Mad Men Watch: Lucky Strike

Very impressive. The writing and directing reflected Mad Men's HBO pedigree (director Alan Taylor has worked on most of the great HBO dramas). Some of jokes about future inventions and practices fell flat, and I was surprised at how quickly Draper dismissed the psychological research when we know that's the future. But that's all easily forgiven. They could have overplayed Don's war flashbacks -- if this was a network show, instead of the subtle sounds of warfare as he napped on his desk, we would have gotten a full-blown dream sequence with Don in the trenches watching his best friend die in his arms. I'm sure the term "post-traumatic stress disorder" didn't exist in 1960.

Because you had an advance copy, I wonder if you saw the little advertisting trivia blurbs that AMC ran between commercials. I think just one was tied to a sponsor (Carnival cruises). I can't remember a network show about an advertising firm, past or present, but it can't be easy to attract media buyers to a show that reveals the thought process behind the ads we take for granted.

And Kristen Schaal (Mel from Flight of the Conchords) played one of the switchboard operators!

BB: I didn't watch it live--occupational hazard, I rarely see commercials--but I'll check it on the Tivo.

I don't know about the difficulty of getting ads. Ad people love attention, and there was a panel before Mad Men debuted that included Jerry Della Femina, the ad-biz icon. I mean, so much modern advertising is all about co-opting its own critique. I'd love to read what Thomas Frank (The Conquest of Cool) has to say about Mad Men, if he hasn't already written about it.

This is one I've been wanting to catch, but I never heard what date it was premiering on and therefore, sadly, missed the pilot. But hope is not lost - AMC's website shows that it's going to be playing the pilot no less than 7 more times (the first being tonight at 7E/8C) before the next new episode, which should offer plenty of opportunities for those of us who missed it to catch up.

Agree that certain aspects were played a bit too hard for laughs or to make a "modern" viewer aware of disconnects between then and now. But I really enjoyed the writing, art direction and superior acting and am eager to see what is next, if only, as you say, to see if they can keep this level of quality up on cable budgets. Definitely my favorite new show of the summer (not including the returns of Top Chef and Big Love).

It was good, but it was a little too eager to show off the different mores of the 1950's. Almost like checking of a list, you had the men harrassing women, the women being told to "supplicate" themselves for the men, the taboos of being Jewish or homsexual-it didn't seem like organic drama where all of those issues could have naturally come from the stories and characters. It seemed like the writer came up with the culutural values first then built a narrative around them.

I'll give it a chance but, honestly, I was missing "Burn Notice."

Having lived thru the late 50's/early 60's as a "secretary" in NYC, albeit on Wall Street not Madison Avenue, I found most of the dialogue and actions ridiculous - women and men. Maybe that was the point??

After mutterering to myself the whole hour this is awful, I decided at the end that maybe it's so bad, it's good. So, I'll watch one more time. Sure looks like I'm the odd man out on this one.

I thought the fact that Peggy, on her 1st day, somehow decided to get birth control. Whaaattt??? On her lunch hour? And with a doc who smokes in the examination room! Apparently the dudes who wrote this never had a pelvic in their lives and must all be gay, cuz they don't have a clue about gyneocology. Never, ever beginning with my 1st in the late 60's have I experienced a doctor smoking anywhere near an exam room. Just their office. Why wasn't he having a Jack Black on the side table while he used the look-see instrument? Gratuitous and meant nothing to the story, except it clears the path for Peggy to be the new strumpet in sweater sets & poodle skirts.

Plus the silliness about these guys making rude remarks went over the mark, actually. Yes, there were these types in the 60's (I started working in 1966) but it was very subtle, sexist-yes, but subtle as a whisper.

The producers and writers don't need to throw these type of stereotypical plot thingies at us like they're sledgehammers. Watch some Doris Day and you'll have characterizations aplenty.

However, it is BY FAR better than that just awful Jno. from Cinn. What a waste of time on Sundays. They should move Flight of the Conchords to that prime spot instead!!