Mad Men: Character Review

[TheException]

So I havent seen any posts that take this sort of approach....

I was watching the tv series Mad Men tonight, and I couldnt help but notice all the different characters and their alpha/beta tendencies. Like ive always known Draper is a hard alpha but for some reason....tonight really hit me and I noticed EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERY CHARACTER. And although some here have dismissed TV as role models(james bond, etc), I come from the opposite camp. Watching alphas in action and watching the way they handle situations/react with others is sort of becoming a hobby of mine. I literally could not watch the Avengers without wishing to see Tony Stark in every scene, because he literally is the most addicting alpha ive seen in quite some time. You CAN LEARN FROM MOVIES AND TV. Its the same as in real life...when you interact with people, a little of their personality rubs off on you.

Soooo without further ado:

Don Draper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqEFy58AbUQ

Dominant, Creative, Passionate, Driven, etc. Take your pick. The man's got em all. He literally dominates every scene that he is in, and has the attitude of "You dont fvck with me" and all his employees know it. They are literally "scared" of him...in a good way. And those employees that do challenge him? Well...they wish they hadnt. Hes witty and just the right amount of ****y and has some of the best "zingers" to pass sh1t tests ever. All this framework allows the women in his life to be drawnnnnn in. They get sucked in and he has the balls to escalate which is why he gets laid so easy.

Not to mention how he treats his wife's bratty behavior: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRKwhleQtyA

Roger Sterling
Gone back and forth on him wavering between alpha or a highly ranked beta. Ive definitely settled upon alpha. Hes got some of the best one liners in the whole damn show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp0i-IFLt3k

Super charismatic as his only real job is to meet with clients over dinner. Literally drinks alcohol nonstop from 7am on. His character, unlike Don's does have one major drawback...he gets oneitis easily. Throughout the show he caters to certain women in the "nice guy" way and sometimes can really make you cringe. All in all i find him hilarious and you can definitely learn how to diffuse sh1t tests from him. Not to mention he flirts with every secretary unashamed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9wvVh_pkGw

Pete Campbell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdrmbrSUtc

Super beta. Always tries to "one up" Draper and fails miserably. Now when he fails...he blames it on external factors. He NEVER OWNS HIS MISTAKES. Its always this guys fault or that guys fault. He also is terrible with women. Hes similar to Roger's style but 10x the nice guy. Its absolutely brutal. He also seems to be power hungry but in a bad way....he always has to "announce" his accomplishments and is constantly seeking approval...beta beta beta. He also loses a fight to a middle aged british man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM_88FfHcIo

LOL at Roger during the fight.


Harry Crane

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmnkS0e7uo

Beta blood is rampant in this one. Socially awkward and shy. As evidence by clip, he cant even ask for a raise. Roger completely rapes him, yet Harry thinks its an accomplishment. Never really interacts with females and is constantly worried what his superiors think of him.

So there you have it...two examples of men to aspire to be like....and two you sure as he11 dont want to be like.

 

[BigSmooth]

I actually started a topic like this months ago about learning from shows and films but didn't get any responses..

Mad Men is a great show. I'm a huge Don Draper fan. I firmly believe in watching "alphas" on T.V or movies. You can pick things up 10 times faster and more clearer than just reading sh!tty advice on a forum all day.

A few other characters I would recommend watching would be:

Ari Gold - Entourage
Harvey Spector - Suits
Ryan Gosling's Character - Crazy Stupid Love (before he falls for Emma Stone)

I have a whole list of characters...I just need to go find it now.

 

[Mr Wright]

Hank Moody in Californication. Whoever wrote his character clearly understands whats attractive to women because hes got it.

 

[RedZone]

Yea totally. I think every man should study characters like don draper or James Bond. Doesn't mean you have to be them, but you could certainly take certain parts of their personality and adopt it for yourself.

 

[TheCWord]

Hey Exception, what do you think about this real life example?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeES2VTBiM

Check out the comments about the bearded guy. In this video, as is the case in all WOTE's videos, people rave about how hot this guy is, how he just doesn't give a ****. How do they know he doesn't give a ****? Is it all in the body language? What do you see from Beardo?

 

[TheException]

Hey Exception, what do you think about this real life example?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVeES2VTBiM

Impossible to say. Its a music video and not an interaction. That being said....his body language is much more relaxed and his movements are slow. He's also not staring directly into the camera which creates a certain vibe that "he doesnt give a sh1t".

At the end of the day though....he's a musician and people are going to gush over him. He could have terrible body language and people would still find him attractive simply because of his status.