1. Her main insight about mad men is that through the characters, it reflects the diminishing capability of reaching the American Dream. She reveals that through the change in the advertisement industry, the way people viewed consumption, and products changed. We continued to constantly want more and more, and with TV, they were able to make everything even more appealing, and something you MUST have. She revealed this by breaking down the individual characters needs and desires. Through that, she showed that our ideals were changing, and that each character was discovering that they are growing to feel unfulfilled more and more. For example, when she describes that Roger and Don are "on top of the world" and their loathing for having relationships with more women showed how they were never content with what they had.
2. She establishes her authority about the show by immediately revealing how much she knows about it. Not only did she watch every episode necessary to create this analysis, but she was able to really watch each characters actions, and break down what they were doing, and find their motives. Her knowledge of character names, and the names of the actors playing them was impressive, and worthy of acknowledgement.
3. She appeals to our emotions right away in my opinion. Her first sentence is immediately understandable, and I felt I could connect with it. She shows how sad it is that the american dream is becoming more of a myth than anything else. How we used to be happy and content with a roof over our heads, and a comfortable wage. Now, it feels like we are constantly needing more. Also, the many changes in relationships and interactions in Mad Men brings about a lot of drama and emotions. She describes some of these, and shows how people's constant drive for more ends up hurting others. I think to some extent, we can all connect to that. We have all seen it, either in real life, or on TV. It seems most shows now are based on people pursuing extreme wealth, or people who are already rich struggling to find themselves.
4. I wasn't very familiar with Mad Men before reading this essay. I had seen several episodes, but could not get hooked on it. I do now understand the basic premise, and how all the characters are driven; however, I don't feel more determined to watch it, because the plot isn't exactly something that I think I would enjoy continuing to watch, and I did not enjoy the misogyny and racism that seemed to be deeply ingrained in that time period. It isn't a feel-good show.
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