Mad Men: Season 5 [Blu-ray]

While this wasn't my favorite season, it's still an easy five stars since it's in the top 3 of best shows currently on television. I know there have been a lot negative reactions towards this season, and I think maybe it's for a few reasons. Lots of people despise Megan. And others say that "nothing really happened". I don't really like Megan either, but I've come to accept her character. She is SUPPOSED to be annoying (or at least can easily be interpreted as so). We don't have to like her. As far as nothing happening, plenty of things happened, although I admit it was a little slow-paced, but I think it's building up for better seasons to come. This season takes place between Memorial Day 1966 and Spring 1967. The season focuses on Don Draper and Megan's relationship and how distracting it is from his job, and most of the main characters are facing painful new beginnings and realize it's a "dog-eat-dog" world. The season starts out light (probably because of how dark season 4 was), but by the end of the season things are gloomier than ever. So never fear, Mad Men isn't going soft. Don - one reason I enjoyed season 4 so much is that we had a break from Don being in a dramatic, serious relationship. He was just casually dating and we were able to see more of SCDP. Now he's married to Megan, and that opens up a lot more storylines. You'll either love or hate Megan. She shows signs of being very independent and mature, but then will surprise you by suddenly doing something very stupid and childish. The big question is: how long is it until Don cheats on her? I don't believe that Don will be in a monogamous relationship for the rest of his life. It's also interesting how it's reminiscent of the beginning of his relationship with Betty. Betty was a beautiful young model and Don swept her up. When Betty got older and he got bored, he lost interest. Megan is also a very young girl, an actress, and pretty (in Don's eyes). What's going to happen to his fidelity to Megan in a couple years? Or 10? Or even by the end of the season? When Don loses respect for someone, a lot of feelings for them deteriorate quickly. Don also has to deal with Megan's Canadian parents, who have a very bizarre marriage and her father is not a total believer in Don. He thinks Megan took the easy way out by marrying a rich guy. Megan's mother is also incredibly insecure, which is a recurring theme throughout the season. Betty - since January Jones is pregnant, they decided to put her in a fat suit to hide it, and turn that into a storyline. Perfect Betty has to deal with being overweight, which makes for some interesting television. Her appearances are very sparse, however, and you can go episodes without seeing her at all. There is a lot of pressure on Betty to compete with Megan, especially when her children are involved. As far as Sally goes, she goes through a lot of childhood development this season. Glen the creepy kid also makes a couple appearances, and their relationship is really open for interpretation. Kiernan Shipka is also a great young actress. We also get to see Henry Francis' mother a little bit, especially when she babysits Sally. Pete - Pete is...well, Pete. But cockier than ever. He feels that all is owed to him, even as only a junior partner. He gets incredibly demanding this season and enters into some interesting affairs. Pete is honestly one of the most difficult characters for me to empathize with, especially this season. Almost every thing he does is just obnoxious, not to mention he is a total hypocrite. Vincent Kartheiser is great, however. Peggy - as my favorite character, I liked what they did with her this season. She has to balance romance and work in a very sexist society, and makes some life changing decisions several times throughout the season. I love how strong Peggy is, and in these days she would easily be a partner already. Peggy also is Megan's boss...which is really quite inappropriate and causes a lot of awkwardness in the office. Joan - remember that jerk she's married to? Yeah. They're still married when the season starts, unfortunately. Joan is strong though, and without spoiling anything, she makes some very questionable and life altering decisions this season regarding her romantic and work life. I think her and Peggy learn the most this season about how when it boils down to it, it's every wo/man for themselves. Lane - bitter about not getting the greatest deal out of this partnership, Lane makes some...questionable business decisions this season. He becomes much more prevalent later in the season, and without spoiling much, he gets into a very....entertaining "discussion" with Pete. I think Jared Harris is amazing for this role. Roger - talked into taking LSD with Jane, Roger has a very memorable and insightful trip. Although the acid trip was a little stereotypical, there's nothing funnier than watching Roger doing acid. The trip also has longer implications for him in the season. Additionally, Roger enters into a very odd romantic relationship with an unexpected character. And it's not just the characters that will suck you in and keep you watching. The context of show is amazingly interesting. We get to see references to the Richard Speck murders, Charles Witman's shooting rampage, toxic clouds of smog over NYC, the Hare Krishnas, and the Rolling Stones. Also some interesting clients this season: Heinz, Jaguar, Mohawk Airlines, American Cancer Society, Manischewitz, Dow Chemical, and Virginia Slims. You could watch this show for the amazingly intricate characters, the interesting portrayal of life in the 60s, or both. This show is highly entertaining, addictive, and one of the best on television today.

It's Mad Men! ALL seasons are excellent! One of the best shows EVER! BUT NOTE: IF you buy the DVDs for each season individually (as I do) there are no commentaries on season 6. Season 5 and all the other seasons have commentaries on the DVD, just not season 6! So if you're really into the commentaries (as I am😄) I've heard there are commentaries on season 6 IF you purchase the box set.

Once I started watching the series on DVD I was committed to purchasing each new season as it is released. Warning: the series is highly addictive and once you start it is like eating peanuts - you can't stop. The acting is superb, the writing and plot twists mesmerizing and it is easily one of the best shows on TV (along with Homeland - another addictive series). It is especially nice to watch without ads to break the momentum of the story. How great to see the next episode immediately rather than having to wait a week to watch live on TV! This is another series that is worth owning for the extra features and to re-watch episodes to catch what you missed first time around. The details are so compelling that I find it brings back memories of the 60's from my childhood that I had forgotten - the kids watching their parents at cocktail parties, the clothing, the "feel" of everything, including the music, the omnipresent cigarettes, everything! I especially love the treatment of historic events such as the Kennedy assassination, and how the story line is integrated into the character's lives in such a realistic way. Beautifully done.

Probably the best ever t.v. drama series. You'll either love it or hate it. I'm now on my second binge-watch run, and still mezmerized by the writing, attention to detail, superb over-the-top acting and overall production quality. It's a winner in my book. (non-paid endorsement)

I WAS NOT ALIVE IN THE 1960'S WHERE MAD MEN IS BASED. NOW NEARLY 60 YEARS AFTER A DECADE THAT BROUGHT SO MUCH CONTROVERSY CAN BE SEEN AND WATCHED THROUGH AN INTERESTING SHOW ABOUT AN AD AGENCY THAT MUST CHANGE WITH THE TIMES. JUST ALL THE ATTITUDES THINGS WERE SO MUCH DIFFERENT THEN. SUCH AS HOW SMOKING WAS SO BIG AND ALLOWED ALMOST EVERY WHERE SOCIETY DEEMED IN ACCEPTABLE BACK THEN. THE VIETNAM CONTROVERSY THE ATTACK ON JFK AND HIS BROTHER BOBBY. NIXON, THE WOMEN'S RIGHT MOVEMENT THIS SHOW COVERS SO MUCH HISTORY STUFF I HAVE ONLY SEEN AND READ ABOUT ON TELEVISION AND BOOKS AND A INTERESTING STORY LINE WITH CHARACTERS THAT I LOVE TO WATCH MAD MEN EVEN IF YOU WERE NOT ALIVE OR AROUND FOR THE 60'S MAD MEN MAKES ONE FEEL LIKE YOU LIVED IT EVEN IF YOU WERE NOT YET BORN. VERY COOL PERIOD PIECE I WISH THEY HAD MORE SHOWS LIKE MAD MEN OUT THERE TO WATCH ABOUT A DECADE THAT TOOK PLACE IN AMERICAS HISTORY THE 1960'S .... THOUGH CONTROVERSIAL ITS A TIME WE MUST NEVER AND MOST LIKELY WILL EVER FORGET!.

Presentación inteligente y sutil de las relaciones interpersonales de los miembros de una empresa entre si y con sus familiares. No hay ningún héroe con el que identificarse. Todos los personajes son capaces de las mayores bajezas, al tiempo que son terriblemente "buenos " en otras situaciones. Serie de gran calidad tecnica. Engancha por la incertidumbre de saber lo que pasará sin necesidad de disparos, carreras de coches y asesinatos sin fin, lo que es de agradecer en una serie americana.

心理描写の深さ、人の業と人生の不条理、衝撃的な展開。それぞれのキャラクターも魅力的で本当に味わい深いドラマ。 酸いも甘いも噛み分けたアラフォー以上にはうってつけの、大人の秀作ドラマです。あと２シーズンでお別れとは淋しい限り！

Mad Men : la nostalgie des 30 glorieuses qui débutent là-bas, dans le Monde encore et toujours Nouveau. La déferlante du monde de la publicité qui allume tous nos fantasmes de joie de vivre et de prospérité, par le maniement nouveaux de l'image doublée de parole. Après l'affiche, voilà la télé dans vos foyers. Tout est largesse et facilité. Accès libre aux rêves les plus fous. L'american way of life est à vos pieds. L'inimitable ? Non, celle à imiter. Mais sans modération. Laissez-vous emporter par cette saga aux acteurs si épais de vérité avec, en plus, le charme et la volupté. Les équipes des Mad Men sont là, dans la section Madisson, pour sortir le monde du chaos de la 2ème Guerre Mondiale.

Etwas schwächer als die vierte Staffel präsentiert sich die fünfte, die aber dennoch eine gute ist. In dieser Staffel rückt wie in der dritten wieder der private Teil in den Mittelpunkt, wobei auf mehr Charaktere eingegangen wird. Anfänglich etwas schleppend bilden sich insgesamt 13 Episoden von guter Qualität heraus, deren Stil sich von seinen Vorgängern unterscheidet. Mit einer guten Geschichte und einer prise Humor wird man bestens durch die Staffel geleitet. Die DVD-Hülle ist jene Art, die schon seit der dritten Staffel verwendet wird. Neu ist, dass das FSK-Logo wie in Staffel 2 nur auf dem Schuber aufgeklebt ist. Die Hülle selbst besitzt ein Wendecover. Schade finde ich, dass das Cover eins-zu-eins von der US-Auflage übernommen und kein spezielles erstellt wurde. Äußerlich hebt es sich so deutlich von den anderen Staffeln ab. In Sachen Sound ist hier eine deutsche und englisch 5.1-Tonspur vorhanden. Die Extras umfassen "Mad Men & Musik - Der Sound der Sechziger", "Mad Men & Musik - Die Themen der 5. Staffel", "Die Wahrheit ist cool", "Truman Capote und die Party des Jahrhunderts", sowie diverse Interviews. Für Mad Men-Fans ist diese Staffel natürlich ein Muss um am Ball zu bleiben, denn es gibt viele Momente, die man nur wirklich versteht, wenn man die Vorgeschichte kennt. Neulinge sollten deshalb am Anfang beginnen um in den vollen Genuss zu kommen.

Season 5 is another stellar performance from the Mad Men franchise, with excellent acting from a strong cast, and fantastic writing, capturing everything down to the smallest detail. The show still does a splendid job of portraying the world of a 1960s Madison Avenue ad agency and the 60s American life more broadly, this time with LSD, Hare Krishna and the other novelties of the second half of the 60s. It continues to be incredibly well researched, with faultless attention to detail and is great at capturing the subtleties of life and work almost 50 years ago. Don Draper's character again gets more attention, with the new family life and the new marriage changing both his attitude to life and work in many ways, down to the fear of whether he still has what it's got. Pete on the other hand is trying as hard as possible to emulate the Don of earlier seasons, managing not wholly convincingly. The new characters introduced, namely Megan's parents, are an excellent addition, and her father is the source of one of the most memorable quotes of the season. Fans of Peggy may feel she has been somewhat short changed this season, as there is less attention lavished on her. The ratio between life in the office, at home and in 'extra-curricular activities' is still aptly chosen and issues are given adequate time and attention, so as not to fall flat but to be sufficiently multidimensional to actually contribute to the story. The professional aspect of work in an ad agency is interesting for two reasons - for how the realtionships have changed seismically in some aspects and how in others, shockingly litte progress has been made in the advertising field for over 4 decades. Sure enough, new media has entered the scene since but having worked in the field, many of the same approaches and methods are being 're-invented' year in, year out, with the industry on the whole largely standing still. On the other hand both the gender and race issues, that are showing the first harbingers of change in the series, are shocking to observe for someone growing generations later. I'd also applaud the show for not coming across as judgemental but showing a portrayal of the world and allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions. The DVD comes with a fairly eclectic selection of extras, from the famous quotes, to one on the music, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, on the establishment of Summer Time. Even though habituation to the high quality of the series may make the latest season feel a bit less bombastically good, I still believe that this is the best TV show I have seen so far and can warmly recommend it!