Not much happens in the first episode of Mad Men's new
season, which premiered last night and will air four more times this
week. And yet, as the action jumps forward 14 months, everything seems
to be changing. The music has gone from sappy crooners to
"Let's Twist Again," and the whole world seems to be gradually
transitioning from the conformist '50s to the groovy '60s.
At
Don's insurance physical, his doctor tells him he has high blood
pressure, and that his chain-smoking and hard-drinking lifestyle could
eventually catch up to him. (Of course, part of the solution is a
prescription for Phenobarbitol, to help him "relax.") In one of those
period-setting punch lines this show does so perfectly, the doctor
treats him as if he's practically senescent, saying, "You're 36 years
old. . . you need to take this seriously."
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