Mad Men: Bad Dreams.Tense Realities

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Apr 132012
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men: Bad Dreams, Tense Realities on Blogcritics. Mad Men took a darker, more manly turn in this week’s episode. Don’s fevered dream in which he fights off his philandering demons and commits murder, Pauline’s slapping Sally and slipping her some Secanol, Joan’s dumping her husband and reliving her rape at his hands, and the creative department’s delight in looking at Chicago mass murder scene photos certainly made for some disturbing drama. Compared to all of this, things seem relatively calm on the [read more]

Mad Men: A Big Win. Cultural Enlightenment

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Apr 062012
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men: A Big Win and Cultural Enlightenment on Blogcritics Youth Culture Meets The Culture Of Mad Men This week’s Mad Men episode highlights the emergence of the ’60s youth culture and its infusion into the advertising business. It foretells the powerful and positive disruptive effect that the culture of youth will have on the advertising business. It really hit home with me. In 1966 I was 23, had celebrated my first year anniversary with Benton & Bowles and made the move from media [read more]

The Mad Men Ride Into Tomorrowland

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Oct 232010
 

Tweet Article first published as The Mad Men Ride Into Tomorrowland on Blogcritics. All in all, the season four Mad Men finale was pretty tame compared to the dramatic upheavals ushered in at the end of season three. Other than Don’s engagement to Megan there were not any big developments or new shake-ups that would dramatically alter the operations and fate of SCDP. Slowly but surely things were starting to look up again for the agency. The partners’ outrage at Don’s manifesto ad in the New York Times [read more]

Don Draper Roars Back

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Oct 142010
 

Tweet Article first published as Don Draper Roars Back on Blogcritics. Lead, Follow Or Get Out Of The Way. As this week’s episode picked up it looked like the initial shock of the Lucky Strike loss had sunk in at SCDP and everyone accepted the reality that changes were inevitable. The initial outrage over Roger’s irresponsible handling of the situation had subsided and Pete decided to stay put at the agency. Lane was back as a stabilizing and pragmatic force directing the actions necessary to streamline [read more]

Mad Men: The Good,The Bad & The Ugly.

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Oct 092010
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. on Blogcritics. Roger Tanks. Don Sinks. Peggy Delivers. Pete ?? This week’s episode brought out the good the bad and the ugly at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. As far as Roger was concerned it was particularly ugly. This was a riveting episode that brought the uncertainties of the agency business, the fragility of client relationships and the vulnerability of people into dramatic focus. It was an especially emotional episode to watch. [read more]

Mad Men: Bad Things Come In Threes

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Sep 292010
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men: Bad Things Happen In Threes on Blogcritics. Hello DOD. Bye Bye Lucky Strike. Bon Voyage Lane. Personal trauma and professional troubles intermingled in powerful ways on this week’s episode. Don’s lies about his past collided with current business realities that jeopardized significant new account revenue for SCDP. Sorely needed revenue at a time when the agency was about to absorb a major body blow with the loss of Lucky Strike. On top of that, three of the agency’s [read more]

Mad Men: What A Week At SCDP!

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Sep 232010
 

Tweet Rich Text Article first published as Mad Men: A Very Bad Week At The Office on Blogcritics. Death. Discrimination. Desire. Defiance. There might not have been a lot of advertising being created at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce on this week’s episode but the SCDP staffers definitely had a lot of emotion and controversy to deal with. Death, a mugging, racial discrimination, sexual preferences, infidelity, a runaway kid, separation, a new affair and the rekindling of an old one all showed up at the agency. [read more]

The Women of Mad Men Start To Roar

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Sep 172010
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men Women Start To Roar on Blogcritics. Peggy Steps Up. Joan Speaks Up. Don Cleans Up. Much of the drama that took place at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce in this week’s episode happened with Peggy and Joan. Mad Men turned the lens on the issues and challenges facing women in those heady days. High on the list of those issues were the kinds of sexual harassment that Joan experienced with the boys in the creative department, the “boys will be [read more]

Don And Peggy Find Their Sweet Spot

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Sep 082010
 

Tweet Article first published as Mad Men: Don And Peggy Find Their Sweet Spot on Blogcritics. A Championship Fight. Work All Night. Don & Peggy Get “Right”. Sterling Cooper Draper & Pryce is a mosaic in motion. Pete Campbell and Ken Cosgrove are back together again. Pete is protecting his turf. Roger is feeling a bit irrelevant and drifting off into a memoir fantasy. Don is spiraling down an endless glass of Canadian Club and being erratic as ever. Peggy is growing up and growing [read more]

Don Draper’s Award Winning Lost Weekend

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Sep 062010
 

Tweet Article first published as Don Draper’s Award Winning Lost Weekend on Blogcritics. Whose idea is it anyway? Don loses it. Peggy bares all. After a rocky start, the first few months of 1965 progressed pretty well on the business front for the folks at SCDP. Pete Campbell scored a six million dollar face saving account in Vicks, the agency was able to hold on to Ponds and Don used his guile and skill to turn Roger’s embarrassing display of bad taste into a shot [read more]

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