Mad Men Marathon
There’s something highly addictive about a smart, well produced tv series that won’t allow the viewer (in this case me) to walk away after one episode. I had the time, and the inclination quite frankly, to do the only kind of marathons I ever do, 4 episodes of Mad Men in a row.
Last night was the kind of evening I like to indulge in, more so since I got married one year ago. After a big brunch celebrating a friend’s birthday in the sunshine we came home and went straight to bed for an afternoon nap. Except I wasn’t able to nap due to the espresso I had at 4pm. Any form of caffeine after 2pm usually means high octane energy on my part until the wee hours. I wasn’t exactly buzzing- it somehow balanced out the heaviness of the Thai food and hot sun and left me somewhat in limbo, too tired to do anything but read, not sleepy enough to snooze.
I propped myself up on my rather spacious couch and started reading until the Husband awoke. We then agreed that the best use of our quality time together would be to watch an episode of Mad Men. Seeing as it’s the weekend we got into it with anticipation. On week nights we’re usually too tired to stay up through one full episode unless we start super early- which rarely happens.
Don Draper (Jon Hamm) is not my type of guy, but the character commands you to sit up and take notice. The subtle social commentary on living in the ’60’s highlight the way things are today and I can’t help but make comparisons. Sadly, not much has changed in the deep-rooted belief systems and office politics with regards to gender dynamics. I say this a professional woman having worked in offices in Auckland, London and Dubai. Sure, the cultural variances coat things differently and the laws in some places won’t allow for public sharing of thoughts and prejudices, but the undercurrent remains similar. I’m sure I’m not the first person to reflect on the importance of Mad Men and I won’t be the last, but living in Dubai as I currently do, where society is still rather conservative, it’s interesting to note the development of relationships and circumstance, it may help predict the changes that are to come.
So 4 episodes in, I yawn and check the clock- it’s 3am and we decide to call it a night, or a marathon well done. Does it say something when I’d rather stay up with Mad Men than at a party? It’s a weekend well spent and I can’t wait for the next episode(s).