For the Love of Don Draper

Welcome back, Mad Men.

The third season of Mad Men was on last night. I won't give any of the details in case someone hasn't seen it yet. But let me say this: Don Draper is sexy. Not sexy, really, but sexy. Hot. Hot. Sexy. Hot. Jon Hamm? Hot. Don Draper? Fan-yourself sexy. Girdle-in-a-twist sexy. I can't remember the last time I had this big of a crush on a fictional character--if ever. That's not to say that I don't have a celebrity crush on Jon Hamm, 'cause I do. In the recent Vanity Fair article about Mad Men producer Matthew Weiner and the casting director were impressed with Hamm's old-fashioned masculinity. But the true test was when they put him in hair, makeup, and costume and the women on set "wilted and fainted when he walked by." Pretty much. Plus, look at the picture in that article and tell me that man isn't smoldering.

But when you get down to it, Draper is a horrible person. We all know he drill: He cheats. A lot. He's mysterious. He's tall, dark, and moody. He's broken. But lord have mercy he is sexy. Some have said women swoon over him because of the old fashioned masculinity thing. Sure, I'm willing to admit that as something to do with it. But why do women swoon over Don Draper?

He's broken.

How many times have you tried to fix a man because he was charming and sexy and made your toes curl? Probably more times that any of us are willing to admit.

But, see, as a character, Draper still gets our sympathy. He's a cad. Yet we still feel sorry for him. That's the beauty of the Mad Men. It is so well-written, so well directed, so well acted that these complex characters are just that: complex.

And hot.