Great Television

I've been catching up on some television series that I never watched in their initial runs. First it was Mad Men, which just finished up its third season, seasons one and two that I got from the library. This show is a critics darling, has earned numerous awards (most recently a Golden Globe for Best Drama), and is on many Best-of lists. While I do enjoy it, sometimes it's hard to watch, as women in the 60's were treated as so much less than their male counterparts. Also, the show is a slow-burn type of show; for anyone expecting lots of action, this is not your show. It takes episodes, and sometimes entire seasons, for something to play out, which I think is more true to life.

Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, is the star of the show, but sometimes it's hard to root for him when he's cheating on his wife....multiple times with multiple women. I'm most intrigued by the women on the show--Peggy Olson to be specific. She's a girl who wants to make it in a man's world, and at the end of season 2 she had this awesome scene with Pete that knocked the socks off of me. Watch it here, since it can't be embedded. Wow! Now that's great television. That scene is so wonderful, with no music or sound to manipulate the audience's feelings, just the actors showing real emotion.

And just this past weekend I rediscovered Lost, a show that I had watched during its first season but lost interest after that. I was always sort of aware of what was going on, and I even caught the end of Season 5. Saturday I had a marathon viewing experience which included The Constant. I could tell you about what's happening, but honestly, I'm even confused sometimes. Just watch this clip. Wow! Now that's great television. The actors are so great in this. I was brought to tears while watching it.

Last week there was this on How I Met Your Mother. Pure happiness and euphoria.