http://newcritics.disqus.com/the best in web criticismenThu, 31 Jul 2008 01:23:22 -0000http://newcritics.com/blog1/2008/07/30/and-this-torment-wont-be-through-til-you-let-me-spend-the-rest-of-my-life/#comment-1058129I'm not concerned about the plot. The pleasure in watching "Mad Men" is similar to the enjoyment I get reading Raymond Chandler novels. He was hell on style and low on plot. The fun factor is use the rich tableau to project your own imagination on the character back stories. For example, Don is a classic American low rent striver like Jay Gatsby or Martha Stewart--a guy with good looks and brains, but dealt a bad hand legacy-wise. I pitched the lame Korean War identity swap plot point and replaced it with the idea that Don's innate smarts & leadership talent was recognized early in basic training--with an offer to enroll in officer training school. After the war Don parlayed his success as an Army captain by attending Columbia University on the GI bill. If there is any whiff of scandal, it is Don's desire to escape from his poor boy roots as he climbs to the summit of society living in the richest city of the richest country in the world.<br><br>...and so on.JamesSThu, 31 Jul 2008 01:23:22 -0000