There is something so very romantic about high television. The concept of haute television is to bring culture and refine a viewer’s taste. Mad men does that ever so suavely. Put on your fedora and smooth over your fur, as you go on a journey of changing times and turning tables. The pilot itself is so moving, that it makes you ache for more, much like Don Draper’s libido, your need for this show will be insatiable.
Its brilliant how an ad agency looks through the looking glass into the astoundingly normal and dull routines of the public and so uses the information to make something substantial that lasts forever. Mad men is nothing short of a true work of art. Because art makes you move, art makes you feel, art makes you believe and art makes you want; that is what this show will do to you.
The parallels between Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead and the initial few seasons are quite evident. Donald Draper is Howard Roark, callous and apathetic, talented but misunderstood, good natured but ruthless. The stoic, silent figure of Don portrayed by John Hamm, is the realest thing I’ve ever seen. Hamm truly deserves a tip of hat for saying a million words in a second without reciting a syllable. Perhaps the most inspirational of characters is Peggy Carter (Elizabeth Moss), who goes from being the naïve young girl who had no idea that she was pregnant, to the show runner of the entire outfit. Peggy bright eyed with ideas is undoubtedly twice as talented as Don, thrice as original, and four times as strong. There is an unedited verbal exchange from Atlas Shrugged, between Don and Peggy, where she asks him what he would do if she refuses to work with him, to which he replies in a perfectly Dagny Taggart fashion, ‘I would spend the rest of my life trying to hire you’. In the first season Peggy is hugely dependent on Don, shy, scared and unaware of the realities of the world, she leans on him for support, guidance and even her bread. The character arch of Miss Carter is so steep that by the fourth season her persona is intimidating, her voice is the only one which can be heard and most importantly threatens the very existence of the person that is Don Draper. The last few seasons show how Don uses Peggy as a crutch and how dependent on her he’s been for a very long time. Peggy’s genius makes him lazy, slow and finally pointless. The remarkable thing about Mad Men is the timeline. We start at the late 30’s, we move to the 40’s, we pass by the 50’s, we feel the sixties, we live the 70’s and perhaps we’ll stop at the 80’s. There are innumerable events that happened not least of which were: Rothko, Hippies, JFK’s death, Change in fashion with Chanel, Cars for the people, WW2, Frost/Nixon, Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Liberation of sex, Telly shows. As we move forward women’s liberation and their need to be heard shapes the characters, even Don’s daughter, Sally (Kiernan Shipka) grows up to be woman of her. The Hippie culture though entertaining to learn about, really lacks the appeal that the 40’s have on the viewer. As a result the show might seem lethargic and dull. It is important to remember that the show is really all about Don, so everything mirrors his state of mind. The dullness and the weak spine of the show is really because that is what Don ultimately becomes. The Hippie culture is not exactly glorified in the show, because Don is apathetic towards it.
Megan Draper (Jessica Paré) simply trying to make her communicate with her older husband too is shown in a somewhat negative light, her behavior seems unjustified and strange, because that is how Don feels. Mad Men creates a bridge between the protagonist and the spectators like no other show ever has. I have barely said the last word for this brilliant show, but for now, I’ll leave with a terse little verse: Mad Men is a work of art, watch it, live it, worship it.
Its brilliant how an ad agency looks through the looking glass into the astoundingly normal and dull routines of the public and so uses the information to make something substantial that lasts forever. Mad men is nothing short of a true work of art. Because art makes you move, art makes you feel, art makes you believe and art makes you want; that is what this show will do to you.
The parallels between Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead and the initial few seasons are quite evident. Donald Draper is Howard Roark, callous and apathetic, talented but misunderstood, good natured but ruthless. The stoic, silent figure of Don portrayed by John Hamm, is the realest thing I’ve ever seen. Hamm truly deserves a tip of hat for saying a million words in a second without reciting a syllable. Perhaps the most inspirational of characters is Peggy Carter (Elizabeth Moss), who goes from being the naïve young girl who had no idea that she was pregnant, to the show runner of the entire outfit. Peggy bright eyed with ideas is undoubtedly twice as talented as Don, thrice as original, and four times as strong. There is an unedited verbal exchange from Atlas Shrugged, between Don and Peggy, where she asks him what he would do if she refuses to work with him, to which he replies in a perfectly Dagny Taggart fashion, ‘I would spend the rest of my life trying to hire you’. In the first season Peggy is hugely dependent on Don, shy, scared and unaware of the realities of the world, she leans on him for support, guidance and even her bread. The character arch of Miss Carter is so steep that by the fourth season her persona is intimidating, her voice is the only one which can be heard and most importantly threatens the very existence of the person that is Don Draper. The last few seasons show how Don uses Peggy as a crutch and how dependent on her he’s been for a very long time. Peggy’s genius makes him lazy, slow and finally pointless. The remarkable thing about Mad Men is the timeline. We start at the late 30’s, we move to the 40’s, we pass by the 50’s, we feel the sixties, we live the 70’s and perhaps we’ll stop at the 80’s. There are innumerable events that happened not least of which were: Rothko, Hippies, JFK’s death, Change in fashion with Chanel, Cars for the people, WW2, Frost/Nixon, Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Liberation of sex, Telly shows. As we move forward women’s liberation and their need to be heard shapes the characters, even Don’s daughter, Sally (Kiernan Shipka) grows up to be woman of her. The Hippie culture though entertaining to learn about, really lacks the appeal that the 40’s have on the viewer. As a result the show might seem lethargic and dull. It is important to remember that the show is really all about Don, so everything mirrors his state of mind. The dullness and the weak spine of the show is really because that is what Don ultimately becomes. The Hippie culture is not exactly glorified in the show, because Don is apathetic towards it.
Megan Draper (Jessica Paré) simply trying to make her communicate with her older husband too is shown in a somewhat negative light, her behavior seems unjustified and strange, because that is how Don feels. Mad Men creates a bridge between the protagonist and the spectators like no other show ever has. I have barely said the last word for this brilliant show, but for now, I’ll leave with a terse little verse: Mad Men is a work of art, watch it, live it, worship it.