Mad Men: Down on Marriage
(MAJOR SPOILERS)
I expect you could say that if Mad Men had one theme that emerged over the years -- though it turned out to have a big caveat -- it was this.
Marriage is a crock.
Consider: the lead is Don Draper(aka Dick Whitman) a handsome man married to a beautiful, regal blonde wife, with kids. But he cheats on her all the time; she is miserable as a housewife(she had been a model), and they eventually break up.
Don marries again, to a younger woman who eventually makes him feel old -- and he starts cheating on HER. They eventually break up.
Roger Sterling cheats on his wife with ad women and hookers. When he has a heart attack during adulterous sex, he swears new loyalty to his wife -- but soon starts cheating again. And dumps his supportive wife for a young "new model."
Caught in Roger's crossfire is Joan, the va-va-voom redhead who was Roger's main squeeze and likely hoped to be Mrs. Roger. But after Roger's heart attack and sworn loyalty to his wife,, Joan shifts her attentions to a young yet vapid surgeon in training, and marries HIM. Then Roger marries the young secretary that Joan had been ordering around, and the tables turn. Then the young doctor proves to be not only a stick, but a "pre-marital rapist"(he forces himself on Joan BEFORE their marriage, in anger over Roger, and she STILL marries the cad.) Then his future as a surgeon evapoarates. Then he ups for Viet Nam. Joan's marriage is loveless and long-distance, to a lunk(She finds out that "marrying a doctor" proves wrong in every outcome) .
Meanwhile, Roger eventually dumps his second wife, but doesn't re-unite with Joan or his first wife(though he makes a kid with Joan during a post-mugging sex clinch.)
And then there's Pete Campbell, seeking one last tryst (with Peggy) pretty much the night before his wedding to another woman of "better breeding." And having his own affairs along the way. (His wife makes a decision along the way to grant Pete an apartment in the city --knowning that means she's given him a license to cheat.) THAT marriage breaks up.
Don Draper's young daughter, Sally, accidentally witnesses two adulterous hook-ups(actually seeing the sex take place): Roger Sterling with Don's French Canadian mother-in-law, and her own father with another man's wife, cheating on Sally's STEPMOTHER (Megan). So Sally won't have a very great take on men and marriage when her time comes.
No, Mad Men didn't seem to see marriage as much of a workable institution.
But there were these caveats:
Its the fifties/sixties, and the men have the jobs and the money and the power and hence believe they can cheat with impunity. Many women accept those terms -- both the wives and the mistresses. But that changes as the sixties roll out.
These ad men(and some of the ad women) are RICH. Either through family roots, the high pay of the ad world, or both. Money makes cheating at a high level possible; working stiffs struggling to pay bills aren't so able to stray.
The men and women of Mad Men are, largely, handsome and beautiful, respectively. The show makes the point that gorgeous people come to take multiple sex partners (even during marriage) as almost a privilege.
And some caveats within the show:
The marriage of Betty Draper to Henry Francis is solid, start to finish, even though it began with Henry making the moves on a married, PREGNANT woman and Betty welcoming the cheating. But Don was a cad, Henry is solid(if boring) and the Betty-Henry marriage is a happy one. Right up to Betty looking to die young of cancer from smoking.
Comes the final episode of the series, Pete and his wife have reconciled and flown off to the Midwest to make a new life. Peggy has finally found a husband of equality in artistry and caring. . Roger looks to settle down with Don's ex-mother-in-law. It is suggested that MAYBE these three couples will make marriage work. It is suggested that everybody just keeps getting married, "hope over experience," not wishing to live alone.
But on balance, marriages ain't got no chance on Mad Men.