Mad Men is one of the most essential works of period drama created in recent history. Influenced by the storytelling format of The Sopranos, the show bears all the markers of a classic and is often credited with launching the second Golden Age of television. However, the ’60s era drama refuses to be defined by its central theme and delves further than the cutthroat world of the ad industry.
Mad Men stands out as a surprise to the fans and critics alike for its inherent ability to depict history and historical events by weaving it into the everyday lives of the show’s characters.
Considering the period setting of the show, there were one too many historically significant events in American political history that unfolded in the ’60s – one of the most important ones being the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy.
Mad Men adopts a different strategy to stand out
Jon Hamm made a mark in Hollywood with his groundbreaking role as Don Draper in Mad Men. The AMC drama shifted the momentum of television storytelling with its 7-season arc. And showrunner Matthew Weiner knew exactly how to make the series stand out among the barrage of shows that occupied the television sphere.
Mad Men did not keep itself limited by the boundaries of its self-appointed period setting. The series that dove into the high-end cutthroat advertising industry centered on Manhattan Avenue of New York City made itself more humane by exploring the ins and outs of the era even outside the firm. And this involved stepping into the volatile socio-political atmosphere of the era.
Weiner’s idea of charting the harrowing turning points in American history not only gave the audience a first-hand witness account of these moments but also left an indelible mark on the viewers by letting them be a part of those moments as and when they unfolded.
Mad Men captures a harrowing moment in US history
Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, Mad Men captures some of the most momentous and controversial events in US history. From the Civil Rights movement to the Vietnam War, the show’s characters and the firm’s business were influenced by each of these crucial junctures of socio-political evolution.
However, one of the most harrowing and bone-chilling episodes has to be the one that captured the exact moment the American people learned of the assassination of their then-president, John F. Kennedy. Centered around the core characters of the series, the show follows the day-to-day events of the high-end ad firm, even as the news breaks in the background and completely stalls the country in its tracks.
The episode stands out even more because of how the moment is captured in a subtle yet unsettling manner (see here). As television and radio channels break the news, Harry and Pete are in the middle of a conversation, too distracted by mundane office politics.
Meanwhile, Don strolls into the bullpen as a dozen telephones go off simultaneously, yet no one answers. As the camera pans away from his befuddled expression, the audience feels the shockwave as employees are shown huddled around a radio with their heads down just as the telephones stop working altogether.
Showrunner Matthew Weiner, in an interview with TIME, described how difficult it was to capture the moment in time:
Oh, it’s horrible. I mean believe me, you know, that’s why I go to primary sources as much as I can. And I also just try and remember the way we experience things now. The Kennedy assassination is the hardest; it’s such a well-trod thing […] When you go to the archival footage and Life magazine, Time magazine, Newsweek, when you see what was really going on – you can’t re-create that without looking like one of these clichés because it really looked like that.
In addition to the added risk of appearing like a clichéd portrayal of the event, there was also the challenge of depicting the JFK assassination from the first-person point of view of the people living through the event as it unfolded. In retrospect, the episode delivers one of the most grueling and goosebump-worthy moments in the entire series with its authenticity and the cast’s acting.
Mad Men is available to stream on AMC+.
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