kosmasp
Jon Hamm is as appealing in this as he is appalling. You may feel stronger with one of those than the other, but while he is the number one character in this, there is a lot more going on here, than might meet the eye. Especially at first, you may not be able to see it. The women are as much part of the whole show as the (Mad) Men. You could even argue that they have a lot more going on at times.The show itself is slow paced though, which may not go down well with some viewers. You really have to be in the mood for the show, for the setting, the time line and all that surrounds it. I know that Jon was hated as much as he was loved by viewers. Because he had so many flaws, but was also intriguing and had that extra special charisma going for him. It's almost impossible to not be enamored by him.Some lingo may not work or may be confusing too, but in the context, you'll never lose sight of things. You don't have to be in the advertising or management business or having lived ages ago. This does work as a bit of a history lesson. And the acting is superb. Of course as with many (recent) shows, it makes sense to have watched all the seasons from the start ... it's character building, even if nuanced
timcurryis god
"Saudade," a friend told me, can mean ". . . a melancholy nostalgia for something that perhaps has not even happened. It often carries an assurance that this thing you feel nostalgia for will never happen again." Wiki quotes A.F.G. Bell:(dunno who that was)"a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness." As much as I resisted watching Mad Men at first, dismissing it out of hand i.e. "ew; a show that 'glorifies' advertising?" etc., once I viewed the first episode I was stunned (don't know how else to put this) at the visual accuracy of the time/ day/ era...I suppose it's fairly typical to feel nostalgia or longing for things that remind us of childhood; old photos of loved ones and family, perhaps from when we were infants or before we were born (for me, 1966). On this count alone, Mad Men held me spellbound. There's that painting, that fabric, those colors, the hairstyles, the scarves, shoes, cars, furniture, all things Mid Century Modern... it's a veritable visual time capsule or journey to the past. It's absolutely stunning in this way. But not just this; it's 1960's NYC. Upon first viewing, the delivery of the plot, the motion of the series is not typical, and can be somewhat frustrating for new viewers, but after a few episodes this will become more familiar. Looking back on it, it can be thought of perhaps like a sort of autobiography (of the main character, Don Draper), with many important steady characters and story lines that are interesting to follow and sort of fill in the details. The series is fairly historically accurate in depicting the male dominated world of advertising, business, etc. and social and familial mores of white middle class or petite bourgeois America. From "go" chauvinism/ patriarchy/ sexism is addressed and little seeds are planted in the supporting characters' story lines and words that blossom later in the series. Likewise, white nationalism, jingoism, and racism are addressed and portrayed fairly accurately, to such a degree that ******SLIGHT CONTENT SPOILER******* * * * beyond simply portraying the colonial conditions present in social reality and in social interactions between white characters and African characters, (which by the way, occurs in the very first scene of the series), or historical milestones, ~the assassination of Medgar Evers, the assassination of MLK, the assassination of Malcolm X~ beyond one-dimensional characters, even the shallowness of fake or phony liberalism is exposed in one memorable scene between "Joan," and "Paul." Likewise, the Korean War (which features heavily in Don Draper's past), the death of Marilyn Monroe, the Vietnam War, the assassination of JFK, and later that of Robert Kennedy, etc. are all incorporated into the screenplay/dialogue, as were the Manson Family murders, the police violence during the 1968 Democratic Convention, and the moon landing. But in this series, we are the people this is happening to, or rather the people watching television or listening to the news hearing of these events for the first time. It is a joy to watch Vincent Kartheiser (Peter Campbell), Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway), Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper), Stephanie Drake (Meredith the secretary), and Elizabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) play their characters; but just fantastic performances from every single character~ an amazing series in this way. I have to say once you've binged this series a couple (or four or five) times, you'll fall in love with Meredith, too. January Jones (Betty Draper) looks like she walked right out of 1963; it is amazing. From the business competition and warring, to newfound victories and transformations, the 1960's unfolds for us, through these characters, and especially revolving around their advertising agency, the companies that are their clients, the products they sell, and the office politics and dynamics. It's truly a nostalgia trip, and a bittersweet one. Throughout the years the agency transforms and it is exciting and suspenseful to watch this throughout the seasons, wondering what it will look like next, and how the autonomy of the employees will be affected. This aspect of the series makes it riveting. And the soundtrack, just lovely (each episode ends with a song from the time). The score has memorable themes as well. Somehow the main character, Don Draper, remains a mystery throughout the series. At the end, which I won't give away (and you shouldn't even try to find out!! It's all the more enjoyable that way!) I asked my friend (whom adores the show) "wtf was that about? What is this series about?" and she said: "Identity." <3
Max Czapski
I finished the last season of this show a couple of years ago and yet I really feel I need to write a review about what I consider to be a work of cinematographic art, as well as the best TV series I've ever watched.1. The acting: superb. I can't think of a character that was less than perfectly portrayed. Each and one of them was of a completely different nature and, nevertheless, constantly spot-on, never overdoing it, never attempting to betray what seems to be the true essence of the character. And believe me, these are complex, all too humanly ambivalent and realistically evolving characters. Thanks to Mad Men I've discovered a bunch of brilliant actors.2. Historical recreation and background. Being myself in advertising and having achieved a decent level of expertise and experience in international media planning, copywriting, creative direction, analytics and account management, I was blown away by the degree of precision with which the show succeeded in portraying the finest nuances of many historical facts, the dynamics of the industry, the professional chemistry inside and among agencies, the moral standards and the psychological complexity of the characters. If you loved Mad Men just like I did, consider reading "The Real Mad Men". The book goes over the real events and people that inspired the show and it's as fun as the series. I had read the book before watching the show, but I suggest proceeding inversely.3. The language, the humor, the psychology, the references. English is not my native language, but my comprehension of what is said at any given time is complete and not limited to the realm of literal interpretation. I'm not bragging, but I do think you need to feel really comfortable with this language in order to appreciate not only the wit and beauty of the dialog, but also of that which is not said. Reading between the lines and grasping the truly complex nature of the characters and events presented in this show was one of the most exciting things to me and this led me to the conclusion that anyone oblivious to these little realizations might not enjoy the show all that much.4. Human, all too human. After Pete's first appearances in the plot you can't help but be annoyed by him, and yet only after a couple of episodes, while he's still proving himself a douche, you can tell you'll end up loving him. The same goes for most of the characters. Ultimately you can't help feeling empathy for most of them because, notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of them are hugely immoral individuals, they succeeded throughout the show to reveal their most inherently human nature. Well, Harry might be the exception, but that also served a purpose.5. One of the least anachronistic shows I've ever seen. If someone felt offended by the various depictions of that era's sexism, racial segregation or other subjects, they should reconsider their interpretation. TV and films usually narrate events full of extreme attitudes towards a multiplicity of social groups; sometimes it's extreme hate, other times we observe dogmatic political correctness which instead of helping achieve integration, perpetuates an image of minorities as if they were bound to be hopeless victims. MM doesn't go down those roads. My opinion on this subject is not based on personal experience (I'm 33 and I've only been a couple of times to the States as a tourist) and yet I'm convinced they've captured in the most objective and complete fashion the different shades of attitudes and ways that probably were at the core of New York's everyday life during a critical decade of transition towards a new model of society.6. Do you remember Roger always being jealous of David Ogilvy, the Godfather of Advertising? Hilarious. Read Confessions of an Advertising Man. You'll love it.7. In case you didn't know, the denomination "Mad Men" comes from the fact that most of the top NY ad agencies where on Madison Avenue and admen (and adwomen!) back in the sixties were often pretty wild and eccentric.
