As we fade out from season one and prepare to step into season two, the team here at Blowing Smoke takes a quick detour to the cinema with the Sterling Cooper Film Club—our new series where we conclude each season with a double feature of films that reflect what the most recent slate of Mad Men episodes offered us, both textually and subtextually.

To kick things off, we celebrate the life and legacy of musical legend Brian Wilson, exploring his cultural imprint on the 1960s, then and now. We also shine a spotlight on a recent original stage production about John Wilkes Booth, penned by none other than Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner.

Eventually, we make our way into the smoke-filled movie house for this episode’s double feature, diving into the moral compromises and quiet redemptions of Billy Wilder’s 1960 classic The Apartment and the hazy monastic codas of Robert De Niro’s 2006 spy drama The Good Shepherd. Along the way, we consider how both films grapple with themes that Mad Men has spent an entire season unpacking in its own distinctly stylish way.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

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Season one is in the books, and we’re closing it out in style with The Scout’s Honors—our end-of-season recap episode! In this special installment of Blowing Smoke, we look back on the highs, lows, and existential crises of Mad Men’s debut season. We hand out our honorary awards for the season’s biggest pitches, lingering questions, and those unforgettable moments when the Sterling Cooper facade threatened to crack wide open.

We also unveil our personal episode rankings and share our overall impressions of how this first season set the tone, pace, and emotional architecture for everything that follows. Stick around for the very end to hear a preview of our next episode, a special cinematic epilogue to season one before we dive into the second.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

It all comes down to this. In our commentary and discussion of Mad Men's season one finale, we unpack The Wheel—a haunting, heartfelt conclusion that solidifies the show’s reputation as one of television’s all-time greats. As Don Draper pitches the Kodak Carousel, he delivers one of the most iconic moments in TV history, privately spiraling in ways even nostalgia can’t fix.

We explore the emotional weight of Don's pitch, Betty and Peggy's own heartwrenching crossroads, and the episode’s elegant meditation on the nature of "success," loss, and longing. As always, we hand out our episode awards, spotlighting the standout performances, scenes, and moments that made this episode such an unforgettable finale to a terrific debut season.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

Please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

Election night looms large in Mad Men’s penultimate episode of season one, Nixon vs. Kennedy. As the nation watches two candidates battle it out for the White House, Sterling Cooper descends into its own kind of chaos—complete with office antics, broken boundaries, and the long-awaited unraveling of Don Draper’s identity. Secrets spill, loyalties are tested, and history (both personal and political) seems ready to crack wide open.

We unpack the episode’s blend of tension and release, as well as the evolving contrasts between Don and Pete. As always, we wrap things up with our awards for standout characters and moments. In the battle of Draper vs. Campbell, who do ya got?

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

The heat is rising—both on screen and in the studio—as Blowing Smoke returns with our breakdown of Mad Men’s eleventh episode of season one, Indian Summer. It’s been a minute, but we’re glad to be back. This episode finds tempers flaring and pulses quickening at Sterling Cooper, with Roger out of commission, Peggy stepping up in unexpected ways, and everyone around the office getting just a little...restless.

Beyond Mad Men, we take some time to catch up on everything from the deliciously deranged recent social media posts by the Richard Nixon Foundation, to our excitement over the soon-to-be-released new novel by Thomas Pynchon, and even our thoughts on the first few episodes of The Last of Us.

As always, we wrap things up with our signature awards segment—celebrating the bold, the bizarre, and everything in between. Come for Peggy’s professional glow-up, stay for the Nixonian absurdities and Pynchonian dreams.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

With Labor Day approaching, Roger Sterling is looking for a good time, but the weekend’s indulgences quickly take an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, Joan steps into the spotlight and is forced to acknowledge that maybe real- and televisual- life is a bit more complicated than the movies. We explore the episode’s themes of escapism, power, and consequence, all while handing out awards for the most memorable characters and moments.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

Grab a glass of Coke and stay awhile as we break down Mad Men’s ninth episode of season one, Shoot. Betty Draper finds herself at a crossroads when an unexpected modeling opportunity forces her to confront long-buried ambitions and the constraints of suburban life. Similarly, Don faces pressures of his own as Jim Hobart and McCann Erickson attempt to lure him away from Sterling Cooper. But is the grass really as green as they all think? We explore the episode’s themes of power, temptation, and the cost of compromise, all while awarding the standout characters and moments that define this turning point in the final stretch of the season.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

Tie up your bundle, ride the rails, and join us as we break down Mad Men’s eighth episode of season one, The Hobo Code. Don Draper’s past comes into sharper focus as a childhood memory sheds new light on his present-day (circa 1960) persona, while Peggy experiences an unexpected breakthrough at the office. We dive into the show’s depictions of African Americans and Bohemian/alternative cultures along the way—topics that will no doubt evolve as the series continues. As always, we award the characters, moments, and cultural signposts that point us to worlds outward and inward all at once.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

As we reach the midway point of Mad Men's debut season, we scale the seemingly endless staircase of embarrassment with the seventh episode of season one, Red in the Face. Roger Sterling’s dinner antics lead to unexpected fallout, while Don Draper engineers a bit of revenge that’s equal parts calculated and cringeworthy. As a special bonus, we reflect on the life, career, and legacy of David Lynch, discussing his unlikely connections to Mad Men (from influence to outright fandom). Along the way, we hand out awards for the most unforgettable characters and moments (good, bad, and awkward). Come for the oysters, stay for the chip and dip.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].

In 2025’s first installment of Blowing Smoke, we dive into Mad Men’s sixth episode of season one, Babylon. The Sterling Cooper team is tasked with pitching to Israel’s tourism board, sparking a fascinating exploration of identity, belonging, and reinvention. Meanwhile, Don’s complicated personal life takes center stage as he wrestles with his feelings for Rachel Menken, while Peggy discovers potential for an exciting new role in the office. Along the way, we hand out our awards for the most notable characters and moments. As a bonus, we discuss the new movie A Complete Unknown, its subject Bob Dylan, and his vague yet potent similarities to Don Draper himself.

Intro theme music composed by Dar Golan.

As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and wherever else you listen! Got thoughts or questions? Email us at [email protected].