I started out watching AMC’s “Mad Men” with no expectations whatsoever except for the tiny blurb on the DVD package that said the best new TV show of 2007. Or something to that effect.
First episode was ok. I wasn’t excited. But unlike “Privileged,” which bored me to tears (don’t ask why I’m comparing. Just saying that series bored me and I didn’t even finish it until the last episode despite the really cute guy), I kept on watching.
The episodes were good enough in that it did not have major cliff hangers, so much so that I would regret watching it and having to on with my regular life the next day.
As I told a colleague, who, turns out, also has watched the series (who knew?), the episodes are slow. The build up is slow. It is very reflective of how it was maybe in the 1950s. But on the upside, it gives the viewer time to think and reflect on the issues present. See, even if the setting is the 1950s, the issues are the same as what we have right now. Fidelity if one is in a marriage. The dog eat dog world of a career. The sheen created by advertising to sell a product. Personal neuroses. Wanting to leave your identity behind and start over.
Just finished Season One after three days. So far, my most favorite scene is when Pete threatens to expose Don Draper and goes to Mr. Cooper’s office to rat that Don isn’t really Don, he’s Dick Whitman. Before that, Peggy was telling Don at his office that it is those who don’t play by the rules who get away with things (but she proves herself wrong when she is made junior copy editor in the season finale).
Mr. Cooper says who cares if Don Draper isn’t the guy who he was in the past. What is important is how he is at the moment, here with us in this room. Or something to that effect. Too lazy to google it.
I believe we can reinvent ourselves how many times we want. Our past shouldn’t hold us back. It should help us work towards a better future by fueling our present. But it shouldn’t be a road block.
Still debating on starting on Season Two. If I do, it means that I won’t be sleeping tonight. Or maybe I can just watch the season premiere.
Do you guys watch “Mad Men” too? What do you think?
PS. I wrote on Twitter that the only thing I can’t stand about watching this series is the constant smoking. It’s in each and every scene. Everyone lights up. Even the pregnant lady. Was it like this in the 1950s? The only person who doesn’t smoke is Mr. Cooper, the batty old man. Bless his wrinkled soul.
4 Comments
July 12, 2009 at 11:10 pm
I love Mad Men. I agree that it started out a bit slow too. But a friend encouraged me to just stick with it! And I’m glad I did. I’ve seen both seasons and can’t wait to find out what happens next!
July 14, 2009 at 3:00 am
Yup. Just finished two seasons. Great show.
September 5, 2009 at 2:57 am
It was the 60s. And yes, especially in the business environment, everyone lit up – if not cigarettes, cigars. As for pregnant women? They smoked and they drank. It seems appalling now, but it’s an accurate depiction.
September 5, 2009 at 2:57 pm
I’m sure it’s accurate. It’s just that I feel like I’ve smoked a pack of cigarettes when I’m watching it. Hehe.
You’re right. My bad. It was in the 1960s. I should’ve double checked online before posting, but I guess I couldn’t be bothered at that time. Thanks for pointing it out.