Trendy TV Report: We are Mad for Mad Men!

Whoa! This season of AMC’s Mad Men is shaping up to be quite a gem. So far our resident players are embroiled in various manifestos that seem to be directing each of them on a path that is not only routinely familiar but also deceptively ironic.

The heart of the matter as always is Don Draper – the suave, debonair, and emotionally elusive Ad exec, who after a failed marriage, recklessly plunges into another marital strived situation with burgeoning actress Megan, and the result is playing out exactly the way we all envisioned. Don becomes irretrievably bored and seeks solace in the arms of fellow apartment dweller Sylvia and after that dies out; he ends up back where he started, with ex-wife Betty. Sunday’s episode appropriately titled “The Better Half”, was a heaping platter of metaphorical melodies catering to the needs of undeniably loyal viewers clamoring for more stewed perfection.

We got all that and more this time around, especially with the Don and Betty’s secret rendezvous at their son’s camp site no less. The reunion was enticingly nostalgic but also a clear indication that the only way Megan stands a chance saving her marriage is if she begs Betty for a decoded manual that aptly gives her the entryway into Don’s calculus of a heart.

Then there is Peggy, who is still struggling to figure out the formula to having both a thriving a career and an equally appealing love life. Her relationship with the men in her vicinity have always seemed to challenge her in ways that issue her vulnerability on a sometimes uncomfortable level. Her relationship with Abe seemed doomed from the start and after nearly killing him in their mordacious apartment, she walks away a free woman and able to cautiously pursue a potential liaison with co-worker Ted. But she is met with considerable resistance, which inadvertently allows her to grasp the fact that despite the male fluctuations; she very well could end up alone.

The rest of the characters are still battling on familiar territory, Roger won’t give up trying to convince himself that he has everything under control despite the fact that he consistently oversteps his boundaries and dips into the pool of inappropriateness way too often. Joan has found a companion in newbie Bob and even though the connection looks promising, we can’t help but doubt the sincerity of this almost too good to be true gent.

Pete is reluctantly juggling the demands of his consequences, and it’s obvious that the strain of his broken home and mentally challenged mother is taking its toll.

What happens next? That’s the beauty of Mad Men – We are reminded with every saucy episode that it’s a Mad Mad World out there and only the very brave dare to try to conquer it. We are beside ourselves with anticipation as we delightfully take in the explicit reverie from a cast of characters suitably delivered with a bolt of lightening.

Let’s see if we can take it – Stay tuned!