Thank You TV, Thank You Movies. Thank You Mad Men.

Currently watching Mad Men, that AMC show that you've heard so much about that you probably are or are not watching for any particular reason, I know right, that made absolute perfect sense, while being a completely idiotic statement.  As i've grown up I have really matured in my TV and movie viewing, because I find that I still like the same type of shows and films, but the thing thats changed is how much more I appreciate the styles I watch.  Take Mad Men for example, maybe a year ago I would have watched thought it was okay, good acting, interesting dramatic plots, a period piece (which I love) but I wouldn't have been wowed then, and the reason is, is that I might not have stopped to truly watch it, it might have been a passing fad, something that I checked out and watched as i was typing something up, something as a distraction, entertaining, but ignorable, and not because its bad, it isn't in the slightest, at that time I probably would have admitted it was good, and admired it.  In fact i'd probably feel the same way as I do now.  So whats my point?  I seem to contradict myself at every turn so far with what i'm writing.  I think its life, that is the point.  As I experience each new woe, and triumph as I grow up, I love a certain dynamic in television and motion pictures.  I seem to understand the plots more, the character dynamics, their choices, and reprucussion. Yes these are fictional characters we are watching, even biopics, we are watching a dramatic, fictionalized version of a real person.  The people behind all this is the writer, the creator, the god of the piece if you will, who made something from nothing, man from dust, they are creating living breathing creations, whom if occupied by the right channel, right actor, become real undeniable flesh a blood, inhabiting a planet earth of their own devising.  We are witnessing an alternative reality when we view real good cinema, real good television, when we even read a book to a lesser degree (not to knock books, i love them, I read when i can, enjoy it, a whole world created by an author, but this is visual media i'm talking about here).  These are real people, inhabiting if not true to life dialogue, sentiments that are true to life, written by real people.  Mad Men is a perfect example of this philosophy of media, that it inhabits a new universe all its own, in sync with ours.  These people are flawed, dishonest, hurting, bitter, desperate, loving, scared, witless, digusting people, and sometimes one person inhabits all these traits, this is a show that doesn't give easy answers, it gives us the impulse of most peoples natures, it gives us the stupidity of the human race in its most elegant form.  The average horror we can inflict on our loved ones, that isn't murder, or cheap melodrama, but subtle rage built up, burning behind smiles, behind gentle eyes, people with deep sorrows who act professional but want to lash out.  This is a testament to the writers, this is a testament to the actors and actresses, this is a testament to anyone who has a bit part in this show, this is a testament to a director, the orchestrator, the architect, who has the pieces and knows where to put them.  How a show likes this, or Dexter in a different light, can do this, build us this alternative world, with real people, and make one care for them, feel with them, judge them, hate them, love them, empathize with them.  It is shows like this, behind all the sex, allure, beautiful faces, chain smoking, behind all that stuff that reveals something about human nature, drama is a window into ourselves, and if we let it it can make us better people.  Mad Men won't change the world, that is not my point but all good drama, all good comedy, even horror, lets us understand something about the human condition.  If people could accept this, and not scoff or mock the people who see it this way already, maybe this world could be a better place.  Instead many of us are too distant from it, we see silly distractions from these outlets, we don't want to accept that they say something other than executives trying to make money behind the scenes, some shows, i believe serve this purpose.  I think movies, and television, and music, literature, have made me a better person.  And i thank people like the cast, writers, directors, crew of a show like Mad Men for doing that.  These shows, these movies, give us a window into worlds we will never see for ourselves, if more people accepted this I think things would be better.