NBC unveiled it’s new Not Mad Men Drama called Not Mad Men Playboy Club (Really? Then explain this right here, NBC!). So what did we think of the show? Were the bunnies hot? Was Eddie Cibrian a smoldering cad? Did the show succeed at anything at all?
Let’s find out if NBC has a chance of winning over salty AMC fans.
The Good:
Club Playboy has its perks: The set was gorgeous. It was sumptuous and lavish. It was more than apparent that a lot of time and money was spent in recreating a swinging 1960’s club that had the real feel of debauchery mixed in with an uncanny innocence that oozed from every crevice. This is the way they meant it, yes? Barely contained sex wrapped in a layer of moral compunction. The look of the show, not withstanding NBC’s networkiness, is probably one of its best features. If we’re comparing it to Mad Men…no, The Playboy Club doesn’t have the same subtlety, or some of the effortless detail that makes that show more authentic for the 1960’s, but the whole point here is for NBC to use what they have to make it less the typical drama and more of a theatrical oration, yet without the elite indieness of AMC. Did they succeed? Not by AMC standards, but it looked better than most things the network has offered in recent years, and that says something.
Hair, Makeup, Wardrobe: The overall visuals of the actors seemed right and in place. You can’t really tell by the men, though. Men are pretty easy at this point. Basically give them the right cut of suit for the era, stick a pocket square in the breast pocket, give the hair a good shellacking with a part and voila. Even though, I didn’t see enough fedoras. Fedoras on men were a staple…unless this show is set well into the late 1960’s. Aside from that, the men were fine. The women, however, make or break a period drama. From what we could tell they were mostly well appointed. The hair and makeup was appropriate. The coiffing was deliberate and accurate, but the clothing is really the clinch pin. The bunny uniforms were diligent in their detailing, everything else was just a bit so-so, but then we’ve not seen the girls in much else yet.
Sing, baby, sing: Hugh Hefner was known to party among the paragons of the entertainment industry, controversial or not. So when the show introduced musical performance, it was a welcome addition. Now, I have no doubt that some of us could look at the singer portraying Tina Turner and say that she in no way resembled the enigmatic superstar, but the appearance of Ike and Tina was right for the time period, and it’s an added boon that the other show doesn’t have. So music and musical numbers are a win for The Playboy Club.
The Bad:
:Spoiler: Whatever. Killing Someone with a Stiletto Heel: Just. What. The. Ferg? Nearly two minutes in, we find out what the big mystery of this season is going to be in the most obvious (and stupid) set up ever. The newest bunny hired by the empire is cornered in a back room by some drunk schmoe. After Eddie Draper fails to save her (What? The smooth lothario/macho guy gets knocked on the floor after ten seconds? Really? Really.) she gives him one good Miss Piggy kick to the neck (Hi-ya!) and impales the guy with her heel. Yes, this is the storyline we’re going with. It was like that cartoon gag where the animated character reaches in their purse and pulls out a super huge gun. Yawr, it was that laaaammmmeee. I half expected Dets. Benson and Stabler to come in and say, “Alright. What do we got?” and some flunky cop to say, “Male vic, mid 40’s, stabbed in the neck with this size 6 stiletto heel.” Cue faces of confusion. “Well, obviously somebody wanted to stick it to him good.” Bung-Chung! Facepalm. So, the entire season will hinge on whether any of the mob goons find out Baby Bunny and Eddie Don Draper’s Coattails had anything to do with this murder. Fantastic.
The Gay Storyline: Hey, you know what will draw in the gay demographic? How about throwing them a little storyline from the 1960’s? Yes, a story about the quiet gay mobilization in the turbulent sixties. It looks like they’re trying to protest repression with nightly meetings where they get to be “gay” instead of the “non gay” that they are in their daily life? I dunno. I’m a bit confused. Isn’t this just a party with like individuals? How is this a movement? One of the bunnies appears to be stealing money from the club in order to fund this movement, or as a way to provide finger foods at the meetings. It’s all little unclear at this point. Anyway, I’m a bit on the fence about whether this will work or not. It’s the sort of thing that we actually would have liked Mad Men to explore further. There is a feeling that they just glossed over the very obvious gay story with the reveal of Sal’s sexuality and Don’s reaction to finding out. Can you say, “Just left hanging with that bombshell hovering in the air.” Anyway, it feels a bit cheap to have NBC try and pull it off on this show. We’ll see where it goes. But mostly I think they’ll find some way to mess this up and mishandle it.
Jon Hamm has a Stalker: Eddie Cibrian’s obvious attempt at Don Draper’s smooth voice was outrageous. It literally sounded like he watched a Nothing but Draper video reel and attempted to match the tenor of his voice to Jon Hamm’s exactly. It was more than a bit sad and unfortunate. Not sad and unfortunate in the plan. No, not that per se, but in the execution. The effort was so apparent. He really should cease this immediately. Seriously. It was painfully obvious and patently hilarious. Just imagine your uncle Marvin’s impression of Sinatra, or when your cousin does that Eddie Murphy laugh…yeah, this is what Eddie Cibrian’s Draper sounded like. The whole point to having a great character is what the actor can do to make that character his own. Cibrian better learn this quick, since right now he’s reading more than a bit false.
Old Bunny: HA HA! There’s some subtle joke on the show about the usefulness of an old bunny. A probably 32 year old bunny. That’s like ancient, yes! Anyway, Old Bunny and Eddie Draper’s Beard Stubble are an item, and there’s a big to-do about what Eddie Draper’s Boxers were doing with a new, young nubile bunny. How dare a guy who nightly frequents a place that sells taboo sexy along with their buck and a quarter steaks leave with one of the girls. I imagine that’s how you, old bunny, and he first hooked up, right? I dunno, they’re certainly setting up this whole Beware of Old Bunny’s Wrath thing aren’t they? The feisty relationship between the two of them just seemed like convenient soap opera drivel. Drama for drama’s sake. And her obsession with the Playboy Club is a little weird. Nothing else exists, apparently. She wants to be the Den Mother. The Mrs. Garrett of the Playboy world. She thinks there should be handbooks, guidelines, curfews, and no boning in the bathrooms for “her girls” (moral standards, don’tchaknow!) yet she’s willing to break into offices and tattle to Hefner when she can’t get her way “Oh, Pooh!”…well, that just seems ridiculous. Basically we’re supposed to infer that Playboy Bunnies Are Serious Business.
Blonde Betty Bunny: I said this Monday night, and I’ll say it again. This newbie doesn’t really fit the era to me. She’s like half a Twilight away from saying, “Awesome, dude.” and licking a Joe Jonas poster. Dare I say it…but yeah, January Jones can probably out-act this little dullard, and we mostly hate January Jones. But whatever. This is NBC and on this channel all you have to be is marginally attractive. Acting talent is an abstract concept, ask that Whitney Cummings person.
Token Bunny: Sheesh. Now, NBC, we know you guys don’t engage in much diversity on your network. Yes, we know, you tried last season with that awful thing Undercovers, whose writing and premise was simply dumb. Anyway, you plan to follow up your little diversity initiative with having the one token black bunny be a bit overt, stereotypically sassy, sex happy, and as deep as a soup bowl? Bunny Brenda’s whole contribution to the episode was to tell everyone to party, say the word penis, and chastise those who didn’t partake in the comforts of being a bunny. We assume this is all she ever wanted to be in life. Yes, to escape discrimination by being a Playboy bunny? The forthcoming scene with her pleading to her disappointed father was supposed to make us feel what exactly? I suppose we were supposed to feel, “Oh, black bunny, buck up. Now go back in and serve those drinks. Smile, honey, smile.” Whatever. This character is already poised to annoy. Sass…sizzle. Barf.
So these are some first impressions of NBC’s most talked about new fall show. Will it survive? Well, The Hollywood Reporter has released Monday’s numbers. The show earned a 1.6 rating, with only 5 million viewers. Ouch. Not good. If there’s no improvement, The Playboy Club could be looking to join The Event buried somewhere in a NBC landfill.
