MadMen Episode 1

The blog TV show that I have chosen to watch for my blogging assignment is Mad Men. Mad Men follows the lives of ad executives in the 1960’s. It takes place on Madison Avenue in New York City. The show follows many different characters and their lives and views of work and other things. The characters are Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Pete Campbell, Betty Francis, Betty Draper, and Roger Sterling. The first episode discusses the life of an ad man. It begins with a young Peggy Olson coming to work at the ad agency. She is placed to work for the head ad man who is Don Draper. Don offended the beautiful and intelligent owner of Chanel. She argues against his sexist remarks and he storms out saying ‘no women will speak to him like that.’ The episode continues Don Draper struggling to maintain his client of a cigarette company Lucky Strike. The beginning of the episode Joan Harris who is the manager of the secretaries hints towards Peggy Olson that having affairs with some of the men in the company may be necessary.  Meanwhile Peggy is fighting this thought and want of having to have an affair something is brewing between her and the engaged Pete Campbell. In the episode you see Don Draper having a relationship with Midge. The first episode I believed she was Don’s wife but in the end shows she is Don’s mistress and he is married to Betty Draper.  As the episode continues there’s some arguments between Don and Peter. They argue over the fact that Pete is a junior executive and wants ma chance to prove himself but goes about it the wrong way. In the end of the episode Don goes home to his wife Betty with the Lucky Strike ad that he wanted. While things wind down it shows the heavily intoxicated with alcohol Pete Campbell show up at Peggy Campbell’s apartment to apologize. The episode ends with Don at home with his wife and Peggy inviting Pete into her apartment.

All throughout the episode I saw one major theme play out. It was sexism and adultery from all the men on the show. It was very apparent that the men in the show, most who are engaged or married, enter sexual relationships with other women. Two men surly cheat on their wives sand one on their fiancé. The Joan Harris who is the manager of the secretaries openly discusses and hits towards Peggy Olson having to have an affair to continue with her work. Another thing I saw was that the two Midge and Peggy both new that Don and Pete where in relationships. One other theme I saw though the episode was the fact that all the characters smoked. All the characters I saw where chain smokers they continually smoked throughout the episode. These where the two major theses I saw continually play throughout the episode.

I feel that both of these themes are against what biblical scripture says for us to do in the Christian faith. For the first theme it is found in the Ten Commandments that we are not to commit adultery. As for smoking it is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 which says “don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." This isn’t a specific command or warning against not smoking but is says we are to treat our body like the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to treat our bodies with respect because of the Holy Spirit living within us.