So you’re not watching Mad Men and you can’t understand what all the fuss is about? If you’d grant me a moment of your time I’d love to walk you through it.
There are many varied reasons people love watching Mad Men. For starters there’s the sex appeal as well as the sex appeal not to be overshadowed by the sex appeal.
Beyond that, at a fundamental level we all can relate to the story of Don Draper. At its core, it’s the story of America wrapped up in beautiful period clothing and the aforementioned sex appeal. America is run on capitalism and when we meet Don, he is presiding over what is arguably one of the ugliest components of capitalism: advertising. His job is to convince the public at large that whatever they have is not enough. He rose to that top through talent, hard work, and a willingness to disregard the rules as he saw fit.
Now, he faces the question of whether or not he can sustain the status he attained and whether he even deserved it in the first place. Over the course of the first four seasons, viewers have watched as Don has slowly come to some of the same realizations that the America public has learned over the course of its history. Namely, that the façade of the nuclear family and a policy of don’t ask, don’t tell can never fully conceal the reality of life.
The homage the show pays to a less digital past becomes more relevant as the world moves further and further into the Information Age. In this time before Google searches, people knew less about each other while understanding more. As Bert Cooper so wisely put it, “A man is whatever room he is in and right now Donald Draper is in this room, I assure you.” The show reminds us of the importance of that personal connection which is slowly slipping away in the face of the convenience of emails and text messages. The accuracy with which the show portrays that era lends itself to both whimsical nostalgia as well as a heightened sense of suspense. The viewer knows the growing pains the country is about to endure and they loom on the horizon like a train wreck.
Now that you (hopefully) understand why people are in love with this show, you’re afraid you’ve missed too much to try and jump in at the fifth season, right? Or perhaps you’ve been watching since the beginning but you’re afraid you may have forgotten key plot points over the year and a half hiatus? Luckily, your Crasstalk writers are here to assist you. Over the next few weeks leading up to the Season 5 premiere on March 25, we will be providing recaps of previous seasons and analyses of key themes. Just pour yourself an Old Fashioned, sit back, and let us get you ready for Season 5.
