Throwback Thursday: Mad Men season 4 review: I want more!

I have literally done nothing these last two weeks besides watching Mad Men – well, except going to college. But I have skipped everything – even studying at times – to watch the show. I have not watched ANY new episode of any other show, either. That’s how addicted I became to Mad Men. And I can’t say I’m surprised.

Season 4 was probably one of my favorite seasons because SO much happened. (Season 3 will always be my FAVORITE season, though.) In my season 3 post, I told you I’m looking forward to seeing the changes in season 4, and they were pretty exciting. The new agency storyline was kinda kick-ass but, just like the previous seasons, there were things I absolutely loved and things I absolutely hated.

Can we talk about “The Suitcase”?

When I tweeted last week that I was going to watch the episode, I was raided with tweets – the good kind. Everyone just kept saying how this episode was the best, ever. And they’re not the only ones so in love with the episode. This episode gave the show its fourth Emmy in a row (!) for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2011 Emmys. And it’s universally loved by critics, as well. Why? Because of a dynamic duo also known as Don and Peggy.

There has always been this sort of special relationship between those two – no one understood it, and up until this episode, neither did we. Some thought they’d slept together; others thought she was his favorite. She denied it, of course, because she didn’t believe it. He was there for her when she gave up the baby; her mother thinks it’s because of him that she gave up the baby in the first place. She left Sterling Cooper so she could join him in his new agency, even though she could multiple offers from Duck, a man she had a relationship with, with better opportunities. At the same time, though, he still gave her a hard time every time she tried to come up with an idea. He shouted at her and sometimes he disrespected her. When he won the Clio, he didn’t even acknowledge Peggy’s work. She works for the agency; he’s the creative director. He’s the only one who gets the credit.

And then came “The Suitcase,” an episode with explosive Peggy and Don scenes – a relationship that the show has based itself on. Those two make the show what it is. It was like the writers’ reward to the fans; it was epically great.

It was Peggy’s birthday, but of course, Don had no idea. He was worried about a message he got from his secretary; there’s something up with Anna. It wasn’t enough that Peggy had to stay in the office on her birthday because Don needed ideas, she also bumped in to Trudy in the toilet. You know Trudy? The woman carrying Pete’s baby – the man Peggy had a baby with but gave up. Peggy thought it her meeting with Don would only take a few minutes, but it didn’t. She called her boyfriend and told him she was going to be late. But Mark dumped her because he knew what we all did; she’d put Don first, always – even if he disrespected her.

But after knowing it’s Peggy’s birthday and that he boyfriend broke up with her, Don decided to take her out to dinner. They got drunk, and she even saw him puke. But the ultimately amazing moment in the episode was the next morning after they had slept together – no, not hooked up, actually “slept” together. Peggy woke up to see Don’s face startled. He just looked at her and cried. It was more than crying; it was weeping. And just like us, Peggy saw a side of Don she had never seen before. She saw the human beneath the surface; her mentor was breaking down.

At the end of the episode, classic Don Draper is back, fresh – as if nothing had happened the last night. But then he grabbed Peggy’s hand the way she did in the pilot episode. The difference then is that he pulled away telling her he’s not her boyfriend. But at that moment, we knew their relationship is never going to be the same anymore. Whether they like it or not, they’re part of each others’ lives.

As I said before, this episode won an Emmy. But who didn’t win an Emmy for this episode? Jon Hamm and Elizabeth Moss. Both deserved that Emmy more than anyone. I mean, I love Kyle Chandler, a lot. And I cheered for him very hard when he won the Emmy for FNL, but that trophy belonged to Hamm. The most macho man in the world just broke down in that episode – like a baby. How did they not give him an Emmy for that? No one could have been more perfect than Hamm in that episode. Everything about his performance was perfect – the way this man can transform from the self-controlled and witty Don Draper to the weak and damaged Dick Whitman never ceases to amaze me. I sincerely hope he wins the Emmy this year.

A Character I Wanted to Punch in the Face: Joey

There has never been a shortage of sexist asses on the show; they’re around everywhere. But I don’t think any of these characters stooped as low as Joey did in season 4. Joey was one of the new employees in the new agency; he was so cute and I loved him. I mean, remember “John and Marsha?” I loved that between him and Peggy; it was adorable. And then I discovered what a narcissistic asshole he really is. He once thought Henry was hitting on him when Henry told him he’d make a great actor. But that’s not why I wanted to punch him.

Everyone looked at Joan in a different way – the men, I mean. They all stared at her and insinuated how attractive she was. But no one had ever called her on it the way Joey did. He made her seem cheap; he made her look like a whore. He wasn’t attracted to her, but he didn’t respect her either. The writers actually made him say the one thing they knew would make the viewers go crazy, “What do you do around here besides walking around like you’re trying to get raped?” She was raped, remember? He didn’t know that, but we did. I did, so I just wanted to strangle him. And then he drew a pornographic picture of her and hung it to her office. I don’t think any character ever humiliated Joan the way Joey did. It was horrible. She wanted to look strong and act as if she didn’t care, but you could see how broken she was.

And then when Peggy fired him, and Joan understood that all she will ever be to the men is a meaningless secretary even though she practically runs the place. By the way, that’s the episode Hendricks submitted to the Emmys and got nominated for. She should have won if you ask me. But I’m saying that about everyone today.

Favorite Reunion: Roger & Joan

There were many reunions on the show between estranged characters. Ken returned to the gang. Midge was back; I don’t like her, by the way. Don and Betty had this “moment” in the finale when he told her was engaged. Anndd, Roger & Joan.

In season 3, we saw them reconnect, but it was mostly over the phone. They chatted, and it was nice to see them care about each other. But in this season, they really reunited. I loved “The Beautiful Girls,” particularly because of that. The way they reunited was very melodramatic but was very beautiful. Her husband had just been shipped to Vietnam, and she was all alone. She’d just seen Ida dead. And she’d just got mugged. (How evil was the season to Joan, by the way?) So she found refuge in Roger – just once. To be honest, those two have brilliant chemistry. And to be even more honest, Christina Hendricks (and Jon Hamm) have chemistry with EVERYONE.

And then there was this scene when he came over after the whole Lucky Strike thing went south. He was depressed and alone and he needed her; he wanted her. But she wasn’t going to cheat on Greg again, so she refused. But they hugged. And that hug was worth a million words; they both love each other.

This one time that they slept together was enough for her to get pregnant. They agreed that they’d get an abortion, but she didn’t. She kept the baby but didn’t tell Roger that. And the question is: did she keep the baby because it was all she had from Roger or did she keep it simply because she wanted to have a family? I mean, she’d had two abortions before, so we know she’s not against the idea as a whole. What changed? Was it because she saw the woman at the clinic bringing in her child, so she felt old and she felt like she shouldn’t be doing something to her like that? I know I strayed away from the topic, but I’m really intrigued.

I also loved their reunion because we got to see that side of Roger we’d never seen before – the human. Not the sarcastic boss or the man pining over a young secretary. We got to see the real him – the broken man. And I always love it when we get to see the damaged sides of characters, it makes me more invested. I have to say I started liking Roger way more!

A Friendship I Liked: Joan & Peggy’s

Granted, there it wasn’t much of a friendship. But it was in this season that we saw their relationship transform to two people being equals in the job – sometimes Peggy even surpassed her. One of the critics whose review I read about “The Waldorf Stories,” noticed something that actually made me think a lot. To celebrate the Clio, Joan offered to make a drink for both Don and Peggy, but when Joey asked she told him he had legs and he could get it himself. So in some way, Peggy was superior to Joan and that got on Joan’s nerves.

When Peggy fired Joey, Joan didn’t see it as Peggy helping her out. She saw it as Peggy being selfish. Peggy had fired the guy that pissed off Joan meaning that Joan wasn’t strong enough or brave enough to stand up to him, and that didn’t look good, in Joan’s opinion.

However, we got a glimpse of their real relationship and real friendship in the season finale when they both whined about Megan’s engagement to Don. They were both jealous because of different things. Joan was being replaced as the hottie of the agency. She was promoted but no one noticed or said congratulations but here they were dying over Megan. Peggy, on the other hand, felt like Megan somehow took her place. Peggy was Don’s favorite secretary. Peggy was the one girl he loved and cared about in the office. But now there was Megan – who Don wanted to be a copywriter. The scene was acted beautifully and was probably one of my favorite scenes from the season.

Most WTF Moment: Lane’s Father Beating Him With a Cane

When Lane’s father first showed up in “Hands & Knees,” he didn’t bother me much. He wanted to bring back his son to his family in Britain. He was a stern father you could tell. But then he found out he was dating an African-American Playboy Club waitress, and he hit him on the head with a cane.. and stepped on his hand until Lane said, “yes, sir.” It was scary and shocking. I’ve seen parents hit their children on this show, but they never wear grown children.

A Moment That Made Me Squeal: Both Men Holding Joan’s Hands

In episode, “Waldorf Stories,” (which was one of my favorite episodes of the season), Don’s Glu-coat ad was nominated for a Clio. Pete, Joan, and Roger were there with him in the ceremony. When Victor Kiriakis (!!) announced the nominees for Don’s category, Roger grabbed Joan’s hand under the table. And then Don looked at her, asked her how he looked. She said he looked great. And then he, as well, grabbed her hand from under the table. Why I loved this scene? First because it reassured us of one thing: No one can do anything without Joan. Those two very capable men needed her to support them. They were both extremely nervous and leaned on Joan to feel better. It was sweet. Don won, obviously. And after he did, drunk as he always is, he leaned in and kissed Joan, and she was taken off-guard. I don’t want those two hookup, but I was definitely ecstatic about that kiss!

A Storyline That Broke My Heart: Sally Breaking Down

I really grew to like Sally in season 4. We started to see the damage that her douche of a father (sorry, Don. I still love you.) and her ice-queen of a mother had inflicted on her. She became friends with Glen Bishop. Remember Glen? Yep, that Glen – the kid that had a crush on her mother. She ran away from home to her father who didn’t want her – per se. When he wanted to return her to her mother, she fought him hard and then pulled away.. and as she was running away from him, she fell on the floor. Her only refuge was Megan. That’s how bad things were for her in season 4.

What did you think of this season? And are you watching season 5?