I have never tried to write about "Mad Men" before for a lot of reasons. Mainly:
a) It seems hard.
b) There are a lot of people who do it better than me. (And funnier than me.)
But after a season that's been an anomaly in a lot of ways, I'm left with many questions. So I'm going to tackle the beast so you can all then help me out. Generous, right?
Spoilers for the fifth season (and every season, really) of "Mad Men" below the cut. I'm also going to link to some of the more interesting articles I read throughout this post, virtually all of which will also contain spoilers. Be forewarned!
So here's the thing.
It's not that "Mad Men" was ever really subtle. I mean, it was, but only in the sense that the series showed the audience what it meant instead of actually saying it. Peggy's back at work after she had her baby, but we wouldn't know know where the baby is, or how she feels about the experience were it not for scenes of her interacting with her young nephew and the children at her church. Pete's insecure about his masculinity in the face of his marriage, so he replaces a duplicate dip tray he and Trudy got for their wedding with a big ass shot gun. (Subtle = no.) Betty is unhappy as all hell, but we find out because of hand tremors, random bird shootings, and January Jones' excellent Ice Queen face.
This season? Not so much. Even if we just look at the finale, we can see that the 'show don't tell' philosophy has been left by the wayside - Roger tells us he has to take LSD once more in order to reach his enlightenment again. Pete narrates his depression epic throughout the season to a post-electro-shocked Beth. Joan tells Don that she feels deep guilt over not giving Lane "what he wanted." An apparition of Don's half-brother - the one who killed himself ala hanging back in season one - appears as a phantom (in an episode called "The Phantom") and tells his brother that his tooth isn't the only thing rotten about him.
Frankly, I'm confused by all the recent bluntness.
What's more, I don't think it's out of hand to say that there was more action packed into this season of "Mad Men" than we've seen up until now, and that this 'action' is a lot more depressing and shocking than the similar twists and turns of previous years. I assume these radical adjustments for (arguably) the most stylized series on television are reflective of the changing times it depicts - now in 1967, we're officially in the 'real' sixties, and it only makes sense that the storytelling would alter accordingly. Particularly since "Mad Men," although filled with an array of astonishing characters and brilliant novel-esque plots, is more about the time period it takes place in than any other of its excellent elements.
I'm reading this change* as an almost-mission-statement for where the series goes next. The world of "Mad Men" is a much darker one than what we entered with in 1960 at Sterling and Cooper. The culture has evolved, and our characters have tried (to varying degrees of success) to change with them without much help or companionship. As stated by Weiner in multiple interviews throughout the summer, the 'theme' of this season was every man for himself - so how exactly did our men fare by themselves in this new time?
*Because I don't think that it's a 'mistake' or a 'flaw' for a show to evolve over time - in fact I think it's essential and incredibly impressive. After enough time has passed, shows either age well, end quickly, or leave a sour taste in viewers mouths.
After falling in love with a woman who wasn't his wife (an important distinction from the run-of-the-mill infidelity that we usually see), Pete remains in a depression that, he admits, is a sign of some "deeper wound" that he can't fix. Peggy makes a huge power play, gets a promotion and raise, earns Don's respect as an equal, and her character is now poised to create one the most successful advertising campaigns of all time. Betty, although proclaiming that she has everything she's ever wanted (and that no one else has any better), is insecure in her seemingly perfect marital bliss. (Also - watch this video - it is actually the best thing in the universe.) Roger leaves his sham of a marriage, finds enlightenment, and enters the world of psychedelics with an enthusiasm that is both massively entertaining and a little worrying. Sally's not a little girl anymore, but she's also learned the worst habits of both of her parents very well, which speaks to the manipulative adult she could become. Joan's been left by her husband, has 'sold' her body**, and became a non-silent partner in the up-and-coming ad agency on Madison Avenue. And speaking of Madison Avenue, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (a character in its own right) has become a 'real agency' at long last by acquiring the Jaguar account, although we can't be certain whether this new status was earned by merit or through sex. Which is to say nothing of the brutal suicide of Lane Pryce, a founding partner who wanted nothing more than to live the American dream, and was never going to be able to.
** FYI - I could write an entire post just trying to process my reaction to this, which would probably help me form an actual opinion about it.
Whether for good or for ill, all of these characters have changed in course with the landscape around them, and I suspect that their varied reactions will hint toward their future success and failings in adapting to a world that is erupting in a cultural revival/upheaval.
But then there's Don.
We met Don in the pilot of "Mad Men" sitting alone in a bar, trying to think of an idea for a client. At the end of that season, we conclude as he pitches the Carousel to Kodak, looking at a slide-show of his family and selling the idea of his perfect home life to even himself as he sees just how much he loves the idea of this fantasy.
This year, Don watches some more silent pictures, this time Megan's audition tape. He's observing her doing what she loves, and he looks proud and pleased. But I also thought he seemed sad. Because Megan is, after all, alone in this tape. He isn't with her. He doesn't get to be a part of the fantasy she wants for herself, unlike his own construction with Betty and the kids in the Carousel images. And I think that terrifies him.
After all, for all that we've been given the impression this season that Don has been more changed than anyone (open about his past, a faithful husband, disengaged manager, and - most astonishingly - happy), he's still been betrayed by women he trusts (Peggy), respects (Joan), and loves (Megan). He's driven another man to suicide. And he still ends up alone in a bar.
It's funny, because aside from his petty (if not undeserved) jealousy of Ginsberg, Don's been a remarkable team player in a season filled with men out for themselves. He reluctantly supports Megan in her acting career and move away from advertising. He does some awkward parenting both toward Sally and toward Glen. He tries to look out for Joan when the partners ask her to sleep with a client. When it really matters - like with Jaguar - he rolls up his sleeves and starts to actually work again. He maintains a civil relationship with his ex-wife, even in the face of her goading. He even offers Lane a chance to save his pride by not sharing his embezzling with the other partners, failing to realize that to a desperate and shamed man, an "elegant exit" can only be one thing.
It's not perfect, obviously. Don still takes advantage of Peggy, has a different sort of problematic marriage than his old one, gets wrapped up in his anger, and ultimately can't let go of the siren song of his work. But, in comparison to the Dick Whitman of old, he has come a long way from the man who stole some dog tags off of a corpse in Korea.
And yet, after all of that growth and progress, he still ends up back where he started in 1960. The change doesn't stick. With a looming social revolution and a cast of characters progressing on the fringes of his life, Don has somehow moved backwards. Alone at a bar again.
And instead of working, this time he's approached by a pretty blonde and asked a simple question.
Is he alone?
What do you think? How do you think he'll respond? And do you think the answer to that question is as essential as I do?
That's the awesome ambiguity I've missed this season - we get to string together a bunch of images and references to create something interesting, and we have to do it without Weiner holding our hand or telling us how these characters are thinking/feeling/reacting to relay the significance. Again, it doesn't mean that I thought this season was bad - I actually thought that this was the most engrossing year of the show to date. But that doesn't mean that I don't miss some of the subliminal messaging that makes "Mad Men" one of the most unique, and brilliant, shows on television.
Some other thoughts...
- I love John Slattery, and I'm convinced he would have good chemistry with a rock. Who did he not work well with this year?
- I doubt that Weiner would abandon the Peggy character at this stage in the show, but if for some ungodly reason he does I'm going to be totally devastated. You have to have someone to root for in every story, and hers is the only real 'coming of age tale' we get in this show that I'm excited about.
- Two scenes/images I adored beyond measure from the finale - the partners at the window, and Don walking into the darkness away from Megan's fantasy set. I would love to hear someone's thoughts on the latter, as I immediately started theorizing when I saw just how infinite that darkness seemed...
- Glen is the creepiest character ever invented. I am convinced he's going to be a serial killer, and that the show's going to end because he'll murder everyone. It's even creepier because the kid who plays him is Weiner's real-life son. Terror goes here.
- You watched this video, right? I swear, it really is the best thing in the universe. (Blam a Lam!)
- Pretty sure that they've been through roughly 18,000 Bobbys at this point, but I think the producers would be hard-pressed to switch up Kiernan Shipka without me staging a protest of some sort. She's acting against Jon Hamm as a 13 year old and holding her own. What the hell am I doing with my life?
- Don's (or really Dick's) abandonment issues certainly got some mileage at the end of the season, didn't they? The systematic destruction (or tarnishing) of all of his significant female relationships toward the end of the season really paved the way for blondie and her brunette friend to have a better chance with our hero.
- If you don't follow TLo's Mad Style posts, I highly suggest you start. Their analysis of the remarkable and highly intentional clothes on the show does a lot to inform my opinions about the entire series, and are incredibly helpful in shedding some insight on an area I know absolutely nothing about.
- One of my favorite moments of the season was the $250K use of "Tomorrow Never Knows." Awesome, very sixties, montage. For a while I didn't think I was watching "Mad Men" anymore.
- How does everyone feel about Megan? People I've talked to so far typically love her or hate her, and I'm a bit confused as to why she's so divisive. Is it because she's a French Canadian? Have we all grown up with too much "South Park" for our own good?
Edit: Weiner's end-of-season interviews with Alan Sepinwall at Hitfix, John Swansberg at Slate, and Dave Itzkoff at the New York Times.
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