<p>Well, I’m hoping to deal with my withdrawal symptoms with a fix of methamphetamine courtesy of Breaking Bad on July 15th. Anyone going to pass that pipe around with me?</p>
<p>Yea! Another month to wait before Breaking Bad ??? (And only 8 episodes?) I now truly have nothing to watch except endless episodes of House Hunters International…</p>
<p>Me, too, latichever! I’m dying for Breaking Bad to start. I’ve been relegated to watching Design Star and Food Network Star until the good stuff comes back!</p>
<p>Regarding Peggy and the Virginia Slims assignment: We’re all assuming that Peggy’s new agency gets the account with the slogan, “You’ve come a long way baby.” But maybe she doesn’t come up with that, and her agency doesn’t get the account. Weiner is a stickler for accuracy, and the real “you’ve come a long way” campaign was created by the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago. I personally don’t think Weiner would toy with history to that degree, but we’ll see.</p>
<p>Breaking Bad, yes! Just finally watching Season 4 with three episodes left so, please, no spoilers! </p>
<p>Re Virginia Slims, remember the product has not been named yet – maybe Peggy will get to do that.</p>
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<p>Don’t read this spoiler about House Hunters unless you want to continue your enjoyment of the show. </p>
<p>I was a big fan until I found out much of it is staged–that for example, many of the houses selected were already sold to the show’s participants, and that they have them visiting houses that aren’t even for sale to make it seem like they are really choosing among house number 1, 2, or 3. I kind of thought it odd that somehow they found all these people visiting three houses and choosing one, when the house hunting process is much more complex and less linear, but i was willing to park my skepticism. Haven’t watched it since my bubble was burst.</p>
<p>Here’s a recent revelation: [House</a> Hunters is fake: here’s why it matters](<a href=“http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/06/14/house_hunters_is_fake_here_s_why_it_matters.html]House”>House Hunters is fake: here's why it matters)</p>
<p>Now don’t tell me “Housewives…” are fake!</p>
<p>The revelation of the House Hunters process has taken some of my enjoyment out of this series as my grown-up bedtime story on many nights. I assumed they toured more than 3 houses and then edited things to show three contrasting choices - wrong!!! Knowing that they are staging some of the reactions and time frames really knocks my enjoyment down a peg or two.
As for Mad Men, I would be having serious withdrawal if I hadn’t recorded all the episodes of House this year on the DVR and saved them until the last few weeks. I have enough left to tide me over to the start of Wimbledon on the 25th.</p>
<p>I’ve noted this on another thread, but all reality shows are managed. Some are outright fake. Some are a mix. An example of a mix is Pawn Stars; some of the material doesn’t walk in but is handed to people who are asked to “sell” it. Some is real but that is generally managed, including restaging and lots of editing. Some of the other shows in that vein are outright fake, meaning the items are placed to be found or they aren’t actually bought or sold, etc. </p>
<p>Shows like the housewives take 100 hours of footage and cut it up to make shows. They develop story lines like with a scripted show. What you see is what they want you to see. Some shows, like the Gene Simmons one, are more clearly scripted; the situations are often prepared footage is shot to fit. That’s kind of obvious if you know that’s how it’s done.</p>
<p>Shows like House Hunters aren’t fake. The people actually buy or rent. Some of the shows, like Selling LA, are more fake; the entire storyline is made up for the show and nothing gets bought. That House Hunters does it this way is by necessity: they film around the world and use local producers and crews and then edit the material and create the simple story line of conflict out of what they record. They can’t follow people around for months while they shop for a house. They can’t do that all over the world. Or even the country. Not fake at all by Hollywood standards. It’s easy to understand if you realize they pay next to nothing to be on the show - a few hundred bucks - and they have to put each episode together in a day or so of shooting. The only way that can work is to show pre-arranged places. That means they have to show you which one they bought or rented along with 2 more. My guess is some of the “x months later” are exaggerations, but it doesn’t make much difference. Bottom line is you see what they chose. </p>
<p>Filming takes a lot of time. A simple scene in one House Hunters Intl shot in a store I know took 6 hours. Lots of footage, lots of redo, lots of different angles, a few seconds on screen. </p>
<p>It’s typical for a documentary to reduce 100 hours of footage to 1. The new Morgan Spurlock movie about ComicCon - which is fantastic - reduced something more than 450 hours to about 90 mins. Think about how much work that takes, from preparation to shooting to editing. Even a documentary is managed reality; you see the story lines they follow and develop and edit for interest and drama.</p>
<p>One of my kids has worked in this area. Also works in network TV.</p>
<p>It’s often easy to guess which house hunters dwelling the buyers will “choose” (you have to have a house under contract to be considered for the show). They never buy the one with clothes in the closet!</p>
<p>Fortunately, we don’t have to wait until next season to know if Peggy will still be part of our story: [‘Mad</a> Men’s’ Elisabeth Moss: Peggy will be back - The Clicker](<a href=“http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/29/12482463-mad-mens-elisabeth-moss-peggy-will-be-back?lite]'Mad”>http://theclicker.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/29/12482463-mad-mens-elisabeth-moss-peggy-will-be-back?lite)</p>
<p>And so it returns tonight. Somehow, I missed the hype if there was any, and I didn’t notice it until I was reading a piece about TV cord-cutting, and how the author would have to miss the season premiere.</p>
<p>It’s starting with a two-hour episode. I think that’s a first. </p>
<p>So how will Peggy remain relevant to the narrative? Will Pete and Peggy hook up for true love?</p>
<p>The blurb for tonight says Roger gets some bad news. He has already had bad news.</p>
<p>Will Betty up her intensity as Mommy Dearest? And can her second marriage be saved?</p>
<p>Last season ended in 1967, so get set for the assassinations of MLK and RFK, more about Vietnam, and more drugs. And will Don go to San Francisco with flowers in his hair?</p>
<p>Last year was a 2 hour start. AMC apparently liked the idea and asked them to do it again.</p>
<p>Wow, Don, say it ain’t so.</p>
<p>The ending was like the end of the first ever episode.</p>
<p>Wow. Quite a dark start.</p>
<p>Indeed. From first scene to last, a very dark episode. Among the more curious story points - Betty & the young violinist; the Jewish/Christian neighbors (doctor & wife); the humiliation of Don’s fan at the office (the accountant); “the future of refrigeration” investment (right out of East of Eden!) </p>
<p>Feel free to discuss.</p>
<p>Its funny, I was watching the new episode and I came across this thread. I’m just starting it, was it a good episode?</p>
<p>Of course it’s a good episode. It’s Mad Men!</p>
<p>So much for Don turning over a new leaf. The old Don is back. Roger, Sandy, the ad campaigns, it was depressing. And that first scene, I wasn’t sure if someone was having a heart attack or if someone was being assaulted, until later.</p>
<p>Lots of great moments in the episode. I had a good laugh when Peggy took a telephone call and started walking and the phone yanked her back. I thought that was a nice touch.</p>