"Mad Men": Anybody else watching/watched it, and love it?

Yes...it's frustrating the bejesus out of me that I cannot procure Series 2!!!!

It's out there, and I could get it from the US, but I fear it would not play on our DVD players.


The whole past life scenario really adds a depth.

Still very early days yet with the "past life senario" with me. But Don's sure as hell desperately running away from something! I'll be surprised if he's simply escaping from past associations with extreme poverty, or just upholding & protecting his current position in life. I'll be quite disappointed if he turns out to be quite that shallow. There has to be much more going on in that very busy, intense brain of his! I wonder what he actually did in his past life?

I was really interested in the "published author" thing. It is as though success in advertising, as profitable as it obviously was, was seen as not nearly as desirable as success in the world of literature ... which paid peanuts. It's as if all those ad-men were frustrated Norman Mailer wanna bes, or something! Working away on their secret novels, dreaming of recognition in the higher world of literature & the arts. Rather quaint, I thought.

Yes...seeing themselves as real creators.

Suggests they kind of understood the crap they were pushing, eh?

No wonder thay all needed to drink so much!

Such lovely satire about the bitchiness and gossip of the men, while they were seeing their world as so much more serious and real than the world of the despised women.

"In Australia, the show airs on the pay TV channel Movie Extra.[42]. The show premiered on free-to-air SBS on April 16 2009."

ahhh...now I understand the time lag...good on you antipods to appreciate a good North Amurrican drama series...

Oh, I do!!!! I DO!!!!!!

And perhaps, in the quaint world of the 1950s, making money (& the goal of becoming extremely rich as an end in itself) wasn't seen as the be all & end all? Perhaps, to be truly a success, one was expected to be gifted & cultured, as well?
Remember the reaction of the wealthy father of the ambitious young fellow (the one Don Draper tried to fire) to his son's job in advertising? Sneering & dismissive. Like such work was not worthy of his respect.

And yes, those men, pre-feminism: not a doubt in the world about their own natural superiority over women. It must have been so nice for them - while it lasted!

You've seen it, panzade?

Do you know...I don't think it IS portrayed as being all that nice.

All the burden of money etc is on them....and they tend to have to conceal any vulnerabilities and bear them alone.....and kind of live a lie. And...their relationships are so shallow and inauthentic in a way...or they seem to be.

Ah, but it all would have been perfectly normal & natural at the time, though.
And a man's home was certainly his castle! He was certainly in charge there!
It is all kinda weirdly nostalgic, almost .... another time, another place, completely.

... I'm just so damned pleased that women no longer have to wear those incredible girdles & those pointy bras, like suits of armour!

oh yeah...but i don't get that channel anymore so will miss the third season

A third season! Oh my!
That's a lotta TV watching ahead of me!

Re-runs of Season 2 start here this Sunday.

Season 3 starts in August.

I can't wait!

I keep wanting you to spill the beans, reveal all, mac! (Patience has never been one of my virtues.)

Like, despite his cockiness, his philandering ways with women (& just how many will there be, by the end of the series???), I suspect that deep down, Don Harper is a rather decent (though flawed), tragic figure. I would really like to know if this is so. But of, course, you won't tell me! Oh this is sooooo frustrating!

Not a chance, msolga! My lips are zipped.

Oh drats, mac! That seems so unreasonable!

Perhaps I could try bribing you?

Isn't it great seeing complex characters on teev????

People you can argue about!!!

It is indeed, Deb. This is the only program I religiously watch every week (at the moment). And apart from the news, that's just about it for my TV veiwing. A bit of a waste of the ol' box, really.

I'm afraid I'm becoming rather exasperated with Mad Men via SBS, Deb. At the start of each episode we're shown a lengthy "what's happened before" update (which is not necessary) & at the end, a big slab of "what's to come" footage. And during the actual (too short) program there are too many ad breaks. Extremely slow progress & very frustrating.

Anyway ... during last night's episode Don's friend at the agency experienced a heart attack (during some quite astonishing goings on at the office ( Goodness me!) with a young woman. She & her twin sister were chosen for employment at the firm, in preference to other twins (couldn't really understand this) & were being "entertained" by Don Draper & his friend when the heart attack occurred. Don has taken this turn of events (the heart attack) very badly, in fact seems quite unhinged by it ....