In honor of Jon Hamm's Emmy win here are some of Don Draper's best scenes:

After being nominated EIGHT times for his extraordinary portrayal of Don Draper, Jon Hamm finally won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series!!!!

It's a travesty that Jon didn't win earlier (although he's had stiff competition over the years) but I guess its better late than never. His impressive body of work on Mad Men will go down as one of the greatest performances in television history. It's impossible to pick just one favorite Don Draper moment, so here are a few:


Peggy gives Don her two weeks notice:

Most of Hamm's best work came when he played off the incredibly talented, Elisabeth Moss. This scene showcases Hamm's ability to cover a wide range of emotions (annoyance, arrogance, denial, anger, desperation, acceptance) all while maintaining Don Draper's cool, guarded facade. That moment when he gives up and kisses Peggy's hand is absolutely heartbreaking.




Don Draper on Speed:

Anyone that has watched any of Jon Hamm's numerous appearances in SNL and other comedies knows how funny the man can be. He didn't get nearly enough chances to show off his comedic chops during Mad Men but we did get to watch Don run through the office, high on speed and it was amazing.



Don Draper doesn't believe in love:
DIALOGUE.



Don "doesn't want to wake up pregnant":

Don's not-so-secret hatred for Pete created some wonderful tension throughout the years but never was it more enjoyable than during this hilarious burn.



Don lashes out at Peggy:

The iconic "That's what the money is for!" line.




Don gets some terrible news:

Watching Don Draper's walls crumble all around him was gut wrenching.




Don and Peggy share a beautiful moment:

The stoic, yet wildly inconsistent tenderness of Don Draper was always a marvel to watch.




Joan and Don share a laugh:

"But that's life, one minute you're on top of the world, the next minute some secretary 
is running you over with a lawnmower."

Look at these gorgeous cuties!

And of course, the iconic "Polaroid" pitch:

Absolutely mesmerizing. In that moment we were all Harry Crane.




Congrats Jon!

Recap & Review: Mad Men--"A Tale of Two Cities" Grade: B+

Season: 6
Episode: 10
Director: John Slattery
Original Air Date: June 2, 2013




60 second recap:
Roger, Don and Harry visit a client out in California. Don has a hallucination about Megan after taking some drugs and almost drowns in a pool. Ted makes major progress with Chevy after a visit to Detroit. Ginsberg butts heads with Cutler over politics. Bob is promoted to the Chevy account by Cutler after going to the Manischewitz meeting with Ginsberg. Joan stumbles upon a potential new client after a dinner date with the new head of marketing at Avon. She ignores protocol and takes the account into her own hands. Manischewitz puts the company on review. The partners finally decide on a name for the company.





Overall:
Although it was entertaining (as all Mad Men episodes are), this episode didn't break very much new ground. For the most part, it just reinforced what we already knew about the characters (Don is a cheater, Roger is a charming asshole, Pete feels unappreciated, Joan is sick of being treated like the secretary, etc). But we did get some interesting new insights into Cutler and Benson.

This week's episode tastefully covered the 1968 Democratic National Convention riots. Politics are slowly becoming intertwined with business, much to Cutler's dismay. While the younger generation (Megan, Stan and Ginsberg) is passionately affected by the news, some of the other generations (Don and Joan) are having a harder time displaying their feelings. Although they may be be personally affected by it, they keep their feelings mostly to themselves. It will be interesting to see how they react to all the political tension that will only get more passionate as time goes by.


The show is at its best when it's at the office, especially in the meeting room or at the creatives table. The chemistry between everyone at the office is such a delight to watch. When the characters are separated from each other for too long the scenes tend to drag a bit (all the California scenes, especially when Don is alone). Don's drug hallucination was well done though; very eerie and disorienting.


From a technical standpoint, Mad Men is on point once again with its cinematography. There were so many gorgeous shots this week; Cutler standing by the window, Don face down in the pool and most notably the entire slow motion shot of Pete smoking.