Box Set

'Twas the first season/
West Wing

Decisions, decisions, though on balance I thought President Bartlett had it easier. All he has to deal with are yes or no, and there is Josh and Sam, CJ , a director of communications, a chief of staff, all with him. Me? Alone in the situation room, 2.32 AM. I wish it was morning, no I mean a morning after sunrise. You have to admire these people, life and death, single minded decisions, no going back, political, social, they make decisions and move on. The only paralysis is the other side of a fiscal cliff. I feel like I’m on the other side of everything. 2.44, I’ll just finish this episode, maybe one more, then I’ll think about it, about deciding. Maybe, maybe, maybe, shades of grey when I long for a black and white. Or maybe not.
Bartlett doesn’t sit by the phone- he makes calls. Send up some F-16s to take out a passenger plane with a terrorist on board, it’s going to be over Newark in 9 minutes. Your call, Mr President? OK that puts everything into perspective. Wake me if something serious is about to go down. I can function on 4 hours sleep a night too, if that. Decisions, decisions. No I’m not gonna make that call, you said you’d phone me, remember.

The second season/Mad Men

What would Don Draper do? Same as me, pour another one, not sure if it’s too early or too late, check the mobile- 3.33 AM. Glow of a cigarette, glow of the TV screen, glow of an iPhone interface. Of course it was much simpler for Don without mobiles, you could disappear to the other coast; who would ring you reverse long distance? I must watch that episode again. Don is in Pacific Palisades with Campbell for a pitch. A convertible drives up to the front of the hotel. Don is married with children, with a colleague, on business, the girl smiles at him, he looks like he’s used to it. He gets in the car, they drive off. Monosyllabic script, looks as dialogue, no explanations, no telephone calls. Good, bad, debonair, irresponsible, how to live, how not to live. Episodes later he arrives back in the New York office.
‘How was it?’ sashays Joan Holloway
‘Sunny’ says Don.
That’s it. I’ve never been to California. It’s a film set. Life imitate fiction or the other way round? Do you know there is actually a web site called ‘what would Don Draper do?’ I feel like shouting at some people he’s a character from a TV series. I know it’s a cliché but
Get A Life.

Season 3

4AM, low point, so Braquo, Spiral..? Can I cope with sub titles, sub text? Switch sides maybe, back this side of the channel,
Avengers – not sure I can face Steed right now, the remorseless upbeat. Morse, that cultured air of regret, later, more of an arcadian afternoon punt, fading chink of daylight, last chance saloon. Look at the time: DVD player blinking 4.12AM, ‘Load Disk’. So imperative! No one could possibly ring me now.
Sleep? I heard about that on TV once. A book? I forgot I put them in storage when you, when I, when we, no, - its 4.16 AM- when you… brings it all back. I mean a DVD is just another medium, neither superior or inferior to an eBook. You always did have that way of inflection, made me feel that way, you said you never meant to, I said stuff I tried to take back, rewind, wipe. You went to bed. What’s that line, never go to bed angry.
I said I’ll be up in a minute. Just take in half an episode of The Hour, Received Pronunciation , calm things somewhat. I can pause anytime I want. Granted, I must have let it go on a fraction, curtains were still drawn when you came down. I said you must catch this clip where they have to choose between a report on Suez or a scoop interview with a night club hostess.
You have to choose, I vaguely recall you saying as you stepped outside for the early bus. The curtains were still drawn when you got back. I remember that clearly, I was back into one of the first West Wing seasons by then, the one where they flash back to how the cast came together in the first place. Josh and Sam, and Toby flying East to West to find CJ, snow to sun.
Wonder what it’s like outside? Snow! You know what season that means:4 The Wire. Baltimore, all those players in puffa jackets, East Side West side, what a story - you feel me?
Yes, Detective McNulty on the Jameson, then off the booze to settle down, then back on the booze when he’s parsing rival gangs, home –wherever his current hat is -at 4 AM reeking of Listerine, up at 6 on the case, - talk about work-life balance, some characters never learn - hit on the booze for real when he’s thrown out again. Neat story line, epic arc. Let’s see where did I put it, I was only watching that one a couple of nights ago, yo, here it is, yeah bro The Wire the complete fourth season, classic. Must be getting dark, probably squeeze a long winter in before that newish download of Borgen is live. Might as well settle in for the noir. Not as if anyone is going to ring me now, are they? Staatsminister Birgitte Nyborg,
Detective McNulty,
Creative Director Draper et al:
you think they’d answer it anyway?
Get real, man!