I’d like to start this week’s “Mad Men” blog out with an apology: I’m out at the TCA Press Tour in Los Angeles (as you probably already know if you’ve been reading Premium Hollywood this week), and I’ve been at the mercy of my schedule, which has been decidedly hectic. I was sent an advance screener of the episode…more about that in just a moment…but since it was mailed to my home, I wasn’t able to watch it until my wife, God bless her, brought it to me when she flew in from Norfolk, VA, late Friday night. I was finally able to watch it on Saturday afternoon, taking notes as I did so, but then I had to find time to actually compose the blog entry…and, well, here it is 11:57 PM PST, and I’m only just now getting the opportunity to do so.

Yeah, it’s been that kind of week…and I think it’s probably going to show in the blog, so let me go ahead and apologize for that up front.

Of course, I guess I should just be happy that I had an advance screener, since lord knows I won’t be getting any more this season…and nor, for that matter, will anyone else. When my wife handed me Episode 4.2 upon her arrival, it was folded inside a piece of paper which read as follows:

July 26, 2010

Dear friend:

With a new season of “Mad Men” underway, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your incredible and unprecedented support of the series since its debut four seasons ago. I’ve enjoyed our relationship over the years and your insightful reviews and features.

It has been a privilege to be associated with such an extraordinary group of actors, crew, craftsmen and executives – all of whom are committed to the care of our show.

As we provide you a with a copy of our second episode (airing August 1), we wanted to make you aware of a new development in terms of our DVD distribution moving forward.

In an effort to avoid inevitable spoilers and preserve the experience of watching live for our fans, we have chosen to make this the last review copy we send out.

We ask that in the weeks ahead you continue to write on the progression of our show, and I look forward to your thoughts and commentary along the way.

Here’s to an amazing season.

With sincere thanks,

Matthew Weiner

This is, one can reasonably presume, the direct result of Weiner’s annoyance with The New York Times over their piece which was written in advance of the premiere and offered up ostensible spoilers, and I can feel the man’s pain, but, man, I am just not a happy camper about this situation. I mean, God love you, Matthew, but you try having to stay up late on a Sunday night to blog a show…or, worse, two shows, since Alan Ball fucked me over by declaring a moratorium on “True Blood” screeners, too.

I never spoiled nothing for nobody, and this is the thanks I get…?

We see Betty and her beau trying to pick out a Christmas tree, an event which is clearly serving as a painful reminder to Sally that she’s not going to be enjoying the holidays the way she wants, i.e. with both parents around. As soon creepy little Glenn started to talk to Sally, I knew this was going to be the start of some sort of “Sally’s first boyfriend” storyline, but I admit that I absolutely never saw it going in quite this direction. By the way, isn’t it amazing just how much Sally looked like her mother in this scene?

Sally, of course, ties into the next scene as well, when we hear the letter that she wrote to Don, pretending that she was mailing it to Santa Claus. Although there are a few funny moments from Don while the letter is being read, including his admission that he’s the one who actually left the freezer open, you can’t deny the poignancy of Sally’s final line: “Most of all, I’d like you to be here on Christmas morning to give it to me, but I know you can’t be.” Don tries to be the best absentee father he can be, suggesting the purchase of Beatles 45s and a transistor radio, but since he’s pawning the shopping off on his secretary, it feels like some seriously half-assed parenting.

So the office Christmas party is going to be a low-key affair where employees can’t even bring a guest? I knew that sounded a bit dodgy and absolutely not something that Roger would approve of…and I was right. But what’s this? Freddy Rumsen…? Please to check last week’s blog, when I made specific mention of Freddy, suggesting that maybe Roger might be turning into the Freddy Rumsen of this season. And now this? Awesome. But this isn’t the same Freddy Rumsen that we saw piss his pants, no sirree. He’s now been clean and sober for 16 months, he’s got a 2 million dollar account in hand (Ponds Cold Cream), and he doesn’t want Pete anywhere it. Fair enough: we see Pete acting like a complete prick to Freddy almost immediately, so we can see why Freddy doesn’t like the guy.

I didn’t quite understand the whole Glenn = Stanley thing at first, but I soon discovered that it was clearly just a way to keep his identity under wraps. We learn through this phone call that Sally’s really sad about living in the house without her dad and that she clearly hasn’t gotten a proper education on the birds and the bees yet, since she doesn’t know what “doing it” means. I was mystified about the reasons behind Glenn’s second phone call, and even after he and his pal broke into the house to do their damage, I still didn’t get it, but the havoc-wreaking was all to impress Sally. Aw, and in addition to leaving her room undamaged, he left her a little gift, too…? He’s such a sweet little mischief-maker. So Sally’s got herself a type: the bad boy. Hey, anything to piss off her mother…

Peggy and Freddy clearly have a bond, even if it’s one that’s occasionally strained by the huge gap between their respective sensibilities: he’s trying to promote the product to the best of his ability, but it’s the complete antithesis of what she believes. Despite being too old-school for Peggy at times, it’s clear that Freddy’s come a long way since the last time we saw him, and this new version of him definitely underlines just how much drinking Roger’s doing these days. I mean, the guy’s chugging Maalox to sober up after a liquid lunch, for God’s sake. That’s just sad…almost as sad as the look on Freddy’s face when Peggy calls him old-fashioned. BTW, on a Peggy-related note, her decision to lie to her new boy, Mark, isn’t entirely surprising, given that she desperately wants to keep her child a secret, but to claim that she’s a virgin? Hey, fair enough, I guess, but talk about your denial.

The appearance of Lee Garner, Jr. resulted in the sudden upgrade of the Christmas party to a major affair…make that “from a convalescent home to a Roman orgy”…much to Lane’s consternation, but, damn, that was one hell of a shindig. Leave it to Joanie to pull things together at the last second and have it look as though it was always planned to be that impressive. I’d join her conga line anytime. Wowzers. Lee’s quite the villain in this episode, riding roughshod over Roger at every turn and making constant power plays. (I also laughed when he called Lane “Olivier.”) When Freddy didn’t show up for the party, I was convinced that he’d fallen off the wagon…but he hadn’t. This is definitely an all new Freddy Rumsen, one who could prove to be a power player this season.

The whole motivational research group thing with Dr. Faye Miller was intriguing from the standpoint that it’s showing the changes in the advertising industry, but my first thought was, “Don’s going to sleep with her.” He didn’t, as it turned out, which was a little surprising. Not surprising…? His abrupt departure from taking the test in order to avoid revealing too much about himself…which, of course, ended up revealing even more. We’re only two episodes into this season, and Don’s already turning into a tragic figure. Between his pitiful state of drunkeness that his flirtatious nurse neighbor has to put up with and his sad declaration to her about how much he hates this Christmas, it’s more than a little embarrassing. What’s surprising, though, is the realization that the new generation of employees at the agency are describing him as “pathetic.” Wow, he’s fallen so far so fast. Can this really be because he doesn’t have Betty and the kids as a stabilizing force in his life? Cue Cinderella’s “Don’t Know What Got Until It’s Gone,” someone. And, of course, it only gets worse when he sleeps with his trusty secretary, the only woman left in his corner, and then tries to act as though it never happened. Don’t tell me that isn’t a resignation letter that she’s typing…

Those are the first words we hear when “Mad Men” returns for its fourth season, but it’s certainly not the first time we’ve heard the question asked. This time, though, it’s coming from a journalist who’s interviewing Don and trying to wrap his head around his subject. The question, as you would expect, thoroughly flummoxes Don, but he recovers nicely, turning his instinctual expression of concern about the query into one of mild annoyance, then firing back, “What do men say when you ask that?” As it turns out, he actually is kind of annoyed by the question, though it quickly becomes evident that it’s mostly because he just plain doesn’t like talking about himself. He’s not used to being on a firing line like this one, and if he had his way, he’d clearly avoid it altogether. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be an option in this new scenario in which he finds himself. The members of this new firm have to promote both the company and themselves…and, yes, that includes you, too, Don.

In a moment of perfect timing, the interview wraps up just as Roger Sterling and Pete Campbell walk up to the table. Pete’s clearly just as obsequious as ever (“We’re grateful for your sacrifice”), and Roger, it seems, has been spending some time on a book. His memoirs…? He doesn’t clarify. He does, however, offer up a trademark zinger within the first three minutes of the episode, so it’s clear that this is, at least to a certain extent, the same old Sterling that we left at the end of Season 3. It does appear that he may be drinking a bit more, however. This is a slightly impressive accomplishment, given that his alcohol intake was rather heroic to begin with, but it’s never a good thing to use booze as a crutch, so I’d expect that we’ll see more of this development sooner than later. Is Roger on track to become this year’s Freddie Rumsen?

Don, Roger, and Pete meet with a new client: Jantzen, who – according to the stats they cite during the meeting – maintain 25% of the bathing suit market. They’ve got some concerns that need addressing, and once again, we see Don’s limited tolerance for current goings-on. You know, when a client says, “I’m getting tired of saying this today,” you’d think most people would have the tact not to respond, “Next time, just have one meeting.” They also probably wouldn’t openly mock the client’s delicate sensibilities and their position that the inherent sexiness of a bikini is somehow diminished if you simply refer to it as a two-piece bathing suit. But, then, Don didn’t get where he is in the ad game by keeping his opinions to himself, now, did he?

Dig the score as the power trio sweep into the offices of the newly-formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. That swings, baby! It’s interesting Cooper paints a picture of part of the design of the new building – instead of a conference table, there’s a circle of chairs – without us actually getting to see it, but I’m sure we’ll explore the whole place soon enough. So who’s this new kid that Cooper tells to get back to work? Well, we’ll get back to him. For now, let’s focus on Don’s inability to catch a break. The guy’s in a position where he’s being asked to be all things to all people all at once. If he goes to one meeting, he misses another. Oh, well, at least he had a good excuse for missing this one: “I didn’t know he was coming, and I don’t know who that is.” The relationship between Cooper and Don seems about the same even in the new surroundings, like a grouchy father trying to talk sense into his opinionated son, but it’s still a little odd to see Pete acting like one of Don’s peers rather than a subordinate. Glad he gave us a last-second bit of sucking up. Ah, seems like old times…

Any Stan Freberg fans in the house? I had the good fortune to meet Mr. Freberg a few years ago during a “Mad Men” panel, when I saw him quietly strolling into the room, and I was able to experience the cheap thrill of shaking the hand of a living legend of both comedy and advertising. If you’re wondering what the hell Peggy and New Guy were on about with all that “John!” and “Marsha!” stuff, they were quoting from this:

Other things which remain unchanged from last season: there’s still some tension between Pete and Peggy, and Peggy’s still sticking up for Don. When we see him meeting with his accountant, you can kind of see why. The dissolution of the relationship between Don and Betty isn’t quite over yet, nor will it be until she and her new boy get their butts out of the house, where they’ve lingered well beyond the date when they were supposed to have vacated. It seems pretty clear that Don hasn’t pressed the issue because he doesn’t really want to admit to himself that it’s over, but is that also why Betty still hasn’t gotten out of Dodge yet?

Wow, you know things are bad in Don’s personal life when even Roger is starting to feel sorry for him…and, yes, it does seem to be a pretty dark and lonely lifestyle that he’s living, even he does have a housekeeper in his employ. Not that he had a choice, but, really, it’s probably best for him that he took Roger up on his offer to set him up with a date. And what a date it is: it’s Anna Camp, who played Rev. Newland’s hot wife on “True Blood”! Although it starts lighthearted, their conversation briefly turns strangely serious, with talk of the pall that’s fallen over the country in recent months. Fortunately, it soon turns flirtatious. Behold the power of Chicken Kiev! Even that delicious dish, however, isn’t enough for things to get any more heated than a goodnight kiss. We’ll see where they are on New Year’s Even, I reckon…if Don’s balls can hold out that long. Ah, who am I kidding? Don’s balls didn’t even make it through Thanksgiving…but, really, isn’t the holiday all about overindulging, anyway? Oh, and what’s this new development with all the slapping during sex? Man, I knew Betty bad for him, but this takes it to a whole new level.

Ah, remember the good old days when you couldn’t charge clients for putting on publicity stunts on their behalf? Still, as Pete says, “It wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to increase their media budget.” Surely we all knew that there was precious little chance that this “ham battle” would go off without a hitch. “Happy Thanksgiving, Don…oh, and by the way, I need bail money.” Awesome. Almost as awesome as the volume at which Don yelled at New Guy. (“Who are you?”) I still think Don was being spiteful later in the episode when he barred Peggy from coming to the meeting, but she kind of earned it with that snappy comeback of hers…which, come to think of it, was also awesome.

You can tell by the tone in Roger’s voice that whatever Lane has just told him can’t possibly be good news…and it isn’t. The article for which Don was being interviewed at the beginning of the episode has hit newsstands, and it paints a picture of him as a mysterious Dorian Gray type. Don shrugs off the skewed portrayal, “My job is to write ads, not to go around talking about who I am,” but Roger hits him where it hurts when he replies, “Who knows who you are?” There’s a reason why the expression “modesty is the best policy” didn’t take off nearly as well as the one about honesty. Poor Harry. In one moment, he goes from having a hugely successful trip to L.A. – it takes a real man to sell a jai alai special – to having the rug ripped out from under him, and, once again, Don’s deficiencies as an interview subject are to blame. By the way, did I detect some flirtation between Harry and Joan, or was that just Joan doing what she does best? (I tend to think the latter, but when it looks like there might be sparks between a chubby glasses-wearing schlub and a hot, buxom redhead, I have to do whatever I can to support the fellow in his endeavor.)

Nothing says “Happy Thanksgiving” quite like dinner with Betty and her beau, does it? Glad to see Sally hasn’t changed, though it’s a shame to see that Betty hasn’t, either. (“Ow! Stop pinching me!”) Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for the top contender for 2010’s TV Mother of the Year! You’ve got to respect someone who’s just out of the gate but is already leading the pack, but there’s just nowhere else to place someone who, when her daughter tries to call her dad to wish him a happy Thanksgiving, snarls, “You want to call him to complain about how awful I am? Don’t expect him to be sympathetic when he hears my side of the story!” The only thing Betty got right in that conversation was the fact that Sally would be seeing her dad the next day, as he stopped by to pick up the kids for an overnight stay at his place. Sorry, make that two of the kids: the new baby is elsewhere, and it’s clear that his absence is a small power play. A much larger power play comes when Don brings the kids back home after their fun-filled, action-packed experience at his swinging bachelor pad, only to find that Betty couldn’t even be bothered to make it back on time. Gee, thanks, Mom! By this point, Don’s had his fill: he demands either a definitive get-the-hell-out-of-my-house-by date or that he begin to receive some sort of monetary compensation. And what’s Betty’s fallback position? Concern for the kids?!? Oh, yeah, everybody believes that one!

Things finally come to a head with Don during the Jantzen meeting at the end of episode. The client’s making requests, and he’s basically saying, “I hear what you’re saying, but you’re wrong, and I’m right.” When they try for the umpteenth time to reiterate their “we’re a family company” line, as if saying it just once more will make Don understand what they’re looking for, he finally snaps and storms out of the office, leaving the clients looking completely befuddled…and understandably so. Of course, the expressions really go haywire when he storms back in and yells at them to get out. Back to the drawing board we go…and, hey, what do you know? Honesty is the best policy.

See, I told you there was a reason that expression took off.

Best lines of the night:

* “So how are your balls? Are you enjoying yourself?” – Don’s accountant

* “I can use my expense account if I say they’re whores!” – Pete

* Don: What do you need?
Roger: Someone white to carve our turkey.

* “This girl’s terrific. She looks like Virginia Mayo, she’s 25, Mt. Holyoke gymnastics team. See her this weekend. If you hit it off, come Turkey Day, maybe you can stuff her.” – Roger

* I learned a valuable lesson: stay away from one-legged reporters. – Don

* “He hung up on me. I think he was crying.” – Pete

* “It’ll pass.” – Joan

* “It was going great…until it wasn’t.” – Peggy

* Henry: Don, it’s temporary.
Don: Believe me, Henry, everybody believes this is temporary.

* “Get your things and get out of my office. Now! Let’s go!” – Don