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Don Draper is the best at selling happiness but the worst at grasping it.

UKposts doesn't have enough Mad Men essays.

This show is highly rated yet still underrated

You could analyse basically every episode of Mad Men this deeply. Everything is so well written and so perfectly acted. Every line has multiple meanings and every story is actually multiple stories.

Just thinking about Don Draper's "The Wheel" pitch makes me teary eyed. It's how universal the lonely prison Don has built for himself.

Don's pitch was so good he even sold himself on it.

one of the deepest, most nuanced, detailed and well written series i've ever watched. calling it a masterpiece ain't enough.

There is a saying in Brazil that says: "In a blacksmith's house, his tools are made of wood". Which means, in general, that a great business manager is a bad manager of his own life.

Well. I just realized I haven't absorbed even half of the meaning in this show.

When there’s that one UKpostsr who has NEVER released a bad video!

I think Don is more cynical than he seems. He did not "discover" his family. He thought he had discovered the formula for it. He was melancholic about a concept he can't understand.

OMG “The Wheel” was one of the BEST episodes! So emotional and evocative!

Can I just talk about your absolute brilliance?! You are able to break down these concepts for people thriving to attain that level of artistic/intellectual prowess. I hope all the likes, subscribe notifications, and private messages serve as a source of affirmation for you and your team. I'm sure you've been told this before, but I TRULY want you to know that.

This is mad. I literally just finished watching Mad Men two days ago. This channel is a true blessing.

Me: (Has not seen Mad Men) LFTS: (Uploads an analysis of Mad Men) Me: Right I know what I’m watching tonight

Literally said oooh. Been waiting for this and I didn't even know it. Might even have an old-fashioned later 💁🏽‍♂️

This may be the only episode where Harry Crane has a redeemable personality 😂😛

This show is the show that truly cuts the deepest to the difficulty of becoming happy.

Wow what weird timing... I'm in the middle of writing an essay about photography in the film One Hour Photo (2002) and what Harry and Don say in this episode reminds me of what Robin Williams' character says about what a photo can communicate to another person: 'I was here. I existed. I was young, I was happy, and someone cared enough about me in this world to take my picture.'

"And it takes us to a place, where we ache to go again" God. This took me right back. Mad Men hit me in a place that few other shows have. From the first episode to the last.

The greatest television show ever made.

Soooooo stoked for this one. I watched all of Mad Men because, in my favorite course during college, we spent two entires classes analyzing a single episode. Few TV series have so much that can be analyzed as Mad Men.

"The Suitcase" might be one of the best episodes in the whole series. Personally, is still one of my favorites. This was a brilliant essay.

The Wheel may be one of the greatest hours of Television ever produced.

The most brilliantly written show in TV history. They should have entire semesters of film school studying these scripts.

Mad Men is the only show that I went out of my way to buy the DVD's for all seasons, I don't think we'll ever get another Mad men

I rewatch Mad Men in its entirety at least once every year since 2012/13. I never stop being amazed at the episodes and always pick up another layer and little cues. Best show ever.

Please break down more episodes. There are so many good ones like this one throughout the show that has different themes and meanings. Your breakdowns are very thorough and enlightening, so as an avid mad men fan i really appreciate them.

Love how they used a mock ending of Don coming home this episode, it really helps you understand a character’s expectations

Even though I've watched this show twice, it feels like I haven't watched it at all. This is a show that never stops giving. Thanks for the video!

I was so caught up on Don's storyline that I completely missed Betty's. Your videos are truly amazing. Please do one on the Don-Peggy dynamic, too!

I love when people talk about this show.

Mad Men is full of subtexts and symbolism. Everything pretty much has a meaning without being flashy - just regular mundane workplace and home life. Every rewatch is peeling layers meaning and of course your more mature worldview and empathy also helps each time. Soooo poetic. Brilliantly written. Sublimely acted. And of course the most impeccable props, make up and costume.

This scene was tied with the ending of season 5 for me in terms of how much I was moved by it, with Nancy Sinatra's You Only Live Twice playing in the background as Don slides back into the darkened corner of his old life and away from the literal spotlight his wife stands in.

You really shouldn't die before watching Mad Men I mean really. A true masterpiece.

This is one of my favourite scenes in any series or film, being analysed by one of my favourite youtube channels. Today is a great day.

Although this was the episode that truly hooked me for life on this series (every episode to this point was also good, but this felt flawless), I want to give an honorably mention to my favorite symbolism is season five episode five. Pete and his Leaky faucet. That one is my personal favorite!

Mad Men is a clinic on subtextual storytelling. Greatest show ever IMO.

This video's text : analysis of an episode of Mad Men about nostalgia This video's subtext: i miss Mad Men

I can watch Mad Men material being broken down like this ALL DAY. Truly the greatest TV drama ever

You forgot the biggest subtext of the show - Don as an advertiser sells dreams, dreams which he himself couldn't live.

This material made me want to binge watch Mad Men again. Sorry, Final Space, I loved first season, but get in line.

Everytime I see the scene of "Daddys is coming" I get fooled just to be brought back to the reality of Don's life. I love this series, my fav of all time.

You know a show is great when people keep talking about it even years after its finale.

I love Mad Men, so much timeless wisdom in it. I'm still using lessons learned from the show and quoting it in life situations all these years later.

Mad Men is the most well written show I’ve ever seen. It’s brilliant. Love analysis of any aspect of that show. Well done 👏

The whole thing at the Kodak pitch was so moving I actually burst in tears more or less at the same time as Harry

This is my favorite thing about Mad Men, and also the reason why I could every episode over and over: Every sentence that is spoken, means at least three things at the same time.

Damn man right after they took it off Netflix.. that hurts

I’m so salty this show left netflix before i could finish it :( I only had one season left 😭😭😭

mad men has so many moments which completely blow you away in a subtle way. I just love what they did with this show

LFTS + Mad Men = Instant click, Instant like. Perfection!

I need Michael to do this full-time. Someone please just sponsor him for life.

Great job. Somehow Mad Men has been talked about a lot and was one of the biggest shows in the world, but I think still wildly underrated. I feel like you may be able to do this with so many of those episodes. Incredible writing, acting and directing every week. Phenomenal show

I’ve watched Mad Men about two times at this point, and I learn something new on every single rewatch.

I love the new love that Mad Men is getting lately. This show is so underrated.

I remember Mad Men also being used for what they called 'reverse sci-fi', it creates an imaginary past to talk in depth about present issues: and you can all see them peppered in even some singular shots. Environment, race, gender, sexuality, all these characters are not real - but they connect us through time. The episode during the Moon landing stuck with me most in that sense, but I'm sure everyone has their favourite.

Mad men is the greatest show ever

One of my favorite examples of subtext on Mad Men (and there are SO many) is in the season 5 episode Lady Lazerus. A big part of Don's season arc is focused on his relationship with Meghan and how when they married he felt like they had this deep connection, that they were so similar. Her youth made him feel younger and it was invigorating. But these feelings slowly fall away as he realizes that in reality they are so fundamentally different and he is shaken by it. At the beginning of the episode, they are working on a pitch (I can't remember what for) that is aimed at a younger audience. He thinks it would be great to use music that has a Beatles quality to it, early Beatles, young wholesome and optimistic. The younger team members are amused by the fact that Don thinks that the Beatles still sound like that, their music has evolved into something much more experimental that reflects both what is exciting about the changing times but it is also darker. The characters don't need to explain that, their amusement at Don's disconnection with the younger generation says everything you need to know. And for the audience who are unfamiliar with the Beatles, the payoff comes at the end of the episode. The episode in general shows the characters dealing with change in their lives, coming to terms with the reality of relationships in particular. At the end of the episode Meghan comes home and has bought the new Beatles album Revolver for Don to listen to and tells him to listen to the last track bc to her, and her generation, it is something totally new and exciting. Don puts on the record and goes straight to the last track, "Tomorrow Never Knows". I still think that song sounds exciting and like nothing else, but I can imagine for the older generation in the 60s it was terrifying. It includes snippets of music played backwards, dreamlike lyrics from the Tibetan Book of the Dead, psychedelic in the extreme. The band who wrote "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is unrecognizable in this song and it shows that the world Don is familiar is evolving into something unrecognizable as well. He can't endure listening to the entire song and yanks the needle off the record in disgust. But the song resumes seconds later as the credits roll. He wants to stop the reality this song represents, but it cannot be silenced. It is one of the best moments of subtext that shows that Don's relationship with Meghan is doomed. What she sees as exciting he finds terrifying. It also shows that Don, who has always been able to control his environment and communicate in a way that resonates with what is happening now is losing his power and that is a scary reality. He in the past embraced progress as positive bc he understood its importance to the world he understands. The realization that progress could leave him behind is hard for him to face. He can try to resist it, but time move forward regardless. Apparently AMC had to pay millions for the rights to use the song but it was totally worth it. It has such powerful subtext and communicates when pages of dialogue never could.

The Beauty of Mad Men is 20 years from now this will be the only show from our time that will still be watched by Future generations.

I have probably watched the entire series 9-10 times all the way through and yet I discover another hidden layer every time. The subtleties, that’s where the magic is in a show or movie.

Still my favorite live action drama. There’s a reason it was the highest rated show for its run... powerful stuff man. What we don’t know about Don yet is that he’s a narcissist and a sociopath so he still seems redeemable at this point.

mad men its the show that everyone recomends and says its the best and once you watch it you realize its waaay better that you thought

I watched this year for the first time Mad Men and in this episode turned an instant classic for me. Amazing show.

i've learnt more from LFTS than i ever learnt in film school

This has always been my favorite episode of Mad Men. I have not seen it in 10 years and I still remember the line, “it’s not a wheel; it’s a carousel.” This is one of the best written episodes of television ever.

Madmen is best written show highly acknowledged but yet not many people have watched it. One of my favorite indeed. Character growth, writing. Its so good.

Once again, you have produced an amazing lesson. Like a good advertiser, you capture the emotions and thoughts that we the audience cannot express.

No matter what anyone says, for me, this is the greatest show of all time. I have watched it four times so far and each time, I've learned new things. Matthew Wiener and his team of writers along with the brilliant cast, the costume designing, pretty much everything about this show is of high quality.

I often found myself confused to why i'm watching a show which is almost like a more subtle soap opera but i kept coming back to it somehow.

Folks. I finished mad men 4 years ago I was late to the party but I’m still yearning for something this deep and excellent in television shows today. I don’t think I’ll ever see that day …………….

I was in advertising. And this show made it easier for me to let go of it. Kind of like a laxative 😂

wow, this was incredibly well done - very smart minds plucked these scenes and edited this beautifully

Mad Men is full of subtexts and symbolism. Every episode gives you new surface to scratch because you know it’s gonna be more profound. Everything has a meaning without being flashy - just regular mundane workplace and home life. Every rewatch is peeling new layers of meaning and of course your more mature worldview and empathy also helps each time. Soooo poetic. Brilliantly written. Sublimely acted. And of course the most impeccable set design, props, score, make up and costume.

I always tell people that if you want to learn subtext, subtlety and themes in visual mediums just watch Mad Men. It honestly improves the way you watch art

dons arc in this particular episode is also mirrored in harry cranes subplot as he struggles with his infidelity. the moment where he realizes the gravity of his fault during the presentation and is brought to tears of remorse is a great deviation from dons character - harry can fix things if he tries bc he wants to, whereas dons reluctance to change will always hinder his ability to love.

Michael, you’re on a roll! Keep up the amazing, inspiring work. ‘Mad Men’ is one of the my favorite tv shows of all time.

Mad Men is a perfect TV show. Born in the late 80s but this show makes me miss the 60s I never lived in!

This episode is one of, if not the best of the entire series. The only show in my opinion that you actually feel like you're going on the life journey with each character. Such a well written and thought out series, I miss this show so much!

Binged the series... Let's it 'settle' for a day.... Proceeds to watch any documentary videos on it

5:21 Every time I see a married woman sitting by themselves with a glass of wine in a show/movie, sh*ts about to get real.

This essay is so brilliant. Well told, edited, everything. I'm in awe.

My favourite tv-show of all time. Deep, well-written characters that flow beautifully with a compelling, somehow familiar story. Great video!

The Wheel is why and how I started this beautiful show.

Thank u so much for this video! By breaking this episode down, I see so many details I overlooked and it still makes me emotional. Mad men works so well through subtext in silently twinging at my heart

Thank you so much! I loved Mad Men, it's one of the few shows that I'm willing to rewatch as many times possible because of how good it is, and how well concived the episodes are.

Yes! Right from the start of this video I was hoping you'd mention the carousel episode. I went out and bought a working carousel and have been shooting slide film ever since I saw this episode of Mad Men. Such a good show. Thanks for making this, Michael. :)

This is a great video, thanks for making it. As someone who has worked professionally in movie soundtracks for most of my life, I must make a correction. Music is almost entirely emotional subtext, not text. Once in a while, a song is chosen as background for a bar scene, cafe, etc. that might be considered only “text.” But even then, we are making very deliberate decisions about how the characters are feeling in that environment, other characters or about the situation. There is as much intention, detail and depth to editing/writing the music as there is to writing a screenplay.

Fantastic video essay! I've watched many on Madmen and I clicked this out of habit but this was honestly put together like a Don Draper pitch - bravo!

I've been literally waiting years to see you tackle Mad Men! It was worth the wait!

Would love to see an episode on The Sopranos! Maybe the Heidi & Kennedy episode.

Do The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!

Honestly I cried so much at this episode but now your explanation makes me cry even more.

Beautiful analyst. I just finished watching Mad Men couple of months ago and I can't get enough of scouring for these kinds of video's. Really makes me appreciate the series more. Well done.

Something interesting about Mad Men that nobody seems to realise is the importance of choosing MAD MEN for title of the show because I feel like it's a reference to Medmenham Monks and the Hellfire Club. An exclusive club of powerful and rich men who together did all sorts of forbidden activities and adultery and everything that happened in that club was common secret between the members. Honestly I don't buy the "called themselves Mad Men because they were ad MEN working in MADISON ave" title explanation because there's no real source for the said use of such phrase.

Tú canal es de lo mejor es todo UKposts, saludos desde México.

One of my favorite episodes of television of all time.

One of the greatest shows ever. I really need to re-watch it.

Growing up, all dad ever called it was the Carousel. Get me the Carousel. Set up the Carousel. It was the same as Kleenex in our house. Thinking of this makes me ache from an old wound.