Convince me on Mad Men

[sidious618]

I watched the pilot when it originally aired and was severly underwhelmed after all the hype. However, I keep hearing how awesome it is from so many different people and I keep wondering if I should give it another shot. So is it not for me if I didn't care for the pilot or is it worth it to go onwards?

 

[Kelso]

So is it not for me if I didn't care for the pilot or is it worth it to go onwards?

Probably not.... just watch a show that you enjoy.


Mad Men is awesome, though.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

I would give it another shot -- it is an excellent series.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

It's very "arty" and an acquired taste. If it's not for you, don't worry about it. Personally, I tried watching The Wire and couldn't get into it. There's too much TV around to force yourself to watch something you're just not into.

 

[Small White Car]

When has a show's pilot been worth anything?

Even the good ones, like DS9's, end up looking like crap once you compare them to the rest of the series.

 

[sidious618]

They have it on sale at Best Buy so I'm contemplating picking it up.

 

[Hermiod]

The show does have Christina Hendricks at least. That's the main thing that would tempt me to watch it if I hadn't given up on TV.

 

[barnaclelapse]

I've seen a few episodes and have enjoyed it. I think it picked up considerably from the first episode though, so I think you may want to consider watching a couple more episodes and giving it a chance to work for you.

 

[Warp Coil]

I netflix'd season 1 disc 1 several months ago. Everyone kept hyping the show as this amazing thing so I figured I should check it out. I didn't even make it through the first episode. It didn't hold my attention at all.

 

[Top41]

It's very "arty" and an acquired taste.

That's kind of how I'd put it, too. And I'm not completely hooked by the show so much as I am fascinated by it and how it evokes the period it's set in. There's a lot I like about it, but I wouldn't put it in my "love it" category. But I will definitely be watching this season (and still want to go back and see first season at some point)!

 

[DevilEyes]

The show does have Christina Hendricks at least. That's the main thing that would tempt me to watch it if I hadn't given up on TV.

John Hamm is hot. That's what matters.

No, actually it is a very good show. I just don't think it's the "grab you right from the start" "OMG I have to see what happens next" addictive kind of a show. The dialogue is very good, the characters feel real, it is intelligent and realistic, but it's just that it doesn't have much to grip you. The characters are not very lovable people, and most of the time nothing particularly exciting happens, at least not by TV standards (esp. if you're used to SF shows or cop shows). I was rather indifferent to the characters through at least half of the first season, but then I realized that they're growing on me. I don't exactly love anyone on the show, but I found myself interested in their lives. Don Draper himself is sort of... disconnected, indifferent. But at the very end of season 1, you learn why he is actually like that. And a few of the characters actually have something happen to them, or at least, they have some big secrets. So... while I am not waiting anxiously for the next episode, I am interested enough to watch the show.

 

[DevilEyes]

When has a show's pilot been worth anything?

Even the good ones, like DS9's, end up looking like crap once you compare them to the rest of the series.

BSG Miniseries still holds up very well.

Lost pilot episode still looks very good; of course, it's funny now to see how stereotypical some of the characters seemed at the time (Sawyer, Jin, Sun), after you've seen them defy the cliche and show very different sides to them. OTOH, Kate had a great introduction/flashback and seemed like a very interesting character... oh well.

 

[Hermiod]

The show does have Christina Hendricks at least. That's the main thing that would tempt me to watch it if I hadn't given up on TV.

John Hamm is hot. That's what matters.

Christina > All.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Sidious, give it until episode 5. That's when the seeds planted in all the storylines finally begin to take root. You've really got to judge the characters by the standards of the day. My mother is exactly Peggy's age (Peggy would be 70 today). She worked as a secretary. She says you wouldn't believe what went on in an office. If you're intrigued to really delve into another time, you'll like it. IF not, it won't be for you.

Don is a dick. Literally and figuratively. You'll see.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Interestingly the first episode I saw was episode 5. I stumbled into a marathon of the series halfway into the first season. I watch very little TV these days. So I am almost completely unaware of new shows, see no commercials. The first scene I saw was of Don and his brother Adam at the diner. I had no idea that Draper was the central character of the show. But I was instantly intrigued by the mystery.

Of course the time period cemented by interest. I have had a life long fascination with the 60s. Plus my father is in advertising. Creating outdoor advertising. While certainly a different field, I have thought in terms of marketing my whole life.

 

[Kirby]

Convince me on Mad Men

No, fuck off.


Seriously though, if you want to give it a shot do it. I never saw the first episode. In fact I think I started with episode 3, so I don't know if they made any changes from the pilot or not. I enjoy the show, but I can clearly see how it's not for everybody, and you may fall into that 'not for everybody' category.

 

[Dar70]

Sidious, Im not goiing to try to convince you. Its for some people and not for some. Its a very low key show, not in your face like the Soporanos or Nip/Tuck. It trys to be very authentic to the time it is set in and gives a very detailed look at the ad business of the 1960's. I find it very interesting it does move slow but I really like the characters and sutle stuff happens all the time. If you like more action in your dramas this is not the show for you.

I am very much looking forward to the new season. Its a great late summer/fall show.

 

[sidious618]

I ordered it off of amazon fro $16 and it should arrive next Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it, actually, because I've read more on it and I like a lot of what I'm hearing. I don't have a problem with it being relatively actionless. In June I watched the first season of In Treatment which pretty much took place in two rooms and I adored the show.