shut the door; have a seat

Monster post on Overthinking It today, overthinking Mad Men Season 3, which just wrapped this past Sunday. Preview:

Mad Men is a story about men and women searching for meaning. Mad Men can tell this story because it’s set in an ad agency. Consumer capitalism, which really came into its own following World War II, [...]

it is not dying; it is not dying

I Still Like Him Better Than Steinbrenner
For my Don Draper costume, I had to shave my sideburns off for the first time in at least six years. This took considerable effort, as attacking six years’ growth with a disposable razor will, and left the skin underneath a little raw. But it looks fine [...]

you told me again you preferred handsome men

And Who Are You Supposed To Be?
How good was this past Sunday’s episode of Mad Men (“The Hobo and the Gypsy”)? So good that I don’t know if I want to go as Don Draper for Halloween anymore. That’s how good it was.
I probably will, anyway, as I’ve reached that point in my [...]

when your broken heart has learned its lesson

Mad Men: I’m one of the few people I know who defends Betty Draper.
(NO SPOILERS, though I may reference events in the episode “Wee Small Hours” in an oblique way)
Not to suggest she’s not a terrible mother. She lets television do her parenting for her, is completely oblivious to her children’s needs – especially [...]

that’s why I say hey man, nice shot

A drive-by media blow at high speeds:
The Confusion: I liked this more than Quicksilver, its predecessor. Perhaps because it dealt in greater depth with two subjects that fascinate me: the growth of credit markets and pirate swordfights. It introduced the same baffling array of characters as the first novel did, but gives us [...]

he’s in the place, but I get no joy

Mad Men S3 Premiere (SPOILER-FREE): A gentle easing back in to America’s favorite ad agency. Aside from certain exciting developments in the lives of Messrs. Cosgrove and Campbell, no real plot developments here. But I’m okay with that (which is perhaps an inconvenient bit of hypocrisy, considering how much distaste I directed at [...]

if every word I said could make you laugh I’d talk forever

So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started watching Mad Men, every single episode has been better than the episode before it. So that means that every single episode that I see, that’s the best episode of Mad Men ever.
What about the last episode? Was the [...]

quit holding out and draw another breath

A meaty media blow for your Monday morning mainline:
Mad Men: I finally caught up on S2 this weekend. I’ve long maintained that a good show’s second or third seasons should be better than their first. Now that the writers have established all of the characters, they get to take them out of the [...]