Mad Men connects generations
At some point, your favorite streaming channel will run out of new shows. If you bingewatch, this will happen sooner rather than later. Then the question becomes: what shows do you rewatch?
We all have our lists of best series. For me, it was Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, Ozark, Hell on Wheels, Deadwood, and Boardwalk Empire, to name a few. Movies are different as they tend to stand on their own. They require no more than a two- or three-hour commitment. I can watch The Quick and the Dead
a hundred times and still enjoy it. Knowing the ending does not prevent me from becoming immersed in the action again and again. The same goes for Slingblade, Tombstone, Star Trek
(2009 reboot), or Guardians of the Galaxy.
But a series that stretches over 10 to 15 episodes each season requires a much longer investment of time and emotion. Breaking Bad and Mad Men are two of the best series ever produced, in my opinion. I have no real desire to watch Breaking Bad again, whereas I am currently watching Mad Men for the second time. I know others who are on their third trip back to the ’60s, and I could do so as well.
Both are excellent series, so why do I want to rewatch one and not the other? I believe it comes down to character development versus plot development. Breaking Bad was an adrenaline rush. Each show presented the chance of killing and losing a character. Violence was rampant as drug cartels forced a humble teacher to produce high-quality meth. I felt emotionally drained after watching each episode. After five seasons of highs and lows and a really satisfying series finale, I don’t think I could watch it again with the same enthusiasm. The suspense won’t be there the second time around.
Mad Men is different. The experiences of the characters are secondary to how they develop over several years. Some episodes may, to the casual viewer, plod along slowly. But you become enamored with the characters. You may like or hate them, but you care about them.
Knowing how it all plays out in the series finale does not lessen the enjoyment of watching it again. One could say that it is better on subsequent viewings. You catch the subtleties of dialog and background that you had no idea were important the first time through. Characters once hated are viewed in a more sympathetic light, knowing their fates to come. Attitudes towards their flaws may change as more is learned about their past and futures.
Mad Men connects to different generations, though the emotions that arise may differ. I was a child in the 60s. I remember the IBM typewriters, beanbag ashtrays, and horrid kitchen color schemes so characteristic of the decade. The younger ones probably laugh at the out-dated architecture and dress styles. For those my age, it elicits nostalgia and a yearning for the “good old days.” Which, for those not white and middle class, were perhaps not so good.
But that is the essence of a great series, movie, book or any form of art; to stir the emotions. When the same series can do that repeatedly and causes one to question their perspective, it rises above pure entertainment to the point of iconicity.