Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
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I recently binge re-watched Mad Men. Two non-spoiler thoughts:
For those who haven't seen it, yes, it really is as good as people say. AMC chose it as their first original series with the brand strategy of starting with a show that would be widely recognized for its quality, even if it didn't immediately have widespread appeal. I think it's telling that the tvtropes page for anachronisms has only inconsequential examples, with many of them being arcane/minute details, things that might get fudged in contemporaneously-set fiction, or both. (E.G., one of the biggest mistakes is a character giving incorrect transit instructions: "In "Love Among the Ruins", set in 1963, Don mentions taking the New York Central and Broadway Limited from Ossining to Penn Station. At the time, Broadway Limited was run by Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR did not merge with New York Central until 1968). A commuter would not make such a mistake. Additionally, the Broadway Limited was a private all-room reserved train to Chicago, and did not allow coach passengers for intermediate stops." Close enough!)
The later seasons all start with a conspicuous change in supporting characters' personal styling and set decor, but a more jarring indication of the pace of cultural change and its resulting dissonance in the second half of the 1960s are the songs chosen to play over the each episode's end credits.
I got into a bit of an argument with a socialist feminist once. My position was that actually even if the President sucks, now is still the best time to be alive. She countered no it has always been great for men. Take Mad Men for instance. Don Draper was rich and got to fuck around and be drunk all day.
I was so shocked by this I couldn't even retort. Like the show leaves some people with the impression that the median male existence in the 60s was a Manhattan advertising executive's hedonistic life and not closer to all of the little people he steps on. (To say nothing of the fact that he was drafted to fight in Korea and ... I'll save the spoilers)
Additional random anecdote: an old girlfriend who was actually in the ad industry had a Mad Men themed birthday party at her place in Brooklyn, while it was still airing. That definitely brought out people's frisky sides.
More reminiscing: I remember that scene with the presentation of the carousel slide projector being pretty epic. Like some of the most mesmerizing TV ever.
Anyway, uh, it's a great show. The breadth and depth of the appeal makes it a legend. Though, I never did see it through to the end. Is it worth it?
Yes it's worth going to the end. It's not as legendary of a finale as, say, The Wire. But it's a hell of a lot better than the sopranos.
I rewatch mad men every couple years, it's that good.
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