Not quite a review: Mad Men
I really wanted to blog today, but I struggled with motivation and topic, and this is what I came up with...Mad Men!
It always feels like when I do these reviews, I'm the last one to the party. The last season (the fourth) ended 18 months ago, and the fifth doesn't start until next week, so over the past few weeks, I crammed my way through all 4 seasons in a desperate attempt to catch up. I must say, I wasn't disappointed. I'm going to go over it by season, so if you want to avoid the spoilers, then don't read a particular paragraph.
Season 1 introduces us to the Drapers in 1960. There's Don and Betty, and the kids Sally and Bobby. Don (Jon Hamm), being the main character, is the typical 1960s working man. He's a high-powered, very wealthy advertising executive at Sterling Cooper, an advertising firm on Madison Avenue. He's philandering, a heavy drinker and smoker, and is rarely home, choosing to instead spend the night with one of his lovers or at his office. When he is home, he's stern but loving towards his two (just barely) school age children. Betty (January Jones) is a bored housewife. Although they employ a housekeeper/nanny, the children and the running of such a household makes her anxious. The main plot of this season is Don Draper's past. Nowadays, you wouldn't dream of marrying someone with such a lack of personal information, but Betty married Don and apparently didn't know a thing about him. Through flashbacks, his childhood and how he became Don Draper is told. Some minor plots are the introduction of Don's new secretary, Peggy, as well as her romance with Pete Campbell, who is very antagonistic towards Don. Don struggles with his philandering ways, trying to be a good husband and father, but ultimately failing, and still maintaining many nights away from his wife and children.
In Season 2, it's 1962. Betty and Don appear to have patched things up. Even though she still has no clue about his secret childhood. Don has an affair with a married woman, and her husband knows of the affair and tells Betty. Betty then starts thinking about divorcing Don, which is sad all around. She kicks him out of their house, and first he disappears to California, before moving into a hotel. While he's in California, Sterling Cooper gets sold to a London advertising firm. Betty then finds out she's pregnant, so Don moves back in, and they try to give their happy family another try.
Six months later, in Season 3, Don, on the outside, is the perfect family man, but he hasn't changed. He's still having multiple affairs with random women, while Betty is at home pregnant. Betty is starting to get bitter and angry about their life together though. Because the firm is now owned by a new company, positions are shuffled around and there is strife at the office. Betty then has their son, Eugene. She then finds out about his mysterious past, and how he has been lying to her for pretty much their entire time together. After some on-again-off-again between the two of them, in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Betty meets a guy named Henry. She then packs up the kids and moves in with Henry, and divorces Don. Don also finds out their firm is being sold again, so him and a few other guys start a new firm, called Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Season 4 (1964) picks up with Don now a partner of a new, struggling ad agency. He has a few more quick dalliances with various women, including prostitutes, psychologists, and secretaries. Don's daughter Sally isn't really adjusting well to the new family that includes Henry. She frequently acts out, but becomes closer with Don and farther from Betty. Most of the season focuses on the struggle to keep SCDP alive. They end up laying off many many people, and pulling publicity stunts in an effort to get business. At the very end of the season, Don meets Megan, a nice French-Canadian secretary, who happens to be a saint with his kids, and wham bam they're engaged. This makes Betty sad, because her fancy new marriage kind of sucks.
Wow. What a summary. There's so much going on, but it's not very action packed. It moves at a very manageable pace, and is quick to catch your attention. At the same time, though, I found that there was no way that I could miss a single episode. You have to watch them all, from the beginning. That's a bit of a stumbling block for many, I think.
There's a lot of cast members in this show. Jon Hamm shines as Donald Draper. I thought about this for a while, but he really is almost the perfect man. Tall, dark, hair constantly slicked back. He's handsome, charismatic, and he knows it. Besides the obvious heavy drinking and extramarital affairs. He's great. It becomes more and more evident that he cares about his kids more than anything. Betty, on the other hand, goes from mild-mannered housewife to someone highly detestable in a matter of episodes. Although it must be hard to be married to Don, she's a real bitch by the end. January Jones is completely fantastic, with her placidity one moment, and her fiery tantrums the next. The other actress who I think is amazing is Christina Hendricks. She's in every episode, and is never a main plot, but always on the side, and always stunning as Joan the secretarial head.
The new season starts on the 25th. We don't get AMC here, so I'll probably wait a few days and download it, but I'm very excited. My personal prediction for this season is a lot of wedding stuff with Don and Megan. I'm also thinking that they might sue for custody of Don's kids, because it was obviously inappropriate when he was living alone, but now that he's not, I think it's a possibility. Besides, the kids, especially Sally, love Megan, and Betty is getting more and more tense. Perhaps there will be some more fidelity struggles though, and not just on Don's part. There's so much coming up, and I'm so excited to see it. I hope you'll all be tuning in this season, I know I will.
It always feels like when I do these reviews, I'm the last one to the party. The last season (the fourth) ended 18 months ago, and the fifth doesn't start until next week, so over the past few weeks, I crammed my way through all 4 seasons in a desperate attempt to catch up. I must say, I wasn't disappointed. I'm going to go over it by season, so if you want to avoid the spoilers, then don't read a particular paragraph.
Season 1 introduces us to the Drapers in 1960. There's Don and Betty, and the kids Sally and Bobby. Don (Jon Hamm), being the main character, is the typical 1960s working man. He's a high-powered, very wealthy advertising executive at Sterling Cooper, an advertising firm on Madison Avenue. He's philandering, a heavy drinker and smoker, and is rarely home, choosing to instead spend the night with one of his lovers or at his office. When he is home, he's stern but loving towards his two (just barely) school age children. Betty (January Jones) is a bored housewife. Although they employ a housekeeper/nanny, the children and the running of such a household makes her anxious. The main plot of this season is Don Draper's past. Nowadays, you wouldn't dream of marrying someone with such a lack of personal information, but Betty married Don and apparently didn't know a thing about him. Through flashbacks, his childhood and how he became Don Draper is told. Some minor plots are the introduction of Don's new secretary, Peggy, as well as her romance with Pete Campbell, who is very antagonistic towards Don. Don struggles with his philandering ways, trying to be a good husband and father, but ultimately failing, and still maintaining many nights away from his wife and children.
In Season 2, it's 1962. Betty and Don appear to have patched things up. Even though she still has no clue about his secret childhood. Don has an affair with a married woman, and her husband knows of the affair and tells Betty. Betty then starts thinking about divorcing Don, which is sad all around. She kicks him out of their house, and first he disappears to California, before moving into a hotel. While he's in California, Sterling Cooper gets sold to a London advertising firm. Betty then finds out she's pregnant, so Don moves back in, and they try to give their happy family another try.
Six months later, in Season 3, Don, on the outside, is the perfect family man, but he hasn't changed. He's still having multiple affairs with random women, while Betty is at home pregnant. Betty is starting to get bitter and angry about their life together though. Because the firm is now owned by a new company, positions are shuffled around and there is strife at the office. Betty then has their son, Eugene. She then finds out about his mysterious past, and how he has been lying to her for pretty much their entire time together. After some on-again-off-again between the two of them, in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Betty meets a guy named Henry. She then packs up the kids and moves in with Henry, and divorces Don. Don also finds out their firm is being sold again, so him and a few other guys start a new firm, called Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Season 4 (1964) picks up with Don now a partner of a new, struggling ad agency. He has a few more quick dalliances with various women, including prostitutes, psychologists, and secretaries. Don's daughter Sally isn't really adjusting well to the new family that includes Henry. She frequently acts out, but becomes closer with Don and farther from Betty. Most of the season focuses on the struggle to keep SCDP alive. They end up laying off many many people, and pulling publicity stunts in an effort to get business. At the very end of the season, Don meets Megan, a nice French-Canadian secretary, who happens to be a saint with his kids, and wham bam they're engaged. This makes Betty sad, because her fancy new marriage kind of sucks.
Wow. What a summary. There's so much going on, but it's not very action packed. It moves at a very manageable pace, and is quick to catch your attention. At the same time, though, I found that there was no way that I could miss a single episode. You have to watch them all, from the beginning. That's a bit of a stumbling block for many, I think.
There's a lot of cast members in this show. Jon Hamm shines as Donald Draper. I thought about this for a while, but he really is almost the perfect man. Tall, dark, hair constantly slicked back. He's handsome, charismatic, and he knows it. Besides the obvious heavy drinking and extramarital affairs. He's great. It becomes more and more evident that he cares about his kids more than anything. Betty, on the other hand, goes from mild-mannered housewife to someone highly detestable in a matter of episodes. Although it must be hard to be married to Don, she's a real bitch by the end. January Jones is completely fantastic, with her placidity one moment, and her fiery tantrums the next. The other actress who I think is amazing is Christina Hendricks. She's in every episode, and is never a main plot, but always on the side, and always stunning as Joan the secretarial head.
The new season starts on the 25th. We don't get AMC here, so I'll probably wait a few days and download it, but I'm very excited. My personal prediction for this season is a lot of wedding stuff with Don and Megan. I'm also thinking that they might sue for custody of Don's kids, because it was obviously inappropriate when he was living alone, but now that he's not, I think it's a possibility. Besides, the kids, especially Sally, love Megan, and Betty is getting more and more tense. Perhaps there will be some more fidelity struggles though, and not just on Don's part. There's so much coming up, and I'm so excited to see it. I hope you'll all be tuning in this season, I know I will.