Mad about Mad Men

Picking up 18 months after the first season left off, now in the middle of JFK’s administration, this series goes from strength to strength. The show does not have the pace of a West Wing, or the overlapping labyrinth of stories that The Wire can offer, but this is because the show attempts to capture the “zeitgeist” of the era, profession and culture of 1960’s America that no other show on television can offer. All criticisms that have been thrown at this series (overt prejudice and pace of storyline) are merely reflections of the era, and the series does not attempt to win back Hollywood audiences by letting the little guy win, or quick one-liners. Instead Mad Men creates a world which pulls you into the era, in the same way film masterpieces such as Godfather, Shawshank or Schindler’s List do.

There is also bonus of watching Jon Hamm (who plays the main protagonist Don Draper) produce an immense performance as the driving force behind Stirling Cooper - the Ad Agency where Draper works. Hamm manages to carry the mystery surrounding the past of character – which we learn more of in season 2 - whilst simultaneously appearing as cool as any other character in cinema or film in the last 20 years.

The addition of the realism of the set design – which is perfection, the humour, the supporting storylines that evolve from series one, and overt cultural references which again pulls us into the era - all help to create a show like no other on TV. Like season 1, MM requires a little patience at the start for the story to kick into gear, but it is really worth it.