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I kinda figured by not really putting any focus on the war it was the shows way of saying people on Madison Ave. didn't really give a sht about the war. In their own little bubble.
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Originally Posted by StarlaJane
I'll admit that I wish there was a bit more of it going on in the background, but I think that, were the show to do so, it might be guilty of revisionism and placating 2014 viewers rather than staying true to the show.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerlily
Very good observation. Don might have cared because he saw firsthand the horrors of war. I thought Roger also served WWII or Korea.
Yes to all this. Don was in Korea, Roger in WWII.
In terms of Mad Men's narrative, I think we've seen an appropriate amount of the effect of Vietnam.
To keep beating the proverbial dead horse: I think the show has done an incredible job of weaving historical incidents into the storyline - most notably the JFK and the MLK assassinations.
You have to also keep in mind that 1969 was not solely about the Vietnam war. So much happened during this season's timeline that had momentous historical impact, and the show has managed to incorporate nearly all of them quite skillfully:
1). Nixon's inauguration
2). 1st man on the moon (mentioned/anticipated during last week's episode - )
3). Woodstock (I think it will be part of the story line, given Margaret's move to a commune "upstate" and Roger's dabbling in free love and drugs).
4). Tate/Manson murders - already much discussed as an almost unavoidable plot line given the number of characters in California this season.
Vietnam is no exception. What differentiates its treatment is that it was an ongoing event. As others have pointed out, there have been many episodes where the war and its effect have been addressed. Several have been mentioned, but I want to add one more: Episode 1 of Season 6, where Don meets a young soldier in a bar in Hawaii. He's on leave just long enough to get married, and then shipping out for the jungle. Don ends up standing up for him at his wedding.
I also agree with others who stated that Madison Ave was interested in the war only in how it affected consumer behavior. (Hawks = bad, Doves = good).
Last edited by Brookside; 05-09-2014 at 12:04 PM..
Now that I have thought about it more, I will add that having a war as a background event, rather than the main event, in a movie (or t.v. show) is very common--just look at Casablanca. I mean, how many people complained that WWII should have featured more in the love story between Rick and Ilsa?!
The comparison sort of begs the question as to why we are noticing the Vietnam war's absence--perhaps the storyline isn't as compelling / absorbing as it should be, which is why we are noticing the absence of (and missing the drama of) the war.
Last edited by StarlaJane; 05-09-2014 at 12:19 PM..
The comparison sort of begs the question as to why we are noticing the war's absence--perhaps the storyline isn't as compelling / absorbing as it should be, which is why we are noticing the absence of (and missing the drama of) the war.
If you watched Mad Men because you enjoyed handsome Don Draper stalking around like a dangerous animal in Seasons 1-5, then yeah, this season is probably not as much fun. The old Don disintegrated and died at the end of season 6 (admittedly, hard to watch). What we are seeing now is his rebirth - also not as fun, since he seems very vulnerable and far from the triumphant (though despicable) alpha male he used to be.
It's a matter of taste and preference. "Mad Men" is a very esoteric show, with a great deal of heavy symbolism and imagery. I find it very compelling and absorbing and challenging in all of the right ways. But I also understand that for some, it can be a lot of work to enjoy it.
I started watching because the show was set in New York city in the early 60s, my favorite American time period. As time passed I started enjoying the character development and story lines
If you watched Mad Men because you enjoyed handsome Don Draper stalking around like a dangerous animal in Seasons 1-5, then yeah, this season is probably not as much fun. The old Don disintegrated and died at the end of season 6 (admittedly, hard to watch). What we are seeing now is his rebirth - also not as fun, since he seems very vulnerable and far from the triumphant (though despicable) alpha male he used to be.
It's a matter of taste and preference. "Mad Men" is a very esoteric show, with a great deal of heavy symbolism and imagery. I find it very compelling and absorbing and challenging in all of the right ways. But I also understand that for some, it can be a lot of work to enjoy it.
LOL, "stalking around like a dangerous animal." You should trademark that description, it is so perfect!
I am actually enjoying the season very much; I was just trying to delve into why viewers might want to see more of the Vietnam War.
That said, perhaps it is hard for many of us to feel empathy for and interest in the storyline of a rags-to-riches anti-hero who is rebuilding his career when we know that, within the same time frame, men far younger (and poorer) are dying overseas by the metric ton, and we want to see that represented as much as the narcissistic goings-on at a Madison Ave. advertising agency.
I sort of feel like some of us (I include myself) are airing our consciences [by commenting on the Vietnam War as mere background to the seventh season] and making sure that we don't forget that Vietnam was going on when we watch events unfolding in this last leg of Don Draper's life.
The Vietnam War has been woven into the background of much of the series, and at times has been a main feature of the episode. Was it this season that Ginsberg remarked to one of the older execs about how "they're bringing them home in body bags"… not sure what the reply was, but it reminded me that it was still that era.
I was a kid in the suburbs at the time, but I'm wondering if in Manhattan there would be more of a military "presence" -- seeing soldiers/sailors on leave walking down the street, having business in the office building -- just seeing them in uniform somewhere.
Or perhaps Don's middle kid, the boy, showing an interest and asking questions about the war -- it was always on TV. The front page of the newspaper had a daily update -- those capture, killed, or wounded. He'd be the right age to dig out some of Don's old army things and "play war". Teenagers of that time frequently wore fatigue jackets to school.
The Vietnam War has been woven into the background of much of the series, and at times has been a main feature of the episode. Was it this season that Ginsberg remarked to one of the older execs about how "they're bringing them home in body bags"… not sure what the reply was, but it reminded me that it was still that era.
I was a kid in the suburbs at the time, but I'm wondering if in Manhattan there would be more of a military "presence" -- seeing soldiers/sailors on leave walking down the street, having business in the office building -- just seeing them in uniform somewhere.
Or perhaps Don's middle kid, the boy, showing an interest and asking questions about the war -- it was always on TV. The front page of the newspaper had a daily update -- those capture, killed, or wounded. He'd be the right age to dig out some of Don's old army things and "play war". Teenagers of that time frequently wore fatigue jackets to school.
To answer your question, no, not really. Also if you were home on leave, you would deliberately not go about wearing your uniform. Someone might spit on you, call you names, even attack you.
. Teenagers of that time frequently wore fatigue jackets to school.
That had more to do with the Salvation Army than the US Army. You wore thrift store clothing to show solidarity with the oppressed poor and to show your contempt for capitalistic enslavement to fashion..and world peace would follow.
I guess having the IBM 360 in there gives the audience a kind of perspective on how computers have changed over the last 50 years, the 360 occupied a whole room in an office yet it only had the fraction of speed and memory that today's little tablets have. But that's the only reason, because what use does an ad agency have with a computer?
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