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The King Midas Touch
We're back to Greek Myths again. It was Oedipus before, now we're on King Midas, whose most famous story is the one where he is granted a wish because he'd been kind. He asked that everything he touched would turn to gold. Getting his wish he soon found this problematic as everything he touched including food, friends and his daughter turned to gold.
Take note that the Lucky Strike account returns in this episode to reinforce the gold theme. MadMen has a lot to say about our pursuit of gold, either our hope for a lucky strike or our wish for that golden touch. Everyone, it seems, wants to live like a king, but once we're in that role, very few of us care about being a good king.
Connie, for example, says he wants to be a good king, a compassionate humanitarian, but his vision of how to do this (putting a Hilton in every country), pales in comparison to the words of another "King" on the radio talking about achieving true equality. It's especially ironic that King Conrad wants to bring democracy to the world when America, at this time, isn't offering that to many of its own citizens.
Conrad's fear that he's become King Midas is well founded. People, including Don, are at his beck and call only because he has the Midas touch, and that touch takes away everyone's humanity, including the King's. He bullies Don, and Don, in turn, bullies others. The moral of the Midas story, we're reminded, isn't just "be careful what you wish for!" It's also about being careful that one's pursuit of gold doesn't make you lose your humanity. Real wealth in life is to be found in the human touch, not the golden touch.
Oh, gods of AMC! Please grant our wish. We have learned the wisdom of Matt W. and we will not take for granted a fast internet site that shows us our posts once we post them and doesn't trick us into thinking that they didn't post so we end up posting twice...a MadMan forume that, dare we dream, might have an edit/delete feature?
Please, gods of AMC, hear our humble plea. Now that you've been granted the riches of Emmys and advertisements for MadMen, won't you grant us, it's humble fans, a forum worthy of its glory?
FANTASTIC thread Thirteen!
I always forgive the double posts....it's not our fault.
Wasn't Conrad Hilton legendary for being rather a cheapskate? He was only going to leave his children a few hundred thousand dollars until Barron Hilton challenged the will...I think that's how the story goes. Perhaps he donated a lot to charity, which is the only way I figure he cared a lot for humanity. The average wage earner probably couldn't afford to stay at "The Hilton".
He certainly is rude....calling Don at all hours. How is the man supposed to design a brilliant campaign if he doesn't get any sleep?? Oh, I forgot....Don likes to drive around at night anyway....tsk, tsk.
Hilton: Whether over Paris, Rome or Tokyo...the moon always glows American. :)
Great comments 13! You are exactly right.
Another thing I noticed was Don's sales approach was going so well but in the end he didn't "listen" to what Connie wanted. As you wrote so well, he wanted the "human touch".....not a Madison Avenue sales pitch. He wanted a father/son relationship from a guy from coal country in Pennsylvania..........he wanted the "moon"...a connection with his vision.
When I was young back in the 60's my Dad traveled a lot on international business in many strange places and he was homesick a lot. He told me it gave him comfort to look at the moon at night and know the moon over Africa was the same over Ohio.
That's a nice story about your father E-roc.
Funny how Midas turns his daughter into a golden statue. (He'll always have Paris!)
In the story I read as a child, doesn't Midas get a second wish? He jumps into the river and gets water to pour over the girl, returning her to flesh and blood? He learns that the gold in her hair is the only thing he values, after all.
Will Don ever have a similar epiphany?
Excellent as always 13. Brand new here and now I see what people are talking about when they criticize this site. One must forgive double postings.