Back in the saddle

It's been a hell of a year.Had a few health issues to work out, starting in late February and as anyone can tell, I haven't written much about it. That might change.

Lately, I've been watching Mad Men (an AMC show). In October, my sister had talked me and my husband into giving it a watch. DH, fuelled by the personal attestations of greatness, made a point of renting Mad Men season one. Just brought it home one night, like it meant nothing at all! You have to realize that we are a married couple that have a "thing" about watching tv shows on dvd. The "thing" being that we like it. A lot. Unfortunately, we watch to the point of obsession and don't hit full stop until we've run aground, high and dry. And strung out.

So we consumed Season One. I wasn't sure how much I liked it halfway through, as the characters aren't likable. I was feeling that the show aimed to cultivate culture shock in viewers, and it was a one-hit wonder. I kept going more because DH was into it, tagging along and watched the remainder of season one. It grew on me enough by then that I was hooked. Of course, we ran out and rented Season Two. This is the season where I started to really enjoy the show. Besides the fact that you can't tell what characters are thinking and nowhere is it spelled out, you can decide how you feel about characters - or about what you think is some character's motivations - based on sometimes very subtle hints and actions. Very Survivor-like in its own way. The show also has something in common with rubbernecking, where viewers feel as if a train wreck is coming. If and when it does occur, it appears to be very anticlimactic. Kind of like real life, I'm thinking.

We're into Season Three, a few episodes in. Thank goodness Christmas is coming, it'll distract me when we run out of episodes. Though I'm thinking about planning ahead to rent Dexter... I've heard good things about it.