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Mad Men - Season One

MetaRating™ 8.8
Customer Reviews 71
Editorial Reviews 0
Retail Price $49.98
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Product Specifications

Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 07/01/2008 Run time: 616 minutes Rating: Nr


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Product Reviews

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[+] 10.0 Drama with ALL the Trauma
I missed the whole first season. Must have been in a cave. Then I watched a couple episodes of the second season and was HOOKED!!. My neighbor filled me in on a few things from last season, but that was not enough, so I bought this. I watched all four discs in just two days. How is that for obsessive??!!! Now I've preordered season two, but I digress. Talk about people with issues, everyone in this show has something to hide, just like the sixties, they never tell what's really on their minds until it is too late. Can't wait for season three.
Reviewer [A1OSAXA5ANZ4YX] | Date [December 1, 2008]
[+] 8.0 Mad Men Season One
We began watching Mad Men during the second season, and found a lot of "holes" - things we could not understand. Watching the first season's shows cleared up nearly all of our confusion. Having lived as a young "business man" in the 50s and early 60s I could see a lot of my "friends" in Mad Men (perhaps exagerated a bit - but maybe ONLY a bit). On the whole, Mad Men, season one, was well worth the price.
Reviewer [A2DV5Y50DW4S7N] | Date [November 30, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Well Done
Excellent character development, but a bit of a downer with the protagonist being an unhappy man.
Reviewer [A2M47SDMT6V00L] | Date [November 30, 2008]
[+] 6.0 Where's the Beef?
I was really looking forward to this series after reading the rave reviews but I have to say I was disappointed by this tepid view of the heyday of advertising. The series certainly scores high style marks but substance is woefully lacking in this rather narcissistic view of 1960 Madison Avenue. Once past the good looks, crisp lines and jaunty banter, I found myself wondering "where's the beef?" The directors seem to revel in this decidedly man's world where women seem little more than muses, except for Peggy Olsen who finds herself quickly rising up the ladder with her honest view of products.

The firm of Sterling & Cooper comes across as a sexist bastion during a time when many women were breaking through such barriers. You get the sense that Peggy is a younger version of Helen Gurley Brown who had worked herself up from the mailroom of the William Morris Agency to become one of the highest paid ad copywriters of the early 60s, eventually taking over Cosmopolitan and turning it into the magazine we know today. Sexism was pervasive at the time, but this show seems to revel in it, with little sense of irony.

The episodes are painfully slow and Don Draper is painfully boring. It takes 12 excrutiating episodes to find out about his hidden past, which in the end doesn't appear to make the slightest impact on the story as Cooper dismisses Peter Campbell's revelatory scene out of hand. Seems Don Draper can do no wrong, although he appears to have an increasingly hard time at home as his lovely wife Betty comes apart at the seams like Sylvia Plath in the Bell Jar.

After 12 episodes, I feel like I've had enough, although fans of this series keep telling me how things pick up in season two. Maybe so, but the first season didn't do much for me.
Reviewer [A1A535W556ROBQ] | Date [November 28, 2008]
[+] 10.0 DVDs have wonderful commentaries and extras
Mad Men is an absolute masterpiece. I agree 200% with all the rave reviews here.

I'm not going to add to the ample reviews of this show. Instead, I would like to comment on the generous extras included in the DVD set.

I debated a long time before buying the DVDs since I own the season on iTunes. I'm glad I bought the DVDs -- the commentaries and extras make it worth every penny.

Each episode has at least one commentary track, usually two separate commentary tracks. And there are other extras - a 20-minute piece, "Advertising the American Dream", a 10-minute video on scoring Mad Men, and the hour-long 'Establishing Mad Men'--all excellent.

A word about the commentaries -- the ones by creator and writer Matt Weiner are superb, very insightful and interesting. I haven't listened to all the other commentaries yet. Of the ones I have listened to, Weiner's are definitely the best, Vincent Kartheiser, January Jones, and Jon Hamm also provide interesting depth. The brilliant costume designer Janie Bryant also provides wonderful commentary.

I wish some of the other commentaries had been edited, though. For instance, in Jon Hamm's, January Jones', and Elizabeth Moss' commentary on the last episode, 'The Wheel', Elizabeth Moss' comments on the padding used to show her weight gain. This is an interesting aside, but Moss' commentary goes on far too long and it's all trivial, with no insights into Peggy's character. She repeats the same stories again and again--for well over 10 minutes. Her commentary drones through an important part of the Draper story (Don looking at old photos of his brother). It's a shame that we miss Hamm's commentary during that emotionally moving portion of the episode.


But that's my only criticism, one small quibble. The DVD set is marvelous and if you're a Mad Men fan it will add substantially to your enjoyment and insight into the show.
Reviewer [A1BIL65NSE1UX6] | Date [November 28, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Wonderful. Great series.
Thoroughly enjoyed this DVD at a great price. Can't wait for the second season to come out on DVD.
Reviewer [A2G5K3BJB9WRB5] | Date [November 11, 2008]
[+] 4.0 Skip it; go directly to Season Two
The first season of Mad Men, while showing some promise, for the most part just meanders and bores. The production values and acting are there, but the writers just aren't. Far too often they equate creepy with dramatic, which obviously is a false identification. The proof is also in the fact that you can skip the first season and go directly to the second and miss at most one or two important scenes (which aren't even really that important). Which is exactly what I recommend you do. Season Two is as masterful as Season One is dull and repellent.
Reviewer [A36Z0SZSTGEHEM] | Date [November 10, 2008]
[+] 10.0 THE OPENING CREDITS ALONE ARE ENOUGH TO MAKE ME LOVE THIS SHOW!
Four reasons to watch this:
1. Jon Hamm is unbearably sexy.
2. The sets, clothing and other depictions of the era are perfectly done but not overwhelming. They don't take on more importance than the story itself.
3. The characters are complex, human, complicated. No one is a caricature or a cartoon. Everyone, even some minor secretary whose purpose in the show is to have sex with a major character, is shown as complex and human.
4. The story lines are intriguing, compelling, multi-layered.

There are some story lines that don't interest me: I get up and fold laundry or brush my teeth and floss anytime one of the kids are central to a scene. And I'm not interested in the horse-back riding life and intrigues of Betty. But those scenes don't dominate this fabulous show.
Reviewer [A1QXNP7RFQKTS9] | Date [November 9, 2008]
[+] 2.0 The Emmy and strong reviews must reflect how BAD (perhaps MAD) most TV shows are these days
We watched 2/3rds of the first season. All of the episodes were slow paced. Often excruciatingly slow paced. The show seems to be (really IS) mostly about smoking (mainly at work), drinking (mainly at work), and extramarital sex (mainly at work). Oh yeah - each and every character (including the children) is unhappy and behaving in a way that will lead them and those around them to greater unhappiness. Unless you are somebody who worked in this kind of environment and are looking for some nostalgia (and even then...), this show will not appeal to you.
Reviewer [AGG1HJR9CVCYH] | Date [November 6, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Mad Men - Season 1 is GREAT!!
I love this Mad Men Season 1 DVD. If you haven't started watching this series you are missing out!!! I also rec'd super fast shipping and was able to watch ASAP!!!
Reviewer [A2SUIXO9N0BYAL] | Date [November 3, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Mad Men Season 1
Mad Men is trip to days gone by with wonderful sets and costumes that authentically take you back to the 60's..... Set in the Advertising World, there's more than enough intrigue in the Storyline to keep you watching more. Great acting complete's this package.
Reviewer [A3ERG83LUPW0EZ] | Date [October 31, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Simply Superb!
There are not enough superlatives to describe this television show! My family has become engrossed in the goings on at the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency, and I have been swept away by the mesmerizing and enigmatic Don Draper. Mad Men will without a doubt go down in the annals of television history as one of the finest shows ever to grace the small screen.
Reviewer [A2JXJN5JJDGD5T] | Date [October 27, 2008]
[+] 10.0 The Best Show on Television
This is the best show on television. It's not just because Jon Hamm as ad man Donald Draper is the hottest leading man, ever. No contest. He's both heroic and fatally flawed. His nemesis, Vincent Kartheiser as Peter Campbell, looks like a kewpie doll and will stop at nothing to get his job. It's funny when sometimes Pete's ideas are better! There is also the "Greed is good," element behind "Mad Men" which was most apparent when Pete Campbell looked down at New York from his penthouse apartment in Episode 4. Every episode of "Mad Men" is a delight.
Reviewer [ABOFSEB0YMYCR] | Date [October 27, 2008]
[+] 10.0 love it love it love it
We are hooked on the second season - but had never seen the first. This is a MUST SEE television series. We are so happy the DVD was available. We haven't watched the whole set yet - just savoring one or two episodes a week, along with the new shows.
Reviewer [A2FL6UQDUEM7K9] | Date [October 25, 2008]
[+] 10.0 memories revisited
It has the makings of a Mamet style with excellent plot development and outstanding characterization.
Reviewer [A1HUFXDD6CEJUY] | Date [October 24, 2008]
[+] 10.0 The Eisenhower Era Revisited
After watching the first few episodes of "Mad Men", you can be forgiven if your eyes burn and you start to cough. It might be the only television show in history to cause second-hand smoke. Set in 1960, "Men Mad" is really about the 1950's and it captures the spiritual emptiness of the period perfectly. While the Eisenhower era has been romanticized recently as a wonderful time when all Americans had jobs, homes, and cars (and when Republicans were considered "nice" people believing in thrift) this fantasy is true only if you were a straight, white male. And a conforming one at that. Still, the emotion that pervades this series is sadness: no one is happy, no matter how many material goodies they have. Even the beatniks are gloomy and dull.

The men survive by chain-smoking, drinking themselves insensible and attempting to seduce anything in a skirt. The women are treated to such casual and pervasive sexism that, viewing "Mad Men", even conservatives like Phylliss Schlafly would go down on her knees and thank Gloria Steinem. The women themselves are either the original "Desperate Housewives" or trying to stay sane by manipulating the men who prey on them. People of color exist merely as waiters and elevator operators. In the world of 1960 advertising, they are completely non-existent. You see no ads depicting a black or Hispanic family buying a new car, sharing a beer with friends or ogling a new refrigerator. Nor will you for another decade.

Centering around the advertising executives of the fictional Sterling-Cooper agency ("Mad Men" is slang for the admen working on Madison Avenue in New York City, the archetypal Men in the Gray Flannel Suits), "Mad Men" succeeds more from mood then plot. The action is focused on the nuances of facial expression that speaks louder than words at a time when true self-expression was unknown and unwanted. The plot itself centers on rising adman star Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who has a secret past and his relationship with his suppressed wife, Betty (January Jones) who, although in therapy, is treated like a dependent child by her analyst who discusses her case only with her husband, not her. Elisabeth Moss shines as Peggy Olson, Draper's new secretary who is ahead of her time in terms of sexual liberation and professional intelligence. When she finally writes copy for a successful ad campaign (unheard of for the women in the office) she is condescendingly offered a drink, a pat on the back but no pay or no position. She chafes under her treatment and one wonders what the coming of the tumultuous Sixies has in store for her.

Which bring us to the children of the principal characters. All those cute little tykes running around with cowboy hats and cap guns will, within the coming decade, become hippies, anti-war protesters, feminists and environmental activists. Bob Dylan is still a year away from descending upon the scene but if there ever was a time that needed a'changing, it was 1960 America. The Beatles, Vietnam, and Kennedy's assassination are just around the corner but no one at Sterling-Cooper knows this or even has the imagination to envision the cataclysmic changes about to descend upon them. And when they do happen, will they notice or care?
Reviewer [A3C1Q9TRP83BYB] | Date [October 22, 2008]
[+] 10.0 must see dvd
if you missed season 1. scene notes fascinating. i think i will also have to buy season 2.
Reviewer [AGTUOBXMGIAMJ] | Date [October 21, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Mad Men Season One - Raw, Offensive, Powerful and Highly Addicting!!!
Mad Men - Season One has completely changed the way I view TV. I generally watch things at random and don't watch a lot of shows consistently. This is a show worth changing that for. It's hard to describe what makes this show such a rare event in TV. Somebody had the vision to put a show on TV that has something to say and is as raw, honest and true to the period it is based on. I, for one, am grateful for that.

The show centers on the NY advertising world of the 1960s. Why "Mad Men?" The old row of famous agencies on Madison Avenue, of course. The men are sexist, rude, slicked up, and well dressed. The women are submissive yet cunning, half accepting sexism and half ignoring it.

There's not a lot of political correctness here. That is bound to offend some. While my first reaction was to wonder as to the motives behind that, the truth is that after watching the show for a few episodes it becomes clear that the bigotry of the period is key to understanding the characters. Plenty that the characters say would get them fired today. For their era, sexist banter in the office was considered par for the course.

There's also plenty of smoking, drinking and sexual situations. If you are very conservative this might not be for you. Yet even conservative people would have to warm up somewhat to the effectiveness of the portrayal. This show makes you believe you are witnessing things as they were. Not having been there, we can't know for sure. Regardless, this sure is convincing.

There are some nice special features and extras sprinkled sparingly throughout the disks. Of course you have your usual commentary tracks on the episodes, which are actually worth listing to in my opinion. Not every show can say that.

The behind-the-scenes documentary section is also standard fare, but well done. It covers the basic elements of how the show is put together, from characters, sets, makeup, wardrobes, and art design. You also get some small extras that are nice like a segment on scoring the music for the show, which is great, and audio clips of some of the period songs that are used.

Because of the way the disks are set up, many of these specific extras are on the individual disks. So you have to search for them. Also, there are only a few episodes per disk (about 3). I guess those extras and commentary tracks took up a lot of disk space. Still, these are minor details.

Conclusion

This is a great show and well worth watching again and again. I hope you will check this out if you haven't already.

Enjoy!
Reviewer [A17BUUBOU0598B] | Date [October 18, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Must viewing
Mad Men is a reminder how it was not so good in the "good old days". Alcohol was the drug of choice. Women were servants without brains. Men wanted all the freedom and none of the consequences. Cynical manipulation was ramping up. In some ways, much has changed. And in some ways, nothing has changed.

The production values are incredible and the characters are irresistible. You never know what gem will show up next. Would you scold a child with a plastic bag over her head for leaving the cleaning on the floor instead of grabbing the bag off her?
Reviewer [AOG87YFY0USOG] | Date [October 17, 2008]
[+] 10.0 EASILY THE BEST SHOW ON US TELEVISION
Mad Men blew me away last summer when it burst upon the scene. In an era when scripted entertainment had been written off as all but moribund, Mad Men changed the rules and brought in the kind of quality you don't normally see on American television. This DVD anthology is worth every penny, as much for the series as for the extras. And, hey, anyone ever seen a more novel package than a replica of a Zippo? Mad Men is an original that has revitalized episodic TV itself. May its quality never slip!
Reviewer [A28WJUJF6D2ULA] | Date [October 12, 2008]
[+] 10.0 It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
Totally absorbing, consuming and full of visual candy of all sorts. This show is a symphony of perfect pitch in every sense. The characters are real, the set dressing and costuming authentic in every detail. I hope this never ends. The storyline is compelling and smart. If you remember this time period you will love it even more.
Reviewer [A1PAN9KOYJUSJ3] | Date [October 11, 2008]
[+] 10.0 I love the flaws
OK, the CD is just a recording of the show's first season. If you love the show, you'll like the CD. There is additional stuff like the actors' voice over perspective of episodes. But mostly it's the writing!
Reviewer [AG4464VZ3XA3Q] | Date [September 18, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Compelling
This is television at its most thoughtful. It is also exciting to see and hear such thoughtful commentary on *all* the episodes rather than just one or two [*Entourage*, any one?].
Reviewer [A2Q6LINABTFM92] | Date [September 16, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Awesome show
Nothing much to add to my title, this is just an awesome show. I was a little sad that my set came in a plain box rather than the pseudo-zippo case mentioned in other reviews.
Reviewer [A3PWA00FS3CPRF] | Date [September 16, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Great tv show
This show restores my faith in television again. What a great show. It's not loud, demanding, or raunchy. It's sophisticated and subtle. Where a look or a glance is priceless, and sometimes the best line of the show is what is left unsaid. In many regards the sophistication of the character development reminds me of HBO's Deadwood. Of course Deadwood was set in American frontier times and Mad Men is set in 1960's Madison Avenue. Great show. A joy to watch and rewatch.
Reviewer [A5S2SWLMHK2BT] | Date [September 16, 2008]
[+] 6.0 Episode 7 in NTSC
This is a technical comment about the production of the DVD. I've watched 7 episodes so far and discovered that Episode 7 was mastered in the NTSC composite video format rather than a cleaner component digital format. I rechecked an earlier episode and also looked at episode 8 and they were both okay, so, so far it's only episode 7.
Reviewer [ADDHQZPK7TVRA] | Date [September 15, 2008]
[+] 4.0 Average TV Melodrama
If we are to believe that MAD MEN is presenting us with an accurate portrayal of the times, people of the early 1960's aspired to be robots (or possibly corpses). The actors simulate these ludicrously reserved mannerisms because "That's how it was back then". Good white collar american automatons. "That's how it was back then" is a sentiment that's often thrown around during each episode. Lines of dialogue intend for us to think very obvious things, like: "Wasn't everything so inexpensive!". After a few episodes this formula becomes apparent and MAD MEN begins to seem like a parody of itself.
This is a very contrived show, although, I am morbidly fascinated due to the fact that MAD MEN seems to be the first program protraying this era while being written by people that were born after the fact. There is not a single likeable character; partly due to the aforementioned reserve that is so greatly exaggerated, but also because there's not much depth to anyone. Our square jawed protagonist Don Drummond is supposedly a 'still waters run deep' sort of guy. This is doubtfully evinced by the camera's frequent panning of Don's patented soulful gaze. "Oh look, he's having deep thoughts!". Don doesn't do or say anything all that profound, but those silent looks are enough to convey that this adman has the spirit of a poet!
The fact that MAD MEN has garnered such acclaim is a sad indication of the dregs that television programming has sunk. Who am I fooling? TV was never that great, so perhaps MAD MEN truly is the apex. Our sedentary lives are more or less about killing time, so go ahead and watch it. There's nothing else on anyway.
Reviewer [A3Q7JYFB92ZPJU] | Date [September 10, 2008]
[+] 10.0 love the behind the scenes
If you like the 'inside scoop', it's lots of fun to listen to the directors, producers, and actors' voice over commentary as they watch an episode. Some episodes have multiple groups, so it's interesting to hear their various perspectives.
Reviewer [A12RBFPEWUGDSP] | Date [September 10, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Mad about Mad Men
This is a great new series with brilliant writing,and directing.
They have a wonderful cast that portray thier characters with delight.
I highley reccomend this series for serious tv viewers.
Not reccomended for the likes of reality show lovers.
Reviewer [A1PQFEHAQ3OVDV] | Date [September 10, 2008]
[+] 10.0 LOVED it
omg, we watched the entire first season over a rainy weekend and enjoyed it so much.. great parody of the crazy ways those guys lived in the 50 and 60's.. This is a great series, I hope it lasts.
Reviewer [A3METU5C8UAKNQ] | Date [September 10, 2008]
[+] 6.0 aspires to greatness but falls short
Mad men is almost great, but falls short. The acting is excellent. The capture of many period details is dead-on and many aspects of the story are compelling. But in the end, what kills so much good material is an overly melodramatic story and heavy-handed political writing more concerned with looking back than looking at the era. There is just way too much overly cute foreshadowing in a junkyard of 1950s cliches and stereotypes.

And for everything they got right in terms of the city and business, they got something wrong about life in the suburbs. What was missing was the ambitious cuthroat wives of the suburbs and the wives who didn't care what went on in the city as far as affairs as long as the goodies came in. They are too tied up in a one-dimensional world of "wife-as-victim". That was part of the era, but not the whole thing.

The final episode really killed things. The entire season told a very good and compelling story which turned into a melodramatic soap opera series of "shock revelations" which undercut everything built to over twelve episodes.

Everyone involved deserves tremendous praise for having so unexpectedly put together something like this. They came closer to capturing the atmosphere of business and being in manhattan than anything I remember ever seeing. It was the best thing to come out last year, but when it reached for true lasting greatness it came up short.
Reviewer [A2D37EP9KT2E3D] | Date [September 9, 2008]
[+] 8.0 Love it.
After hearing good things about the show I bought the DVD. It's fantastic. The DVD set itself has the usual mini-docos. Fashionistas out there would love the feature about costumes and the audio commentary given by Janie Bryant. John Slattery and Jon Hamm team up for some commentary and it's hilarious. However, I'm giving 4-stars since I'm not a fan of the packaging. The DVD set comes with this plastic sleeve that's suppose to hold it together but it can be a pain to get it to work.
Reviewer [A16IZJWG5DMWV9] | Date [September 8, 2008]
[+] 10.0 mix of gurley brown's sex and the single girl and sloane's the man in the grey flannel suit
I was just dumbfounded by the cultural references so obvious in this series especially how the writers must have used these books to develop the characters. How the women were pressured to marry 'right' whether out of a seven sisters college or by following the rules of gurley-brown to enjoy work in the pink collar ghetto because its serves a two fold purpose: to get a man and/or keep your mind off of being single. And the men are expected to conform to rigid corporate rules by having the 'right' wife segregated in domesticity but be expected to get the clients/or theirselves laid.
Reviewer [A2J3CK0AM9L7WS] | Date [September 8, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Still fabulous.
I was utterly addicted to the show when it aired, and the DVDs are exactly what I needed, especially since I was growing a bit tired of watching them on my tiny iPod screen! Haven't poked around in the extra features yet, but just having the show is fantastic.
Reviewer [AD6179C0RJH3J] | Date [September 8, 2008]
[+] 6.0 Who knows why people do what they do?
I finally got to see what all the fuss is about but I wasn't expecting Peyton Place. The acting is great and every word uttered is clever. Other than that, I found an assortment of mostly dislikable people in a 60s setting, with the negatives amped up to 10. Those who lived through the period will recall that much of what went on was not malicious, it was institutionalized. Like smoking, a lot of people just didn't know any better.

By the second episode, as I watched the ad man falling from the building I thought, what a downer and as far as men and women are concerned, beneath the surface, how much has really changed?
Reviewer [A15G70V9OBTOVO] | Date [August 30, 2008]
[+] 10.0 MAD MEN Season !
I did not become aware of this series until a friend recommended it. I ordered season one because i was hooked on what had happened in the past with the characters. The show is awesome! It is a wonderful period piece of the late fifties/early sixties with complex characters and a spellbinding scripts for each episode.
Reviewer [A39G7KQ7B92MFF] | Date [August 30, 2008]
[+] 10.0 One of the best new series to come out for a long time.
All I want to say this is a great series.
The cast is perfect.
Not very good at review,but do recommend this series.
Can wait for Season Two.
This is worth it.
Reviewer [A3UWEK7RIUKVSP] | Date [August 30, 2008]
[+] 10.0 excellent condition and very enjoyable!
Mad Men CD was very good, the CD was delivered in a timely manner, and
it was in very good condition and very well packaged. Thank you.
Reviewer [A3DJW43DZGPCLE] | Date [August 28, 2008]
[+] 10.0 The revolutionary decade, from the viewpoint of the establishment.
Who doesn't love a good period drama? I'm certainly not such a person, so upon hearing the idea of a cable series set on the Madison Avenue advertising scene as the nation stood on the cusp of the 1960s had enormous appeal. Especially interesting is the HBO-style (indeed, this was originally pitched as an HBO series, and shot down; I'm grateful, if only because the DVD prices would be that much more severe) unvarnished presentation of the era. Moralists who romanticize this period as a haven of old-fashioned morality will be disappointed when confronted by the truth (or something like it) about contemporary attitudes.

Our main character is Don Draper (Jon Hamm, in a marvelous performance; it is surprising that he doesn't do more period work, because he's absolutely perfect for the look of the 1950s), the creative director at Sterling Cooper, a moderate-sized ad agency run by Roger Sterling (John Slattery, best known to me from "Jack & Bobby") and Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse). He and his team, most notably newcoming Peter Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser, Angel's son Connor on "Angel"), are charged with marketing such illustrious products as cigarettes (and helping the company duck restrictions imposed by federal health agencies). Don is something of a mystery both at work and at home, where his wife Betty (January Jones, in a revelatory performance; I'd previously never thought of her as anything other than a pretty face) is living a life of quiet desperation. Through Don we see the life of a successful male executive; he's got a beautiful wife, more than one mistress on the side (proto-hippy Midge, then department store executive Rachel Menken (Maggie Siff), the only woman in the show not occupying a menial position, and she owes that to her father), and is friends with his boss Roger. Below him, Campbell and his cohorts battle for favour and advancement.

Standout performances come from Hamm in the title role, Christina Hendricks as Joan, a secretary well-versed in using her sexuality to get what she wants (she'd be running the place if she lived 40 years later), and Elisabeth Moss as Peggy, a newby secretary with professional ambitions that are well beyond what is expected of women in that era, althoug timid Peggy doesn't seem the type to overtly identify with the feminist movement.

The DVD packaging has been a point of some contention here (see many of the 1-star reviews). The original lighter-shaped box is a nifty design, though you do indeed have to watch while you close it (although the explanatory booklet in the back seems an effective shield on my set).
Reviewer [A73QPH7NGI0DJ] | Date [August 26, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Madmen Review
This is probably the most well written show since I can't remember when. The acting is spectacular and truly absorbing. There are many surprises along the way, ones that you actually don't see coming for a change! All in all my favourite show on TV right now and it's going to be a very difficult show to ever beat in the future.
Reviewer [A2MS3AL84YYR7B] | Date [August 22, 2008]
[+] 6.0 Takes a long time to "get into it"
I had very high hopes for Mad Men given the wildly positive reviews given in the press. I'm in advertising so the subject matter is interesting to me -- but this series is a tough sell.

I was bored beyond belief for the first two episodes, and had to force my way through the first disc. It was dull, plodding, and dreary. The show goes out of its way to show a 'slice of life' from roughly 1960, and sometimes in doing that they lose the momentum of the show.

It's difficult to like any of the characters so there isn't a lot of emotion to the story. The series doesn't really pick up until late in disc 2 when you see all the subplots start to intertwine. By the end of disc four you're interested in what happens, but frankly I wouldn't be disappointed if I never saw another episode.

The acting, set and costume design are all well done -- it just doesn't move fast enough.

There have been some complaints about the case but I have no problem with it. Closing it can be a little annoying when the discs don't line up with the slots correctly, but it's fine.

I like the Play All menu selection so you can watch all the episodes on a disc back-to-back. I'm glad to see they include that when so many other sets do not.

I really wanted to like this series more than I do. But I'm left with an "eh, I can take it or leave it" attitude.


Reviewer [A2KXMOV6LKLFM4] | Date [August 21, 2008]
[+] 10.0 I love this show!!
I was surprised season one was released so fast, but am glad it was. I love this show and think it fairly deserves all the awards and praise it has earned. I look forward to many more seasons. Cox subscribers it is on AMC's free zone for On-Demand if you have missed any episodes.
Reviewer [A2PNOU7NXB1JE4] | Date [August 21, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Amazing Show
MAD MEN is truly amazing. It has everything that makes quality television. It takes place in the 60's and the time period is as much a character of the show as the people are. It is 100% accurate - the furnishings, clothes and THE SMOKING !! It is hilarious but oh so true of the period. Everyone smoked.

When you watch this show you are enthralled for it is one of those rare experiences today. it is not gratuitous television. It is a superbly crafted piece of art. It is glorious how each character slowly develops over the season and we learn more about them slowly as you would a person in real life. These characters become so addictive. The ensemble cast is so amazing it is difficult to pick anyone out but Jon Hamm does certainly rule the roost with his presence. But I am also sure Peter and Peggy will linger in your thoughts.

This is such intelligent television. It is of the caliber you would expect from HBO or Showtime. The historical facts are very interesting to me. They show the whole campaign and election between Kennedy and Nixon. I am 47 now so was not around for that. It is so interesting to see that Kennedy was not so overly popular when running and it shocked many when he won. The first Catholic president. My, my. I find that very timely with the election we are facing.

Nothing was spared to make this show the highest quality and the most accurate. Anyone associated with it should hold their head high and it certainly deserves all the accolades it has received.

If you have yet to view this show, don't deny yourself. It is quality tv at its best.
Reviewer [A3EUSH8DPW75LR] | Date [August 17, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Willie Shakespeare Opens An Agency
With the possible exception of Deadwood - HBO's magnificent Shakespearean noir-western - Mad Men defies easy comparison with virtually any television drama ever made. While much has already been written on the program's stunning recreation of mid-century cultural/corporate atmospherics and the big swinging casualness of it's extramarital everythingness, the real focus for me is Sterling Cooper's creative chieftain, Don Draper.

He is a no emotion man of conflict and quite literally as ephemeral as the Brands he champions.

His entire life is a canard, based entirely on an identity literally taken from one of his dead Korean War comrades - Draper's lineage, education, breeding and comportment are all fabricated in the service of his assumed identity. His wife is a prop to whom he owes no allegiance - his co-workers "necessaries" in the propagation of his fraud.

His is the ultimate fantasy played out within an industry chews it like Pez. Draper swallows all the oxygen in the room when he enters and it is the program's singular pleasure to watch John Hamm inhabit the role with such anal retentive earnestness as if living on the brink of detection with every breath. His is a morality play of which Deadwood's Al Swearangen could be proud - and slightly envious.

Draper is far from the only thing in Mad Men worth watching. The entire supporting cast is outstanding led by Draper's wife Betty, played by January Jones. For me however, Hamm remains the nucleus of the program and is a tour de force.

Very highly recommended!

Reviewer [A2DT00ZK4WGOQH] | Date [August 15, 2008]
[+] 2.0 Requests prohibited
Great show. But spending $32, I should be able to fast forward when I want and skip all the commercials.
Reviewer [A16YDU088H6SX3] | Date [August 14, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Outstanding Show
Love the show It it told like it was in the 60's. Racism,poor treatment of women as it was then
Reviewer [AMMOXA873HJAE] | Date [August 13, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Yes!
There's not much to say. You can over analyze anything you want but this is the best show to come along in a LONG time.

It is without a doubt the best show on TV right now.

Reviewer [A1LYGB0DEDB3AI] | Date [August 12, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Thoroughly Enjoyable! Utterly Satisfying!
The first Mad Men episode I watched on AMC was the first episode in season two. I enjoyed it so much I ordered the first season on DVD so I could get the history before the next episode aired. Season one was so good I finished it in two days!
Reviewer [ADFVTS23072V6] | Date [August 12, 2008]
[+] 10.0 This show is great!
This show is great! It's addictive. The acting is superb, with mostly little known or unknown actors you'll want to see more. The writing is first rate. You may also enjoy the "trip" back to the 60's where many things were very different than they are today.
Reviewer [A2K9D4WLWLN6HN] | Date [August 10, 2008]
[+] 10.0 Got it early!
Loved this -- got it a day before it was released for sale in stores. The video is great and the packaging is so cool...
Reviewer [A2MTAMS86X3DV2] | Date [August 8, 2008]
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