Mad Men
Within the 45 minutes of the pilot episode of Mathew
Weiner's period piece exploration of the changing world of the 1960s, ‘Mad Men'
establishes itself as a relentlessly intelligent and enticing series. The show
revolves around the central character of Donald Draper (Jon Hamm) an
established Ad Man seeping in lies, deceit and false pretension as Weiner
spends 7 seasons exposing this character’s authenticity through the setting and
characters around him. It’s not an easy show to watch, Weiner isn’t afraid to
destroy the romanticism of this era and create gruelling scenes of sexism,
racism and bigotry and exposes these men as the very worst, holding a mirror up
to those who carry on the values and traditions of these characters, I’m going
to do an in-depth retrospective analysis of what made ‘Mad Men’ one of the most
compelling and fascinating series of television I have ever witnessed, there
will be spoilers ahead.
When looking back at Mad Men as a whole, I can’t help but
think about characters beginnings and endings due to the shows very nature. The show acknowledges that all the characters are heading towards a specific
location, indulging in the how and the why and layering the location with
ambiguity and symbolism. Donald Draper always has to break down, leave and see
the errors of his mistakes, Peggy Olsen has to become the better Ad Man and
every character feels like they have to rise or fall due to Weiner’s
acknowledgement and manipulation of the equilibrium. Nothing feels set in stone,
this world these characters live in is hyperbolic and on a knifes edge and no
episode is scared to expose this. Take the very first episode, where Draper advertise
a smoking brand as healthy and the characters around him laugh and begin to cough
violently, making a mockery of the world these characters live in. Weiner
creates his brand of iconography, the cigarettes, the alcohol, the suits, the
women combine to make the glamorous world of the 60s, but it is portrayed as
everything but glamorous. And this is what draws me to exploring the show as a
whole, Weiner built a clear concise plan for his characters, exposes it early
on and then takes pleasure in exploring how and why the cause and effect and
the reasons behind the downfall of the ‘Ad Men’
‘Man Men’ has a fascinating relationship with history, the
first season, taking place in 1960 sees how the women respond to the idea of the
birth control pill. This is the shows jumping-off point for Peggy Olsen’s
character as she is transformed into a forthright and independent woman, yet
Weiner never suggests this is easy, creating her as a sympathetic and troubled
character making authentic mistakes and decisions. Events like Kennedy’s
election and then assassination represent the political realisation of
Sterling-Cooper's evolution. The civil
rights movement forces the company to change and develop, Marilyn Monroe’s
death echoes in Joan and the moon landing marks the end of an era of dreamers
in Burt Cooper’s death. It’s a show about a new age, about change and respect
for those pursuing freedom from the past. Characters respond and develop in
accordance with the world they live in and those not able to comprehend the
change get left behind. Time is essential for Don Draper, a man with a past he
is ashamed of using a past he doesn’t own coming face to face with a future he
can’t comprehend.
Every character is exquisitely composed, whether it be Roger
Sterling’s wisdom and wit creating a facade of professionalism, played in contrast
to a patriotic belief due to his experiences in the war, or Betty Draper’s struggle
with her lying husband and her beliefs in parenting. No character is ever
presented as easy to understand, characters change and develop with a feeling
of unpredictability which makes the show so enticing to the audience, relationships
are never ‘will they, won't they’ they of a ‘should they?’. Take the long-running
relationship between Roger and Joan, where the two wrestle with the reality of
their attraction, Weiner shows Roger as a terrible husband to his ex-wife and a
distant father as well as showcasing Joan’s struggles with single parenting to
create this constant struggle in moral placement for the audience. Weiner plays
with the idea of an audience’s moral perspective, catering to a modern-day audience
in making moments feel gruelling and uncomfortable yet fleshing out every
character to explain why they act this way.
Donald Draper is one of the most iconic flawed protagonists
in Television history, his journey from a family man living adultery led double
life to a man secluding himself from society and finding his identity. Identity
plays such an important part in Draper’s arc, the constant divide between the
man he was, Dick Whitman, and the man he is, Donald Draper creates this conflict
in Draper. Dick Whitman lived this horrible childhood in a brothel, with an
abusive father and exposure to the sexual mistreatment yet he leaves this
behind and becomes the man known as Don Draper, taking over his life when the
real Draper dies. However, Weiner makes it clear Dick Whitman isn’t dead, he
permeates in Draper’s conscience and there is no denying that the emotional
toll of his childhood is what haunts Draper, playing in conflict with this
demeanour he has created for himself. Draper’s relationship with Anna Draper is
probably the most positive interaction the character has, he claims himself
that Anna is the only person who knows and understands who Donald Draper is and
her death in ‘The Suitcase’ marks one of the most incredibly emotional moments
in the show, starting the eventual last chapter for Draper as he falls further.
On a technical level, this show maintains the quality of the
writing. The production design and visual aesthetic replicates the historical
period authentically without feeling obnoxious like in shows such as ‘Stranger
Things’, instead it is precise and established, allowing for the moments we
step away from this aesthetic to have a greater impact, especially in the final
season. The use of music is extraordinary, most episodes finish with a song
that emotionally resonates with the events and themes of the episode, the last
shot of each episode always leaves a pit in the heart of the audience, using visual
symmetry and precision to symbolise an important analysis of the episode. Jon
Hamm’s first leading role as Donald Draper is nothing short of outstanding, he has
such an expressive face that manages to emotionally connect with the audience,
he is a quiet stoic man at first, but Hamm’s performance brings out this human
and complex side. Performances from Elizabeth Moss, John Slattery, Christina
Hendriks and January Jones are equally outstanding, Weiner manages to make the
most of every character’s performance, using contrast and non-verbal
performances at the forefront.
I thought I would finish off this retrospective by looking
into the finale, ‘Person to Person’ which is an episode I have not stopped
thinking about since I watched it, it sticks with you and really leaves you
emotionally overwhelmed. Draper seeks council at a retreat with Stephanie as he
comes to terms with his identity. He witnesses a man open up, attributing his
feelings to being inside a fridge, only having light when someone looks in,
which moves Draper to tears. He then breaks down and rings the three most
influential women in his life, Peggy, Sally and Betty as he confronts his own mistakes
and breaks down to each of them. Finally, Draper is seen meditating on a cliffside
as he smiles with bliss before the 1971 Coke Commercial ‘I want to buy the
world a coke’ plays. This is the last thing we see in the show and I think it
leaves this ingenious ambiguity of authenticity. Did Draper create the ad? Well, Weiner presents several characters that share a physical resemblance to the ad,
as well as a similar setting and it lines up for Draper to create the ad. However,
the fascinating ambiguity is in the ad’s authenticity, is this iconic ad using
its platform to promote the idea of world peace? Or is it just a company using this
idea just to promote their soft drink? This is a discussion about the advertisement
industry that permeates throughout the show, is Draper attributing his experiences
as a means to authentically connect to people through the advertisements, or is
he manipulating them through familiarity in order to make a profit? It is uplifting
as much as it is cynical, ambiguous yet emotionally satisfying and overall an
absolute powerhouse of an episode and finale.
‘Mad Men’ is a show I would happily write about for days on
end, it is unique in presentation, thematically ambitious and will leave an
impact on any audience member. I haven’t even discussed the show’s occasional
hilarious wit and comedy or the shows slur of secondary characters that explore
anti-Semitism, homophobia and addiction. It is a dense show that if I was to
matter of fact describe an episode plot to you, there wouldn’t seem like much
in it however the beauty comes in the subtext, the dialogue and the how and why
in the journey. Thank you for reading through my long analysis of this show and
I would appreciate any support or suggestions as I really enjoy writing about shows
like this, hoping to do a few more television retrospectives coming soon.