Mad Men (Series) â 2007â2015
I recently rewatched the entire series from beginning to end and I have to say that it not only holds up, but also hits harder than the first time around.
The series begins in the late 1950s and revolves around the lives of several characters who work in the advertising world. The story is driven by the main character Don Draper, who lives with dark secrets, and constantly undermines his own relationships, yet has the ability to make advertising magic happen. He is a philandering husband, an alcoholic, and is forever avoiding his past. His work life is sometimes chaotic and stressful. His family life is a total disaster â he goes through two marriages and two divorces over the course of the series. Those in his orbit have equally complex lives, and some even tragic ones. When called upon, heâs able to show compassion, but rarely for himself. This will eventually come to haunt him.
I have to say that the show manages to juggle the more typical dramatic elements of a TV series with much deeper and more complex themes. On one level, itâs a portrait of a somewhat privileged middle class at a particular time in post-war, mid-twentieth century America. It shows how the middle class was able to reach a certain level of comfort and pleasure, but not without its drawbacks. White men clearly held all the power, while women and minorities struggled to be respected.
The central character of Don Draper is complicated and self-destructive. He hides deep flaws behind a façade of the creative, successful ad man: well groomed, swaggering, well respected for his work, and carrying himself with what is perceived as strength. His way of dealing with his demons is alcohol and a string of sexual encounters outside of his marriage. He manages to carry on this way throughout the 1960s, which is the main era the show focuses on â an era of deep and wide-ranging changes.
Aside from the excellent character portraits the writers conceive, the show also pulls in many cultural and social elements that were happening in that decade. Power dynamics and sexual politics were shifting between men and women in the 1960s, and this theme is examined from the very beginning of the series through to its end. A variety of other issues are brought into the mix at various points, including politics, the moon landing, drugs, the impact of popular music, and the shift in focus from the old-guard, white male-dominant culture to a more diverse, youth-oriented one. All of this is viewed through the lens of the advertising world. This is the central point of the show: that in the mid-twentieth century, advertising was a dominating force in culture â altering, guiding, and disseminating information that, to a large extent, taught a segment of western society how to behave, how to exist, and most importantly, what to buy. The ad men here are at the center of these changes.
Of course, ad men werenât the original inventors of these techniques of persuasion. Their origins go back to the writings of Edward Bernays, the architect of what became known as public relations â he even published a book called Propaganda in 1928. Many of his ideas became part of the advertising worldâs playbook, and are still employed today.
Itâs also worth noting how well integrated the show was in everything from the writing, to the actors, art direction, sets, costumes, cinematography, and even the music cues. It is clear that the production designers as a whole did a great deal of research to get all the elements right. It shows, and it pays off â we are completely immersed in the charactersâ world, in the fabric and daily existence of these people in the 1950s and â60s.
Don Draper, being front and center of this creative restructuring of American values, ideals, and desires, is not himself immune to these changes. We see how he creates a new vision of the world and how it directly affects him. He becomes a sort of crucible for the very concepts he ushers into being. There is a truly sublime moment in the series â possibly one of the greatest scenes in modern drama â where Draper is pitching Kodak executives on an ad campaign for their new carousel slide projector. While showing slides of his own family gatherings, he delivers a story of how the projector isnât just another appliance, but a device that taps into the userâs emotions and longings: âThis device isnât a spaceship, itâs a time machine. It goes backwards, forwards. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. Itâs not called a wheel, itâs called a carousel. Letâs us travel around and around, like a child⌠to a place where we know we are loved.â The executives, and Draper himself, are deeply moved. Itâs a breathtakingly beautiful, beautifully executed scene. While on the surface itâs an examination of the mechanics of the ad manâs sales pitch, it encapsulates how advertising attempts to get inside the mind of its audience and ultimately sell them not only a product, but a wholly manipulated and contrived way of life.
Toward the end, the series shifts to show how even the world of advertising had to change, and those who came before are absorbed into yet more evolving ways to manipulate and be manipulated. One striking thing about the finale is how it ties up all the major characters, giving each a sort of ending or new beginning. It isnât the most satisfying resolution for me, but it does cap off the series neatly. The most dramatic change belongs to Draper â he suddenly walks out in the middle of an important meeting in the penultimate episode. He sees something he clearly cannot accept and simply leaves. What happens in the final episode is extreme and takes his character to a completely different place, both physically and, more importantly, emotionally. I wonât go into detail here for those who havenât seen it yet, but how the show handles and resolves Draperâs psychological issues is a matter of some debate.
All that said, I would highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a drama that takes you through a period of sweeping change with style, intelligence, and a deep sense of care for its characters and story.
