Bacall here, I want to introduce you all to our new contributor Jon Ortiz. For more on Jon visit our “about” page. Below is his first post. Have you classic movie fans watched the AMC series “Mad Men “
yet? If you haven’t, this post will make you plunge head first. I know for most classic movie fans, anything done today which tries to emulate a classic era, just doesn’t cut it right? No problem, I felt the same way until I started to watch it, and like most fans, I too am hooked on “the drug.” You got to see it to understand what us “Mad Men” junkies mean. Enjoy the post.
AMC’s Mad Men is the cure for common television. What is common television? Think about CBS’ entire line up, where the target demographic is geriatrics and people with no taste. How about another hospital drama or CSI spin-off? Frankly, it’s sickening to see what passes as good televison these days. Thank God for Mad Men. It has resurrected me from the depths of jaded criticism of what I’m sure some consider “great television”, and shown me the proverbial light. Not since David Chase revealed to the world what great television was with the Soprano’s, has a show made me rupture with unadulterated glee. Hot damn, “Mad Men” is recession television at its finest.
Being an egotistical twenty something with a bloated sense of entitlement (or at least that’s what the cultural stereotype would lead you to believe), “Mad Men” has opened my eyes. Sexual promiscuity? Alcoholism? Sexism? Narcissism? Premarital Sex? My God. The “Leave it To Beaver” utopia I believed existed was all just a facade, a lie, and a sham? Say it ain’t so. For some reason I was lead to believe that prior to the sexual revolution of the late 60′s, babies were grown in cabbage patches, sex was some sort of demonic ritual, and that Marilyn Monroe was a virgin. Given my skewed perception of the early 60′s, Mad Men is damn near pornographic. Scratch that. It is pornographic. Of course I’m exaggerating, I’m fully aware people had sex, but 60′s television did a good job of hiding all the naughty bits.
Mad Men is a time capsule into a world that is both enticing and absolutely terrifying. Where people float in moral ambiguity, openly committing adultery, open palm slapping of women’s bottoms, and drinking Ol’ Fashions well before noon. These behaviors were not only embraced, but encouraged. It’s awesome and vile all at the same time. Now before you climb to the mountain tops and foolishly shout “God Bless America”, think about this: ‘Mad Men ‘ satiates America’s appetite for the forbidden fruit, while also making us feel terrible for liking it. “Mad Men” is in a sense a weekly drug fix or weekly meeting with the socially taboo. It is the ultimate escape.
For men, we get to live vicariously through Don Draper’s sexual escapades, his power, and his swagger. All the things we lust and desire for. Then we are shown how sad, despicable, and duplicitous he is. It is at this point where we feel awful for liking him. For women on the other hand, they may be rallying for Peggy’s tireless search for independence and equality in the male-dominated work place. When a show is able to get you this emotionally invested in it, it has done its job. Masterfully written, Mad Men’s brilliance lies in its uncanny ability to make characters that are both lovable and loathsome at the same time. I’ve never felt so conflicted over a character in a show before, which is why I hate this show, and yet I love it.
So do yourself a favor, forget your hemorrhaging 401k’s, your Titanic called a stock portfolio, your holding of your job for dear life, and simply escape with Mad Men. Let it be your drug, your coping mechanism, or whatever fulfills that need to escape from all of the bull shit, if just for one hour. In these times of uncertainty, Mad Men fills a small void within all of us, and boy is it swell. Hot damn, “Mad Men “
copyright Jon Ortiz 2009
