So what's the big deal about Mad Men?

Batman · 04-18-2012, 06:03 PM

I'm up to the third season and am still waiting to see what the big deal is. The acting is great, the settings are neat, and it's interesting/shocking to see how different/similar things are/were. But the story is... boring. The characters sell products and have affairs. Over and over and over again. I'm more interested in the character's back stories and watching them struggle then finding out if Peggy's gonna land an account again or if Don's gonna hafta save the day. And there's hardly any conflict. When there is, it's stagnant and just rolls over... like when Don gets caught having an affair. Am I missing something? Does it pick up by Season 4 or in the second half of season 3?

Key · 04-18-2012, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batman

I'm up to the third season and am still waiting to see what the big deal is. The acting is great, the settings are neat, and it's interesting/shocking to see how different/similar things are/were. But the story is... boring. The characters sell products and have affairs. Over and over and over again.

I couldn't stomach the first season. I didn't understand the appeal at all.

midnight rain · 04-18-2012, 06:08 PM

I haven't watched it and it doesn't sound all that interesting to me, I think the selling point is that it's "cool" and "stylish", those are the only words I can think of to describe a show that seems entirely dependent on its period.

Kind of like Boardwalk Empire.

Sparky · 04-18-2012, 06:17 PM

I haven't really cared for most of AMC's lineup. Walking Dead bored me to sleep

Batman · 04-18-2012, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky

I haven't really cared for most of AMC's lineup. Walking Dead bored me to sleep

I stream TV from netflix so I'm not familiar with different network's lineups. What else do they run besides Walking Dead? I watched the first season of that too and was underwhelmed. It felt like it could've been good but the writers were just lazy and uninspired. I also have an automatic bias in favor of all things zombie, though.

Sparky · 04-18-2012, 06:32 PM

They did breaking bad as well, which apparently gets really good but i couldn't force myself through the second season.

Key · 04-18-2012, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparky

They did breaking bad as well, which apparently gets really good but i couldn't force myself through the second season.

You should give the 2nd season a chance again if you haven't. It's incredible. The 3rd season is even better.

Burning Down · 04-18-2012, 08:31 PM

I couldn't even get past the 3rd episode of Mad Men. It seriously bored me to death, and it's really over-hyped.

Freebase Dali · 04-18-2012, 08:47 PM

I enjoy it.
It's one of those things you just "get into". You get into the characters, their lives at home and at work, and the way they interact, no matter how dull or how volatile. The interplay is extremely well done, and the period is an interesting backdrop, which really brings out some of the outlying social issues of the time.

It's a good show, to me.
I think maybe some people went into it with different expectations.

Batman · 04-18-2012, 09:24 PM

Don, Sal, and Peggy are the only characters of the show that I find interesting. And while Don and Peggy seem to be the main characters, I don't feel like I really know them. I find myself wishing it spent more time elaborating on their issues and history. Like in Lost. It felt like in every other episode of Lost you really got to know a lot more about a major character or something very significant happened that altered the relationships between characters. In Mad Men, things just... roll over. There's no catharsis.

04-18-2012, 06:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
Batman Whatever, dude Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 70	So what's the big deal about Mad Men? I'm up to the third season and am still waiting to see what the big deal is. The acting is great, the settings are neat, and it's interesting/shocking to see how different/similar things are/were. But the story is... boring. The characters sell products and have affairs. Over and over and over again. I'm more interested in the character's back stories and watching them struggle then finding out if Peggy's gonna land an account again or if Don's gonna hafta save the day. And there's hardly any conflict. When there is, it's stagnant and just rolls over... like when Don gets caught having an affair. Am I missing something? Does it pick up by Season 4 or in the second half of season 3?

04-18-2012, 06:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
midnight rain Music Addict Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 1,711	I haven't watched it and it doesn't sound all that interesting to me, I think the selling point is that it's "cool" and "stylish", those are the only words I can think of to describe a show that seems entirely dependent on its period. Kind of like Boardwalk Empire.

04-18-2012, 06:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
Sparky not really Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 5,223	I haven't really cared for most of AMC's lineup. Walking Dead bored me to sleep

04-18-2012, 06:32 PM	#6 (permalink)
Sparky not really Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 5,223	They did breaking bad as well, which apparently gets really good but i couldn't force myself through the second season.

04-18-2012, 08:31 PM	#8 (permalink)
Burning Down The Music Guru. Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Beyond the Wall Posts: 4,858	I couldn't even get past the 3rd episode of Mad Men. It seriously bored me to death, and it's really over-hyped.

04-18-2012, 08:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
Freebase Dali Partying on the inside Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 5,584	I enjoy it. It's one of those things you just "get into". You get into the characters, their lives at home and at work, and the way they interact, no matter how dull or how volatile. The interplay is extremely well done, and the period is an interesting backdrop, which really brings out some of the outlying social issues of the time. It's a good show, to me. I think maybe some people went into it with different expectations.

04-18-2012, 09:24 PM	#10 (permalink)
Batman Whatever, dude Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 70	Don, Sal, and Peggy are the only characters of the show that I find interesting. And while Don and Peggy seem to be the main characters, I don't feel like I really know them. I find myself wishing it spent more time elaborating on their issues and history. Like in Lost. It felt like in every other episode of Lost you really got to know a lot more about a major character or something very significant happened that altered the relationships between characters. In Mad Men, things just... roll over. There's no catharsis.