Mad for Mad Men Corner

[Norm]

After seeing this thread, but never having seen the show before, I decided to begin checking it out from season 1 chronologically (checking out DVDs from the library.) I thought it would be best to start from the beginning. So far I'm about halfway thought season 1 and liking it quite a bit.

In the episode I just watched, Don just hung out with his Bohemian mistress and her posse of likeminded fellows, experimenting with drugs in what may be the Village(?). I thought it was cool that they played a little clip of Sketches of Spain and referenced Miles verbally. But the whole scene made me a little uncomfortable; I could just feel the tension leading to a conflict between two very righteous personalities at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Interesting, though...can't wait to see what goes on in Season 2!

And if people really drank and smoked like that back in the 1950s, its a wonder lung cancer and liver disease haven't claimed more lives!

[jlhoots]

Anyone catch the season three finale? Best episode of the season.

Had it on our DVR.

Watched it last night, & agree it was great.

[BruceH]

And if people really drank and smoked like that back in the 1950s, its a wonder lung cancer and liver disease haven't claimed more lives!

Supposedly they consulted with some people who were at ad firms in the 60's and they said MORE drinking went on where they worked back then.

[John Tapscott]

And if people really drank and smoked like that back in the 1950s, its a wonder lung cancer and liver disease haven't claimed more lives!

Supposedly they consulted with some people who were at ad firms in the 60's and they said MORE drinking went on where they worked back then.

Yes, that's right Bruce. A couple months ago there was an article in one of the Toronto newspapers in which they interviewed people (execs and others) who had worked at ad agencies here in Toronto during the 60's and 70's. They also spoke with ex-servers and managers at some of Toronto's fanciest corporate watering holes. They said the Mad Men portrayal is accurate enough but is quite mild, actually understating the reality of the life-style. But apparently it's quite different now.

Edited November 12, 2009 by John Tapscott

[Teasing the Korean]

Though I really wished they'd left Campbell to try his luck with the new company. What a douche.

That's what we're all supposed to think. If you pay attention to the subtleties, you will find that he is becoming a three-dimensional character.

[jazzbo]

Okay, a three dimensional douche.

[Teasing the Korean]

Okay, a three dimensional douche.

One of the good things about this show is that the charachters are not all good or all bad, kind of like real life.

[RD44]

Just watched episode 3 of season 3 which was shown on BBC television earlier this week.

Who is the Ben Webster like tenor player? Great solo.

playing "Memories of You"

[ghost of miles]

Just watched episode 3 of season 3 which was shown on BBC television earlier this week.

Who is the Ben Webster like tenor player? Great solo.

playing "Memories of You"

It really IS Webster, isn't it? On the soundtrack, I mean...I think they used Webster's actual recording for what the band was supposed to be playing.

[RD44]

According to Lord Webster recorded Memories of You on two occasions as a leader. The second one is the more likely

candidate being the 1944 recording on Commodore with Marlowe Morris. If so it seems strange that a recording from

20 years earlier was used. The makers of Madmen seem sticklers for period accuracy.

[sheldonm]

...have loved the show from episode 1~

m

[ghost of miles]

Season 3 out on DVD (as well as Blu-Ray) March 23.

[ghost of miles]

Anybody else see the Season 4 premiere tonight? I caught only the last 20 minutes or so--didn't want to try to horn in on my wife's watching the conclusion of the Masterpiece Mystery Poirot episode on PBS. The only two shows that either of us make a date for, and they intersect! So I'm staying up to watch the MM rerun at 11:56.

[Teasing the Korean]

It was AMAZING!!!!

[ghost of miles]

I came in on the part where Don's getting chewed out by everybody else for the way his media interview came across. Can't wait to see the first half in another 30 minutes or so...

[jazzbo]

At least via my cable company it looked awful, there was some sort of problem. Plus it's annoying how they blast the ads and literally turn the volume way down on the show. . . .ARGH.

I wasn't that impressed with this initial episode, though I do like Don getting a little bit of grief, he's such a prima donna these days. Having a call girl slap him? Not exactly what I'd expect. Ah well, we'll see what they do with this.

[BruceH]

I came in on the part where Don's getting chewed out by everybody else for the way his media interview came across. Can't wait to see the first half in another 30 minutes or so...

Well, what did you think? Personally, I thought the opening line couldn't have been better: "Who is Don Draper?"

[ghost of miles]

Me too. I thought it was a great episode; going to be a very interesting season! Anybody else sense some foreshadowing with the reporter having lost his leg in Korea and Don's watching the ad with the kid acting as if he's in prison? I don't think Don's early-1950s switcheroo is completely behind him. (And yes, the obvious implication of the ad is that Don remains in a prison of his self/past...but I wonder if he'll eventually run into some kind of legal problems stemming from what he did in Korea. In that sense you could also interpret "Who is Don Draper?" as having a prosecutorial tinge to it as well.)

Edited July 27, 2010 by ghost of miles

[ajf67]

I have loved this show since I rented season one and couldn't stop watching it, for many of the reasons others have stated well above. I don't watch that much TV, and this is the only show I don't miss (other than Steeler games in fotoball season). I like it that the characters are not one-dimensional, have serious flaws, etc. For me, this means that I'm never consistently pulling for anyone and the story just develops.

However, I wasn't thrilled with this episode. A few things just didn't ring true for me. First, am I really supposed to believe that Don Draper is lacking for female attention? Seriously? That and the prostitute slapping him didn't seem consistent with his character, and it really pulled me out of the show. Not that I usually sit there trance-like, but I felt like it was manipulative and I became very conscious of the writing.

But I'll be back next week. And I love Cooper. The old man is one of my favorite characters.

[BruceH]

I can't deny, the prostitute slapping Don during sex was a real "WTF?" moment for me. I guess Don has some serious self-loathing issues; perhaps even dislikes himself almost as much as Jazzbo dislikes him.

Edited July 27, 2010 by BruceH

[Pete B]

Did any of you feel that the rhythm of the dialog was different from previous seasons? Both my wife and I thought it had an artificial feel to it. I guess the slapping was supposed to be prurient but it struck me as kind of silly.

[BruceH]

I thought the dialog always had an artificial feel to it. Isn't it one of the earmarks of the show?

[medjuck]

I have loved this show since I rented season one and couldn't stop watching it, for many of the reasons others have stated well above. I don't watch that much TV, and this is the only show I don't miss (other than Steeler games in fotoball season). I like it that the characters are not one-dimensional, have serious flaws, etc. For me, this means that I'm never consistently pulling for anyone and the story just develops.

However, I wasn't thrilled with this episode. A few things just didn't ring true for me. First, am I really supposed to believe that Don Draper is lacking for female attention? Seriously? That and the prostitute slapping him didn't seem consistent with his character, and it really pulled me out of the show. Not that I usually sit there trance-like, but I felt like it was manipulative and I became very conscious of the writing.

But I'll be back next week. And I love Cooper. The old man is one of my favorite characters.

I agree with all this.

I presume that it's now November '64 and I was thinking that they seem unaware of the Beatles and the British invasion but then they played "Tobacco Road" over the credits-- which IIRC is by The Swinging Blue Jeans or some such British group.

[jazzbo]

They could have probably gotten 250,000 viewers of the Steve Hoffman board and all their acquaintances if they had incorporated Beatlemania into this season!

"The Nashville Teens" (from Britain) was the band that had the hit with Tobacco Road if I'm not mistaken. My go to version is always Lou Rawles'.

[ajf67]

Don't know if people watched episode 2 last night. I didn't like it any better than I liked the first episode. I'm not buying the direction they're taking Draper, and I agree with an earlier poster who said the dialog is worse. And can someone please give Roger Sterling an office he might actually work in? The thing I liked least was that I was actually BORED.