AMC has announced that “Mad Men” won’t return until 2012 for its fifth season. As you might expect, the delay is all about money.

In the meantime, the season 4 DVD of “Mad Men” has just been released, so you can get your fix by reliving the exploits of Don Draper, Joan and the gang from the past season.

Throughout Season Four, the center of the “Mad Men” universe continued to be Don, as we watched him variously win, temporarily alienate, and sometimes lose clients. After spending the first three seasons of the show as an enigma not only to others but to himself as well, Season Four was a voyage of exploration for Don, both in his personal life and in his career, and it was one which ended with his steadfast belief that he had finally found his future. But anyone who’s been watching this show since the beginning knows damned well that Don’s going to screw things up somehow. The excitement is in finding out how.

The biggest storyline for season 5 will likely revolve around Don’s surprise engagement to his hot young secretary, Megan (Jessica Paré), which surprised everyone in the final episode of season 4.

If you haven’t been watching this series, the season 5 delay gives you an opportunity to start at the beginning and get caught up. It’s one of the best shows on television so we highly recommend it.

1. Terriers

Clever, funny, dark and provocative, “Terriers” may have wowed critics with its flawed characters and rich storytelling, but that didn’t change John Landgraf’s recent decision not to renew it for a second season. I don’t blame the FX President for the low ratings (most networks would have given up after only a few weeks), but I do blame the rest of America for failing to tune in to the best new show of the season. Yes, you heard right. Although I enjoyed “The Walking Dead” and the overrated “Boardwalk Empire,” the buddy detective drama delivered better acting and writing week in and week out. Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James had unparalleled chemistry as the scrappy private investigators (the titular terriers, if you will) caught in the middle of the case of a lifetime, so it’s a shame that we won’t get to tag along on any of their further adventures – especially since the season finale left things wide open. Another brilliant but cancelled television show that, ten years from now, will still be missed.

2. Modern Family

It hasn’t even completed its second season, but “Modern Family” already seems destined to become a comedy classic. It’s that good, and anyone who says otherwise should get an X-ray to see if their funny bone is broken. Of course, considering that it’s one of the most-watched shows on TV, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t agree. But for those who still haven’t experienced the funniest half-hour of television, it’s about time that you do, because there isn’t a single show that even comes close to matching the number of laughs in an average episode. And although the writing staff certainly deserves some credit, it’s cast members like Ty Burrell, Ed O’Neill and Sofia Vergara who make every joke that much funnier. Even the kids are funny, and that’s saying a lot from someone who isn’t particularly fond of child actors. It’s almost unbelievable the way the show fires on all cylinders so consistently, but that’s what separates a great show from a good one, and “Modern Family” is nothing if not that.

3. Sons of Anarchy

The third season of FX’s outlaw biker drama may not have been its best, but after a sluggish start, the series redeemed itself by getting back to the kind of top-notch storytelling that fans have come to expect. Many of those fans were quick to criticize the ambitious Ireland subplot that dominated most of the season, but along with fleshing out some of the club’s back story, it also set the stage for what turned out to be a killer finale. Many of the supporting players got lost in the background this year, but Charlie Hunnam gave the performance of his career, guest stars Paula Malcomson and James Cosmo proved themselves worthy additions to the cast, and Ally Walker put the finishing touches on what might just be the best TV villain in quite some time. The show may have stumbled a bit along the way, but no matter how you felt about the season as a whole, those who stuck around for the long haul were given plenty of incentive to come back next fall.

4. The Walking Dead

Robert Kirkman’s survival horror comic, “The Walking Dead,” is tailor-made for the hour-long TV format, so its success shouldn’t really come as a surprise to many. Still, fans had to be excited at the prospect of seeing Kirkman’s story brought to life – especially with names like Frank Darabont, Gale Anne Hurd and Greg Nicotero involved. Brimming with great writing, first-rate zombie effects, and a talented ensemble cast including Andrew Lincoln, Laurie Holden, Darabont regular Jeffrey DeMunn, and scene-stealing newcomer Steven Yuen, “The Walking Dead” isn’t just a show for horror buffs, but an edge-of-your-seat drama about a group of people struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. In fact, the only complaint that can be made is that the first season only consisted of six episodes, so it’ll be interesting to see if Darabont and his team can maintain that same level of quality when the show returns for a full, 13-episode second season next year. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait until October to find out.

5. Mad Men

As a resident of Columbus, OH who couldn’t care less about the town’s college football team, it’s easy to become a little annoyed by the fervent, unrelenting worship of the Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s kind of how I feel about “Mad Men” as well. Although I’ve been a loyal viewer since Season One, I still think that the show has received more acclaim than it probably deserves. But while previous seasons have run a little hot-and-cold for my taste, this year really took things to the next level with the opening of a new agency, the financial struggles that plagued its growth, and the personal changes that developed as a result. Don Draper is a much more likeable guy now that he’s not boozing or womanizing (and Jon Hamm’s performance should finally net him an Emmy), Elisabeth Moss continues to deliver strong work as the cute but headstrong Peggy, and Kiernan Shipka was nothing short of incredible as Don’s psychologically complex daughter, Sally. So yeah, I’ll admit it, “Mad Men” was pretty damn good this year, but one has to wonder how much longer Matthew Weiner can keep it going.

Maybe it’s just the cocktails talking, but since this is the season finale, I don’t think there’s any point in going through the episode scene by scene by scene, so let’s just look at the various events that went down, along with their repercussions:

Don and Fay: I think we all knew they were more or less doomed from the moment Don sexed up Megan in his office, but, man, it just got more and more depressing to watch them interact, especially knowing that Fay had basically betrayed her principles for the sake of their relationship. Her speech to him before she headed off on her flight underlined yet again how much she cared about him. I really do think that Don wanted it to work out between them, but as he proved last week with his letter to The New York Times (and, of course, on probably a hundred more occasions in other episodes), he’s a man who does things on impulse, rarely bothering to concern himself with the possible repercussions. I can’t imagine that their final phone conversation will prove to be the last we see of Fay, but if it is, you can’t say she didn’t get the best possible last word, snapping, “I hope she knows you only like the beginnings of things.”

Don and Megan: As soon I saw Don start talking to Megan, I said to my wife, “Oh, God, don’t tell me he’s going to ask her to watch the kids for him…” But, of course, he did. I knew that the fire between them was destined to be rekindled at some point during the trip to California, but, really, did anyone anticipate that it would all go down so fast? Even when Stephanie gave Don the ring, I couldn’t imagine that he and Fay would ever actually make it to the altar, but, Jesus, it never occurred to me that, before episode’s end, the ring would be on Megan’s finger…and, yet, looking back at the episode, it’s very easy to see how Don got so caught up in it all.

First and foremost, Megan loves the kids and the kids love Megan. Don’s initial line when he walks into the room to a French chorus – “You said you didn’t have any experience, but you’re like Maria von Trapp!” – was hilarious, but it still wasn’t as funny as the expressions on the faces of Sally, Bobby, and Don when Megan kept her cool after Sally’s milkshake spillage. On top of that, she’s gorgeous, smart, and respects what Don does, all of which are important qualities. Still, let’s not kid ourselves: it’s the way she handles the kids that seals the deal.

In the midst of post-coital bliss, Megan tells Don, “I know who you are now.” Except she doesn’t. Not really, anyway. But she’ll no doubt find out at some point in the future. Maybe Betty and Fay can fill her in…?

Daddy’s a Dick: I thought it was pretty bold of Don to admit to Sally that the “Dick” painted on Anna’s wall was actually him, even if he did soften it somewhat by adding, “That’s my nickname sometimes.”

American Cancer Society: The thing that struck me the most about the meeting was that, although Pete’s obviously proven himself as a businessman, he’s still a really shitty wingman. (“I have to say, it’s very interesting!” Gimme a break.) I liked the look of “gee, I never thought of that” which appeared in all of their eyes when Don suggested the idea of playing to the sentimentality and self-obsession inherent in all teenagers.

Joan: I loved her line about being promoted to Director of Agency Operations without being given any sort of raise to go with the title (“Well, it’s almost an honor”), but although I’d wondered about whether or not she might’ve kept the baby, I had to laugh when my wife said, “Her husband’s a doctor! How can he not know from her due date that the baby isn’t his?” Hey, nobody ever said he was a good doctor. Plus, who knows what she’s told him about how far along she is?

Ken: For someone who didn’t seem to be much more than Pete’s nemesis for the past season or two, the dude really came into his own this episode. First, he showed serious cajones by standing up to Don and Roger and basically saying, “My marriage is more important than this company,” and although they might not have been happy about it, you could see from Don’s expression and Roger’s actions (which were partially obscured by his quick jab at Ken’s masculinity) that they both respected his decision. On a related note, he proved during his trip to Topaz with Peggy that, unlike Pete, he’s prone to respect and appreciate his coworkers rather than be jealous of them: she clearly showed him up with her knowledge of pantyhose, but in the end, all that mattered to him was that they got the client.

Peggy: Such a rollercoaster this week for Peggy, winning the client, only to find out that Don was marrying his secretary who…ouch…”reminds me of you.” That has got to hurt. You know it’s bad when she seeks solace in Joan’s office…and, seriously, how funny was Christina Hendricks’ delivery of the line, “Whatever could be on your mind?”

Harry: I don’t even know why Harry’s there anymore. He’s in charge of TV advertising, for Christ’s sake. He should be one of the biggest people in the firm, and yet he was relegated to the kind of comic relief we’d come to expect from the late Ida Blankenship earlier this season. Here’s hoping he makes a comeback in Season 5.

Glen: I secretly call him “Li’l Jackass” and I’m confident that he’s a budding sociopath, but damned if that hug between him and Sally wasn’t the cutest thing ever…and damned if he didn’t give Betty the verbal smackdown she’s deserved all season. (“Just ‘cause you’re sad doesn’t mean everybody has to be.”) I hope Sally ended up buying him something after all.

Carla: Anyone who didn’t yell or at least mutter “that bitch” under their breath when Betty fired Carla just isn’t human. Unbelievable. What do you think the odds are that Don ends up hiring Carla back? (Or will Megan just turn into a happy homemaker?)

Betty: Despite the incredibly bitchy move of firing Carla, lest she continue to “poison the well,” it was hard not to feel at least a slight pang of remorse for Betty when she was lying alone on the mattress. After Glen scored his verbal victory, Henry shot her between the eyes with his one-liner: “No one’s ever on your side, Betty.” By the end of the episode, it had gotten so bad that she was even willing to admit to Don that “things aren’t perfect,” and when she visibly flinched when he said that he’d met someone, I got the feeling that we were seeing the opening moments of what will come to be a downward spiral for Betty in Season 5, much like the one Don dealt with in Season 4. Of course, I could be wrong…but, then, we won’t know for another year, now, will we?

See you in 2011, folks!

So here we are on Monday morning, and although I’m still pretty freaking tired, I’m at least slightly better rested than I was last night.

Guess I picked the right button: it’s another episode directed by John Slattery. Things kick off with Don having an off-the-record meeting with a guy from Heinz, trying to get a feel for whether or not the company might be willing to hook up with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. It’s clear that he respects Don and his work (though he may just be saying that because Don’s behind his premise that beans don’t have to be funny), but they’re on different timetables. There are two people at that table, but only one of them has any real confidence that SCDP will be around in six to eight months, and, frankly, you can’t blame Heinz for wanting to make sure that they’re working with an ad agency that’s going to have some sort of staying power.

Geoffrey Atherthon lays the state of SCDP on the line, using dating metaphors to make his point, and since “tobacco is your ideal boyfriend,” he’s helped provide the firm with a meeting with Philip Morris about their new cigarette line for women. “We will listen more than we will speak,” says Bert, matter-of-factly. “Like a good girlfriend,” smirks Atherton. Immediately after the meeting, everyone begins to break into small camps: Bert and Roger discussing what sort of clients they should be pursuing, Harry and Ken mostly just trying to figure out where they stand in the firm, and Pete and Lane talking about the state of the office and Don saving the day. Meanwhile, Don and Faye are chatting as well, but it’s work-related, so the conversation ends in a handshake, a decision which clearly bemuses Don. I’m guessing it probably wasn’t a coincidence that the shot was framed in such a way that Megan appeared to be between them.

Not that I want to come across as overly cynical, but when Sally started asking about eating dinner with Henry, my first thought was, “What’s she up to?” Up to this point, all we’ve really seen is tension between Sally and Betty, and now Sally’s trying to suck up…? It just goes against everything we know about her.

Why am I not surprised that Sally’s new boyfriend has some experience with tricking psychiatrist? He’s such a creepy little bugger. He’s also got an ego, first asking her if she thinks he’s smarter than her psychiatrist (wisely, she remains mum on the matter), then wanting to know if she talks to her mom about him. She did, but she doesn’t anymore. Sally’s modus operandi is to just do whatever her mother asks her to do, thereby keeping her off her back. That’s great, but it’s too late: the emotional scars from their mother/daughter relationship are already in place. The poor kid has no concept of a parent or role model who would actually feel a sense of pride from her actions. She doesn’t even believe in Heaven. That’s just sad…

And could Betty possibly have looked more horrified at the news that Sally was all better? “I’m afraid of losing this influence,” Betty says, but it’s clear that what she’s afraid of is losing the chance to talk to a psychiatrist without all that nasty stigma of actually going to one on her own.

I’m pretty sure my expression mirrored Don’s when Midge came onto the screen. Indeed, I actually had to Google her to refresh my memory on exactly who she was…but, in my defense, I wasn’t blogging Season 1, so I wasn’t following the ins and outs of the show quite as diligently at the time. It seemed more than a little bit odd that she’d invite Don, a former lover, over to meet her husband, so I was pretty suspicious about her intentions from the get-go, and once we actually met her husband, I knew something was off-kilter. Not like it was hard to tell, what with the hubby all but pimping out his honey, saying to Don, “She digs you…and I can tell you, she’d do anything if you bought one.” But heroin…? I definitely didn’t see that coming. Her state of affairs is pretty tragic, but it was almost as depressing to see Don twitch when she told him that she was glad he hadn’t changed.

It was a cute little scene with a nervous Don reciting the old “Peter Piper” line, having to get assurance from Peggy that he’s going to do great with the Philip Morris meeting. How depressing, then, to have it turn into the same situation as Heinz: a desire to wait six months and see how things are going with the firm then. I laughed out loud at Harry’s attempt to slip into the gathering of the partners, but there weren’t any smiles being cracked within the office. When Don tossed back his drink and stormed out of the office, I figured he was probably off to beat the bushes and find a new client. Instead, he was actually heading back to his office to have another drink and wallow in self-pity. After his brief rant about the unimportance of creative types, Peggy looked like she was going to cry, “I have no more heroes!”

Tensions are running high outside of the office, too. The way Pete reacted to the news that he – like the rest of the partners – would have to fork out a sizable chunk of dough to keep the firm afloat, I immediately wondered if he even had that much, especially having just had a baby. He didn’t, of course. When he went to Trudy and told her the situation, though, I didn’t expect that kind of reaction, given that she’s always been so supportive of his endeavors in the past. Is it sexist to suggest that maybe it’s at least partially the hormones talking?

For Don, the time has come at last: Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce may be, according to Atherton, “a certain kind of girl,” but that girl is finally giving up cigarettes. It’s arguably the ballsiest move Don’s ever made, putting his thoughts on the matter to paper and running them in The New York Times, but, damn, what a way to make the firm stand out in the crowd. Personally, I thought the move was genius, but everyone else was ready to throttle Don, and I laughed out loud at Roger’s lone positive spin on the situation: “It’s good not to be the reason this place went down anymore.” Be honest: did you really think it was RFK on the phone? I knew it had to be a prank. In fact, my thought was, “Is it Ted Shaw, or is it someone from within SCD&P?” It was the latter, of course, but, really, it could’ve gone either way. The kids in the office have no respect for Don, anyway, and…well, you know things are bad when Bert Cooper takes his shoes and goes home. (Megan’s in his court, at least, but that doesn’t count for a lot at the moment.)

Does Peggy really have so little self-confidence that she thought Don was going to let her go before anyone else? Another chuckle-worthy moment came when she instantly threw Danny to the wolves, but it was really quite sweet when threw his “shenanigans” comment back in his lap. Faye’s support for Don is unyielding: his actions cause her firm to depart from SCD&P, but she’s still ready to spend the evening with him. It’s worth it, she feels, for them to now be able to have a relationship that doesn’t find them working together…but what if work was the only real bond between them? What a great scene between Faye and Peggy at the end, too, revealing the similarities between their characters.

I knew that Sally’s storyline would cross with Betty’s at some point, but I can’t say as I anticipated that Betty would stumble upon Sally’s liaisons with her boyfriend. I feel strange saying this, but…for once, I actually feel comfortable siding with one of Betty’s parental decisions: I know it’s a heartbreaker for Sally, but Betty needed to cut ties with that house, and we know Sally’s boyfriend is a creep, so the idea of moving seems like a no-lose scenario. Still, handling it with that “she’ll get over it” mentality was 100% typical Betty, so it was pretty easy to go right back to disliking her.

The final meeting of the episode held several more funny moments – Lane seconding Joan’s sage wisdom on the matter of making sure that office supplies don’t walk out with the departing employees, the fact that the first significant call after Don’s ad was from the American Cancer Society, Roger saying, “I’ve got to go learn a bunch of people’s names before I fire them” – but it also featured a surprising one, with Lane revealing that Don had paid Pete’s share of the money to keep the firm afloat. Maybe it’s just to keep Pete’s mouth shut (he does still know his secret, after all), but it was still a sweet gesture.

Things aren’t exactly on a positive upswing for next week’s season finale. Will the day yet be saved, or will Season 5 kick off with yet another new firm? We shall see…

If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s an expression which, according to the never-fallible Wikipedia, means “an information barrier implemented within a firm to separate and isolate persons who make investment decisions from persons who are privy to undisclosed material information which may influence those decisions.” In this case, the wall in question has been constructed by Roger, and he’s put everyone else on the other side of it.

And, now, on with the episode!

Hey, look, Peggy’s hanging with the lesbian from Life and her pals, including the guy who pissed her off with his writings a few episodes back. I guess all is forgiven now that he’s asking permission to quote her, since she immediately brings him back to her pad (I was disappointed, though, that Peggy’s reference to her roommate didn’t result in an appearance from Carla Gallo), and a good night evolves into an even better morning. We’re seeing a whole new Peggy, people!

Ray Wise in the house! Ken Cosgrove and his fiancee are having dinner with her parents – yep, Mr. Wise is her dad – when he gets word that Lucky Strike is moving out of business with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. As you can imagine, this information scares the heck out of him…so much so, in fact, that he rushes out of dinner and into the waiting room at the maternity ward, where Pete is waiting for Trudy to have their baby. Pete’s immediately on the phone to Don, and although he interrupts his makeout session with Faye to take the call, the topic of conversation instantly puts a damper on his libido. The next thing you know, everyone who’s anyone – minus Lane, of course, though it’s acknowledged that he’s been duly informed – is at the office, ready to pounce on Roger the second he walks in. He claims it’s an impossibility and immediately calls Lee, except we know from his comments that he’s clearly not talking to him.

Don heads back to his place and immediately starts drinking, and you know that ain’t a good sign. He acknowledges that he’s more or less dreaded this possibility for quite some time, but although Faye tries to remind him of how valuable a player he is, Don dismisses her level of concern, saying, “I’m not at that point yet.” Clearly, he’s not going to go down without a fight. Pete’s father-in-law, meanwhile, is almost immediately dismissive of any chance of the firm’s survival, basically saying, “Ah, well, you had your fun, now back to the real world.”

Should I feel sympathetic for Roger? Well, I did, at least a little bit. It’s not his fault that Lucky Strike decided to pull out, and I can’t blame him for not wanting to admit the loss to the firm, but at the same time, he’s clearly getting in over his head with this chicanery, getting a highly warranted smackdown from Joan for keeping his mouth shut when something could’ve been done to save the situation. After she once again relents and lets him swing by her pad, they share a sweet embrace, but even though he’s pretty pitiful when he departs from the premises, she’s seriously disappointed the next day by the fact that he’s continuing to weave his web of lies, and the awkwardness between them is palpable. I don’t think she’d betray him to them, mostly because it’s not like they could save the account at this point, anyway, but his actions are putting her job in jeopardy, too, and I think it’s pretty well established how much she enjoys her niche at the firm. For his part, Roger seems to have been temporarily swayed by the arrival of his book. Maybe he’ll be inspired to become the ad man he once was…?

After Bert and Don give the State of the Union address, the feeling on the floor is that everything’s more or less under control, but Don’s not pulling any punches when he sits his team down. The best moment, though, came when it was just him and Peggy. They’ve definitely got their own special relationship now…if, uh, not quite as special as the one she had last night, which has put her in a stellar mood. Unfortunately, it’s pretty transparent to everyone around her, which results in Stan being an Alpha Male to the Nth degree. What a jackass that guy is. Still, even his minor-league attempt at getting revenge on her for her rebuffing of his advances didn’t do any damage: it takes more than a little lipstick on the teeth to stop the creative force that is Peggy Olson!

Don’s pissed about Glo-Coat jumping ship – though he at least has the common sense to forewarn his secretary that she needs to make sure he doesn’t overdo his angry drinking – but he’s taking his anger out on Pete, which may or may not be warranted. Yes, Pete’s mind is elsewhere, but this strikes me as residual anger and Don’s general tendency to view Pete as less competent than himself. Even so, it proves perfectly timed when Ted Shaw shows up at the maternity ward waiting room, unabashedly trying to woo Pete over to the Dark Side.

Don didn’t keep to his three-drink maximum, but at least he didn’t go dramatically overboard. It’s enough for him to upset Faye with his suggestion that she betray her ethics by providing him with inside information about other agencies. To his credit, he looks appropriately guilty as she storms out, but it’s too little and far too late. More on that in a moment, but first let’s look in on the next meeting with the partners. You know things are bad when Don’s defending Pete, but it’s inarguable that Roger wanted the glory but dropped the ball. Bert’s last word was priceless: “Lee Garner, Jr. never took you seriously because you never took yourself seriously.” Ouch…

By the way, I just have to make this observation: I can’t recall hearing the name David Montgomery mentioned before, and it seems a little too convenient that he’s suddenly such a major plot point in the efforts to save the firm.

As soon as Don’s secretary stuck around, I knew it wasn’t going to go well, though I have to be honest and admit that they did keep me guessing throughout the scene. No matter what that guy does, I think we all want to root for him to do the right thing, and it seemed for a moment that he might, with the conversation staying on matters of business much longer than they usually do when he’s in such situations. Heck, I even briefly theorized that his secretary would do the right thing, keeping things strictly business. But despite Don pointedly saying, “I don’t think this is a good idea,” it became a good idea pretty damned quickly. Dammit, Don, you just can’t resist fucking things up, can you? So, of course, he gets home to find that Faye has decided to go all in with their relationship and give him the help he’s asked for. Once again, he looks appropriately guilty at the end…but, once again, it’s too little and much too late.