I had the pleasure of watching the premiere episode for the first time on Sunday night, and I can comfortably say that the show lives up to the hype.

I loved how much fun the producers, actors, and writers had riffing on '60s culture. I laughed out loud during scenes like the meeting with the Lucky Strike executives arguing over the health benefits of cigarettes and Peggy's doctor's appointment. I also keep being reminded that this is the generation my parents grew up in—so strange. It seems to me Matthew Weiner really has his finger on the pulse of that era.

And let me also say that the policy of drinking before, during, and after office hours should be immediately reinstated.

I, on the other hand, watched ALL of the shows.....Jon Hamm is the MAN!!!! Good work people!!! BRAVO!!

GREAT SHOW! I remember those days well. The show has a great look, and everything looks right except for two minor cigarette details. Salem cigarettes (which I think Betty smokes) had white filters, not brown ones. And, extra long, 100mm cigarettes didn't come out until 1966!!

Looking forward to the next season!!!

@oldsmoker: Thanks for that detail! I have to wonder how Jon Hamm's lungs feel after filming an episode. Maybe the actors are smoking herbal cigarettes, but still...

What other memories does this show surface for those of you who remember the era? I have to say that aspect positively fascinates me.

I wondered the same thing about the character of Omar in The Wire. And sure enough, I think his voice gets more and more hoarse over the course of the five seasons.

Talk about sacrificing your body for the business!

The second episode I thought was even better than the first. But I can't believe Peggy actually has a crush on that weenie Campbell! Hopefully that will blow up in everyone's face...

Update: It turns out Matthew Weiner had actually answered the cigarette question in the following exclusive AMC videos:

http://www.amctv.com/videos/madmen/?bcpid=895162757&bclid=932485428&bctid=1171875253

So there you have it--non-carcinogenic herbal cigarettes. For the sake of future seasons of the show, thank goodness!

i, sadly, do not get the AMC channel (i know -- the horror. i miss it very much from my youth and obsession with classic movies), but am dying to see this show. does anyone have ANY idea when it will be available on DVD????

@lolasmom--I'm trying to figure that out for you, and may have some idea on Monday--hang in there!

I met Vincent Kartheiser who plays Pete on an convention this weekend and he was absolutley stunning. One of the greatest people I ever met, I am actually enamored right now because he is just fantastic. But what about a Mad Men convention? Would anyone be interested in that?

That would be great. What sort of con did you meet Kartheiser at? Was he making an appearance or just geeking out? (note: I use that term with all affection as I myself have been known to geek out before...)

He was doing both and it was a sci-fi convention. Really an amazing guy. Had time for everyone, funny, intelligent and loves his show so much. He said he thought it would be a season 3 and that they start shooting the second season in about 3 weeks. Seriously, even if Pete is a jackass, Kartheiser is far from it. I would give 20 years of my life to meet him again.

That's awesome--do you know what scifi he's in to? I love to find out when actors are as big of dorks as I am...

It was an Angel-con so he was a guest. I don´t think he is that much into sci-fi. But he is so smart! He made the audience laugh over and over again. If he wasn´t acting he would fit to do standup-comedy or something like that.

I'm sitting and wondering what the heck Peggy is going to do with the baby. I have a gut hunch she knew Pete before she came to Sterling Cooper. Like someone had said before it may also be the truck driving date she had and walked out on. Curious that she dosn't seem to have any family in her history as yet. The first season was all a big build up for what I'm looking forward to in the 2nd season. I try to stay up and watch the first season at midnight, sometimes it's not so easy.

@Patricia: I have to say, that plot twist took me by complete surprise. I really enjoyed the irony that as soon as Peggy began to succeed in a "man's world," she lost almost everything that made herself feminine. I love the commentary--not that I agree with it at all--that women couldn't have both in the sixties.

To see that she was pregnant was a bit confusing. I noticed her cheeks getting bigger, but since when did she have a belly big enough for a baby?? I'm definitely looking forward to rewatching the season for clues now, because that was the last thing I expected.

As far as the second season, I think she's going to give the baby up for adoption, but the memories of it will haunt her--and Pete...

I deeply suspect that this is the show that Matthew Weiner always wanted to make, and was fortunate enough to cash in his previous success to do it. The results are exemplary.

He has made the show that I, indeed, would make for myself, if I were in the business of making shows.

Having a keen eye for the era, and I have both watched and listened intensely for any traces of post-Vietnam, anachronistic politically-correct "hogwash" leaking into the dialog, or the characters' sensibilities. So far so good. Watching the emergence of a alternate value-system could have been both trite or boring. In the case of Mad Men it is neither - In fact, it is beautifully subtle and visually stunning.

This show is, frankly, a "public service", baring any other accolades or successes. It provides an opportunity for people to explore historically, whether the confluence of factors that changed American life over the last half-century really delivered on their supposedly promised benefits. For the most part they haven't.- which, in my view, is clearly part of the primary subtext of the show.

There is a "perfect" irony in that the characters are simultaneously buying into and selling a reality that did not exist, does not exist, and by large measure did not, and could not be "delivered" on. If America has fallen, then the roots of that fall lie in us having confused the "menu from the meal" - and watching it unfold on a weekly basis is an incredible treat as it is expressed through the "contortions" of the primary characters as they grapple with the difficulties of simultaneously creating a collectively "idealized" reality while struggling with and making individual choices.

A careful viewer will quickly see that the show is less about "then" than it is about "now". There is ample opportunity to empathize with the dilemmas that face each character, "in context" - which in and of itself helps to clarify what we believe to constitute an "evolving" culture. Only the most naive will reduce what is experienced to either "progress" or "nostalgia". The truths that underlie the message of this show are infinitely more subtle. What we are witnessing is the sociological underpinnings of the zeitgeist of "now".

In examining the characters' individual and collective conflicts, what is revealed at the deepest level is our own presumptions of right and wrong. This is the quintessential component to all great fiction. From that perspective the gift of this show is transcendent for those who can look beyond the cursory artifacts of the production as personified in the period products and slogans that we have been sold over the last fifty years as we ask ourselves whether anything of lasting value has come of it. In doing so, our arrogance is revealed and, perhaps, if we are introspective, our authenticity restored.

The longer that this series runs the more profound it will become. From a literary perspective that is nothing short of brilliant and the first season has laid a broad groundwork for a substantial survey of American cultural "presumptions" in seasons to come. Make no mistake, this show is comprised of elements of true literature, quite reminiscent of Theodore Dreiser's "Trilogy of Desire".

The "magic" of this series may take some time to develop, but if we are fortunate, it will appear not merely in terms of awards, accolades, or its own longevity - but in a more profound view of the relationship between American collective culture and individual change. From that perspective alone, Mad Men is an intellectual's amusement park.

If we are VERY fortunate it may restore those of us who still remember that the power of words and images are NOT replacements for values or commitments, and that saying or doing the "right" thing does not divorce us from the responsibility of authenticity.

Perhaps, it will cause us individually, and perhaps collectively to reclaim American idealism as part of our national character - devoid the trappings of the hollier-than-thou and politically-correct cynical intellectualism which has obliterated context and deprived us of our fundamental freedom of expression - A freedom in which choices have consequences - both good and bad, but that being true to ourselves, yet kind to others is a transcendent responsibility because our lives emanate from a significantly higher authority.

If the show fails it will be a sad commentary on what we have become - Unable to see ourselves clearly in a mirror placed directly before us; Unable to speak the words already in our mouths, from fear of revealing our truer selves.

Again, my compliments to the producer for setting a pace that challenges any notion of resting on his laurels. It is clear that this is his Magnum Opus. Having the patience to let the characters evolve is a truly brave move, and I am personally grateful to share in the experience.

I suspect that any and all other accomplishments for those involved will eventually pale in comparison.

-MM

Hi all,
I just LOVE this show! Unfortunately though I have managed to catch a "whole" three episodes over the last seven months & since there is still no news on the DVD front I was wondering if
anyone might have copies (VHS or DVD) that they would not mind sharing. I'd love to see the entire season if possible.

In retrospect to MM. At this time (1960's) we were still in Korea and there was no post vietnam as yet. I'm this era and as innocent as our country may have been at the time,this era is the jumping off spot for what kind of liberties and self espression that we have today. The 60's were an un even time of growth and curiousity. The vietnam war ended in 72 and that created another type of unlevel society. The advertising business was a leading asset in showing our consumers to by American and to live a good life. Smoking and drinking won't kill you, it's for the good life and relaxation. See the USA in a Chevrolet. This type of detergent got your clothes cleaner. We have gone past good manners and respect with our society. We have a vast amount of choices today,however in the 60's we were narrowed to the choices our advertisements suggested to be the best. Either for our good or bad. "Sell the product". Thats what the advertising world's motto was and still is today. This well written and directed show pin points many areas of such and era that in many ways I would love to revisit, yet we have come along way in equal rights for many whom had none. Better pay for those who do the same type of job and higher levels of job positions for those who would have nerver been considered as a proper canidate in the 60's. Thanks for your comments and those who write in. I think we all deserve the episode 1 on DVD to study what our society today has evolved into. It will be very interesting to see what is unveiled in season 2. Between Peggy and her baby and Betty breaking out of her suburban shell and Pete still being the coniving weazel that he is. Watch out for Salvoratore he may come out of the closest yet.Which being a gay person in the 60's was a huge shame to society.

I ageee with MM about the deep significance of this series. We are negotiating a time where television is vague, vacant and insulting. Mad Men is a cool glass of water in the dessert. I tried to get my 20-something children interested, and they couldn't grasp the significance. Perhaps because they don't understand how "far" we have come since the days portrayed in this powerful program. I am particularly fond of the way in which this show reveals the deep emptiness of domestic life in the early 1960s, and the anger under the surface of most families. This was a time where "appearances" were everything - a new biography released this week about the young Jackie Kennedy reveals the same. If we understand our selves better, perhaps we can save ourselves from the march toward mediocrity which is being piped into our homes, places of work and classrooms by the corporations who now rule us. I love this show. . I can't wait until summer to see my old friends again.

Patricia - the war in Vietnam did not "end" until 1975. There was nothing "innocent" about the early 1960s. That's the beauty of this program. Any romance you might try to conjur is tanked by the theme, message and specifics of this series.
K

Thanks Kristine I stand corrected as to the date of the war. By innocents I meant , we were not as yet pushing of our policies unto other countries. We stood by each other and took care of our neighborshoods. There wasn't rampant shootings and malace. We felt safe until JFK was shoot down and that was the beginning of the end of our secure innocents.

@Kristine: As a 24 year-old, I can totally relate to how far we've come as a society. I love looking at, laughing at, learning from American sensibilities of that era. I don't think you need to have lived it to understand its significance. In fact, having not lived through that period, I would say the difference is even more striking.

Whereas you've seen the evolution of thought, I'm looking at a whole new way of thinking as if through a time machine, which makes it that much more jarring.

Sit your kids down and make them watch again!

Watched episode 5, "5G" on Sunday night. Did anyone else think that Don was going to Adam's hotel to kill him?

I love this show..can not, i mean really, trully cant wait for the second season..but am i the only one bothered by the fact that Peggy just all of the sudden has a baby?..come on I think she would have known she was pregnant..and she wasn't that fat?..

I wouldn't say I'm bothered so much as confused. In my opinion she was showing a bit more in the jowls than she was the stomach. But that could easily have been the clothes she was wearing--a good question for the cosutme designer, perhaps. I'm assuming since Matthew Weiner so meticulously plans everything that there's an explanation for this, so I too can't wait for the second season to see it!

I think maybe Peggy could have been raped in her home town and was pregnant when she went to work for SC and so she tried to block out the traumatic event by "ignoring" the pregnancy. That would explain why she wanted nothing to do with the baby. Also, what if it was incest? There are all sorts of possibilities!

@KDH: I never even considered the possibility that the baby might not be Pete's. Were they dropping hints that I missed??

No hints that I know of. I'm just speculating. The way she just lived her life like nothing was going on (pregnancy wise) is what made me think she was trying to "erase" (at least mentally) the fact she was pregnant. It's just interesting to think of different outcomes. The baby could indeed be Pete's--or that old date from back home she was rude to--who knows? It will be fun to find out what Mr. Weiner has to say about it come Season 2.

Anybody wondering if Don's paramour (the Jewish Department Store Chick) is on that cruise they mentioned waiting out HER pregnancy-- by Don? Think she'll have it or give it up???

Anyone heard if they are back at filming on Season 2 yet since the writers are back at work? I'm sure t hey have to wait for scripts to be written first, though. I'M SO IMPATIENT!

@KDH: You're a conspiracy theorist! My interpretation was that Rachel Menken "went on a cruise," ie got out of Dodge simply because she was uncomfortable being somebody else's mistress, and that discomfort finally caught up with her, so she left. Though I suppose there's no reason to discount your theory.

As for the second season, there's been no official word yet. But as soon as there is, you'll be the first to hear it from me.

Clayton N.: My mind is going into overdrive trying to pass the time til Season 2! So...not a "conspiracy theorist"--just impatient. I actually hope you're right--one SC "love child" (IF Peggy's baby is indeed Pete's) is enough to contend with! As for Rachel, I kinda feel like she would lean more toward abortion anyway than toughing out an unwanted pregnancy. Well, maybe the DVD set and the new season will be here before we know it. I suppose July would be the natural start anyway since it premiered then last summer.

KDH: Could people get abortions in 1960? I admit my knowledge of the era is pretty limited...

As I recall in the first episode Pete acted a bit surprised to see Peggy in Don's office by saying
" Well, what is it that you have here"?( something like that) He also kept an eye on her on her first day at Sterling Cooper. Then at the shows ending Pete (drunk) went to Peggy's apartment. She was surprised to see him there ( how did he know where she lived?) and she asked him "What are you doing here?" He said "I need to see you tonight."and she lead me in. Then after Pete gets married he makes it a point to stop at her desk and tell her "I'm married now". I think she was very aware that she was pregnant, but Pete went and got married to a society girl. She( Peggy) could not get an abortion and perhaps Peggy throught that by going to work at Sterling Cooper she could win him for good. Pete's baby? I'd almost bet the bank on it. However, with the concealing way the writers put in these excellent twists and turns I wouldn't be surprised if it was anothers we haven't been introduced to as yet.To answer Clayton's question, No, abortions were not legal in the 60's and being pregnant and single was shameful to society. You were an out cast. By watching the reruns I'm picking up on many clues that I had not noticed before. It's like seeing a movie you really like more than once. Watch on Madmen lovers

@Patricia: I wasn't even talking about legality--I didn't know abortions were even possible then. Keep in mind I have absolutely no knowledge of medical history...

Being a child of the times (born in early 1950's) I can remember that the handling of many a pregnancy was for the expectant mother to "take a trip" and then when she came back the baby would be presented as a brother or sister. I think Jack Nicholson has said he was raised believing his mother was his sister. It happened a lot "back then" I believe I read he found out his sister was actually his mother after he was grown. People were creative in that area but I somehow believe they thought they got away with it and it was actually an open "secret" Maybe Peggy will end up giving her baby to a family member and being it's "aunt" or?? Lord, I need for MM to start....my mind is going wild with speculation!

I forgot to say in the above post that the expectant mother's mother, aunt-- (whoever was to be her baby's "mother")--would drop hints as to her own possible impending "pregnancy" plus would go on the trip with the real expectant mother (to make the story believable when they returned in a few months with the new baby.) All this is neither here nor there-- but just more of a memory of the era (1960's) than what probably happened on MM.

I kinda think your theory, Patricia, of Peggygoing to work at SC trying to win Pete before her due date makes more sense than about any other idea. That would account for him knowing where she lived and being suprised when he saw her in Don's office and all that you mentioned. We'll probably all be wrong the way Matthew loves to throw us those curves and wild herrings!

Red herrings?? Whatever!

Hey, I just read Clayton's theory of Don going to shoot Adam in "5G"-- way up there in the posts--I thought that, too! The way he reached into the drawer and they didn't show what he put in the briefcase and all. MM has the best cinematography I've ever seen--in movies OR television. I felt so sorry for Adam. But not as sorry as I felt for Don when he had second thoughts later on and tried to contact him and found out he'd hanged himself! What a great show...I agree also that one picks up details in subsequent viewings that were missed the first time.

I feel like last night's episode, Red in the Face, was sort of the beginning of the end for Roger Sterling. Not just health-wise, though that certainly plays in. But I feel like the entire office is beginning to tire of his shenanigans at that point. What do you all think?

Well, you are right that the man is tiresome and he may well self-destruct. If you are just now watching MM for the first time and not re-viewing the episodes (like some of us--I'm on my 3rd viewings)...you have a real treat ahead to see how Don gets back at Roger for his pass at Betty. I hate to think Rog is leaving--he adds a lot to the show. We'll all see on Season 2, huh?

I was always concerned that John Slattery was making "special guest appearances," so I guess I'm always suspecting they're going to write him out. Like you said, we'll see...

Woops--I said that Clayton and other first timers had a treat ahead in seeing Don get back at Roger...that was in last night's episode...got ahead of myself. Well, I will say that along the lines of "having a treat ahead", all you first time viewers will really have one come time for the Carousel episode. Classic. Best episode of TV EVER. You'll see.

Now that it has aired, I reviewed "Red in the Face"
just to see the scene when Don gets back at Roger. What a hoot! It was funny when they were in the bar slugging down the osyters and vodka Roger commented that he was proud of Don for keeping up with him (Roger) and when he spills it all right at the Nixon campaign reps feet. Priceless! Roger is a spoiled rich man who doesn't appreicate what he has and doesn't seem to do much of anything for the company. Quote of Roger to Don when he knew he crossed the line with Betty.
" When a man gets to a point in his life when his name's on the building, he can get an unnatural sense of entitlement" Sucking up to Don so he won't quit or punch him out. On to #8

Hello All!

This show is tremendous....my favorite since "The Sopranos"...cannot wait for the new season to start!

Absolutely I thought Don was going to kill his brother in "5G".....very suspenseful

Does anyone have any inkling of when the new season will start to film...or if the writers even have anything ready to film yet?

Oh, btw, I read not too long ago that Mr. and Mrs. Slattery (John and his real-life/MM wife, Talia Balsam) are in some broadway show...hope that doesn't mean they are history on MM. I do realize that "theatah" folks do sometimes decide to do only plays and quit TV/films...hope those two don't do that.

The title "Red in the Face" anagramatically is "infer cheated" - which is exactly the inference Don drew when he walked into the kitchen and scolded Betty for her, ostensibly, "inappropriate" behavoir.

By this time Roger Sterling's personal foibles and shortcomings have already been well-established. "Roger Sterling" = "Girls - No Regret", "Ogre Rents Girl"... "Son, Girl Regret" (Roger has a daughter, but no son) - You get the idea..

Mad Men is full of anagrams. Overflowing, in fact...Of course, the writers hinted of such clever "word-play" right from the start. Why else would you risk confusing the identification of the main character with no less than four names, three women, and two pasts?

Donald Francis Draper = Draper Canard Infolds
Donald Draper = Old "Rand" Ad-Rep
Don Draper = Ad Nerd-Pro
Dick Whitman = Mad Hick Twin
Richard Whitman = Harm in War Ditch

The duality of the characters is intentional, and it's effect noteworthy - even within this blogs' comment section itself. Some here see a drama unfolding - Others - a lesson in history and "social progress" - Still others identify with the fact that, despite all that has changed, that the characters (and ourselves) are forced to deal with the ambiguity in their own lives.

Not since writers on television in the golden fifites "sliiped" one past the censors, have we seen anything nearly as clever.

Sterling Cooper = Lingo Receptors = Interloper Cogs

-MM

I'm just trying to figure out if each episode has an inordinate amount of commercial breaks. Is it six? Is it four? Just curious.

Don't know if there are six or four breaks, Helloladee, but I enjoy the little trivia bits before each one telling about the advertiser back in the Mad Men days. Interesting and cool! Well, if the schedule is the same as last year , MM Season II should debut in July...can't wait!

Love this show, but it is confusing the hell out of me. I'm seeing the episodes for the first time and I feel like if I blink, I miss something. When did Peggy reveal her pregnancy? I know they were all in a tizz over her weight (the men on this show are cattier than the women!) I figured she would turn up pregnant, but was it confirmed?

The women on this show fascinate me. I hated robotic Betty at first, but after she belted the divorcee and took aim at the neighbor's pigeons, I'm crazy about her. The redhead creeps me out. The mad men may rule the universe, but they are childish, almost infantile in their self absorbtion.

@Twiggy: Looks like you've stumbled onto some spoilers about Peggy's pregnancy. If you're watching these episodes for the first time, that doesn't come out of the bag until the end of the season! Sorry about that!

This is a spoiler, so some of you first-timers might want to stop reading now! Does anyone think that maybe Pete and Trudy will end up adopting Peggy's (and Pete'--?) baby? Since they are now "trying" and Trudy's father is so openly desirous that they should soon give him a grandchild! It would be so cool if--not being able to conceive-- they adopted the baby not knowing it was actually Pete's child! And then Peggy of course would have second thoughts and want the kid back and... All this waiting for Season 2 has me pondering all the possible outcomes of ALL the cliff hangers--and Don there with his head in his hands at the bottom step--a whole 'nother bunch of possibilities there!

** Another SPOILER **

Re: Peggy's pregnancy - I thought for several eps that she was pregnant, the weight gain mainly. Perhaps she was just naive, she obviously didn't have much experience with sex, and information about pregnancy, especially for unwed women, was something that wasn't talked about back then. Especially since she doesn't have any close friends.
Anyway, she already had sex with Pete before she started birth control pills so she was probably already pregnant. Maybe she thought that since she was on the pill, it was affecting her cycle. It seems really odd to us mothers, knowing what it's like, but I think she was truly shocked in the ER. As far as Pete and his wife taking the baby, can't see it happening. His wife and in-laws would freak out. I think she'll put it up for adoption but in Season 2 we may see the effect this has on her.

Excellent program, AMC. Kudos. I'm so glad HBO didn't take it -- they probably would have cancelled it by now.

Don Hamm is a terrific actor and the most handsome leading man currently in the biz.

Well,Carlie, I agree with you that Pete and Trudy taking Peggy's baby knowingly--never---but, if they just adopted a baby NOT knowing it's paternity, then finding out later on---after Peggy decided she wanted her son after all--now that would be a nice plot line--just speculating. God, if Trudy or her parents KNEW about it (Pete's little b*****d) they would have him castrated! He does have a set of in-laws from hell, no? Although, I do feel sorry for Trudy, she seems to really love Peter as she calls him.

All of the comments on this message board are great! I'm 25 y/o, and I love this show! Some people on here are commenting that we have improved so much since the early 1960's. On the issue of more women in traditionally male positions, I agree, as I am a lawyer and probably wouldn't have had the option of going to college in the late 1950's/early 1960's, let alone law school. Also, on more minorities in professional work positions, I agree. But I can't say that I think we're better people today than in 1960.

I worked in a male dominated position in the national guard (aircraft mechanic) for six years, and I remember feeling like Peggy ("I try to do a good job, I follow the rules, and people hate me."). I was the only woman where I worked, and a couple of older men did not hesitate to voice their opinion of where my "proper place" was. Then, there were a few men who never said anything mean but were generally passive aggressive toward me or treated me like a child. One person actually explained to me his theory that women only join male dominated career fields in the military, so they can live out sexual fantasy (i.e. sex with a firefighter, pilot, sailor, cop, etc.) Trust me, the boys' club mentality is still alive and well. Pete, Ken, Paul, and Harry would've fit in nicely where I worked.

My fiance's father is also a member of a private club where I have yet to see a single white person wait/bus a table or operate an elevator. And my 1 y/o nephew's birthday party last April eerily paralleled Sally Draper's--my jaw dropped when I saw that episode. Sure, there were no pregnant women drinking/smoking, but it was all the same: obnoxious, childish housewives (mostly from the local neighborhood who all hated each other...my sister-in-law is really big into playing "Keeping Up With the Jones') with their sleezy husbands sipping margaritas and noshing on 7-layer salad while the kids, as young as 11 months, were in the (un-fenced) backyard unattended (my shocked father and I took it upon ourselves to babysit when we noticed they were alone).

Maybe the words we use have changed a little, but I don't think all of the feelings have--we're just trained on how to behave and what to say about certain issues a little bit better (and some of us aren't). We've also learned when it's safe to let our guard down and when it isn't. Mad Men strips off the veneer and exposes us for what we really are. Maybe when we recognize our own shortcomings, we'll finally be able to do something about them.

I absolutely LOVE this show and am thrilled they're airing it again --- I actually hadn't seen Episode I till tonight. It is mesmerizing and hypnotic, visually stunning, and I can't wait for more of the same. Bring it on!

I hope that Season 2 has more of the great music of my childhood/teen years that Season 1 had like "Band of Gold" and even the Bob Dylan song that closed Season 1 (Don sitting on the bottom step of the staircase wondering if he should head toward the lake house-- which I hope he did!) Well, I guess we only have 3 months to wait!

I just checked the blog, scfan. You'll be happy to hear that a cd with music featured in Mad Men is coming out June 24. I'm so excited--I love the music used in this series too. It's only 13 or 14 tracks (sadness), but the selections are pretty good. Yay, yay, yay--more Mad Men stuff to keep us talking until Season 2.

As you say, egk719, Yay, yay, yay! What's so neat about the music is that it is always PERFECT for whatever scene it is being used in (Example: Pete gazing out the window as "I'll Take Manhattan" played. So evident of the craftsmanship that permeates this whole series. It is hard to wait for Season 2, but---quality takes time!

Just read on the other section that MM is now filming Season 2 for premiere in July just like last year. YAY.....

Dear God, now the actors are threatening to strike! Please let it be AFTER our Season 2 is in the can!

I had hear MM will not air the second season until October 18th? Is this the correct date?

Okay, producers. You need to give us a little something to nibble on about season 2. Just a little scoop to titillate us until the new season starts. Anything to get the boards whirring again. Please?

Just to answer my own post on another forum...the Season 1 marathon to "prepare us for the second season" will be Sunday July 20 from noon to 11pm, all 13 episodes..this was stated on the blog page with the pic of Don, Sal, Peggy and Ken with some clients and the headline saying Season 2 to start in July. Since that's only 12 hours I'm assuming it will be commercial free?

I would guess that's wishful thinking scfan. But I'll check to make sure.

I have a feeling you're right there Clayton (about no commercials being wishful thinking). ; ) I kinda wish they would do more of the little historical lead ins about the company whose commercial was about to air like in the first few episodes. Someone commented on these boards that they didn't like those but I think they were interesting and missed them when they stopped.

Holy smokes! Why so late? I have to work for the "man" bright and early on Monday mornings!

Been reading everyone's comments and analyses. Looks like we're all hooked!

I don't know that our society has evolved for the better since the 1950-60's (yep, born in the early '50s and grew up '60s), so much as our options/choices have expanded tremendously. Which seems to bring on an even higher level of stress than in that era. Going to college wasn't even in the realm when I was a child, but because of Johnson's "Great Society" programs, college became attainable for alot more people than it ever had been. And even though my Dad looked at college as a place for me to find a husband, years later, not fitting into a prescribed niche (breadwinner, wife/mother or whatever) has brought alot of freedom and acceptance to NOT have to conform. With that kind of freedom, the responsibility to discover who you are, what you want to be, what you want to achieve (or not) has been wonderful, and hard. So many choices, opportunities, and being at the tailend of the sixties, you're not even in the rebelling stage that was going on.

I did like the introduction of the beatniks, and Don's mistress Midge, and his "misfit" rejected status by them. It felt like a warm-up to 1966-68 when everything really went haywire here, and the "anyone over 30" and their values being soundly rejected.

Don is the essence of Gary Cooper (strong, silent), and Jimmy Stewart (cagey, smart, cynical - remember Rear Window, Vertigo) but more tortured. So, let the guilt pile on! He's got to be ready to explode with the home background, infidelities, dead brother, crumbling wife, and whatever else that hasn't been revealed yet. Don't you think there's more about his past that hasn't come out? Did Don go to college? How did he become so worldly, and sophisticated? Did he do a stint like his mother, and live off wealthy women for a period?

O god, JAMM54. Don as a gigolo? Hmmm. That's an interesting premise. Now I'll be thinking about that all day. LOL.

I know grinandbearit, I lauged about it myself. But really, where did Don learn to handle himself in society. I mean, let's face it, the episode showing a little of his "grapes of wrath" farm background didn't exactly prepare him for Manhattan And being a soldier in Korea wouldn't do it either.

He had to be learning his way around wealth, clubs, women somehow. I really see him as being "mentored" in more ways than one by a rich woman, who might have introduced him to important people (Roger Sterling?) who could offer him opportunities.

Wasn't it kind of funny that in the presence of a strong, wealthy woman (Rachael) when he went to her apartment, he seemed vulnerable and beseeching?

Well, Jamm54, I think Don/Dick's past makes him have an inferiority complex (to use an old fashioned term) or rather "self esteem" issues...which he is very good at hiding in the workplace. He is a little boy deep down...with arrested development. Just my humble opinion...

Such an interesting theory, Jamm54. We know Don is smart and an astute observer of people, but I think you may be on to something. Even though Don seems like a "man's man," he doesn't really have any relationships with them. He likes and appreciates Roger, who has certainly served as a mentor to him, and there was the old Greek guy who taught him the advertising ropes and all about nostalgia, but that's about it. He watches men and kind of deals with them on a superficial level, but he doesn't really interact with them. When he needs a deeper understanding of things, he looks to the women in his life. He does it with Midge, he does it with Rachel. Even with Peggy and Betty to a certain extent.

I could definitely see Don glomming onto a woman to show him around and teach him some things. As to whether or not he was a paid "companion"? Who can say.

SCFAN, you hit it on the head about Don/Dick, I hadn't quite locked that in (inferiority complex), but it fits. The more I think about Don Draper (who is fascinating), is that for the era, men didn't spill their guts about how they felt. It just wasn't what men did. On the other hand, the only real "friendship" Don has is with Roger, and even there he doesn't let his guard down - he just occasionally accompanies Roger on some "goodtime charlie" scouting trips for women, but let's Roger do the pick up. He never truly reveals himself. Always think that Don the person (not the actor) is "playing" at being an adult man, but isn't really.

And, GRINANDBEARIT, you've kind of raised the possibility that Don has "Mommy" issues which is understandable. Funny, he marries a childbride woman, yet he chases the unattainable, independent-minded (for that era), very strong character-type of women. Hmmm......and reveals personal feelings, history with them that he never does with Betty. In fact, he rarely comforts Betty in any way. It's like Don and Betty playact what marriage is supposed to be, but don't have a clue (most people didn't in that era, I think - it was just something you were supposed to do on the entrance to adulthood).

Don's sophistication is still a big mystery that hopefully will be revealed. You do not become sophisticated from a background like Don's. Who helped him with this? Many people who live in rural communities and then move to metropolitan cities have no choice but to assimilated to a more polished, cultured lifestyle. Don got it from somewhere he lived or mentor from a higher lifestyle. Don doesn't relate to Betty on a conversational level is because he thinks it will make him look weak as a father and a husband. He manages to talk to Rachel and Midge because he knows the sex they keep a secret will also keep his conversations a secret. Don't forget the "When Sally met Harry" movie - men and women can not be friends, they just pretend to be friends in order to have sex with them. He confides with Roger to some level because he has so much more on Roger!! I'm sure Mona's visual on Roger riding the naked girl like a horse in his office would make Mona throw up. Not to mention giving The New Yorker a great cartoon clip for their readers. Roger wouldn't go there no matter how scared he is of Don.

Great insight LUVMADMEN into the motives of Don's conversational style with Betty, and the dynamics of his "friendship" with Roger. Hadn't thought along those lines.

When Pete unveiled his blackmail scheme to Don, and he took off running to Rachael with the suggestions that they "run away", yep, that was a little boy talking. Rachael even said so, which makes me think Don dropped down a few notches in Rachael's estimation as a "man".

Personally, I don't think the Rachael/Don affair is fated for a long run because Rachael's a little too mature for Don at this point.

I've been enjoying reading all of your comments and theories. I'm sure you are all as excited as I am for the new season to start at last!

I also think as diehard fans of the show, you'll enjoy these articles at spunkybean.com. The first is a look back at the finale from last fall, and the second is a humorous take on the show:

http://www.spunkybean.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=558&Itemid=55

http://www.spunkybean.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=557:commentary-mad-men-action-figures-jul-25&catid=25:featured&Itemid=54