LOS ANGELES,
"Mad
Men," the award-winning hit series about morally compromised New York
advertising executives in 1960s Manhattan, returns next month for its
final seven episodes.
The influential
show, which debuted on the AMC cable network in 2007, earned millions
of fans around the globe thanks to stellar writing, powerful acting and a
painstakingly detailed retro aesthetic.
Its
depiction of 1960s cool has become such a part of US culture that props
from the show were donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of
American History on Friday.
Don Draper's personal effects, part
of Matthew Weiner's "Mad Men" exhibit are seen at the Museum of the
Moving Image March 18, 2015. The exhibit, which features a number of
sets from the television show, with costumes, props, video clips,
advertising art, and personal notes, runs from March 14–June 14. PHOTO |
AFP
In the
final episodes — the second half of season seven — viewers will learn
the fate of the seductive and mysterious Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a gifted
and charismatic ad man who has built his adult life on a falsehood.
Without
giving away key plot points, Hamm said Draper "has attempted to build
several houses on very broken foundations, and needs to address those
foundations before he starts building a new house."
"Maybe
he finds out in the next seven episodes his commitment to fixing what
can be fixed," Hamm told a press conference in Los Angeles ahead of the
April 5 premiere on US television.
FAULT-RIDDLED CAST
When
it was launched, "Mad Men" offered something new in an American
television landscape dominated by crime procedurals and action/mystery
programs like "24," "Lost" or "Dexter."
(L-R) Mad Men cast members Elisabeth
Moss, John Slattery, creator Matthew Weiner, Christina Hendricks ,
January Jones, and Jon Hamm sit on the new 'Mad Men' sculpture, as AMC
officially unveils a commemorative piece of public art in front of the
Time & Life Building home to the fictional Cooper & Partners
offices in New York March 23, 2015.The 'Mad Men' sculpture will be on
view at the outdoor plaza. PHOTO | AFP
The
pilot episode written by series creator Matthew Weiner was actually
rejected by pay-TV channels HBO and Showtime before being taken up by
AMC, which at the time was known more for re-running classic films.
While
anti-heroes have become nearly the norm on critically acclaimed
programs (mafia boss Tony Soprano and teacher-turned-drug-dealer Walter
White in "Breaking Bad" come to mind), nearly all of the main characters
on "Mad Men" are riddled with faults.
Everyone
— even Draper's long-suffering and courageous protegee Peggy Olson
(played by Elisabeth Moss) — commits morally questionable acts, whether
it be adultery, betrayal, lies or abandonment.
"The
show didn't shy away from the basic human condition," said Vincent
Kartheiser, who plays Pete Campbell, a young ad man from a wealthy
family battling for the respect of his peers and affections of his
female companions.
"Mad Men" also won over critics with its big screen-worthy cinematography.
Some of Betty Draper's clothes, part
of Matthew Weiner's "Mad Men" exhibit, are seen at the Museum of the
Moving Image March 18, 2015. The exhibit, which features a number of
sets from the television show, with costumes, props, video clips,
advertising art, and personal notes, runs from March 14–June 14. PHOTO |
AFP
"There
was a glamour assigned to the sixties in America — it was the Jackie
Kennedy era," said John Slattery, who plays impetuous and self-centred
dandy Roger Sterling.
Some outfits worn on the show, part
of Matthew Weiner's "Mad Men" exhibit, are seen at the Museum of the
Moving Image March 18, 2015. The exhibit, which features a number of
sets from the television show, with costumes, props, video clips,
advertising art, and personal notes, runs from March 14–June 14. PHOTO |
AFP
The
show helped revive 1960s fashion and sparked a spate of "Mad Men"
parties, with women in retro dresses and glamorous up-hairdos, and men
in tight-fitting suits, hats and polished shoes.
PRIMITIVE ERA
The
series also depicted an era ruled by casual racism, sexism, alcoholism
and tobacco addiction, and where child discipline sometimes verged on
abuse.
But as several of the actors noted, while today's society may be more open, time hasn't necessarily cured all its ills.
There
is a scene in the final season where Peggy and Joan (Christina
Hendricks) try to sell an ad idea to three potential clients who make
repeated degrading comments about Joan's ample bosom.
"I
can absolutely relate to that," said Hendricks, adding: "I've been in
rooms when sexual innuendo has been made when I'm talking about my
work."
When asked what the
present-day versions of her character would be, Hendricks said Joan, an
ambitious and feminist single mother, "would be pretty much the same."
Pete Campbell would be forced to keep some of his comments to himself, but would "still be a douchebag," said Kartheiser.
And Don Draper, could he exist in 2015?
"God no!" said Hamm.
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