a sudden craving of madness
Oct. 19th, 2009 08:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wishfulclickingSince it's beginning, Mad Men has been a show that I didn't need fic for, the show was fulfilling enough and it gave enough glimpses to backstory and the right amount of characters interacted that I came away from episodes satisfied on the whole, just with the right amount of hunger for the following episode.
But with this recent run of episodes, or, if I'm being honest, since the beginning of this season, perhaps, something has shifted. My favorite characters have been sidelined, and I'm not interested in the new ones.
Let me be clear: Mad Men still is a well made show with excellent acting, and I do consider it one of the best among the new crop of shows. It's dense, and worthy of all the awards it has gotten.
But no matter how well a show is made, if it's not telling a story I'm enjoying then I'm going to check out.
Joan: I loved the mix of the female characters on this show. The triad of Joan, Peggy, and Betty showed a range of many womens' lives for that period and setting. (And this is with a nod acknowledging the power they put in the little glimpses of Carla too, but the smallness of her role makes sense considering the setting.) I know she could be a bit of a mean girl when it came to Peggy but she never seemed cruel and Joan and Roger were a fascinating match. This season saw the arrival of Joan's husband, Dr. Rapist, and really, it's time to DTMFA. After that rape in the office, I was hoping eventually I could see less of Dr. Rapist, but no, the show had to emphasize that he wasn't even that good at his job; and, ok, I get and appreciate keeping the sheen off of the time period and the setting. But now Joan is not at Sterling-Cooper, still chained to that bastard and working at a Department Store to make money. It makes me sad. And bored.
Don: maybe I just have a problem when I'm not that fond of the main character. I will always appreciate the aesthetics of Don Draper, but I've never been that fond of him since season 1. But I went along because his story was surrounded by ones that I really cared about like Pete&Peggy and Joan and Sal. This season has had more of a focus on Don Draper and what makes up the man. And to me what makes up Don is mostly lying, cheating, and selfishness. Sure he has some redeeming moments but I think Don works best in small doses. Oooh, look at Don lash out on others because he's no longer a free agent! Is he going to cheat again? Of course! Seriously, Don has always cheated. There's nothing surprising about that.
Last week he was absolutely horrible to Sal and it makes sense, and kudos to Weiner on not succumbing to the desire of giving a character of a certain period modern sensibilities. Don's a complete bastard and he needs to get what's coming to him...but will he?
I question this because this show seems to deal in 'reality' for the most part, and there have always been people who don't get what they deserve. I was hoping for a righteous smackdown when Betty opened the box, but she doesn't have many options. I wouldn't be surprised if she sits on it for a while, goes home and thinks about it, and then goes back to Don. Would it leave me mad? Yes, but not shocked. At this point, she could shoot him and I wouldn't mind.
These are temporary issues, perhaps the last three episodes will change some of this. I hope it does. I'm not asking for my favorites to always have good things happen for them ( I enjoy it when Pete is on the screen and not a lot of good happens, but I find him at his most hilarious when he's at a loss.); but I don't know how long I'm going to be able to watch this show if it keeps on going the way it has been.
Mad Men has never been a cheery show but coupled with the human misery, there were moments of humor and lightness. I don't know if I've just become more aware of it or if it's a side effect of having the show focus more on Don. But I already know that some men get all the breaks, and every bad behavior isn't always returned, and homosexuals were discriminated against (maybe I should make that present tense), and some women stayed with men who abused and raped them, and equal work doesn't guarantee equal pay or recognition.
But now I find myself wanting things like: five ways it didn't go for Dick Whitman, what happened to Joan's original roommate and what if they had stayed roommates, I want to see Peggy getting to the top because that is what she wants and she's working hard to get it. What if Betty did just up and leave? What if she met Dick/Don later on in life and was married to a guy like Harry Francis? Would Don be having affairs with a string of blondes after being married to a brunette?
What happens to Sally? To Bobby? (Though it may be too much Criminal Minds but I could easily see Bobby growing up to be less than stellar). Maybe Baby Gene grows up to write a book called something like The Ghost I Live In a nonfiction work detailing growing up in his troubled home. What if Pete and Trudy only stayed married in name only and Trudy went off to work in a charity and be near kids; and Pete was left in New York with a name but not enough funds? Maybe he finds a company that isn't afraid to advertise to black people and he's goes on to be a good accounts guy. IDK.
So now, I want fic. I've only read one fic in the fandom to date and that was thanks to last year's yuletide. I guess it's a good thing this hunger has come now when yuletide is around the corner.
I always feel rather silly having to state that a post made in a journal talking about how I feel about show is solely my opinion, but there it is: this is just how I feel right now at this moment. Even as I typed all this out I felt a lessening, and I still have to see the next three episodes. Who knows, maybe I'll love every one of them and post about how wonderful this show is. Anything is possible.
But with this recent run of episodes, or, if I'm being honest, since the beginning of this season, perhaps, something has shifted. My favorite characters have been sidelined, and I'm not interested in the new ones.
Let me be clear: Mad Men still is a well made show with excellent acting, and I do consider it one of the best among the new crop of shows. It's dense, and worthy of all the awards it has gotten.
But no matter how well a show is made, if it's not telling a story I'm enjoying then I'm going to check out.
Joan: I loved the mix of the female characters on this show. The triad of Joan, Peggy, and Betty showed a range of many womens' lives for that period and setting. (And this is with a nod acknowledging the power they put in the little glimpses of Carla too, but the smallness of her role makes sense considering the setting.) I know she could be a bit of a mean girl when it came to Peggy but she never seemed cruel and Joan and Roger were a fascinating match. This season saw the arrival of Joan's husband, Dr. Rapist, and really, it's time to DTMFA. After that rape in the office, I was hoping eventually I could see less of Dr. Rapist, but no, the show had to emphasize that he wasn't even that good at his job; and, ok, I get and appreciate keeping the sheen off of the time period and the setting. But now Joan is not at Sterling-Cooper, still chained to that bastard and working at a Department Store to make money. It makes me sad. And bored.
Don: maybe I just have a problem when I'm not that fond of the main character. I will always appreciate the aesthetics of Don Draper, but I've never been that fond of him since season 1. But I went along because his story was surrounded by ones that I really cared about like Pete&Peggy and Joan and Sal. This season has had more of a focus on Don Draper and what makes up the man. And to me what makes up Don is mostly lying, cheating, and selfishness. Sure he has some redeeming moments but I think Don works best in small doses. Oooh, look at Don lash out on others because he's no longer a free agent! Is he going to cheat again? Of course! Seriously, Don has always cheated. There's nothing surprising about that.
Last week he was absolutely horrible to Sal and it makes sense, and kudos to Weiner on not succumbing to the desire of giving a character of a certain period modern sensibilities. Don's a complete bastard and he needs to get what's coming to him...but will he?
I question this because this show seems to deal in 'reality' for the most part, and there have always been people who don't get what they deserve. I was hoping for a righteous smackdown when Betty opened the box, but she doesn't have many options. I wouldn't be surprised if she sits on it for a while, goes home and thinks about it, and then goes back to Don. Would it leave me mad? Yes, but not shocked. At this point, she could shoot him and I wouldn't mind.
These are temporary issues, perhaps the last three episodes will change some of this. I hope it does. I'm not asking for my favorites to always have good things happen for them ( I enjoy it when Pete is on the screen and not a lot of good happens, but I find him at his most hilarious when he's at a loss.); but I don't know how long I'm going to be able to watch this show if it keeps on going the way it has been.
Mad Men has never been a cheery show but coupled with the human misery, there were moments of humor and lightness. I don't know if I've just become more aware of it or if it's a side effect of having the show focus more on Don. But I already know that some men get all the breaks, and every bad behavior isn't always returned, and homosexuals were discriminated against (maybe I should make that present tense), and some women stayed with men who abused and raped them, and equal work doesn't guarantee equal pay or recognition.
But now I find myself wanting things like: five ways it didn't go for Dick Whitman, what happened to Joan's original roommate and what if they had stayed roommates, I want to see Peggy getting to the top because that is what she wants and she's working hard to get it. What if Betty did just up and leave? What if she met Dick/Don later on in life and was married to a guy like Harry Francis? Would Don be having affairs with a string of blondes after being married to a brunette?
What happens to Sally? To Bobby? (Though it may be too much Criminal Minds but I could easily see Bobby growing up to be less than stellar). Maybe Baby Gene grows up to write a book called something like The Ghost I Live In a nonfiction work detailing growing up in his troubled home. What if Pete and Trudy only stayed married in name only and Trudy went off to work in a charity and be near kids; and Pete was left in New York with a name but not enough funds? Maybe he finds a company that isn't afraid to advertise to black people and he's goes on to be a good accounts guy. IDK.
So now, I want fic. I've only read one fic in the fandom to date and that was thanks to last year's yuletide. I guess it's a good thing this hunger has come now when yuletide is around the corner.
I always feel rather silly having to state that a post made in a journal talking about how I feel about show is solely my opinion, but there it is: this is just how I feel right now at this moment. Even as I typed all this out I felt a lessening, and I still have to see the next three episodes. Who knows, maybe I'll love every one of them and post about how wonderful this show is. Anything is possible.
