It's stealth feminist. You go in thinking it's about the men, but the women are equally important if not more. You can see the characters being set up for failures by the historical background. The reproduction is very accurate, the fashion is marvelous and the acting is impeccable. Season 2 is better than season 1, which has a few WTF moments for me.
It's not exclusively about the struggles of women in a masculine world, but that's a major theme. Peggy (more or less the female lead) struggles in the office, Betty struggles as a suburban housewife, and Joan struggles both at work and in her personal life. It's pretty painful watching the way they are treated, but the show is fairly successful in vindicating them.
Most of the male characters are not fascinating. Don is well-drawn, he has a lot of class angst and such. Pete is sort of grotesque and pathetic, but everyone on the show dislikes him so much it's hard to put heart into hating him. There are a few supporting characters with potential. Overall I pretty consistently enjoy every chapter.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-09-23 08:34 am (UTC)It's not exclusively about the struggles of women in a masculine world, but that's a major theme. Peggy (more or less the female lead) struggles in the office, Betty struggles as a suburban housewife, and Joan struggles both at work and in her personal life. It's pretty painful watching the way they are treated, but the show is fairly successful in vindicating them.
Most of the male characters are not fascinating. Don is well-drawn, he has a lot of class angst and such. Pete is sort of grotesque and pathetic, but everyone on the show dislikes him so much it's hard to put heart into hating him. There are a few supporting characters with potential. Overall I pretty consistently enjoy every chapter.