In a week where the BBC gave us programmes about sewing, baking, and drinking tea, you could be fooled into thinking you were a member of the Women's Institute back in the sixties. Well thankfully, as an antidote to all that, Sky Atlantic did take us back to the sixties with the welcome return of Mad Men for its sixth season. But this isn't the Jam and Jerusalem of the BBC, we joined Mad Men at the end of 1967 with the Vietnam war raging. The characters mentioned what a violent year it had been, but we know the irony of this because 1968 will be worse, bringing the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
Things started well enough with Don ( John Hamm) and his perfect wife Megan (Jessica Pare ) on a working holiday in Hawaii. Everything seemed idyllic, but as we know Don and Mad Men don't do idyllic. At the bar Don meets a solider on r and r from Vietnam and they get their army lighters mixed up. In any other show this wouldn't mean very much, but Mad Men lives on these little details. The open gaping lift from last season a mere moment on screen seemed to loom over all that was to come. So the lighter seemed to haunt the rest of this two hour season opener.
But Mad Men is not all about Don, Betsy (January Jones still in her fat suit ) is struggling with life under the auspices of her husband Henry (Christopher Stanley ) their large house is dark and claustrophobic and it feels like Betsy is a prisoner in every aspect of her life. Peggy ( Elizabeth Moss ) now appears to be flourishing in her new job, but she seems to be having trouble shaking the ghost of Don.
This excellent episode was drenched with death, from the ambiguous opening scene, death and decay didn't seem too far from anyone. And this is only our jumping off point we have an entire season to enjoy and luxuriate in. So have a little sympathy, at least, for those poor people watching the tea, cakes and quilts on BBC.
Over
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