"Who is in there?" When Betty Draper poses this question to her sleeping husband she is echoing the thoughts of every person watching the first season of AMC's Mad Men. ...Just who is Donald Draper?
By episode six, 'Babylon', we are really no closer to the truth. We know by that point that Don's real name is Richard 'Dick' Whitman, that he has a brother he no longer wants anything to do with, and that his life is basically one great big lie, mainly to himself.
The show revolves around the goings-on at advertising agency Sterling-Cooper and explores the ups and downs of the business its employees work in, from the passive racism and sexism of the time to the male chauvinist behaviour of the 60s. The setting and the attention to detail with which the show is produced is a marvel, we truly feel as though we are living in the 60s at a time when, as the synopsis states on the back of the DVD, smokers are enjoying the last 'guilt-free years of the cigarette'.
Mad Men has taken America by storm, but in the UK it is fairly unknown. But why? It deserves its acclimation, after all, few television shows come close to the kind of razor sharp dialogue Mad Men boasts. And the acting is superb, always. It's midnight time slot on BBC2 is not going to attract many viewers in the UK, despite providing better storylines than probably every other British-made programme. Perhaps it is because Mad Men is so utterly nostalgic for American viewers that it doesn't translate well in the United Kingdom? Whatever the reason, I picked up the first season DVD and was stunned by the hours of viewing that followed.
As I said earlier, the prime mystery of the series is its leading man, Don Draper, played by the brooding Jon Hamm and the enigmatic nature of that character. When we first meet Don in episode one - 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' - he is struggling to come up with a way to combat recent reports that cigarettes cause cancer. Lucky Stripe Cigarettes are one of Sterling-Cooper's biggest accounts, and it is their job to ensure that sales don't suffer.
Though the situation looks dire, Don somehow manages to save the day.
Draper is presented as a dashing, handsome businessman with a near perfect life. He has his own office, he is well respected by his peers, and his bosses see great things ahead for him - a little later in the series a fellow advertising agency remarks that if you take your business to Sterling-Cooper you do so because you know "you're getting Don Draper".
But is Don happy? The answer lies in the scenes his peers don't see. Draper's multiple mistresses, his growing boredom with home-life, the hours spent alone staring into space smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey. Don isn't happy at all. But it is not just recklessness that haunts this man; there is something behind his eyes which suggests a deeper tragedy. And by the end of the series, we discover just what that tragedy is.
Don's long suffering wife Betty (the stunning January Jones) is far from happy, too. At one time an aspiring model, she now leads a monotonously tedious life, at least in her eyes, and struggles to settle into it. Her days are long, house-bound and uneventful. Looking after her and Don's two children, Sally and Bobby, fulfils her only fleetingly and she pines for something more; at one point Betty fantasises that a repairman visits the house to fix the washing machine and the two end up making love over it. Don is just never home, he's too busy entertaining affairs with his many mistresses and Betty is left alone and desperate.
This rejection by Don could be what leads to one of TV's creepiest relationships as Betty forms a bond with a local ten year old boy named Glenn who quickly becomes obsessed with her. Glenn seems to be some kind of voyeur in the making, as Betty catches him spying on her as she uses the toilet. He later apologises, crying, but creepily asks Betty for a lock of her hair, which she gives him. Glenn and Betty's relationship is curious and edgy. Glenn is only a small boy but there is such a strangeness about him that I can think only terrible things will come of this friendship. And, of course, what the heck is Betty doing encouraging Glenn's bizarre actions? Perhaps this is a sign of how strongly Betty feels alone in the world.
As the series moves forward, it becomes more and more obvious that not one single character in Mad Men leads a fulfilling existence. Don's carefree boss and senior partner at Sterling-Cooper, Roger Sterling (John Slattery), presents himself as a sharp-tongued businessman without a single worry in the world, but this façade hides a lonely ageing man still clinging to youth by entertaining a desperate affair with his secretary Joan Holloway (the criminally curvaceous Christina Hendricks).
Despite this, Roger is still one of the funniest characters on the show. His quips are as smooth as they are fast, one of his best lines being that if he and his secret lover leave alone their expensive room service buffet of lobster Napoleon and beef Wellington then 'it might try and conquer Europe'. For some time Roger fools the audience into thinking he really is as strong and free of restraints as his demeanour suggests, but it isn't until he suffers a near-fatal heart attack in 'Long Weekend' that Roger's frailty becomes apparent. Don's comment that Roger's skin looked like 'paper' in the hospital drives home the reality of Roger's vulnerability.
This event leads to one of the season's most touching scenes. Joan Holloway, the secretary Roger has been having an affair with, and whose usual indifferent and catty personality renders her sometimes hard to root for, is urgently called into the office in the middle of the night to type out reports of Roger's heart attack for Sterling-Cooper clients. Burt Cooper, Sterling-Coopers second senior partner, narrates the letters as Joan, hearing all this for the first time, sheds a tear for her secret lover. This scene also portrays the cut-throat business of advertising. Upon hearing the news of Sterling's heart attack, other agencies could swoop in and steal accounts from Sterling-Cooper in their time of weakness, hence Burt's quick thinking to reassure clients that everything is still running smoothly.
Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) is another character who leads a frustrating life. He wants to succeed, and although he already has a high profile position at Sterling-Cooper he believes he deserves something better. His job requires him to entertain both potential and current clients, grooming them and softening them up for an advertising pitch to be held at a later date. His father, a rich and successful businessman, can't understand what exactly it is that his son does and expresses his displeasure whenever they meet, and although Pete resents his father's opinion, he does yearn for more. Pete's social life is as messy as his business one. He is engaged to a girl named Trudy Vogel (Alison Brie) whose social background is of comparable socioeconomic status, but with whom Pete is far from happy.
Vincent Kartheiser plays Pete like an onion. The first few times we see the suave young businessman he comes across as smug, arrogant and unlikeable. I immediately pegged him as the series' antagonist, but was completely taken by surprise as the layers unfolded to reveal someone I came to root for, even if at times Pete's decision making left room for improvement. It could be argued though, that it is these character faults which make Campbell endearing. With the exception of Don, I am most excited to see how Pete's story unfolds.
When Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) joins Sterling-Cooper as Don's new secretary, Pete quickly makes his feelings known. It seems that to take the 'new girl' to bed is just the kind of behaviour the boys at the office revel in, but for Pete, Peggy represents so much more, even if it takes him a long time to come to terms with his feelings.
Elizabeth Moss as Peggy is brilliant. At first a naive deer caught in the headlights of the business world, her story unfolds in a surprising and uplifting way, even if one huge hiccup does threaten to hinder her rise to the top. Still, despite whatever difficulties life throws at Peggy it seems nothing will slow this girl down. I do fear though that the darker side of the advertising industry could taint bright eyed Peggy and lead her down the same, sad path many of the other characters have taken.
I will say, the pitches that the cast present to would-be clients are absolute genius. One of my highlights from the first season has to be the presentation Don handles for Kodak's new Carousel product in 'The Wheel'. Coming at a time when we know Draper is close to calling it quits (just finding out that his brother has committed suicide, Don has never been so close to having a total meltdown), the presentation is hugely affecting, somehow floating effortlessly despite the emotional weight.
The first season of Mad Men is an accomplished, superbly written series boasting a cast of complex characters who by the final episode's conclusion are thoroughly fleshed out. The writing and acting will make you ponder as to the true nature and motives of these characters and the series does a fine job of making the viewer want to continue the story of Sterling-Cooper into season two.
10/10
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