Le journal intime d'un homme marié

With this show I've learned a valuable lesson: Trust any program HBO sees fit to put on. I quickly dismissed Larry Sanders, Sex and the City, and Mr Show. I was not interested in Mind of the Married Man for it's first couple of episodes believing it to be nothing more than the male Sex and the City. A negative review in People didn't help its case either.

Because it was sandwiched in between Band of Brothers and Curb Your Enthusiasm for its first few weeks I was forced to catch little bits and pieces here and there. Eventually it started to catch my attention and before I knew it I eagerly awaited each episode.

Like all HBO shows it earns points for doing things that broadcast programming can't get away. Subjects, namely sex, are dealt with bluntly and openly without trying to delicately skirt the issue. How many shows can you name where you'd see a woman bobbing her head up and down in her husband's lap while he snickers at the Three Stooges on TV? I don't think you'll see a subplot about a guy contemplating whether or not to get a "happy ending", a euphemism for a handjob, from a masseuse on Must See TV either.

The continuing story across the entire season is very well executed. The developing sexual tension between Mickey and Missy his assistant and how it affects his relationship with his wife kept me hooked. The final episode of the season had what I considered to be one of the best comic payoffs in which it is revealed that Mickey's Japanese masseuse isn't as she appears to be. I suspect that the framework for the entire season of episodes was worked out far in advance. It's not as though week to week an effort is made to fudge the storyline together.

The comedy, like other elements in the show, is played subtly at least as compared to that of most sit-coms where you can almost hear the actors and writers cry out, "Laugh! Laugh! Damn you!" Married Man doesn't really care whether you get everything and if you do it's not going to wait until you finish laughing before moving on to the next thing.

The characters like people in real life don't always have the right thing to say at the right time. You can almost see, in Mike Binder's portrayal, Mickey searching for his words when placed in tense situations.

Ivana Milicevic, who plays Missy, came as a complete surprise. Because she looks as though she must have had a career as a runway model I assumed that she was a.)not intelligent b.)not a good actress. As conventionally beautiful as she is the show doesn't merely see fit to use her as set dressing. Missy is afforded a fair amount of depth. Of course there is hardly an ugly woman in the cast and yet the aim of the show is not to merely parade an attractive cast for a drooling audience.

If there is a criticism I could level at the show it is in regards to the show's setting and occupation of the characters. Almost all romantic comedies take place in some large metropolitan area usually New York, Chicago, or San Francisco. Married Man is set in Chicago. These urban environments aren't presented as most of us would see them as fairly dirty, crowded, and stress filled places. Confrontational strangers are only there to provide some comedy. Main characters never have jobs most middle Americans would have, instead plying their trade in some form of the media/publishing business. Mickey works for a newspaper. However given the quality of the show this is relatively easy to overlook.

I would hate for women to watch this show and think; "So this is what men are like when us women are not around, how informative."

It also hails women as having it 'more together,' and as being smarter than men, just because these particular men are losers. It also seems that on this show, men can't keep from cheating or almost cheating.

It's just plain sexist in my humble opinion. I feel like the main character is a jackass ambassador speaking on my behalf.

I am a woman and enjoy this show very much! I think it's hilarious, and also poignant at times. The guy-talk certainly reminds me of my personal experiences of girl-talk, and these scenes along with the "fantasies" are among my favourites. The dialogue just flows so naturally. So Mickey (Mike Binder) does stupid things, but don't we all although we "should know better", especially when we're torn? I also like it that although at first his two friends Jake (Jake Weber) and Doug (Taylor Nichols) seemed to be perfect impersonations of the total opposite points of view - philandering vs. complete devotion to your partner - in the course of the first season we have begun to see they go much deeper than that. Doug and his wife have a great relationship - how many men would tell their wives they had almost gone to a Japanese massage parlor with a friend??!! For the second season, I'm especially looking forward to find out more about Jake and why he became such a philanderer. He's such a riddle - although I cannot condone his constant cheating, I agree with what a friend says about him: he has his own warped sense of "chivalry". You saw it in his behaviour with his friends, and also when he went out with Missy - he only wanted to show her a good time, and didn't try to land her. The episode where his "computer girl" retired was very interesting - he had stated earlier that he could be with the same hooker for years and not feel anything, but now found out that isn't quite true. But he's only beginning to find such things out about himself, so I'm sure next season will be an interesting one for him. I'm also looking forward to see how Mickey and Donna's relationship will go on, and how Doug and Carol's relationship will be affected by her going back to work.

To all involved in shooting "Mind": Keep the good work up!!

Chris

I simply cannot understand some of the criticisms of this show, specifically that the characters are unrealistic. I see these character types all the time, from the cheating alpha male (Jake) to the loyal but whipped Doug. Binder's own character is stuck in the middle like most of us, he wants to please his wife without defering to her on every issue. The constant struggles between love and boredom, power and submission, and monogomy and straying is played out in depth every week. The writing is witty, intelligent and focused, it often takes the unexpected turn. Hopefully it can maintain its quality.

The majority of us guys are not equipped for the great task of committing to one woman, and even less do we manage the skills of communication. This makes married life pretty troublesome and sometimes even awkward. If someone has any doubts, just check the recent divorce rate in the U.S. (over 60%, granted not all male fault). This show blew me away with its first season, it was honest, candid, and completely from the male perspective. Great casting, writing and development of the characters the way Sex & the City once did--by portraying their inner life--contributed to the brief success of MMM. The witty writing drilled way down to the great oil seas of "man thinking", where oil can be found, but it could just as well kill all the sea life in the North Atlantic. The development was great until the second season when a few baby seals were already dying. Throughout the second season focus tended to shift towards the female point of view with Mike's wife having an affair and Jake getting a divorce. But, the focus was still on the miserable male. The anti-hero perhaps. Who knew what the right thing was, but, couldn't think clearly since other parts of the body than the brain was clearly doing all the thinking. The writers did, however, stray off course and steered the show towards very hazardous waters. Hence, driving into an ice berg called the third season. This was a great show, the chemistry was there, and as "KWC619" says it came off ass "crude done tastefully". This, if any show, was a hell of a conversation starter at any dinner party that included couples and a true television experience. I sincerely hope they will release the two seasons on DVD so more people could enjoy it.