We have a date for the long-awaited return of Mad Men on AMC—March 25—and now we now have a title for the Season 5 premiere. "A Little Kiss," as creator Matthew Weiner explained to TV Guide, has some "synergy with the show so it will pique your interest." If you're assuming the kiss is between Don Draper and his secretary-turned-fiancee, Megan, don't be too sure: "Who says Megan's even going to be part of Don's life?" Weiner said. "He may be back with Betty. One of my favorite scenes from [last season's finale] was when Betty offered herself to him again. And let's face it—those two look really good together." It's true, they do, if you're willing to overlook what a grotesque, neglectful, chain-smoking she-beast Betty grew into by Season 4. So, let's hope that "little kiss" is exchanged elsewhere. Maybe between Roger and Joan, perhaps? Their dynamic might be a different kind of dysfunctional, but at least there's real love between them. (And now a baby.)
In honor of Mad Men Season 5, we thought we'd undertake something ambitious. We're going to watch every Mad Men episode since the first, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and report back to you with our thoughts. We'll offer brief synopses of the plots, point out noteworthy firsts and emergent themes, offer some armchair psychoanalysis, and, finally, grade the episode on a curve. For Mad Men fanatics, consider it a walk down memory lane; for newcomers, it's a conveniently timed crash course. With 52 episodes in all, we'll tackle three at a time, beginning this Thursday, and then continuing twice a week until the Season 5 premiere on March 25.
And, as always, we welcome you to contribute your own invaluable insights in the comments section. So get ready, everyone! TV.com is about to throw a two-month-long Mad Men party! Who wants to get a conga line going through the sales department?
Episodes to watch for Thursday: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Ladies Room," "Marriage of Figaro"
P.S. All four seasons of Mad Men are currently streaming on Netflix, for those of you who happen to subscribe. Otherwise get thee to Amazon, iTunes, your friendly local DVD rental establishment, or, uh, "wherever else" you might be able to see the show.
Comments (12)
Anyone who hasn't yet watched Mad Men I urge you not to give up after a few episodes. It took me most of the first season to really get into it by having now just finished season four I would certainly rank it amongst the best television drama series of all time.
In fact Mad Men is far better when watched on DVD where it is possible to watch at least one episode a day, some episodes can seem a little slow and having to wait a week between each can make it easy to lose interest.
How do you sell a 40 hour marathon of Mad Men episodes. We're gonna need a fancy looking poster, call the art department. And we'll need a slogan to impress the client. The only options I've come up with are: 'Mad Men Marathon, it's toasted', 'Welcome back daddy' (after he's finished watching the marathon), 'Goodbye baby' (for no other reason then now that shrill singing's stuck in my head) or 'Mad Men Marathon: The Champ'.
A thousand apologies for not thinking of any real-sounding, or at least funny slogans.
I like where you're going with this! How about a jingle set to this:
http://youtu.be/Yl51fGMX-yU
YES!!
To anybody who doesn't think Mad Men is the show for them, but would like to at least give it a fair shot, watch the 13th episode of the 1st season, titled: "The Wheel". If this episode doesn't make you fall in love with this show, nothing will.
Brilliant idea you guys! And everyone here who hasn't watched the show, do as Arch says and watch The Wheel, it's outstanding!
I gave up after 6 episodes, but why not?
Excellent idea. But I'll just watch all the season finales in succession.
I'm in!
Great idea! I miss Sal!
Cool Idea! I love it!
That's swell!