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I decided to continue with these kinds of posts, though it has been a while since I last did one. In these posts, I’m highlighting television that I’ve highly enjoyed and the reasons why. It is the turn of the acclaimed Mad Men this time; a sophisticated and darkly funny look at the high life of advertisers in the 60’s and the personal dilemmas in a changing world. I began Mad Men when it started airing, but due to busy things at the time, I put it off. Now I decided to get back into the show and boy am I glad I did. I’m currently at the end of Season 2 and hooked once more, I can’t wait to see what else transpires.
Here are the three main things that stand out about Mad Men to me
Number One- The authenticity:
Mad Men, especially in terms of visual style and set design is a sight to behold. Everything is so meticulous and captures the 60’s in glamorous but also ironic verve. Authenticity also extends to the themes and social issues the show deals with, such as sexism, racism and infidelity, amid the backdrop of an eventful decade. It’s like every cog in a well made clock has been fashioned perfectly when watching as everything runs so well and it is admirable the way the show doesn’t have to explain everything to people, it gets you to take note of what was going on even if you are unfamiliar with the time period.
Number Two- Character Development:
Mad Men is a real ensemble piece, with the main character being that of the suave ad man Don Draper. He seems to lead the charmed life, but various things under the surface are not at rest. While he is very much the main character, the other people who populate Mad Men’s are just as interesting and in the tradition of great ensembles, everyone is given something to do. What really makes Mad Men work is how well the characters, like Don’s beautiful but deeply unhappy wife Betty and his secretary Peggy, who goes from naive new girl to assertive woman, are drawn. Every character is flawed in some way and rather than rush through their stories, we observe the little nuances of their tales that keep us wanting to know more and more about them. It’s the sign of a great show when you can see the characters changing as it goes on.
Number Three- The acting:
Mad Men is the kind of show that could have fell apart with the wrong actors in the parts. Thankfully, every role is cast with precision and eye for talent. And what talent there is to view. The acting throughout is consistently on point and really bury themselves in the characters. It helps that the scripts are razor sharp too and can go between satire and drama. But what makes Mad Men really have sparkle, is the excellent work of the ensemble cast who play their parts to perfection.
I advise anyone out there who hasn’t seen the show to give it a whirl, you won’t regret it.
one of my favorite tv shows … I love it !!! 😀
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I’m happy I got back into it, after being absent from it. Looking forward to seeing what else happens in the show.
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Believe it or not, I have never seen it. However, it looked good enough to get a gift of a box set of the first two series some time ago. That resides in a box somewhere, waiting to be found. One day…
Cheers, Pete.
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Open it Pete, you’ll have a great time with this show. I can promise you that.
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I will, when I can find it!
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If you manage to locate it, I hope you love it.
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MAD MEN FTW! So great!
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I’m officially hooked on the show.
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Awesome. It has no weak spots. The whole thing’s great!
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It’s flawless so far from my observations.
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Oh man, the story, the acting, the sets, the props… ALL OF IT!
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It’s as close to perfect as television gets.
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You’re in for a real treat as the seasons go by…but, having grown up in that era, I loved the first season the most. So many childhood memories. I could relate to the experiences of that suburban family. ☺☺☺
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That sounds so fascinating to have grown up in that era and then seeing it brought to life on screen.
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I really need to watch this. Thankfully It’s on Netflix now.☺️
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Oh go watch it ASAP Kim, it’s worth the hype.
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I’m moving it up on my watch list Vinnie!🙋🏻
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It captures the time period so well and deals with the issues of the time extensively.
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My dad was in advertising so I’m especially interested.
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You will love this as it delves into the advertising business and strategies.
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🙂 ❤
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This has to be in my top ten shows.
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agreed, the looks and a certain way of looking at society is the key of success for this tv show to be sucessful, regarding the performance of the actors, some kind of nostalgia also towards that era where nothing seemed to be blocking or negative about the way of life and the looks too would be it for men and women . I just barely started to watch that saw on its 1st season , but the few episodes I’ve seen , I really liked them. and Joan 😉
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IT has the right amount of authentic style and withering satirical side as it looks at the 60’s. The bright and eye popping colours are ironic I personally think, considering all the dark turmoil within the flawed characters.
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Great show. I enjoyed it all the way through, but I think the first three or four seasons contain most of the best. My absolute favourite bit is the end of season two — “I don’t have a contract.” Draper wins!
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I just finished Season 2, love the way Don just lets him speak and then drops that.
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I have never seen this, and good as it sounds, think will never have the time to take it on!
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I understand there is so much good television out there.
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Great review. I loved Mad Men although it did feel like some of the middle seasons lost a bit of steam. It came back strong in the end though!
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I can’t wait to discover more of the show, just about to start Season 3.
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This will likely be the next show I watch. Right now I’m watching Game of Thrones and finishing up Lost again because my girlfriend has never seen it. We’re flying through. Game of Thrones is a tough one to actually binge though, we’ve kind of only watched about 1-2 a week.
I’m a big fan of this era, so i’ll definitely be giving this a watch sooner rather than later. Great write up!!!
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I can’t recommend this show enough, everything comes together so well and you really get a picture of the era and the attitudes.
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Wow, like me you love your movies and TV-series. I haven’t start watching Mad Men …. but I have heard only great things about it. I’m mad about House of Cards .. can’t get enough of the Underwoods.
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Movies and television are my life. Mad Men is a show that is nothing but amazing. And thanks for reminding me of House of Cards, heard nothing but glowing praise for it.
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I have done a couple of post about it … fantastic, but Kevin Spacey never do a bad part. I love my series and movies too … but there haven’t been anything great for a long time.
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I agree about Kevin Spacey, I’ve never seen him give a bad performance.
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Neither has I …. and the part in House of Cards is made for him. I hope you will give it a chance.
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I’ll be sure to give it a watch in the future.
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I love this show! I saw it all on Netflix.
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It’s a class act, I’m on Season 6 now.
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You’re almost done! I work in advertising so I was able to relate to their dilemmas.
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Will be interesting to see how you enjoy the latter seasons. The show changes with the times which I commend. There’s some great moments near the end. Thanks for sharing that superb Rolling Stone cover.
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Hi Lloyd, great to hear from you again. I finished the show last month. Was good to see times changing and attitudes.
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Favourite season? I gotta say maybe Season 7? How good is that finale in season 5 with You Only Live Twice?
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That’s a tough call, let me get back to you on that one. I jumped up in my seat when I heard You Only Live Twice.
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