The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

A few years ago, while living in Vienna, we happened across the AMC television program Mad Men. Happening across a television program is a pretty exciting thing when you live overseas and do not own a television (we watch on a laptop); it was a pretty exciting discovery for us. We didn't make the discovery until the second season was completed, so we watched a few hours of Mad Men each evening for several weeks during the summer of 2008. I think we were the only people in Vienna familiar with the show. In fact, Gretchen and I were recently talking about how it's a little surreal to be back in the U.S. where the show is commonplace and part of everyday coversation and pop culture.

Last Sunday night marked the premier of the show's fourth season and, like many other people, we had eagerly anticipated this moment. Of course, we don't own a television, so we had to wait until Monday to watch it when it was readily available online. Mad Men is a great show because its locus is good, consistent writing. For someone such as myself--a writer--it's nice to see television where the writing matters. Outside of HBO and AMC, I don't know that there is a network that truly appreciates the creative process, especially the importance of good writing.

As I watched the season 4 premier of Mad Men, I began to think about The Godfathermovies. For any person interested in the creative process of movie-making, the commentary by Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather DVDs is a tome of incredibly good information. I've watched all three movies with Coppola's commentary playing and really enjoyed it. An interesting point Coppola makes is that the first two Godfather movies hold the same, basic main plot. Michael Corleone outsmarts his enemies to solidify his power and grow his own criminal empire. The third Godfather film, Coppola notes, does not have this plot. The main plot of The Godfather III is an aging Don who can't seem to even run his own family. In the first two films he is always one step ahead of his enemies, but in the third film he is always stumbling behind. He's isolated and his abilities are questioned by people within his organization. Incidentally, The Godfather III is not a well-regarded film, while The Godfather and The Godfather II are considered two of the finest films in the history of American cinema. I think the main reason for this discrepancy is the title The Godfather III. The title indicates that the main plot line would be the same as the first two films. Francis Ford Coppola wanted to title the film The Death of Michael Corleone, but the movie studio demanded that it be titled The Godfather III. That's unfortunate because had the film been title The Death of Michael Corleone, I think it would have provided the appropriate context through which we would view and interpret the film.

The first three seasons of Mad Men, in many ways, follows a similiar plot line as the first two Godfather films. Don Draper outsmarts his opponents in the advertising business to grow his own position and increase his importance and wealth. He his the epitome of the Ayn Rand hero--he even reads Atlas Shrugged. He's strong. He controls situations; situations never control him. If his boss doesn't like it, then his boss can fire him. In other words, Don Draper is the real boss. The only boss of Don Draper is Don Draper. But, Mad Men seems to indicate that all of this is a facade waiting to crumble (something Ayn Rand would never consider in one of her heroes). As season four begins, the facade of Don Draper's marriage has fallen and his cool, certain sense of self is no longer blindly appreciated by his co-workers. They seem to consider it a liability. The 1960s are bringing changing norms and expectations regarding women in the workplace and changes to the man-woman dynamic as a whole. This is not the world in which Don Draper rose to prominence.

Perhaps season four of Mad Men will be the story of a man who can no longer control situations as he once did? I'm excited to see where this season will take the characters of Mad Men.