Mad Men Countdown

The countdown is on. Only five days until the Mad Men Season 4 premiere. Months of anticipation has me concerned that this season can’t possibly live up to the hype. Then again, I thought that after hearing rave reviews about the show before plowing through all 3 seasons this year, and it actually exceeded expectations.

Here are some questions, predictions, and general thoughts on the upcoming season:

Mrs. and I have been wondering when the season was going to take place, and a quick search on the always reliable Wikipedia informs us that Season 4 will start in November 1964, so we’re skipping ahead about a year. I foresee a lot of episodes with themes revolving around the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement.

So is the Betty/Don divorce final? Is she married to Henry Francis? And if the divorce is done, does this mean Don is going to be swinging single now? Does he have a bachelor pad with a leather couch? Will he use baby Gene to pick up ladies at the park?

What new revelations are we going to get about Don this year? It seems like everything has been brought to light, but that can’t be, right? What shadows still lurk in Dick Whitman’s past?

What about Peggy and Pete? Are they ever going to confront the knowledge that they have a child together? After Peggy told Pete about the baby the whole topic was dropped. Are we supposed to assume they’ve discussed this further or are they both avoiding the subject? I see this coming to a head this season. Probably with the information making its way to Trudy, which should make for some uncomfortable moments in the Campbell household.

And speaking of Peggy, um, has she dumped Duck yet? I mean, that couldn’t still be going on a year later, right? His name is Duck for god’s sake. He abandoned his dog. What kind of man is that? Peggy can do better. I see her getting caught up in the british invasion and dating a Paul McCartney lookalike.

I’m thinking that Joan’s husband joining the army as a surgeon last season had to be foreshadowing his going to Vietnam and possibly not coming back. Is this the event that throws Joan back into the arms of Roger? Is she the one woman that would cause him to leave his young (alcoholic) bride?

And finally, will we ever see Sal again? I’m assuming he moved to San Francisco. Maybe he’ll see Don the next time our ad man has an existential crisis that takes him to the west coast.

Mad Men at its core is about change. And we can’t wait to see what changes are in store in Season 4. Did I mention 5 days until the premiere?!