Early thoughts on rewatching the last season of Mad Men

I’ve only gotten a few episodes into my rewatching of last year’s season of Mad Men, but things are already coming across different to me. I’m even beginning to suspect that some of the things that made it frustrating to watch going forward — the excessive attention to Megan at the expense of Peggy, the pat “thematic” nature of each episode — were features rather than bugs.

One of the overarching themes is that generational transfer is not a clean and simple thing. Continue reading “Early thoughts on rewatching the last season of Mad Men

Mad Men, “Signal 30”

Has there ever been a Mad Men character more hateful than Pete Campbell?

Don is a terrible human being, but that’s part of what makes his character so attractive.  (I haven’t read Adam’s work on the related subject, but the assumption in the book’s title rings true to me — Don may be a sociopath, but we love him for it.)  He’s charming, urbane, and utterly ruthless.  He’s a winner, and we love to watch him win.

Pete, by contrast, is a loser.  Continue reading Mad Men, “Signal 30””