Mad Men 2007

Light spoilers ahead.

This is the kind of show where the fanbase sticks its nose in the air and pretends you have no class because you can't understand that it's 'art'. Betty says "Only boring people are bored", and it's like the barb from the fanbase, maybe even the creators, at the people who can't sit through this slow burn of miserable assholes.

The show is boring because I don't care about 90% of the cast. I don't want to watch the subtleties because Don Draper is a such a complete asshole, that I just want to see him suffer, and yet he continues to succeed. There's a point midway through the series where there almost seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and for a fun little season, Don Draper actually tries to be a better person. The show takes a bit of a turn, and there's fun to be had, before descending back into the bleak parade of miserable people doing miserable things again.

I wanted to quit a few seasons in, but stuck it out to see Kiernan Shipka's rebellious evolution, and appreciate the growth of Peggy (who is always a bit miserable as well, but started out being someone to at least root for), before she settles in to being just another asshole in the bunch.

Honestly, it speaks a lot to the show that maybe the most charming character in it is a man who still forces you to sit through an all too long scene of him with shoe polish on his face putting on a minstrel show.

In the end, this show is like Bert Cooper's painting, substituting subtlety for substance.

[EDIT to add: I wrote this review while I was near the end of Season 7, and the ending was truly lame. It was about as subtle as a 6-year-old playing spy, and being the most obvious kid on the playground while 'hiding'. Another in the tradition of bad TV endings like Lost that feel like the writers were trying too hard to be clever or deep.]

Mad Men: The Second Great American Novel of Television...
Created by Matthew Weiner.
Written by Blake Patterson.

In the third season of Mad Men, Don Draper expresses, "If you don’t like what is being said, then change the conversation." The irony of this statement is how the subject the advertisers avoid catches up with them in surprising ways. Through various conflicts, Matthew Weiner exposes his characters at their best and worst in this period piece concerning an advertising agency in the sixties. Weiner defies the archetypes in place by displaying their emotional complications and how they endure them. By developing each character and set piece through different means, Weiner creates a sociological portrait of an advertising agency with systemic issues at its center.

Initially, Weiner presents his characters through routines to emanate the daily experience for the men and women at the workplace, specifically the agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. In 1960, Weiner conveys how the men in charge have more advantages than women through their official status and behavior. As the men cheat on their wives and smoke cigarettes, the situations are intriguing and complex originally until they become repetitive and tiresome in the first season. The intention is to acknowledge how the agency is still living in a '50s mindset which will eventually experience some social changes to their system. In his evocation of the early years, the set design is lushly red like a scene out of Todd Haynes' Far From Heaven or Wong Kar-wai's In the Mood for Love. By accurately capturing the decor and behavior, it is primarily disappointing to watch Mad Men because the characters are thin sketches.

Then, Weiner commits a subversive act by finding the internal feelings of each character through the decadent facade. From Don Draper to Peggy Olsen, Weiner examines their range as people living in this orthodox setting for the sixties. Like his main colleagues, Draper is an alcoholic who manipulates women to have sex with him despite his marital status. However, Weiner and Jon Hamm evoke the character's vulnerability, and Hamm masterfully transitions from selfish to charming during each episode. It is not merely Hamm's showcase because the other performers establish striking realizations of these eccentric personalities. As Olsen, Elisabeth Moss is brilliant in her portrayal of a woman trying to succeed in a sexist environment, and it is easy to root for the character due to Moss' amiable approach. Even when characters are despicable, Weiner never loses grasp of their humanity.

While the series intricately studies sexism, Mad Men also addresses other issues from the sixties. When the narrative reaches 1964, Weiner delves into how these characters respond to African Americans through subtle and explosive ways. There will be a scene with a racist character in blackface while another person may ignore any chance at confrontation. Weiner exudes how difficult it is for black women at the agency when some white characters side against them. During an episode, Peggy Olsen assumes a black secretary will make it in the workplace because of her struggle as a woman. Despite Olsen's generousness, Moss subtly emits the character's naivete. When characters act insensitively, Weiner seriously critiques their behavior and how it impacts a victim's life.

As the narrative evolves, it is difficult to not empathize with these characters as they experience hardships. Like the characters, audiences will react angrily, mournfully, happily, etc. In its thematic and emotional understanding of the period, Mad Men has the richness of a Robert Altman film, and this is why it is like a great American novel. Even though it begins slowly, the issue seems insignificant after the series concludes because of the viewer's connection with the characters. As meticulous as it is, Weiner never forgets the importance of insight and pathos.

Grade: A.