Mad Men Season 2 (BD)

"Mad Men" Season 2 arrives on DVD with very high expectations after a smashing first season. Mathew Weiner’s Mad Men Season 1 won numerous awards notably bagging six Emmy Awards with Jon Hamm winning the best actor award for playing the central character of a high profile advertising executive, Don Draper. Through 13 episodes of Season 1, we saw various story arcs with a focus on developing the character of Don Draper and other supporting characters such as Peggy, an upwardly mobile secretary, Betsy, Draper’s suburban wife, and Peter Campbell, a junior but rival account executive. Does season 2 deliver on the high expectations built up after Season 1? Lets examine that.


[SPOILERS AHEAD]


Here is my rundown of significant narrative developments that happened in Season 2:


1) At the start of the season, Don gets a physical exam with a doctor where it is revealed that he has high blood pressure. Further, we also get more insight on Don’s past and the consequence of using the false name as revealed in Season 1. Don had a troubled childhood as a result of which he does not want to physically or verbally punish his kids for their misdemeanors. In this season, Don gets involved in an extra-marital affair that causes a temporary separation with Betsy.


2) Sterling Cooper Agency negotiates a merger deal with a major London-based ad agency. Don makes an important professional decision.


3) Peter Campbell and his wife are having problems conceiving. She suggests that they start thinking about adopting a child, which Peter rejects. Early in the season, Peter’s father dies in an American Airlines flight crash. Peter’s mother threatens to cut him off from the family money if he adopts a child.


4) Peggy was promoted at the end of Season 1. Through her creativity and perseverance, Peggy quickly makes her talent noticed to other executives by bringing in a big new account. An important episode shows why Peggy helps her former boss, Don Draper, when he is involved in a freakish accident. Peggy shares an important secret with Peter Campbell about their past.


While Season 2 is gripping there are a couple of things that didn’t quite work. First, as compared to Season 1, Season 2 has a much slower pace and a couple of episodes even feel a bit unfocused. However, in the last few episodes it gathers some steam.


Second, I feel that the writers have included repetitive and predictable sexual encounters, which drag down the overall storyline. I felt that the writers overplayed this point. More so, it seems like they wrote in a sex encounter whenever they were gathering their thoughts on how to develop the storyline further. It seems that the characters felt that there were no consequences to their sexual indulgences. Because of this, Don Draper freely engages in adultery and so do other characters, be it a short-term affair or one-night stands. Perhaps, this is the picture that the writes want to present of the social and behavioral changes occurring in America in the '60s.


Last, just like Season 1, Season 2 mainly chronicles Don Draper’s life. Apart from developing Peggy’s character to some extent, writers did not flesh out any background for the supporting cast. This results in underdeveloped supporting characters. For example, the character of Don’s wife, Betsy remains underdeveloped even into the second season. Being a mother of two kids, and a glamorous ex-model, we need more to fully understand why she feels stifled in her life with Draper. As the season unfolds, Betsy comes to know about Don’s affair. The writers could have shown this to be Betsy’s moment. Instead, they deliberately down played Betsy’s reaction to the whole situation.


However, not all about Season 2 is bad. Season 2 makes sincere efforts to engage with the tumultuous history of the '60s and is in some ways, a time capsule. There are a couple episodes (“The Jet Set”, “The Mountain King”) in which Draper goes to California. Don Draper takes an extended break from family and work. He falls in with a small rich group of people who have an open door policy for everything and are open to exploring anything new. Here we get an insight into the free-wheeling lifestyle of 1960s California.


We also get a glimpse into the changing world of women in the '60s. Women wanted to be liberated and be in the same league as men in every sphere of life. There is a telling episode "Maidenform", in which the copyrighters are creating a campaign for Playtex bras, and discuss how women can use fashion to portray various self-images. The slogan is that every woman wants to be Jackie Kennedy, and every woman wants to be Marilyn Monroe, and that they can be both.


Video:
Lions Gate presents the video in a 1.78:1 widescreen, 1080p presentation. After watching the DVD edition, I wondered how much improvement could be achieved in the Blu-ray edition. I feared that the improvements might be very minute especially after the pristine video delivered on the DVD edition. In fact, after watching the Blu-ray edition, all my fears have been laid to rest. The blacks are much darker and vibrant. The dress suites have better texture. Although you don’t see many bright colors in the show, however, in the Sterling Cooper office you see women employees wearing reds & blues. These colors do seem to pop out as a result of the extra resolution. The skin tones are better defined and more life like. The 60s color palette is rendered beautifully on this Blu-ray edition. Also, I did not notice any sign of DNR. Overall, this is one of the best Blu-ray editions in the market.


Audio:
Lions Gate has included a 5.1 DTS HD-MA audio stream for this edition. On the DVD edition, I complained how flat the audio sounded. However, on the Blu-ray edition the dialogues are much clearer and have better dynamic range. There is a definite improvement from the regular 5.1 Dolby Digital to the lossless DTS stream included in this edition. Being a drama, the rest of the soundtrack is serene with the minimal use of the background music. The audio on this edition satisfies all the requirements expected from a soundtrack of a drama show.


Extras:
Lions Gate has included a slew of extras in this release. At first glance on the back cover, I got the feeling that the extras are pretty slim. But after I watched the extras, I could understand the overall context of some stylistic themes of the '60s and why they were used in the show.


There is a commentary track on each of the 13 episodes of Season 2. Most of the time the crew gives us details on the '60s such as social changes, dresses and motivation. They talked about challenges faced in some of the episodes in terms of acting and script.


Also, included is a two-part extra, "Birth of an Independent Women, Parts 1 and Part 2," that explores the progression of a woman from the status of a housewife to an independent working woman. As revealed in this extra, it was the start of the second wave feminism, and women were trying to break free from their predetermined roles.


In "An Era of Style", we also get the details on how the Kennedy era influenced the fashion during the '60s and its lasting influence on today’s fashion designers. We get insight on the wardrobe of the '60s, how it was incorporated in the dressing styles used within the show.


"Time Capsule" highlights the tumultuous events occurring during the '60s, such as Cuban Missile crisis and space race.


Parting thoughts:
Season 2 starts off unusually slow. The writing in the first few episodes is laid-back, with no sense of urgency. Nevertheless, the acting remains a class act. What amazes me is the relative ease with which Jon Hamm has molded himself into an unforgettable ad-executive character, Don Draper. Season 2 clearly suffers from mid-story syndrome, but one can’t blame the writers for laying the groundwork for Season 3. Even when the script meanders, the crew of cigarette-smoking and whiskey-drinking men create a show that is captivating, intriguing and at times, perfect. The meticulous details with which the writers have crafted the era of '60s, makes Season 2 for a worthwhile viewing on this Blu-ray edition. Lions Gate has competitively priced both the DVD and Blu-ray editions by keeping the MSRP same. Currently, on Amazon.com, the DVD edition sells for $24.99 while the Blu-ray edition is priced at $30.99. If you have a Blu-ray player, for an extra $6, the Blu-ray edition is an easy recommendation.


Final rating:
Video = 10/10
Audio = 7/10
Extras = 8/10
Show = 7/10