Amph [MAD MEN] Guy walks into an advertising agency...

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The wait is finally over! Mad Men returns tonight for its fourth season, which looks to continue and reboot the story of Don Draper and his New York ad agency. It has been getting a lot of hype over the past few weeks, with Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks and January Jones making the talk show circuit and cover stories on TV Guide and other major magazines. It has evolved from a little-watched show on an obscure network into a cultural phenomenon.

So, season four.

I'll kick things off with a little speculation: I expect we'll see the new ad agency grow and develop, though it will face a lot of challenges competing with McCann and Grey.

I hope Draper isn't just running around from woman to woman. Without the possibility of being caught, there's no tension and thus we won't care. I think Betty will learn that Henry Francis isn't all he was cracked up to be (after all, he did choose to hit on a pregnant married woman). Maybe Greg will be sent off to Vietnam as a medic, leaving Joan by herself working in close quarters with Roger. Will we see Sal again?

Historically speaking, I figure that the season will start in 1965, to bring us to the sweeping changes of the mid-60s. I certainly hope that the show will touch on civil rights, LBJ's Great Society and the opposition to Vietnam. The New York World's Fair was held from 1964-1965 and I wonder if the show will cover this too. And lets not forget the British invasion! Should be a fascinating season.

Fellow Maddicts, gather here to anticipate, discuss and react to the season premier!

 

I might not be able to catch it tonight. Bah.

 

same, grrr. no cable.

i really doubt they'd start the season in '65 and skip a whole year right after all the dramatic changes in the finale of season 3. they'll probably just skip a few months ahead like they usually do. betty might find out henry francis isn't all he's cracked up to be but i'm sure the opposite will also be true. girl has some serious issues. i hope we do see sal, and i'm sure there's more to tell in the joan and roger saga. i'm actually kind of excited to see where they go with lane's character. he really came into his own in the finale last year and i think he'll be a pretty major part of this season.

 

Word of God says Sal won't be appearing again (at least this season), unfortunately. The last time we saw him, it did look like it was wrapping up his character arc.

 

yeah, i mean they do need an art department at the new agency but no way they bring sal in when lucky strike is basically their whole company.

 

Well, the last season was telling us how his original job was becoming irrelevant or at least utilized a lot less, which is why Don gave him the job of directing a commercial.

Also, the speculation I've seen that Joan's husband will be killed/maimed in Vietnam annoys me. He'd be a doctor behind the lines, not medic on the battlefield. I don't know what the casualty numbers were like for doctors who worked behind the lines, but I can't imagine they were too high.

 

There is no way for Sal to return to SCDP if they keep the tobacco account, which they were as of the end of season 3, but he could show up at another agency.

I'm interested to see what new characters they will bring to the show and which people from Sterling Cooper will find their way into the new season. Ken wasn't brought into the new agency, yet he appears here in this promo pic:

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utilized less for sure but definitely not irrelevant. print media is still a huge part of what they do, and before he got the directing gig he was already storyboarding their commercials. i thought it was more that they needed a director and don wanted to give sal a break.

 

I don't remember everything that happened last season but Don is still banging his kid's teacher, right?

 

no he broke that one off after betty confronted him with "the box" while the teacher was waiting in the car.

 

I imagine that they'll take Ken on or he'll be a viewpoint character at McCann. I hope that bearded [archaic feminine hygiene implement] wannabe-Orson Welles Paul doesn't come back.

 

Ah yes, thanks.

 

haha, i like paul. he's basically completely incompetent at everything in life, which i can relate to.

the character who really surprised me with how much i ended up liking her by the end of last season was pete's wife, trudy.

 

I don't know how Paul managed to stay on for over 3 years at the company when his ideas were continuously shot down. What was he doing the whole time?

I hope we see crazy Lois make a surprise appearance, maybe accidentally running over Jane.

 

The teacher was hot.

They should have one of the switchboard women come into a meeting and say, 'I have a message. Lieutenant Colonel... Joan's husband's plane... was shot down... over... the...er...South China Sea. It spun in. There were no survivors.'.

 

Maybe his chopper will get shot down as he is being transported around. Perhaps he won't die over there, but I expect him to go to Vietnam at the very least.

 

He might go to Vietnam. Remember that the only time he mentioned it was just kind of a dark joke on the part of the producers. He said something like "It's probably going to last a while." Yes. Yes, it is. I'm not sure if it was a serious consideration on his part (more desperation regarding getting passed over for Chief Resident); he idly mentioned West Germany as well as Vietnam, though obviously his superiors would ultimately decide where he'd go. Nor am I sure if the writers necessarily intended for him to actually follow up on it. The Vietnam War as it's popularly perceived hadn't truly begun yet-- significant troop buildup didn't start until spring 1965, so he might not have a good opportunity to go until then.

 

Right, but we don't know when this season is going to start. It could begin from early 1964, or late 1964 or skip ahead into 1965. Season 2 skipped over 1961 entirely, so it wouldn't be the first time.

 

Starts Thanksgiving 1964, apparently.

 

Awesome episode. Didn't really feel like a "second pilot," but I didn't expect it to.

-"It's a two-piece, not a bikini." "Did I tell you we're a family company?"

-Harry's not wearing a bowtie!

-I like Jane's friend. Which is weird because I hate Jane.

-lol the reporter comparing Don to Dorian Grey

-"You turned all the sizzle from Glo-Coat into a wet fart. Plus, you sound like a prick."

-"I really wish we had a second floor so I could jump off it."

-So Don sleeps with hookers now? And he's a masochist? Nice.

-Betty not letting Don see his youngest kid? That's cold, Mrs. Francis.

 

I like this show but I feel the pay channels really dropped the ball by not picking this up from the start. More nudity and cursing just make shows like this so much better.

It is like having a really great steak and then told there is no sauce to go with it.

Good show nonetheless.

 

I disagree. There's no need for the gratuitous nudity I've seen in premium cable or the f-word. I don't really have much of a problem with either as long as they're not used as crutches, but to suggest that a program is lacking without them is ridiculous.

 

Best line of the episode:

"Believe me, we all think this is temporary."

BURN.

Well played, Mr. Draper.



Also, I am really glad to see the cracks in the relationship between Henry Francis and Betty. Betty is not handling it well at all. And I can't believe Don's interview at the end of the episode. Gutsy!

I can't wait to see what we see this season historically speaking. Modern history isn't my area of expertise, so I'm kind of vague on the whole thing.

 

The show does not Lack because of what I stated. I just feel it could have been so much better. More of a rant against censorship in general.

If a show like "The Sopranos" had started on NBC or FOX, it would have sucked.

Granted some shows do use nudity and profanity as a crutch. Those shows don't last long.


I always thought the pay channels should do a daily type soap opera like you see on the major networks and throw all the nudity and profanity you could into it. Could be the greatest show in history. Just my opinion though.