Mad Men: Looking Forward to Season 3!

By Laurie Sanchez

Well, Season 3 of Mad Men premiers Aug. 16, and my husband and I – with swarms of other fans – are eagerly looking forward to it.

The period show – which is set in early 1960s America, when the country was on the brink of massive change – features main character Don Draper (played by Jon Hamm) who is an “ad man” on NYC’s Madison Avenue (nicknamed “Mad men”).

The first time my husband and I saw the show was when the very first episode aired. We were on vacation in Lake Tahoe. For a television show to momentarily pull our attention from the beauty of Lake Tahoe … well, that should tell you everything. The show was gorgeous. It was gripping. And the time period was completely engaging.

The gorgeousness comes from the beautiful period sets and costumes. Creator Matthew Weiner has received well-deserved accolades for accurately portraying the late 1950s and early 1960s surrounds: from the fabulous clothes (the narrow lapels, narrow ties, curvaceous dresses, styled hair and cardigans) to the detailed furniture and décor (the foiled high-ball glasses, ball cigarette dispensers, pop-up address books and dinettes). Anyone who lived near that time period (or had parents who did) probably will recognize some little detail that instantly whisks you back to the past (for me, it was that pop-up address book on Don Draper’s desk!).

The gripping nature of the show comes from its involved storylines. The show centers around the “Mad men” themselves, at work, as well as the secretaries who work for them, but also goes into each character’s home life and shows how work crosses over to home.

And the time period is fascinating. We had never seen a television show or movie in the mid-century time period that wasn’t a comedy or simply trying to glorify the postwar era. While many movies, books and shows idealize that time – postwar confidence; the rise of suburbia; the era where everyone owned his own car, telephone, garage, refrigerator and even a television set for the first time – not many shows portray that era’s underbelly: racism, sexism, rampant affairs, and painful lives kept hidden behind closed doors for society. In a period where everyone finally had everything they ever wanted, it was cause for guilt if you weren’t happy. As Don Draper wonders about his wife Betty (played by January Jones), how can she be unhappy if he’s given her every material thing she wants?

But happiness is the elusive goal of all the characters, and it’s fascinating to watch them each pursue it in such an interesting era of change.

The creators are being strangely tight-lipped about any details about Season 3, including what year exactly it's set. (The first season is set in 1960, the second in 1962, so some are speculating that this one will be 1964, but no one is sure.) The blogs and forums are all a-twitter now, though, speculating on what this season will bring: Did Betty really take Don back? What will happen with Pete and Trudy? Is Peggy coming into her own? And check out the viewers' fun predictions for Season 3!

We can’t wait for the new season to begin. Are you a Mad Men fan? What’s your favorite part of the show? And what are you most looking forward to finding out in Season 3?