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Don't Miss Out on 'Mad Men'
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 When a network is going to dive head-first into creating original shows, it helps if it starts with an instant classic. AMC nailed it when it unleashed "Mad Men" on an unsuspecting audience last summer. The 1960-set drama that takes place in a hopping Madison Avenue advertising agency became one of the most talked about shows of the season, and won a pair of Golden Globes (one for best TV drama, another that went to star Jon Hamm for best actor in a drama).
Still, you might be asking yourself, "AMC does original shows?"
Despite all the buzz, critical acclaim and award recognition, it's still been a challenge to get viewers to switch over to the channel formerly known as "American Movie Classics" for anything but films from years gone by. So, you can't be blamed if you haven't gotten a chance to check it out. Still, if that's the case, "Mad Men" is the best show you're not watching.
The good news is it isn't too late to get "Mad." The second season of "Mad Men" premieres on July 27 on AMC, but the first 13-episode season was released on DVD today with plenty of time to catch up. And it would be well worth it.
Matthew Weiner, who got his big writing break on a little show called "The Sopranos," has created a world of drama, intrigue and glimpses at the way the offices and homes worked nearly half a century ago, before human resources departments, sexual harassment and steps toward race and gender equality. "Mad Men" shows us how far we've come and, at the same time, how far we've yet to go. But this isn't a show that's about teaching lessons. It's about asking questions, and it's centered around the troubled hero, Don Draper, a creative ad director who knows how to trick people into knowing what they want, and is also living a lie.
 Draper juggles his home life, his dark secret and his affairs while trying to please high-profile ad clients and staving off an aggressive and ruthless upstart ad man, Peter Campbell. Peter has his own issues. A well-off college grad from a well known family, he's selling advertising against his father's wishes that he get a more respectable job and is struggling with having gotten married too young. He's spoiled, entitled manipulative and is quickly becoming one of the most wonderfully despicable characters on TV as he looks to take shortcuts to the top every chance he gets.
 The women in the office are mostly just playing their parts, with the exception of Peggy, Draper's secretary who has ambitions to become a copy writer for the agency while the rest of the ladies seem content to answer phones, type memos and fetch drinks. Peggy isn't interested in following the typical route of marriage and child rearing, but she could be coming too far before her time.
"Mad Men" is everything you'd want in a TV show. The writing is brilliant and the dialog is just plain fun, especially if you're into catching the evolution of how conversations have evolved in nearly 50 years. The sets and costumes are incredible as it hits every stylish note you can imagine. Everything down to the office furniture is given the greatest attention to detail, giving the viewer a feeling of being swept away to an entirely different place for an hour at a time. It's a real treat, and anyone who isn't paying attention would do well to see what all the fuss is about.
*** What do you think? Are you a fan of "Mad Men"? Will you be checking it out? Click here to comment!
Message Edited by Victor_Balta on 07-01-2008 03:01 PM
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