Mad Men

So I recently caught up on the past 2 episodes of Mad Men this season.  The past two episodes have been spectacular and really had moments that reminded me of how good this show can be. 

I first was introduced to this show about 3 years ago, when it was running during its third season.  I was so mesmerized by the show that I watched all the episodes, and subsequently purchased the DVDs.  I was captured by the story of the men of Madison Avenue, the lifestyle of the 60s, and the creativity behind advertising.

The show has always been about the drama, and the creativity behind the ad agency has dwindled over the seasons as the the characters evolved.  However the main character Don Draper (John Hamm), has been such as great character to follow through the seasons, and the past couple episodes have really highlighted him as coming full circle to only come crashing down to question himself all over again.

[SPOILERS]

Seeing Don come to the rescue of Joan (Christina Hendricks) after she got served, and seeing their dialogue at the bar was classic Don Draper and Joan prior to all the drama between their marriages and what not.  I could not recall when those two had a scene together in a while, and they were able to bring that charm to each others characters after their individual plot lines.  It was the classic Joan eyeing Don as that tall, dark and handsome man that seems unobtainable.

The concept of Don being apathetic about his work, especially when his wife left the office had been building up, and Don changes that perspective when he addresses how he will tackle the Jaguar account.  The idea of Don not being able to keep up with mainstream and popular culture has been depicted as well, and the answer to whether he still retains that advertising genius still remains unanswered.  The shady business of advertising within the car world prevents us from know if Don still has what it takes to make a perfect pitch.

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce reach a new low when Joan is pretty much prostituted out to ensure a shot at being the agency marketing the new Jaguar account.  Weiner did a good job in depicting how Don’s honors stood firm but eventually was too late to prevent Joan from selling herself for lifelong financial security.

Don’s revitalized commitment to his work ends in questionable ruins when he realizes that Joan is now a partner in the agency, and Peggy decides to sail for greener pastures.  Seeing the paths of Don and Peggy diverge was a sad moment considering they had some parallels in their lives, and they have covered for one another several times.  But the story was building up to Peggy’s disappointment with work.  Don does his best to keep her, but in the end she leaves.  So with as much bravado as Don musters up to rededicate his efforts to SCDP, he end ups being alone questioning where he is and how he ended up there with his liquor in hand.