Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has made a timely realization of race and racism.
“Mad Men” opened its fifth season with a two-hour premiere on Sunday, March 25. Ad executives at SCDP’s rival agency tried to poke fun at a rally for greater equality in the corporate hiring practices by throwing water bombs at protestors. It seemed an opportune moment for SCDP to put out an ad saying they were an equal opportunity employer. The ad, which was meant to mock their competitor, had some unintended consequences.
The episode ended with a lobby full of account executives, copywriters and secretaries, all of whom were black and looking for a job with the firm. “A Little Kiss” takes place in the early summer of 1966, putting the episode after a good portion of the Civil Rights Movement.
What “Mad Men” has lacked over the first four seasons was color. The only non-white characters were the Drapers’ maid, Carla, the elevator operator, Hollis, and a short-lived girlfriend of a character who is not even on the show anymore. Most of the partners at SCDP have single-minded views on race, with only Pete Campbell, the junior partner, standing up for the black protestors.
Another issue plaguing the characters of “Mad Men” is that of gender. Peggy, arguably the best copywriter at SCDP, seems stuck in place. Although she has gone far in her six years with the firm, she will likely never rise to the level of Don Draper, the protagonist.
Likewise, although Joan Harris is the glue that holds together SCDP, the joke ad frightens her into thinking that she will be replaced, even though she is on maternity leave. Harris’ personal life seems to have issues, as well— she married a man who once raped her during a dispute. But hope is not lost for the women at SCDP. Harris recently was promoted to a director position, though she is still not paid well.
Showrunner Matthew Weiner cares deeply about historical accuracy. Late last week, he changed the music in a scene when someone pointed out that it was from 1967, not 1966. He does not wish to portray racism and sexism in a positive light, but he wants to depict realistic experiences of working at a Madison Avenue firm in the ‘60s. The result is often cringe-worthy, as it was this week when a character talked explicitly about wanting to have sex with his boss’s wife, while she stood behind him.
“A Little Kiss” gives every indication that times are changing in the world. Having a black secretary is a baby step, but it does show that they are not observing Jim Crow. It was not too long ago that one of the partners, Roger Sterling, dressed in blackface as a gag. Most of the characters on the show are often oblivious to the way they treat the non-white characters.
They rarely acknowledge the black characters unless to disparage them. It will be a rough transition, for sure, but Draper and Campbell seem to be much more open to change.
This episode was another great work by Weiner. The relationships of the characters remain one of the best parts of the show, and the politics of the SCDP workplace are also fascinating. However, the issues that have been raised by “Mad Men’s” portrayals of race and are important to discuss, especially in today’s political atmosphere.
