I
know this is a blog about investing, planning, and trying to live simply, but
from time to time I will go off the rails—hopefully never completely off the
rails but just lifted slightly off the tracks. I am a big fan of Mad Men. Everyone knows about how great
the design and look of the show is, how they have captured advertising and life
of ad men in the ’50s, ’60s, and now ’70s. But I am a big Don Draper fan, and
the beginning of season 6 has me asking a lot questions.
Don
Draper, played by Jon Hamm, has been nothing short of awesome. Draper’s
character is a dark, complicated man who drinks, smokes, and womanizes better
than anyone I’ve ever met. Looking into the soul of Draper is like looking into
the abyss. It is a black hole filled with a wide range of emotions. What
exactly is going on in that mind of his? He is a very talented and successful
creative, but he, too, went off the rails at the end of last season. During his
pitch to Hershey’s, the venerable chocolate bar company, Draper unravels a
disturbing story about his early life, growing up in an orphanage and stealing
money from a prostitute’s john, then using that money to buy candy bars.
Hershey’s hightailed it out of the meeting, and Draper was put on a leave of
absence from his own firm.
Fast-forward
to this season: it is the 1970s, and the opening scene has a cleaned-up Draper
arriving in Los Angeles to meet his wife, who has moved out there to further
her acting career. Draper is cool as he kisses his beautiful wife, gets into
her convertible, and they drive off. That is the last of the cool, brilliant,
and diabolical Draper we have seen this year. The new Draper has his tail between
his legs—making up with his daughter, going to movies during the day, and not
responding to interludes with beautiful woman.
In
last week’s episode Draper realizes it is time to get back to work. He receives
an offer from a competing agency and uses it as leverage to get his job back
with his old firm. After a lot of debate among his former partners, they agree
to allow Draper back but with a list of binding terms and having to report to
the new head of creative, who is as bland as white toast and mayo.
This
all leads to my question: why? Why is Draper acting like a puppy with his ears
pulled back? What has happened to the brash Don Draper we all love? Why would
he agree to these belittling terms? I guess we could assume he is setting the
table for his comeback or a chance at revenge. Or is this Don 2.0, a family
man, a corporate man? Please say it ain’t so. What do you think?
For
those of you who don’t care or don’t watch Mad
Men, we’ll get back to finances next post.
I think that his time away from work has got him remembering the feeling of being a nobody (Dick Whitman). As soon as they offered him the job, he grabbed at it desperately--just like he grabbed the real Don Draper's dog tag--to save himself. Also, the writers like to do the unexpected. It would have been too predictable for Don to say "no", just like it would have been too predictable for Megan to show up with a man in her house when Don was there. Don't worry…he'll snap back.
ReplyDeleteWar......"The brash Don Draper we all love?!!!" WTF are you talking about???!!!! Don 1.0 is totally f-ed up. He is a narcissistic addict. He's a big, selfish, egotistical baby who thinks that he doesn't have to live by anyone else's rules! Yes, he is sexy and creative and successful, but he is EMPTY! And he's trying to fill his void with booze and sex.....and it doesn't work!!! Based on Sunday's episode, it doesn't look like Don 2.0 is going to survive. Don 1.0 is coming out again. The problem is that Don has demons in his basement doing push-ups. Don 2.0 was able to take his old job back with conditions because he had pushed a bureau up against his basement door, but those demons are pissed and they are banging the door down. I think it could go either way. If Don 1.0 comes back, it will only be a matter of time before he completely self-destructs. If Don 2.0 is going to prevail, it's going to be a long, hard road and he'll always have to keep an eye on that basement door. Frankly, I would love to see a Don 1.5 who is a sexy, creative, successful man who is self-aware, embraces his shadow, and is able to be in real, intimate relationships with both friends and one woman at a time.
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