More than just a window into the '60s, Mad Men is a window into how people react to inevitable change. It especially loves to show us how people no longer entrenched in positions of societal or personal influence attempt to avoid the discomfort of their diminishing power: Don Draper turns off a hip Beatles record, Pete begins an obsessive affair, and Roger Sterling cracks a joke.
Huff Post TV compiled a supercut of “Roger Sterling’s Best One-Liners.” (Stop at the last couple seconds if you don’t feel like seeing the visual one-liner of Roger vomiting.) It’s clear that Roger provides genuine levity (“Well, my wife likes fur, but you don’t see me growing a tail”), but what’s most striking about the video is that is also serves as a series-long example of comedy as a coping mechanism. (“They say once you start drinking alone, you’re an alcoholic. I’m really trying to avoid that.”) Faced with failing romantic relationships, decreased professional relevance, and a popular culture that is younger, less white, and less male, Roger’s once-cushy world is crumbling. Go watch the video and take joy in Roger’s discomfort and Matthew Weiner’s brilliance—both set to return this Sunday.