With an ominous title like "Shut the Door, Have a Seat," AMC's "Mad Men" was bound to end its third season with some dramatic plot twists, particularly with regards to the dissolving marriage of Don (Jon Hamm) and Betty (January Jones) Draper. But the bigger turn was the dissolution of Sterling Cooper as Don, Roger Sterling (John Slattery) and Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse) teamed with Brit Lane Pryce (Jared Harris) to open a new agency -- called Steerling Cooper Draper Pryce -- taking several staffers with them.
The best news was that the defection forced the team to bring back Joan (Christina Hendricks), who knew where all the Sterling Cooper bodies were buried. The worst was that it all felt a bit contrived, an effort to re-set the series, get Don and Roger back on speaking terms and prepare for viewers to see Don and the team struggle professionally as they strike out on their own. It's not a bad place to aspire to, just a little formulaic in efforts to get there.
Don finally admitted he sees Peggy as an extension of himself but in so
doing he still treated her like something less than a peer. Ken (Aaron Staton) and Kinsey got left behind at the original Sterling Cooper and Sal has still not surfaced. Maybe he's gone for good?
On the home front, it was out-of-the-blue that Don would learn of Betty's dalliance with Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley) from Roger Sterling (John Slattery), although maybe not given Roger's love of gossip. It also cemented Don's renewed relationship with Roger.
Don calling Betty "a whore" was a bit of the pot calling the kettle black and the scene of the talk with the children about their new living arrangements was as painful as one might expect. Don was probably right when he told Betty the kids would be better off with him -- he, at least, shows them some affection while Betty just snaps at them -- but whomever the kids end up with, they're going to need years of therapy.
In the end, Don opted to let Betty go without a fight and viewers saw him heading into his new home in an apartment building. Season four will air next summer on AMC -- it can't get here soon enough.
Posted
Nov 09 2009, 12:01
by
Rob Owen