'Mad Men': What the Viewers are Saying About Betty's Return

Following a Betty Draper/Francis void from Mad Men's season 5 premiere, January Jones returned to the small screen in a big way on Sunday.

The episode, directed by Jon Hamm, focused significantly on Betty's weight gain. Most critics and viewers are in agreement that the storyline was drawn as a result of Jones' real-life pregnancy, though a hefty -- and possibly ill -- Betty also opened up a new door in her character's development. Upon learning that there was a tumor on her thyroid, Betty called upon ex-husband Don Draper (Hamm), rather than her current husband, to express her fear of leaving their children motherless. In the end, the tumor turned out to be benign and Betty was quickly back to her old sharp-tongued self.

PHOTOS: 'Mad Men' Season 5 Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

"For those who have always had issues with Mad Mens frosty mommy, the sight of a hefty Betty -- dare I say an ugly Betty, even though she still looked very pretty with a bit more meat on her -- was a terrific schadenfreude opportunity. But it didnt last long," wrote The Washington Post's Jen Chaney.

"Kudos to the writers for finding a way to work January Jones pregnancy into the story thats a little more cerebral than having her carry a bunch of large bags," said Paste magazine's Bonnie Stiernberg. "Instead, theyve got Betty struggling with whats undoubtedly her worst nightmarethe loss of her looks. The episode opens with her kids unable to zip her into a too-tight dress, followed by a shot of Don breezily zipping Megan into her dress as they get ready to go out and woo the Heinz folks. Its a telling image; Bettys no longer the glamourous, young wife brought along to smile at her husbands business associates."

In stark disagreement, HitFix's Alan Sepinwall described Betty's storyline as the "weakest one," noting that "Having a female character get fat is one way of dealing with an actress pregnancy you don't want to write into your show."

STORY: 'Mad Men' Returns to Record Ratings With Season 5 Premiere

"Because January Jones is so slender to begin with, and didn't pack on that much weight, the show apparently had to resort to some of the makeup tricks they used on Elisabeth Moss during Peggy's pregnancy late in season 1, plus a non-pregnant body double for the bath scene," he continued. "I get that it's an awkward position to be in, story-wise, and Betty having another baby so soon after Gene would not only complicate her life but go against the suggestion here that Henry and Betty's sex life tapered off not long after they moved out of the Ossining house."

E! Online's Christina Dowling seemed to enjoy seeing a new side of Betty, writing: "While there is a possibility of a fatal illness, we see Betty soften. Hug her kids, be nice to her husband, and even weep. Alas, a season-long arc of Betty becoming a saint was not meant to be. But hopefully the residual effects of her near-death experience will carry forward."

In addition to the usual recaps and reviews that find their way into the blogosphere following each episode, viewers took to Twitter to make cracks about the latest storyline.

Comedian Michael Ian Black tweeted: "So many of the 'Mad Men' characters seem unhappy, even though none of them have AIDS yet."

Girls creator Lena Dunham wrote, "My dad honestly thinks the reason Mad Men took 17 months off was 'so they'd have time to plump up January Jones!'"

Producer Damon Lindelof claimed to have learned a lesson from his evening of television. "Between 60 MINUTES expose on sugar and the last scene of Mad Men, that's pretty much the end of Sunday Sundaes at Chez Lindelof," he wrote.

"Starting a Mad Men inspired rock band? May i suggest the name 'Fat Betty Draper'?" quipped Twitter user @FrankIero.

"Oooh Fat Betty, Bam-a-lam. Ooooh Fat Betty, Bam-a-lam," joked @rachelrusch.

"America wanted it to be malignant too, Betty," wrote @JohnNess.

Referencing Jones' controversial comment, in which she admitted to eating her own placenta after giving birth, @Chet_Cannon said: "Betty Draper looks like she ate about 100 placentas."

One thing's for sure: Betty came back with a bang. What did you think of her triumphant return?

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'The Killing' Premiere: Detective Linden is Back on the Case, but Are You?

AMC

Rosie Larsens killer is still out there, but a new mystery is starting to build on Sunday's Season 2 premiere of AMCs The Killing.

TV REVIEW: 'The Killing' Season 2

When the two-hour premiere opens, Detective Linden (Mireille Enos) is hit with a one-two punch. First, she finds out that the photo used to lock up Councilman Richmond (Billy Campbell) was a fake and her partner, Detective Holder (Joel Kinnaman), may be purposely throwing her off the trail of the real killer. She then gets news that the possibly innocent Richmond has been shot.

So, first things first. The obsessed Linden once again drops her plans to join her fianc in California and sets off to reconfirm the photo is fabricated and then verify Richmonds alibi. During the course of the episode, shell do both those things and successfully get Rosies case reopened. But in the process, shell discover that theres some kind of bigger conspiracy going on.

That is something the more inexperienced Holder already knows. But, what he seems to only realize now is that he is in way over his head. Police, government officials and possibly the mafia could have stakes in this cover-up. The bright side is there are glimpses of the possibility that he will do the right thing in the end. The question is whether Linden will ever trust him again.

GUEST COLUMN: 'Lost''s Damon Lindelof Defends 'The Killing' Season Finale

Meanwhile, the other characters arent doing much better. Richmond has survived the shooting, but hes paralyzed. It remains to be seen what impact all of this has on his campaign. And Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton) is greeted by a surprise gift on his doorstep Rosies bloody backpack. Having lost his trust in the cops and without the moral compass of his wife, Mitch (Michelle Forbes), he has turned back to his mobster connections to deliver justice to Rosies killer whomever that is.

Sure, The Killing is back at square one when it comes to the investigation of Rosies killer, but the new conspiracy plot could be very rewarding as it unravels. Plus, this series has always leaned heavily on its superb acting and its characters' complicated relationships. That is clearly continuing this season.

Are you back onboard with The Killing? Or is Season 2s promise too little, too late? Sound off in the comments section below.

E-mail: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter:@TheRealJethro

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'Shameless' Season Finale: EP Talks Season 2's Wild Ride and the Gallagher Evolution

Cliff Lipson/Showtime

On the second season of Showtimes Shameless, viewers have watched summer give way as the show moved into a very dark period for the Gallagher family. Along the way, it also made a departure from the plotlines of the original British version.

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We started playing more towards the strengths of our particular actors, and the way that they evolve in the characters, which inevitably was going to start moving away from their British counterparts, from the original mold, Co-Executive Producer and Director Mark Mylod tells The Hollywood Reporter.

THR spoke to Mylod about the themes of the series second season and the crazy ride of its penultimate episode heading into Sundays season finale.

The Hollywood Reporter: With Monicas (Chloe Webb) attempted suicide and Karens (Laura Wiggins) babys birth, many viewers were struck by how moving and frankly crazy the last episode was almost like a season finale. What was the reasoning for that?
Mark Mylod: It just evolved that way, I think in the writers room, because we wanted to get to a place where we kind of completed Chloe, the mothers kind of arc, and in order to kind of make space for the kind of season finale popper. The actual inherent drama of that scene, the attempted suicide, and the immediate fallout from that coupled with wanting to get to a place where the birth of the child again could come before the end of the season finale, so that we could deal with the aftermath of that somewhat in the season finale. It just ended up being a very high stakes dramatic episode, so consequently, obviously was a lot of fun to direct.

THR: What can you say about what well see on the finale?
Mylod: The season finale actually really continues directly from where we left off in Episode 11 where we deal with the aftermath of this horrendous night, and actually see the characters result. Im scared about unwittingly being a spoiler, but Im kind of judging my words too carefully, weighing my words too carefully, but it really is about dealing with the aftermath of the event of Episode 11 with the event of that night, and actually the audience will get to see where the certain ongoing conflicts through the second season, will or will not actually be settled.

VIDEO: Behind the Scenes on THR's Showtime Cover Shoot

THR: One of the most striking differences in this season comes with Frank (William H. Macy). We definitely see a whole different side of him with Monica around. What was it like to bring that out of him?
Mylod: That was a surprise for me this year, and a really good surprise, because I worked on the first season of the British version, that we were so sure at that point way back in 2004 that Frank would be this irredeemable sociopath really. I always thought that finding any kind of humanity in the character would be some kind of sellout, you know, making things too warm and cozy. But actually I think that between the writers and Bill, we found a way this season of actually really exploring where that character comes from through Chloe, and then through obviously through meeting his own mother. And actually we had just found a way not to excuse Frank, but to just take it as more context as to where he came from, and I think you get wind of this peculiar kind of family dynasty that locks into place and you see Frank and see that at one point as a young man in love, he was probably very charismatic.

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'The Killing': 5 Things to Know Before Season 2's Premiere (Video)

AMC

AMC's The Killing returns with its second season on Sunday and in preparing this short primer before the episode, theres one thing that even newbies to the series dont have to be told: Rosie Larsens killer wasnt revealed on Season 1.

TV REVIEW: 'The Killing' Season 2

Instead, we were served with several red herrings, plot 180s and possibly the worst detective work ever to be portrayed on television. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and most viewers seemed fine watching the first 13 hours of the very slow-moving series that was until the finale revealed that the detectives didn't find Rosies killer and a collective scream spread across the internet.

THRs Chief TV Critic Tim Goodman wondered if viewers would return in his review for the second season, but finds a good reason why they should.

Going into season two, the acting performances are the primary reason to tune in, Goodman writes. Yes, some fans, having invested 13 episodes, will enlist the final 13 to find out Rosies killer. Why not? Youre halfway there. Others might not have minded the endless red herrings and lack of movement/resolution in season one and thus were unaffected by the backlash and will return willingly for season two. But if disappointed fans decide to come back (and the guess here is that a great bloc of them are still bitter), it will be the acting that's the magnet.

So, for those of you who are willing to take The Killing ride once again and need a quick reminder of where things left off or for those of you who are tuning in for the first time (and dont feel like watching the slowly paced first season), THR offers 5 things to know before watching Season 2.

GUEST COLUMN: 'Lost''s Damon Lindelof Defends 'The Killing' Season Finale

Note: This article includes Season 1 spoilers and Season 2 information revealed by AMC.

1. Detectives Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) are not on the same team any more. Linden, the divorced mother whose passion for finding Rosies killer has delayed joining her fianc in California for weeks now, has discovered that Holder, her novice partner with an obvious drug addiction, has given her falsified evidence. He gave her a bridge surveillance photo pinning politician Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell) to Rosies last known whereabouts; she later finds out that the cameras werent working on the night in question. There will probably be very little chance shell trust Holder going forward, but we shall see.

2. Councilman Richmond has been shot. As a result of his arrest for Rosies murder, Larsen family friend, the emotionally unstable Belko (Brendon Sexton III), shoots the councilman in a rage that comes from his unhealthy attachment to their family. This event (and the guilt associated with it) will add to Lindens desire to return to the investigation.

3. The Larsen Family is in shambles. Clearly, having their daughter killed was the catalyst for some deep problems in the family. The sorrow has basically immobilized mother Mitch Larsen (Emmy-nominated Michelle Forbes). After finding out that father, Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton), beat up Bennett Ahmed (Brendon Jay McCLaren) Rosie's teacher and an initial suspect, and renewed ties with former mobster connections, she leaves the family. Mitchs sister, Terry Marek (Jamie Anne Allman) is forced to step up even more to help take care of the familys two young boys.

Q&A: AMC's Charlie Collier on 'Killing' Backlash, Relationship With Matt Weiner

4. Rosies killer will be revealed on the Season 2 finale. Mirroring the show's Danish counterpart, AMC's head of original programming Joel Stillerman told reporters at TCA, We've decided that in order to do justice to the story that we fell in love with in the first place -- a very multi-layered complex story -- we're resolving the murder at the end of season two was the best creative plan."

5. There will be a second case introduced. While the bulk of the series will be dedicated to the investigation into Rosies murder, there will be a second case introduced this season as well. Not much is known about what that second mystery will be.

The two-hour Season 2 premiere of The Killing airs Sunday at 8 p.m. on AMC.

Watch the video below for a handy update on where the investigation left off (minus the numerous red herrings).

E-mail: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter:@TheRealJethro

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'American Idol': No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal to Mentor Top 8 (Exclusive)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Half of No Doubt will appear onAmerican Idol's next week as singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal will mentor the remaining finalists, The theme: '80s night, which is a perfect fit for the Orange County-bred band, who were not only teenagers during the decade but had a Top 10 single in 2003 with a cover of Talk Talk's 1985 hit, "It's My Life."

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No Doubt is signed to Interscope, the label headed by Idol perma-mentor Jimmy Iovine. Stefani has appeared on Idol before, perhaps most memorably styling the season 10 contestants last year in her own L.A.M.B. line.

Q&A: Jimmy Iovine on Sound, Vision and Why He Signed Madonna and Van Halen

The band members spent five hours with the season 11 finalists Friday. As always, sessions took place at Interscope Records' Santa Monica recording studio complex.

Tune in to Fox on Wednesday to see how the Top 8 fare.

Twitter: @Idol_Worship

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'Mad Men' Star January Jones Discusses Betty's Season 5 Return (Video)

One of the few things Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner let slip about his series' Season 5 premiere was that star January Jones was not in it.

Pregnant at the start of the 2011 production, Jones taped episodes out of order to give birth to her son -- one reason why she was not in the two-hour opener.

She does, however, appear in Sunday's episode. Ahead of last week's premiere, The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Jones about where this season finds Betty and what it means for her marriage to Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley).

PHOTOS: 'Mad Men' Season 5 Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

"I spoke with Matt before the season started about what we were going to do, because I had some physical things to work around," she said, referring to her pregnancy. "He came up with a great storyline for me this season. I'm excited for fans to see what Betty does. She's always growing."

Whether her choices take her in a good or bad direction, Jones thinks her character is learning from her mistakes. And one of them might be her second husband. AMC promos for the new episode, which only show the back of Jones' head, reveal that the situation hasn't much improved between Betty and Henry.

"I'm sure there is, but I don't know if she would know it it if she saw it," said Jones, when asked if there was a right man for Betty. "I think she has an idea of what is right for her and what would make her happy. but I just don't think she knows how to find that or acknowledge it when she sees it."

Betty has been, to say the least, a divisive character on Mad Men. Her mothering in particular has been a source of ire for fans since the series began. But Jones, closer to Betty than most anyone, says she still sees the good in her.

STORY: 'Mad Men' Returns to Record Ratings With Season 5 Premiere

"I think, more and more, as the seasons have gone on and Betty's grown and become more comfortable with her emotions and expressing them, she's become a darker character and a more unlikeable character for the audience," she said. "I'm attached to her. I don't agree with a lot things she does. But I feel I should defend her. I don't understand what she's doing a lot of the time, but I will giver her the benefit of the doubt that she's trying."

During a previous season hiatus, Jones costarred in X-Men: First Class as Emma Frost. When THR asked the actress if she'd be reprising her role in the upcoming sequel, she said, "They're still writing a script. I don't know if I'm in, but I would love to."

Watch the full interview below:

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Nicki Minaj Says It Takes 'Guts,' 'Heart' to Compete on 'American Idol' (Video)

Moments after Nicki Minaj took the American Idol stage on Thursday -- and sassed judge Jennifer Lopez from yards away -- the rapper and pop star stopped to talk to THR special correspondent and Idol season 9alumDidi Benami about television competition shows.

Asked if she was starting out today, would she try out forIdol,X FactororThe Voice,the "Super Bass" singer said matter-of-factly, "No, I wouldn't. It's very verydifficult to be picked apart. I have to give it to the people thatdo these shows -- it takes a lot of heart, it takes guts, that rejectionthing is heavy."

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And since she was catapulted to fame on her own (with a big assist from Lil Wayne), how will she quantify success of her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which is scheduled for release on April 3?

Says Minaj: "I'm blessed to put out an album that is not one-dimensional. I'm not boxed in, the world has given me the opportunityto express myself in lots of different genres of music. ...I'm truly showing myself, as oppose to feeling I haveto do this because someone says I have to do this. That's how Imeasure success."

Watch more of her interview with The Hollywood Reporter in the video above.

Twitter: @Idol_Worship

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