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’





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. ‘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.



