So far, I've liked almost every episode of Mad Men, but there aren't many that really stand out to me. I wasn't a big fan of "The Jet Set," but I think I've enjoyed this season a lot more than the first. This episode in particular was very good, with strong performances, good writing, and great direction. The last ten minutes of this episode were gripping. 8 out of 10
6 Reviews
The Best Since "Nixon vs. Kennedy"
borowiecsminus7 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This episode, and I do not say this lightly, is one of the best so far from "Mad Men," and that is a very big compliment, considering the worst of Mad Men is still very, very good.
Everything about this episode works. The episode is premised by the Cuban Missle Crisis, something some of the viewers (not including myself) will remember. It's the perfect way to set up a season finale. A national emergency. Death could be actually around the corner. So the idea is to make haste while your heart is still beating. This creates a rush in the characters and exposes more hidden truths. It signals Don and Betty's iffy reunion, Peggy's outburst (can you call it an outburst?) in front of the priest, and the haste with which Sterling Cooper is bought.
Because of all this, the acting is the best it has ever been (again, SO FAR). And for once, between the three leads, it's very difficult to choose a stand-out performance. Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, and January Jones seem to all be operating on full talent capacity, and I can -almost- say the same for Karthieser (Peter Campbell), but his character, at least in this episode, doesn't require the same amount of grit.
The best episode of the second season and a perfect way to go out until the next.
Over all, the second season is better than the first, albeit not by a lot, and it proves that this is show that gets better, not worse.
Everything about this episode works. The episode is premised by the Cuban Missle Crisis, something some of the viewers (not including myself) will remember. It's the perfect way to set up a season finale. A national emergency. Death could be actually around the corner. So the idea is to make haste while your heart is still beating. This creates a rush in the characters and exposes more hidden truths. It signals Don and Betty's iffy reunion, Peggy's outburst (can you call it an outburst?) in front of the priest, and the haste with which Sterling Cooper is bought.
Because of all this, the acting is the best it has ever been (again, SO FAR). And for once, between the three leads, it's very difficult to choose a stand-out performance. Jon Hamm, Elizabeth Moss, and January Jones seem to all be operating on full talent capacity, and I can -almost- say the same for Karthieser (Peter Campbell), but his character, at least in this episode, doesn't require the same amount of grit.
The best episode of the second season and a perfect way to go out until the next.
Over all, the second season is better than the first, albeit not by a lot, and it proves that this is show that gets better, not worse.
Season 2: Emotionally engaging
bob the moo21 April 2010
Shortly after finishing season 2 of this show, I went and reread my review of the first season just to get my head right for doing this one. It was as I recalled – I had liked the show to a point but not to the depth that I had listened to others boast of and it had been interesting but not as engaging as I would have liked. In my review I mentioned that I was watching season 2 of The Sopranos at the same time and it is telling that I have reached season 6 of that show before getting round to watching season 2 of Mad Men – but get round to it I did.
It took a couple of episodes but there does seem to have been some improvements made to the show because this season worked a lot better for me than the first. I'm sure part of it is that I'm already familiar and invested with the characters to some point, but this season does a much better job of engaging the viewer and producing stories and characters that engage emotionally. In terms of the appearance of the show, it is as it was in the first season. The atmosphere of the time is there, with the inbuilt bigotry and sexism of the time and place laid out but this time it is not a matter of these things being whacked down on the table as an obvious thing but rather something that is engrained in everything to a point. Likewise the "times they are a-changing" moments are part of season-long threads rather than specific "look at this" moments in the plot.
All the characters from the first season are here but this time I did seem to care about them a lot more. They all seemed to be used much better than they were and be much more human, which improved upon the situation in the first season where the writing kept the majority of them at the same level as the sets and costumes – important and well done, but still a little superficial in terms of providing more than a bit of colour. This widening of the show and improving of the emotional depth drew me in as it went along and produced some very strong episodes indeed – a nice surprise considering that I spent the first season "interested" more than "engaged".
In the first season I felt the cast were all good and that they were not the ones limiting my engagement in the show, and season two sort of confirms that as they all continue to be good again, just this time with improved material. Hamm continues to be a charismatic focal point and he does well with the complexity of his character and the fact that he is not particularly likable. Moss is my favourite character and her rise within the company is cheering to watch, just as it is contrasted with Hendricks' secret frustration and feelings of losing her worth (she is acting with more than her figure this season). Jones benefits from much better material thanks to the way the plot goes for her. The show is stronger for having better material for the supporting cast such as Staton, Gladis, Batt, Sommer and others, while Slattery and Kartheiser are both good again.
The second season of the show appears at first glance to be the same as the first – the place is the same, the characters are the same, the costumes etc but the writing makes for a much better season as it has more going on that engages emotionally across the whole season.
It took a couple of episodes but there does seem to have been some improvements made to the show because this season worked a lot better for me than the first. I'm sure part of it is that I'm already familiar and invested with the characters to some point, but this season does a much better job of engaging the viewer and producing stories and characters that engage emotionally. In terms of the appearance of the show, it is as it was in the first season. The atmosphere of the time is there, with the inbuilt bigotry and sexism of the time and place laid out but this time it is not a matter of these things being whacked down on the table as an obvious thing but rather something that is engrained in everything to a point. Likewise the "times they are a-changing" moments are part of season-long threads rather than specific "look at this" moments in the plot.
All the characters from the first season are here but this time I did seem to care about them a lot more. They all seemed to be used much better than they were and be much more human, which improved upon the situation in the first season where the writing kept the majority of them at the same level as the sets and costumes – important and well done, but still a little superficial in terms of providing more than a bit of colour. This widening of the show and improving of the emotional depth drew me in as it went along and produced some very strong episodes indeed – a nice surprise considering that I spent the first season "interested" more than "engaged".
In the first season I felt the cast were all good and that they were not the ones limiting my engagement in the show, and season two sort of confirms that as they all continue to be good again, just this time with improved material. Hamm continues to be a charismatic focal point and he does well with the complexity of his character and the fact that he is not particularly likable. Moss is my favourite character and her rise within the company is cheering to watch, just as it is contrasted with Hendricks' secret frustration and feelings of losing her worth (she is acting with more than her figure this season). Jones benefits from much better material thanks to the way the plot goes for her. The show is stronger for having better material for the supporting cast such as Staton, Gladis, Batt, Sommer and others, while Slattery and Kartheiser are both good again.
The second season of the show appears at first glance to be the same as the first – the place is the same, the characters are the same, the costumes etc but the writing makes for a much better season as it has more going on that engages emotionally across the whole season.
Season Two (7/10 stars): Pushes The Bounds Of Slow/Oblique Storytelling
zkonedog4 July 2019
The first season of Mad Men was solid (maybe spectacular based on individual taste)--I gave it an 8/10--and clearly a landmark achievement in period TV drama. Season Two--while still an incredible 1960s-era set piece--severely lacks the "punch" of that original slate of episodes. It skirts up against the boundary of slow or oblique storytelling.
I'd normally give a brief summation of the season here, but that is difficult with Mad Men S2 because it takes such an oblique approach. Viewers are--in the very early goings--reminded of all the S1 plots, but then sort of meander until a muddled "resolution" in the season's final episode or two. In short: there is no "through line" (like the "who is Don Draper?" of S1) tying things together this go-around.
Whereas the previous season emphasized the period (1960s) and the location (Madison Avenue), this season focuses almost exclusively on the characters themselves--but unfortunately takes such a slow approach to doing so that it seems interminable as to what forward progress is being made whatsoever. S2 also suffers from the "all villains, no heroes" problem:
-Don (Jon Hamm) continues to be an enigma, but this time one without a sympathetic backstory. For the show's clear lead, having his S2 journey be so scrambled is problematic. The same goes for wife Betty (January Jones)--some interesting arcs that all fizzle at the end of each episode.
-Peggy Olson's (Elisabeth Moss) "situation" from the end of S1 isn't addressed whatsoever until the season's second or third episode--and then not again until the finale. A baffling choice. The intended Peggy character growth from a Catholic priest (Colin Hanks) character did not do much for me either.
-Up-and-comer Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) and wife Trudy (Alison Brie) get a deeper look here, but Pete remains a smarmy go-getter who doesn't garner much sympathy either way.
-When the season's plot machinations finally do come into focus in the final two episodes, they largely revolve around Duck Phillips (Mark Moses)--who is earlier set up as a clear "ad man to hate" in this series, even if technically more dependable than Don.
Perhaps the best way I can describe my malaise towards S2 of Mad Men comes in the season's penultimate episode, where Don again delves into his Dick Whitman past. After an episode that shows an extremely interesting character facet, it ends utterly ambiguously with Don wading into the ocean. A perfect metaphor for the season-at-large: interesting ideas that sort of just fade away.
Because Mad Men remains such a quality period piece, it is tough to drop it below a 7/10 star ranking (though a few eps were 6/10 in my book). Much like my experience sometimes with the later Better Caul Saul AMC hit, Mad Men S2 really pushes the boundaries of how slow or obliquely one can develop characters. Though clearly a series that wants to live in the grey area of societal/character choices, by the end of this slate it is really straining against how far it can go in that direction while still being entertaining rather than just wistful/thoughtful.
I'd normally give a brief summation of the season here, but that is difficult with Mad Men S2 because it takes such an oblique approach. Viewers are--in the very early goings--reminded of all the S1 plots, but then sort of meander until a muddled "resolution" in the season's final episode or two. In short: there is no "through line" (like the "who is Don Draper?" of S1) tying things together this go-around.
Whereas the previous season emphasized the period (1960s) and the location (Madison Avenue), this season focuses almost exclusively on the characters themselves--but unfortunately takes such a slow approach to doing so that it seems interminable as to what forward progress is being made whatsoever. S2 also suffers from the "all villains, no heroes" problem:
-Don (Jon Hamm) continues to be an enigma, but this time one without a sympathetic backstory. For the show's clear lead, having his S2 journey be so scrambled is problematic. The same goes for wife Betty (January Jones)--some interesting arcs that all fizzle at the end of each episode.
-Peggy Olson's (Elisabeth Moss) "situation" from the end of S1 isn't addressed whatsoever until the season's second or third episode--and then not again until the finale. A baffling choice. The intended Peggy character growth from a Catholic priest (Colin Hanks) character did not do much for me either.
-Up-and-comer Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) and wife Trudy (Alison Brie) get a deeper look here, but Pete remains a smarmy go-getter who doesn't garner much sympathy either way.
-When the season's plot machinations finally do come into focus in the final two episodes, they largely revolve around Duck Phillips (Mark Moses)--who is earlier set up as a clear "ad man to hate" in this series, even if technically more dependable than Don.
Perhaps the best way I can describe my malaise towards S2 of Mad Men comes in the season's penultimate episode, where Don again delves into his Dick Whitman past. After an episode that shows an extremely interesting character facet, it ends utterly ambiguously with Don wading into the ocean. A perfect metaphor for the season-at-large: interesting ideas that sort of just fade away.
Because Mad Men remains such a quality period piece, it is tough to drop it below a 7/10 star ranking (though a few eps were 6/10 in my book). Much like my experience sometimes with the later Better Caul Saul AMC hit, Mad Men S2 really pushes the boundaries of how slow or obliquely one can develop characters. Though clearly a series that wants to live in the grey area of societal/character choices, by the end of this slate it is really straining against how far it can go in that direction while still being entertaining rather than just wistful/thoughtful.
Ideological entertainment
bridgestone4 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
A season end crescendo is always well written. Most fans will be happy about a soft reconciliation between the Drapers.
What I object to is the Feminist agenda that the producers allow and the writers frantically pursue...
Yes some comparisons can be made in the era but it is constant and the themes by Season 3 have become preachy.
The direction Ms Draper takes is one of an empowered woman with new information so she now has moral leeway to also commit adultery. We had a chance for a real hero to emerge instead we got an obvious plot.
There was no build up of an neglected house wife who develops serious feelings for an acquaintance instead a numb woman sleeps with a stranger within minutes of meeting him. Something her intimacy seeking cheating husband still never did.
No orgasmic experience or shame, its rather useless story telling, just simple juvenile revenge. Instead of employing the right to act as bad as a man how about a story that places obligations on both!
I'm getting tired of the heavy stereotypes, there's no doubt that a Gender studies 20 something is on the writing team with little lived experience.
I'm bowing out and having a break from Netflix.
What I object to is the Feminist agenda that the producers allow and the writers frantically pursue...
Yes some comparisons can be made in the era but it is constant and the themes by Season 3 have become preachy.
The direction Ms Draper takes is one of an empowered woman with new information so she now has moral leeway to also commit adultery. We had a chance for a real hero to emerge instead we got an obvious plot.
There was no build up of an neglected house wife who develops serious feelings for an acquaintance instead a numb woman sleeps with a stranger within minutes of meeting him. Something her intimacy seeking cheating husband still never did.
No orgasmic experience or shame, its rather useless story telling, just simple juvenile revenge. Instead of employing the right to act as bad as a man how about a story that places obligations on both!
I'm getting tired of the heavy stereotypes, there's no doubt that a Gender studies 20 something is on the writing team with little lived experience.
I'm bowing out and having a break from Netflix.
Surprises
vivianla9 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Betty eyes the cute picture of two young fawns. Her face looks so small and elegant. The doctor comes in and tells her the spotting she had (blood on her pants) was not because of horseback riding. She is pregnant again. The doctor asks her to undress so he can analyze her. This doctor had helped the Drapers with their first two pregnancies. Betty says she cannot have a baby right now and the topic of abortion comes up.
Betty is horseback riding and thinks she sees Don in the distance. It is him - he came back and was there for 30 minutes waiting for her.
The Cuban Missile Crisis has everyone concerned and scrambling. Don watches Kennedy talk with a concern look.
Don strides into the office and people notice but are distracted because of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He wears a cute grey coat and his voice as he greets Tildy, Joan and Peggy is pretty hot. Joan welcomes him back and Peggy perks up and is happy to see he is safe. Peggy + Don are so cute in this scene. Don notices Peggy's new office that is next door and her haircut.
Don has a ton of paperwork to look through on his desk and compliments Peter on his work. Peter came in with resentment towards Don but leaves with good feelings to Don.
The guys try to fix the television as they are watching the news. I like the vibes in this - a group of guys who are silly.
At the end of the episode they wrap the season up well with the topic of pregnancies amidst a terrifying world event.
Trudy is concerned about Peter's safety being left in Manhattan as she goes to join her parents. She leaves him money.
Betty receives an apology letter from Don and Joan lets Don know at the end of the day that his wife called. The whole office is scrambling to get out and there are only a few people left.
Peggy and Peter linger around the office as Peter offers a drink at the end of the day and the windows show a dark sky. Peter tells Peggy how he knows Peggy truly cares and he would have picked her first to marry. Peggy said she could have shamed him into marrying her and announces she was pregnant and gave up the baby for adoption. Peter cannot believe she is serious.
Don goes home to find Betty and they sit down. Betty tells Don she is pregnant and they hold hands. They gaze into each other's eyes and season 2 is done.
Betty is horseback riding and thinks she sees Don in the distance. It is him - he came back and was there for 30 minutes waiting for her.
The Cuban Missile Crisis has everyone concerned and scrambling. Don watches Kennedy talk with a concern look.
Don strides into the office and people notice but are distracted because of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He wears a cute grey coat and his voice as he greets Tildy, Joan and Peggy is pretty hot. Joan welcomes him back and Peggy perks up and is happy to see he is safe. Peggy + Don are so cute in this scene. Don notices Peggy's new office that is next door and her haircut.
Don has a ton of paperwork to look through on his desk and compliments Peter on his work. Peter came in with resentment towards Don but leaves with good feelings to Don.
The guys try to fix the television as they are watching the news. I like the vibes in this - a group of guys who are silly.
At the end of the episode they wrap the season up well with the topic of pregnancies amidst a terrifying world event.
Trudy is concerned about Peter's safety being left in Manhattan as she goes to join her parents. She leaves him money.
Betty receives an apology letter from Don and Joan lets Don know at the end of the day that his wife called. The whole office is scrambling to get out and there are only a few people left.
Peggy and Peter linger around the office as Peter offers a drink at the end of the day and the windows show a dark sky. Peter tells Peggy how he knows Peggy truly cares and he would have picked her first to marry. Peggy said she could have shamed him into marrying her and announces she was pregnant and gave up the baby for adoption. Peter cannot believe she is serious.
Don goes home to find Betty and they sit down. Betty tells Don she is pregnant and they hold hands. They gaze into each other's eyes and season 2 is done.
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