merelyaninnuendo
Mad Men4 Out Of 5Mad Men; one of the most acclaimed series by critics, loved by the fans and buzzed at the award shows, is a character driven series created by Matthew Weiner depicting the inner world of an ad agencies set in '60s in New York. The writing is sharp, elaborative, adaptive and explicit that keeps the audience tangled in its not-so-likable and faulty world on the edge of their seat. The character driven mellow subjective procedure is something that leaves a long lasting impression among the viewers.Unlike any other series, the seasons holds on to the merit of its early stages by visiting unexpected places and going beyond one's imagination, exploring a more mature world, proving once again its fame with its excellent execution and fine editing.Addition to that, the bold and ironical take of all the issues that were present at that era is something that sends out a thought-provoking message which is imputed in the plot flawlessly and with utter conviction.It is rich on technical aspects like projecting the chemistry among the characters, stunning cinematography, beautiful camera work, references mentioned in the conversations and the classic tone of the series that makes it supremely watchable. The primary reason why the series stands alone is not only its nature to work in a metaphorical way but to weave out a poem from the sequence, is the genuine soul behind it that attains a certain closure in each episode. The performance objective is score majestically by the cast especially by the protagonist Jon Hamm who is supported convincingly by the cast like Elisabeth Moss, Vincent Kartheiser, Kiernan Shipka, January Jones and John Slattery. The practical conversations, the whistle-blowing dialogues, three-dimensional characters, excellent execution, finely detailed set-pieces, alluring costume design are the high points of the series that helps it enter the major league.Mad Men is a classic take of an era where the rules and laws might be different but the resultant outcome of deeds and the justice is inevitable.
francogrex
**DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE WATCHED THE FINAL EPISODE OF THE SERIES** I have watched the final episode of the series today. Mad men is a great series, you will certainly get attached to the characters. I had made a review of the final episode "person to person", when I finished watching it at first I felt disappointed because I thought it was a dud, a letdown; I was thinking to myself "a wonderful series should not end so vaguely", but then after some reflection, online reading, watching interviews with Jon Hamm and also the trivia on IMDb, I realized that the ending was very good and inline with the rest of the series. Also when the series started, I didn't get why Elisabeth Moss (Peggy) was the 2nd from the top on the credits just after Jon Hamm, but as it went along, I realized that indeed she is the star, the chemistry between Don and Peggy although not sexual, is a big part of what drives the series and "the suitcase" episode is arguably the best of the series. There were a few discontinuities in the story line. Although it is not as tight as for example "breaking bad" it is still one of my favorite series ever. The character of Betty was not very likable and ended sadly. Peter's development over the years was nice. His redemption was the goodness of his wife Trudy. I will miss Don, I will miss Peggy and I will certainly miss Roger and his humor and joie de vivre.
timcurryis god
"Saudade," a friend told me, can mean ". . . a melancholy nostalgia for something that perhaps has not even happened. It often carries an assurance that this thing you feel nostalgia for will never happen again." Wiki quotes A.F.G. Bell:(dunno who that was)"a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness." As much as I resisted watching Mad Men at first, dismissing it out of hand i.e. "ew; a show that 'glorifies' advertising?" etc., once I viewed the first episode I was stunned (don't know how else to put this) at the visual accuracy of the time/ day/ era...I suppose it's fairly typical to feel nostalgia or longing for things that remind us of childhood; old photos of loved ones and family, perhaps from when we were infants or before we were born (for me, 1966). On this count alone, Mad Men held me spellbound. There's that painting, that fabric, those colors, the hairstyles, the scarves, shoes, cars, furniture, all things Mid Century Modern... it's a veritable visual time capsule or journey to the past. It's absolutely stunning in this way. But not just this; it's 1960's NYC. Upon first viewing, the delivery of the plot, the motion of the series is not typical, and can be somewhat frustrating for new viewers, but after a few episodes this will become more familiar. Looking back on it, it can be thought of perhaps like a sort of autobiography (of the main character, Don Draper), with many important steady characters and story lines that are interesting to follow and sort of fill in the details. The series is fairly historically accurate in depicting the male dominated world of advertising, business, etc. and social and familial mores of white middle class or petite bourgeois America. From "go" chauvinism/ patriarchy/ sexism is addressed and little seeds are planted in the supporting characters' story lines and words that blossom later in the series. Likewise, white nationalism, jingoism, and racism are addressed and portrayed fairly accurately, to such a degree that ******SLIGHT CONTENT SPOILER******* * * * beyond simply portraying the colonial conditions present in social reality and in social interactions between white characters and African characters, (which by the way, occurs in the very first scene of the series), or historical milestones, ~the assassination of Medgar Evers, the assassination of MLK, the assassination of Malcolm X~ beyond one-dimensional characters, even the shallowness of fake or phony liberalism is exposed in one memorable scene between "Joan," and "Paul." Likewise, the Korean War (which features heavily in Don Draper's past), the death of Marilyn Monroe, the Vietnam War, the assassination of JFK, and later that of Robert Kennedy, etc. are all incorporated into the screenplay/dialogue, as were the Manson Family murders, the police violence during the 1968 Democratic Convention, and the moon landing. But in this series, we are the people this is happening to, or rather the people watching television or listening to the news hearing of these events for the first time. It is a joy to watch Vincent Kartheiser (Peter Campbell), Christina Hendricks (Joan Holloway), Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper), Stephanie Drake (Meredith the secretary), and Elizabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) play their characters; but just fantastic performances from every single character~ an amazing series in this way. I have to say once you've binged this series a couple (or four or five) times, you'll fall in love with Meredith, too. January Jones (Betty Draper) looks like she walked right out of 1963; it is amazing. From the business competition and warring, to newfound victories and transformations, the 1960's unfolds for us, through these characters, and especially revolving around their advertising agency, the companies that are their clients, the products they sell, and the office politics and dynamics. It's truly a nostalgia trip, and a bittersweet one. Throughout the years the agency transforms and it is exciting and suspenseful to watch this throughout the seasons, wondering what it will look like next, and how the autonomy of the employees will be affected. This aspect of the series makes it riveting. And the soundtrack, just lovely (each episode ends with a song from the time). The score has memorable themes as well. Somehow the main character, Don Draper, remains a mystery throughout the series. At the end, which I won't give away (and you shouldn't even try to find out!! It's all the more enjoyable that way!) I asked my friend (whom adores the show) "wtf was that about? What is this series about?" and she said: "Identity." <3
