A bonus “Out of the Box” as there is just too many brilliant new magazine covers to squeeze into our regular column. I have in the past talked about my magazine feelings (they are strong) and new magazine cover week is often a mixture of disappointment and excitement; sometimes bad photoshop takes the shine off, alternatively a cover star might be a someone unexpected and amazing.
Different editorials are aiming for a variety of things with shifting units being high on the list of priorities and the cover has a huge impact on this. Fashion, entertainment and lifestyle magazines all feature in this week’s column and I will be adding all these issues to my already burgeoning print and digital collection.
The first of many Mad Men covers to come celebrating/sobbing over the final hurrah and they are starting with a doozy on The Hollywood Reporter. In the issue they go back to the beginning with an oral history and the only thing this cover shot is lacking is some Kiernan Shipka. They all look fabulous and if you want to find the perfect way to distract yourself just take a look at the Jon Hamm close-upportraits.
April is going to be a great month for TV and Game of Thrones is high on the most anticipated list. Experiencing the build-up buzz for the first time after finally catching up last year is going to be fun; case in point the unveiling of Arya Stark’s new look with a hint of “Tragic Kingdom” era Gwen Stefani on the cover of Entertainment Weeklygot me all a fluster. New costumes to pore over ahoy.
Because all things Broad City, including this New York coverlead to joy (except the realization the season finale is next week).
Kerry Washington is mesmerizing on Marie Claire’sApril edition and after last month’s InStyle debacle it is an image that thankfully looks like the Scandal star. It is a captivating pose and while they’ve gone for an Olivia Pope clothing color palette, there is plenty of Washington shining through with very un-Olivia like tussled hair. Soon to be Scandal guest star Lena Dunham has written the piece aptly entitled “Why We All Want to be Kerry Washington.”
Another stare into your soul cover from another amazing lady; Robin Wright is exuding all kinds of cool on Vanity Fair and she is the main reason House of Cards is calling out to me. Short hair perfection and the story behind this amazing cut is that it was a necessity ““I was just cutting off damaged hair—too much bleach over months of [appearing in] different movies. It was a mercy killing, but it works for the character.” Iconic haircuts often are the result of an accident (see the Rachel) and this is one of those.
Head here for a PaleyFest themed “Out of the Box.”
PaleyFest is in full swing and this week’s “Out of the Box” is dedicated to the style highs from the Scandal, The Good Wife, Broad City, Outlander, Homeland and Girls panels. The line between casual/fancy is blurred at these types of events and on the whole it is probably best to remember there will be a lot of sitting down photos after the obligatory red carpet posing. Red carpet is where our focus lies, but first a moment of panel facial expression joy.
This shot of Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski is everything and I’m pretty sure their laughter could power buildings.
A very fun look from Kerry Washington in Mary Katrantzou, which is all textured goodness including a sequined bodice and delightful collar. The pop of yellow and a darker lip color really makes this outfit sing.
Another Scandal style high with Darby Stanchfield wearing a whole lot red in a 2nd Skin Co. super sparkly frock. This is an occasion where bold lip color is not needed as that would be a shade red too far.
Patterns ahoy from Lena Dunham in Tanya Taylor and Jenni Konner working metallic color explosion with a black sweater and looking fantastic in the process.
Relaxed cool from Abbi Jacobson at the Comedy Central panel in this not quite polka dot sleeveless shirt.
Looking a whole lot like the tuxedo inspired jumpsuit Maya Rudolph wore at the SNL 40th anniversary is Outlander’s Caitriona Balfe. A reminder to catch up with Outlander before it returns coupled with the desire to finally try a jumpsuit on at some point in the near future.
Leaving Claire Danes in Proenza Schouler until last because I’m pretty sure this can be filed under “Danes Style Blindness” as the snakeskin strip of random is a whole lot of what? and yet I also think she has pulled it off. Like I said this is a case of “Danes Style Blindness” – the phenomenon to describe someone who you think looks amazing no matter what they are wearing.
Philip and Elizabeth have been embroiled in a Paige related dance all season so when Elizabeth went ahead and started taking baby steps in pointing their daughter toward who they really are it was never going to go over well with Philip. It is impressive how compelling this story remains considering The Americans has essentially barely budged or moved forward with the Paige problem all season and much like the actual Cold War they are playing with a precarious situation that could tip at any moment; the nuclear issue here is related to the family rather than grand scheme ideology or weapons. Tension continues to build with neither side backing down.
At its heart it is about what a parent wants to do for their child and how they can navigate their differences. So Philip can talk to Stan about this in the broadest of terms describing how he is on opposing side of everything when it comes to parenting decisions with Elizabeth; Stan counters that they are in a better place than him and at this point Philip doesn’t look so sure. Everything is stacking up and some of it is about to come crashing down.
For most relationships admitting you have a child by someone else might cause the already present gulf to grow ever more, in this household it might actually result in bringing them closer together. The Jennings still engage in some very standard arguments resulting from feelings of resentment like who left the empty bottle of aspirin in the medicine cabinet or having the most passive aggressive discussion while getting ready in the morning* and like most relationships trust is a fundamental factor.
*Quick side note regarding some of the nudity on The Americans as it is rare to get such a realistic approach with the naked body that doesn’t lead to or at least hint at sexuality. Here Elizabeth and Philip are essentially having a work related chat as one is getting in the shower while the other is getting out, which of course means the removal of clothes. Oh and they are both mad at each other, also taking any potential sexy business away.
Semantics come into play as when Philip confronts Elizabeth about her Paige field trip and Gregory related revelations she claims that at no point did she lie to Philip, as she had already informed him of her plan to move forward. This is a grey area and she knows it as later on in the middle of the night when Philip gets in from a Martha visit she draws him into her saying “I should have told you about my talk with Paige.” It is not a straight forward apology, but still an admission that he has a right to know. The Philip/Elizabeth confession hour is at its strongest when Philip comes in from whatever asset he has been working and in tiredness it is when they are both at their most emotionally vulnerable state. There is no need for the weed soakedmoments of honesty and as he reaches out to Elizabeth to see how awake she is by touching her hair she pulls him into an embrace; earlier on in the evening he pretty much booted her out of the car so he could go to Martha’s and now we’re back at this point of unity.
Despite these huge differences and the distance that lies between how they want to move forward there is still a thread holding them together. Each time they dig a little deeper into how they feel or revealing something about themselves it reinforces this bond. So Philip’s “I have another son” isn’t the devastating confession it might be under other circumstances – particularly as Irene was the breaking up factor in season 1 – and instead leads to more sympathy from Elizabeth towards her husband as she turns to face him in bed. Earlier on she has been talking about Ncgobo waxing lyrical about his stance on getting his children involved in his cause. Philip’s counter is all about choice; Ncgobo and his family are lacking the many choices Paige and Henry have, but what about Mischa Jr? He is involved in the fight in Afghanistan and even though Philip has only just had his existence confirmed – I am still a tiny bit suspicious that Mischa Jr is not real – it gives him a deeply personal connection to this war they are fighting. It is why we see him listening to the news reports on the radio in the laundry room at the start of the episode whereas before he would have openly listened in their bedroom.
Everything is fractured and yet it still doesn’t stop them from performing when called upon so even though they are in a huge fight they are more than capable of playing the roles of super flirty, happy new couple at dinner with Lisa. In the car before and after it is just as icy as the weather. All those years of not actually being in love and faking it really pays off when they are in love and pissed at each other. To escape the bad atmosphere at home Philip goes to Martha’s leaving things in this perpetual state of unresolved tension with Elizabeth, so he kind of deserves the super cold welcome when gets over to his other wife’s apartment.
The bug in Gad’s office has been found and Martha reacted as if it had fallen out in front of her. Making a quick exit to go to the bathroom to pull apart the recording device in her bag, she barely held her shit together alternating between teary panic and “I’m going to throw up” panic in equal amounts. Martha’s poker face is pretty terrible; however she manages to escape suspicion at this current point. Will she be able to keep this up in an interview situation?
One thing working in Martha’s favor is that despite her access there is also a certain level of invisibility, which is why going after secretaries makes sense. It is worrying for Philip that instead of letting Clark in on what happened at work she instead does her own mini investigation on him insisting they go over to his place for the first time (lucky his apartment is nice and ready) and not falling for his usual romantic tactics. It is ominous that Martha’s gun makes an appearance and this week Poor Martha takes her crown back from Poor Kimmy. Allison Wright is incredible in her bathroom stall meltdown and with how plays Martha’s new found mistrust of what Clark is asking of her. He passes all the tests with his apartment, but still something is off.
One running theme in “Walter Taffet” comes with the offer of takeout food as a peace offering that fails in every instance; Martha is not interested, Paige has already eaten and Henry is out. Takeout is convenient and a luxury, the only person who’s up for sharing with Philip is Stan – considering the horror show combo of toppings I find it hard anyone would want that pizza – and Stan’s kitchen is stocked with a random assortment of not much. Philip has downplayed his activism instead pointing out how other things became important to him and at this point his gesture of pizza in an attempt to be cool dad fails. In a surprising turn and over a nothing special food prep Stan has better luck at engaging with his son Matthew as he talks about his colleague and friend who died last week as they worked undercover with each other; this is the first time Matthew has seemed genuinely in awe of his father and it is a result of hearing about his work. Food wins in the making an impression stakes at dinner with Lisa when Philip as Jack sells his worth by talking about how much he loves exotic cuisine like sushi.
Stan isn’t much of a sharer but he does so with both Philip and Matthew to a degree revealing to Stan that he has some concerns about his overeager colleague; maybe some of his undercover work rubbed off on him as he mentions Agent Aderholt’s race even though that isn’t really pertinent to the story.
The big mission of the week comes as a result of the intel Hans got and it’s his first time out in the field. Elizabeth is concerned that she hasn’t had enough time with him and when we see him shaking an inhaler I am storing that for things that will probably be important later on. Hans has scored big on his suspicions and he corrects Elizabeth when she thinks Todd has been got to when he was impressionable; this isn’t the case as he is just a “miniature copy” of his privileged and self-centered parents. Once again there is this nod to parents and children following on from the example they have been taught. When Elizabeth talks to Ncgobo he references biting as form of discipline and how Americans don’t discipline like this. Elizabeth is quick to note that she isn’t American and the kitchen cleaning in the middle of the night for Paige last season is perhaps the strongest indicator of this, but still she is constrained by her cover and they don’t know the “badass woman their mum is.”
Playing against the odds is how they operate and nothing is easy on The Americans as kinks tend to happen in any plan. Venter is unsurprisingly tough when Philip grabs him and a scuffle breaks out; Philip has the advantage using the van he knows is coming to incapacitate him and they have their man. That isn’t before Elizabeth has dispatched of an eyewitness in typically cold fashion – remember she did drop a car on a dude’s head a few episodes ago – and now for the next stage of the plan. At first I thought she must be involved somehow, but nope I think Elizabeth was just cleaning up the scene. The kill count now stands at Elizabeth with two and Philip on zero. There are so many angles being worked at the moment and it is a concern that Philip thinks Martha’s cold mood is to with kids rather than everything else he is asking from her. This is the kind of thing Gabriel warned against and even though we didn’t see Kimmy this week that mission is looming over them. Cracks are beginning to form and as we have already seen with Martha something is going to give and it is going to be soon.
Shot of the Week
Stan himself, Noah Emmerich directed this week’s episode adding flourishes from the get go as we start outside the house with Philip listening to the news and the camera pans up the house. Just before we kick into the opening credits – I see you hula hooping girl also from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – the scene ends outside once again with Philip and Elizabeth embroiled in another standoff. It is an amazing shot and Emmerich delivers throughout including the way he films Martha’s bathroom meltdown spiraling, the way the bug lands on the desk and the Fleetwood Mac infused action sequence rounding out the episode.
Disguise of the Week
Elizabeth wore her best ever wig this week. No it isn’t the Michelle, but the one at the top of the review but I have a feeling the ‘Nancy’ will be on display next week so in the meantime it is time to talk about another blonde with Philip rocking this curly look as charming Jack. Very into Elizabeth’s gold top showing off Michelle’s new found glitzy style.
Outfit I Would Wear in 2015
Snow! And Elizabeth’s coat/scarf combo is pretty neutral in knowing what decade it is from. Only the widelegged burgundy pants (which I suspect are velvet) and boots suggest a different period. This is Elizabeth essentially in her travel agency threads and I am impressed she’s not falling over in these heels in this weather. She really is a badass.
Rumor has it that Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle have done what Rufus and Lily could not; I am a sucker for cast members being romantically entwined or besties after a show is dunzo. Here they are joined Caroline Lagerfelt who played Rutherford’s on screen mother and CeCe was not one of Rufus’ biggest fans. It looks a lot cozier IRL.
DVD sets that don’t come with any episode commentaries don’t quite fulfill their boxset potential; this is not the case with Looking as Frankie J. Alvarez captures one session in action.
And here is Daniel Franzese post recording session and a very busy day. Franzese is killing it as Eddie on Looking this season and here is the excellent Buzzfeed article he mentions in the caption.
When Girls shot its fourth season over last summer it became clear that Gillian Jacobs would be playing a love interest of Adam’s and we were left pondering how/why Hannah and Adam would implode. The pap shots showed Jacobs wearing what first appeared to be a pair of hospital scrubs with a khaki paint splattered jacket over the top while holding a bouquet of flowers. Was she just getting home from the night shift? On closer inspection the scrubs are in fact pajamas and Gillian Jacobs is definitely not playing a medical professional on the show.
Instead Mimi-Rose is an artist as the paint splatter might suggest, but nope that was already part of the Zara jacket – thanks to Girls costume designer Jenn Rogien for answering this mystery on Twitter – and it’s part of this well crafted minimalist look for Mimi-Rose.
This jacket makes a repeat appearance in the following episode “Ask Me My Name” pairing it once again with pale blue (of the double denim variety) and shows reusing pieces in the same way a person would in real life always makes me more thrilled than I probably should be.
Alas the Zara jacket is no longer available – these episodes did shoot back in June so it is not surprising – but there are some on eBay. In better news Mimi-Rose’s classic J Crew pajama set is still on sale for all your comfy bedtime/flower shopping needs.
Oh hey it is Monday and here is a bunch of delightful photos from the Night of Too Many Stars including Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, Jessica Williams and some of the Orange is the New Black ladies to kick things off.
Jon Stewart hosted the fifth Night of Too Many stars airing on Comedy Central last night with a live telethon. The event raises money for autism programs, schools and services; since its inception in 2006 the biannual show has raised over $18 million. Ilana and Abbi were just two of the many comedy stars on hand to take your call and here they are with Stewart. Perhaps they are showing him some Kirk Steele.
John Oliver returns to his old stomping ground.
While current Daily Show correspondents Jessica Williams and Aasif Mandvi do their part.
Uzo Aduba and Natasha Lyonne give good chatting on the phone face/gestures.
Of course Susan Sarandon is fucking fantastic.
And Aidy Bryant and Ilana Glazer are the most adorable. My love for Aidy’s outfit/lipstick color is strong.
To find out how you can donate to Night of Two Many Stars head here.
The last time The Good Wife used this approach to show the inner thoughts of a character it was more contained focusing on Will (*sob*) and his preparation for cross examining Alicia showing his feelings of being betrayed by Alicia when she left the firm coupled with a memory of an intense romantic experience. By exploring one single experience in “The Decision Tree” that two people shared the Will/Alicia dynamic played on another level as Will could reveal a vulnerable side in this moment of private space. With “Mind’s Eye” they up the ante by making it about everything; the SA race, romantic feelings for loves past and not yet occurring, Peter, Kalinda, Bishop, Alicia’s kids and Louis Canning. It is all on the table and at several points throughout the episode these different concerns intersect and overlap.
Alicia has a lot on her plate and she has been performing a juggling act all season with work and her campaign. Throw in family and we can ask (with an eye roll of course) can Alicia have it all? With just a week until the election this storyline is in its final stretch as John underlines the importance of this interview. There are plenty of skeletons in Alicia’s closet that could hurt her in this campaign defining interview – an interview Prady has already done and charmed his way through rather successfully – with where her PAC money comes from, Zach’s abortion and the Canning lawsuit. Alicia is left on her own to clear her mind and rest her voice; instead more gets thrown in her direction and she doesn’t take any of the remedies Marissa has bought for her. Alicia is typically a restless person when told to rest especially as there is so much going on for her at this time and for once we are allowed to venture into her thought process.
Where Marissa has no filter and will say everything that is on her mind including telling Grace that she isn’t trying to replace her (and even though Grace has lost her annoying edge I’m sure many viewers myself included would be more than happy if Marissa became a regular fixture in the Florrick family), Alicia is typically all filter. Sometimes Alicia lets her guard down and does not what she thinks she should do, but what she wants to do such as the car park kiss a few episodes ago. Generally she sticks to the ‘good girl’ Saint Alicia brand that has been crafted for her by the media with the occasional push back. Will was one of these push backs when she finally engaged in the romantic affair she had been longing for and yet the reason why this stopped was because of that one time she thought Grace had gone missing (*shakes fist retroactively at Grace*).
The moral/ethical lines are forever blurred and murky on this show and it is why there have been several debates about religion including this week’s Richard Dawkins infused one. When a credit card pop up ad sounds like Will it is like a gut punch memory for both Alicia and the audience. First because I was trying to figure out if I was also imagining that voice and second because we leap into a sex memory. Will’s face is never shown as it is either in shadow or just out of profile; it is just his voice which assures us it is him and it is a deeply affecting. The setup is the same as in Will’s memory from “The Decision Tree” with the trip to New York being a centerpiece and it is the moment they were both at their happiest mixed in with their most contentious. This is the first time this season where Alicia has explicitly dealt with Will and having him spring up when she is already juggling so much is the kind of self-sabotage you would expect Alicia.
Just look at how she is addressing her attraction to both John and Finn with the former looking more likely as she admits in her mind that she does want to sleep with him; the look she gives him at the end suggests something is going to happen sooner rather than later. Finn pops into her fantasies so randomly as he isn’t even mentioned nor does he appear in the episode aside from this moment and I think it is safe to say there are strong feelings there. While John looks like a sure thing I still think this is more fling material and Finn is for long term (this could also be shipper wishful thinking). Her marriage status complicates matters of course and the internal debate she has matches everything we have seen her say out loud about Peter, to Peter and with any other potential suitor.
Peter has of course had several lovers both when they were ‘happily’ married and since the agreement was verbally drawn up last season and the one that still gets to Alicia is Kalinda. Kalinda and Alicia have not shared any scenes that haven’t been on the phone since season 4 and “Mind’s Eye” goes some way to try and justify why this has been a thing; when Alicia thinks of Kalinda all she sees is the woman (and her friend) who slept with her husband (even though they weren’t friends when it happened). When ‘Peter’ says “We don’t talk like this and you know it” of course she knows it but that still doesn’t stop her from tormenting herself with these scenarios. Alicia’s process for working through cases and what questions she might get asked during the interview is methodical taking into account a variety of scenarios; however she can’t be all logical and her usually filtered emotional side reveals insecurities and niggles we have long suspected are there.
The Zach question is one such niggle as she repeatedly sees him dressed as if he is destitute even though she knows he is at college in Georgetown. Why does she keep freezing up at the Zach question? It isn’t the fact that there was an abortion more that she didn’t know about it and this loss of trust is huge. It is also notable that while she eventually tries to ring Zach after making up with him in her mind she doesn’t get through and they are still left without an actual reconciliation. The Grace story this week is interesting (I know, right?!) using her beliefs or in this case wavering beliefs to prompt a frank conversation between mother and daughter while also showing a hilarious vision of Grace as Alicia’s biggest fear – pregnant, sniffing glue and wearing tons of eyeliner/lip gloss. Alicia receives a text meant for Grace (this has happened with my phone after an update linking to my fiance’s phone) and it shows Grace’s beliefs are not as certain as Alicia thought they were. This leads to Alicia’s fear spiral for what might become of her daughter.
As with last week’s interaction between mother and daughter it feels like The Good Wife has finally figured out how to utilize Grace and she might even be nearing Paige from The Americans for the teen character who doesn’t annoy (plus if these shows were set in the same decade these two would definitely be friends, see also Alicia and Elizabeth). The question of faith with Grace weaves into the Canning story as Alicia has been asked to pray for Louis to live through the night by Sandra Beeman (The Good Wife and The Americans manage to intersect here) and while she agrees, she knows it would be hypocritical to do so; Grace is her prayer proxy. It gives Alicia the chance to address what she sees as a concerning text while also following through with her promise in a roundabout way. Unlike Elizabeth Jennings, Alicia doesn’t want her daughter to lose her faith because of her influence and even though Alicia doesn’t believe in it she can also see the positive influence it has had on Grace.
The Canning lawsuit could make Alicia look bad in the press even though she is pretty sure he is spouting bs regarding his dying status, something I thought he was doing right up to Alicia’s visit to the hospital. On one notepad Alicia is working through this lawsuit and every time she comes up with a seemingly winning move something else counters and a settlement looks likely. On the other side of her laptop sits a white pad which has notes for her interview relating to Prady’s interview – does likeability matter? – what she knows about Lemond Bishop’s contributions and her family. The Bishop question is the murkiest as she knows much more than she should let on if she wants to win and at times one train of thought with Canning feeds into her Bishop notes; this is multitasking at its best.
Alicia wants to tell the truth about the Bishop money and she sees a version where she is praised for this honesty as opposed to the usual politician response; luckily for Alicia she has an imaginary Eli to tell her this is a fairy tale and instead she will lose if she comes clean like this. John to an extent also does this in a non-imagined conversation as they debate what the truth actually means with John giving her a politicians answer that lets her avoid the actual truth.
With “The Decision Tree” it played with notions of memory and perception on a singular past event feeding into current emotional conflict and “Mind’s Eye” successfully takes this even further. By giving us a glimpse into Alicia’s mind in this stylized manner it allows The Good Wife to have fun with their format while delivering an episode that is funny, heartbreaking and pushes the storyline forward. Alicia is all about control and this episode is both focused and all over the place in how she is dealing with everything in her life at the moment, while also exploring emotional turmoil from the recent and long ago past. It doesn’t matter that we don’t get to see Alicia’s interview as we have seen plenty of these this season and it is the negotiating in her own mind between these various concerns that really makes this episode a recent standout.
Now award season is over (until the summer when the TV awards kick in) we’ve got a mixture of magazine covers, fashion campaigns and movie premieres for this week’s style highs. My Michelle Williams style crush goes way back and the April UK Elle cover is a fashion delight. Sometimes actress fashion house pairings don’t quite mesh from print ads to the red carpet (*cough Jennifer Lawrence/Christian Dior cough*), but Michelle Williamsand Louis Vuitton has worked on every level. This is twee without being too cutesy using leather and lace; the orange is spectacular and it is just a fun cover. With Williams, editorials often lean on fragility with a hint sadness, sometimes a wisp of whimsy and I am glad this moves beyond that.
Mamie and Grace Gummer join their model sister Louisa in the new & Other Stories campaign and this Co-Lab collection by Clare Vivier is a mixture of French chic with Cali cool. The range of bags, cropped denim and silk shirts on display here is making me clamor for spring and I’m already adding items to my wish list such as this leather shoulder bag Gillian Jacobs showed off on Instagram and the red one Louisa carries in the shot above.
One more shot from the new & Other Stories campaign and while I am not entirely sold on the quasi-fanny pack leather belted bag, Mamie Gummer’s slight 70s flare and shirt styling is giving me all the Jamie Lee Curtis in the first Halloween feels. The jeans aren’t as high in the waist and the shirt is a slightly different color, but it still has the same effortless quality.
Lily James goes full Disney princess in Elie Saab at the premiere of Cinderella, which is surely the ideal time to embrace ethereal pretty. Ol’ King of the North (or that should read former *sob*) Richard Madden is playing his part well and if only he had been allowed to be a beardy Prince Charming.
Remember when Henry lent Eliza his coat on Selfie and she fashioned it into a super sexy funky outfit? Karen Gillan’s Burberry trench look is giving me a whole bunch of Selfie feels at the LA Cinderella premiere. I am still in mourning for this charming, funny and cancelled too soon delight; this outfit only adds to the Eliza and Henry sadness while looking cool at the same time. Now might be the ideal moment to pour one out to Selfie while singing along to the most heartbreaking version of “Chandelier.”
Telling Paige the truth is one constant talking point on The Americans this season; we’re now hitting the halfway mark and Elizabeth has still yet to pull the trigger on this potentially life ruining plan. Different kinds of faith are discussed at length in “Born Again” from Paige’s baptism to Philip using this as a reason why he can’t sleep with Kimmy and still keeping her close at the same time. As with pretty much every episode of The Americans there is layer on top of layer of what is real and what is fake, intersecting so much that at times it is hard to separate the two. Real experience informs the ‘characters’ they take on to deal with their assets and this duality leads to a whole lot of messiness that could blow up at any moment.
Last week I spoke at length about this idea of making it real and one way characters achieve this is by using a personal experience and extrapolating what might help in their current situation; this is where religion comes in and saves the day for Philip from both an ethical perspective so he doesn’t have to sleep with Kimmy and on a more spiritual one so he can work through the bombshell Gabriel has dropped on him. Anyone else starting to get the feeling that Philip is starting to miss Claudia right about now?
Gabriel continues to be a sneaky bastard by playing all the angles with Philip and Elizabeth as he tells Philip about the child he thought his first love had made up back in season 1. Does this Mischa exist or is it all part of the big push to get Philip to continue down this extremely compromising path? The cause isn’t necessarily working as a tactic to get Philip to do whatever it must take but Gabriel knows how strongly Philip feels about his children and this includes one he has never even met. With Elizabeth he pushes her button relating to action and while she claims she is handling all things Paige he notes she has done just as little as Philip in this area. By prompting Elizabeth in this manner she starts laying the seeds by taking Paige on a trip down an edited version memory lane so. Gabriel also tells Elizabeth that Philip is losing faith in him and that she can deceive Philip is he is holding Elizabeth back on the Paige plan. This is definitely not going to cause issues…
Control is key and Gabriel has returned to the position of handler with a very different relationship dynamic in front of him and so he is exerting weakness in them where he can to aid the cause. At the moment this does appear to be working and despite the united front Philip and Elizabeth present and deeper bond they share, there are still fundamental differences between them and Gabriel knows this. Kimmy is one such tool as the window for how often Philip has to get in her house is much shorter than he expected; once a week rather than once a month. The whole spiritual excuse for not wanting to sleep with Kimmy is not going to cut it and Kimmy is noticeably cold with him when he approaches her post school. Enter the real part of Philip’s life in the fake story and something he hasn’t told Elizabeth yet – I’m pretty sure he was going to but Elizabeth started talking about Paige – about his 20 year old son as the reason he has gone back to church. He asks Kimmy to pray with him and not only does she do it, but she adds on her own part showing her compassionate side. And I think we now need to switch Poor Martha for Poor Kimmy because this is only going to end in heartbreak.
Paige is pretty certain of what she wants and who she is; the baptism goes ahead without any upset. Well the only consternation comes from her parents and Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell give a master class in subtle facial expression changes moving between distaste and fake smiles at what they are witnessing as Paige takes the plunge (echoing the opening scene from the season premiere of Elizabeth in the bathtub). After the baptism Philip asks Paige if she feels any different to which she replies “more at peace.” On the surface this is just one of those awkward conversations between a teenager and her father as he tries to explain to her that she never has to do anything she doesn’t want to and she should just be herself. Paige reads this as being about drinking or drugs, which of course it has nothing to do with (plus Philip is becoming well versed in this end of teen rebellion thanks to Kimmy). This is all about suggestion and he is laying the groundwork in his own way pushing Paige away from this spy path without her knowing.
Bonding time isn’t just set to father/daughter and Elizabeth gets to influence in her own way first when Paige walks in on her having a sneaky cigarette. This is a funny scene as Elizabeth goes to hide her habit and then is all ‘fuck it’ about the situation (I have been here, but with the roles were reversed). Paige reveals to her mother that they know about her secret habit (last season she did have a late night cigarette which Philip rightly suggested the kids would be able to smell) and she remarks that neither she nor Henry is clueless. Oh if only you knew Paige, if only you knew. And soon you might as after this late night discussion about praying – Paige thinks Elizabeth should try it – at the end of the episode Elizabeth opens up partially about her activism past. This includes the first mention of Gregory in a long time and when Paige asks if her dad knew Gregory it acts as a reminder of how messy things were between them back in season 1. I mean it is still messy now, but this is a very different notion of complicated.
Elizabeth doesn’t mention any real particulars other than saying that some of what they did was illegal, but for the greater good and when Paige asks if she has ever been arrested Elizabeth slyly mentions she never got caught. This is another case of The Americans giving the audience a relatable moment as it is normally in your teen years when you realize your parents are people who had lives before they were parents and Paige’s response is the perfect mix of confusion and wonder. Of course there is so much more to tell and I can’t imagine Philip will be thrilled to find out what Elizabeth has done even though she hasn’t really done anything at all. This is also a good point to mention how incredible Holly Taylor has been this season as the role of teen complication on a show like this is a hard line to walk without stepping into frustrating obstacle territory (see Homeland and 24). The writing is also important here and while they have given Paige a storyline that is a teen rebellion of another kind I love that she still asks for a later curfew when Elizabeth mentions how proud she is of her; she is still a teenager after all.
Sneaking about is part of their everyday life, however the most surprising act of this kind was not spy related as Philip and Elizabeth shared a sneaky joint out of their bedroom window. This scene was so unexpected and so delightful that I kept imagining something awful would happen to kill the laughter. It did end on a slight buzzkill with Philip mentioning if the operation dragged on and Kimmy got older then yeah he probably would have to sleep with her and yet this was far more chilled out than last week’s disturbing sex training montages. Philip suggests the whole thing in a very cute, simple pulling the joint out of his pocket and gesturing they smoke it way and it doesn’t take a lot of convincing to get Elizabeth on board.
Last week being stoned led to an incredibly devastating and important conversation between the pair. By sharing the spoils with Elizabeth it opens them up in a different way and we get to hear them making a sound that is far too rare with uncontrollable laughter. I want to bottle up the giggling noise Matthew Rhys makes because it is Amy Poehler levels of magic. Yes they are still talking about serious matters and yet they can find the humor as Philip points out how Jesus came through for him with Kimmy and Elizabeth tells Philip about Paige suggesting she tries praying. This scene really is everything.
We cut from this moment to the next day with an appearance from mail robot! Mail robot no longer carries classified files and Martha’s oh fuck expression foreshadows exactly how Clarke is going to feel about this. Also in the FBI office Stan finds out that one of his very close FBI friends has been killed in a plane crash and as this doesn’t connect to the overall story it comes across as somewhat disjointed. Stan is also still feeling all the feelings for Sandra even with a new woman in his life and the whole EST business is an extension of this idea of finding something to believe in. Plus it provides us with another super awkward dinner at the Jennings house as Henry doesn’t know when is the right time to stop asking questions. Oh, Henry.
The Stan/Oleg team-up is absent in “Born Again”, instead we see Nina using the same technique as Philip and Elizabeth inserting her real life story into one that will help get what she wants. In prison Nina’s objective is to get Evi to talk so Nina can get a lighter sentence and she goes about it like a pro first with the nightmares we witnessed a couple of episodes ago followed by recounting her two loves – the communist and the capitalist – and how both loved their country more than her while talking about the differences between men and woman. Nina earns Evi’s trust and then betrays it as quickly as she can wolf down a proper meal and glass of wine. Is this going to be enough or has Nina got another cellmate she will have to break first?
Shot of the Week
What this resembles is the key art from the first two seasons which played heavily on the red of Russia and while it is just the utility room turned darkroom Elizabeth is striking bathed in red light.
Disguise of the Week
No new disguises this week sadly and instead here is Jim trying to distract Kimmy long enough to get the operative into the house to plant the briefcase bug. His first attempt involves pot and Pink Floyd, but Kimmy wants to take a bath. With Jim. And thankfully Philip convinces her to go in solo. I love how pissed off the bug lady looks when Philip asks for her earrings as a distraction tactic.
Outfit I Would Wear in 2015
This doesn’t give us the full smart/casual outfit Elizabeth is wearing combining slight flared jeans, heels with a waistcoat, scarf and this fantastic long coat. Also so much hair envy right now.
Felicity, Episodes 4.7 & 4.8 “The Storm” & “The Last Thanksgiving” Original Air Dates: Nov. 21 & 28, 2001
Emma: Ben knows about Felicity and Noel thanks to Noel spilling (which we discussed in detail last time) and he reacts exactly how I expected. Except for the part where he didn’t hit Noel, that was unexpected. He doesn’t want to talk to Felicity and this plays up to his putting up all the barriers that we have seen so many times. The episode also starts with Ben playing basketball and this is the most Ben reaction. Felicity tries to talk to him and I can’t blame him when he tells her to go as this is a very shitty thing that she has done.
There’s a divide with how all their friends feel but the overall tone is a lot calmer considering what has gone on. I dunno I was expecting more shouting and screaming, although this isn’t really Ben or Felicity’s style so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. Instead he comes to get his stuff and returns her key and it’s all just really sad. Ben can’t find his favorite tatty green hoodie and the sadness lingers. It turns out the new awful roommates like to wear clothes that aren’t theirs and this includes Ben’s hoodie and really want is the point of them? Comic relief? Because eh they’re just really annoying and clearly have toilet issues. And why is the only bathroom through Felicity’s room? Surely that’s not the only one. Thankfully Meghan threatens one of them and in the next episode they are absent. I am already bored of their shenanigans.
Meghan is mad at both the guys and I’m glad we finally get a story that isn’t just bickering with Sean even if I think she went too hard on Ben. Yes he should talk to Felicity at some point rather than just ignoring her, however he also has the right to be pissed off as the person who has been cheated on. And it’s not like Felicity slept with a random guy, there is so much history here that it’s got to burn even more that it was with Noel. Elena does a good job of straddling the demands of being bestie and also as Ben’s friend/tutor, ending up in her own romantic entanglement after debating gender sexual politics with Trevor. What did you make of this subplot? Are you into this hookup?
I’m glad Elena pointed out that sex for women is sometimes just that, which it is but in this case I think it was maybe more than that because of the HISTORY. I dunno was it just sexy between Noel and Felicity? Maybe more in Felicity’s end that was the case. Nothing has happened since and it’s Ben she’s in love with and as she tries to explain to Ben there was so much going on. Does this excuse the cheating? Probably not and yet I completely understand Felicity’s point of view and ugh it’s just all so messy.
The storm itself is not actually that dramatic but it does punctuate certain emotionally charged scenes prompting letter writing and a rain soaked discussion. Were you disappointed there wasn’t another blackout or are you glad they went in this direction instead?
Julie: I’m with you that everyone’s reactions to Felicity cheating on Ben were kind of weird. There wasn’t a lot of sympathy for him from Meghan or Elena, but that was to be expected. They’re Felicity’s friends, not Ben’s. That said, Meghan lives with Ben now and I expected her to be a bit more sympathetic. She’s very cavalier about the whole cheating thing, and I’d like to see her reaction if Sean ever cheats on her (not really because that would probably just lead to more fighting). I suspect she’d be a little less all, “It happens.”
Elena’s point about men and women was right on…except in this situation. For neither Felicity nor Noel was what they did on the rooftop “just sex.” That said, Ben was way harsh in how poorly he took the news. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it had more to do with the stress of school and his father than it did with Felicity herself. I just don’t think he wants to deal with the headiness of ONE MORE THING. Making up with Felicity would require a lot of soul searching and talking, and I don’t think he’s ready to deal with that. Also, Felicity is the one person who has never let him down, and now she has.
Which I think is unfair to her. Ben has been a boob to Felicity many times (a-hem, AVERY), and she’s owed a slip-up, a freebee. Though maybe using that freebee on Noel was a bridge too far.
I was surprised that “The Storm” wasn’t a bottle episode. I kept waiting for it to happen, Ben and Felicity stuck together in an apartment or an elevator or a subway car (callback) with no electricity, but it never happened. I think this added to the tension, actually. They weren’t going to be given the easy way out. They weren’t going to be provided with an outlet.
I actually kept thinking of Friends and Ross and Rachel during these episodes, what with Felicity’s letter to Ben and the make up and break up sex and friends standing just outside the door during all of this.
What did you think of Ben and Felicity’s brief reconciliation?
Emma: With Meghan look how insanely jealous she was about the hot rabbi. She is definitely all mouth sometimes and while Ben needed someone to point out he should talk to Felicity it could have maybe been handled a little less callously. This is Meghan’s style and yes at least it gets them talking even if that ends without a reconciliation of any kind. I get where Ben is coming from with his trust issues and why he is concerned about his mom taking his dad back even with his dad’s condition. He has heard the same apology and excuses time and time again; for him the love explanation is not enough and I don’t know what will be. It is heartbreaking because you know Felicity means it when she says she wishes she could take it back, but it isn’t enough. You’re right that Felicity is the only one who has never let him down and the pressure of being put on this pedestal is too much.
Felicity definitely falls into my favorite kind of lady character on TV – the flawed and conflicted – and by allowing her to make mistakes they have been able to explore a range of very real topics particularly in the arena of guys and sex, which as you know I love it when this show tackles these things. So the brief Thanksgiving Ben and Felicity union makes sense and is devastating all at once because you know that he isn’t going to be able to forgive her as simply as that. Ben is a bit of dick in this episode and while it is painful to watch I can also sympathize with him through his dickishness. Using Lauren as a jealous prop is gross and I find it a little weird that Lauren is okay with it and is even the one who suggests going over there despite the ex factor. Okay Lauren also is the one who tells Ben to call Felicity, but I am still narrowing my eyes at her over this one. Maybe Meghan should put a hex on her.
So Ben comes back to the apartment to say sorry – after getting a barrage of abuse from Meghan and once again I dig how protective over Felicity she is – and they go into her bedroom (once again I want to know more about the bathroom situation in this house as I’m sure there is another one) and Ben explains that yes he was trying to hurt Felicity. Oh and here is one of the many places where the sad piano music theme of the Ben and Felicity breakup kicks in, it gets a lot of airtime in these two episodes. Felicity asks Ben to stay for a moment and he sits next to her on the bed, he holds her hand, they kiss and then they get horizontal. And despite how lovely this all is and how much they love each other Ben just can’t forget about what has happened. I like his explanation that he could understand it a year ago (or really earlier in the year when the Avery stuff went down, Ben) but he doesn’t deserve to be cheated on now and she knows this is a fair assessment of the situation. Both Keri Russell and Scott Speedman nail the pain of this kind of breakup and I wonder if they were still together in real life at this point? Not that their real relationship ended badly if interviews with either actor suggest and I love it when actors on shows are still besties in real life.
When Ben says he will call her I believe him and even though I think it is going to be tough for the next few episodes I also think Ben and Felicity are not going to be how they were when they broke up at the start of season 2 not being able to be in the same room. And I totally agree with you about the Friends comparison – do people write handwritten letters on shows anymore? – and Meghan with her love spells is definitely the Phoebe of the group. Remember when she did that spell on Felicity at the end of season 1?
While Ben and Felicity are dealing with the repercussions of the roof hookup Noel is messing up in a whole bunch of other ways. What do you make of his escapades in both episodes?
Julie: Regarding the sleeping arrangements in Felicity’s apartment — does she share a room with Elena? I’ve never been able to figure that out. What’s their hooking up system? Also, their apartment is giving me all the nostalgia, but not really for having a bunch of roommates and everyone being privy to everyone else’s sexual habits.
Many years ago, Conan O’Brien did a segment about the NBA on NBC theme song (one of the greatest theme songs of all time, which was written by John Tesh), where he’d insert the music into inappropriate movie scenes. (This will give you an idea of the conceit.) I want to do the same thing with the sad Felicity piano music.
We do need to talk about Noel. He’s a mess. He’s been a mess for a very long time, and nobody has really called him on it. Nobody’s sat him down and made a list of all the ridiculous stuff he’s done (getting married, getting cool guy tips, staying married, STALKING TYRA, making a play for his roommate’s girlfriend, etc.), but at least, I think, he himself sees it now. He has hit bottom. Stalking Tyra, shockingly, was not bottom. Hooking up with his new boss’s daughter and getting robbed a la George Costanza in a hotel is his bottom.
I was really pissed at him in these episodes. You know I’ve been cheering for Noel, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he has become such a far cry from freshman year, sweet, smart, driven Noel that I don’t even know him anymore. Old Noel would think things through. Old Noel was not a cliched horn dog. Old Noel would’ve seen the danger in taking a barfly back to some hotel room. I guess it speaks to him “needing” a grounded figure like Felicity in his life, or it speaks to him going through some quarter-life crisis after being the good guy for most of his life. But this has been going on for too long. With Meghan and Sean, they’re always fighting and making up. With Noel, it’s him getting his life back on track before dragging it back into the crapper. Good thing he put in a call to Dr. Pavone.
What are your Noel-based thoughts?
Emma: I am so on board with the Felicity sad piano music idea because it really did scream YOU MUST FEEL SAD NOW in scenes where we don’t really need to be told how to feel. It’s pretty obvious.
Noel is spiraling big time and it’s not pretty, which as the designated nice guy he’s breaking with the teen show norms. For this reason I actually don’t mind him going off the rails because it messes with this archetype but as you mentioned he’s done it far, far too much and no one really seems too concerned well until his brother comes to town. First he loses his dream new job, which considering it took so long for him to find one he fucked up pretty quickly. I know he tries to explain that he knows when he’s doing something stupid but can’t stop himself and yet this seems like something he wouldn’t risk this early on in the job. Also that girl looked a whole lot like Ruby.
At first I thought the girl in the bar was a hooker, but nope Noel just gets robbed instead. It would have been a farcical step too far if he had turned up to dinner at Felicity’s and I’m pretty sure Ben would have definitely punched him in the face. I’m repeating myself but I still can’t believe Noel has not been punched yet. Maybe it would help Noel if he widened his circle of friends because having Richard as your bestie is definitely not helping. Am I alone in finding him more annoying than funny this season?
Noel claims that his rock bottom face planting is not just due to Felicity and I actually believe him as other than when he told Ben he hasn’t really been pining after her. This is something deeper and therapy is a very good idea. Going back to the counselor position is surely going to bum him out even further. Do you think he’s still hung up on Felicity?
Julie: I think I did mention it on Twitter that most of Noel’s girlfriends tend to be some variation on Amy Smart. Or, well, this girl was and so was Avery. That’s two. I’ll consider that a pattern.
That’s a good question: Is Noel actually hung upon on Felicity? I want to say no. I think the Felicity thing was a symptom of him trying to get his shit together. He’s his best self when he’s with her, but he needs to figure out a way to do that without her. That’s where I think Dr. Pavone will help, unless she continues her streak of giving dubious advice, and he winds up back at Felicity’s door.
Really, both Noel and Felicity need to figure out how to be great without each other. Felicity was just starting to be happy when she was deep in her friendship with Noel. She’s always put her own needs on the back burner while she’s dated Ben, but Noel always encouraged her. Now that she’s without both of them, I hope she can truly figure out her own life and take that MUCH NEEDED break from men. More girl times, thanks, especially since Elena is also single now.
Because she is, right? The thing with Ugly Betty‘s boyfriend is over? I kind of forgot to pay attention to how that whole thing ended. They had a fling, he thinks she’s beautiful, she’s pretty sure he’s a moron. And, of course, she took Meghan’s (bad) advice to quiz him on stupid facts in order to decide whether or not he’s smart enough to be with. While I think the writers did make him a little TOO dumb, he was still a decent guy who seemed to really like Elena, and I wasn’t pleased with how he was discarded. What did you think of Elena’s new boyfriend?
And, yeah, Richard is the worst this season. I was just thinking the other day how Hannah on Girls really needs to surround herself with new, better people (my god, I want to kick Jessa in the head), but the same kind of goes for all these people on Felicity. It goes for a lot of people on a lot of TV shows. These folks are all stuck with each other for the duration of the show, but are they really the best people for one another?
Emma: Did Dr Pavone give Ben bad advice too? I can’t remember clearly but I have a hazy belief that she was better with Ben than she was with Felicity, maybe she will be the same with Noel. I wonder if there are any psychiatrists/consellors/psychologists who have had to deal with a love triangle like this isn real life. I feel like this would be pretty hard to stay completely impartial if that was the case.
Yes, yes, yes to Felicity being without a guy for awhile, but as this is TV I sense the break from dudes won’t be sustained. There’s a whole array of dudes in her art class but they all seem pretty terrible so hopefully she will steer clear and just hangout with her friends.
I think Elena and Trevor are still a thing as she went to the bar after he stormed out to tell him she needed more fun in her life rather than just being about the books. Her argument was that she has spent her college experience doing nothing but studying and yet I seem to recall her doing far more than just this. Yes the work has been her focus but she has still had an active social and love life so this doesn’t ring all that true to me. And she’s still going to tutor him so it looks like Ugly Betty’s boyfriend is sticking around for now. But I still vote they go out on girls night. Felicity and Elena should steer clear of any advice Meghan attempts to give them.
Ooh I really like this idea of looking at friendship groups on TV and working out who would actually still be friends if they weren’t on a TV show as I’m sure we’ve all had a Richard or Jessa in our life – Jessa is ultimate awful and they’re going to have to go a long way to justify why anyone would still answer her calls/texts – and sometimes something as simple as finishing college is a way to eek out the people you no longer want to see. On TV people are stuck with each other for way longer and I liked how New Girl addressed the ‘would we be friends if we met each other now?” dilemma with Cece/Jess and Nick/Schmidt. History counts for a lot but that can only take it so far. I figure after they are done with college none of them are seeing Richard ever again.
Felicity and Ben aren’t the only ones who are dunzo as Javier leaves Samuel and I’m not entirely sure how to feel about this. Javier is generally the comic relief story and while he is also often there for Feliicty in her time of crisis I’m not sure if the show treats his issues in his relationship with the same gravitas. We saw Javier get married and then go through the surrogacy process before that failed but now he’s broken up with Samuel it doesn’t seem that important to the show. First there was the Lionel mission which was definitely played for laughs and now there is this fight about Javier’s cat. I’m guessing Noel and Javier get a place together now and narratively at least it will include him in the overall story more but I still think the writers have handled this in a clunky manner. What are your thoughts on this?
Julie: I think that can’t be too ethical, counseling three branches of a love triangle. Of course it’s TV, so anything goes. In real life, she probably would’ve referred at least one person to another doctor. As far as the bad advice goes, maybe she’s better with guys? Maybe she sees herself in the mistakes Felicity’s making? And now I’m counseling the counselor.
Oh, that’s right about her med school exam. I forgot that she went back to Trevor (obviously I’m very invested in this storyline). I would like to see Elena do something outside of pre-med again. She did take that self-defense course, so there was that. Maybe she could meet a guy in one of her new endeavors, someone outside of medicine for once. She’s stuck with doctors for her past three “relationships,” and she needs to give some other guys a shot, guys with whom she won’t be competing/comparing herself.
Now that I’m thinking about it, even I have friends where it’s like, “Why?” Sometimes it’s history, sometimes it’s circumstance and geography I guess that makes sense, as it would be boring to befriend only those people who are just like you. And as time goes on, and as you have less and less time to spend with all the different people in your life, some friendships naturally fade away and some stick.
(I have one friend who actually broke up with some of her peripheral college friends, instead of letting nature take its course. She told them she no longer wanted to hang out with them, which, yeah, way harsh, but also very honest.)
We brought this up with Julie a lot. Would she and Felicity really be friends? And now she’s gone, so I guess the answer is no. I do see Meghan and Felicity remaining friends after college, but maybe Sean doesn’t get invited to their reunions. And Richard lifts right out. They’ll keep tabs on him on Facebook, but that’s about it.
I was very whatever about Javier and Samuel breaking up, because I’m guessing it won’t take. Those two have a very volatile relationship. Also, we haven’t seen Samuel for a while, so it’s not like I’ve missed him.
The show really does not give a lot of emotional heft to any of the relationships outside of the Ben/Noel/Felicity triangle. Meghan and Sean are constantly breaking up and getting back together. We hardly saw the Elena/Tracy reunion. Even Ruby was just a place holder for Noel and Felicity. I’m not surprised that the show gave Javier and Samuel the short end of the stick, but the should could’ve been much richer if the other characters had been given more to do on screen.
Emma: It is pretty much Felicity centric stories > everyone else and as the show has her name in the title I guess that’s to be expected, but it is a shame that other characters don’t get to be more than just players in the Felicity sphere at times.
The breaking up with friends thing can be hard and woah that your friend went the honest route. I’ve definitely always been a ‘let nature take its course.’ At least with the honest way you don’t up doing the ‘sure we’ll meet up soon’ fakeries.
Oh one other thing and the Felicity Emmy snub video I posted on Twitter a few days ago which is super fun and poking fun at the lack of nominations for the show after what looks like its first season (Keri Russell still has the hair). Russell won at the Golden Globes which tend to recognize new talent from shows that are just ‘prestige’ such as Gina Rodriguez this year. I can’t imagine the Emmys nominating Jane the Virgin for the same reason they didn’t nominate Felicity as they don’t look to teen TV in this way because of snobbery and the like. But it does lead to videos like this and I loved seeing the various ways they inserted Felicity into popular shows of the 90s. I was especially fond of the ER one just so we could see what Ben might look like in his now dream job.
Julie Hammerle is, according to Klout, an expert in the areas of both Morgan Freeman and glasses. Her writing can be found at chicagonow.com/hammervision and you can holler at her on Twitter as well.
The first of many Mad Men covers to come celebrating/sobbing over the final hurrah and they are starting with a doozy on The Hollywood Reporter. In the issue they go back to the beginning with an oral history and the only thing this cover shot is lacking is some Kiernan Shipka. They all look fabulous and if you want to find the perfect way to distract yourself just take a look at the Jon Hamm close-up portraits.
April is going to be a great month for TV and Game of Thrones is high on the most anticipated list. Experiencing the build-up buzz for the first time after finally catching up last year is going to be fun; case in point the unveiling of Arya Stark’s new look with a hint of “Tragic Kingdom” era Gwen Stefani on the cover of Entertainment Weekly got me all a fluster. New costumes to pore over ahoy.
Because all things Broad City, including this New York cover lead to joy (except the realization the season finale is next week).
Kerry Washington is mesmerizing on Marie Claire’s April edition and after last month’s InStyle debacle it is an image that thankfully looks like the Scandal star. It is a captivating pose and while they’ve gone for an Olivia Pope clothing color palette, there is plenty of Washington shining through with very un-Olivia like tussled hair. Soon to be Scandal guest star Lena Dunham has written the piece aptly entitled “Why We All Want to be Kerry Washington.”
Another stare into your soul cover from another amazing lady; Robin Wright is exuding all kinds of cool on Vanity Fair and she is the main reason House of Cards is calling out to me. Short hair perfection and the story behind this amazing cut is that it was a necessity ““I was just cutting off damaged hair—too much bleach over months of [appearing in] different movies. It was a mercy killing, but it works for the character.” Iconic haircuts often are the result of an accident (see the Rachel) and this is one of those.
TV Ate My Wardrobe 
