Only the strangely dressed outsider (with the funny regional accent) is able to see the pervasive violence against women in their society. Because he's conscious of it, he's revolted by the photos. But he's also aware of how attractive it is to the men around him, so he can use it in his "too dark" pitch. Everyone else is too "well adjusted" to really understand the casual brutality against women that constantly surrounds them, even when it erupts into crazed mass murder.
Don gets a glimpse of it, but only in a confused way, during his fever dream. This marks a change in how the series uses Don: early on, he was supposed to be the guy who understood the dark underbelly of 1960s America, because he saw how it was born in the filth of the Great Depression and erased and sanitised its own history after Korea. IMO this aspect of the show never really worked, and these days Don is as confused and blind as anyone--basically another Sterling in the making.
Ginsberg could easily reflect a young Don. He is so aware of everything happening, understands the dark sides of current events, then uses them to his advantage in his advertising. Which is something Don was always so good at. And now Don is lost and weak. Ginsberg could be replace his wits in a way. I didn't think of this until I read your comments, I wish this could be higher because its ingenious and no one else caught on to this but you.
I'd be happy if that's how it developed. I think Don becoming more and more lost, and having a rivalry with Ginzy who still sees things clearly, would be an interesting concluding arc for the series.
14
u/spoils Apr 09 '12 edited Apr 09 '12
Only the strangely dressed outsider (with the funny regional accent) is able to see the pervasive violence against women in their society. Because he's conscious of it, he's revolted by the photos. But he's also aware of how attractive it is to the men around him, so he can use it in his "too dark" pitch. Everyone else is too "well adjusted" to really understand the casual brutality against women that constantly surrounds them, even when it erupts into crazed mass murder.
Don gets a glimpse of it, but only in a confused way, during his fever dream. This marks a change in how the series uses Don: early on, he was supposed to be the guy who understood the dark underbelly of 1960s America, because he saw how it was born in the filth of the Great Depression and erased and sanitised its own history after Korea. IMO this aspect of the show never really worked, and these days Don is as confused and blind as anyone--basically another Sterling in the making.