“Mad Men”: Christmas Waltz Review

By Jordan Magrath

It’s interesting how quickly Mad Men is progressing through the year. It was just Halloween, but now we’re already to Christmas. It’s especially weird since we’re almost as far for Christmas as possible. Still, the episode was good enough, as it progressed a bunch of stories. Most notably, we got to catch up on Lane, Joan, and Kinsey (yes, you read that right).

Lane, though, was kind of a sad story. He’s always kind of been a good guy, which makes it more difficult to like where the story went. Lane, as we now know, is in financial trouble. He tries to convince the guys that Christmas bonuses should be distributed. When it falls through, he ends up forging Don’s signature to get the money.

Joan also doesn’t have a particularly good day, as she’s given divorce papers. Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in a similar situation, but I didn’t understand why she was so upset about it. It was ultimately her decision.

Still, her and Don have a fun retreat. He rents a Jaguar and takes Joan out on the town. I’m glad they didn’t end up sleeping together, too, since I was reminded of that time he drunkenly kissed her after they won that award.

Oh, and by the way, we finally got the return of Kinsey! Now living a completely opposite lifestyle, he’s drawn to Harry to get his awful Star Trek script to executives. It seems like a one-off story, but I’m always glad to see Kinsey.

When Don returns from his day out with Joan, he gets another earful from Megan. Business as usual for “Mad Men.”. I’m starting a pool for predictions on their inevitable split. My guess is next season, but he’ll cheat on her by season’s end.

Some of the others are left without much to do, including Pete and Peggy. Roger, however, owned the comedy, as he celebrated Pearl Harbor Day. Seeing him dining a Hawaiian shirt was priceless.

All in all, Lane’s story was disappointing and Kinsey’s return was different. “Mad Men’s” writers didn’t flex their muscles until the very end. Don’s inspiring speech was very well done, and it gave is a bigger over-arching storyline to grasp on to. For that, I call the episode good.

Rating: B

“The Killing:” Sayonara, Hiawatha Review

By Jordan Magrath

“The Killing” is at its best when Linden and Holder work together and do genuine police work. As the show has shown, sometimes there is a lot of red-tape to cut through. The week, in “Sayonara, Hiawatha,” the two showcase their detective abilities, which plays out a lot like a heist. Of the recent episodes, I felt like this one up’d the ante a considerable amount more. Plus, we’re left with a pretty big cliffhanger by the end.

Rosie’s key disappears from evidence and isn’t at county. Linden and Holder, effectively off the case, must take the back-door approach to solving the case. The show becomes a lot more sneaky at this point.

Mitch finds herself in Blaine (near my old stomping grounds) visiting her ex-fling. As we know, she’s actually Rosie’s father. We also find out that Rosie visited him and planned to run away.

Tommy gets suspended from school, too, for killing a bird. It felt a little heavy handed to show Tommy’s violence as a product of Rosie’s whole ordeal. With that being said, I keep forgetting how much it would hurt to have everyone think your sister (or daughter) was a prostitute. It changes the whole dynamic of the case.

In the political arena, Gwen reveals she has a connection to the Adams camp, which sounds creepy to say the least.

Linden and Holder make their way back to the reservation, looking for a way into the 10th floor construction site. Holder has to distract security away from her, while she sneaks up the elevator. When she gets into the room, there isn’t much of a crime scene, but she does find a key card that could be a gateway to the case.

However, before she can get it she’s knocked out cold from behind. It’s evident that Rosie had planned to run away before she was killed, but I’m not sure exactly why. We’ll have to wrestle with this question a few more weeks.

“The Killing” served up a sneaky episode – watching Holder and Linden in the casino was utterly suspenseful. There’s still plenty to be said about the case, but we’re well on our way to the end.

Rating: B+

“Person of Interest”: Firewall Review

By Jordan Magrath

Wow!  For a show that gets categorized as a procedural, “Person of Interest,” once again proved it is about much more than just a case a week.  This time around, in the Season One finale titled “Firewall,” the show doesn’t rely on flashbacks to connect everything.  ”Person of Interest” has been slowly adding a bunch of characters and stories.  We didn’t know the extent of where they were trying to go with it all, but “Firewall,” proved that they had a plan the whole time.  All of the stories came together thoughtfully to put a lot at stake.  By the conclusion, the twists and turns left us with a satisfying conclusion and a cliffhanger for next season.

Reese and Finch are given the number of a woman therapist.  Fusco, in the meantime, receives a hit order for the same girl.  Once again, HR proves to be a huge thorn in the side.  However, it was nice for Reese and Finch to know exactly who they were up against.  Perhaps this blinded them from seeing the number’s true intentions.  More on this later.

The CIA, in the meantime, was right on Reese’s tail.  We get a quick flashback (only a matter of hours), marking a much different use of the flashbacks.  In all, most episodes are non-linear, but “Firewall” was more traditionally nonlinear (such a weird phrase if you think about it), in that it dealt with one story being broken up.

Reese and the therapist escape as Fusco and Carter realize they both are working for the same people.  I’ve always been a little confused on why Reese and Finch didn’t tell both of them about the other.  From our point-of-view, it seemed obvious they’d find out.  However, the less they knew, the better I guess.  When they do find out the truth, they are surprisingly okay with it.

Then, the episode becomes CIA vs. HR vs. Reese, as all three groups try to either kill or save the therapist.

Meanwhile, Alicia (who was introduced last episode) resurfaces, taking pictures of Finch.  She is one of the only people who knows the true identity of the machine.  Given what eventually ends up happening to her, I think Alicia was the weakest part of the episode.  She hides in the shadows (both literally and in a narrative sense), which hinders her character development.  When she eventually bites the bullet (a shocking moment nonetheless), it’s tougher to really care about her.  It was more for shock value.

Another thing that didn’t really work was the obvious therapy lines between her and Reese.  I thought it felt forced and with everything going on, I didn’t think a therapy session was needed at this point.  I do realize that it was all for nothing though, since the therapist wasn’t actually a therapist.

Instead, she was Root!  YES!  In a shocking move, she’d actually put the hit on herself, which attracted all the different suitors to the story.

Root’s introduction in “Root Cause,” was probably (it’s a tough call) my favorite episode of the season.  I was ecstatic when she returned, even if it meant Finch’s demise.  Root pops Alicia and kidnaps Finch, riding off somewhere to be found out later.  There was definitely enough closure to satisfy fans, while leaving a cliffhanger to look forward to.  The season ends with Reese pleading into camera for Finch’s life.

Fusco and Carter came together, Zoe and Alicia were back, and Root pulled off the perfect crime (again).  What more can we hope for?!  Sure, Elias wasn’t there, but we had a three-way battle going on for a person who wasn’t actually in danger, leaving a main character MIA.  ”Person of Interest,” you have outdone yourself!  Here’s to a great episode and a great season, I can’t wait for next year.

Rating: A