Is Don Draper losing his appeal?

You should know by now that we at Spectator Towers think very highly of Mad Men.  I've said before that it's the closest American TV has ever got to the novels of an F. Scott Fitzgerald or a John O'Hara; Liz thinks it's the best TV drama ever made; and David ... well, David is infatuated with Don Draper.  So you can understand us getting excited about last week's double-episode entry into series 3 of the show.  Yep, a whole hour-and-a-half with the guys and dolls of Sterling Cooper.  Televisually speaking, it shouldn't really get much better.

But, having watched both episodes a couple of times now (to doublecheck, you see), I must admit: it's the first time I've ever been really disappointed by Mad Men.  Not that they were bad episodes.  Far from it.  And sub-par Mad Men is still better than 'most everything else on the box.  But they just seemed to lack that certain energy, that thoughfulness, which normally raises the show from good to outstanding.

What's worse, I can't quite put my finger on why it was - although my best guess is that these episodes were, fundamentally, just more of the same, done less convincingly.  For instance, Don's philandering made a near-immediate appearance, but - in contrast to his previous, more ambiguous affairs - it came with a fake name (on his part), "My friends say I should be a model" cooing (on her part), and nudges and winks about air stewardesses (on the writers' part).  Maybe that was the plan; maybe the change in tone is meant to say something about the character.  But, watching it in the cold light of the cathode ray tube, the whole scene seemed a little too arch, too knowing, and was all the less powerful for it.

Ditto Don's ad-man genius, which normally impresses the audience as much as it impresses Sterling Cooper's clients.  Here, instead, we had platitudes about the City of the Future, and mawkish shots of a girl dancing barefoot in the grass (some sort of influence for a diet-product, we're to take it, at the end of episode 2).  And then there are the new British characters (Lane Pryce and John  Hooker), who, for the time being, seem like ciphers of pre-existing characters ("Duck" Phillips and Pete Campbell, respectively), only with different accents.

Of course, I'm not giving up yet.  Series 3 is still only two episodes old, and I've heard enough from the States to suggest that it's going to warm up pretty soon.  Besides, there was plenty to admire in what we've seen so far - especially each and every scene involving Peggy (wonderfully played by Elisabeth Moss).  I'm sure I'll be waxing enthusiastic, as usual, in a few weeks time.

P.S.  You can watch last week's episodes here.  Details and times for the next few episodes are here.