Comparing Serialization In Mad Men And Walter White

Serialization in television has lead to the development of different methods of plot development and two contrasting methods have been the use of either the main characters as the vehicle of plot development for the supporting characters. In Breaking Bad, the main character, Walter “Walt” White is spurred on throughout the entire series to make changes by his own desires once he finds out about his impending death, while the main character of Mad Men, Donald “Don” Draper, often goes out of his way to avoid any changes to his life. Therefore any changes within Mad Men are driven by secondary main characters or external events given that it is a period drama. Don Draper is driven by changes surrounding him, while Walter White drives the changes

Both have trouble marriages and in turn have difficult relationships with their children. They also have mentees with which they develop tumultuous relationships and keep secrets from their friends and family, but the secrets that they keep are for different goals. Walter White’s secrets are kept in the hopes of doing well and eventually becoming successful in the distribution of drugs, while in Mad Men, Donald Draper has already achieved success and refuses to divulge his secrets so that he will not lose what he has worked. In both serial series, the viewer follows these men as keep secrets but the situations from which they start differ, making their paths different. For Don, he has already achieved the success he desired early in life, when he found his ad job, married Betty Draper, and had his children. Once Don has found his success and“everything and so much of it” according to Peggy, he is unsatisfied and tries to find meaning in relationships outside of his marriage (“The Fog”). When he realizes that he is in danger of losing everything that he has worked so hard for, he reconsiders and attempts to find fulfillment in his relationship once more, ending his affair (“The Grown ups”). For Donald Draper, there is nowhere to go because he is already at the top according to social standard, so he does his best to try to keep what he has while also looking for satisfaction in other relationships. For Walter White, there is no where to go but up. He lost his opportunity when he left his job at a now lucrative chemical design form, which he previously thought to be a fruitless effort and works as an underpaid school teacher who is behind on his bills and has a family to take care (“Peekaboo”). His cancer diagnosis spurs him on to make changes in his life which he continues on with despite the fact that his condition is improving (“Over”). He wants