The best show on television just started its fourth season. Were you watching? AMC’s Mad Men premiere picked up just where we left off at the end of last season. Well, not exactly. A year has passed, it’s now 1964 and the monumental changes that occurred last season, notably Don’s divorce from Betty and Sterling Cooper, have had time to mature.
Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is no longer officing out of a suite at the Pierre Hotel, now they are located at The Time & Life Building on 6th Avenue. Parts of “Public Relations” felt a little too ________. There were too many winks, felt like a leer. The grand introduction to the 6th Avenue offices with a musical score straight out of 2003′s Down With Love was pushing it. A bit. The repeatedly vocalized Don Draper love caused me to question my own crush on the man character, after all no one wants to be told that they’re head over heels for someone. Thankfully Don’s imperfections, like rough sex with a whore, remind us that he’s no Prince Charming (though he is quite charming). More on Don later.
Later. Peggy still doesn’t have Don’s respect and her shenanigans in tonight’s episode didn’t help her cause. I hope that Peggy’s ”methods” aren’t a sign of the times, those darned ’60s, PR stunts are just plain sneaky. If you’re going to sell me something I apparently don’t already want at least have the decency to do so in a traditional advertising medium. By the way I think I’ve come to the conclusion that BMW is the ultimate driving machine, has anyone else ever felt this way? Where was I? The divorce! Betty did in fact marry Henry Francis in Reno and now they have a blended family. Honestly when Betty and Henry started gettin’ busy in the car, in the garage, I sorta hoped they’d forget they had the engine running (HA!) and maybe peacefully fall into that eternal sleep because I don’t really care for either character. Does that make me cruel? Do you like Betty or Mr. Francis? If so, what am I missing? Meanwhile Sally Draper reprises her role as Problem Child. You know who I’m glad to see again? Joan and Roger, those two are just swell.
Then there’s this Don character, don’t know about him. Read an article about him in Advertising Age and he sure seemed like a prick. Seriously unless I’m completely out of the loop I’m going to side with Don on the missed opportunity with the Ad Age interview- the interview should have been with The Wall Street Journal from the start. After all we know that Don had a great year (don’t you wanna see this television commercial he created?). I call that fake drama and it did not get me through the episode. We have felt the threat of Don’s secret life much greater in past episodes and really does anyone think Richard Whitman could hurt Don now?
Would someone explain to me the second floor? Was it all just a boob joke?
The Nashville Teens’ Tobacco Road carried us into the closing credits, might have to visit iTunes…
So did I like “Public Relations?” Yes. I know this because I wasn’t ready for the episode to end. Were you?
A few quotes to get us through the week-
“A wooden leg, they’re so cheap they can’t even afford a whole reporter.”
“You have a great bikini, I’ve spent some time with the catalog and I would say ‘no concerns at all.’”
“Do you want women who want bikinis to buy your two piece or do you just want to make sure women who want a two piece don’t suddenly buy a bikini?”
“So how are your balls, you enjoying yourself?”
“wet fart”
“I learned a valuable lesson, stay away from one-legged reporters.”
“jai alia”
