'Mad Men': Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce [Updated]
Those who have complained that “Mad Men” leans too hard on soap opera gauziness finally got their dose of white-knuckled logistics with the finale of Season 3. “Shut the Door. Have a Seat” was a tight balance of emotionally pungent drama and company coup d’etat. From Ossining to Madison Avenue, alliances were strengthened, broken or realigned. It wasn’t always a pretty sight, but for every bedroom face-off, we got zesty moments such as Joan at her most deliciously officious, ransacking manila folders and teasing Roger.
Much as last week’s episode used the Kennedy assassination as a framework for the episode’s events, “Shut the Door” used the hurried formation of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce as fuel for the fire. The construction and tonal palette lent the episode a painterly Zen-like balance, like something Rothko would create to Cooper’s delight, though it had its redundancies too.Let’s dive into our swan song, shall we? First of all, what a week for Don. On one hand, his beautiful Titanic of a marriage finally crashed into the iceberg that it’s been jabbing into for years. On the other, a blessed distraction just landed in his lap. Hungry to build something of his own, Don will be able to plunge into his new job as letterhead partner of a fledgling ad agency -- all the better for not dwelling on his marital dissolution.