Mad Men

I was mostly enthusiastic about the first episode. My first thought was that it was almost a cross between Crime Story and the agency scenes from Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House ("if you ain't eatin' Whamm, you aint eatin' ham").

I'm a sucker for all of the retro aspects of the show (production design, music, wardrobe, etc.). So, the look of Mad Men alone is worth at least on hour of anyone's time.

My biggest complaint from the first show was the lazy depiction of the tobacco company executives. Their constant coughing, a tired smoking cliché, undermined the strength of the point that the show was trying to make. Also, the German researcher with the heavy accent was a bit much (Leni Riefenstahl ended up with Greenpeace, not Philip Morris after all).

Going forward, I hope the writers are not trying to be like LA Law and use Mad Men to make weekly social statements via the clients the agency takes on. However, the possibility that the Nixon campaign of 1960 will be a plot element for future shows makes me nervous.

A side note -- who is going to run commercials during a show that basically presents advertising as one big lie?

All that being said, Mad Man's main character, the agency's creative director Don Draper, makes it all work. His "story" is fleshed out in small pieces throughout the first episode. He's a successful, yet jaded, executive. He's a decorated veteran (it's not clear yet if it's WW2 or Korea). His sexually charged interaction with a department store heiress/would be client was great to watch.

The show's ending, where a world weary Don slumps home (revealing his marital status) and tenderly seeks refuge with his kids, was an inspired and moving ending (especially for a first episode).

I'll be watching.