tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post6581626048349576900..comments2024-02-22T15:57:45.391-07:00Comments on Lost In British TV: Why "Mad Men" is Ultimately DisappointingAmyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05257485838861137689noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-77315309523198505212012-08-23T17:56:48.010-07:002012-08-23T17:56:48.010-07:00Wow, you have an incredible perspective here. I ap...Wow, you have an incredible perspective here. I appreciate your sharing it. If you write elsewhere about this or other topics, let me know; I'd love to check out your blog.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05257485838861137689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-36031493493840666122012-08-13T10:55:05.589-07:002012-08-13T10:55:05.589-07:00The open secret about MM is that the culture of th...The open secret about <i>MM</i> is that the culture of that era has to be changed to register as drama and identify with the viewers of this era. <br /><br />Not only has femininity changed, so has masculinity. Those hard drinking womanizers had to have the outer trappings of gentlemen to get anywhere back then, and those trappings don't say gentlemanly to us today. They say <i>un</i>manly, posing, who-are-we-kiding. <br /><br />Similarly, women today wouldn't buy the dropping of the ladylike facade to indulge in illicit sex. What was ladylike then is fake now, and what was illicit then, well - it just isn't. <br /><br />Finally. The one thing you can't get away with in a drama about the past is to <i>explain the past.</i> You can show it faithfully, which results in wooden, mannered drama, or you can pander to today, which at least adds relevance and dimension. There's really no going back.Paulnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-64492629676396239292012-03-29T14:10:01.077-07:002012-03-29T14:10:01.077-07:00I appreciate your comment! And I do agree with you...I appreciate your comment! And I do agree with you that the early 60s were definitely a sexist era. I don't disagree that there were rigid gender roles that trapped both men and women and that those roles were institutionalized in a way that is hard to imagine by today's standards. My complaint about the show (especially season one) is that it depicts a reality that just didn't exist, couldn't have existed -- one that combines the sexism of the time with a level of boorishness that is too rude and unprofessional in such a high-power industry, combined (yet still) with impossibly oversexed secretaries (prior to the sexual revolution of the late 60s/early 70s). It is disappointing to me, given that the show is so incredibly spot on with so many period details, that the gender roles are so overdone. <br /><br />Since writing this post, I've now watched the show through most of Season 4 and I do think that it settles into a more appropriate level of boorishness and sexism. Still high, but more believable . . . <br /><br />I might have to write more posts on Mad Men because I find that I have a love/hate relationship with the show developing!<br /><br />Anyway, thank you for reading the blog and for adding your two-cents!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05257485838861137689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-83837428483450592712012-03-27T21:17:16.718-07:002012-03-27T21:17:16.718-07:00Not sure how old you are, but it really was like t...Not sure how old you are, but it really was like that back then, rigid gender roles, & serious consequences if you stepped out of them. Women didn't want to have to act that way, but they were expected to, to keep their jobs. I think it was even more pronounced in the ad agency business where they created the stereotypes for a living. I still see women nearly manic about clean floors in ads today, as then, or God help us "ring around the collar". I recall that in the early '60s, the Help Wanted ads in the newspapers were divided between male & female, really.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-65780976613604071602012-03-26T12:12:41.284-07:002012-03-26T12:12:41.284-07:00Thank you so much for mentioning that! You know I ...Thank you so much for mentioning that! You know I am always looking for good shows. Unfortunately I don't see The Hour on Netflix or at my library - so I'm going to have to work a bit harder (or spend a bit of money) to get it. haha. Anyway, it sounds perfect.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05257485838861137689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7319951361865255810.post-50616465064065564442012-03-25T10:51:38.754-07:002012-03-25T10:51:38.754-07:00Have you seen The Hour, a BBC drama set in 1956? I...Have you seen The Hour, a BBC drama set in 1956? I'm sure you'll love it if you like Mad Men! :) It's absolutely brilliant!EBnoreply@blogger.com