Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 8 years you are aware of Mad Men. The AMC series created by Matthew Weiner depicts from 1960 onward the lives and careers of those involved with the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on Madison Avenue in New York City. The main protagonist is the charming, talented, and haunted character of Don Draper (Jon Hamm), first the lead creative director and in later seasons a founding partner in a spinoff agency. He attempts to balance his personal and work life as well as conceal a secret about his past , which gradually erodes away at his conscience. Following him and the other characters in the show we get a glimpse into the social mood and changing face of the United States through the 60s, a time of great upheaval. In this, its final season, the show has hit 1969, the swinging 60s has hit its peak, man is about to land on the moon, and Don Draper’s position has become untenable within the very agency he founded.
“Best show on TV” is a label thrown around a lot; The Sopranos, The Wire, and recently Breaking Bad have all been tagged with it. Mad Men sits amongst those titles with ease. It is not so much a plot/story driven show as a magnificent period piece, looking at the 60s and all the social issues therein as a platform to examine relationships, prejudices, characters, and their dynamics with each other.
This final season (seven if you were counting) picks up with Draper having hit a low point; after his unraveling during a presentation at the end of the previous season, he is on extended leave from his own firm. His wife Megan (Jessica Pare) is living on the west coast pursuing her acting career, his agency is floundering, and the people brought in to replace Draper lack imagination and drive. Don himself is shown to be different from seasons past — cowed by the board, distant from his wife and children, alcohol no longer fueling his creativity and his passions but his demons instead. This is not a show reveling in Don Draper’s success anymore, nor his understanding of business and marketing, or his sexual appeal to women. Instead it shows him humbled, cowed, rebuilding, and reinventing himself and his relationships.
It’s not all Draper, Mad Men has a superb cast, and various subplots give each of them time to shine. Most notable is Peggy Olsen (Elisabeth Moss), Don’s former secretary who is now one of the main creative talents in the advertising world. After Don, she has always been the main lead, and these final episodes solidify her importance to the show as well as her growth as a woman in a male dominated world.
The other women in the cast produce some of the more fascinating subplots of the series. Betty Francis (formerly Draper) is taking a stand against her new husband, instilling a rebelliousness in her own daughter Sally. Watching Sally mature over the years has been one of the most impressive things about the show. The only female cast member lacking any real meat so far is Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks), although I’m sure this will be rectified before the finale. If it is one area where mad men has excelled it is in showing the way the world was diffcult for women. Peggy, Joan, Betty and Sally all have different aims, outlooks and approaches but each have forged their own path and reaffirmed themselves in a mans world in very different ways. This season continues that trend.
On the male side of things, the guy everybody loves to hate, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), seems to be relishing his new life on the west coast, his gleeful exultation over pastrami sandwiches and the weather offering a sharp contrast to the more serious and bleak happenings in New York. More serious themes of family and abandonment are tackled, notably with Roger Sterling (John Slattery) and his estranged family, with his daughter leaving her own child behind and joining a hippie commune. Capping it all off is one of the more touching moments of the season with a chance for Robert Morse (Bert Cooper) to utilize his stage talents with a beautiful musical number.
It is disconcerting but fascinating viewing, especially knowing this is the final season and little time remains for redemption. But perhaps the show’s social commentary offers a glimmer of hope for Draper & Co. While most of the seven episodes deal with the weighty themes such as homosexual prejudice, Vietnam, and civil rights violations, the final episode also centers around the 1969 moon landing. An act that inspired millions, could this beacon signify more upbeat times in the final half of the season yet to come? Weiner is very calculated in his choices.
THE PACKAGEThe seven episodes are spread over two discs (three on DVD) with digital download versions as well as a number of solid extras. Image quality is superb, transfers are clear and show fully how beautifully the 60s are realized, and the attention to detail from set design to wardrobe benefits the show greatly. Special features start with some fantastic episode commentaries from Weiner and other members of the crew that really convey how much the creative side care about the show and era.
A pair of featurettes, Gay Rights and Gay Power, look at homosexuality in American history, a topic shown a lot of attention in this season. Another aspect of this era that gets attention is the corruption charges around the Chicago 8, further detailed in The Trial of the Chicago 8. Rounding thing off are The Best Things in Life Are Free, a touching piece focusing on senior partner Bert Cooper and a interactive feature looking at technologies from the era the show is set in. Attention to detail being a key component in the production of the show, this latter feature really draws attention to how much effort is taken in each episode.
It’s really admirable that the features seek to deepen your appreciation for the respect the show has for the era in which it is set. Attention to detail is staggering as is how well they utilize themes of the time to enhance the story and bring attention to social issues of the 60s. It is rare that a home video package suitably reflects a show of this quality, but this is a release that does Mad Men justice.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Mad Men the Final Season Part One continues to show the quality and engrossing characters the series is renowned for. Presented with some exceptional extras that enhance your understanding and appreciation of the show, it is a must own for fans and another slice of evidence as to why, if you didn’t know already, this really is must see TV.
Mad Men The Final Season Part 1 is available on blu-ray and DVD from October 21st.
