Mad Men (and Women)

I have discovered the AMC show "Mad Men" and I'm totally ADDICTED! I'm able to watch last season's episodes "on demand" and I have to force myself to only watch a couple of episodes a day. The new season starts July 28th so I'm anxious to "catch up" on last season's 13 episodes. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, Mad Men is a drama about the "Madison Avenue Advertising Executives" (nicknamed "Mad Men") set in the early 1960's. It centers around the life and times of one particular Ad man, Don Draper (do you LOVE the cheesy name or what?) The show is basically a thinking person's soap opera, tons of relationship drama, hidden pasts, secrets, sex, even a face slap in the last episode I watched. But carefully woven into all the drama is substance too which is of course the perfect formula for an addictive TV show. Intelligent drama............West Wing anyone?

I love all the drama but several times a show I have deeper thoughts. The show explores the concept of advertising creating and then fueling the unquenchable thirst for heavy product consupmtion in the US. Discussing how advertising was a driving force behind how we live our lives even today.

Also I'm intriuged by the characters. They are real people who aren't all "good" or all "bad". Each one of them is a complex mix of hero and villian as are we all. I listened to an interview with creator and writer of the show Matt Wiener on NPR this week and he stated that he wanted the people to seem "real". He has them do things that are unpredictible and don't seem to "fit" but that's how real people are. You can listen to the interview with Wiener at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12626662

The role of women in society is a dominant theme in the show. Misogyny is of course rampant and at times digusting. I wonder as I watch, was it really THAT bad? But I know it was at times otherwise the women's movement wouldn't have been nessesary. I'm obviously facinated by the SAHM's. How different things were and yet how little things have changed for the woman who is a homemaker. I have had several thoughts brought on by watching the show. I need to just let them gel for now and I'll blog on them later.

Anyway, I'm devouring this show like a good book and am sure I'll have lots to blog about it.