Mad Men’s shadow story
‘Otherness’ of Jewish-American experience underlying theme of soon-to-end series
We are about to say goodbye to the cultural phenomenon that is Mad Men, a show about the rise of meritocracy in the workplace and the decline of the WASP establishment. It’s about outsiders seeking a way in, grasping for a gauzy version of the American dream while blotting out their grimy pasts.
In other words, it’s a story about the Jewish-American experience, even though creator Matthew Weiner insists that it has never been a Jewish show. That may be true, but there are too many writerly winks and nudges, too many frissons of recognition, for the inclusion of Jews to be an afterthought. As it turns out, that was a deliberate choice on Weiner’s part. Weiner, who was raised in Los Angeles, wanted to tell a story about otherness.
“Getting to say that about Jews was fresh — to me,” he says. “And it’s a part of my life. Having grown up in a community with restricted country clubs and a lot of sophisticated anti-Semitism, I felt proud that I got to actually say that. And a little bit defiant.”
Weiner talked about how he chose to portray New York Jewish life in the 1960s. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity:
Q What were you trying to say about Jewish identity and how it changed?
A Well, there is a fluidity to it. On the one hand, I’m saying it’s inescapable, you should be who you are. I’m saying that about Don. I’m saying that about everybody. On the other hand, I’m saying Roger’s wife, Jane Siegel, is Jewish, and it’s really inconsequential. And this is the guy who clearly has biases and belongs to restricted country clubs. But I love the idea that for her, it’s not a big deal. And for Rachel (Menken, the departmentstore heiress), it’s completely defining. It’s the separateness of how you see yourself, whether it’s inside you or reminded of it every day ...
Two of the most poignant scenes in the entire series involved Michael Ginsberg. The one was when he was telling Peggy ...
He’s a Martian.
... and he was born in a concentration camp. And then the second was when his father put his hands on his son’s shoulders and prayed aloud.
He blessed him. That is a traditional Friday night blessing of, like, ‘You’re my kid.’ And it’s something you get at your bar mitzvah. The rabbi does it. It’s a priestly blessing for your kid.
Why was it so important for Michael Ginsberg, who basically went nuts, to be Jewish?
He’s a reflection of the movement to have Jews behind the scenes in the creative department. And then what kind of Jew he was, what kind of person he is, was just me trying to represent the kind of people that went into this field at that time. Most of the people who are in advertising are Ivy League people ... I mean, so much of the story is about class, too. So he is cut from a certain kind of creative genius. I wanted him to be a little bit like Don, because I think it gives you unique skills for advertising, acknowledging that you’re an outsider, and using that outsider status to look at how people function and what they want.
Of all the Jewish characters in Mad Men, who’s your favourite?
I was very, very attached to Rachel. I was very proud of having a character on TV who is Jewish, and who says they’re Jewish, and not just has a Jewish last name and comes out in, like, Season 7 or something. It was important for me that Jewish women in particular be represented in a slightly more positive light than they traditionally are. I felt that they got beat up on very easily. I wanted to make sure that there was an honest and non-disparaging representation.
Is Mad Men a Jewish show? Is the entire arc of this series a story about Jews?
No. No, it’d be great if I could say it was and take a victory lap for that. It’s not. It’s a story about the 20th century and about a certain group of people who are mostly white, what we could consider to be the population that entertainment has focused on the most, and then showing that it’s made up of all different kinds of people.