Let's just put that out there for a moment. I watched the first episode well over a year ago when the initial critical praise just ramping up. I have to confess that at first I didn't "get" it, and so tried to ignore the growing cult buzz. However, after the continued hype and the whole Emmy win, it became increasingly apparent that I was missing something.
So I bought the first season on iTunes, and ohmygoodness. Stephen King was right when he wrote in a recent Entertainment Weekly column that Mad Men is a soap opera wrapped in nostalgia and style, but it is also much, much more than that. It is a studied look at relationships and the expectations we have for eachother. The marriage of Don and Betty Draper is one of superficial happiness (all of Betty's friends take time to comment about the apparent perfection of her husband) and deeply wrought undercurrents (after 6+ years of marriage, Betty still does not know the specifics of Don's past, starting with the fact that his name is not Don Draper).
All of this domestic turmoil landscaped by Don's advertising firm, Sterling Cooper, the literal source of manipulative advertising and false polish for the products people are trying to sell.
The show might border on ordinary if not for the extreme flair and style with which it is presented. For better or worse, we are transported back to an era where smoking is cool, a scotch at 10 in the morning is perfectly acceptable, and kids are left at home asleep at night with no babysitter. The writing is excellent, the acting is subtle and effective, and it's just a great show.
Plus, Don Draper is hot.
1 comment:
Y A S C!!
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