A Mad Men post

I've been meaning to post something new about Mad Men for a while now. I don't promote or advertise this site in any way but I am vain enough to watch the statistics on the site and my posts about the show remain the most popular I've ever written. For example, two or three people have come by to read this post every single day since it went up.

And these always-popular posts have been even more so lately. So I've been casting around for something to build a series of posts around. I haven't found it yet.

What I did find was The Last Psychiatrist writing about the relative importance of characters in the Star Wars movies and he passes along the following:

Lucas said that the movies are driven by the character R2D2; not that he is the most important, and not because he saves everyone at various points, but because he provides the impetus for everyone’s actions. This makes R2D2 the perfect Macguffin; inexplicable but desirable, pushing and pulling all the characters. 

And so I ask you a question, is there anything in that description of R2D2 that isn't also true of Don Draper?

Okay, not new: I have been saying that Don Draper and his secret past are a Macguffin for a long time now. But think about it: "inexplicable but desirable, pushing and pulling all the characters" is what the man is.

If you want to understand the show, don't look for the explanation in him. Look at Peter and Peggy, they are the keys to the show.