Mad Men - S01E01 - 7/19/2007

[kdelande]

Not bad, nice production values!

They really seemed to emphazize the period things (glove color on the OB, etc) to show they were paying attention to details.

I thought the end was a nice touch, finally getting behind the "ad" the main creative guy Don puts on.

I'll try the next one.

KD

[FilmCritic3000]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Watching Mad Men feels as if a wormhole has been sliced open and the viewer is looking back at what society was like back then.

As you stated, kdelande, the production value was excellent; also, the acting was spot-on.

What's funny is, after the new girl took the lecherous young guy into her room and it cut away, I said, "Don's not going to appreciate the young guy preying on the new hire."

Then came the reveal...

All in all, I found Mad Men utterly compelling. While it highlights the lesser aspects that permeated our culture back then, it's a very well-written look at a group of people never before seen on television.

I'll be setting a Season Pass.

[avery]

I'm hooked!

I knew nothing about the show beyond that it was supposed to be good, so it was a complete surprise for me that it was set circa 1959/1960[?] I instantly loved that!

The show has a really nice look and feel to it. Excellent job capturing that era visually and musically.

(It just about drove me crazy trying to place the *very familiar looking* actress, who was the new girl at work... until it finally clicked that she was Zoey Bartlet on West Wing!)

[Bierboy]

I agree - this is well-produced and very nicely acted. And a nice surprise at the end...I'm sticking with it; the SP remains.

[TiVo'Brien]

Very good! Definitely worth a season pass. Good writing, believable characters, and an interesting look into the social strata of the time when working women were consigned to secretarial duty, and upward mobility was reserved for men.

Calculating the time, does the purple heart for Don Draper indicate he would have been in WWII? He seems late 30's or early 40's, which could put him right in the middle of WWII as a young man. I wonder how having gone through that will affect character development in this series.

The new secretary ain't from Brooklyn. Or if she is, they left out her accent. A young working class girl from Brooklyn in 1960 would have had a Brooklyn accent.

Mmmmmmm, toasted. :p

[Bierboy]

....Calculating the time, does the purple heart for Don Draper indicate he would have been in WWII?...Could be the Korean war? ...the new secretary ain't from Brooklyn. Or if she is, they left out her accent. A young working class girl from Brooklyn in 1960 would have had a Brooklyn accent......was wondering the same thing...didn't hear a hint of an accent.

[cwoody222]

I really enjoyed this but was falling asleep at the end (not the fault of the show). I'll have to go back and rewatch the end because I don't remember any twist.

My only complaint was the played-way-over-the-top closeted gay guy... yea, we GET IT already!

Other than that, I loved all the period stuff... especially when the typewriter, phone, and speaker were revealed and they comment how complicated it must all look! :)

[TiVo'Brien]

...Could be the Korean war? ...was wondering the same thing...didn't hear a hint of an accent.
Yeah, according to a review on MSNBC.com, he's in his early 30's, so it's gotta be Korea.

[DevdogAZ]

I thought it was really good. Excellent period feel. Can't believe how accepted smoking was back then. All I kept thinking about was how all those places would just stink! Especially when they were in the pitch meeting and Don mentioned the "new car smell." I thought, "with the way you guys smoke, that new car smell wouldn't last five minutes."

Interesting twist at the end. I wonder if people at work know about that? They sure didn't seem to.

[Graymalkin]

BTW, there really was a Lucky Strike brand. It actually used the ad slogan, "It's toasted."

In 1917.

So already they've changed history to suit the storyline.

If there's any doubt about the Wiki entry for Lucky Strikes, there's this TIME article from 1938, about the slogan:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760432,00.html

[Bierboy]

BTW, there really was a Lucky Strike brand. It actually used the ad slogan, "It's toasted."

In 1917.

So already they've changed history to suit the storyline.

If there's any doubt about the Wiki entry for Lucky Strikes, there's this TIME article from 1938, about the slogan:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760432,00.htmlThe Lucky Strike phrase was L.S.M.F.T.....Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco (I'm really dating myself here by remembering that! And, of course, there was a much cruder interpretation of those initials, too, mostly by teenage boys :D). I believe it was on all the cigarette packs. That was what I was expecting to hear and see in last night's show...kinda disappointed they didn't maintain accuracy there. But a fine program otherwise.

[DevdogAZ]

BTW, there really was a Lucky Strike brand. It actually used the ad slogan, "It's toasted."

In 1917.

So already they've changed history to suit the storyline.

If there's any doubt about the Wiki entry for Lucky Strikes, there's this TIME article from 1938, about the slogan:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,760432,00.html
Lucky Strike is still around as far as I know. When I lived in Germany, it was probably the most advertised brand. Their ads were very clever and were EVERYWHERE!!!

[numb and number]

http://i11.tinypic.com/67qusxs.jpg

[DevdogAZ]

Here's an example of the German Lucky Strike ads that are on nearly every bus stop in the country:

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/6904/clluckystrike1wk9.jpg

The text basically says: Thousands of men have never come back from buying cigarettes. When are you sending yours? Lucky Stike or Nothing.

[DevdogAZ]

First!! (probably went up in September or October, making fun of retailers jumping the gun on Christmas decorating).

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/9767/luckystrikeweihnachtenim4.jpg

[DevdogAZ]

Take your time looking at this poster. It's interest free!!

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3517/luckystrikeinterestfreeiq8.jpg

[dbranco]

Did anyone recognize Odo's son (Remy Auberjonois)? He played the doctor that Peggy went to. Looks just like him!

(For non-Trek fans, Odo was a Star Trek Deep Space 9 character, played by Rene Auberjonois).


-Deb

[Fool Me Twice]

Hey! Look at the old white sexist racist homophobic lying cheating men of the past! Thank god for that 60's cultural revolution, huh? Wink, wink.

I hated it. The creators don't like their own characters and I don't either. Nor do I find them interesting. They are little more than shallow caricatures intended to bolster the sense of superiority moderns have over the past.

The creators of Dexter made an emotionless serial killer more sympathetic than these characters. On the other hand, Dexter does avoid the more serious thought crimes of sexism and homophobia.

Looks amazing, though. They should go ahead and award all the creative arts Emmys to these guys.

[Bierboy]

Hey! Look at the old white sexist racist homophobic lying cheating men of the past! Thank god for that 60's cultural revolution, huh? Wink, wink.

I hated it. The creators don't like their own characters and I don't either. Nor do I find them interesting. They are little more than shallow caricatures intended to bolster the sense of superiority moderns have over the past.

The creators of Dexter made an emotionless serial killer more sympathetic than these characters. On the other hand, Dexter does avoid the more serious thought crimes of sexism and homophobia.

Looks amazing, though. They should go ahead and award all the creative arts Emmys to these guys.If you lived through that era, you were apparently oblivious to reality. What was portrayed is very close to the reality of that time period. I lived it; I know (look at my avatar; I'm an old fart and darn proud of it).

[Sadara]

I finally watched this today. I'm not as excited about it as some others here are. It just didn't click for me. My hubby liked it, but he didn't seem excited about it either. We're going to give it a couple more tries before we decide to cancel the season pass.

[lonwolf615]

I finally watched this today. I'm not as excited about it as some others here are. It just didn't click for me. My hubby liked it, but he didn't seem excited about it either. We're going to give it a couple more tries before we decide to cancel the season pass.

I had pretty much the same reaction, right down to giving it a couple more trys to form a connection. There a lot of things to admire about the 1st episode, but it never got me fully involved in these people's lives. What it needs for me is a great standalone episode now, hopefully focusing on one of the characters enough to get me to care what happens to them. Then they can elaborate on the overall story arc once they got me hooked. I'm hopeful-there clearly is a lot of talent in the cast and crew, and they seem to be making a sincere effort to create something worthwhile.

[numb and number]

What was portrayed is very close to the reality of that time periodGross exaggeration.

[Bierboy]

Gross exaggeration.Your perception obviously does not agree with my reality of living through that time period. Talk to several people in their 70s, and, if they remember accurately and tell the truth, you'll find it's pretty accurate. My mother is in her early 80s, and she confirms.

[Redux]

Talk to several people in their 70s, and, if they remember accurately and tell the truth, you'll find it's pretty accurateThe workplace attitude toward women doesn't need to go back even that far. Well into the 1980s it was pretty despicable.

[Bierboy]

The workplace attitude toward women doesn't need to go back even that far. Well into the 1980s it was pretty despicable.Very true....hard to believe it was even that recent. Sad.

[Sadara]

I had pretty much the same reaction, right down to giving it a couple more trys to form a connection. There a lot of things to admire about the 1st episode, but it never got me fully involved in these people's lives. What it needs for me is a great standalone episode now, hopefully focusing on one of the characters enough to get me to care what happens to them. Then they can elaborate on the overall story arc once they got me hooked. I'm hopeful-there clearly is a lot of talent in the cast and crew, and they seem to be making a sincere effort to create something worthwhile.

You said exactly what I was thinking and didn't say. I hope, like you, they get in to some more character development. This episode showed me they can put together a great set and put a story in the time line they were shooting for, but I don't feel like I know the characters at all.

[cheesesteak]

When did the young guy dig through Don's trash? Why would the new girl come on to the boss on her first day? Did I nod out for a couple of minutes and miss something?

[TiVo'Brien]

When did the young guy dig through Don's trash? Why would the new girl come on to the boss on her first day? Did I nod out for a couple of minutes and miss something?They didn't show the young guy digging through the trash, but they did show the new girl deliberately laying her hand on Don's.

[FilmCritic3000]

They didn't show the young guy digging through the trash, but they did show the new girl deliberately laying her hand on Don's.

Correct. The new girl then stated that he told her that he'd left his pen in Don's office and she let him go in there.

[5thcrewman]

What's the story behind Dick Nixon being a Navy Hero? Nice trick into making you think they were talking about JFK, but I (as being born in 1960) don't recall RMN's Naval exploits or am I correct in thinking they were overblown like 'Tailgunner Joe?'

[bluesman64]

What's the story behind Dick Nixon being a Navy Hero? Nice trick into making you think they were talking about JFK, but I (as being born in 1960) don't recall RMN's Naval exploits or am I correct in thinking they were overblown like 'Tailgunner Joe?'

From wikipedia:

"During the Second World War, Nixon served as a reserve officer in the Navy. He received his training at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island and Ottumwa, Iowa, before serving in the supply corps on several islands in the South Pacific, commanding cargo handling units in the SCAT.[1] There he was known as "Nick" and for his prowess in poker, banking a large sum that helped finance his first campaign for Congress."

Photo in uniform attached:

[numb and number]

Your perception obviously does not agree with my reality of living through that time period. Talk to several people in their 70s, and, if they remember accurately and tell the truth, you'll find it's pretty accurate. My mother is in her early 80s, and she confirms.
I didn't say unfounded, I said grossly exaggerated. That's true on the face of it.

[Bierboy]

I didn't say unfounded, I said grossly exaggerated. That's true on the face of it.And I did not claim you did. It's not grossly exaggerated....as I said, talk to people who lived and worked through that period of time. I lived through it, and friends and family live and worked through it. It is NOT exaggerated, let alone grossly exaggerted. Time to move on...it's only a TV show for goodness sake.

[5thcrewman]

From wikipedia:

"During the Second World War, Nixon served as a reserve officer in the Navy. He received his training at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island and Ottumwa, Iowa, before serving in the supply corps on several islands in the South Pacific, commanding cargo handling units in the SCAT.[1] There he was known as "Nick" and for his prowess in poker, banking a large sum that helped finance his first campaign for Congress."

Photo in uniform attached:
Sounds like Swift Boat

[numb and number]

And I did not claim you did. It's not grossly exaggerated....as I said, talk to people who lived and worked through that period of time. I lived through it, and friends and family live and worked through it. It is NOT exaggerated, let alone grossly exaggerted. Time to move on...it's only a TV show for goodness sake.
Sorry. Though based on the culture of the day, that culture has so far been represented in a grossly exaggerated way. The use of stereotypes and cliched situations and diallage illustrates this.

This is normal in the performing and story telling arts. No need for alarm.

[brianric]

And I did not claim you did. It's not grossly exaggerated....as I said, talk to people who lived and worked through that period of time. I lived through it, and friends and family live and worked through it. It is NOT exaggerated, let alone grossly exaggerted. Time to move on...it's only a TV show for goodness sake.
I know the smoking wasn't exaggerated. I can remember in the mid and late 1950ies that every adult smoked that were over for company at my parents home.

[MNoelH]

I finally got around to watching this show tonight and really liked it, but one question keeps nagging me.

What the heck was going on with "the new girl" in the office? She's from local Brooklyn, (and apparently fresh out of some secretarial school) and after meeting this woman for the first time, she not only decides she needs birth control, doesn't have her own doctor, and discusses this to her brand new coworker who happens to know a doctor that won't judge her and has an opening on the same day? That was just ridiculous.

[dianebrat]

What the heck was going on with "the new girl" in the office? She's from local Brooklyn, (and apparently fresh out of some secretarial school) and after meeting this woman for the first time, she not only decides she needs birth control, doesn't have her own doctor, and discusses this to her brand new coworker who happens to know a doctor that won't judge her and has an opening on the same day? That was just ridiculous.

I got the impression that Joan (did I get her name right?) had said to Peggy that "sleeping your way up" would be required, and that she would "take care of an appointment" which is why she got Joan's Dr, to my view it was all Joan initiated.

Yes, this did mean I read a few things into the situation, but it sure felt like that was what went down to me.

Diane