Episode 2: Mad Men

            In the second episode of Mad Men, we begin to see a lot more information about all of the characters. It starts out with a dinner consisting of Don and his wife, and then Roger and his wife as well. In which the subject of having a nanny and thus childhood comes up. In this case, we learn that Don does not talk about or care to mention his childhood or that he had a nanny, his wife has learned to not ask about his family in any way shape or form because he tends to stonewall her. As the episode goes on, Peggy becomes a little more comfortable with Joan Harris another secretary whom is good at getting the guys to do what they want. Don’s wife Betty shows us a side of what it means to be a housewife in which her and a friend are talking about a new neighbor and discussing what it would be like to be divorced and living on your own. A little bit later the episode shows Betty driving with her kids in the car past that newly divorced and new neighbor as she is moving in when all of a sudden her hands start shaking on the wheel and she loses control at a slow speed. Betty then crashes the car, which starts a conversation with Don about whether or not she needs to see a psychiatrist. All the while Don is seeing and sleeping with an artist in the city when he stays there instead of going home, and we begin to see a little more about that relationship as well, in which he desires her and she wants him to stay more.          

            One of the major themes of this episode is that of uncertainty or rather what it means to be human, trying to work out all of the stresses of life and how that actually ends up. For example Don deals with the stresses of family, a wife and her problems, work issues and so on by sleeping with another woman. He tends to stop working and just disappear for sometime in order to relieve himself of stress. His wife on the other hand, she does not know what to do and so her body shuts down on her because of the pressures of Don not talking, taking care of the kids, and worries of being a housewife. Peggy, the secretary tends to put more effort into working and so she spends more time at the office than she does anywhere else, not wanting to socialize much or doing anything else. The uncertainties of life for these characters are being handled in a variety of ways and you can begin to see the reality of how unhealthy that is.

            I think that it is interesting that from that era till now the only difference we see between dealing with stress in the ways that these characters do is to make sleeping around, seeing a psychiatrist, or working devilishly more acceptable. However the bible is almost completely opposite of this style of stress relief because that is a human way of dealing with things. The bible rather continuously says not to sleep with someone other than whom you’re married to. It does not help any situation out except by relieving your immediate flesh needs. Seeking outside help is probably one of the best things to do however, because we need to be able to talk. I think however that it would be better to seek out someone whom can relate in a Christian way and encourage us in Christ not just in flesh. Lastly, pouring ourselves into our work might get things done in the short term, but it is important not to be able to burn out. God does not want people who are not able to do work, but people who can stand up and do the things he asked.