Mad Men Season 6 Episode 7 Deconstructed

by: L.P. Hanners

Join us for an in-depth look at the John Slattery directed “Man with a Plan”……

”Whatever that relationship is about (Don and Sylvia) is a lot of what the season is about” -Matt Weiner

Following last week’s game-changing episode, “For Immediate Release”, we knew we were going to be spending some time picking up the pieces. We knew layoffs were immanent, and we knew there would be way too many cooks in the kitchen. What we didn’t know is how the gang from CGC was going to be received walking into SCDP, particularly Peggy. What we also did not know was the name of the new company. And after this week’s episode, entitled “Man with a Plan”, we are still holding our breath awaiting that answer……

Posted on May 14, 2013 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

Mad Men Season 6 Episode 6 Deconstructed

by: L.P. Hanners

A business-centric ensemble episode forever changes the landscape of SCDP. “For Immediate Release”….

This week’s episode of Mad Men was an unadulterated barnburner. The first series of scenes felt like a dream sequence, thrusting us into the action so swiftly we hardly had a chance to strap in for the ride. So much has occurred since last week’s episode: SCDP was preparing to go public, Peggy and Abe are settling into their new Upper West Side digs, Roger – finally thrust back into the spotlight – is carrying on like a horny teenager with a stewardess (and invaluable informant!), and everyone’s favorite mother-in-law is back in town. This was merely the beginning, as last night’s episode was easily the most deliberate episode of the current season, not to mention the flat out sexiest.

Posted on May 7, 2013 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

Mad Men Season 6, Episode 3 Deconstructed

by: L.P. Hanners

We continue our weekly Mad Men recaps with a look at the Jon Hamm directed “The Collaborators”…..

Why was this episode entitled “The Collaborators?” A thought which deserves some examining. The entire episode is about the arrangements that people are having, or have had. Besides the surprisingly intense explorations of the sexual misadventures of Don and Pete (which we will get into soon enough), the episode gave us more flirtatious telephone conversations between BFF’s Peggy and Stan. The relationship here appears important to Matt Weiner, and thus to us, and we can expect it to go places, either professionally or personally. The scenes are a refreshing enhancement of their relationship over the past two seasons. We’re seeing both of them at their best when they’re talking to each other. They miss each other, and it’s great to see a relationship happening on this show, sexual or not, that you don’t have to be skeptical about – an idea dampened the moment Peggy’s boss Ted pushes her to make a run at Heinz after overhearing one of these late night gossip session. These scenes bring the entire experience of the show to the forefront, and into perspective, as it’s just Stan dishing gossip to Peggy, who’s more than all ears. They are, so to speak, just talking around the water cooler, much like our discussion here today…..

Posted on April 15, 2013 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia Season 8, Episodes 9 and 10 Deconstructed

by: Douglas Grant

Our weekly recaps CONCLUDE recapping the adventures of five of Philadelphia’s most depraved underachievers in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’. Pull up a stool at Paddy’s Pub as we let you in on “The Gang’s” adventures….

The Gang Dines Out

Mac and Dennis have a monthly dinner, usually at a five star restaurant. But this must be a fairly new routine, because Mac is excited at the prospect of seeing a waiter fall down and spill spaghetti sauce on himself, and this, to Dennis, is not classy. Frank and Charlie are at the same restaurant to celebrate their anniversary, sporting coats like cloaks to the tune of old country Italian music. Mac and Charlie, each in their respective pairings, want to combine the groups. But both Frank and Dennis are dead against it. Like father, like son; both will wait until the other approaches their table to “pay tribute”.

Sweet Dee is dining alone. She too is waiting to be paid tribute.

Posted on January 9, 2013 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 8, Episode 5 Deconstructed

by: Douglas Grant

Our weekly recaps continue discussing the adventures of five of Philadelphia’s most depraved underachievers in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’. Pull up a stool at Paddy’s Pub as we let you in on “The Gang’s” adventures….

The Gang Gets Analyzed

It was 11:00 AM on a Thursday when Sweet Dee told her therapist that she wasn’t a dermatologist, and therefore had no business talking to her about her psoriasis, even though it may be an indication of a deeper issue. Dee wanted to talk about the cooperative dinner she was encouraged to have with the boys so that they might work out some of their deep seeded issues. More specifically she wanted to assign the role of who should have done the dishes that night. This transitions into psychoanalysis where the entire gang gets therapy in one-on-one sessions.

Mac: He goes through wild mood swings in very brief and violent spurts here. When he explains this to the doctor, he includes his weight fluctuation of late. This is our opportunity to learn how he lost all of that fat. When he confides in her that people used to cross the street to avoid “that monster coming barreling toward [them]”, she assumes it’s the pain and insecurity of being overweight that’s troubling him. But he’s more distraught over losing all the mass he’s spent so much time cultivating, leading her to conclude that he’s suffering from reverse body dysmorphic disorder, where he’s unable to perceive himself as others do.

Posted on November 10, 2012 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia Season 8, Episode 1 Deconstructed

by: Douglas Grant

The first of our weekly recaps where we discuss the adventures of five of Philadelphia’s most depraved underachievers in ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’. Pull up a stool at Paddy’s Pub as we let you in on “The Gang’s” adventures…

The show came back with a bang last night. The season premier had every character behaving true to form. Some of us wondered how far the producers were going to take the idea of the alternative cast, with Haley Joel Osmont playing Mac and Andrew Dice Clay taking over the role of Frank Reynolds, just to name a few. But alas, this was apparently just schtick reserved solely for the promos.

Going into it I was hoping that a comedy that takes continuity so seriously would reacquaint us with some old recurring characters, and in this regard the writers did not disappoint. First up we had the lawyer, as brazen as ever and looking to exploit the self-interest of the gang at every turn. We also saw the return of Matthew “Rickety Cricket” Mara, the one-time Catholic priest who’s fallen into destitution. In past seasons we’ve seen Cricket have his throat cut and suffer a gunshot wound, but now he’s marked for life with a gruesome scar running down the left side of his face, the unfortunate result of a “skirmish with a stray chocolate lab”. Claiming to have risen within the ranks of the animal shelter to achieve the prestige of dog executioner, Mac and Charlie quickly find out that he is merely a dog janitor, fit only for cleaning the dog shit out of the cages. Fans were pleased to see Mac donning his black duster, the long-coat he once wore to emulate the intrigue and appeal of Lorenzo Lamas, but is now utilized for the purposes of intimidation. But perhaps the biggest surprise for fans was the return of Pop-Pop, Dennis and Sweet Dee’s Nazi grandfather who is comatose and ready to have the plug pulled on his life support at any moment. We haven’t seen Pop-Pop since season one, and since then we’ve learned that Frank has been taking over caring for him on weekly basis, letting his hygiene go hell and old take-out food fester at his bedside.

Posted on October 12, 2012 by acro0390 in Film / Television Leave a comment

Breaking Bad – Season 5, Episode 2 Deconstructed

by: Michael Shields

New characters, a deeper look at an old one, and manipulation taken to new heights in this weeks Breaking Bad recap.

“Right under my nose”

We first heard about Madrigal Electromotive last season in the Episode entitled ‘Problem Dog’ when Hank recounts the findings of his investigation of Gus to Gomez and Merkert (who scoffed at his findings at the time). Madrigal Electromotive is the German parent company of Los Pollos Hermanos and last night’s episode brought the corporation into the fold and under the spotlight .

The last time Breaking Bad added to its arsenal of misfits was the beginning of Season 4, when Saul needed some back (Huell) and also needed someone to help trick Bogdan (Kuby) so Walt and Skyler could affordably obtain the car wash. We were due. Overdue. It was time for some fresh blood, and this episode was ripe with it. We first got to meet Mr. Schuler from Madrigal, who is being pegged as a fall guy for the Germans involvement in the meth game – a man we may hear more about but his clever use of an automated external defibrillator will keep him from being a large part of the story moving forward. We got briefly introduced to the other Germans who run Madrigal when they met with the DEA, a sweet yet serious bunch of “Krauts”. And, most importantly, we met Lydia, an associate of Gus’s who is a paranoid nervous hot mess at this point – willing to do whatever it takes to rid the Earth of any evidence composed of flesh and blood that could take her down, “prophylactic measures”.

Posted on July 23, 2012 by acro0390 in Film / Television 1 Comment

Breaking Bad – Season 5, Episode 1 Deconstructed

by: Michael Shields

Every week, for the next 8 weeks, we will be breaking down the waning episodes of one of the finest shows of television, Breaking Bad. Let’s get into it…

“Yeah Bitch, Magnets!”

There was a time when the notion of Walt being around for his 52nd birthday was nothing short of a pipe dream. There was also a time where we couldn’t ever imagine Walt buying a M60 machine gun at a Denny’s looking like the perfect blend between Phil Jackson (early 90′s title runs) and the Unabomber. We will have to wait, have to earn it, but I cannot wait to see who will be at the wrong end of the machine gun.

Episode 1 (‘Live Free or Die’ – New Hampshire’s official motto and the state Walt claims he is from at the beginning of the episode) is all about tying up loose ends, an imperative act. We could not move forward without cleaning up the pieces strewn about following the nursing home explosion. First up on the to-do list is Gus’s laptop where he vigilantly watched over Walt and Jesse in the lab. It’s now in the hands of the authorities and the only way to deal with it is…….magnets??? I am not sure what Jesse knows about magnets and the plan is a touch far-fetched for me….but it’s also just good fun. The trilogy of Walt, Mike, and Jesse working together opens the door for an interesting brand of comedy and a crew to be reckoned with, each bringing unique and varied talents to the table. The fantastical magnet plot-line not only helped clear up a crucial problem but also gave us the opportunity to revisit the junkyard and it’s keeper Old Joe. And, If loving Old Joe is wrong I don’t ever want to be right. I am glad he is part of the team.

Posted on July 17, 2012 by acro0390 in Film / Television 2 Comments

Recap