Mad Not Mad
Watched the last episode of Mad Men this weekend. What a surprising programme it's been. They seem to have quietly ignored all the current rules of TV drama.
There's no murder or death or even 'peril'. There are no cliffhangers at all. They never felt the need to finish an episode with a character being caught in-flagrante (despite the countless opportunities).
Anyone who's been watching it, but hasn't yet seen the last episode, needn't worry that I might include spoilers in this posting. This wasn't a 'season finale' - no bloodbath, no big twist. The one major sub-plot of the series was resolved in the penultimate episode.
In our house, though, it's been totally gripping all the way through. The thing is we're both compulsive plot-spotters and in Mad Men there's no telling what's going to happen next.
A man in his 50's struggles wheezing up 14 flights of stairs. What happens next? Yes, that's right, he throws up his dinner over the shoes of his number 1 client.
The kitsch is fun but not overpowering. The open sexism and even racism portrayed by the characters goes mostly unchallenged by any Sam Tyler figure. They expect you to be comfortable with your own morality. It just seems about ten years more grown-up than anything made in the UK.
We'll be counting the days until it explodes back onto our screens.
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Nope got me..
I watched a few and I really really can't see what the point is. You just don't care about any of the characters. It seems to have Basil exposition style potted guides to early 60's history/culture : this week Israel, next week feminism. The main character seems to think up awarding ad campaigns by laying on the couch rubbing the bridge of his noes.
The female characters are under written. The sopranos comparsions are legion and tedious double lifes, philandering males, psyco therapy.
I think it's been lauded as "adult" because "adults" are stupid enough to sit through 8 episodes waiting for something to happen kids on the other hand would say this hasn't got any plot, the characters are boring can we watch Dr Who now.
I planned to watch it but missed the first episode
After that there was no point starting it.
"Dexter" (13 part drama about a seriel killer who works as a blood splatter expert for the police) was great and had a great last episode.
I thought it was well good!
Although you could say it was a slow-burner, in that nothing much really happens for the first few episodes, by the last three or four episodes, I was gripped. And I did care about the characters, and thought they were brilliantly and convincingly acted. So I too am looking forward to more.
I loved it
I wasn't gripped to start with - just thought it looked interesting - but was VERY gripped by the end. The best thing I've seen on the telly since, oooh, "The Sopranos". Can't wait till the next series. I now realise that a lot of the "nothing much happening" was actually that things were happening but in a gently understated way and as part of creating the overall atmosphere of the series. You could really have a great time watching the inevitable box set end to end and not have to wait a week per episode and really get immersed in it. WADR Chris the female characters aren't underwritten, they're brilliantly written but within the cultural mores of the time, and if you'd got to the penultimate episode where Rachel....whoops no spoilers....but suffice it to say that when they judged it to be right (and they were) the female characters really took off. Now everyone off to LoveFilm and get the DVDs.
One of the gems...
.... on tv at the minute.
High production values from every aspect.
Excellent!
Roll on season 2.
tiny SPOILER alert
For me, one of the most telling moments of the final episode could easily have gone un-noticed. When celebrating their latest contractual coup, the new account manager guy actually turned down a drink: "No, I'm good, thanks". The times they are achangin.
So next series it will 1961. I hope the show goes on long enough to see their whole world get turned upside down as the 60's progress.
Anachronistic dialogue
I haven't seen Mad Men but "I'm good" meaning "No, I don't want any more" 50 years or so ago? Hmm.
I watched a bit of Life on Mars last night. I got as far as one character, who wasn't as far as I could tell a practising optician or a professional photographer, telling another to "stay focused". I shouted at the television, as one does, and hurriedly took solace in my Out DVDs.
It's not all that difficult to remember how we really used to speak, is it?
LOM
Was it the bloke who went back in time? In which case he'd speak like we do now.
There was a scene...
.. a few episodes back of Don Draper going into The Gaslight in Greenwich Village with his bohemian girlfriend. They were listening to some Beatnik poet scatting on.
" '50's " Don looked like a fish out of water. Another sign that the times they were a-changin'.
In fact that year (1960) really is the perfect year to pick for the world changing from lots of aspects, e.g. politically, culturally etc.