Of course, not EVERYONE misunderstands it. Probably just a sizeable portion. But you know, KZfaq titles and all that.

Don is also infuriated by Ginsberg's self-assuredness. Ginsberg doesn't make any attempt to hide his Jewishness, his eccentricities, the things that society says he should be ashamed of. Don hides everything about himself and his past in order to live the American dream. And it bothers him that someone like Ginsberg can be successful without playing the same game he did.

You left out the smoking gun -- in a prior scene (I haven't seen this in years) Don is shown alone in his office going through past accounts and notices that virtually all of them are from Ginsberg.

Don is the lie. That’s what makes the show so great. You seldom see the real man behind the mask. I love the explanation of this scene.

I know you had to keep this video to a reasonable length but I think the more critical set up to this whole thing of "not thinking about him at all" is the night he spent peeking at Ginsbergs ideas ahead of time and developing his own idea which he pretends was off-the-cuff in their meeting, it shows how deeply he thinks of Ginsberg

One of the many things I love about Mad Men is that on its surface, at least early on, it seems aspirational. Don is just so cool, so suave, so much of what I, growing up in the 80s, was told I should want to be. However, as soon as you start paying attention, you realize it's anything but aspirational. Don is profoundly sad, lost, and frankly a depressing to watch human. Peggy is deeply weird and sort of pathetic, in spite of her skill and grit. Betty is a shell of 1950s WASP Fantasy. Joan is thwarted by the machine of society at every turn. Pete, in a lot of ways is the male version of Betty, the empty and soulless horror of the post-War American Dream. He gets everything he wants, but is incapable of being happy. Love it.

Once Don left Ginsberg's ad in the cab, how could anyone think that Don is a confident badass when he says that line to Ginsberg in the elevator? The only reason Ginsburg is second guessing himself with that facial expression at the end of the encounter is because Don gaslit the shit out of him. Also, if you watch the series up to this episode, it is clear that Don is deeply insecure - I mean just the fact that he adopted an entirely new identity to live what he thinks is his best life, says it all.

Ginsberg is wonderful. His arc really made me feel sad.

Thank you! The common interpretation of that scene bugs me. Although I'll argue I think the misunderstanding of the scene reflects a deeper issue in our society. Namely that internal confidence, coherence and identity is de-emphasized in favor of dunking on people and making yourself look good. The goal isn't to be confident, it's to knock everyone else down and look confident yourself. The inner reality doesn't matter.

This was part of the reason I hated my marketing job, it was more about the ego of the company over actual good ideas. Whatever presents itself and makes the ego of superiors satisfied. As long as the idea or concept is acceptable and the bosses idea that is all that mattered. Especially as the older generation begins to exit the workforce. Great video.

I just adore the character of Ginsberg, especially with the Snoball arc, whereas Don (as most of the suits in Mad Men) are attempting to be suave and duplicitous, Ginsberg is an unfiltered colorful mind, his Snoball pitch worked better because it's a drink for children! Ginsberg's visual is hilarious, while Don's piece is trying to lean more on looking cool and clever through an unmentioned pun.

The “I don’t think about you at all” is a reference to a conversation between the protagonist and antagonist of The Fountainhead. It’s a truly epic shutdown of a self described megalomaniac. Here it appears to be twisted around to a false bravado.

I love how they repeatedly cut to Peggy's face during the feedback meeting. She clearly thinks Don's idea is awful and is in shock that everyone is humoring him.

Very well done examination. It's all the more interesting because it tells you exactly why the show is popular. Some folks watch Mad Men and instantly pick up on the subtext, that Don's image of success and confidence is all smoke and mirrors. That's clear from episode 1, and it only deepens throughout the series. It's emphasized again and again as the entire statement of the show, on both a microcosmic and macrocosmic level. But there's a huge audience out there that just wants the image. It's not that they don't know it's an image. But for many, many people, presenting an image of strength is the same as being strong, presenting an image of confidence and success IS confidence and success. The image is the substance. What's beneath doesn't matter. It's weakness. And the goal of life is to hide it, to bury it. So they see Don's story as the struggle to find the strength to maintain the image, to bury his weaknesses. Just as Don himself sees it. So when he puts Ginsberg in his place, to these viewers, it doesn't matter that Don is lying when. It only matters that the stone-cold line is the ultimate shut-down. The true horror of humanity is that a huge portion of people aren't looking for truth, or self-acceptance, or healing. They're looking for strength, confidence, and success. And the parts of themselves that get in the way of that are to be repressed, or blamed on someone else. So when they watch Mad Men, or Breaking Bad for that matter, they see a very different show. And the thing is, we're all guilty of enjoying the power of Don Draper's image-making. The thrill of seeing Don prevail through self-delusion and seductive lies is undeniable. But when Don makes an ad that tells us that whatever we're doing is okay, we all know it'll end in cancer. But some of us just want to hear that we're okay, even though we're not.

Mad Men is a great show, but Don Draper is a character that left me feeling enormously sad almost every episode. He was such a flawed man. Yes, very "cool" and brilliant in many ways, but someone whose weaknesses and self-destructive tendencies took almost everything he loved away from him. Jon Hamm and of course the whole creative team behind the show did incredible work.

YES!!! Another mad men video, so excited you’re doing this.

Don does the same thing in "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" when a New York Times reporter quotes Ted Chaough, saying "Every time Don Draper looks in his rearview mirror, he sees me," and Don replies, "I’ve never heard of him,".

Ginsberg is one of my favorite Mad Men characters. So much so that I wrote a short story about him. Тhis scene is pretty straightforward, I think the only people who misunderstand it are those who don't watch the series. Don Draper is a typical "literally me" character and you'd have to be pretty dim to miss all of his antagonistic traits. There is this new childishness in movies and series that prevails in the last decade which is indulged by big studios out of unsurprising desire for profits, but one of the key ingredients to a great story still is a flawed protagonist. You can't have the story progress if the character is perfect, but especially on the internet and in the media we see a huge trend of viewers who seem to be missing this point. The thing is Mad Men is so well made and unlike movies with antagonistic leads has much more runtime to delve into the meat of the characters, you really have to be stupid to miss the context that makes this scene much more meaningful than a simple "sick burn" moment... Especially the scene where he leaves Ginsberg's idea in the car is such a bad look for Draper and shows his true colors. The elevator scene just seals the deal as in "oh yeah, Draper is an absolute tosser". And it's not like there aren't beautiful scenes that really help you relate to the character either, he's just not two-dimensional and black-and-white, he is a complex character. All of the Mad Men characters are really... even the most charming ones have their 15 minutes of shame moments.

God thank you!! I have been so vexed by how people just don't understand this scene. People interpret it as some badass Mike drop moment but really it is one of Don's pathetic and petty moments!

It was a true representation of poor leadership. A leader doesn’t have to have all the ideas, they have to know how to manage their teams and leverage their creativity and talents.

Its funny how when I first watched the episode, I understood it. The show makes it quite clear that Don cares about this a lot, and that Ginsberg's words were true. But when I watched the scene randomly on youtube, it felt totally different. It really seems like Don "owned him"

Out of context, the line is a slam dunk comeback. Which is why people love it. But you're right, anyone who knows the show knows Don is lying in this moment.

It's very similar to the case of Peggy and Don arguing of her idea that made him win an award, and she just wants from him to recognize her while Don was falling into a complete downard spiral. Taking out of context people assume Peggy is only a snowflake while Don "says facts" about she will have her moment and that's why she was paid for (while their whole relationship wasn't never impersonal). He tried so hard to convince her and himself that he still had control, and splits their relationship in half because she knows he is at the verge and only authority is what keeps him afloat and not his creativity prowess. This series is just brilliant.

I always thought Don was speaking the truth in the way that he wasn't thinking about Ginsberg as a person, but more the work he's able to put in, like Don is thinking about his skill and talent, but not actually considering Ginsberg's feelings outside of that. Thanks for the video though, I appreciate the clarification!

This show has a special place in my heart.

Great stuff. I always thought the writers really screwed it up by deciding to just make Ginsberg have a psychotic break for no particular reason. If I was writing the show I would have had a longer arc where he gets fed up with the WASPs and advertising and takes a job working for the Eugene McCarthy campaign or starts doing art full time for the Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam or something like that.

Don clearly wanted to prove himself as still top dog after looking thru ginsberg's folder on a weekend before. He saw it and laughed, then instead of going home, he stayed and came up with the devil bit. However, Don was still going back and forth in the cab. Looking at both and deciding even as they pulled up to the meeting. So although it was clear Don wanted to use his idea, he was still thinking if MG's was the one to use.

The real shame was that the two campaigns could've worked in sequence. Start with people being hit by snowballs from a mysterious thrower. Then, when the public has been hooked wondering who is throwing the snowballs, reveal that it's the Devil just having a little fun.

Keep the Mad Men content coming!!!

Roger had a similar moment with Pete, only Roger seemingly did the opposite of what Don did by letting go. The scene with him giving Pete those skis demonstrated it all....

Never ask a woman her age A man, his salary Or *Jon Hamm why he transferred from the University of Texas to the University of Missouri*

I havent watched a single episode of mad men, i just watch the video to see your interpretation of any scene. There always something to reflectionate about

I thought the most quoted line was "Not great, Bob!"

I was thinking the most quoted/known line was THAT’S WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR! Lol. There’s a yt video of Don just saying What too….after I saw that I couldn’t get out if my head how much he does say What? Great analysis!

I think people confuse the tone with Casablanca's ‘I suppose if I gave you any thought at all I wouldn’t like you'

The lone “I dont think of you at all” is from the book The Fountainhead.

Yeeeeees!!!! Please, PLEASE do more prestige TV content, I've loved every one of these so far.

Thanks for this video. That elevator line from Don was such a wonderful use of irony and why I loved that show so much. It was frustrating to see the meme of it saying the opposite.

This wasn't the clip I was looking for, but you got my view because the description cited 13 Sentinels tracks and I was curious how a Mad Men video would be using them.

This context matters a lot, thanks

Yep, it'a a savage line by Don, but I always thought him saying that was an L. Like you said, of course Don thinks about him. So it was just a deflection because what was said hurt him. Also, I always felt the "one who knocks" scene was also clearly an indication of Walt's solidified villanism. I feel like people who think it was a "cool" or "savage" moment from Walt also can identify that it was not a good one too

I agree to the things said in the video. But there is an additional layer after all that, where Don came out on top. Layer 1. Where viewers only see the cool one liner. Layer 2. That is explained in the video, where Don is actually taken back and Ginsberg really hot under his skin. Level 3. ...is that Don - in the elevator - actually showed an example why he is the best of the two. As someone that has worked against advertising agencies since the 90s, i can assure you that Ginsbefg would have been burned in less than a year no matter where he worked. Just coming up,with good ideas isn't enough. Even coming up with brilliant amazing ideas isn't enough if you cant work them. And that goes for every creative craft - You can be the worlds most brilliant ad man, sculptor, painter, pastry chef... whatever - if you can't promote your idea, sell your idea, and bring your idea from start to finish... Then you haven't got all that it takes. Ginsberg spits out ideas like a machine gun ("I've got a thousand of them!") . But he hasn't got the skill or the personality to land them. Don does. He has the manners, and the rhetoric, the timing and the skill to know exactly where to strike home when he wants to make a point. And in the same way, Ginsberg spits out half accusations and half insults at Don in a frantic rate in the elevator. But that doesn't give Ginsberg a win, because he isn't good at that. He isn't selling it... Don is. Even if it is an act, he casualty delivers his "one liner" that crushes Ginsberg, and walks away a winner. At least in his opponents eye. That is a needed skill in advertising. Call it Fake it till you make it, or whatever. But if you can't drive home your creations, you realy arent the entire package. Don does all and more, and that's why he is sitting in the corner office.

I mean I have to watch it now, right? Great video AJ.

MY COMMENTS WILL CONTAIN SPOILER FOR THE WHOLE SHOW This is kinda off-topic, but I just wanted to say that Michael Ginsberg is one of my favorite characters on the show and I think that the reason for that is how neat his whole arc is. Almost every little piece of information that is presented during the show come full circle and leads to his tragic end. For example, there is the whole awkward conversation that he had with Peggy about being adopted and being born on a concentration camp. Before he reveals that, he says that he is from Mars. While some people thought that was weird, when I first watched the episode, I thought that he was joking in his awkward way because he was uncomfortable talking about his family. Anyway, what impacted me the most in the confrontation between Don and Ginsberg was his line about how he got a million of ideas. That is one of the reasons his ending is so tragic to me. Oh, and I would like to thank you. It was your video about The Wheel episode that made me watch this show. I’m also watching Attack on Titan partially because of you, although the main reason is the controversial ending that made me curious.

It's a great dramatic choice in movies or TV to say the opposite of what you're truly feeling inside. I actually use it in real life on occasion when somebody says something to me and I'm not quite sure what to make of it and so I go with the most dramatic opposite choice in knowing what somebody is truly feeling internally.

It's funny how the ads are framed in the meeting at SCDP. The one they vote for is bigger and Don's noticeably smaller.

Interesting how the devil in Don’s ad looks as if he’s riding in the back of car, just as Don was when he left Ginsberg’s idea behind… “THis Could Change Everything.” Indeed it did.

Excellent analysis. Thank you!

I think you're missing another angle. Don may have chosen his for another reason- sellability. He understands and can articulate it better than Ginsberg's idea.

One piece that aligns with what you're saying - Matt Weiner said that he always envisioned Don dead by the early '80s, a victim of hard living and stress.

Draper was a ball of insecurity wrapped in a cloak of cool smugness (and some real ethical/values challenges as well ) it took the back of the fridge guy to help put things in perspective and balance him out.

Ginsberg totally needed to be put in his place. He was starting to walk around that place like he was their savior

LETS FUCKING GO BEEN HOPING FOR ONE FOR LIKE A YEAR !! And thanks cus ur video made me watch mad men initially 👍👌👌🤩

I had a similar thought for this and the "I am the one who knocks" scene. The context changes the read so completely.

I loved the episodes where Don would journal his thoughts. really gave a good insight into his way of thinking more, which I think the whole show could benefitted from if it was tastefully added throughout the seasons

That line was used in "The Fountainhead". Roark to the hack, Peter Keating when he asks "What do you think of me?"

Isn't it great that we have these fictions that generate thought and comment, opening doors to ideas that challenge . long live Art in all its forms.

Bravo !!! Good point I would love more Mad Men Analysis

I think it stands out, with or without context, because the insult attacks that which his adversaries hold most dear; their ego. This isn’t the only time he chooses this line of attack either. I seem to recall him doing the same thing when a reporter asked him to comment on a rival. “On the record? Never heard of him.”

Pete while being a weasel was right about Don too.

At a creative agency the best ideas have to win. Don is insecure, and not caring about junior creative’s input is just bad management and bad business - people will leave if their ideas aren’t even given a chance.

As the saying goes “you don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the person next to you” - Don is running faster but feeling slower.

I’ve watched it 4 times too, and still find new things. Little thing, big things. It’s the perfect show

The Lion in Winter (1968) - Geoffrey : You don't think of me much. Henry II : Much? I don't think of you at all.

Draper made the right decision. Had he thought of Ginsberg’s feelings, they would not have gotten the account

that ginsberg was a creative guy and would have rose very high if his mental health didn't deteriorate but honestly don's idea on this account was so much better

Every boss, ever.

I agree with you 100%, however in Don's favor one must say Ginsberg was clearly not the kind of person thinking for the group; he clearly was a menace to DOn because he wanted his job, he was just as selfish as Don was. So, basically my point, is that it was about a wolf biting the wolf that wants to get him out

I always thought this as well. The moment he purposefully left the other idea in the cab it was obvious.

As someone who's been a copywriter in advertising, I've always been shocked by how the best idea doesn't always win. It's infuriating to have a creative director sabotage an idea before the client even has time to do it. We always went in with at least three campaigns. I know there's at least 100 different schools of thought on the idea of how many ideas to bring to the client. But to bring in just one idea is risky as hell. IMHO, Don leaving Ginsberg's ideas in the cab was one of the biggest betrayals in the whole series.

Excellent analysis of an important scene from my second favorite show of all time, now taken over by Succession.

Awesome video. Very interesting!

DD was bothered which is why it was such a great line. It was a brushback pitch and it was delivered perfectly. The point was to get in Ginsburg's head and to remind him who was in charge without losing his cool. That way he left Ginsburg with enough self respect for him to continue to work productively with DD.

Almost every scene in madmen is misunderstood by most people

I’m thoroughly convinced that this scene is inspired but The Fountainhead where Ellsworth Toowey asks Howard Roark to tell him what he thinks about him. To which Roark replies “but I don’t think of you”. There is one instance in the series where Ayn Rand, the author of The Fountainhead is referenced. Leading me to believe the writes where aware of this scene.

Honestly that scene was good enough that you could come up with the context without having seen the show

It’s funny exactly what you said we don’t understand is EXACTLY what we understand. It’s Bad Ass because it’s a zinger in the moment. Everyone in the type of situation is lying about not thinking of the threat, but if delivered right, the line gets thoroughly under the skin of the upstart.

Nice analysis. Mad Men is a show deep enough so that it pays to revisit/analyse it. And this was thoughtful and made a clear point, well argued. You've got a new subscriber.

Welcome to every ad agency I’ve ever worked at ever.

I also like choice of words used in this scene used by each character. This may be nit-picky but notice how Ginsburg says "I FEEL bad for you" and Don immediately and defensively responds "I don"t THINK about you at all". Ginsburg had only mentioned that he had felt bad for him not mentioning at all whether he thinks about him or not.

Peggy told Don once when she was comparing him and Ted that basically Ted was interested in "the" idea but Don was only interested in "his" idea. I know most consider Don the protagonist of this show but honestly the only person on this show that I personally consider a protagonist is actually Ken Cosgrove. He seems to be the only one with a true moral compass of all the main characters. He never cheats on his wife. He is always honest. He always tries to do what is right and expects it of others. He never tries to prop himself up and even uses a "pen name" to write sci-fi stories that are actually quite good. Compare that to all the other characters and their infidelities and moral shadiness and he's about the only one that comes out at the end with his conscience still clean. I'm not meaning this to sound judgmental or anything of all the other characters. Just an observation. I love the show and honestly I don't even know if the writers themselves wanted us to think of the characters in terms of "good guys and bad guys". There is tons of ambiguity in the vast majority of the series.

It's a good meme, and I'll never stop using it

All it took was a war in ukraine to get us a second mad men video.

It really is the absolute best. I love me some Sopranos and The Wire and all that good stuff, but nothing comes close to Mad Men. It's like reading a huge novel.

Ginsberg then goes a bit loopy and is taken away for treatment. He was no Don as the first few life hurdles caused him to crash to the ground in a heap and that was that. Assuming that if things went better he would not end up in a similar fashion is just totally incorrect as getting some setbacks at work is just Monday-Friday for most people. All roads lead to Rome sometimes.

This line, “I don’t think of you at all,” is directly lifted from Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead when Howard Roark tells Toohey, “But I don’t think of you.”

If I were Ginsberg, I wouldn't let Draper get away with that. I would have worked up a rough sketch of my idea and I'd have taken it to the client and presented it to them in person. I've been in similar situations and I know that what I'm suggesting would be a risk but I'd have taken it.

Very well done analysis.

Everyone gets Don's acting cool here and we wish we were like that too, able to stay composed

Excellent

Snowball is a soft drink?

La mejor serie de todos los tiempos, el personaje principal (Don Draper) es el mejor escrito, desarrollado y actuado que he visto en toda mi vida.

So why the later scene when Ginsburg has a bizarre psychotic break? It only makes Don look wise in keeping Ginsburg at arm’s length.

Ginsburg eventually leveled out and became much happier and more well adjusted

Ginsberg and Don suffer from the same problem, an identity crisis.

Although common issue and reflective in the real world (ie. ego, authoritarian, etc), Ginsberg had a great idea but executed poorly. He should blame himself for not committing all the way and see that his idea and service come to fruition. If he ever became a great salesman, the idea would be conceived and implanted into Don's mind...

The emperor needs to keep his shoguns in check.

When i first watched i thought to myself that Don on thinks only about himself, thus, not thinking about him at all.

I think the momentum of Ginsberg is being overplayed in the analysis - he wasn't anywhere near close to being a threat to Don. But in some ways, that SUPPORTS your argument about Don's pettiness. That even a guy as low in the totem pole as Ginsberg can make him feel insecure. Don never really achieves freedom until the Coca Cola commercial...

Make more of Mad Men