Mad Men

Below is a list of my top five (5) favorite episodes from Season Three (2009) of "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:


FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON THREE (2009) Episodes

1. (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo" - Don's past finally catches up with him when Betty confronts him about his identity theft. Roger Sterling meets a former client/lover who wishes to rekindle their affair. And Joan discovers that her husband, Greg Harris, has joined the Army after failing to start a medical career in New York.



2. (3.12) "The Grown Ups" - The assassination of President John Kennedy...

Below is a list of my top five (5) favorite episodes from Season Five (2012) of "MAD MEN". Created by Matthew Weiner, the series stars Jon Hamm:


TOP FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" (SEASON FIVE) EPISODES

1. (5.11) "The Other Woman" - In this tense episode, Pete Campbell asks Joan Harris to sleep with a client to secure the Jaguar account for the firm. Meanwhile, an underappreciated Peggy Olson attends lunch with fellow employee Freddy Rumsen, who encourages her to make a move.


2. (5.07) "At the Codfish Ball" - Don Draper is honored at a banquet for the American Cancer Society, but finds his professional...

"MAD MEN" – Wasted Partnership

Looking back on Season 2 of "MAD MEN", it occurred to me that the rivalry between the series protagonist, Don Draper aka Dick Whitman (Jon Hamm) and one of the supporting characters, Herman "Duck" Phillips (Mark Moses), seemed like a complete waste of time . . . story wise. Do not worry. I am not criticizing the writing of Matt Weiner and his staff. Instead, I am criticizing the behavior of two male characters, who I believe had the potential to be a winning advertising team.

Following senior partner Roger Sterling’s (John Slattery) second heart attack in the...

After viewing the eleventh Season Three episode of ”MAD MEN” called (3.11) “The Gypsy and the Hobo”, I came up with the following observations:


A Few Observations of “MAD MEN”: (3.11) “The Gypsy and the Hobo”

*Ever since his affair with Suzanne Farrell began in (3.09) “Wee Small Hours”, Don Draper has been increasingly dismissive of Betty’s presence. In some ways, he seemed to be in a great hurry to get her and the kids out of the house. And that is understandable, considering that he had proposed to Suzanne, a trip to Mystic, Connecticut during Betty’s absence in order...

Below is a list of my top five favorite Season One episodes of AMC's "MAD MEN":


FIVE FAVORITE "MAD MEN" SEASON ONE (2007) Episodes

1. (1.12) "Nixon vs. Kennedy" - In this superb episode, Sterling-Cooper's employees have an all-night party to watch the results of the 1960 Presidential Election. Also, Pete Campbell discovers that Don Draper's real name is Dick Whitman, who had been officially declared dead during the Korean War.



2. (1.10) "The Long Weekend" - During the Labor Day weekend, Roger Sterling decides to cheer up Don over the loss of a client by arranging a double date with twins. During...

I thought Season Two of "MAD MEN" was excellent. In fact, I consider it a slight improvement over Season One. But . . . I did have some quibbles about it:


"MAD MEN" Season Two Quibbles

1. Duck Phillips - I had once complained on the "Basket of Kisses" site that by the end of Season 2, Duck Phillips (portrayed by the superb Mark Moses) seemed to resemble a minor villain that Don Draper had to defeat. Someone responded that Matt Weiner never intended to portray Duck Phillips as some kind of villain. After reading two interviews that Weiner had given, I now see that I had been right to accuse him...