Mad Men Roundtable – “The Summer Man”
Next week: Stan is being sexist and Don is upset about something. Damn, these promos are infuriating!
DON (Not Draper)
“We’re flawed because we want so much more….we’re ruined because when we get these things, we’ll wish for what we had.”
I think this is brilliant, and hard to believe he’s not quoting something famous from literature. Hard to believe Weiner and his writers got, in my opinion, more philosophical than even the Kodak Carousel. For me …this quote is equally profound and will stick with me. So often, we try to scoff at the problems that may be facing the rich and the famous. “Quit your crying” we say. As if money should make them happy. But what we can never understand is that there’s no turning back. And it’s not just with fame and fortune …it’s in any life decision. The day that Pastor said, “I’m going to burn the Koran on 9/11” he opened a door and walked through, and now he can never go back. He wanted more, now he has it, and I’ll bet he doesn’t want it. Lindsay Lohan. Kate Plus Eight (whatever her name is). Many reality stars. They wanted their fame soooo badly. I’ll bet every one of them wishes for a day like you and I enjoy. Anonymous. Not being judged.
But it doesn’t have to be that extreme. We all wrestle with the same thing. Say something nice, or don’t say anything at all. “Tell off” your neighbor. Paint a wall. Call or don’t call. Try and steal a kiss. And, what if you get that kiss? What then? Friendships die or change.
The quote sums up the entire show and almost every character in it, and it must be why everyone loves this show so much. We see ourselves in these flawed characters …all chasing something they think they want, and none enjoying what they have.
That’s all I got. This season has been brilliant beyond, I think, what I can wrap my head around. It’s entertainment, but it’s philosophy and ethics, and real-world mixed with and old and traditional world. It’s like, well, everyone who showed up at the Glenn Beck rally and these Sarah Palin devotees, and Fox News watchers, all seem to pine for “tradition” and “the America we grew up in.” And I realize Mad Men is just a basic cable drama series, but it reminds everyone that “the good old days” weren’t always so good. We like to think the world was Leave it to Beaver and Happy Days, but it was segregation, and sexism and chauvinism. It wasn’t equal opportunity, and it wasn’t fair. We ignore the parts we didn’t like and we only look back fondly on the Christmas trees, presents, and simpleness.
Mad Men doesn’t preach. But it shows another side of life in the 60s, and judging by its fans and their passion, countless TV snobs and historians who cannot find fault, and by its dozens of Emmys, it must be pretty darn accurate.
Mad Men continues to make me a happy man.
I just rewatched this episode during its rerun on AMC Sunday mornings – the first time I saw it, I noted that it was the first time “Mad Men” ended with the credits rolling but no music playing over them. I wondered if there was something particular in the episode that made it special (like the silent clock in “24”). However, I wasn’t certain, so I’d be interested in hearing what you or other readers have to say about the matter.