With Don Draper on forced leave due to his semi-breakdown of honesty, work continues at the Agency with their main business on the east coast and their new venture on the west. With Don's lesson on honesty learnt, he keeps his situation from his family – including his wife, living on the opposite coast to get her acting career going while in theory she waits for Don to find and job and move out to join her. Meanwhile the new structure of the agency continues to have tensions and rifts – even more so as television and computing start to be more competitive advantages.
Screened in two distinct halves, this first half of the final season of Mad Men is a solid continuation of generally what the show has done well. Draper is in the wake of his struggles and not sure how to find his own way. As it always has been, he is the core of the show and his story continues to be interesting in where it is going as a conclusion. The doubts and weaknesses in the character seem more evident to himself now, whereas before maybe they were not so much, and this allows for the show to be more meditative about his direction (in particular spelt out by the final scene of this half- season). The supporting characters continue to do their thing but too often their material feels a little familiar or out-of-nowhere. Sometimes this is fine (Peggy's ongoing journey remains interesting) but with characters such as Pete, Joan, Sterling and a few others, they do feel like they are treading water in some ways. Meanwhile for others things seem to have little base, with conflict and drama not always feeling naturally occurring but rather done for something to do. However, Draper's core is strong and the rest fits in around and near it, mostly working.
The production values remain high, with a good sense of time and place. The portrayal of the changing times are done matter-of-factly rather than with heavy nostalgia; although events of note are of course featured, they do not stick out heavily but rather as part of the story of these characters. The changing times instead are made part of the turmoil and changing of the characters and not just something happening remotely – this has always been the case but here I thought it did it particularly well. The cast continue their good performances, with generally very well delivered characters, although one does wonder if they will ever manage to shake off the characters they do so well (Hamm particularly has had success outside of this show, but at the same time has many times just played a version of Draper).
A strong start to the endgame then, with plenty going on, most of which works. If it can keep this standard as it approaches the second and final set of episodes, I'll be happy enough.
Screened in two distinct halves, this first half of the final season of Mad Men is a solid continuation of generally what the show has done well. Draper is in the wake of his struggles and not sure how to find his own way. As it always has been, he is the core of the show and his story continues to be interesting in where it is going as a conclusion. The doubts and weaknesses in the character seem more evident to himself now, whereas before maybe they were not so much, and this allows for the show to be more meditative about his direction (in particular spelt out by the final scene of this half- season). The supporting characters continue to do their thing but too often their material feels a little familiar or out-of-nowhere. Sometimes this is fine (Peggy's ongoing journey remains interesting) but with characters such as Pete, Joan, Sterling and a few others, they do feel like they are treading water in some ways. Meanwhile for others things seem to have little base, with conflict and drama not always feeling naturally occurring but rather done for something to do. However, Draper's core is strong and the rest fits in around and near it, mostly working.
The production values remain high, with a good sense of time and place. The portrayal of the changing times are done matter-of-factly rather than with heavy nostalgia; although events of note are of course featured, they do not stick out heavily but rather as part of the story of these characters. The changing times instead are made part of the turmoil and changing of the characters and not just something happening remotely – this has always been the case but here I thought it did it particularly well. The cast continue their good performances, with generally very well delivered characters, although one does wonder if they will ever manage to shake off the characters they do so well (Hamm particularly has had success outside of this show, but at the same time has many times just played a version of Draper).
A strong start to the endgame then, with plenty going on, most of which works. If it can keep this standard as it approaches the second and final set of episodes, I'll be happy enough.