For someone like me to blog about advertising and not post about the series is beyond inexcusable.
The show is the shit. It's one of the most entertaining, shocking and angering shows around. The characters have been gradually built up and cut down. If you're going to try and jump into season 4 without knowing the past, stop reading this blog entry and talking to me in general.
Secretly (not so secret now) I idolize Don Draper - minus all the cheating and constant alcohol abuse, which I know, strips him down to just a simple, boring, adulterous man. However, his demeanour, attire and ability to command a room, are the true reasons I idolize him. He's the king of the combover, the power suit and driving while drunk. Would you say I have a slight man-crush...yeah, i'm comfortable enough to say I've got one. Sue me.
I got a late start with Mad Men. I used the power of iTunes to catch me up by buying season's one and two. Seventy dollars later (i'm an HD snob) I was immersed in the beautiful world of 50's and 60's advertising. Complete with big hairdo's, typewriters with typists and when train travel outweighed flights. So it's safe to say for a Generation Y'er like myself, it garnered a few snickers and a few reality checks too. Or is it cheques...ah who cares.
When it became apparent this show would now consume my thoughts, time and apparently my iTunes credits, I was only half way thru episode 1 of season 1. It's true, I fall in love that easily. Good thing I'm not a gambler.
Everything about the show paints a vivid picture of the glory days for agencies. The drinking, constant secretary affairs and of course, the importance of holding a generational brand, such as, Lucky Strike. I'm not a smoker - never have, never will - but the only thing missing from the client list at Sterling, Cooper was a liquor account. However, I see a similar situation as Lucky Strike happening by having Roger handle the account and watch as it slowly dissolves in his hands. The guy is a cunning linguist, fantastic adulterer; yet he lacks the understanding to look beyond his nose and at a bigger picture.
Once season 3 ended, I longed for more. I was shocked at the revelations that occurred, yet I was completely satisfied with Don's choice in women, and new found attitude.
Betty is still a super bitch and even when I see her on awards shows, or ad's for other movies/brands in real life, I want to just give her a good shake. Nothing too hard, just something to jiggle the loose piece in her brain back into place. Yeah Don was not the greatest of men to her, but I know I dated more mature girls in high school. Regardless, I would never hit a woman, but Betty could be the acception.
The show has given me more than roughly forty-eight minutes of entertainment on Sundays. It's given me a new perspective on the way it was done. The real beginning of advertising. I have a new found respect for the veterans in the industry. They lived parts of it and evolved with the times to continue and support the greatness that advertising is today.
What all this means...
If you don't watch the show already, you need to. It's not just another boring, detailed time-piece with no action. It has heart, character and accurate portrayals of everything our grandparents knew. Also, it's got the occasional side-boob, which is a pleasant treat for everyone.
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