In my ongoing quest to ingest everything important ever said or thought or expressed by anyone ever (a mission I suspect many Internet People are on), I've finally gotten around to watching all of Mad Men in a two-week frenzy of cigarettes, skinny ties and adultery.
And I've got to say, the ladies are killin' it. I went into the show expecting to get the most charge out of admittedly-dreamy Don Draper, since literally every dude I know wants to be him so hard it's making James Bond feel kinda left out.
But time and again, I've found Mad Men's handling of early 60's women, the complex relationships they were forced to form to the men around them, and the sheer amount of outright crap they had to put up with, to be far and away the most riveting and heart-wrenching aspect of the show.
And no, I'm not just saying that because this blog is part of the WeTV family, a subsidiary of American Movie Classics, although I can totally see why you'd think that, especially with me spelling it out for you like this. Frankly, I probably shouldn't have brought it up.
The really amazing thing is hearing a grandparent tell me how Mad Men is "really accurate," when the society depicted seems almost wholly alien to me. I mean, really? Really accurate? That sucks, grandma. That really makes me feel awful.
If YOU'D like to feel awful, I highly recommend watching the whole show right now and then following the current season when it premieres very soon (google it, you lazy reader).
There are so few shows that tell the story of womankind, and tell it well. With Sex and the City winding down and Petticoat Junction a distant memory, Mad Men may well represent the most fully-formed female voice on the air (other than 30 Rock, of course).
And I've got to say, the ladies are killin' it. I went into the show expecting to get the most charge out of admittedly-dreamy Don Draper, since literally every dude I know wants to be him so hard it's making James Bond feel kinda left out.
But time and again, I've found Mad Men's handling of early 60's women, the complex relationships they were forced to form to the men around them, and the sheer amount of outright crap they had to put up with, to be far and away the most riveting and heart-wrenching aspect of the show.
And no, I'm not just saying that because this blog is part of the WeTV family, a subsidiary of American Movie Classics, although I can totally see why you'd think that, especially with me spelling it out for you like this. Frankly, I probably shouldn't have brought it up.
The really amazing thing is hearing a grandparent tell me how Mad Men is "really accurate," when the society depicted seems almost wholly alien to me. I mean, really? Really accurate? That sucks, grandma. That really makes me feel awful.
If YOU'D like to feel awful, I highly recommend watching the whole show right now and then following the current season when it premieres very soon (google it, you lazy reader).
There are so few shows that tell the story of womankind, and tell it well. With Sex and the City winding down and Petticoat Junction a distant memory, Mad Men may well represent the most fully-formed female voice on the air (other than 30 Rock, of course).
I agree - it's awesome, and I like it for just that reason. Some of the damned if you do damned if you don't situations that the ladies are forced into (particularly Peggy and Betty) just make me want to yell and throw things at the tv. And what you said about your grandma makes me sad too, and reminds me of things I feel about my grandma, but not related to Mad Men - she's never seen it, and suggesting that/watching it with her would be super awkward.