Mad Men: Season 3 (AMC, 2009)

[madali]

Mad Men: Season 3 (AMC, 2009)
IMDB Link

The first two “Mad Men” were brilliant and with the third season, the show has no idea where to go.

Thirteen episode seasons are better than twenty plus seasons because they usually have less filler, but with this season of “Mad Men”, even thirteen episodes seemed like it had lots of fillers. Actually, I would say it had twelve fillers. The only really good episode with any substance was the final episode which seemed like it would make an interesting fourth season.

But otherwise, it did not seem to have some of the things I enjoy from “Mad Men”. The advertising has never been a huge part of the show, but it has been an important and interesting part of it, and in this season it is almost non-existance. And the first two season had shown characters growing with each episode, characters such as Pete and Peggy really grown from the first few episodes of season one to the end of season two, but in this season, they had no change at all, they just remained the same as the beginning of the season. And even Don Draper and Joan, two characters that are pleasure to watch were not as engaging as they were before.

A disappointing, disengaging, bland season. But it is possible that season four will make for an interesting one.

2/5

[ayaa1977]

Hmm! I never really looked at it from this prospective Mad. You are raising some very good points. However, I think this season is more about Don and Betty, and especially Betty. All the rest of the characters took a backseat this time around. he show leaned toward the soap opera territory at times, but it really didn't lose the magic. I think the show is building for something big next season, but anyway, the show was never about big moments and thrilling set pieces. It always required buying into the whole story and the payoff was always worth it.

I still think it is one of the best dramas on TV, and I would keep watching it. It was a less eventful season, but it had so much character growth. It was more about female empowerment. Betty, Joan, and Peggy the three main female ended up with the upper hand in their relationships. Betty took a very radical decision, Peggy put her foot down demanded the respect she deserve and she got it, and Joan stood up for her husband, a man once raped her in her work place, and she stopped being his maid. All these things made the season successful, and I would give it 4/5.