Mad Men: Season 4; Episode 8. “The Summer Man”
This has to be my favorite episode of Mad Men to date. Yes, I’m still not done with Season 4 even though Season 5 is coming up in a few months. Not having cable TV will do that to you. You are delayed on things. In this episode, Don has begun to write in a diary. It’s not that he wants to distill his life in writing for later or forever. It’s not as if he plans on publishing this. I believe he writes like I write…to remember, to reflect, to relax and to make things feel a little bit simpler than they really are.
While life was happening in this episode, Don Draper dictated some of these to himself but it was presented to the viewer as a voice-over to the show. Very well done. Here are a few quotes I loved:
When a man walks into a room, he brings his whole life with him. He has a million reasons for being anywhere, just ask him. If you listen, he’ll tell you how he got there. How he forgot where he was going, and that he woke up. If you listen, he’ll tell you about the time he thought he was an angel or dreamt of being perfect. And then he’ll smile with wisdom, content that he realized the world isn’t perfect. We’re flawed, because we want so much more. We’re ruined, because we get these things, and wish for what we had.
and
People tell you who they are, but we ignore it – because we want them to be who we want them to be.
and
Sometimes, I find it a curse to be so damn attractive. For example, this morning I was two whole hours late for work — all because I couldn’t stop staring at myself in the bathroom mirror. And all those WOMEN! And all that SEX! A guy can only have so much sex! You know, I’m not in my twenties anymore. I often have nightmares that, one day, the darn thing will just shrivel up and fall off . . .
I can’t really say much about that last quote as it doesn’t quite relate to my life but, well I’d read a book by Draper. An Ad Man who lives “The Life” in Manhattan and his take on life. I’d read that book for the thrills, the doubts, the missteps and the remorse.