The restaurant sequence.
I had a curious thing happen over the winter, it happened while watching the episodic television drama MAD MEN. (Episode title THE GOOD NEWS)
At about the 12 minute mark the characters are having dinner in a small dimly lit restaurant, it features Don Draper and a women from California. As I watched I had the strangest sort of day dream, what if I was in that restaurant, sitting at the table with those fictional people. I wanted to ask these fake TV characters their views about the UFO phenomenon.
This episode takes place in 1965 and the world hadn't been quite as saturated on the topic. I sat there watching, and this narrative played out in my head. I would ask them questions in the hopes of getting some different perspective on this stuff.
This was really odd. I've watched a lot of movies and TV in my life, and that feeling of wanting to enter the fictional scene and ask questions simply doesn't happen. But it did that night, and it was decidedly unusual.
The next scene was them driving home from the restaurant. This is followed by a curious scene that takes place the next morning in the full light of day. Don Draper is seen painting the wall (in his underwear) at the women's house. She sits on the couch and they talk.
Then, at the 21:20 time count the women says something that gets my attention.
Women: "I've seen UFOs."
Don: "You saw a UFO?"
Woman: "Does that scare you? The idea of another civilization on another planet smart enough to find a way to get here."
Don: "It doesn't scare me, but the odds are against it."
Woman: "Well I saw something once, and I'm telling you, it knocked me sideways. I started thinking of everything I was sure was true, and how flimsy it all might be."
Don: "You don't need to see a UFO to know that. That's not a great way to think about things."
So, I had a curious thought where I projected my self into a TV drama. I wanted to ask the characters their views on UFOs, and within minutes I get their answer. I'm not sure what it means, but lemme tell you, it felt strange.
Note that the woman says: "I've seen UFOs" Plural!
Any UFO investigator would ask why has she seen more than one. The implication would be that she might be an abductee?
The 1966 publication of
John G. Fuller's
The Interrupted Journey matches the time line of this episode. This was the story of Betty and Barny Hill's abduction account, the first such book in any popular form. The title of the episode, THE GOOD NEWS, is often used as a synonym for the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus.
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