There’s way too much good TV on Sunday nights now. A quick rundown on last night’s biggest moments:
I checked out the first two hours of the Emmys (before switching over to “Mad Men”), and you know what? It was surprisingly not terrible. Some questionable-to-terrible winners, sure (Jon Cryer for the terminally lame “Two and a Half Men,” Cherry Jones for “24”), but some very deserving ones as well (nice win for Kristen Chenowith of the dearly departed “Pushing Daisies.” as well as all the repeats — Bryan Cranston for “Breaking Bad,” and “30 Rock” and “Mad Men”). Neil Patrick Harris pulled off hosting duties with aplomb and a few actual laughs (loved his faux-bitterness after losing for Best Supporting Actor and the obscure-credits bios for the presenters). Does all this make up for snubbing “The Shield”? Of course not. But it managed to exceed my very low expectations.
“Mad Men,” on the other hand, managed to exceed even my high expectations. The lawnmower scene? Oh. . . my . . . god. I don’t think such a blood-splattered scene has made me laugh so hard since “Pulp Fiction.” It was shockingly, horrifyingly hilarious and a well-timed stroke of good luck, as it probably saved quite a few jobs at Sterling-Cooper. The reactions were priceless – so, so many great lines. My favorites: Roger’s “. . . . Just as he got his foot in the door” and the Brits’ “He may never play golf again.” Throw in Peggy’s fainting and the blood getting squeegeed off the wall, and I was left picking my jaw off the floor. Great, great stuff, which ended up overshadowing a ton of other dramatic developments – Sally’s fear of her baby brother; Don’s hopes for a promotion raised, then crushed, then revived by a surprise call from Conrad Hilton; Roger realizing he’s no longer a vital cog in the machinery; and Joan’s heartbreaking goodbye caking as her personal life collapses. On a night the series won an Emmy for best drama, it showed exactly why.
Meanwhile, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” returned and reminded everyone why it’s hands-down the funniest show on TV. But I’ll write more on that later in the week.
