Binging Mad Men

Rewinding more than 50 years into the past, Mad Men reminds the viewer how different the times were in the 1960s. In 2017, we picture our ideal world diverse and fruitful with all different types of lives, jobs, and families of various shades. In 1963, Mad Men presents a much alternate society where (white) men would work in an office day in and day out with (women) secretaries by their side, then go back home to their housewife, children, and picketed fence. Binge watching Mad Men certainly revealed the truth of an era that is often not discussed on television.

The 1960s presented unspoken yet suggested set of norms and expectations held by each household at the time, as a family and as an individual. The first clear custom shown throughout Mad Men is the constant use of drugs. At the time, there was little to no information on how bad drugs like alcohol and tobacco was for the body and the environment. Many everyday working class adults would smoke in their office, meetings, and conferences with ease and even some of the higher ranking heads drinking casually throughout their shifts.

Even drinking and driving was perceived much more differently, with simply getting a fine for drinking over the legal limit. It was even common and almost expected for businessmen to smoke while in flight. In comparison to today, one would presume that drug usage would apply differently to pregnant women as well but that was not the case. Women expecting did not change their diet of drinking and smoking as there were no evidence on those drugs affecting their baby.

In terms of marriage, Mad Men makes the idea clear throughout the show with multiple homes and families. A part of ‘the American Dream’, it is expected from your parents, friends, and, family that one marries young, has children young, and stay together old. There was a serious stigma against divorcing your spouse and adopting a child that is not yours. Divorced women were often thought of as whores and families who adopt were often looked down upon socially. The entire concept of ‘the American dream’ clearly affects and reflects on the time; showing a cookie cutter approach to life here in the United States. In today’s era where everyone often looks to be diverse and unique, Mad Men offers a period where the expectation was otherwise.

Another cool thing Mad Men does is reveal a character’s inner thoughts and feelings through seemingly unrelated imagery. For instance, on the second episode of the pilot season, we get a scene featuring our anti hero protagonist, Don Draper, in his home late at night, calling his wife’s psychiatrist for an update on how her therapy session that day went. As Don and the psychiatrist begin their conversation, Don closes the door to the room he is in; the camera pulls back in the direction that the door is being pushed, distancing us the audience a few feet from Don and the phone, but not outside the ability to hear their conversation. Then, as the camera is pulling back, it swerves slowly to the right, pointing the audience’s view through another doorway which frames a set of stoves sitting one atop the other, indicating to us the Draper house kitchen. The camera lingers on the stoves in the kitchen while Don’s phone call continues just to our view-point’s left. Pair the conversation about Don’s wife with the psychologist and the image of the Draper family stoves, and the message becomes clear: Don Draper is inclined to believe his wife should “stay in the kitchen,” out of a belief that she is mentally ill.

    The shot shows us Don’s inner feelings toward his wife, and the attitude toward women in general during 1960s America. In Mad Men, The feminine sex is less stable than the masculine sex, without directly telling us what the shot represents. To understand the shot at all, one would have to have knowledge of the attitudes of men towards women in those days. It takes a certain amount of trust in the sharp-mindedness of the audience for a filmmaker to place such a scene in their film, a trust not so very often afforded the audience at all. The way Mad Men crafts it’s scenes to show us a character’s inner beliefs, or to comment on the general attitudes of that particular place in time, or both at once, is subtle and graceful. It is indeed a pleasure to watch unfold.

The early 1960’s were a tumultuous time in our country; a bright, popular, charismatic president was just elected to office, the civil rights movement was gaining real traction and war with the Soviets loomed over the heads of every citizen. The brief moment of hope and opportunity is showcased brilliantly by the world created by the writers and set designers of the show.  The audience is able to picture a day in the life of a 1960’s American citizen from the wallpaper, costuming, and dialogue between characters.

   The show’s writers were quite clear in depicting that Americans had a different mindset regarding health, daily life and the role gender and sexuality plays in these hemispheres.  It is made clear in the opening scenes where the main character, Don Draper, is shown smoking cigarettes and pouring himself and his co-workers some whiskey. Even his boss slyly remarks to Draper after a very important business meeting. “I’m not sure whether you were drunk or not…. But that was brilliant.”  This would not be acceptable behavior in a modern-day workplace but just over half a century ago it was.  
Many of the working men at the time had served in World War II, thus the inflated egos and sense of “manhood” that was commonly shown in the workplace.  The way men and women are told should and shouldn’t act are constantly forced onto both sexes.  Discouraging any deviant behavior from these societal norm. With manipulation of the media through advertising, Sterling-Cooper were able to bend and twist the truth for their products; reflecting onto the entire working class.

Mad Men provides the binge viewer with insight to a time in America that is long gone; yet many themes represented throughout the show are still relevant in 2017. Mad Men gave the viewer all it could ask for with the its skillful use of fluid storytelling and shocking plot twists; which is quite intriguing during the binge process.