tawdry'. I'm definitely looking forward to what the rest of the season will bring for Betty and I am glad that January Jones has had this success and proven bad ex boyfriends wrong.

Chuck returning early?

So on the back of getting my Chuck season 2 DVD yesterday, there is the good news that Chuck may be returning sooner than expected, from Ausiello Files blog:

“How much sooner” you ask?

As early as late October, my moles tell me. And while it remains unclear whether the little show that could (and has andshall again) would return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes are calling this season the best yet."

This is very good news and as NBC has had some under performing shows (and some shows that they cancelled before the new season got a chance to start- see Southland) hopefully Chuck will get a order beyond the 13 episodes that it already has. Chuck is a definite favourite of mine and I would welcome as many episodes as they can get and hopefully this season there won't be the fear of cancellation, just got to hope that NBC market the show right and give it a decent timeslot on a decent night.

Don Draper vs Jim Halpert

So in light of Don Draper topping the poll of AskMen.com 49 most influential men of 2009 I stumbled upon a Newsweek blog from August entitled 'Why the Ladies Love Jon Hamm of Mad Men' which upon reading raised an interesting topic that woman would rather fantasise about Don Draper from Mad Men than Jim Halpert from The Office. The article states that:

"Why are we so wild for Draper? By any measure, the character's a cad. He constantly cheats on his wife. He skips town for weeks and won't write or call. [...]  And yet he excites an attraction among women—particularly ones my age, women in their late '20s and '30s who were born after the era that Mad Men portrays—that seems unmatched by any leading man on television today, with the possible exception of Lost's con artist, Saywer (another strapping scoundrel with a deeply troubled soul)."


And:


"After all, we don't believe in that evolutionary "me Tarzan, you Jane" nonsense anymore. We're supposed to want men who are sensitive and respectful; men who emote and help around the house, and talk openly about their feelings. And we do want these things. Don't we? So then why are we fantasizing about Draper rather than Jim from The Office?"





So where do I stand on these thoughts and why should they matter any way. Well firstly, yes Don Draper is a desirable character despite all of his many flaws, which is why it does matter that women are attracted to him in spite of these flaws and why it matters that he has been voted by men as the most influential man of 2009.  Does this in turn make the actions and behaviour of Don Draper considered acceptable by both men and women? I think the majority would still say what he does is deplorable and he is just a figure of fantasy, he is the kind of man that you would have an affair with rather than a relationship (the Newsweek article concludes with this summation as well "So we lay it out very clearly: we don't want to wed Don Draper. We know madness that way lies."). They also lay this out so men don't think that that is what women actually want, who wants a generation of men who think that it is ok to cheat your way through everything. 
So then comes the point as to why Jim from The Office would not be considered a figure of fantasy because he is what is considered to be an ideal modern man, someone who cares about his fiance (wife by tonight- hopefully) and is not ashamed to show these feelings, but this is one area of the article that I disagree with and it might be because in most TV shows it is always the slightly dorky characters that are my favourites, not the leading brooding man. Characters like Charlie in Lost, Dr Reid in Criminal Minds, I prefer Sylar when he is Gabriel glasses included, Will Tippin in Alias, Hodgins in Bones, Greg in CSI, I even have a weird thing for Andy 'the 'Nard Dog' in The Office and don't even get me started on Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Now I know that these guys could be considered good looking in one manner or another but they are on programmes generally where there is an alpha male, who broods and gets the girl. So it would seem that I would definitely choose Jim over Don. Oh and in the debate of which Chuck I would choose between Chuck Bartowski (Chuck) and Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl) it would be Bartowski every time.
Even with Mad Men, I think Don Draper is great (but terrible at the same time) but I am actually a huge Pete Campbell fan (though not in the same way I think of Don), I just find his character so compelling because most of the time he can be a major douchebag but also because there is the conflicted side of him where he just doesn't know who he and how he should act. Although after last weeks episode I hope that we see some positive action from him, as he stepped way beyond the line of what is morally acceptable, but such is the power of the writing in Mad Men that there are no black and white characters.
At first when reading the article I was thinking 'Of course I would choose Jim over Don' but after writing this and thinking about it my answer becomes less certain, I know which one I would want a relationship with, that's easy but who would I choose (and the feminist in me is not happy that I am even asking that question)?