Ask and 1964 will deliver, with the fourth season of MAD MEN. In the latest incarnation of MAD MEN we’re following our sexist alcoholics through the trials and tribulations of their fight as an upstart ad agency. The show embodies the changing atmosphere of the time, particularly concerning style, that was marked by the British invasion of the Beatles.
The workplace environment at the newly minted “Sterling Cooper Draper (British Guy)” reflects the latest fads and style with office décor and the dress of the hipsters, Peggy (Elisabeth Moss) and some art guy (I couldn’t find out who he was, but he looks exactly like the male lead in SYNDEY WHITE. Yeah, I’ve seen that movie multiple times…).
It is especially interesting to note the evolution of Peggy, who is the modern woman. Her fight for equality may not be completely over, but she has won the war and the few men who don’t know it yet will find out soon. She acts and looks like the female coed of the late 60s, as if she should be preaching about the women’s liberation movement and then going to a kegger. She’s cool, she’s sophisticated and sexually aware. Although Peggy wouldn’t go to a women’s liberation meeting, she would just seize the day and let the other ladies wake up to reality. (I’m writing about you, Joan.) A lot of this power stems from the way Don courted her when forming his new agency, which suggested how important she was and probably solidified her confidence.
Peggy’s unofficial other-half, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), has found his own place as the mover and shaker at SCDP (I think the P stands for Pryce). Campbell is now essentially head of accounts, with the other account men existing solely as names on the door. He’s still as annoying as ever, but he has sort of settled down into a somewhat likeable character. At SCDP his future is essentially whatever he can make of it, whereas as at the old place he was stuck behind Ken Cosgrove. All of this explains his drive and desire, which are limitless because his potential is limitless. Ok, that’s not completely true, because his insufferableness will eventually sabotage him.
It’s too bad for Pete that he could never be Roger Sterling (John Slattery). Slattery takes over the character of Sterling with a new direction, so far as he appears concerned with the trip now. He is working to expand their agency with a passion previously only reserved for drinking and screwing. Granted, he is mostly the classic Roger, who is more concerned with Don’s social life than his work life, even though he is the boss.
Most importantly, though, Roger delivers the best line of the night. When critiquing Don for not giving a reporter enough facts, he says the reporter was forced to make certain “assumptions.” That whole speech brought down the crowd at the Lombardo household, err, apartment, with my mom and I laughing, as my dad shushed us.
In case you’re wondering about the rest of the staff, here is a quick rundown: Joan is basically the head administrator, with some heretofore unseen responsibilities that probably represent more duties than at her old post. We’ll probably see how her dick of a husband feels about all this work, as hopefully we’ll get to watch him walk out on him and hopefully into the arms of Wilt Chamberlin. Seriously, who from the show should she settle for? I think that’s the real problem, which is that any guy would be her settling.
Kinsey, Kenny and the weird foreign duo appear to have not made the cut. Last we saw Pete was chosen over Ken and Peggy over Kinsey, but hopefully they’ll get to join the team in some capacity. Although team isn’t exactly right, they’re form of a family in this latest installment (I’ll get to that).
Henry Crane (Rich Sommer) did make the cut in his capacity as TV guy. I don’t remember exactly how it all went down, but I think he was bullied into joining the SCDP. His first appearance this season was very amusing, as he returned from a trip to California with a quality sun burn on his forehead. His most interesting development, though, was his role in a meeting where a client jumped ship. He wasn’t just a scared member of the family, but more like an aging son whose opinion is now respected and counted.
So about this family dynamic, I really feel like what we have at the office is a family. This is especially evident in the case of Don, who doesn’t really have a family since his wife started banging Henry and winning mother of the year awards. Now Don is defined by his work, more than he was when he had a wife to consider or kids to ignore.
The Partridge family feel sets up like this: Don is the dad and Roger is the wife. The Brit is their cousin, son of the uncle they respect, Cooper. Pete is the Brit’s boy and Peggy is Don’s daughter, which is why he holds her to such a high standards. Joan is the adopted cousin twice removed, which makes it ok for anyone to bang her. The artsy guy is Peggy’s friend who hangs around is part of the family by default.
Considering the convenient way all of this came together it feels like I would be remiss to not make such corny connections. The final product is starkly different than the old agency and the old show.
One of the main changes revolves around the fact that it feels like they’re actually working. The drinking and the smoking is more of a set piece now, and not the only action. It’s almost as if they actually have a reason to drinking, because they’re doing all this work.
For some reason all of this bothered me at first. I felt like it wasn’t being true to the original show, but I realized that the failing was in my part. The show is about Mad Men in the 1960s and this isn’t a static concept. I was clinging to the past in a way that is impossible for a show that takes place in such a turbulent time. So there will be changes, and while people of Sal’s ilk are still left to wander the parks, many others are being implemented and causing noticeable differences.
As mentioned earlier, the biggest difference is the restructuring of Don’s life. He is divorced and living in an apartment, while his ex-wife is remarried to Henry and living in their old home.
The picture we see of Betty and Henry is pretty messed up. Betty is either taking her anger out on her kids or is merely continuing the slow progression of terrible parenting that has marked her tenure during the show. It was nice to hear a character voice the audience’s feelings that Betty is a bad mom. The ice queen appears to be warming to her title in her mannerisms and now manifests her chilly demeanor in her clothes.
Stylistically Betty seems very conservative, with a tendency to reflect the more proper role she is playing as the wife of an elder politico. I can’t articulate the point better than to say, the show feels like it got it right. The evil mother acts and dresses like the prototypical evil step-mom.
Season four of Mad Men seems poised to be a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions, and not just for the slow moving show that is. The success of the agency relies on an ambitious gambit that we’ll follow throughout the season. Additionally, we have the quixotic quirks of Betty’s home life, which includes a rapidly aging Bobby, a husband who can only get it up when the sex is mischievous and a daughter who will most likely need therapy and probably embrace the counter culture movement.
The premier episode set the stakes for what is to come and helped us understand where we are. I’m super excited, and not just because I’m confident that Vietnam will go well this time around. I’m excited because we get to see our characters in new positions that will test them in new ways and allow us as viewers to experience them in new ways.
There is, though, the possibility that the show has jumped the shark. (Editor’s Note: Shut your mouth!) I’m reluctant to say it, but the new show could represent the kind of gimmick that is the product of a desperate show that has run out of ideas. I don’t believe this is the case, but I do think it is a possibility.
Let me close with a reaffirmation of my devotion to MAD MEN. I really enjoyed this first episode last night. At the same time as I’m following the latest episodes I’m watching the show from the beginning with the Ventre clan. Not everyone needs to replicate my cultish fandom, but I would recommend you hop on the train from the beginning. I would even say you might be able to jump on the bandwagon now, because the latest version could represent a fresh start for people a little late to the party. But seriously, bring a lot of liquor and cigarettes. And oh yeah, get ready for it rough, because that's how Don likes it in the sack now....
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