Mad Men
Thin ties and thick cigarette smoke. Strong martinis and weak hearts. Welcome to the world of Mad Men, where men are men, women are secretaries and the good ol' days aren't quite as good as our romanticized memories might make them.
Since its premiere in July 2007, AMC's Mad Men has snagged scads of critical praise (receiving an array of awards, including a small mountain of Emmys and Golden Globes) for its historical authenticity, visual style and saucy scripts. It focuses on the go-go world of 1960s advertising, particularly the lecherous, hard-living ad execs employed at the fictional ad agency Sterling Cooper (now Sterling Cooper Draper Price).
"Advertising is based on one thing: happiness," said the agency's creative director, Don Draper, early on in the show's run. And Don went to great lengths to craft his own idealized American dream, complete with a picture-perfect wife named Betty, two adorable children and a big house in the suburbs.
But as evidenced by the last three seasons, Don's high-gloss life hides darker truths, including the fact that he's not Don Draper at all, but a guy named Richard Whitman. Apparently, in a wartime accident he exchanged his old life for a newer model and now drives a lie. His deception doesn't end there, though. Don regularly cheated on his showcase trophy wife—revealed through weekly tumbles with various beauties—to the point where the striking couple parted ways.
Sadly, Don may have the most highly developed conscience of any of the show's Madison Avenue ("Mad") men. They drink constantly, smoke incessantly and treat women like cheap, pretty baubles. They call the office secretaries "sweeties" and ogle their assets. Wrestling a gal to the ground to see what color panties she's wearing isn't out of the question. And drunken trysts, homosexual experimentations, even bedding a secretary before and after your wedding day are all kept comfortably hidden under the table—though not hidden from the camera. While profanities have been mild, sexuality has been raw, with glimpses of breasts and backsides during intercourse, along with strippers in pasties.
Legendary ad man William Bernbach once said, "All of us who professionally use mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it to a higher level." Mad Men does a lot of the former, a bit of the latter. Its creators use 50 years of hindsight to subtly satirize America's love affair with consumerism and excess, claiming to be "big on [showing] consequences." But the price is awfully high. Families should heed the time-honored warning of caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.
Episode Reviews
"Public Relations"
Season 3's finale left Don and his fellow execs huddled in a small hotel room as they formed the new Sterling Cooper Draper Price agency on a shoestring. Season 4 picks things up a year later and the crew has moved to a floor in the Times building. But while one of Don's commercial ideas recently generated a lot of industry buzz, the new agency is still struggling—hurt all the more after a scathing Advertising Age story featuring Don hits the streets.
So advertising gambits get ever more desperate, and Don's personal life isn't doing much better. He's rattling around in a tiny apartment while his ex, Betty, has taken up with a new hubby at home. Friend and partner Roger tries to boost Don's romantic life with an introduction to a shapely 25-year-old. The date goes well, but Don opts to spend Thanksgiving Day with a local prostitute instead of this potential love interest, and the two engage in rough sex. (She straddles him and slaps his face, barely covered by sheets and a brassiere.)
Profanities include uses of "h‑‑‑," "d‑‑n" and "a‑‑."