Mad Men - Season 5

Season 5 is another stellar performance from the Mad Men franchise, with excellent acting from a strong cast, and fantastic writing, capturing everything down to the smallest detail. The show still does a splendid job of portraying the world of a 1960s Madison Avenue ad agency and the 60s American life more broadly, this time with LSD, Hare Krishna and the other novelties of the second half of the 60s. It continues to be incredibly well researched, with faultless attention to detail and is great at capturing the subtleties of life and work almost 50 years ago. Don Draper's character again gets more attention, with the new family life and the new marriage changing both his attitude to life and work in many ways, down to the fear of whether he still has what it's got. Pete on the other hand is trying as hard as possible to emulate the Don of earlier seasons, managing not wholly convincingly. The new characters introduced, namely Megan's parents, are an excellent addition, and her father is the source of one of the most memorable quotes of the season. Fans of Peggy may feel she has been somewhat short changed this season, as there is less attention lavished on her. The ratio between life in the office, at home and in 'extra-curricular activities' is still aptly chosen and issues are given adequate time and attention, so as not to fall flat but to be sufficiently multidimensional to actually contribute to the story. The professional aspect of work in an ad agency is interesting for two reasons - for how the realtionships have changed seismically in some aspects and how in others, shockingly litte progress has been made in the advertising field for over 4 decades. Sure enough, new media has entered the scene since but having worked in the field, many of the same approaches and methods are being 're-invented' year in, year out, with the industry on the whole largely standing still. On the other hand both the gender and race issues, that are showing the first harbingers of change in the series, are shocking to observe for someone growing generations later. I'd also applaud the show for not coming across as judgemental but showing a portrayal of the world and allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. The DVD comes with a fairly eclectic selection of extras, from the famous quotes, to one on the music, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, on the establishment of Summer Time. Even though habituation to the high quality of the series may make the latest season feel a bit less bombastically good, I still believe that this is the best TV show I have seen so far and can warmly recommend it!

I was hooked to Mad Men from the very first episode. I like everything, from the great opening credits (that music, that falling man!) to the carefully reconstructed sets, to the slow pacing of the plot. But it is not just the perfection of the settings, the costumes, and the period music. It is also a show with a soul. And a much-needed break from either cops or the doctors shows. I also like the fact that it is an ensemble show, even if it often focus on Don Draper. All the characters are flawed and very "human". It is easy to identify with them and with their daily struggle to find happiness or at least some satisfaction in a fast-changing society. This 5th series did not disappoint me. As the time frame is moving towards the end of the 60s, all the characters appear more confused and disoriented. The youth-quake is starting to have an influence on mainstream fashion (and behaviour). Therefore the female costumes for the show were carefully crafted to suit the swinging mood, but still very much fitting the different personalities (very short minis for young and carefree Megan, more conservative for Peggy and young Sally experimenting with grown-up outfits). Drugs are also making an appearance. The music of the young creates a gulf between them and their parents (watch Don listening to Revolver). Among these major changes in society we follow the personal development (or disintegration) of all the main characters. Even if Don Draper has a bad reputation for his womanising, I find him an intriguing character, with a soft and vulnerable side. His kindness shines through in the great episode The Other Woman. Pete is the usual despicable, creepy man, adding another layer to his creepiness. Peggy finally manages to stand on her own feet, after much struggle and humiliation. Joan has to face a difficult choice and Richard goes through some weird experience. I would definitely recommend Season 5 to all fans of the series and to anybody with a sense of style and an interest in human nature.

Something unexpected happened when I started watching season 5. I found myself being bored. The first six episodes really didn't work for me and not having any idea whether it would get better I started thinking I'd just pretend MM ended with S4. But thankfully it is back to its old self from episode 7 onwards, so if you've yet to watch it don't give up on it. Hard to say why the first six don't work, but to me it seemed the observations and psychology regarding personal relationships was somewhat absent, along with any focus on campaigns being minimal. Another issue was that many characters just didn't seem to get quality air time, Betty, Peggy, Sally and Pete, even Don to an extent, and the rest of the agency barely made much of an appearance. But from episode 7 it was back on form, not coincidentally Sally features quite a bit in episode 7, Sally has always allowed for observation of the characters through a child's eyes and it's always compelling. So, episodes 7-13 would be 5 stars, but episodes 1-6 only 3, so an overall 4 stars. The final scene of the last episode is so good I had to watch it four times straight, pure class. Looking forward to S6.

In this series the standard of writing remains excellent with a great sense of time, place, costume etc. All the characters are clearly drawn and I liked the way that each episode focused on a different one each week. I still care about them even with their faults and frailties. There are also some big developments with individual charcters - one shocking one that I did not see coming. So plenty to keep the viewer gripped. I tried to ration the number of episodes per week to make it last longer but it was just too googd to wait for. The acting remains top notch too and the final scene in the final episode opens up area for further development in the next series that I now have to wait for grrr!

Season 5 is great!!, a bit more experimental this time with more broken narrative, fades and other departures, and boy are the writers Beatles fans; Hare Krishna, Tibetan Book of the Dead, and 'Tomorrow Never Knows' are all in there! I suppose we like MM so much because it addresses what 'baby boomers' wanted and how they went about getting it, and how so much of our current lives is distorted by their fantasies. Thanks again Mr Weiner, only 2 more season to go!!

Mad Men.... Where to start? Series 5 felt quite compact, the storylines tight, poetic and beautifully interwoven as ever, the attention to detail exquisite as always. The tension that has permeated the first four series, for me anyway -whether Dick Whitman would ever come clean /would Don Draper ever find true love - has been replaced by something else in series 5. I have loved Mad Men from the beginning, albeit with the caveat that the characters were so flawed, it's their flaws you start loving, not their good sides. The surprising show stealer here was Megan. FINALLY someone who makes a stand and says no thanks to the frustrating half-life that everyone else at SCDP seems to be content with! Even Peggy who has been the one female character I have been able to relate to for her dogged pursuit of a corner office, but to the detriment of anything else, delivers a delicious and long overdue right hook to Don Drapers well shaved chin. I am feeling calm about Peggy, because the twittersphere is telling all will be fine :). Her development into a more rounded person is as satisfying to watch as Megans surprisingly heavy impact despite her newness to the Mad Men family. Anyway. 5 Stars. How could I not? The show that never sleeps.

As I watched the last series of this wonderful series, I just had to get the follow up to it. I was not disappointed, also the era with which the series is set in. The last one being in the fifties leading up to now the sixties. The story line of each and every individual in the series is compelling. Yes I just really enjoy the series of Mad Men.

Perhaps the best TV series ever continues its way through sixties American history and the lucrative yet stressful advertising world therein.

Presentación inteligente y sutil de las relaciones interpersonales de los miembros de una empresa entre si y con sus familiares. No hay ningún héroe con el que identificarse. Todos los personajes son capaces de las mayores bajezas, al tiempo que son terriblemente "buenos " en otras situaciones. Serie de gran calidad tecnica. Engancha por la incertidumbre de saber lo que pasará sin necesidad de disparos, carreras de coches y asesinatos sin fin, lo que es de agradecer en una serie americana.

心理描写の深さ、人の業と人生の不条理、衝撃的な展開。それぞれのキャラクターも魅力的で本当に味わい深いドラマ。 酸いも甘いも噛み分けたアラフォー以上にはうってつけの、大人の秀作ドラマです。あと２シーズンでお別れとは淋しい限り！

Mad Men : la nostalgie des 30 glorieuses qui débutent là-bas, dans le Monde encore et toujours Nouveau. La déferlante du monde de la publicité qui allume tous nos fantasmes de joie de vivre et de prospérité, par le maniement nouveaux de l'image doublée de parole. Après l'affiche, voilà la télé dans vos foyers. Tout est largesse et facilité. Accès libre aux rêves les plus fous. L'american way of life est à vos pieds. L'inimitable ? Non, celle à imiter. Mais sans modération. Laissez-vous emporter par cette saga aux acteurs si épais de vérité avec, en plus, le charme et la volupté. Les équipes des Mad Men sont là, dans la section Madisson, pour sortir le monde du chaos de la 2ème Guerre Mondiale.

While this wasn't my favorite season, it's still an easy five stars since it's in the top 3 of best shows currently on television. I know there have been a lot negative reactions towards this season, and I think maybe it's for a few reasons. Lots of people despise Megan. And others say that "nothing really happened". I don't really like Megan either, but I've come to accept her character. She is SUPPOSED to be annoying (or at least can easily be interpreted as so). We don't have to like her. As far as nothing happening, plenty of things happened, although I admit it was a little slow-paced, but I think it's building up for better seasons to come. This season takes place between Memorial Day 1966 and Spring 1967. The season focuses on Don Draper and Megan's relationship and how distracting it is from his job, and most of the main characters are facing painful new beginnings and realize it's a "dog-eat-dog" world. The season starts out light (probably because of how dark season 4 was), but by the end of the season things are gloomier than ever. So never fear, Mad Men isn't going soft. Don - one reason I enjoyed season 4 so much is that we had a break from Don being in a dramatic, serious relationship. He was just casually dating and we were able to see more of SCDP. Now he's married to Megan, and that opens up a lot more storylines. You'll either love or hate Megan. She shows signs of being very independent and mature, but then will surprise you by suddenly doing something very stupid and childish. The big question is: how long is it until Don cheats on her? I don't believe that Don will be in a monogamous relationship for the rest of his life. It's also interesting how it's reminiscent of the beginning of his relationship with Betty. Betty was a beautiful young model and Don swept her up. When Betty got older and he got bored, he lost interest. Megan is also a very young girl, an actress, and pretty (in Don's eyes). What's going to happen to his fidelity to Megan in a couple years? Or 10? Or even by the end of the season? When Don loses respect for someone, a lot of feelings for them deteriorate quickly. Don also has to deal with Megan's Canadian parents, who have a very bizarre marriage and her father is not a total believer in Don. He thinks Megan took the easy way out by marrying a rich guy. Megan's mother is also incredibly insecure, which is a recurring theme throughout the season. Betty - since January Jones is pregnant, they decided to put her in a fat suit to hide it, and turn that into a storyline. Perfect Betty has to deal with being overweight, which makes for some interesting television. Her appearances are very sparse, however, and you can go episodes without seeing her at all. There is a lot of pressure on Betty to compete with Megan, especially when her children are involved. As far as Sally goes, she goes through a lot of childhood development this season. Glen the creepy kid also makes a couple appearances, and their relationship is really open for interpretation. Kiernan Shipka is also a great young actress. We also get to see Henry Francis' mother a little bit, especially when she babysits Sally. Pete - Pete is...well, Pete. But cockier than ever. He feels that all is owed to him, even as only a junior partner. He gets incredibly demanding this season and enters into some interesting affairs. Pete is honestly one of the most difficult characters for me to empathize with, especially this season. Almost every thing he does is just obnoxious, not to mention he is a total hypocrite. Vincent Kartheiser is great, however. Peggy - as my favorite character, I liked what they did with her this season. She has to balance romance and work in a very sexist society, and makes some life changing decisions several times throughout the season. I love how strong Peggy is, and in these days she would easily be a partner already. Peggy also is Megan's boss...which is really quite inappropriate and causes a lot of awkwardness in the office. Joan - remember that jerk she's married to? Yeah. They're still married when the season starts, unfortunately. Joan is strong though, and without spoiling anything, she makes some very questionable and life altering decisions this season regarding her romantic and work life. I think her and Peggy learn the most this season about how when it boils down to it, it's every wo/man for themselves. Lane - bitter about not getting the greatest deal out of this partnership, Lane makes some...questionable business decisions this season. He becomes much more prevalent later in the season, and without spoiling much, he gets into a very....entertaining "discussion" with Pete. I think Jared Harris is amazing for this role. Roger - talked into taking LSD with Jane, Roger has a very memorable and insightful trip. Although the acid trip was a little stereotypical, there's nothing funnier than watching Roger doing acid. The trip also has longer implications for him in the season. Additionally, Roger enters into a very odd romantic relationship with an unexpected character. And it's not just the characters that will suck you in and keep you watching. The context of show is amazingly interesting. We get to see references to the Richard Speck murders, Charles Witman's shooting rampage, toxic clouds of smog over NYC, the Hare Krishnas, and the Rolling Stones. Also some interesting clients this season: Heinz, Jaguar, Mohawk Airlines, American Cancer Society, Manischewitz, Dow Chemical, and Virginia Slims. You could watch this show for the amazingly intricate characters, the interesting portrayal of life in the 60s, or both. This show is highly entertaining, addictive, and one of the best on television today.

Etwas schwächer als die vierte Staffel präsentiert sich die fünfte, die aber dennoch eine gute ist. In dieser Staffel rückt wie in der dritten wieder der private Teil in den Mittelpunkt, wobei auf mehr Charaktere eingegangen wird. Anfänglich etwas schleppend bilden sich insgesamt 13 Episoden von guter Qualität heraus, deren Stil sich von seinen Vorgängern unterscheidet. Mit einer guten Geschichte und einer prise Humor wird man bestens durch die Staffel geleitet. Die DVD-Hülle ist jene Art, die schon seit der dritten Staffel verwendet wird. Neu ist, dass das FSK-Logo wie in Staffel 2 nur auf dem Schuber aufgeklebt ist. Die Hülle selbst besitzt ein Wendecover. Schade finde ich, dass das Cover eins-zu-eins von der US-Auflage übernommen und kein spezielles erstellt wurde. Äußerlich hebt es sich so deutlich von den anderen Staffeln ab. In Sachen Sound ist hier eine deutsche und englisch 5.1-Tonspur vorhanden. Die Extras umfassen "Mad Men & Musik - Der Sound der Sechziger", "Mad Men & Musik - Die Themen der 5. Staffel", "Die Wahrheit ist cool", "Truman Capote und die Party des Jahrhunderts", sowie diverse Interviews. Für Mad Men-Fans ist diese Staffel natürlich ein Muss um am Ball zu bleiben, denn es gibt viele Momente, die man nur wirklich versteht, wenn man die Vorgeschichte kennt. Neulinge sollten deshalb am Anfang beginnen um in den vollen Genuss zu kommen.