Mad Men - Y/N?

[snorkackcatcher]

The BBC have started doing repeats of Series 1 -- four episodes in so far -- so I ended up watching it just out of curiosity given its reputation. Sure, it's stylish and retro (a bit too self-consciously so --practically cigarette porn on occasions :), and Jon Hamm has excellent screen presence. But so far, with the exception of Rachel Menken I've been struggling to find characters I really like -- possibly because most of them seem painfully stereotyped. It's growing on me, as shows do when you watch more than one episode, and Pete Campbell is starting to seem like less of a tosser and more of a character, but basically -- does it get any better?

Comments

[annuscka.livejournal.com]

Nothing to add here really, apart from slightly having wondered the same thing; I have only seen an episode or so, but wasn't overwhelmed either. Must give it another shot, too.

Over-conscious retro is hilarious - just saw a film made in 2002, set in 1978, and sometimes all I could concentrate on was "seriously, those glasses? So hideous. Could people see through those? Seriously?". And that in a film where mum has an affair, daughter gets date-raped, the 9-year old hears mum and lover going at it and the teenage son gifts his date-raping friend with killed birds. Oh, and dad's company goes bankrupt and the house is crumbling. It was sort of intense, and the extra retro sort of added to the Overdone As Hell ;)

Oh, and btw - it was set in a four day period ;)

[mrstater.livejournal.com]

We watched 5 or 6 episodes and never liked any of the characters, either. I don't think every character has to be good, but I need someone to have some redeeming quality, and none of these endeared me to them.

[golden-d.livejournal.com]

Keep watching. The show knows how to shock you.

[snorkackcatcher]

Tribute to Bergman, was it? :)

At least the show's available on BBC iPlayer so I can get it any time in the next week after transmission -- I probably wouldn't be bothered if I had to make sure I caught it late on Sunday night. (I only watched it in the first place because I was at my aunt's house and bored.)

[snorkackcatcher]

Yeah, me too -- when you can't empathise with at least one main character in a show/film/book, it's hard going.

[snorkackcatcher]

Let's hope so. :)

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

I think it's one of the best television shows to have been made in years. The characters are complex, believable and entirely human. Maybe they aren't entirely "likeable", but I'd rather have real people with real human weaknesses. It's fascinating. A very dark show.

The art direction is beautiful too. Everything from the dialogue to the costumes to the way the actors hold their bodies rings true. And the stories and involving and thought provoking.

It's smart TV. That's not something you get very often.

[annuscka.livejournal.com]

Must have been; it was what I kept thinking all the way through.

[the-jackalope.livejournal.com]

Yes. At least in my opinion it does. They are stereotypes, but then they move beyond those types and become real people. I think the show is brilliant in that there are characters who do things you want to despise them for and then the next breath they do something admirable.

Likeable characters? I'm not sure I actually really LIKE any of the characters. Maybe Peggy and Joan. I'm fascinated by the social commentary though, so the characters are sort of secondary to that.

[snorkackcatcher]

Dark's fine, but if I find it hard to actually care what the characters are doing in a show either way it's not a good sign. I'll have to wait and see wrt complexity, I guess, although Ep4 did seem to be starting to put a bit more flesh on the bones.

[snorkackcatcher]

Right -- well, the BBC are showing two episodes a week so I'll give it another few weeks anyway. After all, it often takes a while for shows to warm up! Peggy so far has been a mildly irritating drip, although given her prominence I'm assuming there's a lot more to come with the character.

[virginia-bell.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love Mad Men, though that only happened my second vieweing attempt (to be fair, the first was rudely interrupted by my decision to watch all seven seasons of The West Wing, which was quite a time commitment!). For me, it took about five or six episodes before the characters became more than just the Voluptuous Secretary, the Slick Ad Man, the Glacial Housewife, etc., and really drew me into the show. It gets so, so much better. :D

[snorkackcatcher]

Right, well it's getting to the key point of the series then! Maybe I've just got out of the habit of watching non-'action' drama.