How come Marc or Amanda can't be Jewish?

Thursday makes for a hard flow. I switch from ABC to NBC to ABC again, and it's sometime quite jarring. At least Ugly Betty, The Office, and 30 Rock all take place in offices, but then Life on Mars comes along and the police station doesn't resemble any of the others. Not that ER should have made more sense, but somehow it never seemed quite as abrupt.

Maybe it's because LOM is such a guy show. I still don't see what it has to do with me, but I'm sufficiently intrigued, if only by the music and as I've said, TV at 10 on Thursday is so ingrained, it really keeps me from watching ER.

But where are all the Jewish characters? I don't just mean only on these shows, I mean overall. A medium that brought us George Burns, Rhoda Morgenstern, Joel Fleishman, Michael Steadman, Ross Gellar, Grace Adler, and Ari Gold (who admittedly is still on) and there's no one. No one on Gossip Girl, even though Rufus was in the books, and therefore Dan and Jenny half, I guess Navid and Silver on 90210 are at least part, but it's been hardly mentioned (and in Silver's case, not, but her dad is Mel Silver and her brother David), no one on Heroes, or Lost, or The Office or 30 Rock or Ugly Betty. Maybe we're supposed to be so assimilated now that we're just "there" and no one needs to notice that Judah Freedlander, Christine Rose (I think), Amy Brenneman and others are Jewish (granted I haven't watched Private Practice this year, maybe they've acknowledged it). It just strikes me as odd, though.

Anyhow, Ugly Betty was Lindsay-free and was better, though still not great, The Office was better, with tons more Pam and tons more Kelly, but still not great--I chortled once. Obviously the fact that Jim is buying his folks' house in Scranton, while Pam, who is extremely suggestible, will probably really want to stay in New York now that the guy from Mad Men told her to. Awkward given the mortgage-meltdown. Frankly I think buying a house without consulting your fiancee is dumb, anyhow. I feel the same way about a diamond ring. She's going to have to live with that stuff a long time.

30 Rock was pretty damn good and between that and all the Obama stuff, I have a newfound respect for OPRAH, and also for Tina Fey who just played that perfectly. The look on her face when she said Oprah's name was excellent. Life on Mars was interesting enough, and Whoopi was pretty good. Liked, didn't love, the music. You can never go wrong with Sly and the Family Stone. In fact, if I actually liked cop shows, I probably would have really liked this one, but I don't so I didn't.

Where's Andrea Zuckerman when you need her?

Only 6 days to the election, and I'm with Wyatt Cenac--let's just get this the fuck over already! Good news or bad, I just wanna know.

As I write this, a fourth season episode of the original 90210 is on. I've been watching the old shows once or twice a week lately, and it's really amazing to me just how much I believe those people are friends and that they are exactly who they say they are. I'm pretty sure I believed it within a few episodes.

The new show, however, oy gevult. As I suspected, without Kelly or Brenda, it's a worse dog than ever. I still enjoy Silver, and Dixon is OK but otherwise really really don't care about Annie or Naomi or Annie's parents or the so-called hot teacher or Annie's so-called love interest. The only person is intriguing, and in part that's because they clearly don't know what to do with him. He says he's been in love with Adrianna since the third grade, and mentions he wants to ask Annie out in an earlier episode but holds himself and dresses like a ballet dancer. I hate to say "he's so gay" but "he's so gay." Whether it is Michael Steger who is gay, and Navid is not, or whether Michael Steger is playing Navid gay, I don't know but the actor doesn't choose his own clothes, I suspect. Skinny jeans and a deep v-neck top on that tall willowy body with the long hair just reads gay to me. Anyhow, it came even more out of nowhere than Jenny and Nate did. I don't know why Gossip Girl can get it so right generally, and this show can get it so wrong generally. Of course, Kelly is still coming back, and I do still study teen TV, so it's staying on my season pass, but I just really don't care, and I truly don't believe these people like each other or know who the hell they are supposed to be.

Greek ended well, I guess. I read that Michael Rady is coming back so it's not a surprise that he and Casey will be together next year, (or at least in the same storyline), but I still liked seeing a girl on TV realize her future work life may be more important than a guy, even if that's a pretty cool one. I guess the idea of rival sorority is OK, but I'd rather have Casey a lot less interested in the house, and more interested in school or causes or something. We really don't know if any of those girls are smart and playing vacuous, or actually not all that bright but it would be nice to see it since I think Spencer Grammer really does come off as pretty smart. The woman who plays Rebecca too. Anyhow, with the next season coming in January, it's not the same sort of cliffhanger as Mad Men, where we have to wait 9 months.

I enjoyed the brawl between the two fraternities more than I would think, in part because I was wondering how they choreographed it. I'm sure Rusty will move into the house and realize he can't study amidst the noise and the dirt and the general busybodyness of Cappie and the gang, and will be back with Dale before long.

I don't much care, but it beats the hell out of Secret Life of the American Teenager.

I could have had you.

Last night was the season finale of Mad Men. It felt very discombulating to have the commercial breaks there, but only one break. I felt like the Joan story got really short shrift, but the Don/Betty, Peggy/Pete, Peggy/Colin Hanks, and the story of the ad agency and a whole bunch of people who work there got covered, so I think I'm happy. Or at least I'm happy as long as Jon Hamm and Matthew Weiner get re-signed. John Slattery is very good but he would lift right out if need be but Jon Hamm wouldn't.

Anyhow it was a little surprising that Pete told Peggy he loves her, as I'm not sure the storyline bore that out all season. Certainly he's been impressed in the last few episodes, but only since she got her haircut, and before that he seemed to stare a lot so we knew he was intrigued, but I'm not sure selfish, closed-in Pete is even capable of love. And Peggy deserves better so I'm glad she burst his bubble. On the other hand, she got to confess and sleep the sleep of the just. Maybe she'll take the baby back from her sister? I have an interesting feeling, though, that when the show comes back, she'll be at least associate creative director if not creative director while Pete is head of accounts. Although it doesn't seem like Duck made much of a hit and if he isn't president then Pete is staying right at his same level. I don't even think he's 30 and just on that basis seems a poor choice for an executive position but there's that whole youth movement going on. I'm not sure if they'll get together or not but I'm sure that will be an ongoing story. Someone mentioned if he ever found out he might try to get the baby for Trudy and I suppose that's possible in which case I see an awful lot of crying in store for Peggy's sister.

Did they really bring on "the Smiths" just so the gay one could cut Peggy's hair? They weren't even in evidence last night, so it sort of seems like it. Anyhow I'm glad the show is coming back because Salvatore needs a lot more attention, and I suspect there will be something there. That's the problem with these giant-cast shows, there are always characters that we don't hear nearly enough about. Then again, it would be totally weird if only three people ever talked at the ad agency.

Anyhow, a whole lot of people are definitely going to feel stupid when the world doesn't end. I really don't understand the whole Cuban Missile Crisis thing--I tended to zone out in history class when it came up, which was mostly in the last few days of school when we covered everything from WWII on at breakneck pace. But I do know none of those people died or even were injured in it. Betty in particular is going to hate herself for her infidelity, as fair as it was and as good looking as that guy was. And I just realized that was Captain Awesome from Chuck! If I hadn't noticed the name I never would have guessed that, as it's a totally different character. Given that he doesn't have a contract, I guess Don won't feel really dumb for basically quitting, but I'm sure he'll be back. He'd better--otherwise there would be no show.

Speaking of Don, Jon Hamm was OK on SNL, but some of those sketches were clearly written by six year olds, and read "not even first draft." I was really glad they did not one but two Mad Men oriented sketches. They used to always do a sketch about whatever show or movie the guest is in, but in the last few years they rarely do so I hope they go back to it. It was so strange to see him really smiling, as Don almost never does. "Weekend Update" worked much better with only Seth Meyers. I've had about enough of Amy Poehler.

Desperate Housewives is still on TiVo as I was out last night. I'll get to it eventually.

Monday night is cluster&6%$ night.

Heroes almost made sense to me last night--there must be something wrong with me. I still watch mostly for Hiro and Ando's scenes, which I think are intriguing because they're funny, but we're reading subtitles. I really don't know where they are going with all this though, or why I care. I'd love it if they'd move Chuck to that time slot, so I could watch it in real time, but since they're both on NBC, that won't happen. I'm only caught up until last week on that show and How I Met Your Mother, so later this week I want to get to last night's episode. I hate Monday night at 8 for being so good.

Gossip Girl is still great, though I didn't love last night's episode. I promised myself I'd write this blog before I read any other commentary and forgot and already read the recap on http://www.zap2it.com/. The reviewer and I both agree Vanessa is pointless. As I said to emily the other day (and I don't know if that's one of the two emilies I know, or one I don't), I love GG, but if I had teenagers, I sure wouldn't want them watching it to learn about love but the Blair/Chuck scenes are definitely the hottest things I'm watching these days--not that there's much competition as most shows are more like Pushing Daisies, where no one actually touches or Chuck, where they can only have a fake relationship. I'm not sure that the portrayal of Lily as a totally neglectful mother holds true to what we know about her, but it does explain some of Serena's wild child rep that we also haven't seen much in evidence and maybe more of why Erik tried to commit suicide. But Vanessa and Nate and Jenny are all pretty boring characters--they need to spice someone up. But they're all more interesting than Annie on 90210--I'm not the least bit sad that's in reruns for the second week in a row.

This week three shows I watch come to an end for the season, Mad Men, Greek, and The Janice Dickinson Modelling Agency (which I don't watch on purpose, yet have managed to catch every sordid episode--and it's been much trashier this season in the model house). I assumed there would be a Project Runway reunion tomorrow, but it doesn't look like it, so I don't know if that's next week or never. I could then replace those shows with Privileged, Fringe, or My Own Worst Enemy, (I have episodes of the latter two on TiVo but haven't watched them) but Stylista is looking like it's going to make the cut instead. I need something that doesn't require constant attention. One of the reasons I like Greek, despite it being about fraternity/sorority people, who never interested me before, is that it's so relentlessly lighthearted. I don't think most TV is like that--nearly all hour-long series tend to get darker as they get older. The ads for Privileged make it look pretty sunny, though, and a friend at the conference I was just at said I'd really like it, so maybe next week I'll try catching up in the middle (something I hate doing) since that space will be empty, and that's right after 90210, which I'd have to keep watching even if I didn't know I'm unable to look away. Anyhow, god forbid I could pick a weeknight and say "that's my reading night." There's really no law that I have to watch things the night of and I could use my TiVo to better effect, particulary if I dropped a slot or two.

If I were a really good teacher, I'd check out shows my students watch--House, Fringe, John and Kate Plus 8, The Biggest Loser, Intervention, and Little People, Big World seem to be the leaders there. But I can't bring myself to do it, especially those last four. Drippy/Sentimental is just not in my vocabulary, and I hope I'm not coming off as too judgmental. Mostly I just ask those students questions. A lot of my students seem to exist entirely on reality shows and seem to think that only older sitcoms are any good, but not so old as to be in black and white (a few were shocked to actually love Lucy). I try to make it clear that I know that there's a lot of crap out there, but that there's good stuff too. But I don't think I'm going to have a lot of luck getting working adults who are going to college on top of it (which is most of my students) to invest the mindwork it takes for Mad Men and Lost, though I'm shocked none seem to love The Office. Too real maybe?

Popsicles as love

Last night I watched the second to last episode of Mad Men for this season. I really like this show and wish more people watched it, but at least it has been renewed for a third season. The most interesting character to me is Peggy, who started in the first episode as a secretary at an advertising agency in 1960, and later got the chance to do some copywriting. She has remained self-effacing, and never seemed very attractive to me, but has had some ideas that clients really seemed to like, particularly this season, which fast forwarded to 1962. All season long people have been telling her that if she wants to get ahead she needs to look the part, yet she hasn't seemed to really catch on--it certainly seemed weird that three different characters have told her than and yet she still kept showing up at work in a pony tail and little girl clothes.

Two weeks ago a character--an out gay man who surprised everyone including Peggy with his announcement--gave her a much-needed haircut. That was a pretty cliche thing to have happen, and I'm not sure how I feel about the gay man acting as godmother, and her bangs still didn't look quite right. But last night she looked terrific, not only because of her hair, but she was wearing a cobalt blue cardigan with rhinestone buttons I would kill for (Cashmere cardigans are my weakness, and I know that was an especially nice one, presumably vintage, though new on the show). She came up with this idea for the Popsicle (TM) account--the clients wanted to sell popsicles in winter as well as summer--based on the idea that her mother broke Popsicles in half, and gave half to her, and half to her sister and that it was sort of like communion and it felt like love, with the tag line ""Take it. Break it. Share it. Love it." I'm not sure that would have worked for everyone, especially only children or families with an odd number of kinds. I don't remember a lot of Popsicles, but as an only child for my first 11 years (and I'm sure my sister wasn't eating them for another few years), if I ever had Popsicles, I guess I got the whole thing to myself and I imagine I liked it that way. I've never been a fan of fruit flavors, and love chocolate, so I'm sure there were more Fudgecicles, which are harder to break, but on the whole I think we are just an ice cream family. But maybe that's only because I never had a half a Popsicle bestowed on me like communion?

In the absence of boss Don Draper (who was off, literally finding himself in California), she really took control of the meeting, and asked for, and got, a much better office people senior to her had been coveting rather than having to share with another employee and the Xerox machine. It made me clap and it's clear that whatever the fate of the agency, Peggy has learned to really value her creativity and knows she has talent and power. It sows the seeds for second-wave feminism which is starting up along with the youth movement in 1962. We don't know if next season will pick right up or will skip a few years again, but it will be interesting to see how Peggy reacts to hippies and the Summer of Love.