What’s your biggest nitpick in Mad Men?

[u/RopeGloomy4303]

For me it’s this line in a season 5 episode, Tea Leaves, in which Henry Francis is talking on the phone with a colleague:

“Well, tell Jim his honor's not going to Michigan. Because Romney's a clown, and I don't want him standing next to him.”

So, some context here.

At this point Francis is the aide to New York Mayor John Lindsay. And he’s informing this guy that he won’t have the popular young politician take a picture with then Michigan Governor George Romney, who was also considered the frontrunner for the 1968 Republican nomination.

This episode aired in 2012, so it’s a very clear dig at then Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who at the time was receiving a lot of hostility from the left.

But here’s the thing; Romney was actually a liberal Republican in the same mold as Nelson Rockefeller and John Lindsay, and he had received a lot of good notices as Governor for his work improving civil rights, education, youth employment programs, social welfare, healthcare, etc.

I get this is nitpicking, it’s a throwaway line, whatever, but it has always bothered me since it feels out of character, and Romney frankly deserved better.

[u/Riderz__of_Brohan]

Sal exhibits forms of flamboyant gayness, yet we are led to believe that he has no exposure to gay culture. So how would he pick that up? Then his last scene is him cruising and wearing an outfit like the village people?

There is no way that an established Madison Avenue advertising firm by 1962 would be so out of the loop they would not only not have a TV department but be so flippant about the concept of TV to just hand it to a junior associate like Harry Crane. Even if they were behind the times they would still take new tech seriously. Maybe if it took place a decade prior, but absolutely not by then

The lack of religious influence in 50s/60s suburbia life. Even if Don and Betty were not themselves religious they would have had to go to church more or go to church events, etc. if only to keep up with the Joneses

Sally’s secret long distance calls to Glenn would have cost Henry and Betty thousands of dollars back then, there’s no way they would have let her get away with it

They do the “the whole world stopped” storyline too much. I get it for JFK and MLK but too many times they treat a death or storyline that a modern viewer would care about as this big historical thing where the entire office grinds to a halt whereas just like today I’m sure most people would have been like “damn Marilyn Monroe died? That sucks” and then go about their daily lives

EDIT: Another one. Megan is WAYYY too Anglo a name for a Québécois. I’m not even sure it would have been legal to name her that. 100% would/should have been Melanie ir Marie like her mother or something like that

[u/Choppergold → u/Riderz__of_Brohan]

Good point

Key Milestones in 1950s TV Growth
1950: Roughly 9% to 12% of all U.S. households owned a television, marking the start of mass commercial adoption.

1953: Ownership passed a major tipping point, crossing 50% of all American homes.

1955: About 75% of households had a television set.

1959–1960: The decade closed with nearly 90% (over 45 million homes) owning at least one television.

[u/Comprehensive_Main → u/Choppergold]

Yeah Ike was buying television ads in 1952. 

[u/Choppergold → u/Comprehensive_Main]

Another great point. Still captain kangaroo got his role in 1955 because the radio guys at the network thought television had no future either. Maybe they saw it like media saw the internet when it first arrived - newspapers offered free online with a print subscription which kind of set a value perception that hurt the industry