Mad Men – Season Three (2009/Lionsgate Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: A- Episodes: B+
Brilliant. Charismatic. Simply amazing. I have sung the praises of Mad Men many times before, but it seems
that the series has just gotten better with time. Looking back I must admit that the series has
had it dry moments, but as a developing story the series is brilliantly
done. Mad Men is composed of a great and gifted cast that propels each
entry in the world of the unapologetically self absorbed with enchanting
ease. The series continues to use the
1960’s New York City
advertising world as its backdrop, but that once again is only a well crafted
façade for the twisted people who live within.
Season 3 kicks off exactly where Season 2 left off (not making any jumps
in time, like between Season 1 & 2),
with Don Draper (Jon Hamm) continuing slither his way in and out of trouble;
all while playing by his own rules. The
emotionally abused and pseudo-simpleton Betty Draper remains pregnant and
unforgiving of her husbands misdeeds.
This season we find Betty not holding back as she comes into her own,
calling out Don on his transgressions and revealing his hidden past. Sterling Cooper has been taken over by the
Brits and many changes are afoot (pun intended). The political hierarchy the Sterling and Cooper had imposed for so long
is slowly whittled away until the company is only a shell of what it once was;
in turn causing turmoil within and inevitable changes to come. Sexism and themes of self discovery still run
amuck, but it seems that turbulence and change are front and center in Season 3.
As change
is occurring within individuals’ lives and the company as a whole, America
is shaken to its core by the death of JFK and the age of innocence and
dreamlike world of Camelot comes crashing down.
The death of JFK is brilliantly mixed into the series, almost mirroring
the events of the episodes as the mask of perfection that was Season 1 and 2 is ripped off to reveal
all the ugly truths. Season 3 of Mad Men spells change and who knows what the future holds.
The
technical features on Mad Men: Season
Three are much like that of Season
Two as every aspect is radiantly displayed and truly capturing the vivid
1960’s backdrop. The video on the Blu-ray release of Mad Men: Season Three is presented in engaging MPEG-4 AVC-encoded
1080p High Definition that in its 1.78 X 1 format again has vividly bright
colors, dark inky blacks, and textures that capture every wrinkle and hair on
in the scene. Again the video has a very cinematic feel and is pleasing
to the eye, with fewer issues than last season, but not exactly perfect. Mad
Men keeps making steps in the right direction in terms of content and
quality. The sound is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround track that has
great depth and projects wonderfully even as most of the dialogue driven series
again comes from the front.
Each word
and whisper is crisp, clean, and clear from the front as the entirety of the
sound spectrum is utilized for the series’ musical scores. As pointed out
last season there are many layers to the audio experience as ambient noises
come at you from every direction; behind you there is music, others chattering,
phones ringing, and traffic whizzing by to create a solid viewing/listening
experience. Great quality for sure.
The DVD
does not project the same quality (obviously) as the Blu-ray, but it is still
nice. The Widescreen image is crisp and clean, with colors/blacks that
don’t compare to the Blu-ray as it has a fair bit less depth. The sound
is a simple Dolby Digital Surround Track that does not offer the range of the
DTS-HD 5.1 mix as ambient noises are lost and the music is a tad flatter.
The
extras on the Third Season DVD and
Blu-ray offers fans TONS (2 for each episode) of Audio Commentaries that are
well done and informative. Also
incorporated are a few substantially lengthy documentaries including Mad Men Illustrated; Clearing the Air (about a 45-minute
documentary on the tobacco industry that is insanely interesting); Flashback 1963 (a general 1963
documentary); Medger Evers: Unsung Hero
(over an hour long on a historical figure); We
Shall Overcome: March on Washington (about Martin Luther King Jr’s
historical impact). Mad Men always has an interesting array of extras to choose from
and Season 3 is no different.
I highly
recommend this series.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
