Mad Men Season Four

Mad Men Season Four

Cast: Jon Hamm, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Elisabeth Moss, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Jared Harris, Robert Morse, Aaron Staton, Rich Summer
Director: Matthew Weiner
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 45 minute episodes

Synopsis: In the hotly anticipated fourth season of critically acclaimed, multi award-winning Mad Men, we return to a mad new world that's rife with possibilities...

We last left dark horse, Don Draper, when his professional and personal lives spectacularly imploded, with the unexpected sale of Sterling Cooper by British parent, Putnam, Powell and Lowe (PPL) and the breakdown of his marriage to Betty. Throughout the third season, Don and co. faced the harsh realities of dramatic change in their country, including the birth of civil rights and the assassination of beloved President Kennedy, as well as upheaval in their personal lives.

And this time around, the shattering secrets exposed in Season Three continue to reverberate, as the lives of the men and women of newly formed agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, continue to evolve. As relationships are redefined and the characters are forced to face themselves and the world around them in new ways, Season Four questions the traditional norms and simmering societal frustrations between men and women.

With its award-winning ensemble cast the fourth season of Mad Men delivers even more of the sultry, climactic drama that Mad Men lovers have come to crave.

Episode one: Public Relations
In true Don style, over lunch with a reporter from Advertising Age, he dodges the question, "Who is Don Draper?" It seems Don Draper is a man who doesn't like to do business with prudes, later scolding Pete for arranging a meeting with conservative executives from a bikini manufacturer.

Settling in to the new agency, Cooper disparages Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce's new 'tiny' headquarters, and isn't happy with Don's interview and the ensuing lack of coverage for one of their clients, Ho-Ho. Meanwhile Pete frets to Peggy about losing the Sugarberry Ham account. Peggy's solution? Hire actresses to fight over the ham at a grocery store.

Later in the day, Roger interrupts Don's nap to invite him to Thanksgiving dinner. When Don declines, he offers up a blind date with Jane's friend Bethany. "You hit it off," says Roger with a leer, "come Turkey Day, maybe you can stuff her."

On Thanksgiving, Betty and the kids attend dinner at Henry's mother's house where Sally baulks at eating sweet potatoes, spitting them out after Betty forces a spoonful into her mouth. Later, Henry's mother tells him that Betty's children are "terrified of her" and that he could have gotten what he wanted from Betty without marrying her. Don gives his own thanks by hosting a call girl. And, in an effort to placate Ho-Ho and Cooper, Don meets with the Wall Street Journal for a damage control interview.

Episode two: Christmas Comes But Once a Year
It's the lead-up to the silly season and the team at the agency grows with new staff added into the mix. There's also a new client to boost billings when Fred Rumsen shows up offering the agency a $2million account for Pond's Cold Cream. But there's a catch - he wants a job at the agency in return and Pete, his nemesis, must not handle the account.

Meanwhile, Don relies on Allison to shop for the kids' Christmas presents, promising her a bonus for all of her hard work. True to his word, Allison receives an unexpected 'perk' of her role when Don calls drunk - and amorous - unable to find the keys to his flat.

To spice things up in the office, Roger decides to take the Christmas party up a notch when he invites Lee Garner Jr. of Lucky Strike. Roger instructs Joan to change the party's rating "from convalescent home to Roman orgy". And young Sally battles with the effects of her parent's divorce. She tells her friend, Glen, that she hates her home and keeps expecting to see her Dad there. Glen takes it upon himself to retaliate for Sally by breaking into the family home.

Episode three: The Good News
With 1965 just around the corner, plans are made for some well-deserved time off after what Lane declares has been a "magnificent year". Don plans a trip to Acapulco with a one-day stopover in Los Angeles to visit Anna Draper while, to placate his wife, Lane intends to join his family in London.

Joan, however, is most unhappy when Lane refuses her request to take leave while Greg is on hospital duty. Will the news be better from her gynecologist?

In Los Angeles, Don discovers through Anna's niece that Anna has terminal cancer - but she doesn't know it. He's furious that Anna hasn't been told. Will he let the secret out? And when he returns to New York, Don discovers Lane has cancelled his London trip - and split up with his wife. Don takes Lane under his wing, distracting him with a night on the town with booze and women.

Episode four: The Rejected
It's all work - and a bit of play - for the folk at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

Don and Roger tag team Lucky Strike's Lee Garner Jr. to placate him about new restrictions on cigarette advertising, and then on how much the agency is charging him for their services.

Meanwhile, Pete gets a mix of good and bad news in his business and personal lives. Will he stand up to his father-in-law and land the lucrative Vicks cough syrup account?

Peggy gets to test her 'indulge yourself' concept for Pond's with a focus group of secretaries. During the session, things get uncomfortable when Allison tells a few home truths as Don, Freddy and Peggy watch from behind a two-way mirror.

Later, Peggy meets Joyce, an assistant photo editor at Life magazine, and joins her at a nudes photographer's party that's full of surprises. And Don gets a new secretary, and this time there's little chance that he'll sleep with her...

Episode five: The Chrysanthemum and The Sword
Don and Pete try to get the agency's motor running when Honda expands its operations from motorbikes to include automobiles. But Roger puts a spanner in the works, openly protesting to working with the Japanese company following World War II.

Don and the agency face competition for the account from rival agency Cutler Gleason and Chaough, which has picked up the Clearasil account. Don thinks tactically, inspired by the book The Chrysanthemum and the Sword to outwit the enemy.

Meanwhile, Sally's behaviour continues to alarm Don and Betty, with the little girl chopping off her hair when Don goes on a date. As expected, Betty reacts strongly when she sees her daughter's hair. And, after another incident, this time at a friend's slumber party, Betty considers sending Sally to see a psychologist.

Preferring his life as a 'closed book', Don asks Faye why people need to talk about everything and she explains that it makes people feel better. Don goes on to admit that he feels inadequate as a parent.

Episode six: Waldorf Stories
Don and Peggy interview an aspiring copywriter, Danny, who name-drops Roger and fires off a round of unimpressive tagline ideas. It doesn't look like he's in line for a job, until Roger reveals Danny is his wife's cousin...

After the lacklustre interview, Peggy boasts to Don about her contribution to the Glo-Coat commercial, confident that her spot will win the coveted Clio Award. Her smug mood soon sours when she discovers that Joan will be attending the glittering awards to charm prospective clients. Meanwhile, Peggy faces a weekend cooped up in a hotel room working with Stan.

Before the ceremony, Don and Roger prop up the bar at the Waldorf-Astoria where a stray comment from one of Ken's clients makes Pete believe the two agencies will be merging. Don is preoccupied with a fellow lady guest who ends up in his bed.

The morning after, Don wakes beside a different woman, hung-over, Don answers a phone call from an angry Betty - he missed a play date with the kids.

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