Question about Mad Men

Submitted by Ftimis t3_127k2bg in television

So I started watching Mad Men the other day, and I'm almost done with Season 1. To be honest, I've kinda found myself struggling to be engaged thus far, even though it's not bad by any means. Now before anyone attributes that to me not having the capacity or the attention span to follow a slower and character-driven show, it's definitely not that. Let me explain.

I can see the way Mad Men wants to show what it's showing. The slow but quality character development, the showcase of societal issues, the recreation of the time period etc. I'm not dismissing this as shallow or boring. It's just that, thus far at least, it's been episode after episode of men being assholes, racists, misogynists and all the lovely stuff of the time, and women being mistreated and objectified with every opportunity, all while talking in offices and in bedrooms.

To be clear, I am of course NOT accusing the show of praising these things, or the showrunners sharing these views. It's clear from the get-go that it paints all that stuff in a very negative light. What I mean is that, if the vibe, the plot and the pacing are maintained throughout, I don't think that this is for me. I am all for character dramas, and again, this seems to be laying the groundwork for something very well-made in that regard. It's just that unfortunately I can't latch onto a character drama where the absolute single thing that keeps my attention is the character development. The setting doesn't inspire me at all, neither the 1950s nor the ad firm thing. And I'm not having fun seeing a man being a dick and a woman being sexually harassed every 8 minutes on top of all else.

So to boil it down, while Mad Men seems like a very well-crafted show worthy of the praise it gets, the first season hasn't given me almost anything to look forward to watching more of this. Should I stick with it a bit more, or is this show maybe not for me?

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taviow t1_jeegjk5 wrote

It's an accurate representation of that time period for good and for ill. The sexism, racism etc will never go away, the show is unflinching in this sense, but it also features stories of characters who end up empowered despite everything being stacked against them. It also features characters whose stories end with deep injustice done against them, things that may never be rectified.

Whether that long term satisfaction of seeing all these incredible character arcs unfold is worth it is up to you. The show is definitely ugly, but the beautiful moments certainly have a way of sticking out in the midst of all the bad things. At least that's what I think. If you don't find this kind of thing worth watching, I understand.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeiwqg wrote

My concern was more akin to "is this gonna be it for 7 seasons?" but from most of the comments here I can see that this isn't the case. That's enough for me to give it a chance. Thanks!

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taviow t1_jeg6igb wrote

Well, it kind of is the case. Society won't be suddenly fixed during the show. But the story, for some characters, is also about overcoming these things.

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RegularGuy815 t1_jeeg8zu wrote

The overt sexual harassment is probably at its most prominent in the first season or two. As the years progress, the men in the show start to mellow out in regards to objectifying the women in the office, and the women also begin taking an active role in their own careers and show more agency. Sexism certainly does remain a part of the show but (at least in my memory) it's more like a thing that pops up once in a while and becomes a thing that characters within the series are showing disgust with, rather than a day-to-day thing that no one pays any mind to.

I love the advertisement/business side of things, so I don't really know if I can say it gets BETTER for you in that regard (season 5 is my favorite, with 4 and 6 right behind it, so I do think it peaks much later). As the 60s begin to really take form, the counterculture slowly gets integrated and people are less buttoned-up than they are in 1960. Also starting sometime in season 3 I feel like the writers have a lot more fun with it and integrate more humor and weird situations.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeiahs wrote

To be honest this is all I wanted to hear. I got the vibe of the possibility of the entire show being "it's the 50s so men are assholes, women are slaves, ads ads ads, corporate drama, also don draper is cool but troubled" and I feared that I wouldn't be able to keep engaging with it. But what you're saying makes it promising again for sure. Gonna stick with it and see where that leads me then, thanks!

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RegularGuy815 t1_jeej5a6 wrote

Yeah, I mean you can already see by the end of season 1 that Peggy is moved to the copywriting team, so her journey is sort of the spine of the series. I also feel like the more you see of the business side of things, the more interesting it seems to get, or at least seeing how characters react to the ads reveals things about them that is interesting.

Also, "Don Draper is cool but troubled" slowly starts to drift into "Don Draper is getting uncool but very troubled" and that's kinda fun as well.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeek5vz wrote

The show leaning a bit more on the technical business side of things will be a welcome change of pace for sure. I much prefer that backdrop for character development to occur instead of the expected (and aforementioned) 50s reasons.

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Owasso_Landman t1_jeehlr3 wrote

I once heard someone describe MM as a long novel and I think that’s accurate with the way it’s paced. Kinda like some of the classics it takes awhile to build the world before you can move the pieces.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeiq93 wrote

Even from the 9 episodes I've watched I can definitely see the novel comparison, in the way it's paced. Let's hope what it builds to ends up wowing me like it wowed everyone else. Thanks!

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Owasso_Landman t1_jeejki6 wrote

Some of the appeal is watching the world change so rapidly from 1959 through the sixties. It was a wild decade for progressive ideas.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeejyrj wrote

Yeah that's the exact reason my interest for the show sparked back up again the moment I realized it isn't gonna stay in the 50s

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Owasso_Landman t1_jeekcjl wrote

Well, manage your own time, but it’s one of my favorite shows ever. If you think you can continue I think it will pay off for you.

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dyurk t1_jeeh4h2 wrote

It’s been a while since I’ve watched the show but the first season I think takes more time to set up the societal context and focuses more on “how things were” than later seasons, which are more about diving into the psychology of characters. Not that the racism/misogyny ever goes away completely (this is a show that takes place in our world, after all) but that balance shifts more to towards the characters in later seasons, like after season 1 pretty much.

It’s also a show about how those attitudes evolve over time. By the end of the show, an entire decade — arguably the most socially tumultuous of the twentieth century in the U.S. — has gone by, and over the course of the show you see how different characters respond to that as it’s happening, which is interesting.

That being said, it’s definitely a show that takes place in the 60s and largely in offices in bedrooms, though the production design and costuming are incredible and I’d say worth watching for that alone.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeilpe wrote

Yeah my main concern was that all the show has to offer is well-written dialogue and pretty sets, hence the post. The other comments along with yours made me hopeful for it again, I'll stick with it. Thanks a lot!

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dyurk t1_jeekis7 wrote

You bet, hope you enjoy it. The character development is second to none. You’ll be sympathizing with characters by the end who you would never have expected to at the start

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glasseyepatch t1_jeeh1wo wrote

Stay with it homie. It's one my favorite shows and I still go back and watch the entire series every couple years. The first season is definitely establishing the world. The other seasons are like watching natural disasters tear thru this established world. It gets sooo good and strange - just keep going.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeifhm wrote

Aight yeah I'm gonna give it a shot then. Thanks!

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Tampammm t1_jeei7x1 wrote

>The setting doesn't inspire me at all, neither the 1950s nor the ad firm thing. And I'm not having fun seeing a man being a dick and a woman being sexually harassed every 8 minutes on top of all else.

I had the exact same issue with Game of Thrones, a monster hit. The setting didn't inspire me in the least, so I just didn't watch it.

Mad Men however, turned me on.

So I recommend you bail on it.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeekcbi wrote

The comments swayed me on at least giving it a shot for a bit more, so I'm gonna do that. I get what you're saying though

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Thetimmybaby t1_jeemzal wrote

This sub needs a "I didn't like 'insert popular show' filter

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Ftimis OP t1_jeeo2z0 wrote

I don't frequent it enough to have an opinion, but that was far from the point I was trying to make with this post. I have better things to do than go online to validate my contrarianism.

It's a beloved show that, thus far, hasn't had the same impact on me, so I wanted to ask people who've watched it if the reasons for that are prevalent during its whole runtime, and most of all, consistent and stationary. They seem to not be, so I'll keep watching.

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Technicoler t1_jeelp1c wrote

It’s one of my favorite shows of all time and some of the middle seasons are the best!…stick with it

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Groundbreaking_Ship3 t1_jegtrqu wrote

It is not for everybody, I love the setting though, it feels authentic to me.

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deignguy1989 t1_jeeg6ys wrote

It’s probably not for you. I got through season one and decided I didn’t care about any of the characters, so I stopped there.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeekjas wrote

Yeah that's more or less where I'm at right now, but I think I'll give it a shot at least for a bit more, judging by some comments in the thread. And if nothing changes for me in the next season, that's probably where I'll drop it.

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Blahblahlhab t1_jeek0zt wrote

The show does move away from the stuff that's putting you off, but never entirely and not too quickly.

The general direction it goes in should be more clear by about halfway through season two. If you don't see any green shots of things that will interest you by episode 6 or 7, you can probably drop it.

Or skip to the last couple of episodes of season 3 and see if you're more engaged by then, as there's a bigger leap forward between seasons 3 and 4.

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Ftimis OP t1_jeekul3 wrote

The fact that it moves away is enough for me, regardless of the amount or the speed at which it does that. What I feared is that it's gonna be the same thing throughout. But yeah, if by the back half of S2 nothing has changed for me I'm gonna re-evaluate it then. Skipping episodes is for sure out of the question for me though, because if I care little enough for what I'm watching so as to skip an entire season, I might as well drop it altogether, there's no point in half-assing it. Thanks regardless!

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RBlomax38 t1_jefmdnx wrote

I get what you’re saying. I love the show but the depressing/dread feeling it gives you can sometimes be a little overwhelming. I do think that as it progresses it starts expanding outside of that and brings in characters that aren’t as racist, sexist etc. and just has storylines that are more fun and hopeful too. Especially in later seasons

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annaamontanaa t1_jego863 wrote

I’m watching it for the first time right now, I just made it to season 5. Honestly, in my opinion, if you aren’t into it by the first 3 episodes, it’s probably not your type of show. I am loving it, but I was hooked from the first episode. I will say stick it out for the character development if you care enough because so far it’s been magnificent

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anasui1 t1_jegxref wrote

nope, not for you. You're far too invested in the fact that women were doing dishes and men dominating the world in the 50s, which will not change in the show because the reality was being portrayed as it was, not as you wish it would have been. So, nope, maybe A League of Their Own is the show for ya

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anne_jumps t1_jeel1dd wrote

I was not interested in watching it initially for the reasons you describe, then I binged the first season in a weekend and was hooked, and it's one of my favorite shows. I know you said you're almost through the first season, but still. Overall, taken as a whole the entire series describes kind of a slow burn arc -- it's basically how these characters deal with the '60s, good, bad, and ugly. IMO there is plenty of payoff.

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ShutupGustov t1_jeevrca wrote

It wasn't until Season 3 when it clicked for me, and then I was all over it.

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