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 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 […]
Mad Men: The Confrontation (Episode 11)
Last week’s Mad Men was an exercise in subtlety and restraint. While it is titled “The Gypsy and the Hobo” (for the Halloween costumes worn by the Draper children), I’d like to focus on the exchange between the main characters, as Don can no longer duck the past he’s hidden from his wife for a […]
Mad Men Episodes 9 and 10: Prejudice, Power, and Pretense
What were the 60s about? As the viewers of AMC TV’s Mad Men are aware – the appearance of one thing, and trouble, trouble, trouble, seething beneath the surface of everything. With each episode, the glitz and glamor are increasingly overshadowed by secrets and seedy behaviors. 60s Prejudice In Episode 9, Sal falls victim to […]