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| Jon Hamm |
Welcome to Mad Cap: a daily rundown of every episode of the acclaimed AMC series Mad Men. During this time, I will be compiling my thoughts and highlights as we travel through every moment and season of the Emmy-award winning drama that has come to define modern TV. The goal is to be a refresher on every moment for Don Draper and his band of advertisement executives leading up to the final season. Stay for all of the shocking moments and the brilliant acting performances, and make sure to chime in with your thoughts and criticisms on why the show means something to you.
Season 3, Episode 13
"Shut the Door, Have a Seat"
"Well, it's official. Friday, December 13th, 1963.
Four guys shot their own legs off."
- Roger Sterling (John Slattery)
Plot:
It's time for things to dwindle down. Sterling Cooper is going to be sold along with Lane Pryce's (Jared Harris) company. Don Draper (Jon Hamm), Roger Sterling (John Slattery), Pryce, and Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse) must work to reform the staff and start a new company before the buyout. Through the process of a weekend, they achieve their goal as well as get Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) back on board. However, things are over for the Draper family as Betty Draper (January Jones) decides to fly to Reno and get a divorce without the complicated paperwork. Don discovers Betty's affair when Sterling tells him about it. The Drapers are separate, leaving Don to start a new life as the head of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Rating: 5 out of 5
MVP:
Don Draper (Jon Hamm)
How do you start a new life when your family and business are both on the verge of disappearing? For Don, it requires some desperate measures that result in having to smooth talk to all of his coworkers of the past few years to get them on board. While it plays like a door-to-door salesman, he manages to do everything right and starts up a new company that will hopefully help him to redefine himself. Meanwhile, he is growing frustrated at Betty and her affair with Henry Francis (Christopher Stanley), which allows him to grow even more frustrated. Still, when he works hard for something that he actually loves, it pays off. It may not be a stylish business at the moment, but it's a new start for Don and the company at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, which makes season 4 full of rich potential
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| Left to right: January Jones, Jared Gilmore, Kiernan Shipka, and Hamm |
Best Scene
It is the last moment that the Draper family will be "whole." As Don and Betty tell the kids about the separation, they cannot help but recall the events of the beginning of the season. Don is living in a hotel and Sally Draper (Kiernan Shipka) is frustrated by the whole thing. It is the moment that no family wants to get into, but here they are. With the parents holding it together for the kids, the two children lose their minds with Sally marching off in disgust as Bobby Draper (Jared Gilmore) clings to his father to stay. It is hard because it isn't their fault at all. There was no way to factor them in or out of the equation. It was two childish parents that are now going to warp their maturity. It may be an understated moment compared to the other triumphs, but considering that season 1 opened with the start of unraveling the perfect man, it is a wonder that it still manages to slowly reveal the tragedy of being a go getter with a love for work and play.
Season 3 Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5
While the season ended strongly, I still have issues recalling the first half strong. Episodes like "My Old Kentucky Home" had moments, but were slow regressions of familiar scenes that Mad Men had done better in the years prior. However, once Betty had the baby and the affair with Suzanne Farrell started, there was a stronger sense of purpose for the season. Suddenly the laid back nature reflected a precious feel that the innocence, like the president, is dying. By the end, the baby that was supposed to keep the family together didn't and Don is starting up a new company. If anything, the back half allowed the season to build and get far more interesting in ways that the past wasn't. There's plenty of highlights, including the revelation of Kiernan Shipka, who became a surprisingly effective performer during this season (same cannot be said for Jared Gilmore). However, with the changing tides to come, I am excited to see what is on the horizon, especially as Mad Men continues to be great in understated ways.
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