dondraper

For all of their problems and dalliances, Mad Men's Don and Betty Draper are one sexy couple. Sunday's episode, "Souvenir," was another stellar offering, and one of my favorite scenes was when Don and Betty pretended to be strangers in Rome, then went back to their room and made sweet love.

It made me swoon, not just because they're two really handsome people (her beehive-type hairdo was something else), but also because I felt like I was part of the whole deception involving the Italian guys at the cafe. Very fun.

And this, after Betty accepted a kiss from Henry Francis after the courtroom scene. She's such a cold fish with these things, and I have to wonder if she's just doing it to get back at Don for his affairs. She doesn't seem to enjoy the attention of other men. She doesn't seem to enjoy much of anything. Bob likened it to Revolutionary Road, and I quite agree. And it's no wonder Sally has repressed anger issues. She comes by it honestly.

I like the plot description for this new episode of Mad Men, "Souvenir." It says "Don takes Betty on a business trip and Pete helps a neighbor in his building." I like that summary because 1) it doesn't really tell you anything but you're intrigued, and 2) it describes two things that have never happened before. Don taking Betty on a business trip with him??

Vincent Kartheiser is so good in this scene below, and the writing is just so smart.

There was a real conundrum for Mad Men last Sunday night. Did you watch the Emmys and see Mad Men win as Outstanding Drama Series or were you tuned in to watch latest episode from Season Three? Of course, most of you reading are DVR owners and could watch one live and record the other, but watching an award show after you know the winners is a little like watching sports when you know the results.

Well, if a Mad Men fan has missed any episodes this season, or if they're piled up on the DVR/Tivo queue, making you feel guilty for not keeping up, here's an out. AMC is going to show a Mad Men Season Three marathon on Sunday, September 27, starting at 10 a.m. All six episodes will air up to the premiere of the last, episode seven, at 10 p.m.

(S03E06) What do disappointment, opportunities and snakes have in common? They're all themes in this episode of Mad Men. The British, in the form of Powell, Ford and Mackendrick came to Sterling Cooper for a visit, but what that visit meant was anybody's guess. The visit wrecking holiday plans for the staff -- no Independence Day for you, colonists -- was obvious irony and true nonetheless. And the Guy walking into the ad agency, well, it would be a hollow joke after this tragedy. More after the jump.

Does it seem like somebody lit a fire under Oprah Winfrey? It seems like it to me. Her new season commenced this week with the Whitney Houston two-parter, she's off to Central Park for tomorrow show which will relaunch Oprah's Book Club, and on Monday Oprah's doing a flashback to the 1960's with Mad Men's Jon Hamm and January Jones as guests.

(S03E05) Time is moving on and the time's are a-changing. Sally has had a difficult adjustment to the loss of Grandpa Gene, so much so that Betty and Don actually have to act like parents and attend to her needs. The family was a big part of the episode, not just the Draper family, but the Sterling Cooper family, too. More on the latest Mad Men episode and the changes after the jump.

This should come as no surprise to even the most casual of TV Squad readers. Mad Men has been picked up for a fourth season, assuring that Matthew Weiner's engrossing and demanding tale of Don Draper and the people at Sterling Cooper will be played out for at least another year.

When a show like Mad Men comes along, not unlike The Sopranos in quality and pop culture appeal, the question usually isn't whether the network will stand behind it for the duration, but whether or not the creative team envisions a long run.

(S03E03) It might be a Saturday, but there was work to be done at Sterling Cooper. At the Draper house, Gene was discovering that Sally could be both an ally and an adversary, and is certainly an interesting child. Was Betty like Sally as a child, you have to wonder? Meanwhile, Roger and Jane hosted a garden party on derby day which was a reason for some of the staff to rub elbows.

But not all. Peggy, Smitty and Paul were stuck working on Bacardi at the office, but that wasn't a reason not to party. Peggy's new secretary, Olive, seems to want to be a surrogate mother to Peggy. She worries over her, much to Peggy's surprise. More on that later.

Jane was a source of irritation for Joan when she appeared at the office, and if looks could kill, Joan had her slayed. You could just tell it was one of those, "It could have been me moments" for Joan.

Mad Men is obviously set in the 1960s, but that means more than well-tailored clothes and the ability to smoke everywhere. The folks behind the series take great pains to infuse Mad Men with detailed signifiers of the era. It must be a painstaking process, but one that is greatly admired by its fans.

However, while I know the basics of the era, having grown up in the 80s and 90s, some of the smaller details are lost on me. Enter: The Footnotes of Mad Men. This site delves into some of the references of the era made on Mad Men. For instance, Bert Cooper's risque art from the season premiere? A Japanese woodcut titled, "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife."

(S03E01) The more things change, the more they stay the same. Don has returned to Betty, the baby's on the way, but all's not right in Don's world. There's turmoil in the office and a current of unrest thanks to the British takeover of Sterling Cooper.

But if you hoped, or believed, that Don's sojourn to Los Angeles and his contemplation of another life was a wake-up call, think again. Don Draper remains Dick Whitman. A leopard doesn't change his spots.

First of all, I have to say that I'm terribly distracted at the moment, because my daughter is watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even though I just watched it a few months ago, I wouldn't mind watching the entire series again from start to finish. But, alas, there are other things in my stack o' DVDs, so I'll have to be content with hearing it in the background while I work. She just watched the first two eps, and I had totally forgotten that Darla showed up in the very first episode. Interesting. Anyways...

I'll get back to The Wire -- I still have season five to watch -- but this week's Jane After Dark is all about Mad Men. Sometimes I fall deeply and madly in love with a TV show, and that's how it is with AMC's love letter to the 1960s. I raced through season one right after it was released on DVD, but stupidly waited for season two on DVD. I bought it last week and watched the entire season, devouring it like a hearty tenderloin that's perfectly cooked, so I'd be caught up for the season three premiere on August 16. If you haven't watched season two yet, spoilers follow after the jump...

I'm not going to lie to you: Pretty much my whole life right now is leading up to the Mad Men season 3 premiere on August 16. I'm so excited, I'm practically vibrating. You can judge me if you want, but I'm perfectly fine with my priorities.

Anyway, like the rest of the internet, I have been salivating for any Mad Men morsel that AMC deigns to share with the unwashed masses. So, yes. I was super-psyched about the water-logged Don Draper promo poster that came out a few weeks ago, and yes, I totally Mad Men'd myself.

So obviously, I was ridiculously excited to see that Zap2It had a whole crop of new Mad Men promo photos. Jon Hamm! January Jones! Christina Hendricks! John Slattery! There may be a chance that there's a more conventionally good-looking cast out there, but I defy you to find a sexier cast on television. Seriously. If you have any suggestions, I welcome them, because I cannot imagine anything you would actually come up with that would beat the power, glory, and pure sexiness of Mad Men.

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Season 3 of Mad Men is set to premiere August 16th, so of course the cast and crew are busy shooting it right now. While we don't have any new footage yet, AMC has released a series of new promos for the upcoming season.The ads focus on the different aspects of the series: Drama, Romance, Comedy and Action.

The idea behind them is that there's a little something for everyone, and let me tell you: they're right. Don't believe me? Not only do you have the requisite Mad Men drinking, smoking and sleeping with inappropriate people, but you have Don Draper making a googly face and saying "Pat M'Groin." How can that be beat? IT CAN'T.

What is cool? Can you define that thing, that quality that makes certain characters seem like they're more with it than everyone around them? Maybe cool is a state of being, not a thing you can pick up by wearing Armani or drinking Grey Goose or driving a BMW.

As I was looking around the current crop of television shows, I found ten characters who seem to capture the essence of cool -- whether they know it or not. After the jump, we count them down.

As we all prepare for the holidays, including lots of football, turkey, the Macy's parade, the tree in Rockefeller Center and umpteen viewings of A Christmas Story (I can never get enough of Ralphie's quest for the Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle), it's a good time to pause and reflect for a moment about all that I'm grateful for...on TV, that is.

I'd like to give thanks to...

Neil Patrick Harris
It's not just how awesome he is as Barney on How I Met Your Mother, although that's quite awesome. It's also Dr. Horrible which proved to me that he really should do a musical, 'cause he's great. NPH also made me laugh with his Old Spice commercials and was wonderful in an episode of Dinner: Impossible (from 2007, but I saw a rerun). Is there anything he can't do? Believe me, he is already legen -- wait for it -- dary.