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Amazon.ca
At the end of the eighth episode in this Mad Men season-five set (with 13 episodes, plus bonus material, on four discs), Don Draper (Jon Hamm) sits listening to "Tomorrow Never Knows," one of the more sacred items in the Beatles' catalogue. Licensing an original Beatles recording isn't just expensive, it's almost impossible, so the mere fact that it's there is a testament to this show's popularity and acclaim. It also speaks to creator Matthew Weiner and his team's uncanny skill at weaving together multiple storylines while also immersing viewers in the time and place they happen; this season it's the seminal years of 1966 and '67, when folks started smoking joints instead of cigarettes, dropping acid instead of sipping scotch, and seeing their casual racism and misogyny begin to give way, albeit stubbornly, to more enlightened views.
Of course, Mad Men is mostly about the characters who work at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency, as well as those in their orbit. Don, who remains the most compelling character and is still at the center of this universe, has a hot young wife, Megan (Jessica Paré), who seems to have tamed his wandering eye for now; but although she shows a genuine flair for the ad game, she still wants to be an actress. Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), who's grown from an obnoxious little twerp into a marginally less obnoxious, slightly older twerp, has issues at work, at home… and outside the home. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss), a likable sort trying to keep her head above water in a world dominated by arrogant, entitled men, makes some serious life changes. Roger Sterling (John Slattery), still a cad and still cracking wise ("Listen honey," he tells a prostitute, "I'm not going to bore you with compliments"), enters into a most unexpected affair. Joan (Christina Hendricks) deals once and for all with her soldier husband. And Lane Pryce (Jared Harris)… well, suffice to say that it's not a good year for SCDP's money man.
As always, the show's production values--art direction, sets, clothes, music--are brilliant and spot on. So is the writing, especially the dialogue ("You're a grimy little pimp," Lane says to Pete, knocking him silly in a fist fight). The writers also manage to seamlessly interpolate current events like the Richard Speck and Charles Whitman murder sprees, England's victory in the World Cup, and author Truman Capote's Black and White Ball (the subject of a separate bonus feature, as is the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which formalized daylight savings). The best show on TV? That's arguable, but there are very few worthy competitors. --Sam Graham
Special Features
Disc 1:
• Audio Commentaries:
• "What Shall I Love If Not The Enigma?" featurette
Disc 2:
• Audio Commentaries:
Disc 3:
• Audio Commentaries
• Newsweek Magasine Digital Gallery
Disc 4:
• Audio Commentaries
• Audio Commentaries:
- A Little Kiss
- A Little Kiss Part 2
- Tea Leaves
• "What Shall I Love If Not The Enigma?" featurette
Disc 2:
• Audio Commentaries:
- Mystery Date
- Signal 30
- Far Away Places
Disc 3:
• Audio Commentaries
- At the Codfish Ball
- Lady Lazarus
- Dark Shadows
• Newsweek Magasine Digital Gallery
Disc 4:
• Audio Commentaries
- Christmas Waltz
- The Other Woman
- Commissions and Fees
- The Phantom
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
When things get bad, we tend to look to the past. And the bleaker the future looks, the further back we search for comfort. As the new millennium keeps disappointing us, TV shows set on the 50's and the 60's (once a rarity) keep growing in numbers. Many have tried and failed. MAD MEN tried and closed the deal. And have been doing so for 5 seasons now.
Meet Don Draper (Jon Ham), a Madison Avenue water-walker (and based on the real life ad men Draper Daniels and Rosser Reeves). He is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He is brilliant and secretive and wants to keep walking the tight rope with no safety net. And definitely no contract. He is a chain-smoking, hard liqueur guzzling, womanizing alpha male. He is a loving father of three, married to a picture-perfect ex model. He has it all. And he always wants more. Because he learned early on that the world is always at your heels to yank everything you love away.
From bursting with joie-de-vivre Roger Sterling (hilarious John Slattery) and ever scheming Pete Cambell (baby-faced Vincent Kartheiser) to the gorgeous women (such as barbie January Jones and refined Jessica Paré as his first and second wife, respectively), the cast is one perfect pick after another. And the writing is brilliant, reproducing the tastes and smells and nuisances of the era around Camelot, while drawing you in to the personal stories of characters polished yet inevitably flawed.
The 50's and the 60's were before my time so it is not nostalgia that makes me love the show. Yes, I find the era mesmerizing and (probably undeservingly) less complicated. If nothing else, though, back then they knew how to dress. Women looked feminine and men looked manly. You see January Jones on the red carpet, for example, all dressed up and groomed for a Hollywood function - and that modern image cannot hold a candle to herself dressed for everyday(!) life in the 50's. When did we loose it? When did we decide men should stop wearing suits and hats and women should start wearing sweat-suits outside the house? I, for one, blame the hippies!
This is one of the best TV shows ever and this box-set includes season 5. Season 6 is eminent whereas season 7 has already been green-lighted. As I have said again before, good TV is best watched on DVD. Make weekends out of it. It is much more enjoyable to watch an entire season in a couple of days than having to wait week(s) between episodes. And (quite ironically, in this case), you will not have to suffer the...commercials.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Meet Don Draper (Jon Ham), a Madison Avenue water-walker (and based on the real life ad men Draper Daniels and Rosser Reeves). He is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He is brilliant and secretive and wants to keep walking the tight rope with no safety net. And definitely no contract. He is a chain-smoking, hard liqueur guzzling, womanizing alpha male. He is a loving father of three, married to a picture-perfect ex model. He has it all. And he always wants more. Because he learned early on that the world is always at your heels to yank everything you love away.
From bursting with joie-de-vivre Roger Sterling (hilarious John Slattery) and ever scheming Pete Cambell (baby-faced Vincent Kartheiser) to the gorgeous women (such as barbie January Jones and refined Jessica Paré as his first and second wife, respectively), the cast is one perfect pick after another. And the writing is brilliant, reproducing the tastes and smells and nuisances of the era around Camelot, while drawing you in to the personal stories of characters polished yet inevitably flawed.
The 50's and the 60's were before my time so it is not nostalgia that makes me love the show. Yes, I find the era mesmerizing and (probably undeservingly) less complicated. If nothing else, though, back then they knew how to dress. Women looked feminine and men looked manly. You see January Jones on the red carpet, for example, all dressed up and groomed for a Hollywood function - and that modern image cannot hold a candle to herself dressed for everyday(!) life in the 50's. When did we loose it? When did we decide men should stop wearing suits and hats and women should start wearing sweat-suits outside the house? I, for one, blame the hippies!
This is one of the best TV shows ever and this box-set includes season 5. Season 6 is eminent whereas season 7 has already been green-lighted. As I have said again before, good TV is best watched on DVD. Make weekends out of it. It is much more enjoyable to watch an entire season in a couple of days than having to wait week(s) between episodes. And (quite ironically, in this case), you will not have to suffer the...commercials.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Was disappointed that the Canadian version as it did not include inserts from Canadian Club and pictures that were included in the US version. Would advise to get from Amazon.com not Amazon.ca. Generally disappointed with packaging of CD compared to the past 4 seasons packaging.
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Love this series, completely addicted !
Just like all the previous seasons, this one doesn't disappoint.
Haven't finished watching .....but almost there, can't wait for more Mad Men
Just like all the previous seasons, this one doesn't disappoint.
Haven't finished watching .....but almost there, can't wait for more Mad Men
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4.4 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
MadMen season 5 addictive
You really have to be a fan. The series grows on you, though. Lots of drama, people suffer, people you begin to care about, a lot. Read more
Published 2 months ago by LifeLearner
3.0 out of 5 stars
Never as good as the first time
... or as the first 4 times I should say. The writing is not as good as in previous seasons. As usual, it is slow, but kind of getting nowhere. Read more
Published 2 months ago by TVmonster
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mad Men 5th Season
Felt the story lines used were unclear and left gaps. Also feel the Character of Don Draper has weakened and seems aimless.
Published 3 months ago by S. Michael Slinger
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great season!
I enjoyed the fifth season as much as the previous ones. Don Draper has the apartment I wanted him to have the previous year, but it makes sense that he has it now with his... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent sur toute la ligne !
Le produit m'a été livré dans le délai prévu. La qualité mentionnée était exacte. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MFJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just As Good
Although the series shifted emphasis away from certain characters,( i.e. Betty was only a factor in two, maybe three episodes,) we enjoyed the fifth season as much as the previous... Read more
Published 3 months ago by photolady
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fantastic
One of the best made TV series ever! The acting, the decor, all is very good and I am waiting for more
Published 4 months ago by realcream
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mad Men fifth season
Really enjoy this series and sure hope they continue with season 6.....good story line and keeps your interest up......Thanks Amazon......
Published 4 months ago by Joan Garding
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mad Men
We have watched the hole series,and really enjoyed it.Great.I took me back afew years.,when smoking and drinking were sllowed at work.How things have changed
Published 4 months ago by Barbara J. Riley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to stop watching!
I LOVE this series! There is never a dull moment in an ad agency int he 60's! I can't wait to see a new episode cause you never know what those characters are going to get... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Trudy Taphorn
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