Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Mad Men: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
AMC
July 19, 2007
Historical Drama
DVD
B

Regular cast:

• Bryan Batt as Salvatore Romano
• Stephanie Courtney as Marge
• Rosemarie DeWitt as Midge Daniels
• Michael Gladis as Paul Kinsey
• Jon Hamm as Don Draper
• Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway
• January Jones (who we saw as Melissa on Last Man on Earth) as Betty Draper
• Vincent Kartheiser as Pete Campbell
• Julie McNiven as Hildy
• Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson
• Maggie Siff as Rachel Menken
• John Slattery as Roger Sterling
• Rich Sommer as Harry Crane
• Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove

Also, Evelyn Edwards and Jennifer Sims are nameless, uncredited Secretaries for the first of ten and thirteen times respectively, while Dawn Marie Anderson would be a nameless, uncredited Secretary/Receptionist eleven times (I guess depending on IMDB's call).  Bess Rous would be back once as Marjorie, while Gordana Rashovich would return once as Dr. Greta Guttman.  This is the first of two episodes for Remy Auberjonois (yes, Rene's son) as Dr. Emerson.  John Cullum, who's Lee Garner, Sr., would get one more episode as well, but Darren Pettie, who's Lee Garner, Jr., would get three more.  Kristen Schaal is instantly recognizable in her one-shot as Nannette.

The script by creator Matthew Weiner (his first of 73 out of 92 that aired) is sharp and clever, with just enough winky lines (about Salvatore being gay, about the technology, about cigarettes, etc.) to acknowledge the distance from the time period, but still very rooted in 1960.  The direction by Alan Taylor (his first of only four episodes) is accomplished, with the acting and look at a cinematic level.

And it's all in support of a bunch of unappealing characters.  I know, they're meant to be unappealing, but I can't, at this point, go above a B.  I'll certainly keep watching the show, but I can't say that I exactly want to "be in" this world, in the way that I'd be fine hanging out in Mercy, Canada, with those flawed people, who are lovable.  This series to me feels like the underbelly of the movie Down with Love, and I don't mean that as an insult.