Just finished Season 4 of Mad Men...that's it?

[MrMatt]

Meh......I'm starting to think no show should be allowed to go past season 4. The first couple episodes were good, but a lot of the season just really felt like wheel-spinning. Don seems a lot less interesting now, just sort of a flat character. I liked how they used to show him precariously balancing home life & work/mistresses. I get that part had to blow up in his face eventually. But now it just seems like he's a copy of every other ad-man they've had on the show; drunk, philandering, a bit of self-loathing, and no family life.

Plus the failures and slip-ups would ordinarily make it interesting, to show he's human, but they just kept dragging on with lost client after lost client. The whole roger/joan thing popping back up, Don getting re-engaged (I'm assuming he's going to break it off next season), a lot of it just felt like rehashed ideas. I didn't hate this season, but it wasn't that good. I think the only part of the last 5 episodes that felt like vintage season 1/2 quality was when Don placed that ad in the paper. I thought that was the only time he did anything that showed any personality all season, and the show used to be full of moments like that. Go back and watch the episode "Carousel" or "Babylon" and then watch any of season 4, it's disappointing.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Many many shows have great seasons well beyond #4. Mad Men definitely slipped this year, it was an off season. That's no reason to believe that they can't bounce back next year.

 

[MrMatt]

I'm hoping it does...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I don't think it was an off season at all - in fact I think it was one of the best seasons of any show I've ever seen.

 

[purbeast0]

I don't think it was an off season at all - in fact I think it was one of the best seasons of any show I've ever seen.

i agree with this and pretty much totally disagree with the OP.

i thought s4 started out slow but ended up a lot better than it started out.

obviously he doesn't juggle the same family life as he once did, since he is divorced and all. but there was quite a bit of juggling around with his daughter and taking bot of his kids to Cali in season 4 so not sure how you rule out juggling his family life as something missing in season 4.

there was also a lot of confusion on Don's part not sure what he wants with his woman, first with the intellectual doctor chick, then her helping him out and him basically giving her the shaft for some young hotter secretary who is a motherly figure.

there was also a lot of other stuff with him and peggy. i just don't see how you can see his character and this season as flat with all that went on.