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Review of MAD MEN
Apr. 19th, 2008 08:50 amFinished watching last season's Mad Men via my DVR finally. At least I think it was the complete season, not sure if it went past 13 episodes or not, will most likely find out Sunday - I set the DVR to record all episodes. The nifty thing about DVR's is you don't have to hunt down when the tv show is reappearing, the DVR automatically selects and tapes it for you, once you program it to record all episodes. It did this with Doctor Who last night, even though I didn't realize it was on.
From a purely objective point of view, assuming such a thing is possible in regards to pop/media culture criticism, Mad Men may be the best thing I've seen on TV in quite some time. But that was also true of the first season of BattleStar Galatica. In BSG's first season - it was tightly written, acted, and produced. Almost flawless. Mad Men is similarily flawless. The objective criteria is its structure - how the individual parts fit together. Story, plot, theme, setting, characters, dialogue, costumes. It's no different than reviewing a play or book - from a technical pov, does everything fit? Do the characters remain in character as the plot plays out, does the plot come from their actions or are they mere pawns of the plot? The plot MUST come from the characters actions, it must be a logical outgrowth of the characters, or otherwise it is ludicrious. A mistake many tv show writers (and comic book ones) make is they come up with this great plot idea and then attempt to cram their characters into it - much like a child might use paper dolls. The audience who has been following the characters storylines rather closely, far more so than the writers or actors performing them have, becomes confused, frustrated, and loses interest, or they may just laugh. This is why critics revile comic books and television shows on occassion or don't take them that seriously. The writers have a tendency to play rather loosely with their character's story arcs, and continuity not to mention logic often can go out the window. Often, as a viewer or comic reader, you are better off if you haven't followed the story from its inception and are not paying close attention or better still, aren't analytical and don't think logically, so don't really notice. If you are paying close attention, etc, you may have compensated for this tendency, by coming up with your own logical explanation for the inconsistencies otherwise known as fanwanking. Or, you are like me, and choose to shrug it off as well one of the many flaws of the tv/comic serial medium. These things are produced too quickly, are too volumnious, and have far too many chefs in the kitchen to hope to be perfectly consistent. It's not like JK Rowling plotting out seven books. It's more like a committee, an ever-changing committee with a high turn-over, with another committee overseeing and threatening them with cancellation, attempting to plot out seven books.
Mad Men has managed for at least 13 episodes, to maintain a tight logical structure. It never veers from its course. The five or six characters that it focuses on, all are complex, and all build on each other's stories. Even the subject matter - the advertisements that the men and women are working on, add a layer to the proceedings. One story for example focused on how to sell a kodak slide wheel. ( spoilers, because impossible to discuss without them, well you can, but not nearly as effective )
When I first attempted to watch Mad Men, last year, I was put off by what I considered at that time to be a somewhat cliche premise, with cliche and well-worn soap opera situations. Having given the show another chance - mostly because my kid-brother and his wife couldn't stop talking about it (they're both in marketing) - I've discovered it's anything but cliche and that I was wrong in my initial assessment. ( example that contains major plot spoilers )
Like most good shows, Mad Men takes a while to build, but does reward the patient viewer. The central character is Don Draper, we see the world through his eyes, and veer into the characters that most effect him. And it's pretty world but not a kind one. Don's cynicism colors everything he sees. He paints a pretty picture, but he doesn't trust in it. And will often, with a somewhat chauvinistic air, undercut his pretty model wife who sits bored and inactive with the kids, while he stays late in the city and sleeps with intellectual and witty women who are sharp boned with dark hair and dark eyes, a sharp contrast to his wife's Grace Kelly looks.
Mad Men takes great pains to be historically accurate, so spends a lot of time and energy on it's setting, set design, costumes, hair styles, etc. Everything from the old 1960's tv newscasts to the products being sold at that time. Not a hair is out of place. Quite remarkable considering how quickly the show is produced, although being on cable with just 13 episodes, may have provided it with more time and flexibility than the shows on the broadcast networks.
Mad Men is not always an easy show to watch, it drags a bit in places. And the characters are not likable. You feel sympathy for them, but they do not really enter your heart. With the possible exception of Peggy, Don Draper's secretary, who follows a different path than all the other secretaries. Peggy is the only female character that does not look like she stepped out of a film reel or fashion magazine. Don, you care about, but you don't necessarily like. He reminds me a great deal of the traditional noir anti-hero. A character who appears to be doomed by his inability to rise above his own selfish impulses. A true Mad Men - who is both the product and the creator of the industry he thrives in.
Similar to the remake of Far From Heaven, Mad Men by going back to the 1960s, shines a light on history's ironies. What we've succeeded in and where we have failed as a culture. Rampant consumerism, promoting the lie or a view that image, how something appears is more important than what it is, demonstrated by the fact that almost every character smokes on the series - stating they must because it is the product they promote, it's an image they must protect and push. The fact that the image is killing them is of little consequence. They ignore reports about the dangers of smoking, in favor of the fact it makes them feel good and looks good. The TV show constantly contrasts the image against the reality. Showing that what is being sold isn't necessarily what is available. A fitting and timely theme.
If you haven't given Mad Men a try, you should. It is a show that stays with you long after it has aired. And those are rare commodities.
From a purely objective point of view, assuming such a thing is possible in regards to pop/media culture criticism, Mad Men may be the best thing I've seen on TV in quite some time. But that was also true of the first season of BattleStar Galatica. In BSG's first season - it was tightly written, acted, and produced. Almost flawless. Mad Men is similarily flawless. The objective criteria is its structure - how the individual parts fit together. Story, plot, theme, setting, characters, dialogue, costumes. It's no different than reviewing a play or book - from a technical pov, does everything fit? Do the characters remain in character as the plot plays out, does the plot come from their actions or are they mere pawns of the plot? The plot MUST come from the characters actions, it must be a logical outgrowth of the characters, or otherwise it is ludicrious. A mistake many tv show writers (and comic book ones) make is they come up with this great plot idea and then attempt to cram their characters into it - much like a child might use paper dolls. The audience who has been following the characters storylines rather closely, far more so than the writers or actors performing them have, becomes confused, frustrated, and loses interest, or they may just laugh. This is why critics revile comic books and television shows on occassion or don't take them that seriously. The writers have a tendency to play rather loosely with their character's story arcs, and continuity not to mention logic often can go out the window. Often, as a viewer or comic reader, you are better off if you haven't followed the story from its inception and are not paying close attention or better still, aren't analytical and don't think logically, so don't really notice. If you are paying close attention, etc, you may have compensated for this tendency, by coming up with your own logical explanation for the inconsistencies otherwise known as fanwanking. Or, you are like me, and choose to shrug it off as well one of the many flaws of the tv/comic serial medium. These things are produced too quickly, are too volumnious, and have far too many chefs in the kitchen to hope to be perfectly consistent. It's not like JK Rowling plotting out seven books. It's more like a committee, an ever-changing committee with a high turn-over, with another committee overseeing and threatening them with cancellation, attempting to plot out seven books.
Mad Men has managed for at least 13 episodes, to maintain a tight logical structure. It never veers from its course. The five or six characters that it focuses on, all are complex, and all build on each other's stories. Even the subject matter - the advertisements that the men and women are working on, add a layer to the proceedings. One story for example focused on how to sell a kodak slide wheel. ( spoilers, because impossible to discuss without them, well you can, but not nearly as effective )
When I first attempted to watch Mad Men, last year, I was put off by what I considered at that time to be a somewhat cliche premise, with cliche and well-worn soap opera situations. Having given the show another chance - mostly because my kid-brother and his wife couldn't stop talking about it (they're both in marketing) - I've discovered it's anything but cliche and that I was wrong in my initial assessment. ( example that contains major plot spoilers )
Like most good shows, Mad Men takes a while to build, but does reward the patient viewer. The central character is Don Draper, we see the world through his eyes, and veer into the characters that most effect him. And it's pretty world but not a kind one. Don's cynicism colors everything he sees. He paints a pretty picture, but he doesn't trust in it. And will often, with a somewhat chauvinistic air, undercut his pretty model wife who sits bored and inactive with the kids, while he stays late in the city and sleeps with intellectual and witty women who are sharp boned with dark hair and dark eyes, a sharp contrast to his wife's Grace Kelly looks.
Mad Men takes great pains to be historically accurate, so spends a lot of time and energy on it's setting, set design, costumes, hair styles, etc. Everything from the old 1960's tv newscasts to the products being sold at that time. Not a hair is out of place. Quite remarkable considering how quickly the show is produced, although being on cable with just 13 episodes, may have provided it with more time and flexibility than the shows on the broadcast networks.
Mad Men is not always an easy show to watch, it drags a bit in places. And the characters are not likable. You feel sympathy for them, but they do not really enter your heart. With the possible exception of Peggy, Don Draper's secretary, who follows a different path than all the other secretaries. Peggy is the only female character that does not look like she stepped out of a film reel or fashion magazine. Don, you care about, but you don't necessarily like. He reminds me a great deal of the traditional noir anti-hero. A character who appears to be doomed by his inability to rise above his own selfish impulses. A true Mad Men - who is both the product and the creator of the industry he thrives in.
Similar to the remake of Far From Heaven, Mad Men by going back to the 1960s, shines a light on history's ironies. What we've succeeded in and where we have failed as a culture. Rampant consumerism, promoting the lie or a view that image, how something appears is more important than what it is, demonstrated by the fact that almost every character smokes on the series - stating they must because it is the product they promote, it's an image they must protect and push. The fact that the image is killing them is of little consequence. They ignore reports about the dangers of smoking, in favor of the fact it makes them feel good and looks good. The TV show constantly contrasts the image against the reality. Showing that what is being sold isn't necessarily what is available. A fitting and timely theme.
If you haven't given Mad Men a try, you should. It is a show that stays with you long after it has aired. And those are rare commodities.
