Review of Mad Men: Season 2

Mad Men Season 2 Review

Grade: A

Mad Men is quite possibly the most beautiful show in television history. The colors are striking, the details are dazzling and — in its stately pace and understated camera movement — the series takes influence from Old Hollywood icons like Frank Capra and Billy Wilder. Nevertheless, the main mission of Mad Men season 2 is to reveal the ugly truths and harsh realities that lie beneath.

Because of the contrast, Mad Men becomes even more compelling and consistently brilliant as a result. The characters spiral into darker emotional territory, and the subtleties and shared histories that made season one so rewarding are made even more relatable in Mad Men season 2. Even though it’s a transitional chapter, it remains intricate and enthralling and satisfying in that unique Mad Men way.

Once again, the season takes a little while to get under our skin. But unlike season one, Mad Men season 2 doesn’t dish out quite as many lower-tier episodes. Sure, some of the storylines might be inconsequential (e.g., Peggy Olson going to church and Betty Draper visiting her relatives), but the slow-burn approach works wonders. We spend the whole season building up to moments we didn’t even know we were building up to, and so the emotional payoff takes us by complete surprise.

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As always, the main focus of Mad Men is on Donald Draper, who remains the most interesting man in the world. This year, however, the emphasis is on his questionable future instead of his mysterious past. He begins a toxic new affair with a client’s wife, gets kicked out of his house and goes MIA in California on a personal quest for meaning. His effortless charisma (and Jon Hamm’s superb acting abilities) allows him to get away with everything unscathed. All in a year’s work.

Elsewhere, Betty Draper becomes lonelier and more disconnected than ever, Peggy Olson deals with the guilt of abandoning her child, Roger Sterling divorces his wife for a 20-year-old secretary, Joan Holloway is raped by her fiancé, Sterling Cooper advertising agency is sold to a British firm and the Cuban Missile Crisis has America on the brink of nuclear war. It’s a year filled with extreme heartache, to say the least.

Despite the personal journeys being quite despondent, the overall atmosphere is affectionate and welcoming. That’s because series creator Matthew Weiner injects some much-needed humor into every episode. The chemistry between the cast gets better each week, and the workplace setting remains fun and fast-paced. Sterling Cooper is where we want to be, even if the office is still a cesspool of sexism and misogyny.

As mentioned before, the consistency between episodes is fantastic. Every hour feels like time well spent, whether we end the hour in tears or triumph. There might not be as many mid-season standouts as last year (e.g., major revelations like season one’s “5G” and “The Hobo Code”), but the quality from week to week is steadily increased. And the final trio of episodes (“The Jet Set,” “The Mountain King” and “Meditations in an Emergency“) is Mad Men’s best stretch yet.

Even so, Mad Men season 2 remains a transitional chapter. Problems arise, but nothing is really solved. Although we end with a stunning and unpredictable climax, everything ends up right back where it started. Don and Betty’s rocky marriage will continue, the agency gets to keep its autonomy and the conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union ends with a stalemate. Yet nothing will ever be the same.

That’s the beauty of Mad Men — change is neither good or bad; it simply is. Season two expands the show’s ambitions yet also grows more introspective at the same time. It’s beautiful, frightening and illuminating all at once, which is why it’s such a great installment.

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