Mad Men

"When I look back at early episodes of Mad Men and then watch episodes from seasons four or five, I think of photos of my own family over the generations, and how mysterious and amazing it is to see their clothes and hairstyles, cars and homes, living conditions and marital status changing almost imperceptibly over the course of years or decades, snapshot by snapshot, each picture capturing a moment, but never the moment. Do we make decisions, or do decisions make us? Do we make the times, or do the times make us? Will Don decide to divorce Megan, or will Megan decide to divorce Don, or will they decide to stay together and be unhappy, or happy? Or does “decide,” as we use it in the context of storytelling, have almost nothing to do with how things happen in real life? These are the questions that Mad Men raises when it it’s not delighting us with a sleek suit, a clingy dress, an aptly chosen period song, or a witty one-liner. I’m glad it’s back."

- Matt Zoller Seitz

"The Nocturne of Their Discontent"