Why I don’t love “Mad Men”

The Golden Globe- and Emmy-award winning TV series, Mad Men a series that focused on an advertising agency located in Madison Avenue and the employees of the company, set in the 60s, has turned out to become an interesting pop culture phenomenon. Accordingly, it has attracted a myriad of fans and has piqued the interest of various scholars in different fields. One of these scholars is Lauren Goodlad, who was inspired by multiple New York Times columns on the same topic to write the essay, “Why we love Mad Men,” (Goodlad 1). In this essay, the author’s primary focus is on Donald Draper’s characterization as a mysterious advertisement man that exemplifies the misconstrued ideas of masculinity, while balancing the divergent roles of a playboy and father (Goodlad, Kaganovsky and Rushing 34). Goodlad claims that the thing that makes Mad Men so captivating is the revolving characters that inundate Don as well as the complicated and delicate situations that each and every of those characters acquires (1). While Goodlad coverage of the characteristics that have made “Mad Men,” is quite captivating, the argument is not accurate in addressing the thing that Don is a symbol for. Accordingly, the paper herein will diffuse why Goodlad’s argument is flawed and show what Don and the entire Mad Men series really stands for; a cunningly misogynistic and sexist series.
Before delving into an argument against Lauren Goodlad’s essay, it would be fair to acknowledge some of her arguments that make a lot of sense.

In the first sections of Goodlad’s essay, she talks about her feminist dislike to men like Don Draper. She goes ahead to cover the modern world masculinity and comes up with the idea that men nowadays are dramatizing the passion that they have as opposed to disdaining it. Goodlad then goes on to ask her colleges and friends the reason as to why they all like the series and they all agree that it is because Don is ‘hot, ’ (Goodlad 1). She then goes to explain why these people regard to Don as such even though there are a lot of sexist and misogynistic undertones in the era and the office. By saying this, she is in a way, accepting the fact that Don Draper and the entire Mad Men series is a misogynist.
Another argument for Mad Men is that the series is based in the 1960s and thus they could not ignore the sexism and misogyny that was going on at the time and the series was only telling the story as it was in that era (Daum 1). While this is a very valid theory, there exist many flaws in the Mad Men series that point out that the show was not very accurate in portraying the 60s. As stated by Dana Polan, the series portrayal of the 1960s is an intentionally incomplete and partial depiction of how certain individuals lived in some parts of the 1960s life; in a nutshell, based on a privileged, narrow vantage point (Olmstead 87). While the show tries to portray itself as a sort of historical re-creation of the 1960s, the ultimate power of the series lay in the power of forgetting. In Bunch’s article showing how much many things portrayed in the Mad Men series never occurred, he says that the work resonates with many individuals because the disappearance of various racial, sexual, and economic relations are what seem shocking to many of the modern audience, making the show a hit (Bunch 1). Nonetheless, he acknowledges the fact that many different aspects of the show are entirely inaccurate (Bunch 1).
While the actions and attitudes of Don and other characters in the show seem very backward-thinking in the modern 21st century, depicting the changes in social mores, while various offensive approaches are still relevant in the modern world. Nonetheless, I am very uncomfortable with the way in which these comments function in the show, bringing into light the intricacy of sexual representation in the show. Although the viewers are obviously supposed to dissent with the ad men’s sexist attitudes, the fact is that many of the audience spend a lot of time with these ad men that they grow on us (to some extent) and they like them. Accordingly, this makes it very awkward when these men casually mistreat and belittle other people. A case in point is the ostensibly heartfelt scene in the “Indian Summer,” episode when Sterling Roger compliments Holloway Joan by stating that she had, “the best piece of ass that he had ever seen” (Weiner et al. Ep. 11). This cruel act of insensitivity by Sterling’s character shocks all of us. However, Sterling’s character makes such an insensitive behavior quite charismatic and charming. Therefore, we embrace and dismiss these attitudes, exclusively because Joan appears to take this comment as a compliment to her. This scene, coupled with Christina Hendricks’ emergence as the sex symbol in the show because of her overly sexualized depiction of Joan considering Joan as a “fine piece of ass,” is implied to be considered seriously.
This displeasure is more ambiguous in the many scenes of the ad men, Don included, engaging in group gamesmanship in decrying their wives and secretaries. We concurrently demur at these men’s attitudes, and we recognize being accepted into their gang. In a lot of ways, the social critique functions in Mad Men functions in a like manner to the contradictory politics that is prevalent in a myriad of modern day ads, especially the ones advertising beer. In these advertisements, the male misogynists are depicted as unrealistically clueless, offensive, and stupid, and the audience is invited to mock these characters – but at the same time, we are propelled to want their company hang out with them and enjoy their beer. Similarly, Mad Men mirrors this type of address, the more we hang out with these advertisement men, the more charismatic and charming they become, making their out-of-tone sensibilities more appealing and less offensive (Goodlad 1). The idea of being welcomed into an exclusionary territory of a culture that is shared and spread out over a period promotes engagement and identification, in spite of more critique and rational disdain, and causes a type of Stockholm syndrome of empathy for expressions and values that we might otherwise find loathsome. Spending a lot of time with characters that we do not like can either make the time spent unpleasant or makes the audience consider it as more acceptable and sympathetic.
Another central part of the commentary in Mad Men about Gender politics is Betty Draper’s politics, who’s dwarfed life in the suburbs acts as a pre-feminist innuendo section that appears tailored how extraordinary women are going to be in the generation after this period. Nonetheless, the character of Betty is the most dismal in the first season of Mad Men – her immaturity personality acts like a victim of her era, but entirely no instance in the shows that there is anything more there because she is right under Don’s thumb (Goodlad 1). The therapy sessions that Betty has, together with the private consultations that Don has with Betty’s psychiatrist, serve to demean the character of Betty as opposed to depicting some untapped depth in her. Moreover, the shooting of these scenes puts the audience in place similar to that of an eavesdropper; we are made associated with her deterioration and generating antipathy towards Betty’s decrepit character. In the first season, it appears that the series treated Betty with disdain for how she was associated with her victimization as opposed to depicting an empathetic person who the audience would root for.
A large number of subplots in the series have led to numerous dislikes that tend to tease the viewers as opposed to getting somewhere with the plot (Emami 6).The series revolves around men trying to get people to buy things from their clients who would normally bore a great deal of people (Bowman 1).However, after the show won 15 Emmy awards, viewers had to be split into two camps. One claimed that the television program was a probing look at the extent to which the post-war transitioned into the 1960s while the other claims that it is an over-costumed soap opera whose success is portrayed to say more about the requirements of modern American viewers (Wolfson 2).
There are numerous critiques who have shared their views regarding the series ‘mad men’. Allan Sepinwall from HitFix claims that the ending of the coke jingle failed to fill him with an uplift and neither did it bring any contentment. Don in the show is taken way far out of his comfort zone and eventually brings him to a form of new age retreat by the California coast in such a way that it seems to promise a deeper substance that proved a challenge for him to become. Consequently, Matt Roush from TV Guide also claimed that the tone of the finale episode was vaguely more upbeat which was not what the viewers had expected. The episode failed to satisfy the viewer’s expectations for it was neither the best nor the worst in comparison to other season finales. A comforting remark that he made concerning this ending was that at least it was a true ending that brought out a perfect harmony or not (Variety 1-3).
According to the Time’s critique by James Poniewozik, considering the several seasons form the series, the viewers ought to be left with a more enlightened sense of the legitimacy of Don’s final change. According to him, the series left him wrestling with the last moments for days and weeks. This internal conflict proves as a testament to the extent of challenges he underwent watching it. On the other hand, Gail Pennington from St Louis Post-Dispatch claims that the final episode had plenty of tears and humor. However, like numerous of the season’s episodes that preceded the last episode in the second half of the season, the final episode failed to rush into concluding resolutions. At one point, the viewers had to have experienced a feeling of snapping at the creator Matthew Weiner, the person responsible for writing and directing that last episode. To the viewers, their concern was for the director to hurry up and get to the main point (Variety 4-5).
Brian Lowry from Variety captured a consensus view of the TV show from other critics. His view was that the last episode was good but still failed to be a great addition to the list of other significant finales. The last bit was a potpourri of graceful notes that had been tied up with loose ends. Some of them were even left dangling and began with a cryptic question on a matter of whether or not meditation and internal peace with the universe brought about the ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’ Coca Cola campaign. According to Robert Bianco from USA Today, the conclusion was a hopeful yet unsettling, happy and sad moment that was surprisingly utterly odd (Variety 1).
Numerous viewers can pinpoint the exact moments in the series that led to their dislike of the series. For instance, Megan O’Keeffe claimed that about ten minutes into the season six premiere made the cut. In the season, Don is seen drinking at a hotel bar located in Hawaii. A drunk veteran is busy enjoying his bachelor party. At this very point, the episode seems to have possessed a single narrative trick. In the New York open after the Hawaii trip, a doorman is suffering from a heart attack on the floor which is supposed to grab the attention of the viewer as well as shock them. Then again there are close-ups of Megan Draper’s body while in a bikini, and Don was reading Dante’s Inferno at the beach. According to her, he appears to have a taste in reading deep, important books which should all mean something. All these events are supposed to mean something yet for a given reason or two all these events stopped having a meaning (O’keefe 1).
Most viewers claimed that they could see how the rest of the six season would unwrap. Don had secretly sparked up an affair, on the other hand, Peggy and Joan were in the midst of a sexism battle, and Cooper was holding on to a big account. During the day people would frequently have drinks as the times was going to be a-changing. Five seasons of such a story line was becoming more predictable, and not many had the capacity to keep eating up these episodes. However, an assurance of getting back to the epic premiere later was a plan many viewers would have. Not many still keep up with Mad Men anymore. In contrary, keeping abreast of the season’s biggest developments through online recaps on social media has become a habit of many of those who used to watch the series. However, tuning in to obsessively keep up has become lesser often to them. The viewers who continue to remain loyal to keeping up with the series fail to understand why there exist other viewers who began to hate the series so much (O’keefe 3).
Existent dislikes for mad men has more to do with a feel of apathy as opposed to hate. However, an existent term “hate-watch” has become a reason that many watch and follow up with the series. Many are compelled to keep watching the television programs that they hate. One might have the effort of tuning into a program because of caring about the events as opposed to liking its story line (O’keefe 3).
There still exist a large number of viewers who have a fondness for the show. Peggy and Joan are liked as many want the best for their daily endowers. Roger’s good looks may be another reason that some viewers have a fondness for the show. The only challenge that the viewers experience is the painfully slow story telling possessed by the episodes. However, the television show has been proclaimed to work best as a workplace drama. It has a star ensemble, but a viewer has to keep going back to Don’s personal life. In contrary to that, Don is a cool guy on the outside and completely messed up on the inside. He, therefore, becomes the emblematic anti-hero of a long lost era. He also lives a life that was stripped away by political correctness. The story line gets to the point that it no longer can fascinate the viewers. There still exists a hope for a massive twist, but even that seems predictable at this point.
There exist too many television shows to keep up with all of them. If one has to choose between a good and inspiring show versus one that vaguely causes a little reaction, some will choose the latter. That is among the reasons why one may still encounter show fans who watch early showcased series as opposed to ‘Mad men.’ Many who have a dislike for the series are sure of getting pulled back to watching the series finale, but that will not make them go back to watching the missed mid-episodes in the same season. However, this factor means that a series such as Mad men can win over other series that would have otherwise proven to be more attractive.

Works Cited
Bowman, Leslie. “I Hate To See ‘Mad Men’ Go, But I Love To Watch It Leave.” The Huffington Post. N.P., 2016. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
Bunch, Will. “‘Mad Men’ And When America Is Shocked How Much This Never Happened”. The Huffington Post. N.P., 2016. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Daum, Meghan. “‘Mad Men’ Shares a Lesson on Beauty”. latimes. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
Emami, Gazelle. “Not a Fan of Mad Men? You’re Not Alone.”. Vulture. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
Goodlad, “Madmen Yourself (“Why We Love Mad Men”)”. Unitcrit.blogspot.co.ke. N.p., 2016. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.
O’keefe, Megan. “I Don’t Care About ‘Mad Men’ Anymore: Why Fatigue Is Worse Than Hate”. Decider | Where To Stream Movies & Shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, HBO Go. March, 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.
Olmstead, Kathleen. Mad Men. 1st ed. Toronto, Ont.: HarperCollins, 2011. Print.
Variety, “Mad men: what the critics are saying”. Variety. May, 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2016
Weiner, M., Taylor, A., Palmer, T., Bianchi, E., Albert, L., Hunter, T., Glatter, L. L., Lions Gate Films, Mad Men: Season One, 2008.
Wolfson, Matthew. “How “Mad Men” Became The Most Controversial Show On TV”. Salon. N.p., 2014. Web. 13 Dec. 2016.