After what I read about the show my expectations were quite high. In fact I was driven to Mad Men because of its creativity topic, praised historical authenticity and visual style, and convincing cast. The awards it won are definitely deserved but I didn't find what I was looking for. First it didn't blow me away and only reminded me of all these productions trying to reproduce what America was back in the 60s. There's nothing wrong with history, the contrary, but I didn't learn anything new about that period. Worst I couldn't relate to the characters and even if their superficial masks hide complex personalities none really intrigued me. The actor playing the protagonist is perfect in its role and its story could be captivating to follow but if you need something more than entertaining then it can only be disappointing. In fact I even found the story boring at times. More most behaviors are predictable and the worst is that it didn't inspire me at all. The new secretary who don't know the city and will be an easy prey for the men playing in the upper league. The powerful mistress, the loving wife, the sharks trying to seduce their boss to better make him fall
If you dig these profiles then you should be in your element but I wasn't. However the visuals are definitely impressive but sadly the pilot contents doesn't match their quality. I wished the story had focused more on the company's work than predictable conflicts and troubling relationships. Don't get me wrong Mad Men is a good show and definitely has potential, specially considering it has reached its third season, but it's just not what I was hoping for. Still covering controversial topics like smoking, health issues and creativity crisis are interesting so if I got my hand on the first season DVD maybe I would watch a few more episodes.