Le journal intime d'un homme marié

People who think poorly of this show are obviously taking it WAY too seriously. The show is called "Mind of the Married Man" and if any of you have met a man (a married one, especially) you would know that his mind is filled with some of the most randomly dishonest thoughts imaginable. This is how men think, this is our world, thus the premise of the show. If HBO wanted a show that sugarcoats the evil and immoral thoughts of men for the pure comedic value of it, they'd call it "The Drew Carey Show" and be done with it. Give it another shot if you're not sure about this show, I'm sure you can find the humor in it as so many other people have.

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

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.

The Mind of the Married Man is yet another great HBO series. Where Sex and the City has a definite female point of view and focus, Married Man plays with mans struggle to keep his inner "caveman" in check and remain happily married. As a married man I find the characters completely believable. In fact I see a lot more truth in the show than I care to admit. Married Man does seem to owe something to its predecessor "Dream On" but its different enough that the similarities didn't even occur to me until someone else pointed them out. My only criticism would be the transparent child of the Married Man who magically appears every breakfast scene only to disappear for the remainder of every episode with no effect on the lives of the two main characters.

Bottom line is that Married Man is funny, revealing, and heads above any sit-com on network TV. Married guys will love this series!

I was reluctant to watch this show at first, fearing it would be overly manly and leaking with testosterone(yes I am a guy) as a sort of opposite to Sex in the City or maybe even a retaliation to such a program. To my pleasant surprise, though, the show packs plenty of humor, smart writing, and top notch acting. I had never been one to watch HBO original series, feeling they were out of place on a channel now inappropriately named Home Box Office that was originally meant to air uncut movies. This show turned me around though, and I look forward to when it comes on.

The main character, Micky(played by Mike Binder) is a man that I think most of us guys can identify with somehow, whether it be through his constant questioning of his own commitment to his beloved wife or, for a change of pace, not his trouble understanding woman, but in understanding himself as a man. Claims that the show is unrealistic are only true in that a lot of us may not take the chances that Micky takes and that his two friends seem to be very much playing his Id and Super Ego almost too perfectly. The lack of realism in those ways, though, is a blessed thing, for if they wasn't there, the viewer would not be able to truly understand the importance of fidelity, of love, and sacrifice which make up the theme of the series. I mean, if the show were completely realistic, then we may as well stick to our own mystifying experience and enjoy our lack of answers. The show is designed just so that it retains those necessary pieces of realism, but also takes the viewer out of reality for the purposes of showing where men make their mistakes, when they do something right, and when, most importantly, they think they are doing something wrong which is completely natural and forgivable.

Mike Binder, also the creator and director of the show, gives us a chance to truly peer into Mickey's mind and allows us to witness what may happen if we did, in fact, happen to take that invitation into an attractive strangers apartment. He shows us what his fantasies are, where his guilt comes from, and how much he truly does love his wife and strives to be the perfect husband, as well as father. Overall, the show has a message that is both positive and heart warming. It gives hope to the worrisome man, and insight to the confused wife. The acting is superb, as well as the writing. I would go into more detail, but I'm spent. Give it a chance. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.