Another Take By Zac: TV Review: Mad Men 4.8

So I have been hustling and bustling back and forth half way across the country these last 10 days and have neglected reviewing the last two weeks of Mad Men.  Well I am here today to right that wrong in a couple of brief recaps and some bullets about the missed episodes on the site.  Hope you enjoy and I will fully recap/review the final episodes of the season in a timely manor.

So Don seems to be getting back into the swing of things here and I think we can safely say The Suitcase was Don Draper’s bottom.  Don is trying to curb the drinking and writing a nightly journal as he tries to sort himself out on his own and he seems to be having some success.  Beyond toning down the drinking Don’s working out and getting lucky with the ladies.  Bethany loosens things up between them on their latest random date but her putting out is for not as Don finally gets Faye out on a date firmly confirming the beginning of the return of the old Don Draper.  The last bold step of this new Don was to show up to Gene’s b-day party which Henry was firmly trying to keep him out of.  Trying to include his children in his life once again Don seems to finally be getting over the fall out of his divorce and his drunken “doesn’t give a shit,” attitude.

Elsewhere on the show Betty seems to further connect with Henry after nearly falling into a classic childish Betty meltdown.  Set off by running into Don and Bethany on their date she decides to not let Don bother her anymore and let him, rightfully, back into Gene’s life.  Peggy and Joan also make Joey no more at SCDP and deservingly so as he was crass, immature, and uttered one of the worst things said out of anyone’s mouth on the show, “What do you do around here besides walking around like you’re trying to get raped?”  Joan’s plan was cut short by Peggy’s stand up moment, but Joan put all the “boys” in their place when she basically tells them she can’t wait till they are shipped off to Vietnam.

Some Bullets:

-Henry is kind of a douche.  He is polite and formal, but man he is a tool.  Hopefully he lightens up now that he seems to have Betty’s heart and mind fully.

-Love the use of The Rolling Stones in the episode and I think the lack of music at the end of the episode was probably due to the licensing expense of this one song.

-I liked the voice over this week, it was a nice change of pace, but I hope that is the end of it all the same.  There was no real creative out around “listening in” on Don’s diary thoughts.

-Loved how Joey thinks Harry Crane is a closet homosexual, and wouldn’t rule that out of the picture either, after he tried to get him an acting job.

-Enjoyed the not so subtle symbolism of Don throwing his past away

-Loved Don’s sly move to make it look like he wasn’t listening in on Faye’s phone call.

-God I love Joan, she just leveled those guys and Joey deservingly needed to go.  What I didn’t see coming is her ripping Peggy a new one at the end of the episode; though she was completely valid in her observations.

-Faye has mob ties in her family; will the come into play later?

-Don not going up to Faye’s apartment was the perfect example that we have a new and improved Don Draper on our hands.