The Ideal Man - Don Draper.

Mad Men season four is going great, the focus on business in pretty much every episode so far is something I appreciated very much. I like that Betty has taken the backseat and the focus has been on my favorite characters, Don, Pete and Joan. Not very surprising after last season's radical redirection of the show, there have been a few episodes which have been different, but unlike the horrid experiment of episode eleven in season two these new different episodes have been solid - mostly because of some brilliant acting. The only thing missing so far this season is one of those rare episodes of absolute sheer brilliance that comes along once or twice per season on this show , I'm of course talking about episodes such as "The Wheel", "5G", "The Grown Ups", "Babylon" etc but I'm sure one of those episodes will come before the season is over, they tend to come towards the end of a season.

Still, coming fresh of from yesterday's episode I did not want this post to be about the show, I wanted a post about the man; Don Draper. Last night's episode was a great episode, for the simple reason that it was one of those episodes that had a true Don Draper moment and where he actually gets to shine and show off his immense talent. The makers of the show love to put the seed of doubt in us by making Don look like a loser once in a while and hint at his upcoming demise - both in his personal and professional life. There is always this sense that Don might become an out of touch dinosaur any episode now, that he will finally snap from all the pressure in his life and that he'll go the route of the opening sequence of the show and jump of a building. However, every single time Don comes around and shows everyone why he's so highly regarded among everyone in the business and why advertising is in his blood.

It has almost become tradition for this show since the first episode to put Don in a situation where the audience is clearly suppose to think that he's finished and then in one scene things change and one of those Don Draper subtle moments ensues where his insight just leaves everyone speechless; both viewer and characters on the show. I often think that Pete Campbell is my spiritual representative among the characters on the show, and like him I live with the hope of one day achieving what Don Draper has; I'm talking the level of respect he gets in his field of work of course. It's pretty strange that my biggest work role model is this damaged, chain smoking, alcoholic, who often times has obvious problems keeping his life together. I guess this is just the kind of character that I can relate to, because I to come from a messed up past and seek redemption through my career. I just hope that one day I'll look as good in a suit as Don Draper does.