If you tuned into the television on Sunday night, you may have watched Mad Men win its third consecutive Emmy for best drama. If you also tuned into Mad Men, you saw Don Draper win an award for a television commercial that he produced. Mad Men beat out several good competitors to win the award and deservedly so, but not in the same clear cut fashion in which it did so over the past two years. Like the show with which his name is eponymous, Don Draper showed us that time at the top may be limited, if not already expired.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I think the quality of Mad Men has gone down as some have. In fact I think it's better than ever and it has done an incredible job showing the change in times from the early-1960s to the mid-1960s. Yes, I've heard the stories that Matthew Weiner is conceited and obnoxious (as evident from Sunday night when he began his second acceptance speech with "Where was I...") and like Don Draper and his television show, it's possible he's not aware that his competition has improved. It's a strange analogy that many seem to be making. However, I don't see as rapid a fall in the future for Mad Men as I do for Don Draper.
In this week's episode, Don and his colleagues are awarded a CLIO Award for their work on the Glo-Coat Commercial. Don, Roger, Pete, and Joan attend the even but Peggy is conspicuously absent, depite having played quite a big role in putting the commercial together. Nevertheless, Don takes most of the credit for SCDP's success and gives little to Peggy. Rather, he berates Peggy for not having come up with copy for their new Vick's account and forces her to work under the direction of their new chauvinistic and cocky art director, Rizzo.
Before the award ceremony, Don interviews a relative of Jane Siegel who is clearly unqualified for a creative position and presents a portfolio which uses the same catchphrase for each piece of work. Roger wisely advises him that he may have to hire him to please Jane.
After returning from the awards in a inebriated state, Don attempts to present their work to Life cereal, rehashing his "Nostalgia" speech from the season one episode "The Wheel." The Life executives are impressed but request a catchphrase to go along with the account. Don begins rattling off a long list of cliche catchphrases, despite the protests by Pete that he get back to them after having had some time to think of one. However, Don drops the phrase that was presented to him by Jane's cousin and it impresses the Life execs. Before Peggy can warn him that the phrase was stolen, he shushes her and orders her into a hotel room with Mr. Rizzo until they come up with creative for Vick's.
Don, Joan, and Roger head off to continue their celebration while Peggy and Rizzo head off to the hotel. Rizzo, who believes that Peggy is ashamed of her body and herself, in effect challenges Peggy to reveal herself to him in the nude. Peggy takes on the challenge and they both strip down to their bares. However, Rizzo shows that his affinity for the nude is merely sexual and cannot contain his sexuality. Peggy does her best to make him aware of this and shames him, proving once again that she's quite capable of taking control of any situation she's in and working it to her advantage.
Meanwhile, Don's new colleague has brushed off a sexual advance that he has made and he settles for a random admirer in the bar. Back at his apartment, we fast forward to Sunday afternoon, where Don awakes next to a different woman who surprisingly refers to him as Dick. He has clearly been drinking since Friday and has completely lost track of time, as he receives an angry phone call from Betty wanting to know why Don has not come by to pick up the children. Shortly after, Peggy comes to his apartment to confront him. Don was unaware of having ever sent Peggy to work in a hotel room and unaware that he stole a catchphrase from Jane's cousin.
Don proceeds to meet with Jane's cousin, who refuses a monetary offer from Don to compensate him for his copy. As he states, he does not need money but needs a job, which Don eventually offers him.
In many ways, this episode represents a continuing downfall for Don and also gives a glimpse into what his life may become if he continues down this path. Roger has almost no role left in the company, as made clear by Lane Pryce, and has been limited to dictating his memoirs and tending to the bottle. But what makes this downfall more apparent was our first look into the beginning of Don's relationship with Roger. In a flashback, we are brought to the moment where the two met. Roger was shopping for a fur piece for a much younger Joan Holloway and purchases the piece from Don. Don, who already has the itch for advertising, continues to pest Roger into hiring him. Finally, Don takes him out for a drink or two, leaving Roger completely blacked out from the incident. Don shows up at Sterling Cooper the following Monday, claiming that Roger had hired him, despite Roger being unable to remember doing so. Regardless, it marked the beginning of their work relationship.
The analogies to be made here are endless. Roger had risen to the top of the advertising arena and has continually fallen from that apex, be it through his drinking, his failed marriage, and finally his diminished role in the new firm. Don appears to be following along the same path. As unaware as Roger was of having hired Draper (or did he???), Don was unaware of having stolen the catchphrase until reminded by Peggy, who seems to have fallen into a hobbit of cleaning up Don's messes. In addition, it seems that it was Peggy's unacknowledged work that won them the CLIO. Has Don's bag of tricks begun to wear thin?
We can also see a parallel in the way Peggy has risen beyond her days as a mere jr. copywriter. Whereas is the past it was Don's role to outsmart his competition and never be the last to be knocked down (recall Don and Roger's oyster lunch before the Nixon meeting), it was Peggy who refused to allow the pompous Rizzo to bring her down. Quite simply, she emasculated him and brought him down to size. One has to wonder if Peggy is on her way to trumping Don as the company's "genius."
A Few Mad Men Links:
-This may be old news but it has come to my attention that Don Draper's character was actually based on the life of ad exec Draper Daniels, famous for creating the Marlboro Man.
-The debate rages on as to whether or not the show has lost a step or gained a step. WSJ's Walter Dellinger says yes, and although I disagree, he got me thinking about all of the parallels and analogies from Sunday evening and inspired me to write this piece. However, TV Squad thinks that this may be the best season yet (h/t Andrew).
-Looks like Jimmy Fallon has taken his shot at Mad Men. Unfortunately, NBC nixed his plans. (h/t Andrew).
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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I think Sunday's episode followed along this same theme, though I think it would be depressing for the show to enter into this type of black hole. I think that the last two episodes were to show how Don's life is always about his work and he was willing to do whatever was needed to get into and then keep that life.
ReplyDeletePeggy isn't so different from Don, though her addict-like attraction to him is sort of odd. Although I liked the dialog between Don and Peggy this past week (as opposed to his constant berating of her), it was an episode that was sort of out of sync with the rest of the show.
The biggest issue I have had with this season is that nothing has actually happened. The plot of the show seems to be non-existent and besides finding out that Bert Cooper has no balls and Don probably suckered his way into his job, we don't know much more than we did before. I'm not saying that's a bad thing because I still enjoy the show, I just wish the episodes moved a little more (although I know that's not Weiner's style).
My big question is where does this all go from here? Is Don headed to Duck Phillips territory or does he have some big change in his life coming? It's been a fun ride so far.
I think lots has happened so far. The biggest thing is that A) Don is seemingly on the edge B) we are learning about the new firm. Don is becoming both increasingly unlikeable, pathetic at times, and also vulnerable. The real Draper's wife was an interesting diversion as the only person who really knows Dick. I thought it was interesting that Don said he did not know his Mom. He had the opportunity to open up further after reaching common ground with Peggy when she tells him she saw her Dad die (as did Don). Maybe he closed up since she laughed at him when he said his Dad died from being kicked by the horse?
ReplyDeleteOtherwise I like the development of the new firm and the group battling for new accounts. This weeks show was eventful in the development of the Don and Peggy dynamic--- especially since Peggy acts as if she would leave at teh beginning of the call with Duck, compared with the end of the show where there is a major deepening of their connection. I don't care for Peggy although she is a strong carachter and full of suprises. I think we will see this blond market research carachter get more of a role. I would love to see more of Betty Draper except for the fact that her carachter is maybe more unlikeable then peggy---- my opinion.
This is a great show and I try not to overthink things and just enjoy the ride.
The show has added interest to me since my Father was an art director for several majoy madison Avenue firms for many years. I would like to see more on the Art direction side of the biz and maybe that will be able to be developed within the context of the smaller firm.
I got my Dad into the show when i bought him Season 1 as a gift. Since he has caught up through NetFlix. It was interesting discussing the show with him when he visited a few weeks ago.