Let's Talk About How I Just Started Watching Mad Men (Season 1)

First off, let's start with wow, just wow. I cannot even fathom what i missed with being so late to this show. I truly never expected to be so interested in something i ignored for so long. This drama quickly introduces you to characters, scenery, and issues that completely set the scene of this universe, one where everything you know is not what it seems, everyone has their secrets and no one is squeaky clean. The series envelops you into the minds of "mad men" as people in advertising at the time were called and the many people they meet and interact with.

you are put in the shoes of characters who are just as clueless as you about the situations going on all around them, military desertion, lies, cheating, and no one has a clue about how their worlds are being torn apart around them. As everything unfolds you learn more and more about the characters, their issues, why they hide so much. Donald Draper and his colleagues work at a firm for advertisement, this crew will do almost anything to cement in a nice pitch and get the deal. Draper is a strong lead that sees why what he does for example cheating his wife who isn't in the best of health but never quite seems to stop himself. It's honestly unbelievable sometimes what the characters are capable of while having perfect families, their heads just can't seem to wrap around the idea that women aren't items, but it was a different time and as we see with the move to try an advertise cigarettes as if they don't kill you.

Peggy

The character i felt the most for was Don's wife Betty. Her husband can be extremely protective even though he is rarely around, he still tries to control her from home life to her working, even puts her psychiatrist on a payroll. Betty has an illness that causes her to lose all feeling in her hands that no one can seem to figure out. I don't think shes naive, i just think she wants to see the best in people, which only ever seems to hurt her. Don is kind inside but due to his rough past his temper is quick and his loyalty seems to dissipate even quicker. When you even find out that he has a wife it's at a point where you are blown away considering the way he acts when shes not around and what we know about his spare time. No matter how charming he is I think he's gone too far from a place where he knew he was loved.


We are also told a saga through the perspective of a new girl named Peggy Olsen. we are shown how women are treated and put into a box. Even when she does exceed expectations it feels like these promotions are just a way to get back at some of the other colleagues and not a personal best for her and women everywhere. She is the eyes and ears of a woman in that time being in a world of men.

Betty

Overall i would definitely check it out even though i don't want to spoil too much i can't express how much i actually enjoyed the experience even if i was years too late. If you can I'd take the time to check it out however with time time frame it is in of course it won't be meant for everyone.