I'm watching some Mad Men and it's still weird to me how it's a show about a man slowly killing himself across seven seasons and the take-away a lot of people kept was "damn that's a cool guy."
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
I actually think there's a term for this idea, I've heard other people say that it's just about impossible to get most of the audience to hate the point of view character, even if you try.
Draper making the title sequence ‘big leap’ would’ve made sense for his character as the finale, but once they expended that ammunition on another character I figured they’d need something else and correctly predicted the less satisfying ‘famous ad campaign’ ending.
it is heretical to suggest the show end any other way but with the cynical coke commercial. it is one of the most perfect endings of a show ever. this is heretical.
matthew weiner said in a BTS clip that the title sequence is a metaphor for a man who starts on top of the world in “1950s America” — perfect family, looks, money, job — and then falls through the changing 60s and hits bottom losing it all but money. which is hilarious bc 0 critics figured that out
it’s strange how everyone in the comments seems to be missing the very clear thematic point that in corporate America, having the outward appearance of being put-together and charming in a strict social system outweighs any actual
character flaws.
I dunno how you can keep thinking Don is a cool guy after the first time you see how he dresses on the weekend. He wore the ugliest fucking clothes, looked like my grandfather's closet
There's also the serial infidelity, alcoholism, lying to everyone he knows but mostly himself, being a terrible father and you know, his working in advertising in the first place. The douchiest job in the world
It's weird being older and I have next to nothing in the bank but there are a good number of people I could call and say I'm sad and they'd listen to me vent and tell me they love me. I went tubing with my kids today. It sounds old-timey and simplistic but I wouldn't switch places with him.
If you show someone a person who is good looking and is getting laid regularly, no matter what else is going on, a large portion of the audience will think that person has it made and there will be nothing you can do to convince them otherwise.
mad men is specifically designed to make the audience luxuriate in the white-male-dominated ritz of mid-century America, then pull the rug to expose the hypocrisy.
perfect example is how people had mad men parties — imagine getting dressed up with cocktails then watching the Roger blackface scene
A large portion of the MALE audience dude, the MALE portion XD. I think it more goes to show how strong our culture's fragile masculinity is, and how little we do as a culture to really prime people on how destructive it is, and how there are better options fr.
Comments
character flaws.
VERY relevant. brilliant American novel on screen
I still think Dr Faye could have fixed him
perfect example is how people had mad men parties — imagine getting dressed up with cocktails then watching the Roger blackface scene