What Mad Pursuit

I enjoyed the second season premiere of Mad Men, but I still think the best thing about it is the look and feel of the early 60s--a familiar but foreign land. The characters have a lot of potential, and the show is willing to be thoughtful and quiet, but it isn't quite as good as its press--not yet, anyway.

Creator Matthew Weiner worked on The Sopranos, and he's aspiring to the same level of depth and complexity. Of course, that show had a lot more TV-friendly violence, but even its domestic scenes had more going on than in Mad Men. The characters will get a chance to deepen this season, and we'll see what they can do, but I'm hoping at the same time that Weiner doesn't confuse lack of action with quality.