Mad Men

I finally watched Season One over break. And I have to say, it's very engaging. Sexist, but engaging. And to think it was only 50 years ago that men could publicly slap a woman's behind in the workforce, or run to their mistresses and still be home in time for dinner. It blows my mind. Anyway, like any good drama, it's the characters that draw you in, more than the actual story. Aside from Sterling Cooper being an advertising agency on Madision Avenue, there's little to learn about advertising. Their smoke-filled meetings typically last 5-10 minutes and end with gulps of whiskey. Hard to believe that anyone's actually working! And their ads look stodgy and outdated. More corporate, than creative. But stylistically, the show is on par. The outfits, the hair and the lipstick are high notes. I was a theater major and can't help but notice these things. But when you get down to it, it's the Don Drapers and Joan Holloways and Peggy Olsens that pull me in. Peggy Olsen went from being Mr. Draper's secretary to copywriter in one episode. It reminds me of the time I applied for a receptionist position at Modernista! (before I decided to come to The Circus) with the secret hopes of slowly moving my way up to copywriter. Well that didn't happen and it was all for the better. I would have been stalling my life answering phones instead of coming to school and learning a craft. Oh, and the HR person's name was Sunshine. Yes, I guess you could say everything turned out just fine for me in the end.