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re: Does Mad Men get better or am I missing something? No spoilers please
Posted on 4/28/21 at 10:08 am to Saint Alfonzo
Posted on 4/28/21 at 10:08 am to Saint Alfonzo
quote:
I was the same way with Mad Men. You gotta let it percolate a little, it really is a fantastic show.
Same.
I had the same thought watching S1 in that it felt a bit boring and over-reliant on the coolness and nostalgia factors, and I didn’t really get at the time why people were lauding it as such a great show.
I let it sit for a while and eventually came back to it and loved it. I’ve heard others say the same. It really does hit its stride in S2.
I will say, though, that one thing that got extraordinarily tiresome during the show’s run was the insufferable Matt Weiner worship and people who were finding some genius symbolism in everything. “Oh there’s a coathanger out of place so that’s got to be a metaphor for Don being out of place, Weiner is a genius!” People were making him out to be Stanley Kubrick by the end of the show.
1
Posted on 4/28/21 at 10:22 am to Feral
Betty shooting the birds in season 1 was my “ah ha” moment for the show. I’m not sure why exactly, but that’s the moment I went “okay I am actually really liking this show”. It’s ironic given how much of a buzzkill that Betty became but it might’ve been one of the first character development moments that they built up and it paid off and showed the potential of the series
Posted on 4/28/21 at 10:33 am to Stonehog
quote:
A lot of episodes just end with Don looking out a window and we get no insight into his character at all.
Spoiler alert:
I think that’s the point. There was nothing substantive to gain insight into. He ran from who he was and assumed someone else’s identity. A guide of who one is and what one should do was not instilled in him at an early age; the only thing he knew was to run away. He ran away from his first family, he ran away from his family with Betty, and he had no interest in making friends. He was wired to never be “present,” just “act.” That made him quick on his toes creatively speaking, but he was an otherwise empty human.
This post was edited on 4/28/21 at 10:39 am
Posted on 4/28/21 at 10:38 am to diddlydawg7
It's a period piece drama. May not be for you.
Great show, but I don't think it is a great binge. More episodic than serial, or at least somewhere in between. I remember many great moments and great episodes, but not so many storylines that had me anxious for the next episode.
Great show, but I don't think it is a great binge. More episodic than serial, or at least somewhere in between. I remember many great moments and great episodes, but not so many storylines that had me anxious for the next episode.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 11:52 am to diddlydawg7
It’s a slow burn show. Season 2-3 are really fantastic TV. Don is really an amazing character in the fact that he can be so despicable one min and then you find yourself rooting for him the next min. I think AMC made a mistake splitting the last season up as it killed the shows momentum.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 11:54 am to Jon Ham
quote:
Spoiler alert:
I think that’s the point. There was nothing substantive to gain insight into. He ran from who he was and assumed someone else’s identity. A guide of who one is and what one should do was not instilled in him at an early age; the only thing he knew was to run away. He ran away from his first family, he ran away from his family with Betty, and he had no interest in making friends. He was wired to never be “present,” just “act.” That made him quick on his toes creatively speaking, but he was an otherwise empty human.
Double spoiler alert:
That’s why I find the ending satisfying. I took it as Don finally coming to terms with who he is and from that comes one of the most iconic ads in history.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 1:06 pm to Stonehog
quote:
It’s not, it’s about a guy cheating on his wife and smoking all day. That’s the whole show.
There are so many layers besides this. To me, it's about a show that shows history from 1960 to 1970 and how all those social and political changes of that time affected these particular men and women working in this advertising office. History is the background and setting. The characters act and react to these changes. There's always the undercurrent of the cheated upon wife, Peggy and Joan and how they each learn to wield their power differently, Roger and his 40's and 50's view of life, Don and his demons that force him to hide. It's about watching the world of society's norms getting upended and how it affects all the characters.
I never thought I'd like it, but it's one of my favorite shows.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 1:37 pm to wildtigercat93
That moment for me was when Pete Campbell told Trudy she wasn't good at Math. And then proceeds to miscalculate his own salary.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 6:01 pm to diddlydawg7
With the office peacocking now, it's become more go to casual watch. Probably gone through 4-5, rewatches. Impressed each time with the commitment to getting the feel right of the periods, and some of the characters shine on rewatch that didn't before. 1st I watched , hated Pete. Now might be my favorite character.
Not great Bob is my go to on a bad day
Not great Bob is my go to on a bad day
Posted on 4/28/21 at 6:10 pm to diddlydawg7
It might be the best historic drama series i've ever seen. Really felt like you were stepping back into '60-'70's with the drinking, smoking, attitudes, etc. And the fact that they were hawking the latest American possessions and talking about what people wanted just helped it demonstrate the pulse and character of the country at the time even more. It was like a time capsule come to life. and then the great acting from too many to mention.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 6:11 pm to diddlydawg7
quote:
just day to day work
That was a huge part of the fun for me. It's another-world/time-capsule vs modern audience watching. If you didn't find that element entertaining so far, you probably should stop watching.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 6:27 pm to diddlydawg7
No, it’s boring all the way thru. It’s one of these shows that critics like way more than a casual audience because it’s made well but there’s just not enough story or good dialogue.
Plus as a period piece it’s very uninteresting. If you want to watch an entertaining period piece try Boardwalk Empire.
Plus as a period piece it’s very uninteresting. If you want to watch an entertaining period piece try Boardwalk Empire.
Posted on 4/28/21 at 8:19 pm to diddlydawg7
quote:
At this point, 5 episodes in, there’s nothing especially interesting about any character outside of Don Draper. Everyone outside of him seems like extremely normal people. Feel free to tell me what I am supposed to find interesting about Peggy Olson in the first few episodes. She’s literally just the stereotypical secretary from the 60s at this point.
This says so much more about you than the show.
Mad Men is one of the GOAT TV shows. You haven't watched enough. The way Elisabeth Moss plays Peggy and her evolution is one of the most spectacular things I've ever seen.
I went into watching Mad Men with the thought of "I don't understand the appeal of Elisabeth Moss" and by the end I understood how much of a shame it was that she isn't more famous.
Mad Men definitely isn't for everyone, but if you're complaint is that it isn't interesting, I don't see how you could like any television show. The writing is maybe top 3 of all time and gets better every time you watch it.
I will concede that the first watch through you don't really get certain monologues or the ending of some scenes. You can see that there is something there, but by about the 3rd or 4th time you really understand certain scenes in a way that's just not possible the first time around.
quote:
The show was incredibly under-written. A lot of episodes just end with Don looking out a window and we get no insight into his character at all. You just have to infer what he’s feeling, and usually it’s nothing but “I love my family but I love getting drunk all day and cheating on my wife too. What to do?!”
I've written and rewritten my response to this 5 times because I don't even know what to say. You can say what you want about it being a period piece or the style of the show isn't your thing, but the writing is absolutely masterful. If you watched the show and all you got out of it was that Don was some sort of selfish womanizer, I really can't recommend enough finding something else to do with your time than watch television. You do need to watch the show a couple of times before CERTAIN things start to sink in, but if you can watch more than a season and not realize that the show is about something much more than a man's impulses, I'm just gonna go ahead and say you don't really get it.
This post was edited on 4/28/21 at 8:35 pm
Posted on 4/29/21 at 7:59 am to diddlydawg7
I’m sure you can find a superhero show you will enjoy.
Posted on 4/29/21 at 8:28 am to diddlydawg7
It's a slow burn of a series, but they fill time with shots of Christina Hendricks walking down hallways. Works for me. 
Posted on 4/29/21 at 9:24 am to diddlydawg7
I love slow burn shows, but I think Mad Men is the most overrated load of crap I've seen in a long time.
LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENS. It's a bunch of horned up white dudes talking to each other for several seasons.
LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENS. It's a bunch of horned up white dudes talking to each other for several seasons.
Posted on 4/29/21 at 9:27 am to YungFO
quote:
It's a bunch of horned up white dudes talking to each other for several seasons
And it’s awesome
Posted on 4/29/21 at 9:39 am to Boaz
quote:
Plus as a period piece it’s very uninteresting. If you want to watch [a violent] period piece try Boardwalk Empire [or Peaky Blinders].
Posted on 4/29/21 at 1:01 pm to diddlydawg7
I just finished the whole thing for the first time. It doesn’t “get any better” as far as interesting shite happening. It’s just a show about its characters. It’s basically a soap opera. I liked it Mainly because it made me feel less of a drunk lol
Posted on 4/29/21 at 1:32 pm to diddlydawg7
I had the same reaction watching it.
Extremely slow to start the series.
Worth hanging in there though.
It has payoffs.
Unfortunately, this will be a theme throughout the series (3 snoozers before 2 amazing episoses).
It is great for binging because you can get through the slow episodes quickly and still maintain the interest.
I hope you enjoy it (we did... but had the exact same reaction 5 episodes in)
Extremely slow to start the series.
Worth hanging in there though.
It has payoffs.
Unfortunately, this will be a theme throughout the series (3 snoozers before 2 amazing episoses).
It is great for binging because you can get through the slow episodes quickly and still maintain the interest.
I hope you enjoy it (we did... but had the exact same reaction 5 episodes in)
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