TV: Ambition as a Character Trait

“Even though success is a reality, its effects are temporary. You get hungry even though you’ve just eaten. […] But what is happiness? It’s the moment before you need more happiness. I won’t settle for 50% of anything. I want 100%.” – Don Draper, Mad Men 5×12, “Commissions and Fees”.

“I want everything too much.” – Rachel Berry, Glee 1×08, “Mash-Up”

There’s something really powerful about looking at a television character and seeing yourself. It’s a powerful feeling, of being recognised and legitimised by something greater than you. It goes right down to basic representation of minorities and women, sure, but it effects every viewer whose life is depicted, represented, on screen. How those traits are expressed are a reflection of societal attitudes of people, and what they mean for those being depicted.

So in the wake of the most recent Mad Men, which had lots to talk about, I’d like to talk about the element that worked like a mirror, showing me a reflection of myself, and how that trait is depicted in television: ambition.

Survival of the Fittest: The 2011/2012 Television Season

This season of television was pretty good. There have been some excellent shows, and some downright terrible ones. The overbearing theme of this season, for me, was impatience. I finally gave up on shows I’ve been losing interest in for years, and even found myself hesitant to devote my time to new shows. I was so busy, there was a proper culling of the herd.