Re: Mad Men Season 4

21
conkom wrote:I wouldn't be so critical of Ms Jones. Betty Draper is who she is. She is a troubled soul despite her apparent vacuousness. She does have all the depth of a nineteen sixties' model in an ad in a glossy magazine. But in that respect she is perfect.
Agree and disagree. She's fine for what the show asks her to do most of the time, and granted, she's SUPPOSED to be played that way by design, but there are times when the show asks her to do a little more dramatically (last night's ep, much of season 3) and I think it's somewhat obvious she's not as good as most of the rest of the cast.

I kind of thought the writing was on the wall when they cut her role substantially this season.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

22
Any particular thoughts going into the finale?

I don't feel any particular dramatic tension with SCDP surviving because I don't think the writers are going to want to blow up the agency again after just doing that in last year's finale.

I get the feeling that the finale will be something different, maybe something unexpected, but I'm not sure.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

23
The finale has the intriguing title "Tomorrowland".

Don's rather cunning attempt to position the agency as the one which rejects tobacco advertising might suggest foresight on his part. But he hypocritically continues to smoke the substance which will likely kill him, unless of course he gives up the addiction sooner rather than later.

Hard to imagine how they will top last year's series end. It has been a very good season especially as it did a fine job getting a sense of the changes that were occurring in the mid 60s.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

24
Well we have quite the many balls in the air. Really the question is which of these will reach a conclusion, just off the top of my head we have:

1. The company's financial meltdown
2. Don's (dissolving?) relationship with Faye
3. Where will Don end up? Since this season has been much about new beginnings and Don coming to terms with himself, how will we see Don by season's end.
4. Betty's move
5. Sally's unhappyness with Betty
6. Sally & Glenn
7. Pete & his relationship with his father-in-law
8. Joan and her husband
9. Joan's abortion(?)
10. Sterling & Joan

I am sure there are plenty more, just not springing to mind.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

25
With most of the SCDP plotline resolved, I kind of felt that the finale was leading up to a strange left turn, and that was more or less what we got.

It reminded me in a sense of the Sopranos season six episode "Kaisha". Both were kind of clumsy finales that toyed with viewer expectations. The main difference, to me, is that the critical response has been much more positive to "Tomorrowland".

I get the point that Don's decision might be in line with his character or the developments of the fourth season, but... I dunno. It was kind of silly, no?

Re: Mad Men Season 4

26
AJColossal wrote:With most of the SCDP plotline resolved, I kind of felt that the finale was leading up to a strange left turn, and that was more or less what we got.

It reminded me in a sense of the Sopranos season six episode "Kaisha". Both were kind of clumsy finales that toyed with viewer expectations. The main difference, to me, is that the critical response has been much more positive to "Tomorrowland".

I get the point that Don's decision might be in line with his character or the developments of the fourth season, but... I dunno. It was kind of silly, no?
No.

It was a nice understated ending but with clear apprehensions and regrets on Don' part. He acted impulsively sure, but Megan in some ways represents the mother he wishes he had (although Anna probably came close to truly understanding him). The way she calmy dealt with the children's fight at the diner awoken something in Don.

"Kaisha" left us in the lurch and I think that was deliberate. "Tomorrowland" left us thinking what might happen.

What was revealing was Joan and Peggy's reaction. Also Joan's secret was a surprise (not the least to her husband).

Betty quite clearly has regrets.

Cannot wait for next year.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

27
conkom wrote:He acted impulsively sure, but Megan in some ways represents the mother he wishes he had (although Anna probably came close to truly understanding him). The way she calmy dealt with the children's fight at the diner awoken something in Don.
I think I would have felt stronger about the finale if Don's decision to marry her resonated more on some level. For example, Megan representing his mother or Anna (as I've seen other suggest) would be interesting, but there's really nothing in the episode to allow the viewer to make that connection.

I did like the Peggy and Joan scene too.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

28
I didn't find there to be "clear apprehensions and regrets on Don's part," conkom. He was starry-eyed the whole episode; if that was present, they did a damn good job of hiding it.

I'm with AJColossal, I found it to be a disappointment. Their last three finales have been three of their very best episodes. This one doesn't even rate with me. A fitting end to what I found to be their least compelling season, I suppose.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

29
Really Jouster? You thought this season was least compelling season so far? For me that was definitely last season. It had its moments (the John Deere episode, Don telling Betty about the past, and the resolution of Sal), but overall the narrative was completely staggered.

This season was quite possibly my favorite, except for perhaps the first season. I will agree that this one lacked some punch that other season finales have. I think it was a solid episode, but as a finale it just wasn't up to what we expected. And I completely get the comparisons to Kaisha.

Re: Mad Men Season 4

30
I'm not a huge fan of season 3, either, to be honest, but it does have a few of their best episodes. I think the bubble has burst on Don, for me. He's no longer a character I really am invested in or care about, and since he gets 75% of the screen time, and since this year more than ever was about his journey, I wasn't really riveted. Add to that some true dud episodes and, for me, you get the worst season so far. No offense to any fans of the season, of course - it's very possible that I've just reached the end of my interest in the show naturally, and there's always plenty to like about it, even when I don't necessarily like it as a whole.
Post Reply

Return to “Mad Men”