STACK Magazine November Issue 121

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Mad Men enters its seventh and final season, and
like Breaking Bad, AMC have split the last series
into two parts – the second of which will air next
year. So it's not all over just yet, thank goodness.
The seventies' are looming as Don Draper (Jon
Hamm) heads down the road to redemption after
hitting rock bottom last season. Don has always
been the heart of the show, if not the moral
compass, and fittingly he's the focus of these first
seven episodes. But will he return to the fold or
wind up working for a rival agency? His fate rests in the hands
of the irrepressible Roger Sterling (John Slattery). Expect further
mergers, a moon landing, a killer pitch from Peggy, a surreal song
and dance routine, and a death. The fat lady is just warming up...
Last drinks.
MAD MEN: THE FINAL SEASON, PART 1
Fears that this TV adaptation of the Coen Brothers
film favourite might be a bad idea were quickly nixed
by resounding approval from critics and viewers alike.
Don't compare this to the Coens' film; think of it
as an alternate universe version of the same story.
Unlike fellow film-turned-series From Dusk Till Dawn,
Fargo eschews the need to recap the events of the
movie; it's set in a snowbound Minnesota milieu,
shares similar characters and themes, and boasts the
same blackly comic approach, but is content to do its
own thing. In this iteration, Martin Freeman is the wimpy insurance
salesman who enlists the services of hitman Billy Bob Thornton to take
out a longtime nemesis, creating a domino effect of criminal hijinks to
keep local cops Allison Tolman and Bob Odenkirk busy. A must-see.
Minnesota madness.
FARGO: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
094
visit REVIEWS DVD&BD
Format: Release Date: 06/11/14 Format: Release Date: 12/11/14
NOVEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi
There's lots to love about Vikings. Less complex than
Game of Thrones but just as thrilling and addictive,
this History Channel series could be viewed as a
Nordic version of Sons of Anarchy. Hero Ragnar
Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) possesses the same physical
attributes, commitment to clan and ruthlessness as
Jax Teller. There are bloody battles and deals brokered
with rivals, and indomitable female characters you
simply can't help but adore. Season Two sees Ragnar
and King Horik clash with Jarl Borg and Ragnar's
turncoat brother Rollo, while over in Wessex, former priest Athelstan
is torn between his allegiance to Ragnar and the opportunity of a
lifetime offered by King Ecbert. And then there's that spooky old blind
seer, whose prophecies inevitably come to pass.
A clash of kings.
VIKINGS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON
When it comes to buccaneers and their exploits on
the high seas, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean
franchise is the family-friendly version. Black
Sails, a new pirate series from Starz (who gave
us Spartacus) offers a gritty, R-rated alternative.
Set 20 years prior to the events detailed in Robert
Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island, the
show follows notorious pirate Captain Flint (Toby
Stephens) – who makes Jack Sparrow look like a
wimp – in his pursuit of a treasure-laden Spanish
galleon; and ruthless trader Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New), who
fences the pirates' plunder. Amongst Flint's crew is young John
Silver (played by Aussie Luke Arnold), whom we know, sooner or
later, won't have a leg to stand on. • See page 74
Pirate nation.
BLACK SAILS: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
TV
Format: Release Date:05/11/14 Format: Release Date: 26/11/14