Sterling's Golden Waste of Time
Grrrr.
OK, So I’ve been writing a blog today about fictional characters and their portrayal on Twitter & Facebook but … screw that … I need to get something more pressing off my chest.
For those of you who have been following the latest season of Mad Men, you’ll know that Roger’s storyline features the writing of his memoirs – ‘Sterling’s Gold’. If, like me, you’re a serious fan you would have been excited by the prospect of some Sterling Draper Cooper Price back story to enjoy between seasons 4 and 5.
If, like me, you work in cross media narrative you’ll also be delighted at what was to be such an excellent and simple execution of story world extension.
Except that it isn’t.
‘Sterling’s Gold’ so says one reviewer on Amazon – ‘is a compilation of lines from the actual show.’. What?
I’m actually dumbfounded and hoping I’ve missed something, but from the reviews it seems not. ‘I was expecting a “memoir”, as it was presented in the show. To get 150+ pages of one liners straight from the script was a huge disappointment.’ My feelings exactly.
This is where I would like to rant for a couple of paragraphs about the rape of story and slack interpretation by various IP stakeholders – but I can’t even do that.
It’s repurposed content. Actually, strike that. It’s regurgitated content. A Sterling waste of time.
What a missed opportunity to tease out and seed storylines for the new season. What a chance tossed away!
This is one of the top US Dramas – and the AMC positioning statement is that: ‘Story Matters Here’. They matter on the driving platform apparently, and nowhere else. Their off-air strategy must read ‘Monetize Loyalty’ (wasn’t it supposed to be ‘reward’?).
What the point? Just read the fansite ‘What would Roger Do‘, or watch this.
