Mad Men: Season 3 DVD - RHP Review

As the silhouetted champion of capitalism falls from atop his lofty creation, the kick and snare break drops; again lovers of heavy drama and quality production values are drawn into a state of bliss as Mad Men Season 3 begins.

Critics of the show’s slow grind weren’t exactly challenged during Season 2; sure Sterling Cooper was sold off and the story lines were littered with racism, chauvinism, alcoholism... well pretty much all the ‘isms’, but that’s par for the course with Mad Men.

Perhaps sensing the wiggle room two patient seasons had afforded him, show creator, Matthew Weiner has upped the ante throwing curveballs at the major players. From the destruction of Don Draper’s marriage to the hi-jacking of the company by its own employees during the season finale, there is a sense of speed and a linear cost that was perhaps missing during the first two season, or at least played a little too subtly.

As good as the narrative and the character development is, the show’s visual talent remains as big a draw as any other aspect of production. The complete recreation of 1963 New York is nothing short of remarkable. From the exterior locations to the cars to the office buildings and fashions, Mad Men looks like it was produced with a blank cheque book in hand, and every now and then you need a show that has been created without compromise, or at least appears to have been.

If the loss of Sopranos, West Wing and the Wire has left a hole in your TV viewing schedule get your mits into Mad Men, and if you’re a veteran of the first two seasons, this will do nothing but increase your investment in one of television’s most unique programs.