Hello,
This past Sunday "Mad Men" kicked off it's sixth season with a two part premiere. These first two episodes take place over the holidays in 1967. The two part episode is titled "The Doorway".
Season Six starts off with Megan and Don in Hawaii enjoying the Christmas holidays on a working vacation. Their vacation is being paid for by Sheraton to hopefully inspire Draper as he works on their ad campaign. Although Sheraton doesn't like his initial ad campaign. While having a sleepless night Don goes to the hotel bar and runs into a Private Dinkins. Dinkins is about to get married and is looking for someone, anyone, to give away the bride. He persuades a reluctant Draper to give away the bride at the wedding. Megan wakes up the next morning and stumbles on this very blissful beach wedding. After a brief honeymoon, Dinkins is going to head back to Vietnam.
Matthew Weiner, the genius behind "Mad Men", seems to be positioning Dinkins and Draper as our personal connection to the Vietnam War. Draper and Dinkins accidentally swapped their similar Zippos while they were in Hawaii. Perhaps a personal connection will be forged through Draper trying to return the lighter. Originally Draper threw away the lighter, but his housekeeper found it and returned it. Next Draper had his secretary try to get it back to Dinkins unit. Dinkins obviously isn't real excited about being in Vietnam and has 8 more months to go on his year long enlistment. As this season and 1968 begins the Vietnam War is in full swing. President Johnson's administration has become defined by this debacle and is about to be ended by the Vietnam conflict. Johnson decides not to run for another term and Richard Nixon is elected President.
Also Dinkins and the rest of USA military is about to get a nasty surprise. Right around the corner is the Tet Offensive, which is launched half-past midnight on Wednesday morning January 30th, 1968. So while Private Dinkins and his new bride should be starting their new life together Dinkins will be back just in time for the Tet Offensive.
This may be how Private Dinkins feels about being in Vietnam, Paul Hardcastle's "19":
As if that wasn't enough, another iconic moment in the Vietnam war happened the day after the Tet Offensive. General Nguyen Ngoc Loan is captured on film shooting a Viet Cong prisoner point blank in the head. That picture went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and was another bullet in the protest's movement again the Vietnam War. (Thanks to the Wikipedia page 1968 in the Vietnam War.)
Weiner doesn't usually go for the obvious thing in "Mad Men" Both the execution of the prisoner and the Tet Offensive seem pretty obvious. I'll be interested to see what happens in Sunday's episode, which is titled "The Collaborators". That title could mean so many things. See more about the Tet Offensive below.
Other thoughts about "Mad Men's" two part debut:
1) What the hell is the show doing with the gorgeous January Jones? I know in real life she's skinny, so why do we have to endure fat Betty on the show. Not only that, but the new hair color is ugly. Also what's up with her teeth? Why is "Mad Men" making one of TV's most beautiful women so unattractive?
2) Pete Campbell continues to remain annoying. I realize he's suppose to be the burr under the saddle, but why oh why do we have to endure his smarminess. Also why is the character of Harry Crane still on? At least I can see the purpose of Campbell, but I'm confused by the point of Crane's existence in the "Mad Men" universe.
3) Am I the only one getting tired of Roger Sterling? The perpetual child, mama's boy and horn dog continues to trade on his name and his Dad's hard work. It's so appropriate that the narcissistic Sterling is going to counseling as there's nothing that Sterling likes to talk about more than himself. Will there be a time when he actually starts growing up? Of course not too many people can remain mad at him for too long because he can be a charmer when he wants to be. He also always has the best lines.
4) I also don't remember Joan being in this episode, although she was featured heavily in the previous episodes segment.
5) Don Draper is having yet another affair. I realize that's part of his nature but it has become so tired. In fact Draper says "this is got to end" to his latest conquest, I couldn't agree more Don.
You may wonder why do I continue to watch a show that I complain so much about? Well there's a lot of reasons for that. Like any other show "Mad Men" has it's slow stretches, but a patient person will be rewarded by continuing to watch this show. Also "Mad Men" is probably the smartest show on TV. While "Nashville" seems to have gone full soap opera, "Mad Men" continues to educate as it entertains.
I'm not sure how Weiner will handle the Vietnam War going forward. But however he does it, it will be smart and thought provoking. I've long been fascinated by the Vietnam War. The Tet Offensive is one of the most interesting aspects of that conflict. I had considered the Tet Offensive to be a major disaster for the US Military, until I started researching 1968 and the Vietnam War. I stumbled across the book "This Time We Win" by James S Robbins.
Robbins argues that the Tet Offensive was a colossal failure for the North Vietnamese. Although the perception of Tet is that it was a colossal failure for the US military. I didn't read the whole book, I just read the Kindle sample. However that sample was very interesting. It deals with the perception vs. reality. Robbins is arguing the reality of the Tet Offensive is completely different than the perception.
So if Weiner/ "Mad Men" deal with the Tet Offensive, which way will they take it? Will Dinkins send a letter to Don giving thanks for getting his lighter back to him? Of course this is assuming that Dinkins appears on the show again, however he and his lighter have been featured enough for it to seem reasonable that his presence will be felt again. I expect that we haven't seen the last of Dinkins or his Zippo.
Also just a quick shout out to another enjoyable and incredibly smart show "The West Wing". One thing I like about On Demand, DVRs and DVDs of shows is that I can go on a show binge. I find that I quite like watching a show like that. "The West Wing" was a show I got into a bit late when it was first on television, but a show that I really enjoyed. When I saw the DVDs at the Davis County library I knew I wanted to see it again.
Last night I watched the first 4 episodes of "The West Wing" and what a great show that was. The writing is crisp, the cast and acting is fantastic and the show has a great sense-of-humor. I love the scenes when President Bartlett is loopy on his pain medicine. That whole scene is absolutely hilarious. The show also has a very sensitive side, as when Charlie Young's character is introduced.
themusicaddict
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