In A Snit: A Mad Men Retrospective

I look forward to this podcast and enjoy the insights of Marge and Frances. I’ve rewatched Mad Men more times than I could count and I like their analysis. The podcast is definitely an amateur production. They break down an episode over two podcast episodes, and often times they could be more concise. I agree with other viewers that sometimes things are being googled in real time or regurgitated from Wikipedia. However, Marge and Frances are both likable and have a good conversational style. I appreciate how they elaborate on the lives of the female characters. I also appreciate how they point out the various oppressions and forms of discrimination that occurred during the time period and often give some historical information about how civil rights have progressed.

I’ve recently rewatched Mad Men (again) and thought this would be a good re-cap and it is, when they actually re-cap the show. While it’s natural to relate your experience with that of a character, Marge takes it to another level and it feels as though this is a podcast about her life with a little Mad Men thrown in. In every show she tells us that she is 1 - from New Orleans, 2- Italian , 3- a nerd and 4- Catholic as if it is the first time sharing this information. I find myself skipping through all of the chatter which is most of the show. Additionally, Marge constantly speaks over Frances, says “um” all throughout and does not use pronouns correctly which is surprising as she is an educator. All of that aside, when they discuss the show, it is fabulous. The attention to detail and clear love of the women on the show is delightful.

I just rewatched Mad Men and was looking for a recap show and found this one. Mostly I enjoy it but I feel I know waaaay too much about the personal lives of the hosts. I know about their husbands, children, grandparents, aunties, uncles, religious backgrounds, preferred foods. I fast forward through these tedious anecdotes. But some episodes have a ridiculous ratio of filler/personal anecdotes to actual content. One spends minutes naming Catholic Churches the hosts have heard of. The recap, when they get to it, is detailed and observant. This could be a great podcast if the hosts would nix the personal stuff. I spend too much time skipping for it to be a good listen.

I love this show, and I enjoy this podcast a lot. I must be much older because so much is a surprise to the hosts, but they’re learning and teaching and I appreciate the point of view. My only tiny gripe is hearing “yeah, no” from the American host several times an episode. This contradictory colloquialism is not charming or sensical in large doses. But I’m annoying too so I get it. I don’t mind the length at all, I love hearing more about the show.