Mad Men: Season 4 [Blu-ray]

Season 4 of Mad Men has taken a quantum leap over Season 3 when it comes to intense and intelligent story lines, beautifully scripted and brilliantly acted. Jon Hamm has become, finally, a great actor in this show. In the past he was hamstrung by the character's current dilemma which centered around the telling of his sad past. That, along with establishing, and pruning, the other main characters and watching them bud, kept the stew on simmer for 3 years. In Season 4 the pot boils over and it is wonderful to behold these main characters un-peeling the layers of their personalities before us. This is one of the elements that makes this show an outstanding television drama, one of the greats.I don't have cable or satellite and broadcast no longer exists, so I had to wait until the dvds came out last week. I wondered what it would be like without some of the old mainstays like Paul Kinsey, who I hated as a character but I guess we were supposed to, and the old Sterling Cooper office staff. I needn't have been concerned. The new Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices are even more interesting because they were decorated at the start of the Op-Art craze which began in the early 60s as desirable and chic for homes and offices. Roger Stirling's new office is outrageous, a fore-echo of some of the sets you will remember from the original Star Trek or even 2001: A Space Odyssey.I love Don's bachelor apartment in the Village. I don't think its squalid at all, it was New York City gothic; dark, noisy and typical of the times. Now Don's place is probably an over-priced condo, painted off -white and full of designer bounce.I love Roger. He's such a rat but John Slater makes you love him. He's suddenly growing old after this season, losing American Tobacco, losing Joan... he had bags under his eyes in his last scene, very sad. But he'll be back! I miss his daughter, played by Elizabeth Rice. Hope they bring her back again after she divorces that gay man that she married on the weekend following JFK's assassination.I like all of the new characters, especially Jay Ferguson's oddball art director Stan Rizzo. He's a perfect foil for Elisabeth Moss's Peggy Olson. Stan has many facets besides being goofy and quick off the mark with clever retributions. Stan is the prototype for the masculine (he's hunky in a chunky way) yet sensitive, as in vibes, urban man. He's probably gay but not as obvious as poor old Sal Romano. Joyce, Peggy's lesbian friend, has a wry ironic twist to her face which keeps her from being simply a smug village suffragette. I'm not sure about Peggy's new boyfriend, though, Abe I think his name is. She's having great sex though, which is what she wanted. I can't help wondering if Peggy will go for one of Joyce's galpals she keeps presenting to Peggy. That's one of the minor cliffhangers for Season 5 to resolve. I won't miss Dr Faye Miller. It was right that Don should cut her loose, there was something automaton-esque about her. No heart, just neurosis. And Bethany was too young for Don. Megan is perfect for him.All thirteen episodes are first rate, A+, and that hadn't been the case in the first 3 seasons which wavered wildly in the quality of the scripts. Old characters who we liked, like Francine Carlson and even Midge, come back for a scene. Poor Midge, remember Don's first village romance that started the series off, is now down and out, but I won't give out any more spoilers about events that take place. Even rotten old Duck Phillips returns for one last drunken turn.There isn't as much comedy in Season 4, no fat jokes or leering tribes of junior execs zeroing in on the new secretary.This season is extremely adult, dramatic and moving. The music is as great as ever and the sets are evolving with the times. We are now done with 1964 with Don triumphant, and beautifully in love with a wonderful woman and poor old Betty spitting nails. She got just what she wanted. I have to say I love the way Betty insists on seeing a child psychiatrist. She's not nuts, nor is she a hopelessly embittered little bitch. She's evolving too and I started to see some of her early vulnerable sweetness again in the last episode of this season. I didn't hate her like I have done for the past 3 years anyway, though she's thoroughly obnoxious through most of the Season 4 shows as well. And Henry is turning out to be something of a fraud, we could'a told her that. What a class A creep that guy is. I mean seducing a 6-month pregnant married woman! He's scum and there doesn't appear to be much depth to him. I think maybe, I hope, we've seen the last of that character. Next time we see Betty she'll probably be living in elegant squalor in her father's house, like Grey Gardens in better days.In spite of the wrenching stories being told in Season 4 it ends on a very high note of love and absolution. All is not perfect, though. Bert Cooper has a snit fit and stomps out, but he'll be back. The show is greatly enhanced by the presence of Robert Morse. There is much to look forward to with Season 5, and beyond.

Having purchased seasons 1 thru 3 with HD option, I found season 4's video quality severely degraded. None of the order or invoice info states what was picked at time of purchase, and only tells me "you purchased this". Because the price was less than the previous seasons I suspect I got SD rather than HD but finding that info has been fruitless, and thus no hope yet for updating to HD.

Though Season 4 petered out a bit at the end with a few too many plot mechanics and a distressingly predictable and repetetive finale, the first 10 episodes were, all in all, sensational. The Season 3 finale, "Shut the Door. Have a Seat.", set up a delicious situation which was a chance to reinvent all the characters and storylines. Matthew Weiner and company took advantage of the plum they handed themselves and got the new firm set up in cutting edge digs and managed to weave old characters in and out as needed. Overall, the show was fresher, more focused, and more streamlined. This season really did trace the trajectory of Don's downfall from booze and buried sorrow--which culminated in a hit-between-the-eyes moment in episode 6, "Waldorf Stories". It was so perfectly set up that when you got the impact of it, it was truly stunning. (January Jones as Betty Draper was in this episode for one brief scene, but she delivered the three-word line that made Don realize he'd finally hit rock bottom. Interesting the connection those two still have.) From there, we began to follow Don as he made the first real attempt we've ever seen to take control of his demons. This led to what may be the best episode the show has ever produced, "The Suitcase", episode 7. (Or at least equal to Season 2's phenomenal finale, "Meditations in an Emergency".) Primarily a two-character piece for Don and Peggy, it was the episode the entire series had been building to, if only we'd known it. The two had to work overnight on a Samsonite presentation and various demons and frustrations finally escaped and Don got some bad news from California that at last led to a needed breakdown. Written by creator/executive producer Weiner, "The Suitcase" is television at its very finest and may well win Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss those elusive Emmys come this summer. (Weiner, at least, is basically assured another writing Emmy for this masterpiece.) From this point, the financial woes of the newly-formed Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce take center stage and involve a fascinating examination of women's roles in the '60s workplace, as well as a life crisis for Roger Sterling, which provides John Slattery the chance to do career-best work. The final few episodes don't live up to the start. They're well-crafted, but it's distressing to see the plot wheels turning a bit obviously and watch Don appear to begin repeating familiar patterns. However, we never know what Season 5 will bring us.Other delights from #4:--Pete Campbell becomes a man with a backbone and a conscience--Don gets saddled with battle-axe secretary Miss Ida Blankenship, who constantly spouts wildly inappropriate comments and is played to delightful perfection by Randee Heller; this humor is much-needed as a juxtaposition to some of the darker goings-on--Roger writes his memoirs!--Joan leads a conga line!--Some Japanese businessmen are quite impressed by Joan's, er, assets--John Slattery directs a couple of episodes, "The Rejected" and "Blowing Smoke", and proves himself as capable behind the camera as in front--Episode 5, "The Chyrsanthemum and the Sword", features a hilarious caper played on a rival agency and a truly good performance from January Jones. She sometimes gets some flack, but I think she plays an incredibly complex character with just the right touch of lacquered veneer over raging internal chaos. In this episode she ranges from near child abuse to breaking our hearts talking to a child psychologist with a thinly-veiled desperate need to be heard. This episode won the Writers Guild award for outstanding single episode of a drama series. (The series, incidentally, won the award for overall drama series as well.)In all, this was a fascinating season exploring the difference between a character's appearance and their reality. Everyone in a large cast got chances to shine--and they still made room to incorporate some historical happenings which are skillfully woven in.

Fell in love 🥰 with not only the main man, but all the actors AND the decor ~ I saw a lot of the furniture I grew up with early 70's when I was just 5 years old!!! Some parts were racy sexy. A lot of smoking 🚬 so be aware of that. Those were the days when it was very popular so don't wig out. The hairstyles on the women were gorgeous 😍 ~ I just didn't want the series to ever end!Very good I loved it. ❤

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Nach der sehr guten ersten Staffel, der klasse zweiten staffel bei der die erste DVD etwas schwach war,einer wirklich guten 3ten Staffel dachte ich das es bei der vierten staffel das ist nicht mehr zu toppen.Aber Pustekuchen. Die Figur des Don wurde einmal mehr durchleuchtet und klarer, seine Fluch weg vom Alkohol,zwei tolle Frauen fast gleichzeitig, die Probleme seiner etwas frühreifen Tochter, Roger wiederauferlebt Beziehung zu Joan der vielleicht interessantesten Frau in dieser Serie das macht einfach Spaß ist interessant und produziert Hunger auf weitere Fortsetzungen. Was mir persönlich besonders gefällt, ist die wunderbare Austattung der Serie,egal ob es um die Kleidung, das Wohnen oder den Zeitgeschmack in Bezug auf Musik und die politische Ereignisse handelt. Auch die Intwerviews mit Don, Roger, .... sind sehr interessant. Leider fehlt mir da das Interview mit Joan. Sehr interssant finde ich persönlich auch die Entwicklung von Peggy beruflich als auch privat, die ihre Rolle hervorragend spielt. Leider wird die Serie wie es aussieht wohl mit Staffel 7 enden.Wirklich wirklich ein Trauerspiel ist die Tatsache, das diese wirklich erstklassige Serie im ZDF erst um 23.30 läuft die 5te Staffel, nach dem Motto, warum soll der Zuschauer erstklassige Unterhaltung denn um 20 Uhr 15 bekommen denn dieser und nur dieser Sendeplatz wäre mehr als angemessen. Stattdessen wählt man eine Zeit, wo jeder" normale Bundesbürger nach einer harten Arbeitswoche längst im Bett ist. Wer als nicht den Recorder programmiert hat oder glücklicher Besitzer der DVD Collection ist, geht definitv lehr aus.In diesem Sinne der aufgeschlossene Fernsehzuschauer ist leider wohl nicht mehr gefragt. Stdessen ein ständig abnickernder Zusachauer, der anscheindend wohl zu allem und jedem was die Fernsehbosse einem zur Primetimeteilweise an Müll vorsetzen ja und amen sagt.Trotzdem eine gute Unterhaltung.

Nachdem die ersten beiden Staffeln schon wirklich toll waren, konnte sich Staffel drei noch steigen. Nun ist die vierte Staffel endlich erschienen und konnte nochmal an Qualität gewinnen. Hier rückt nun nach der eher personenbezogenen dritten Staffel wieder die Agentur deutlich in den Vordergrund. Die privaten Dinge sind selbstverständlich immernoch präsent, wurden aber auch besser integriert. Neue Agentur, "neues Leben", neuer Kummer und neue Ängste - es scheint als erfindet sich die Serie neu um nicht stehen zu bleiben. Das ist sehr gut gelungen und lässt am Ende wieder viel Potential für die Fortführung der Geschichte.Großartige Serien-Staffel!!Die 13 Episoden kommen in der gleichen Verpackungsart wie Staffel 3 daher. Die vier DVDs befinden sich in einer dicken Hülle, welche ein Wendecover bietet. Geschützt wird das ganze wieder durch einen Pappschuber mit den gleichen Maßen wie bei Staffel 3, also etwas schmaler als die Boxen der ersten beiden Staffeln. Das Pappmaterial ist das gleiche geblieben. Wie schon bei Staffel 1 und 3 ist das FSK-Logo hier leider wieder auf dem Schuber aufgedruckt.Deutscher DD 5.1 Sound und erstmals auch englischer DD 5.1 Sound ist hier dabei mit englischer und deutscher Untertitelwahl. Das Menü ist wieder stilvoll gestaltet und die Extras sind 'Scheidung in den 60er-Jahren', 'How To Succeed in Business Draper Style' und diverse Interviews.Für Fans der Serie ist diese Staffel sowieso ein Muss, Neulingen empfehle ich die ersten drei Staffeln erst zu schauen um mit dem entsprechenden Wissen über alle Charaktere die Staffel so richtig genießen zu können. Kaufempfehlung!

Ich liebe Filme, die in den 60er Jahre spielen. Endlich mal nicht ständig das Handy am Ohr. Klasse Schauspieler und tolle Story. Auch sehr gut umgesetzt, tolle Sets mit viel Liebe zum Detail.Unglaublich auch, was zu dieser Zeit (angeblich) zu allen möglichen Gelegenheiten (vom Frühstück weg) an Cocktails und Longdrinks konsumiert wurde.Fazit: sehr sehenswert, besonders wer auf die „gute alte Zeit“ steht.

One of Mad Men's best seasons. Here you breathe the new air of the new agency but also witness a kind of mental reset of the characters, especially Don, because they start to reflect about themselves and new elements of Don's past start to come up on the surface.So the mood of the season is balanced between a refreshing and brilliant atmosphere and a deeper and more intimate, almost dramatic one.The best example of the latter is episode 7, "The Suitcase" which is to me maybe the best of the whole series, conveying a sense of past and a introspection yet through a very essential style, which is perfectly embodied by John Hamm's performance.The ending of that episode could have been, to me, the ending of the series, and it would have still been a masterpiece even without the following seasons.Buy it even just for that episode.Blu ray is fantastic as usual. Mad Men is truly one of those shows that really strike on blu ray