Mad Men revolves around the daily life of Don Draper, an elite in the advertising industry on Madison Avenue in New York. The plot is well-grounded and the characters are detailed, especially the complex and real characters of the characters described in the play are amazing.
However, I want to focus on Betty Draper. It is said that January Jones was interviewed for the role of Peggy and was not accepted. The role of Betty came later and the writers promised to portray Betty. Betty is a typical sheep, living under Don's aura, raising two children in a large house in the suburbs of Manhattan. But like everyone else in the show, her character is contradictory. How confident he looks on the surface, how insecure he is (Don); how many sheep appear on the surface, but how rebellious he is in his bones. She is attached to her mother but angry with her, always gentle and considerate of her husband, of course. But she has been living according to the expectations of others. When she first had symptoms like shaking hands, Don said to the psychiatrist, he said those are for unhappy people, are you happy, Betty? Betty hesitated and said immediately, ofcourse I'm happy. Look at all this- house, material life, children, seemingly stable home. However, this is other people's definition of happiness! Betty sympathizes with the single mother's neighbor, while beware of her seducing her husband; perhaps only by comparing with unfortunate women, can she feel that she should be content.
But something doesn't seem right. The little boy in the neighborhood worshipped her, knowing that it was inappropriate, but still agreed to give him a lock of hair. This is actually a reflection of his inner desire to be noticed, admired and loved, and Don seldom gave her these real emotions. Don's expectation of her was to tell her that she had a job as a mother to his two children when she finally failed to interview for a model. Of course, Don's very sounding, he said I don't care if you help me cook and do laundry, but you have a job and you are the mother of our two children... Ha! Any woman will be moved by such words, but unfortunately any man who says such words is selfish.
The series takes place in the 1960s, but none of it is ridiculous today. Today's women can pursue career advancement more openly, but still miss out on opportunities to have and raise children. Today's office is not so sensual, but all kinds of exchange of interests are still happening every day. Men still dream of a gentle and considerate wife who stays at home, and women still fantasize about men who think they are who they are and love themselves. But how many people can really understand what Betty wants? Even the fantasy of having sex with a salesperson who comes to sell air conditioners is just a filling in the heart -- something any woman would want -- and maybe it doesn't exist.
Why does she continue to endure the smell of perfume on other women? Because there is not enough courage to face the facts, because the role given to her by society is gentle and kind. The scene at the end of episode 9 where she raises her gun and shoots the pigeons is amazing. That kind of rebelliousness and disdain ripped her sheep's coat to shreds. Was she the one who raised the gun or was she the one who said ofcourse kindly?
At the end of the first season, the carousel of the Kodak projector is about an eternal longing, the longing of human beings to be loved and belonged. Behind all the chaotic and restless lonely souls in this world are whispering their destination, and this destination is so difficult, it is useless to find a few mistresses, because the divided soul is still looking for that single existence. Let's end with Don's classic pitch:
Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that inGreek, "nostalgia" literally means "the pain from an old wound."It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards... it takes us to a place where we ache togo again. It's not called the wheel, it's called the carousel. Itlet's us travel the way a child travels - around and around, and back home again, to a place where we know are loved.
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