MAD MEN - "Tomorrowland"

The 4th season of MAD MEN has really been a season of change, with all the characters being in some state of flux. They've all had moments of trying to define who they are in the agency and outside of it. They've changed in ways both big and small, both deep and superficial. So it's only natural that the season (and an episode titled "Tomorrowland") ends with some giant steps forward, and the characters looking into the future, instead of the past.

As soon as Don asked Megan to go with him and the children to California, I think we all knew what we were in for. But that doesn't mean that the storyline didn't offer up surprises and rewards along the way. Sure, we could tell Megan was good with kids in "The Beautiful Girls" and she was smart enough not to expect too much in "The Chinese Wall" but there was a warmth and intelligence to her character here that was only hinted at before. She knows what Don wants the second he knocks on her door after she returns from a night out (in fact, it was the first thought that went through her head when he asked her to go in the first place), she teaches the kids a French song and reacts calmly when Sally spills a milkshake, and, most importantly to Don, she's dismissive of his past and tells him she knows who he is now. I expected Don to ask her to marry him by season's end but I didn't expect it to seem like a pretty good idea. Sure, there's something cowardly in giving Faye the boot. She knows Don's past and has seen him at his most vulnerable. She basically tells Don to "get over it and move on" in the beginning of the episode, only I don't think she expected it to be away from her. But Megan makes sense for his family, something I think Don probably tells himself is a big reason why he chose her.

Peggy's season arc was nicely completed with her acquisition of the Topaz account. It showed her fulfilling Don's expectations of her, she took control of the situation and nailed the pitch almost completely on her own. She's autonomous and confident in that meeting, which is what Don has been looking for from her this season.

The last 20 minutes of the episode were so cheery and positive I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. I almost thought Matthew Weiner and co. had stooped to a dream sequence until Peggy and Joan had their glorious tete-a-tete, giving voice to the audience's own doubts. Don's announcement almost perfectly undercuts Peggy's moment, not only does his news trump hers but Joan plants the seed of Megan becoming a copywriter. As if that's all Peggy had to do to begin with.

Unfortunately for Betty, the future is not looking too bright for her. I actually think her role this season was the perfect size, there's only so many times Weiner can show what miserable person she is before it gets redundant (aka Season 3). However, what little screen time she did have managed to slightly deepen her character, if not make her more likable. And her manipulative attempt to reconstruct her relationship with Don was both infuriating and heartbreaking. It's interesting to see their roles reversed, Don is the one looking foward, unafraid, and Betty is the one regretting her past.

And so ends one of, if not THE, best seasons of MAD MEN. This is now two seasons in a row that the show has ended on a positive, hopeful note, which is both shocking and a relief. There's enough dark that the light feels justified, and after a season with Don seeing rock bottom it's nice to see him bounce back and be happy. For now.

Grade: A-

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

- As per usual, any scene where Don is complimentary and warm towards Peggy makes me want to cry a little bit. I'm a softy.
- "Did you get cancer?"
- Speaking of, Roger is left in a weird position. How much longer can his place be justified without Lucky Strike?
- SCDP is far from solid, and the Topaz account surely helps, but we didn't really get much of an idea of where they'll be when we pick up. I assume functional, but how functional?
- Joan DIDN'T get the abortion, as I suspected. I wonder how Roger reacts when she starts showing, hope we get to see that.
- "Well I learned a long time ago to not get all my satisfaction from this job." "That's bullshit!"
- Pete didn't end up with a whole lot to do this season. He had a kid, had some financial troubles and Don saved him. Interesting moments but not really a big arc.
- Ken, also, didn't have much to do except refuse to use his soon to be father-in-law to the agency's advantage. And where was Ray Wise?
- Poor Glenn, can't catch a break.
- When's season 5 start?