Sexism, adultery, abject alcoholism - they're all back, and they're as scandalous as ever. After waiting nearly a year and a half for "Mad Men" to grace TV screens again, fans of television's most acclaimed drama can at last rejoice: Don Draper has indeed returned. But whether or not his return satisfied the ripe anticipation surrounding season five's premiere remains to be seen.
Read any summary or review of "Mad Men" and you're likely to find the show described as "understated." This has become a sort of compliment for drama series, and "Mad Men" is not the exception but actually the show that started the trend. Such a subtle form of presentation, though, often makes episodes come off as simple or dull at first glance, and only with time do they grow on the viewer as the brilliant nuances of the show come to light.
This is likely the case for the fifth season's two?hour premiere, "A Little Kiss," which seemed slow and oddly paced but may ultimately be remembered as a classically minimalist episode after audiences have had time to think on it. That said, fans expected a lot from the suave ad?man Don Draper (Jon Hamm), and it will ultimately be left up to each and every viewer to decide if he and the rest of those involved with "Mad Men" managed to pull off the show's latest installation.
Set in New York in the late 1960s, "Mad Men" focuses on the employees of a Madison Avenue advertising agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (SCDP), and the complex problems accompanying their seemingly flashy lives. The fifth season picks up more than a year after the previous one ended, answering questions that viewers were left to ponder during the show's absence, such as the result of Don's sporadic engagement and the fate of the crumbling SCDP.
In an attempt to simultaneously attract new fans and refresh old ones, the majority of the two?part premiere was spent re?introducing viewers to the characters and their respective sharp, witty or devious personalities. Furthermore, the episode set the tone for the coming season, beginning to explore the changing mores between the 1960s and 1970s and the dramatic sociopolitical events accompanying this change.
While "Mad Men" usually takes things at a leisurely pace, focusing more often on what isn't said rather than what is, "A Little Kiss" might not have said quite enough. The episode progressed slowly, and the pacing of scenes was sloppy, lingering too long on unimportant moments and investing time where it wasn't needed.
Revolving mainly around Don's life with his new wife Megan (Jessica Par?©) and her efforts to throw him a surprise party - much to his dismay - the episode largely lacked a central focus, touching on numerous side plots instead. Some of the better side plots involved Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks) and her new child, Roger Sterling (John Slattery), playing a prank on a competing ad agency that resulted in SCDP becoming an equal opportunity employer, and the rising account?head Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) struggling to gain a more prominent position within the office. Surprisingly, after two hours, very little had actually happened, but despite this the episode managed to keep viewers' attention and succeeded in its goal of introducing or reintroducing audiences to the sadistic, sexy and contrived world that is "Mad Men."
One of the episode's final highlights was in fact a lack of highlighting, as characters whose antics audiences have grown weary of - such as the outgrown Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) and the unpleasant Betty Francis (January Jones) - were not featured very prominently, with the latter failing to show up at all.
The greatest accomplishment of "A Little Kiss" was its careful development of the story arcs sure to define the upcoming season. Viewers can look forward to the drama surrounding Don's already troubled second marriage and about Roger's discovery that Joan's child is his. Still, it is the imminent fall of Pete Campbell that now stands at the show's forefront. Having moved to the suburbs and succumbed to a domestic life as a husband and father, Pete has become dissatisfied with his life much like Don did seasons ago. Pete is likely to follow Don's path into adultery and alcoholism.
Despite the premiere's scattered direction and often ineffective pacing, fans shouldn't worry about losing the show they fell in love with. Through Don's typically blunt demeanor, Roger's classically inappropriate humor and Joan's snappy attitude, series creator Matthew Weiner proved that "Mad Men" is still very much the sharp, well?written and deeply thematic show we remember, despite a slight hiccup in its confident stride. Furthermore, the premiere's ample setup promises to reward us all with one of the most powerful seasons yet.
