Mad Men

Something in the culture has gone so retro: why are we supposed to feel such empathy with men behaving badly? I get that it's a combination of camp, costume and entertainment, but (aside from the the opening credits which are superb) the assumption and portrayal of women in this series made in this century bothers me no end. I don't believe the relationships, or the history -- it seems more of a wishful version of Sex and the Single Girl, with Draper as the objective.

On the other hand, the office politics are very good, particularly how The Girl (Peggy) might as well be invisible to the bosses as far as her personal life goes. Yet the point of view is so undefined that its' hard to tell which mysteries are intentional and which are simply unintentional distance.

Tony Soprano and Jimmy, where are you?