Mad Men and New Beginnings

Another day has come to an end. Things changed drastically for me after my gratitude meditation yesterday. It's amazing how much difference a little emotional exercise can make. By and large, today was another unproductive day, but I've been really sinking my teeth into Mad Men. What a unique and interesting show. I suppose you would call it a period piece. It sometimes seems like nothing changes on a fundamental level, but things are certainly shifting on the show. While it has covered some obvious issues like women's rights, homophobia, and monogamy, I didn't expect it to explore the theme of identity quite so thoroughly.

Sex is another recurring theme, and how it relates to relationships and power dynamics. I remember the earlier episodes were more about the "Mad" part of the title, and the show runners did a great job at luring us in with the mystique around Don Draper. Even though the first two seasons had already done a great job at dissecting Dick Whitman's past, I'm surprised how they're able to relate Don's background to his psyche in newer ways still. There's plenty of humor and all around interesting writing. As of yet, I am completely hooked on it.

The actors do a great job and the sets, costumes, and props certainly do it all justice. It's rare to see something like this where I not only look forward to some above average writing, but actually take it for granted. It's safe to say that the plot is driven by drama and suspence, in fact, I find myself often at the edge of my seat. How did they ever get me so invested? I suppose Don is the embodiment of the American Dream after all. "You can be anything you want to." or in the words of Cooper from S01, "A man is whatever room he's in." 

I mentioned the show to a copywriter friend of mine since I was sure he had seen it, we didn't get into it much, but he said that that's really how it was back then, everyone used to screw around casually. That never really struck out as a main feature of the show to me, for me it, was always more about the price Don payed to enter the gates of paradise and leave his old life behind, and how people in said paradise are supposed to enjoy it in the first place. It's the promised land, where anything is possible. A place of big money and power, without any of the responsibility. 

Where you can find a hot new wife right off the shelf, and get rid of your old one if you play your cards right, like Robert Sterling. Yet Don is always like a man out of time here, never quite fitting in or wholly belonging. This seems to be nudging him toward the ever-dangerous and self-destructive tendencies of the repressed agent, never really being able to let his guard down, except when amoungst strangers. What's more, the show does an excellent job at exploring so many of the intricate dynamics and interactions between achtypes like the mentor and the apprentice in Don and Peggy, the hip young couple in Campbell and Trudy, the husband and the wife between Don and Betty, and so on.

I especially loved anything they've done with Salvatore, except maybe when they introduced his homosexuality with that telephone line operater lady in S01, I didn't think much of it back then. I suppose what I'm really getting at here is my favorite thing about the show is all the visual communication purely done though the performances, with a solid backbone of decent writing. It might not seem revolutionary or anything, but I must appreciate how well-done it all really is. I did realize something interesting just, if you keep stacking archtypes on top of each other without outright contradictions, eventually, it becomes specific enough for it to be a real-ish person. Isn't that interesting?

Anyway, as much as I would like to write some more about gratitude and all, seeing how useful it was for me yesterday, I really should bring this to an end now. I expect tomorrow to be far more productive than today. It seems like my slump is at an end, and funnily enough, I am rather grateful for everthing that has gotten me out of it. And yes, that includes my dad and Sheinana. Love y'all, appreciate y'all so much. Here's to another day, and a brand new beginning.