Mary C. Curtis

Contributor

'Mad Men': Real, but not Always Authentic

Posted:

09/16/09

Filed Under:Woman Up, Culture

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Like Donna, I appreciate it when "Mad Men" stays harshly true to its time -- even when it showcases the narrow-mindedness of my favorite character, Roger Sterling, seen in literal and figurative blackface.

Yet Sunday's episode also dipped into self-indulgence that – for the first time – had me checking the clock. That mostly happened during Betty Draper's anesthesia-induced fantasies and hubby Don's forced camaraderie with an expectant dad far below him in class and job category.

Those scenes made their points, from the condescending treatment of pregnant moms by medical staff and family alike to fathers held at a distance from birth. But you could see the gears in a usually artful and nuanced TV drama. And the show really needs to slow down Betty's disintegration. She's one step away from the snake pit.

In an earlier post, I admonished the writers to take note of the civil rights revolution outside the doors of Sterling Cooper; and boy are they, in ways smart and clueless. In Pete Campbell's attempt to market to "Negroes," followed by his bosses' and clients' horror at the thought, the "Mad Men" writers hit a still-raw nerve. A recent column in Ad Week, "Apartheid Alive and Well on Madison Avenue," made the same point.

The black consumer market "is currently worth almost $1 trillion to Madison Avenue's corporate clients, according to Target Market News," says the column. "Yet, Madison Avenue continues to denigrate the importance of African Americans and their consumer dollars. Madison Avenue agencies are still 'afraid of the dark.'" That last phrase is borrowed from the singer Nat King Cole, whose successful show was canceled in 1957 when national advertisers failed to sign on.

Kudos for getting it right.

But then we come to the show's black characters, given a voice, though not necessarily an authentic one. In the "Mad Men" universe, even the minor players – from Peggy's sister to Pete's wife – are drawn with laser-sharp skill, their thoughts conveyed with a look or even a line. (Sterling's lone utterance in the Ann-Margret episode, for instance, stole the hour. On why a commercial imitating Ann-Margret in "Bye Bye Birdie" doesn't work: "It's not Ann-Margret.")

The writers lose their sure footing when dealing with the ghost of Medgar Evers or Hollis, the elevator man. (Poor maid Carla has left the building, and we know as little about her as we ever did.) In a tense elevator exchange this week, Pete treats Hollis as a one-man representative of the entire race, and so do the writers, who have him mouth bland pieties about more important things to worry about than television sets. Knowing the way things were – and sometimes still are – odds are Hollis has more brains, ambition and education than a lot of his passengers and is waiting for the world to change so he can get his shot. His seething character has a lot of potential.

And you know some black woman with a college degree has just aced the typing test and wants in at Sterling Cooper, a societal step reflected in the 1967 film version of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." (Remember the integrated ensemble number, "A Secretary Is not a Toy"?) Considering that Robert Morse, the impish star of "How to Succeed," has found a home as "Mad Men's" Bertram Cooper, what a nice in-joke that would be.

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Mary C. Curtis

Mary C. Curtis, an NPR contributor based in Charlotte, N.C., was previously a writer and editor for The New York Times and the Charlotte Observer... more

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garry402

4:35PM Sep 16th 2009

Oh you girls just can't help it. I guess you can't think of anything to say so you just throw some "Mad Men" crap under Political News.

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Ken

8:33PM Sep 16th 2009

I'm not sure I agree with this characterization of Hollis. We don't know who he is yet (and may never know), but the reason the thoughts of the other characters can be conveyed with just a look is because we know them so well. All the characters were enigmas upon our first meeting with them. I thought it was interesting that Hollis showed a flash of anger but then backed off, maybe sensing that he had gone too far. It was a little painful to watch. As for Medgar Evers, that was Betty's hallucination, not Medgar's ghost. Maybe his blankness reflected Betty's own blankness about what this person was all about and what he should mean to her.

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Walt

11:27PM Sep 16th 2009

Mary,
I still believe you to be an extremely talented journalist. But I personally believe that you are wasting your talents on this.

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prouddem

7:59AM Sep 17th 2009

Lighten up Mary. It's important to have diversions and fun to share thoughts about them. Frankly, I need a break from all health care reform all the time.

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