Our online editor, Tim Reidy, and I are currently battling for supremacy in the contest of who is the bigger “Mad Men” fan.  Here we are on this week’s podcast talking about the philosophical and theological underpinnings of the hit AMC show–not to mention the hidden meanings in its name (how many ways does “Mad” describe the characters); whether the talented Don Draper and Peggy Olsen will ever find a rest for their restless hearts; why Betty seems so full of sadness and longing; and how the coming social changes that will soon entirely upend the world of Sterling Cooper.   (Along the way Tim and I manage to discuss Jean-Paul Sartre, Charles Dickens, Flannery O’Connor, Richard Yates, Betty Friedan and St. Augustine!)  And if you’ve never seen the show, it’s a good way to introduce yourself to the last few seasons, without having to buy the first and second season DVDs.  Spoiler alert: next week the Culture section will feature a piece by Fr. Terrance W. Klein, associate professor at Fordham, who uses Flannery O’Connor’s stories and novels as a way of unlocking some of the underlying themes of “Mad Men.” 

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author, editor at large at America and founder of Outreach.