mad men

[Humble Asskicker]

I'm excitedly awaiting the release of season two on DVD. I saw season one, and this really is an excellent show. I'm particularly pleased about the stellar cast and unconventional story-telling (for tv). The socio-political aspect is interesting, but nothing new. Although this show is more upfront about it than typical fare.

It takes a very strong show to make a subject I'm utterly disinterested in - advertisement and domestic relations in the 60s - up there on my top show list.

It's killing me to refrain from watching Breaking Bad, by the way. I want to wait until the series is completed so I can have the full viewing pleasure, without any delayed gratification, but the hype is pulling at me.

[Rhom]

Season Two hits the street on Tuesday (the 14th).

I'm tempted to get it on Blu-Ray (just because I can)... but I don't know that there's much there that would be significantly improved over the DVD release. :dunno:

It seems like it will be coming packaged in a shirt box... I hope it is something that goes well on my shelf like last season's flip top lighter case.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Season Two hits the street on Tuesday (the 14th).

I'm tempted to get it on Blu-Ray (just because I can)... but I don't know that there's much there that would be significantly improved over the DVD release. :dunno:

It seems like it will be coming packaged in a shirt box... I hope it is something that goes well on my shelf like last season's flip top lighter case.

There's some indication that the features are better on the Blu-Ray version, but I think that only applies to the UK DVDs.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Picked up the DVD yesterday, and spent some time last night watching a couple of the commentaries. What I've learned so far: staff writer Robin Veith (like Francine) used to say that she was traveling to Las Vegas, which got her father to send money and gambling instructions, "and he never won, because I never went." Robin Veith (like Bobby Draper) also got in trouble for tracing a picture and claiming it as her own. Matt Weiner's also said in interviews that it was Robin Veith's mother who took an air gun to her neighbor's birds a la Betty in "Shoot." My conclusion: it was interesting growing up in the Veith household.

[Rhom]

Just got back from Best Buy...

I did go ahead and pick it up on Blu Ray, but it was a tough call. My Blu Ray edition box is the size of a regular movie on DVD. It has three discs. There is a flap in the middle with discs one and two and then disc three is affixed to the back cover of the box.

Inside, there's an ad for Clorox... it has a (Edit for spelling) collar with lipstick on it, and it says "Getting ad men out of hot water for generations." The only other stuff included is a small sheet consisting of an episode guide.

I bought season one and two on DVD for my brother's birthday... I'm a little jealous of his season two DVD. If you buy it from Best Buy there's an exclusive tie clip in there! I don't know what other features are included, but the box is about the size of your average TV show DVD box set.

Decisions... Decisions...

[Blaine]

Cool. I need to pick up those DVDs and banish my homemade discs to the bin.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Mad Men got 16 Emmy nominations, which isn't terribly surprising. Elisabeth Moss (Peggy Olson) was nominated for best lead actress, which _is_ a little surprising, since I figured that this was the year that January Jones was going to clean up, but I can hardly complain. Jon Hamm and John Slattery were also nominated for best lead and supporting actor, respectively. Mad Men also apparently picked up four writing nominations, and a directing nod for "The Jet Set".

[Blaine]

As much as I love Jones, the nomination for Moss seems more deserved. What's unsurprising to me is the four writing noms. That's probably the show's biggest strength.

[Rhom]

I saw those noms in the paper over the weekend, its well deserved. Hopefully more people will start to watch the show.

[Green Apple Fossoway]

I just bought (and watched) season two on blu-ray and I have a question for people who bought just the DVD: How many commentaries are there total? It seems the blu-ray has two commentaries for each episode (I'm not sure about this, but I know it's true for at least the first seven episodes as well as the last one).

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

I just bought (and watched) season two on blu-ray and I have a question for people who bought just the DVD: How many commentaries are there total? It seems the blu-ray has two commentaries for each episode (I'm not sure about this, but I know it's true for at least the first seven episodes as well as the last one).

There are two commentaries for every episode, yes.

[RedEyedGhost]

I watched both seasons over the past week, and it was better than I remembered.

I think the certain aspects of the writing dramatically improved in the second season. My big example is Salvatore's closeted homosexuality - they didn't even try to be subtle with that.

I got a good chuckle in season 1 where Don and Roger are going into Cooper's office, and it's obvious that Roger's wearing some pretty sizable lifts. I missed that the first time around.

And I cannot wait for season 3 to begin :D

I did go ahead and pick it up on Blu Ray, but it was a tough call. My Blu Ray edition box is the size of a regular movie on DVD. It has three discs. There is a flap in the middle with discs one and two and then disc three is affixed to the back cover of the box.

Why were you even thinking about just going with the DVDs, Rhom? If blue ray is available for something that I plan on watching for years to come, then I don't even consider DVD anymore.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

I think the certain aspects of the writing dramatically improved in the second season. My big example is Salvatore's closeted homosexuality - they didn't even try to be subtle with that.

I think that's true. There's also a number of clunky period jokes in season one (the bit in "The Hobo Code" about McCarthy, Don saying that there's no machine that makes exact copies of things, etc.) that largely don't appear in season two.

[Rhom]

Why were you even thinking about just going with the DVDs, Rhom? If blue ray is available for something that I plan on watching for years to come, then I don't even consider DVD anymore.

Well, I certainly go Blu Ray if its something with action or a lot of explosions. I havn't bothered with comedies and things of that nature up to this point. As I thought about it with Mad Men though, I think the colors and the period appropriate details were worth getting on Blu Ray.

The price was the same for each set. I would assume that's because of the fancy packaging on the DVD's and by not including that on the Blu Ray release, they could get it on the shelf for the same price. I wonder if we'll see that a lot for Blu Ray box set releases?

[Rockroi]

I think that's true. There's also a number of clunky period jokes in season one (the bit in "The Hobo Code" about McCarthy, Don saying that there's no machine that makes exact copies of things, etc.) that largely don't appear in season two.

Some of it is an attempt to put guideposts out there for the viewer to have so they are invested in the story.

Sal's homosexuality is one of the areas they had to show the veiwer that Sal is gay so that we can see a closeted man's "struggle" to exist and survive in this environment. Much like Don, Sal is lying about who he is at his most basic level. Thus, its really more interesting for the veiwer to say "Sal is gay" to enjoy that story without having to play a guessing game. The best way to do that is make it "obvious" to the VIEWER that Sal is gay without making it obvious to the people in the Mad Men Universe that Sal is gay (even though... ). I think the way they did it was necessary and actually an example of good writing, not bad writing.

As far as throw away lines like "not some magic machine that makes exact copies..." I think these were in for two reasons. 1) because they have to remind the viewers what these offices did not have. The issue is that the viewer (many born after 1968) probably ahs no frame of reference as to what these people lived with or lived without. I think the line was there as a little reminder that "We Still Use Carbon Paper." Its an interesting dynamic. And 2) becasue the line is fun! I think that type of line is just fun and fun can be good.

There is also a 3): markers to show how uneffected these people are by certain things (or conversely, how effected they were). A CLASSIC example of this was when Pete is talking to Don about some woman and states "She's taken down more men than Hiroshima" (or something like that). The purpose of the line is to remind the veiwers that this generation lived and grew up around constant war and destruction to the point that it has become almost bland. I think that this aspect is on eo fthe lost premises of the show: that the world of 1962 America was populated, by in large, by killers.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

Here's Rich Sommer, who plays Harry Crane, talking about the season three premiere, which IMDb is now calling "Out of Town":

I mean, thematically it's about change. And I can say too that this first episode of the third season is different from the first episode of the second season where, personally--and maybe Matt or the other writers would disagree with me--but I felt that the first episode of the second season was sort of a breath of relief that we were back because we had no idea if we'd be back at the end of that first season... I don't know if you remember how it opened but it opened with "Let's Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer" and sort of like a happy dance.

And this season does not waste any time on that. It pretty much kicks down the door right away. It assumes that you've been there for the entire story and requires that you've been there the whole time and it starts right out of the gate. It's really great.

This is a sentiment that I've seen echoed by other cast members as well. I'm curious what "kicks down the door right away" means in the relatively sedate world of Mad Men, but nonetheless I'm excited.

As far as throw away lines like "not some magic machine that makes exact copies..." I think these were in for two reasons. 1) because they have to remind the viewers what these offices did not have. The issue is that the viewer (many born after 1968) probably ahs no frame of reference as to what these people lived with or lived without. I think the line was there as a little reminder that "We Still Use Carbon Paper." Its an interesting dynamic. And 2) becasue the line is fun! I think that type of line is just fun and fun can be good.

Well, on the fun aspect, I disagree, but obv., YMMV. Whether or not it's a fun line, it's an awkward thing for Don to say, because it's not him speaking, it's Matt Weiner winking at us. So it's jarring, and it takes you out of the scene. I think there are more natural ways to introduce the idea that secretaries have to make carbons or whatever other technological difference that they want to get across. They could have established the same thing by having Don ask Peggy to make a carbon of whatever, or having a quick little montage of the labor entailed in being a secretary. That would have felt more natural and in keeping with the period.

[Iskaral Pust]

I'm a big fan of the show, but only watching season 2 now courtesy of Netflix, so I can't participate in this thread yet (spoilers).

But when I was at the mall yesterday, Banana Republic had a huge Mad Men poster in the display window that caught my eye. It turns out that they are promoting a line of Draper-like suits, trying to kick-off a return to sharp dressing for men. And they were announcing an open casting call for the show.

Should I throw on a suit and see if I can get a spot as an extra?

[Blaine]

If you haven't seen this, it's pretty great: www.madmenyourself.com

Most of my advertising buddies on Facebook and Twitter have been having a blast with it. What's even more neat about it? It's art from a fan of the show, Dyna Moe - whose been doing groovy sixties-ish illustrations on her Flickr since the show started. Turns out some of the cast are fans of her work. Rich Sommer (Harry) commisioned her to illustrate his christmas card and now she's doing stuff for the show. Cool fan.

[Rhom]

The fiance and I are working our way through season 2 in preparation for the new season on August 16.

While watching "The New Girl" a couple nights ago we noticed something that I'd not seen before. In the scene where Peggy's mom and sister visit her in the hospital, her sister is obviously pregnant. So where is this kid? To my knowledge the only kid in their household the right age is the Petespawn. Just something that had me confused.

[Anya, Vengeance Demon]

While watching "The New Girl" a couple nights ago we noticed something that I'd not seen before. In the scene where Peggy's mom and sister visit her in the hospital, her sister is obviously pregnant. So where is this kid? To my knowledge the only kid in their household the right age is the Petespawn. Just something that had me confused.

The baby in their household _is_ Anita's. Peggy's kid was given up for adoption. I think she says as much in the finale, and MW has said that he wanted to mislead the audience into thinking that Anita was raising Peggy's child.