Mad Men

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired 7/19/07

Episode Summary

While Don struggles to control his problematic love life, he tries to keep the agency from losing a big tobacco account.

8.3

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Cast & Crew

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January Jones

Betty Draper
Elisabeth Moss

Peggy Olson
Christina Hendricks

Joan Holloway

Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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A competent start.

6.5

"Fair"

By MovieMark, Jul 20, 2010 Report Abuse

Following the daily routines, trials and tribulations of dispassionate advertising agent, Don Draper, Mad Mens opening scene sets the tone quickly and effectively, with a thumping 60s soundtrack, impressive set-design and solid production values. It is a feast for the eyes and ears: visually as impressive as they come, the costume design and sets looking bang on, while the sparkling lingo and oddball phrases that were all the rage back then cements this time period perfectly. And yet, I could not help but feel this pilot was one big show-piece without very little telling. |

Indeed, this is a character piece, however theres very little here to propel you into the next episode. Don carries the majority of the episode, and the character goes through several arcs within the hour (an impressive feat); unfortunately, though, his stories, for the most part, are wrapped up nicely by the time the credits roll. We know he doesnt believe in love, so the surprise reveal that hes married and has two children packs less of a punch than intended. We know he has a follow up meeting with that woman he clearly has the hots for, but thats about itno hook.

The introduction of Peggy, the audiences gateway into this Mad World, is essential, and the writers do a great job of placing this character into the eye of the storm. Since Peggy is used to allow us to see this world through her eyes, shes easily the most relatable character thus far. Again, however, her storyline ambles where you expect it to, and while theres opportunity to milk this angle and taint her reputation, its wafer thin at best.

I guess my main gripe with this hour is that theres no driving story, nothing connecting one character to the next, and perhaps thats the point of this series. Who knows? Pilots are often the shadow of what the series becomes, and critics seem to be foaming at the mouth over this show, so I expect intricate storylines in the near future. I absolutely love Christina Hendricks, so I cant wait to see more of her (therein lies my hook to watch the next episode). And I was so shocked to see Vincent (Angel) in this, his character is a far cry from Connor!

Overall, Smoking Gets in Your Eyes is an efficacious pilot when it comes to introducing you into this hazy, smoke-filled world, but at present, theres nothing driving this episode into the next. This could have easily been a one-shot movie. Nevertheless, it looks the part, the cast surely act the part, and all it needs now is to mix it up. A competent start.moreless

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*** Spoiler-free *** Interesting topics, impressive authenticity, convincing acting but conventional characters and predictable story

7.0

"Good"

By goa103, Jul 01, 2010 Report Abuse

After what I read about the show my expectations were quite high. In fact I was driven to Mad Men because of its creativity topic, praised historical authenticity and visual style, and convincing cast. The awards it won are definitely deserved but I didn't find what I was looking for. First it didn't blow me away and only reminded me of all these productions trying to reproduce what America was back in the 60s. There's nothing wrong with history, the contrary, but I didn't learn anything new about that period. Worst I couldn't relate to the characters and even if their superficial masks hide complex personalities none really intrigued me. The actor playing the protagonist is perfect in its role and its story could be captivating to follow but if you need something more than entertaining then it can only be disappointing. In fact I even found the story boring at times. More most behaviors are predictable and the worst is that it didn't inspire me at all. The new secretary who don't know the city and will be an easy prey for the men playing in the upper league. The powerful mistress, the loving wife, the sharks trying to seduce their boss to better make him fall If you dig these profiles then you should be in your element but I wasn't. However the visuals are definitely impressive but sadly the pilot contents doesn't match their quality. I wished the story had focused more on the company's work than predictable conflicts and troubling relationships. Don't get me wrong Mad Men is a good show and definitely has potential, specially considering it has reached its third season, but it's just not what I was hoping for. Still covering controversial topics like smoking, health issues and creativity crisis are interesting so if I got my hand on the first season DVD maybe I would watch a few more episodes.moreless

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Good start, but slow-paced.

8.5

"Great"

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Nov 19, 2009 Report Abuse

After hearing the topic of Mad Men supposedly being the greatest show on television, and critics and audiences alike beating that dead horse to a bloody pulp, I've decided to check it out. And the pilot shows that it certainly has a story to tell that's larger than just one episode.. or even one season.

The best part? Definitely the acting, as well as writing. Both are top-notch and every character right away seems excited to establish their position within the confines of the show. Don Draper, played superbly by Jon Hamm, has a certain confidence about him that draws your attention to him. And I really like the setting of the show: the 60's, where everybody has a cigarette perched between their fingers like it's a missing body part, and the idea of coming up with ways to make people want to continue buying cigarettes.

However, it's downside is its tendency to frequently dip into episode long lulls. Sometimes, barely anything will happen in an episode besides conversations between characters. You get the idea that Matthew Weiner and co. are setting people up for bigger and better things, but sometimes, it's excrutiatingly dull to sit through nearly 50 minutes of small-talk between employees of an advertising agency.

Regardless, Mad Men seems to be a show that, as I mentioned before, gets its power from its combined efforts. Sure, episodes may drag, but when you look at them all as a whole, each is necessary to get to where Weiner wants us to go. A compelling show with great acting and writing.. but best show of the year? Uhh, I'm not sure.. ask me when I finish this season again. Because Breaking Bad, it's younger, more under-rated brother on AMC, has been giving it a run for its money.moreless

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A lesser person would be offended by this show

8.5

"Great"

By winterbehaviour, Jan 13, 2009 Report Abuse

I was very quickly engaged in this show the dialouge is sharp and convincing and I did not doubt for one second what I was seeing was anything other than 1960's new york.

There is nothing likable about any of the characters they all have pretty major flaws but this is not a bad thing they are caught in the mindset of the time and this is realistic plus I do not feel like I'm supposed to like them or feel like I would want to be friends with them; I am intrigued by them. The men at the ad agency are racist mysogonists and this includes the main character. When asked did they hire any jews at the firm he repliled "not on my watch". There is clearly more to Don Draper though, he has a Purple Heart stashed away in his drawer so he clearly fought in WWII and with some honour. After he was rude to the female departmant store owner then he met up with her and appologised and charmed her and it was here that I though that he redeemed himself. Yet, at the beginning of the episode he was shown to be involved with one woman and there is even talk of marrage, by the end of the episode Don arrives home and it revealed he is married with children. Don is not the worst character though that title belongs to Pete a particularly odious little swine who saw it fit to sleep with the new very nieve seceratary Peggy right before he is about to be married. Gripping stuff..moreless

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Mad Men begins.

8.3

"Great"

By thefanof, Dec 05, 2008 Report Abuse

It seems like so long ago but it was but a year that Mad Men hit the airwaves for the first time. The show has taken the world by storm garnering record Emmy nominations and wins and being mentioned on shows that have much larger audiences. And it all started with this episode.

The pace was like nothing ever seen before. Slow, extremely slow, and it left the viewer restless at first but after a while they realized that they were watching the beginning of something remarkable. A cast that perfectly fits each character and will be hard for these actors to shake the stigma of these roles off once the show ends and just brilliantly executed dialogue that keeps you on the edge of your seat without the need of a gunshot or massive cliffhanger.

Mad Men's pilot episode changed the way the TV world operates and for that it was successful.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Plates of shrimp cocktail can be seen on the table during Sterling, Draper, and Campbell's meeting with Rachel Menken. The ad men's ineptitude in relating to their Jewish client extends even to their non-kosher food selection.
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- Music: "Band of Gold" (Don Cherry,) "Caravan" (Gordon Jenkins,) "Shangri-La" (Robert Maxwell and His Orchestra,) "The Street Where You Live" (Vic Damone). The favored type of music for this era was called "Easy Listening." It featured orchestrations emphasizing string instruments, as well as the piano or the organ, and often had rhythms suitable for dancing. Among the best known artists of the era were Montovani, Ferrante and Teicher, The Living Strings, and of course, Lawrence Welk. There were some vocalists, such as Edie Gorme, Vic Damone and Andy Williams who fit the genre, but most vocals came from groups of singers who accompanied the orchestra, such as the Ray Conniff Singers. "The Street Where You Live" is from the musical My Fair Lady. In March, 1960, when this episode is set, My Fair Lady would have been entering its fourth year on Broadway, where it eventually ran for 2,717 performances, the longest running musical of its time. Use of this song is a reflection of the popularity of music coming from Broadway; film version would not be produced for another four years. Edit
- The program makes a small historical error in the scene where Peggy first sees her typewriter, an IBM Selectric II. The IBM Selectric Typewriter featuring a ball-element, that made the type bar and moving platen unnecessary was first released in 1961. The first Selectric II, which Joan assures Peggy is so easy a woman can use it, was not released until 1971. Later in the episode, Don comments about the availability of a "magic machine" that makes identical copies of documents. Although Xerox had released its first photocopier in late 1959, it probably would not have been widely available and probably not well known in March, 1960, when this episode is set. Edit
Notes
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- This episode won the 2008 DGA Award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series' - Night". Edit
- This episode was included on the 2008 Emmy Awards 'For Your Consideration' DVD. The episode ended up being nominated for "Outstanding Cinematography For A One Hour Series", "Outstanding Costumes For A Series", "Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series", "Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series" and "Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-camera Series". Edit
- This episode was nominated for a 2008 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television: Short Form – Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement. Edit
Quotes
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- Pete: Of course I love you. I'm giving up my life to be with you. Edit
- Don: We should get married. Midge: You think I'd make a good ex-wife? Edit
- Don Draper: Advertising is based on one thing, happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that whatever you are doing is okay. You are okay. Edit
Allusions
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- (Salvatore walks in while Don's flexing his muscles) Salvatore: Look at you, Gidget. Still trying to fill out that bikini? Don: Summer's coming. Frances "Gidget" Lawrence was a fictional character popular in the late 50's and early 60's. First introduced in a 1957 novel written by Frederick Kohner, Gidget and her faithful boyfriend Moondoggie were the embodiment of the southern California surf culture of the day. Gidget was first played on screen by Sandra Dee in 1959, but to most Americans, the seminal Gidget was Oscar-winner Sally Field, who played her in the 1965 television sitcom. The coil device Don was using was designed to develop men's pectoral muscles, but was also believed to increase women's bust size, thus the reference to "filling out that bikini." Even the bikini was still fairly novel at the time, it would reach fad proportion later in 1960 following the release of Brian Hyland's "Itsy-Bitsy Teeny-Weeny Yellow Polka-dot Bikini." Edit
- (Salvatore's drawing for the pitch to the tobacco client) This is clearly intended to reflect the advertising campaign of Marlboro cigarette's, "The Marlboro Man." The popular "man's man/ladies' man" type of advertising was extremely successful. Edit
- The blonde stripper in the bachelor party scene is wearing a strapless, pink evening dress and long gloves. This look is very reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe's look singing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", in the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Edit