Mad Men Sucker Punch
The other day, I posted a blog largely in praise of the television show Mad Men. Then last night, I had an opportunity to watch the second episode of the current season. It contained what John Nolte of Big Hollywood calls a "sucker punch," which is where the lefty screenwriter simply can't help but unleash an unnecessary, self-righteous and out-of-context insult against conservative viewers. In this case, some of the old 1960's ad men on the show are sitting around griping. One says that Medicare is the beginning of socialism, and the other--get this--says, yeah, and civil rights, that's really bad! Translation: These old poops are just like the racists who oppose Obamacare today.
As this had nothing whatsoever to do with the story--and as Medicare is a socialist mess about five years away from insolvency--and as civil rights legislation was supported by a greater percentage of Republicans then Democrats--I would like to take this opportunity to send a response to the creators of Mad Men. But I can't, because only one message is appropriate and this is a family-friendly site.
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May '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
I liked Mad Men at first and watched a few episodes of season 1. But the underlying condescension toward conservatism really poisoned any enjoyment in watching. And I just find myself annoyed with most of the characters. I miss The Wire. Those characters had major flaws, but there was an honesty about them that made them interesting. In Mad Men, the characters seem very one-dimensional and under-developed.
Jun '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
It also doesn't ring true. To be hip in the '60s was to be pro-civil-rights. Nowhere, especially in the advertising world, was anybody considered hip or sophisticated, in any sense, if they were cheering on Bull Connor and his police dogs. Even though Hugh Hefner wasn't a political figure, he was notoriously pro-civil-rights. Civil rights was considered the twin brother of sexual liberation and all other kinds of liberation. They have their history a little twisted.
Jun '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
The lefty writers just can't help themselves. I used to watch Law and Order regularly, The gratuitous political jabs at either Bush or conservatives, having nothing to do with the story line, made me tune out. Watch Army Wives, Cold Case, or Flashpoint. Each and every one is excellent human drama, often times with gut wrenching conclusions.
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
Hmmm. Maybe. I don't know, Drew. I'll have to go back and watch the tapes to see if the Medicare guy nods approvingly when the Civil Rights guy airs his complaint. To be honest, I haven't picked up on a lot of leftiness on the show. Maybe I'm just not willing to politicize one of my few weekly moments of simple entertainment. Maybe I'm too focused in on the acting. I'm guessing the writers aren't on the right because Studies Show that's likely to be the winning bet. But I can't muster any proof. Are there examples out there of Flagrant Liberal Bias that have been slipping past my weakened Sunday night defenses and silently burrowing into my brain? Shudder!
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
Thanks, Drew, for this -- I missed that part of the show last week. Fell asleep at about minute 11 or 12, as I do now consistently when watching Mad Men, which has managed to become slow as molasses. Translation: they're reading the reams of idiotic pomposities written about them and believing all of it.
C'mon. It's a soap opera with hats and smokes, which isn't a bad thing, but now it's a boring soap opera with hats and smokes, and that is a bad thing. This past Sunday, I fell asleep (again) at about minute 11, woke up at about minute 54 and asked "Did I miss anything?"
Not a thing.
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
Drew is right. It was a sucker punch. If you really want to lose yourself in television with simple entertainment, watch Tosh.0. There has never been anything like it on TV. It's either the end of TV, or a new beginning. I can't tell which.
Aug '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
It's an observable phenomenon: By the third year of any drama series, the writers (no matter how brilliant) seem to either inject their politics into the series, or they just go all out weird. Consider: "Lost" (got weird), "Law & Order" (got political), any series by David Kelley ( gets weird and political), any series by Aaron Sorkin (uber-political), "Grey's Anatomy" (got just plain goofy). And then there was MASH.... Maybe Rob Long can speak to this at some point. It's gotta be difficult to keep a series interesting past the third year.
May '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
You sound like one of those militant radicals who will wait and wait for an opportunity to say "What did you mean by that?!" For your complaint to have teeth, Mad Men has to be showing something that isn't true -- didn't some people sit around in 1964 complaining about Medicare and civil rights? Or is Mad Men just rude to remind us of it?
Mad Men strikes me as a show that isn't particularly political, one that is willing to show the downside of the "cultural decline" of the time at least as much as the downside of the mom-at-home, dad-with-hat-and-pipe order. It may take more than viewing two episodes, or more than the first eleven minutes of each episode, to get onto it. To speak of it as part of the vast Hollywoodland conspiracy against God and country is a bit silly.
May '10
Re: Mad Men Sucker Punch
Hey now, I had that formatting turned off after "that?!"
Blasted machines.