Over three celebrated seasons, “Mad Men” piled up
the glittery awards and critical plaudits, so it’s not as if the show
needed a drastic shake-up to raise its profile. Don’t mess with
something that isn’t broken, right?
But a shake-up is exactly what creator and executive producer
Issuing a bold declaration of independence, ad man
and some of his most loyal colleagues bolted British-owned Sterling
Cooper to start their own company. Meanwhile, Don’s marriage
disintegrated as his wife, Betty (
Now, as Season 4 of the moody period drama unfolds,
there’s so much change in the air that some cast members liken
tonight’s opener to a new pilot episode. Weiner, however, says it feels
more like a spin-off.
“We’ve got our established characters, familiar faces, but it’s a completely new dynamic,” he says.
And much like Don’s advertising companions who
appear to be invigorated by their fresh status as scrappy underdogs,
there is a sense of rejuvenation among the “Mad Men” ensemble.
“It’s exciting,” says
That excitement, however, was preceded by plenty of
anxiety and apprehension. It’s not often, after all, that a beloved,
highly decorated show attempts such a radical makeover.
“In some ways, it felt very risky and terrifying,”
Weiner says. “While shooting last season’s final scene (in the “Mad
Men” office), I looked at one of our writers and said, ‘What am I
doing? I could have just painted the place.'”
Notoriously tight-lipped, the “Mad Men” principals
aren’t about to reveal many details for a season that appears to focus
on consequences and identity. (AMC made only tonight’s opener available
for preview).
“The characters are coming to grips with what
they’ve done,” says Moss. “They’re dealing with past mistakes and
discovering who they really are. They’re trying to move on.”
But moving on doesn’t come without some emotional pain. As the season opens, Don is living alone in a gloomy
apartment and engaging in awkward blind dates. He misses his kids — and
much of the idealistic life he so carefully created and strived to live
up to.
“A good deal of Don is uncentered and spiritually
lost,” Hamm recently told TV Guide. “… He’s going to have to confront
this maelstrom.”
As for Betty, she appears to be developing into a
tragic figure. Fed up with Don’s lies and infidelity, she impulsively
ran off with
Weiner says he thought he and his collaborators made
it emphatically obvious in the Season 3 finale that Don and Betty had
finally gone bust. And so he was surprised to hear from so many viewers
during the offseason who yearned for reconciliation.
“People still ask me, ‘What’s going to happen with
the marriage?'” Weiner says. “I’ve been mystified by the fans who say
they still want them together. It was one of the worst marriages ever!”
Still, other fans — and many critics — are relieved
by the breakup. If there was a predominant complaint about Season 3, it
was that the show spent too much time in the turbulent Draper household
and not enough at the workplace, where “Mad Men” really made its mark
with insightful glimpses into 1960s-style office politics.
On that front, things are changing as well. No longer dominant forces in the
Under this scenario, the fledgling enterprise —
“Mad Men” earned back-to-back best drama Emmy Awards
and could make it three straight in August when the trophies are handed
out. For Season 3, the show nabbed 17 Emmy nominations, including bids
for Hamm, Jones, Moss,
“People might think that we’re more comfortable now,
but it’s so not like that,” she says. “We feel so much pressure to keep
the standards up and not disappoint anyone. Every year, we try to meet
that pressure head on and tackle it.”
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(c) 2010, Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, Calif.).
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