So I’m finally catching up on Mad Men. Awful. I know. I took a class on it for crying out loud. I had seen seasons 1 and 2; wrote my final paper and presentation on The Mountain King (S2) but for whatever reason never followed through with my obsession. I remember the first time I watched an episode I was eating sushi and complaining about why I never watch television. And there it was: something entirely new.
I wanted to hate the show at first. There was Don Draper, the womanizer and uncannily creative man that was on top of the world, even if they portray his silhouette falling from it in the opening credits. In season 1 we learned of his depravity. In season 2, his complexity. In season 3, his recognition of the problem. And in season 4 we watch him fall in and out of love, despair and even his identity. No, I haven’t finished season 4 yet but I’m sure I’ll write about it once I have.
The main point I wanted to make is that this show leaves me feeling similarly to how I feel after an episode of Californication. While there are some obvious similarities between the main characters, I think it just boils down to the universal truth that we all want to know that there are consequences for our actions and that there is hope even for the most evil people, because at any time we can be that person, as well. We want Don to succeed in his work and with his family, but not with women and secrecy. We want him to fail but secretly want him to be happy. We want him to be perfect at everything, yet flawed and in this way redeemable. My professor believes that the show will end with the story in the credits. Don’s indiscretions whether intentional or not, will ultimately lead to him either falling or jumping from a building; most likely his office. There’s no other way Matthew Weiner can let him get away with it.
Don wants everything we want. He doesn’t want to run or hide or lie. He wants a loving family. He wants respect from those he works with and everyone else. He wants to be the man we all want him to be, too. I know that the idea of projecting ourselves onto the characters we see on television isn’t a new one. But I wanted to comment on the anti-hero in Draper. Yes this show is something new because our society would not have accepted it until now. We know we are a fallen world and while we want someone to tell us its going to be okay, we want just as much for someone to tell us that wrong doing will not go unpunished.
Sorry if this is a rant. Just thinking.
I like this. I feel the same way, it’s like, I hate Draper and love him all at once. And like you said, we want him to fail and succeed simultaneously. I feel that way about all of the characters actually, I love Joan and I really hate her too. There really are no highly “sympathetic,” innocent characters. It’s like, each character is the sole reason for their own misery and I keep hoping they’ll maybe wise up, but… I am cognizant of how flawed they are so I understand when they screw up. But I love what you say about having consequences for their actions, I never thought about it like that. Come back now, MM!!!