Just when I think the mood, the storytelling, the performances, the surprise of it all can’t get any better – I am seduced. Again. Last evening’s Mad Men took on Don’s inner world – not through observation – but inner dialog, supplemented by various views of our hero as the summer of 1965 begins. Who […]
Why You Should Be Watching Mad Men (Especially if You’re a Woman)
The heart of the matter All those sayings… about a woman’s place, about a woman’s power, about the capacities – and limitations – that are inherently female. Must I really enumerate them? Can’t you rattle them off in your head? They’ve been planted there since you were a child, you know – whether you’re 30 […]
Why We Love Our Television Heroes: Mad Men Episode 6
Bigger than life. Flashy. Flawed. Cagey, corrupt, capricious. We love our television heroes, and our anti-heroes. Big screen or small screen, we escape into fictional lives, finding points in common, or nothing in common at all. Mad Men is the perfect example of this phenomenon, as the Emmy award winning drama – again, just last […]
Mad Men Episode 5: The Chrysanthemum and the Sword
It’s a morality tale, and all about shame. About warfare and its aftermath, honor and its value, private shame according to cultural standards of the times, and personal experiences of shame. In Mad Men‘s Season 4 Episode 5, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword, we feel the weight of the 1960s heavily; World Wart II is […]
Mad Men Season 4 Episode 4: The Rejection
Mad Men continues to do what it does best, revealing characters in all their complexity. “The Rejection” is filled with nifty elements which seed future story lines as bad news transforms into opportunities for some, and drives others into deeper despair. Of course, we don’t yet know which paths our favorite characters will take as […]
Mad Men’s Women: How Would They Fare As Single Mothers?
Who doesn’t love to fantasize about days gone by, romanticizing a period in history that seems more glamorous, more exciting, or simpler? As an avid fan of AMC TV’s Mad Men, I’m as susceptible to the appeal of this award-winning drama as anyone. The portrayal of life in the 1960s is seductive, surprising, and accurate […]
Mad Men Season 4 Episode 3: The Good News
1965 will not be celebrated as Mad Men‘s Don Draper expects. Good news? What Don learns is anything but; the one person who loves the man – not the name – is dying. Dick Whitman + Don Draper = ? Part of the fascination of Mad Men is watching the inner lives of our favorite […]
Mad Men: Christmas Comes But Once a Year
“Christmas comes but once a year” For the sake of our hero, Don Draper – and for his daughter, Sally – we’re grateful that Christmas comes but once a year, and of course the New Year celebration as well. We’re reminded by the latest Mad Men episode that holidays are painful for those who are […]
Mad Men Rocks the Boat with Season 4 Premiere
“Who is Don Draper?” Did I hear that correctly? Was it really the opening line for Season 4? Will it set the stage for whatever is to come? Identity: New Don Draper, new firm, new players, new show If Season 3 of AMC TV’s Emmy-award winning drama Mad Men was all about unveiling the secret […]
Memory, Myth, and Mad Men
We’re two days away from Mad Men Season 4, premiering on July 25th! For those of us who can’t get enough of this Emmy-award winning drama with its seductive and complex characters, the slick and subtle depiction of the sixties, and plot twists for our favorite actors to navigate, it’s worth a few minutes to […]