Don Draper

TV

Serve Up Dinner, Mad Men-Style, With a Season 6 Viewing Party

Source: AMC Who's excited about the return of Mad Men on Sunday?

Source: AMC

Who's excited about the return of Mad Men on Sunday? We are! Kick off season six in style with an intimate viewing party. Invite family and friends over for an evening that will take everyone back to the early '60s. Serve up old-fashioned eats and play music from the era like Ella Fitzgerald and Etta James. Ask that women dress up like Joan or Betty, and that the men wear suits and hats or sweater vests.

Retro Cocktails
Pick classic cocktails from the Mad Men era like an old fashioned, Campari with a twist, or a gimlet to serve up all night long.

Updated Appetizers
Serve updated versions of more traditional eats. Start with marinated olives to go with your first round of drinks. Then bring out shrimp cocktail with three dipping sauces: cocktail sauce, peanut sauce, and barbecue sauce.

Steakhouse Favorites
A crisp and classic wedge salad is a perfect first course. Follow that up with a hearty meal of New York strip steak and potato gratin.

Chocolate Fondue
Retreat to the couch to watch the premiere and set up a chocolate fondue spread on the coffee table, complete with fresh fruit and marshmallows. After dessert, break out your tumblers and your favorite whiskey (we suggest Redbreast Irish whiskey) and toast to a successful '60s premiere party.

How do you plan to celebrate the return of Mad Men?

— Additional reporting by Anna Monette Roberts

women

4 Types of Women Don Draper Goes For

It seems like Don Draper has been with them all: from the innocent, angelic blondes to the fiery, passionate brunettes.

It seems like Don Draper has been with them all: from the innocent, angelic blondes to the fiery, passionate brunettes. While he might not have a type, we've certainly seen some themes of attraction. We've been waiting impatiently to find out what Mad Men season 5 will bring for Don and his engagement to Megan. Perhaps his bad boy days are over, but we aren't placing any bets! In the meantime, here's a look back at four types of women Don has gone for.

Photo courtesy of AMC

career

Good or Bad Trade: Don Draper For a Career

It was layoff mania on last night's Mad Men.

It was layoff mania on last night's Mad Men. Don Draper's advertising agency had to start downsizing to stay afloat, and plenty of people feared losing their jobs. To top it all off, because of Don's latest publicity stunt (a write-up in The New York Times in which he claims to refuse to work with tobacco companies because of moral reasons), Don is no longer a client of Faye's. That's because the psychiatrist's firm did not want to alienate the tobacco companies.

However, Faye seemed happy about it and considered it a good trade — although she lost one of her best accounts, she'll be able to date Don in public. Do you think this is a good trade?

Photo courtesy of AMC

parenting

Mad Men: Should Sally Draper Live With Don?

Should daddy's girl have gotten her way?

Should daddy's girl have gotten her way? In last night's episode of Mad Men, the tension between Sally and Betty mounts and the child boards a train destined for Don. While the ad man indulges his daughter to a point, he turns her down when she asks to live with him — even when she pleads. What is your opinion?
Photo courtesy of AMC

parenting

Mad Men: Will Betty Always Have a Weak Spot For Don Draper?

Does the father of a woman's children always tug on her heartstrings?

Does the father of a woman's children always tug on her heartstrings? In last night's episode of Mad Men, Betty gets jealous when she runs into Don and his date. While the mother of three is remarried and has primary custody of the kids, her feelings for her ex are still apparent. Is it impossible for a mom to completely get over the person with whom she procreated?
Photo courtesy of AMC

parenting

Mad Men: Did Forgetting His Kids Make Don Draper a Bad Dad?

It was a call of shame rather than a walk for Don Draper in last night's episode of Mad Men.

It was a call of shame rather than a walk for Don Draper in last night's episode of Mad Men. After a long (and hard to recall) celebratory evening for winning an advertising award, Don is snapped out of his slumber when Betty phones him to ask why he hasn't yet picked up their children. The hungover father of three fakes sick and spends the day dazed and confused on his sofa instead of with his offspring. Were his actions understandable or inexcusable?
Photos courtesy of AMC

parenting

Mad Men: Does Divorce Take a Bigger Toll on the Children?

Divorce continues to divide the Draper family in last night's episode of Mad Men, but both parents have moved on.

Divorce continues to divide the Draper family in last night's episode of Mad Men, but both parents have moved on. Don distracts himself with work and a steady flow of women while Betty looks to Henry for support. Despite the adults' ability to move on, it's much more difficult for their kids. In a sweet letter to her father (on her brothers' behalf), Sally tells Don what she wants most for Christmas is to have him home. Do you think divorce affects children more than their parents?
Photos courtesy of AMC

parenting

Don or Betty Draper: Who Has More of a Parental Instinct?

Divorce divides the Draper family as season four of Mad Men premiered last night.

Divorce divides the Draper family as season four of Mad Men premiered last night. While Don puts long hours in the office and lives in the city, Betty continues to reside in the former couple's suburban home with their three children — Sally, Bobby, and Gene — and her new husband, Henry. Though the young mother's primary concern seems to be her marriage, and Betty has questionable (at best) parenting methods, she is the kids' primary caretaker. Don has a better rapport with his youngsters, who are happy and relaxed around him, but their visits are infrequent. Which Draper do you think is a better parent?
Photos courtesy of AMC

Advice

Spoken by a Man, Written by Women: Don Draper's Wisdom

Mad Men's Don Draper spends a lot of time not talking, which does the rare double duty of adding to his appeal while reducing him to a total ass.


Mad Men's Don Draper spends a lot of time not talking, which does the rare double duty of adding to his appeal while reducing him to a total ass. But when he does talk, his words are elegant, philosophical, and — if you think about — really great advice! Even so, when they're all put together in this montage above, Don sounds more like a narcissist with a God complex than a wise man with a gift for language, reminding us where his words came from: women writers. With women filling the pool of writers on Mad Men, we'd be remiss to give Don all, or any, of the credit. So what's your favorite line?

Shopping

How I'd Wire Don Draper

I've showed you how I'd wire Bruno and Weeds' Nancy Botwin, but now I'm going to take it back old school — real old school — and hook you up with my tech picks for Mad Men's dashing yet complicated hero, Don Draper.
Vintage Technology Picks For Mad Men's Don Draper Character

I've showed you how I'd wire Bruno and Weeds' Nancy Botwin, but now I'm going to take it back old school — real old school — and hook you up with my tech picks for Mad Men's dashing yet complicated hero, Don Draper. All my picks are vintage, true to the era and the character's vibe — 1960's ad man sophistication.



Photo courtesy of AMC