Mad Men “Babylon”

Tuesdays are normally theater days, but this week my work schedule was changed so to compensate I’ve switched my trip to the theater to Thursday moving Mad Men up to today.  Enjoy!

Mad Men likes to delve into the duality of the human psyche, every character and most of the 

episodes that I’ve seen thus far explore the themes of superficial identity versus true identity.  This week is no different and it holds many surprises about the characters.  Roger Sterling gets more attention this episode along with Joan, which is refreshing to get into the lives of other characters. 

I’m going to go ahead and jump into SPOILERS.

The scene that depicted the conflict between this duality of identity was the brainstorming scene.  Basically, a group of secretaries are brought into a room to try on lipstick and fill out a survey to help create an advertising campaign.  Unbeknownst to them, on the other side of a one way mirror, they are being watched by the men to judge their reactions.  This scene depicts, with success, the contrast between our public personas and our private personas.  While the women are putting make-up on, the guys judge the girls, circling some crossing out others.  Very similar to the how we might think while we meet people at a party.  We instantly form perceptions of the people around us.  So, in essence, one way mirror is like an eye and the men are the thoughts happening in the head as they assess the people they see. 

I believe there is also a connection between superficial beauty and intellectual beauty in this episode.  This also involves lipstick as a symbol, but in the brainstorming session none of the men are very impressed with the women more than in a superficial way.  After the brainstorm, as she helps clean up, Peggy stumbles upon an intriguing marketing strategy.  As she is explaining her thoughts she is seen in a different light.  Her attractiveness has passed beyond just a superficial lust.  Similarly, Don seems disinterested with his wife, who loves to gossip and judge other house wives, and his fling, who takes him unwillingly to an artsy bar where they don’t even have a place for his coat.  Don, who is longing for more than a superficial connection, makes an excuse to call Rachel, a successful business woman who owns and runs a clothing store, about an Ad campaign that’s giving him problems.  The women who are driven and business savvy are depicted as holding more than a superficial value, they are sexy independent thinkers.  This conflict also pushes against the sexism of the time, which is a theme of the show.

I really like where this show is going, character studies of this caliber are rare in television today and I’m enjoying the change of pace.  This show challenges me to think deeper than explosions which I can always respect.