Mad Men (Episode "The Grown-Ups")
In the 1960s, American society is undergoing a transformation, and the advertising agency Sterling Cooper on Madison Avenue is adapting to changes in consumer society. Creative director Don Draper is certainly one of the most brilliant admen of his generation, but the life of these New Yorkers will be overtaken by events: the assassination of John F. Kennedy...
Mad Men portrays American society in the 1960s: cigarettes, alcohol, sexism and adultery are some of the themes looked at. The series is deeply rooted historically. The 1960 presidential campaign between Kennedy and Nixon is the backdrop to season 1, whereas the Cuba missile crisis hangs over season 2. Season 3 is situated in 1963, a turning point for the United States as it ends with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The episode directed by Barbet Schroeder takes as its theme this trauma, of which we see the immediate effect. "The event will change everything and reveal to the characters what the audience has known since the beginning: the myth of the glorious America of the sixties is corrupt. This bitter realisation will soon give rise to disillusionment, and the dazzling desire for a new start" (Lucas Armati).