TV Talk: Finales, Sneezes, and Mad Men

I haven't posted much about TV in a while (probably because I don't watch nearly as much as I used to), but I have some thoughts on things. Warning: There are spoilers below, so if you are like me and leave shows sitting on your DVR for a sweet forever, you might not want to keep reading.

1. A couple of weeks ago, Darryl and I happened to catch some of Will Ferrell's hosting turn on SNL.  When this commercial spoof came on, we LAUGHED because people, this is our life. (Sorry for the poor video quality -- it was the best I could find on YouTube.)



Darryl and I have flat-out ARGUED VERY LOUDLY about his sneezing. It is loud, boisterous, and makes me jump every time I hear it. When she says, "You sound like a lunatic"... and "why can't you sneeze like a normal person?"...well, I'll just say that maybe I've said those EXACT WORDS.

(I'm feeling ALL CAPS-ish today.)

2. I have yet another bone to pick with Grey's Anatomy. Yes, I broke up with Grey's for a while, but then I got sucked in by the rumor that a major character was going to die. Poor Lexie Grey. Anyway, I'm annoyed that creator and head honcho Shonda Rimes believes that tragedy equals good TV. Because it doesn't.  At one point in the finale, Cristina lists all the things that have happened to her at Seattle Grace -- having a gun held to her head, being held hostage by a crazed shooter, having a friend get hit by a bus, etc. -- and says she can't wait to leave. Amen, sister.

3.  I liked the Modern Family finale. I didn't see the twist at the end coming, so bravo to them!

4.  This season's Dancing with the Stars was the best yet.  There were about five really strong contenders, and the final three deserved to be in the final three.  And really, our country should just be grateful to DWTS for introducing us to beauty of William Levy.

You are welcome.

5. I'm saving the best point for last. Y'all. Two words: Mad Men. I have been very iffy with the show this season. I read an article this week (can't remember where, or I would give it credit as a good English teacher should) that described this season as feeling like a collection of satisfying short stories. It has felt a little disjointed to me, with some thematic threads weaving through it and a couple of ongoing stories with a couple of the characters, but it just didn't seem to gel in my opinion.

HOWEVER, this past week's Mad Men reminded me of why I love the show. I know I sound cheesy, but it was sheer brilliance.  Much has been written about the episode so it would be easy to Google, but there is a sequence that juxtaposes two very different but also profoundly similar situations (beautiful Joan prostituting herself -- literally-- to supposedly save the agency, and Don giving a presentation about Jaguar centered on the ability to "own" beauty) that delighted me while sending chills down my spine. (How low can you go, SCDP?) (Also, I love me some good juxtaposition. That is/was one of my favorite literary techniques to teach.)  And the ending scene with Don and Peggy, when the protege says goodbye to her mentor? Perfection. PERFECTION.

ANYWAY...That's it.