Emmys

Mad Men burst into the vacuum left by the writers' strike. At first, I welcomed it for this reason -- it was not a season finale that was hastily pasted together. Then I began to appreciate the attention to detail, the smoking, dress, and costumes in the production. Then I was captured by the characters. Overall it is an excellent show worthy of 6 Emmys. Nevertheless, I have one complaint: the transition between shows is choppy; that is, each show stands alone and does not necessarily start where it left off. While this approach does work, it doesn't here because the development of characters does not straddle the episodes: the viewers are introduced to an aspect of the character and then a reference is made a few episodes down the line, if ever. Storylines are dropped and chopped. There are some signs that the show is resolving this issue: in episode 7 Betty throws up in the new Cadillac, sick with the realization that her husband has been cheating on her. Then in episode 8 she asks him not to come home. In the past it may have been a few weeks until this happened.

30 Rock also did deservedly well at the Emmys. What puzzles me is that ratings are not commensurate with the awards. These are both excellent shows worth watching and not just in an artistic sense. However, when you consider that American Idol and Dancing with the Stars take up the first six spots in the ratings this is not surprising. Of course, The Daily Show and Colbert Report were also deserving of their wins. They're equally substance and entertainment. Speaking of The Daily Show, I can't believe Blair still believes that Saddam was affiliated with al-Qaeda.