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Not long after Season Two of "MAD MEN" aired nearly three years ago, I wrote this article about one of that season's recurring characters, Bobbie Barrett:


"MAD MEN": Sex and Bobbie Barrett

The fans’ reactions to the character of Bobbie Barrett have always intrigued me. In this day and age – namely the early 21st century – I never understood why they held her in such a low regard. Let me explain.

I had enjoyed Season Two of "MAD MEN" very much. In fact, I would say that I found it even more interesting than Season One. Many fans have commented that the female characters seemed to have developed...
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I first wrote this episode about Betty Francis (the first Mrs. Don Draper) and Megan Draper after the end of "MAD MEN" Season Four:


THE FUTURE AND PAST MRS. DON DRAPER

As many fans know, (4.13) "Tomorrowland", the Season Four finale of "MAD MEN" revealed Don Draper aka Dick Whitman proposing marriage to his secretary, Megan. And she said yes. Megan is just as beautiful as Betty. She is younger and seemed to be a better parent than the former Mrs. Draper.

Some fans have criticized Don for dumping the pragmatic Faye Miller for the superficially satisfying Megan. Some have waxed lyrical over Don's...
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I wrote this article about Joan Holloway Harris back in 2009:


"MAD MEN: Joan Holloway and the Art of Imagery"

After reading some of the message boards and articles about "MAD MEN", it is quite clear to me that the character, Joan Holloway, is very popular to many of the series’ fans. They view her as a mature, stylish woman who knows how to use her sexuality to control her life. However, I disagree. I have finally realized that my opinion of Joan is not as positive as those of her fans.

One might get the impression from my opening statement that I dislike Joan. Trust me, I do not. I do not...
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Below is a list of my top five (5) favorite episodes from Season Four (2010) of "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:


FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON FOUR (2010) EPISODES

1. (4.07) "The Suitcase" - In this acclaimed episode, an impending deadline regarding the Samsonite ad leads Don Draper to force Peggy Olson to stay late to work and miss a birthday dinner with her boyfriend. He receives a call from Anna' Draper's niece, which confirms his fears about her health.



2. (4.09) "Beautiful Girls" - Peggy is forced to face some unpleasant facts about a client's discriminatory...
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"MAD MEN" RETROSPECT: (1.07) "Red in the Face"

Due to some sense of nostalgia, I decided to break out my "MAD MEN" Season One DVD set and watch an episode. The episode in question turned out to be the seventh one, (1.07) "Red in the Face".

After watching "Red in the Face", it occurred to me that its main theme centered around some of the main characters' childish behavior. I say "some of the characters", because only a few managed to refrain from such behavior - Sterling Cooper's co-owner Bert Cooper; Office Manager Joan Holloway; and Helen Bishop, a divorcée that happens to be a neighbor of...
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Two years ago, I watched the "MAD MEN" episode, (3.04) "The Arrangement", and read several reactions to it before deciding to write the following article on Betty Draper:


"MAD MEN": Fan Dislike of Betty Draper

I am angry. After watching the latest episode of "MAD MEN" called (3.04) "The Arrangement" and reading numerous comments about it, I have become angry over fans' reaction to the character of Betty Draper.

Ironically, I am not angry at Matt Weiner. But I am angry at many fans for their continuing misreading of Betty Draper's character. I just read this article on the recent episode and...
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Below is a list of my top five (5) favorite episodes from Season Three (2009) of "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:


FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON THREE (2009) Episodes

1. (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo" - Don's past finally catches up with him when Betty confronts him about his identity theft. Roger Sterling meets a former client/lover who wishes to rekindle their affair. And Joan discovers that her husband, Greg Harris, has joined the Army after failing to start a medical career in New York.



2. (3.12) "The Grown Ups" - The assassination of President John Kennedy...
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Below is a list of my top five (5) favorite episodes from Season Five (2012) of "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:


TOP FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" (SEASON FIVE) EPISODES

1. (5.11) "The Other Woman" - In this tense episode, Pete Campbell asks Joan Harris to sleep with a client to secure the Jaguar account for the firm. Meanwhile, an underappreciated Peggy Olson attends lunch with fellow employee Freddy Rumsen, who encourages her to make a move.


2. (5.07) "At the Codfish Ball" - Don Draper is honored at a banquet for the American Cancer Society, but finds his professional...
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"MAD MEN" – Wasted Partnership

Looking back on Season 2 of "MAD MEN", it occurred to me that the rivalry between the series protagonist, Don Draper aka Dick Whitman (Jon Hamm) and one of the supporting characters, Herman "Duck" Phillips (Mark Moses), seemed like a complete waste of time . . . story wise. Do not worry. I am not criticizing the writing of Matt Weiner and his staff. Instead, I am criticizing the behavior of two male characters, who I believe had the potential to be a winning advertising team.

Following senior partner Roger Sterling’s (John Slattery) second heart attack in the...
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G A L A – Saturday, May 15, 2010; Time: TBA
C O N C E R T - Saturday, May 15, 2010; 8:00 PM

Downtown Akron will be transformed into the hip, retro world of the early 1960s, popularized by the award-winning AMC television show Mad Men, when the Akron Symphony presents Fanfare 2010: Circa 1960 on Saturday, May 15, 2010.

The Symphony’s annual gala and concert will celebrate the style and music of the Mad Men era beginning with cocktails, dinner, and a selection of exciting, one-of-a-kind live and silent auction items at the newly-renovated Greystone Hall, aka the evening’s “Ultra Lounge...
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After viewing the eleventh Season Three episode of ”MAD MEN” called (3.11) “The Gypsy and the Hobo”, I came up with the following observations:


A Few Observations of “MAD MEN”: (3.11) “The Gypsy and the Hobo”

*Ever since his affair with Suzanne Farrell began in (3.09) “Wee Small Hours”, Don Draper has been increasingly dismissive of Betty’s presence. In some ways, he seemed to be in a great hurry to get her and the kids out of the house. And that is understandable, considering that he had proposed to Suzanne, a trip to Mystic, Connecticut during Betty’s absence in order...
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All diehard admirers of Mad Men should stay prepared, to have shock waves running down their couch-bound bodies, because when they’ll watch Mad Men Season 4 Episode 1, they’ll witness some unexpected twists and unimaginable turns in this show.

Well, as Mad Men season 4 is just around the corner, let’s have a profound glimpse on what its followers can actually look forward to, in the most anticipated season of this series.

As since its premiere, this show has provided viewers a chance to have a look-see into the misogynistic and demanding world of advertising, so it’s quite sure that season...
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Below is a list of my top five favorite Season One episodes of AMC's "MAD MEN":


FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON ONE (2007) Episodes

1. (1.12) "Nixon vs. Kennedy" - In this superb episode, Sterling-Cooper's employees have an all-night party to watch the results of the 1960 Presidential Election. Also, Pete Campbell discovers that Don Draper's real name is Dick Whitman, who had been officially declared dead during the Korean War.



2. (1.10) "The Long Weekend" - During the Labor Day weekend, Roger Sterling decides to cheer up Don over the loss of a client by arranging a double date with twins. During...
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I thought Season Two of "MAD MEN" was excellent. In fact, I consider it a slight improvement over Season One. But . . . I did have some quibbles about it:


"MAD MEN" Season Two Quibbles

1. Duck Phillips - I had once complained on the "Basket of Kisses" site that by the end of Season 2, Duck Phillips (portrayed by the superb Mark Moses) seemed to resemble a minor villain that Don Draper had to defeat. Someone responded that Matt Weiner never intended to portray Duck Phillips as some kind of villain. After reading two interviews that Weiner had given, I now see that I had been right to accuse him...
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I wrote this article back in 2009:


Observations of "MAD MEN": (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three"

In (3.07) "Seven Twenty-Three", famous hotelier Conrad Hilton, whom Don Draper had first met in (3.03) "My Old Kentucky Home", paid a visit to Don’s office and revealed his intent to hire Sterling Cooper to handle the promotion of his New York hotels. This piece of good news turned sour when Lane Pryce, Roger Sterling and Bert Cooper revealed that Hilton’s attorneys refused to go ahead with the deal unless Don sign an official contract with his employers. Naturally, Don was reluctant to sign a contract....
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I wrote this episode not long after viewing the Season Two episode, (2.02) "Flight 1":


"MAD MEN": The Specter of Intolerance

Matthew Weiner’s acclaimed television series, "MAD MEN", has addressed many issues that American society had faced in both the past and today. Issues such as class, sexism, religion and race have either reared its ugly heads or have been brushed upon by this series about an advertising agency in the 1960s.

The center of "MAD MEN" is mainly focused upon advertising executive named Don Draper. But the series also focuses upon his co-workers at the firm he works at – Sterling...
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PEGGY OLSON'S PROMOTION IN (1.13) "THE WHEEL"

Many fans of the show had made a big deal of Peggy Olson's promotion in the Season One finale, (1.13) "The Wheel". Actually, many also focused upon Peggy's upward mobility from the secretarial pool to her position as one of the firm's copywriters - a professional. I had just finished watching this episode for the second time and another thought came to mind.

It finally occurred to me that Don had given Peggy that promotion in order to spite Pete Campbell. Pete had informed Don that he managed to acquire the Clearsil account due to his father-in-law...
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I originally wrote this article upon my first viewing of the Season Three episode called (3.12) "The Grown-Ups":


”There's a battle outside; And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.” - “The Times They Are A-Changin”
(recorded by Bob Dylan on October 24, 1963)



"MAD MEN”: “The Times They Are A-Changin'”

Not long after I had watched the latest episode of ”MAD MEN” called (3.12) “The Grown Ups”, I walked into a pizza eatery and heard a song being played on the jukebox. To my surprise, it was an old Bob Dylan song called...
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I wrote this article after a recent viewing of the Season Three episode, (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo":


"MAD MEN": Acts of Violence

The Season Three episode of "MAD MEN" called (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo" featured a scene in which former Sterling Cooper office manager Joan Holloway had bashed a vase against the head of her husband, Greg Harris. He had been whining over failing to acquire a new job as a psychiatrist during an interview. Frustrated and angered by his lack of professional success and his bouts of whining, Joan took a vase and bashed it over his head. Then she marched into...
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Season Three of "MAD MEN" brought about some drastic changes into the lives of the characters. But I am not here to discuss what I had liked about Season Three. I am here to discuss the quibbles I had with this latest season. Some of the problems I had with Season Three originated with creator Matthew Weiner’s story. And some of the problems I had were with the fans. Perhaps I will start with the fans.


”MAD MEN” Season Three Quibbles


Fan Reactions

Betty Draper - I get the feeling that many fans of ”MAD MEN” have this great desire to brand certain characters as the villain or villainess...
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