No one ever expects season premiers to be good. That's because they rarely are. "Chapter 14" and "Blood Money" are rare exceptions. So is this episode of "Mad Men."
Now, this isn't on par with the other two examples I mentioned; not even close. But it is much better than your average season premiere. Even your average "Mad Men" season premiere. Of course it's a let- down from the previous episode, because, well, how could it not be? "Shut the Door" was very near a masterpiece. What this episode does is something that's very hard to do in television: begin a new plot, and at the same time, advance it.
And I think it's because of how big a deal this episode is. This is less of a season premiere, and more of a pilot episode. The show is completely different. We're no longer watching "Mad Men," we're watching a show about two recently-divorced people, one of whom is starting a new advertising agency. It feels like the first episode of a show, and that's why it's so good. Because while SEASON premieres are usually bad, SERIES premieres are almost always good. And that's what this feels like.
It's not "Mad Men" at the top of their game, but the writers can be proud of this episode.
Now, this isn't on par with the other two examples I mentioned; not even close. But it is much better than your average season premiere. Even your average "Mad Men" season premiere. Of course it's a let- down from the previous episode, because, well, how could it not be? "Shut the Door" was very near a masterpiece. What this episode does is something that's very hard to do in television: begin a new plot, and at the same time, advance it.
And I think it's because of how big a deal this episode is. This is less of a season premiere, and more of a pilot episode. The show is completely different. We're no longer watching "Mad Men," we're watching a show about two recently-divorced people, one of whom is starting a new advertising agency. It feels like the first episode of a show, and that's why it's so good. Because while SEASON premieres are usually bad, SERIES premieres are almost always good. And that's what this feels like.
It's not "Mad Men" at the top of their game, but the writers can be proud of this episode.