Mad Men Season 2 (Warning: some spoilers)

I watched the last three episodes of season 2 of Mad Men yesterday, and all I can say is: wow. That, and poor, poor Joan.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m a girl that the fate of the women on this show touches me so, but whatever the motivation, I laud Matthew Weiner for writing such well-rounded, different characters. They might be confined within their 1960 and then 1962 surroundings, but he never sees them as simply as the men in that context do. Even the simple secretaries with a secondary rule such as Lois and Hildy are real characters, and you can feel that each of them interacts with the limited options presented to them in their own way.

Mad Men – Season 1 (spoiler free)

What’s this I see? A new post at the fruit stand? Yes, indeed it is. And get used to it: I just handed in the pre-final version of my thesis, and in a mere two weeks I will be officially and unambiguously graduated, which means the blog should pick up steam again. I’ve got a lot of grand things planned. But first…

The back of Don Draper’s head is a fascinating thing. Or rather: it’s fascinating how Mad Men manages to keep you mesmerized, trying to guess what’s going on in that marvelously shaped head. It’s not just that Draper has a secret – though it’s obvious that he has many, and watching them floating to the surface is part of the appeal. But he’s a man you want to figure out, even if he doesn’t always seem to have figured himself out yet. He’s a true mystery: an asshole but not without feelings, seductive but truly messed up, complex and flawed in a way we luckily see more and more in the protagonists of TV shows (see also: Dexter, House, The Sopranos, etc.)