Mad Men is a Period Drama set mainly in 1960’s Manhattan. It depicts the lives of the people working at the advertising agency Sterling Cooper, in Madison Avenue, and those of their families and loved ones. While earlier seasons focus primarily on Don Draper and his exploits as creative director of the agency, later seasons shift focus to allow secondary characters room for development. Even so, Draper remains the ‘lead’ on a show that grows increasingly alienated by his unchanging personality, as the show and most of the people within it walk with the times.
The show’s protagonist is an antihero that embodies the very image of the past century’s ‘model American man’, a very toxic masculine persona with everything to be loathed. Don Draper unfolds to present himself as a despicable man that manages to charm his way into the hearts or minds of most people who meet him, including the audience, thanks to Jon Hamm’s portrayal of this deeply bent yet successful man.
As many will be quick to say, yes, it is show with many flaws, but it is a series that does it’s fair best to tell the unvarnished truth of an era, and which rewards those who appreciate the little details. From ad-campaign sketches on the walls of the Madison Avenue offices, to the recurring motifs and dilemmas of race, politics, and sexuality.. The depiction of an era seen as many as the true start of modern and contemporary living is an enthralling spectacle; and Mad Men is a show recommended to those whose sensitivities can stand the crudeness of 60’s America white privileged advertising firm and their surroundings.
Most people would think of ancient times gone by when hearing the term “Period Drama,” thinking of big victorian dresses, revolutionary rebels in the 18th century, or perhaps Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman running away from the Nazi regime in Morocco. More often than not we will think of a show along the lines of Downton Abbey or Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. (Or perhaps, like some of my friends, you’ll think of female hormone-related drama. Write it down– name of a raunchy comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.)
One of the problems with situating a story in the environment of the 60’s or 70′ is that we (in which I define ‘we’ as people over 25), still consider those historical periods as “contemporary” or “recent”. Another issue is that storytellers (visual or written) will often take liberties with the historical accuracies of the times, as we consider more recent decades not to be worthy of the historical reverence we give events that are cemented in the collective consciousness as “historical”. For instance, we might agree that a movie based on JFK is a period drama, but few of us would consider the happenings of a snazzy New York advertising agency in the sixties as belonging in the same category. The irony here, is that the two happen in the same timeframe.
So I ask, what is the appropriate amount of time to wait between an event and it’s fictional depiction for us to consider it a historical piece or period drama? And let us not forget the increased generational gap. With the help of streaming services it’s now easier for younger generations to continue discovering shows that might have otherwise fallen into obscurity. Right now a a 17 year old might be discovering this show that aired over ten years ago [2007]. Audiovisual media has never been more historically relevant or accessible than it is now.
Now, how accurate does the context or content need to be for us to consider the material to be ‘historical’? Or what characteristics are defining in this concept?
With period dramas such as Outlander, the setting is enough to transport us, the historical accuracy predominates even if some key elements are fantastical. With such pieces it doesn’t matter if the characters are fictional or certain elements are clearly magical because we can cross-check costumes, customs, manners of speech, and events surrounding the lives of our protagonists.
If we consider historical period accuracy of the environment as key to a period drama, can we categorise Mad Men as such?
Before you dismiss this statement remember that the events depicted in the show are set well over 50 years ago. Movies like Schindler’s List (1993), Munich (2005), Gandhi (1982), Titanic (1943), All Quiet On The Western Front (1930), and Bonnie And Clyde (1967) –to mention a few– are considered historical even though they depict events that happened only between 30 and 40 years prior to the release of each.
Wether we like it or not the 1960’s are as historical as the roaring twenties. While the main characters are fictional and none of them change the course of history, the historical events surrounding them affect them, their actions, and their lives in a profound manner. Events like the deaths of J.F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, the moon landing, the social rights movement, and the Vietnam war all feature in the background of a show that spans a decade and aspires to be a lens through which we analyse the highlights and shortcomings of American society as a whole.
The man at the helm of the ship of decadence and excess represented as the lives of the men and women of the Sterling-Cooper agency, is Matthew Weiner, a History Graduate with a specialisation in the America* of the 1960’s, and who worked as a writer in both CBS’ Becker and HBO’s The Sopranos before taking on this show of his own creation.
Although the accuracy of the life in an advertising agency as depicted by the show, and the occasional use of slightly more modern language has been criticised by some, the ambiance is painstakingly taken care of. From wardrobe to character’s attitudes as response to social situations, to the furniture and background art across every setting. Even the songs featured in every episode (particularly the closing song for each chapter) were chosen carefully to frame not only the theme of every episode, but the historical moment it depicts.
He was the show runner and was key to the look of the show, including the historical details, from props to hairstyles, form historical events to small trivia that give the show a signature obsession for detail that spans from costume design to music selection. Most situations are well layered and unravel in a slow deliberate way few shows take the time to do.
Mad Men is a show with many problematic aspects when seen from our current perspective. A lot has happened since the show’s initial release and the way we consume and evaluate media currently. It has often been accused of being sexist, and while we’re not here to sanctify or condemn anyone (for deeper insights into this issue a quick search will give a more scrutinised look into the behind the scenes), let’s take a look at the very human, very real, and very awesome women of mad men.
Remember the historical context, is a show sexist for trying to accurately depiction the race, sex, and power dynamics of the time?
The series regales us with characters that evolve as the story moves along, and characters that seemed one dimensional and sidelined at first glance (such as Elisabeth Moss’ Peggy Olson, Christina Hendricks’ Joan Harris, and even January Jone’s Betty Draper). The show weaves a blanket of characters in which some threads turn out to be monochrome and predictable, while others dance and move and change patterns often.
The end result is deeply human and, as such, deeply flawed characters and situations mix with historical events in ways we experience every day. Who can say doesn’t relate to the day after a historical election? Or to the heartbreak yet dislocated feeling of mourning for a dear movie star upon their death? Various aspects of the show can be quite relatable, but none more than it was watching the show with someone who remembers many of the breakthroughs pictured in it.
Watching the show with my mum was an experience in itself. As a kid growing in the late sixties and early 70’s she saw much of the fashion/habits displayed on the show first hand. From Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) preferred old fashioned glasses –of which my grandfather had identical copies– (picture) to how normal it was for a woman to drink and smoke while pregnant. I clearly remember watching a scene in the first season where Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) is running around the house pretending to be ‘spaceman’ with a plastic bag over her head.
My thoughts were something along the lines of “Oh dear god, that’s so unsafe.” You can imagine my surprise when Betty Draper (January Jones) chastises the child saying “Sally Draper come over here this minute! If the clothes from that dry-cleaning bag are on the floor of my closet, you’re gonna be one very sorry young lady,” all the while the image shows us the plastic bag sticking against Sally’s lips and nose in the clear picture of a present-day parent’s worst nightmare. (picture of the bag sticking into Sally’s mouth)
I was terrified, my mother was smiling at the show’s ability to accurately reproduce the little big differences of the times; she agreed, her mother would’ve likely reacted in a similar fashion to Betty Draper. Oh, the 60’s were a different time alright.
The series goes beyond depicting its main character and glorifying his faults. In time, it unfolds as a depiction of society, of times past. As the series moves on it spans a decade, and as the times go on a changin’ so does the cast and the focus of interest. Characters such as Peggy, Pete, Joan, Dawn, Ted, and so on; are allowed to rise and fall as human beings. The writers don’t shy away from diversifying human growth or the lack thereof.
For every high there’s a low, and for every stubborn, toxic, and unchanging Don Draper; there is a steadfast, confident, rising Peggy Olson. A series that won’t be enjoyed by all, but that will be deeply rewarding for those who find it to be their cup of tea.
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*For the sake of simplicity I refer to the USA as simply America through this article. Although I prefer not to, as America is the entire continent. A debate for another day.
