• Home
  • About
  • Around
  • Contributors
  • Applause

Daily Plate of Crazy

  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Love
    • Marriage
    • Divorce
    • Life After Divorce
  • Parenting
    • Advice
    • Babies and Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • College Kids
    • Single Moms
    • Older Moms
    • Dads
    • Family Dynamics
    • Money Matters
    • Work-Life
  • Health
  • Sex
  • Women’s Issues
  • Fashion & Style
    • Chaussures
    • Fashion
    • Style
    • Lingerie
    • Interiors
  • Culture
  • More
    • Art Art Art
    • Business
    • En Français
    • Entertainment
      • Mad Men
      • Mad Men Reviews
      • Real Housewives
      • Movies
      • Celebrities
      • Work of Art Reviews
    • Flash
    • Food & Recipes
    • Lifestyle
    • Morning Musing
    • Starting Over
    • Technology
    • Travel
    • Women and Money
You are here: Home / Entertainment / Why We Love Our Television Heroes: Mad Men Episode 6

Why We Love Our Television Heroes: Mad Men Episode 6

August 30, 2010 by D. A. Wolf 5 Comments

Bigger than life. Flashy. Flawed. Cagey, corrupt, capricious.

We love our television heroes, and our anti-heroes. Big screen or small screen, we escape into fictional lives, finding points in common, or nothing in common at all.

Mad Men is the perfect example of this phenomenon, as the Emmy award winning drama – again, just last evening – continues to delight us with complex characters and sticky plot lines.

Feminist leanings, or simple ambition?

What’s not to love about Peggy Olson brazenly stripping to prove a point to a sexist art director? He insists on insulting her. He’s lazy. He’s rude. He sprawls on a bed in a hotel room where they’re supposed to be brainstorming, and he’s flipping through Playboy claiming that it relaxes him and that she is ashamed of her body.

In something bordering on a dare, she strips in front of him and continues to work, calmly seated behind a desk. He takes his clothes off, can’t hide his attraction (in humorous moments we adore as she remarks on his perky response to her nakedness), and ultimately, Peggy makes her point. Sexist Stan puts his clothes back on, and presumably they’ll get on with their tasks. At the very least, the aforementioned ass will know who he’s dealing with.

Don, falling into alcoholism

Don is our hero – classically handsome, the underdog in many ways, but so flawed that we cannot romanticize his behavior any longer. His hard drinking has been on the rise, and in this episode it’s clear he’s having blackouts. He’s now confusing who he’s bedding (and wakes to a woman he has no memory of), he’s losing days, and he is growing so impaired that in a client meeting he steals an idea in a drunken haze, without realizing he’s done so.

Low – even for Don – who has previously maintained professional integrity, despite adopting a marred personal code of conduct.

Joan, Roger, the past

We have an ironic glimpse into Don and Roger’s meeting years before – Don is a very effective salesman in a luxury fur boutique, as Roger is picking out a mink stole for Joan, then his mistress.

Don’s youthful ambition and persistence ultimately lands him a job with Sterling Cooper, though Roger has no recollection of actually making the offer. He was drunk.

We also see Roger and Joan during their steamy affair at that time. Christina Hendricks is spectacular in these brief moments of flashback – impossibly beautiful, and wildly sexy. Oh, how can we help but feel sorry for her character chained to that twit of a husband, and what we sense to be a very lackluster marital bed!

Why we love flawed heroes

Is there any doubt that we see ourselves in fictional characters? Especially in our flawed heroes?

We see the glamor in these lives (and imagine that perhaps some day we could taste just a little). And we see their bad behavior – jealousy, deceit, hubris. If they can act and feel this way, are we so terrible when we exhibit these same emotions? Perhaps these aren’t bad behaviors so much as they are human ones?

And in their troubles – with husbands and wives, with sexist co-workers, with substance abuse – we know our own temptations and battles. We see what has changed in society in 45 years, and what hasn’t.

Don is the ultimate example – his infidelities, his duplicity, yet his love for his children. And there is also the integrity when it comes to the work itself. The quality of the work he produces, until alcoholism begins to encroach on that, as it pervades the other areas of his life.

Why we love Mad Men

It’s no surprise that Mad Men picked up a few more Emmys last night – specifically, outstanding drama and writing. Complicated characters on the rise – and fall. Juicy revelations, titillating tidbits, brilliant story lines.

Congrats to a spectacular team for a show that continues to enthrall us in ways that are intriguing, stylish, and substantive.


Images courtesy AMCTV.com.


Read more Mad Men musings and recaps.

FacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmailFacebooktwitterpinterestlinkedinmail

Filed Under: Entertainment, Mad Men Tagged With: AMC TV Mad Men, Christina Hendricks Mad Men, Entertainment, Ma Men Season 4, Mad Men, mad men recaps, Mad Men reviews, Mad Men Season 4, why we love our television heroes

Comments

  1. Carol says

    August 30, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    I know it’s won several awards but I’ve never watched it. TV seems to become less and less a draw for me, except I’ve developed a rather adolescent fascination with award shows. Where’d that come from? I have no idea.

    Reply
    • BigLittleWolf says

      August 30, 2010 at 9:17 pm

      I know what you mean about television Carol. But I confess to watching some of the housewives, as well as Top Chef (love the creativity of the cooking). And then there is Work of Art which ended recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed, including the controversy over putting fine artists into a competitive game show arena. But Mad Men is truly high quality viewing. I strongly recommend it. (And many of the writers are women, incidentally.)

      Among other things, for those of us with a memory of the 60s, it’s an amazing, reverberating experience. I feel as though I am transported back to my mother’s kitchen every time I see the home of the main character’s wife. And certain other details have remarkable power to conjure memories I thought long gone. Add in a talented ensemble cast, terrific writing, intriguing plots – and it really is terrific. (My local B&N had Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD at 50% off. Think about it! And no, I’m not shilling for B&N!) 🙂

      Reply
    • BigLittleWolf says

      August 30, 2010 at 9:19 pm

      By the way, since you love Award shows, did you watch the Emmys? (I watched the red carpet for the gowns beforehand, but missed most of the award show itself.)

      Reply
  2. Angela says

    September 1, 2010 at 8:37 am

    I also have never watched it, but have to confess to the housewives – NY, Atlanta and DC and also Bethanny Getting Married (am I sad or what?). Like you I also watched the Emmys for the gowns and did not watched the main showing. I think I’ll check out Mad Men because after your write up I’m intrigued. They say confession is good for the soul!

    Reply
  3. BigLittleWolf says

    September 1, 2010 at 10:49 am

    I watch some of the Housewives, too, Angela – guilt free! And Bethenny’s show makes me laugh out loud, and without all the “mean girl” action. What’s not to love about that?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us

FacebooktwitterrssinstagramFacebooktwitterrssinstagram

Search Daily Plate of Crazy

Subscribe for Your Daily Serving

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Categories

Archives

Recent Comments

  • Anonymous on Does Effort Matter If You Don’t Get Results?
  • D. A. Wolf on Mantras
  • D. A. Wolf on Over 50, Unemployed, Depressed and Powerless
  • Marty on When You Marry a Loner
  • Tina on Would You Brag About Your Age?
  • Sal on Over 50, Unemployed, Depressed and Powerless
  • Open More Doors If You Want More Skills - 3 Plus International on Open More Doors If You Want More Skills
  • Leonora C on Over 50, Unemployed, Depressed and Powerless
  • Maree on Mantras
  • kate on DON’T Call Me Dear!
  • Stephanie on Narcissism. Manipulation. Keeping Score.
  • S on When a Couple Wants Different Things

The Makeover Series

Daily Plate of Crazy: The Makeover Series

Essays From Guest Writers

Daily Plate of Crazy: Essay Series

Daily Reads

Daily Plate of Crazy Blogroll

Follow

Follow

Notices

All content on this site, DailyPlateOfCrazy.com, is copyrighted by D. A. Wolf unless copyright is otherwise attributed to guest writers. Do not use, borrow, repost or create derivative works without permission.

© D. A. Wolf 2009-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Parlez-vous francais?

Daily Plate of Crazy: En Français

© D. A. Wolf 2009-2025
All Rights Reserved

Daily Plate of Crazy ™

Privacy Notice

Popular This Month

  • 50 Years old and Starting Over
  • Best Places to Live When You're Over 50 and Reinventing
  • When the Person You Love Is Emotionally Unavailable
  • When a Couple Wants Different Things
  • How to Comfort Someone Who Is Stressed

Food for Thought

  • Why I Choose to Think Like a Man
  • When You Marry a Loner
  • Emotionally Needy Parents
  • Sex vs. Lovemaking: Why Are We So Confused?
  • Think Looks Don't Pay?
  • Rebranding Mediocrity: Why Good Enough Isn't Good Enough

Copyright © 2025 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This site uses cookies for the best browsing experience. By continuing to use this site, you accept our Cookie Policy.
Cookie SettingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT