Last night Dave and I finished the first season of Mad Men (on DVD instead of On Demand, but whatever). I've been thoroughly enjoying every episode and I think the series can be summed up in one word: SEXY. Everything about the way it's shot and portrayed is sexy. Every color, texture, sip of scotch and puff of smoke seems carefully selected to set the mood, the sexy mood. It's on par (or better) than just about every HBO series.
However, it's not without its issues. The show is set at an ad agency on Madison Avenue in 1962. Dave and I HATE IT when they ruin good shows by (not so) subtly including a political agenda. The agenda for Mad Men is obvious: Republicans are a bunch of old white men, housewives have no choice but to be bored and unhappy, women who work are basically just waitresses in tight skirts, pretty women aren't to be taken seriously, only ugly/fat women can actually think for themselves, all men are alcoholic philanderers who lie to their wives, etc, etc, etc. The show basically hits every single possible 1960's stereotype including women getting off on the rinse cycles of their washing machines and men sitting at the bar while their wives give birth.
Good thing all the beautiful furniture and wall art makes up for it.
Ouch. Not going to touch that commentary with a proverbial ten foot pole.
Donald Draper's wife is a hottie though.
Posted by: David | August 16, 2008 at 08:45 PM
I wasn't alive in the '60s. Wasn't that in large part how it was? This was 1962, while people were still hanging on to the '50s. Also don't forget that Sterling Cooper is SUPPOSED to be a dinosaur, an agency that is sticking with its old-fashioned ways even when other agencies were changing, hiring younger executives and writers, putting women in positions of power etc. The first season sets up Don as the god of advertising so that the second season can start to show the cracks.
Posted by: KUchick | August 18, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Oooh... I might have to start watching this. The commercials LOOK super-sexy. I wonder if season 1 is out on DVD or on-demand still?
Posted by: Astarte | August 21, 2008 at 08:15 AM