Mad Men Season Opener - Worth the Wait?

Long answer:

The episode "Out of Town" is an interesting balancing act. As we headed into the second season, many of the questions were left unanswered in a delightful/maddening tease. I was curious if Matthew Weiner would try that approach again, particularly with the increased scrutiny and expectations of this new season. Instead of trying to replicate or invert, he manages to dispense a good deal of information while still leaving a good deal unexplained. Without spoiling anything, I would say the following aspects are addressed but not fully investigated:

1. The fate of Duck Phillips.
2. Changes at the agency since the Brits took over.
3. The increasing importance of TV at Sterling Cooper.
4. Joan's wedding plans.
   

There is still much left to explore of those items and, hopefully, the first point in particular: considering the potential for drama around Duck Phillips' departure and the office meltdown witnessed in "Out of Town", it has become increasingly clear that Sterling Cooper is not a happy, healthy place to work.

Just as interesting are those elements left untouched so far:

1. Peggy and Pete.
2. Pete's relationship with his father-in-law.
   
3. Peggy and Pete.
4. Betty's state of mind post-reconciliation.
   
5. Peggy and Pete.

I'm curious to see how the Peggy and Pete dynamic will play out: I have a sense that the true nature of their connection might fade into the background and devolve into a bitter workplace rivalry.

The opening of the episode was quite theatrical and struck me as too "stagey" by half at the time, but upon reflection it makes sense. We've spent a time away from the rhythms of Mad Men and it does the audience well to reacquaint themselves with the measured but steady tempo unseen in standard network TV fare.

Just as interesting is the connection Sal and Don experience during their trip to Baltimore. I've always thought that if anyone in the office could accept Sal's true nature it would be Don: as I mention in the book (shameless plug alert!), there is a closeted nature to Don's Draper/Whitman existence that can easily be seen as a gay sensibility.

Which leads to a bigger point: I think one of the reasons Don inspires such a strong following in the workplace is that everyone can look to him and identify an aspect of themselves, or at least a characteristic they'd like to emulate. This knack for identification makes Don a successful boss and a successful ad man.

One niggling point: I'm generally on-board with the ads Don creates, but his London Fog pitch is the first time I was left standing on the platform. Outside of the thematic resonance of the tag line, I couldn't help but emit a shuddering 'Bleccch" while the Sterling Cooper lackeys proclaimed its brilliance.

Short answer: Yes, it was worth the wait.

Also: John Doyle wrote a good article on the show and also mentioned the book launch (shameless plug alert!):

http://bit.ly/CNwzG

Season 2 on DVD

A month in advance of the new chapters, season 2 of Mad Men is now available on DVD. Reasons to own the set:

• frame-by-frame analysis of Fred Rumsen peeing his pants
  
• pause on Sal's reaction when Kurt admits that he's gay
• pause on Sal's reaction when, moments earlier, he realizes there is a box of lemonaires in the break room
• review the dinner party in "A Night to Remember": did Don really make a fool out of Betty?
• apparently you get a nifty shirt and tie with the discs

Most importantly it will get you all juiced up for the new season.

In the meantime, here's a write up in the New York Times and the official entry on the Maple Pictures site.


PS -- according to IMDB, the first two episode titles for season three are "And Now With More Commercials" and "Love Among the Ruins".

Sixes & Sevens

Numbers

This just in: Kings of Madison Avenue ranked on the Amazon.ca best-sellers list! As of today, it is #18, 226! Take that Rachel Ray's Yum-O The Family Cookbook.

Also just in: ranked at a somewhat less inspiring #312, 655 on Amazon.com. But who cares about numbers, right?

End of the Line?

I hate to say it (or write it) but I think I'm done revisions on the book. As far as I know, the final mark-ups went to the printer on Friday, so I'm hoping that means it is just about signed, sealed and delivered.

Keith submitted his final final version of the cover which makes the sleek fantasticness of it all even more fantastic. See for yourself:



I will soon post an interview with Keith Berry about his inspiration and work on the cover.


Tete a tete?

Also, I may have news of a possible event for Kings of Madison Avenue that will also celebrate the debut of season three of Mad Men. I won't go into details, but it includes a book store and two guys on stage talking about the show, one an author and the other a national TV critic.

Hint: one of those guys might be me.

Crossover?

Check out Nikki Stafford's repost of musings on the mid-summer TV lull.

http://tvblog.ugo.com/tv/what-ifdon-draper-was-on-lost


Otherwise, things are quiet on the Mad Men news front. Nothing but quiet until the third season storm I suspect, but I did come across this interesting tidbit while trolling for information. Not right on target, but still somehow apropos.

Matthew Weiner Spills Everything About "Mad Men Season 3" (not really)!

Rolling Stone has just posted an interview with show creator Matthew Weiner. Of course, it is more about summing up the previous two seasons than anything else, but in between the lines there is a sense of the upcoming direction of Mad Men.

I'm always struck by the big-picture take he has on American history, in particular his ability to separate the ironic aspect of the viewer to the present-tense take of the characters. He's right about personal drama superseding global tragedy: I remember on September 11th that I worried more about my mother trying to fly home from Mexico than just about anything else. Gloom regarding the horrific devastation settled in shortly on the 12th.

On a personal note, I'm glad to read Weiner's last comment about the end of "The Jet Set" episode, a point I make myself in Kings of Madison Avenue. Nyah!