Mad Men: Season Two

Despite its superb writing, acting, and directing, Mad Men in its first year seemed a little too preoccupied with making ironic asides about American pop culture of the 1960s. That very minor flaw is corrected during the 13 episodes of the 2008 second season, which offers more sober, probing exploration of the principal characters at the Sterling Cooper ad agency, especially aloof and enigmatic Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who was revealed at the end of the previous season as having assumed the identity of a man with whom he served in the Korean War. Seemingly devoted to wife Betty (January Jones) and satisfied with the stable life he's created for himself, Don nonetheless continues to play with fire, as exemplified here by his brief but torrid affair with Bobbie Barrett (Melinda McGraw), the wife of a client's pitchman (the ramifications of that tryst will be felt in the season's second half). Meanwhile, Mad Men's second most interesting character, newly minted copywriter Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) has elected to entrust her baby—born in the two-year period that elapsed between the seasons—to her mother and sister, so that she can stay on the career-woman track and establish herself in the exclusive boys' club at Sterling Cooper. Peggy's difficult choices weigh heavily on her and figure in a subplot involving a young priest (guest star Colin Hanks). The second season winds down as the Cuban Missile Crisis heats up and the Sterling Cooper staffers get wind of a planned merger. A richly textured series, Mad Men emerges in its sophomore year as a more mature, fully rounded and compelling drama, well-deserving of its multiple Emmy and Golden Globe awards. DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentaries, a two-part documentary on women's growing independence during the ‘60s, a featurette on period fashions, and a number of “time capsule” segments on notable historical events of the era. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)