Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is a very strong start to an interesting period show. If you are interested in the subject matter you will likely be hooked from the off thanks to the effort applied to period design and an assortment of interesting characters.
The writers hit you heavily with all the socially acceptable attitudes of the time period. Racism, antisemitism, tobacco advertising, workplace drinking and in particular the misogyny are prominent in various scenes. So much so, certain moments are undeniably entertaining when you apply a modern context to the behaviour of certain people. One character is treated so horrifically bad by a doctor it almost feels like a black comedy sketch.
For me it all hinges on the character Don Draper and whether he intrigues you or not. If he does you will likely be hooked. The writers portray him in a mysterious way by slowly drip feeding the relevant information. In a show full of sexists he is the poster boy, but there are hints of depth that come through. His dialogue exchanges with the character Rachel Menken are the highlight for me, especially his Livia Soprano world view on love.
Peggy Olsen works well as a newcomer's perspective on the environments to which we are introduced. I feel invested in how she navigates the Mad Men world.
Pete Campbell is an easy character dislike with the somewhat antagonistic introduction the writers apply. His ambition feels mildly threatening (in a professional sense), so makes you want to keep watching in the hope of seeing him fail miserably.
I was not around in the 1950 (nor 60s) but the visuals are incredibly impressive to me. I love the cinematography, lighting, colours and almost every aspect of the art design.
It's an 8.5/10 for me but I round upwards.
