By Sarah Carlson | TV | February 5, 2014 |
By Sarah Carlson | TV | February 5, 2014 |
The first half of the seventh and final season of one of the best dramas on TV, Mad Men, premieres Sunday, April 13, and I’m here to get you ready for it. This look at the 1960s, the purported American dream, identity, and existential despair is worth your time, an there are 78 episodes to rewatch/view for the first time in 68 days, which isn’t bad. (I watched 56 episodes of Breaking Bad in 25 days last fall, so you’ll be fine.) Some people aren’t fans of binge-watching TV, but this nearly two-and-a-half-month spread is hardly bingeing. Don’t worry; I scheduled breaks.
Recaps/analyses from this site are linked on the episode titles for the Season Three premiere and all episodes of seasons four through six; if you want recaps for the earlier seasons, AMC’s website for the show has very cut-and-dry rundowns. Technically, if you’ve never seen the series, you have a year to catch up; the final half of Season Seven won’t air until 2015. But that’s not as fun. You know you want to be up to date and join the community here to discuss the series, as well as read Dustin’s crackpot theories on Uproxx. (I stand by his most notorious theory, about Megan; it was plausible.) So join us. The first five seasons are on Netflix Instant, and Season Six is available to purchase. Start today.
Season One
Feb. 5
1:1, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
Feb. 6
1:2, “Ladies Room”
Feb. 7
1:3, “Marriage of Figaro”
Feb. 8
1:4, “New Amsterdam,” 1:5, “5G”
Feb. 9
1:6, “Babylon”
Feb. 10
1:7, “Red in the Face”
Feb. 11
1:8, “The Hobo Code”
Feb. 12
1:9, “Shoot”
Feb. 13
1:10, “Long Weekend”
Feb. 14
Take a break! And/or do something for Valentine’s. Your call.
Feb. 15
1:11, “Indian Summer,” 1:12, “Nixon vs. Kennedy,” 1:13, “The Wheel”
Season Two
Feb. 16
2:1, “For Those Who Think Young”
Feb. 17
2:2, “Flight 1”
Feb. 18
2:3, “The Benefactor”
Feb. 19
2:4, “Three Sundays”
Feb. 20
2:5, “The New Girl”
Feb. 21
2:6, “Maidenform,” 2:7, “The Gold Violin”
Feb. 22
2:8, “A Night to Remember,” “Six Month Leave”
Feb. 23
2:10, “The Inheritance”
Feb. 24
2:11, “The Jet Set”
Feb. 25
2:12, “The Mountain King”
Feb. 26
2:13, “Meditations in an Emergency”
Season Three
Feb. 27
3:1, “Out of Town”
DANCE BREAK:
Feb. 28
3:2, “Love Among the Ruins,” 3:3, “My Old Kentucky Home”
March 1
3:4, “The Arrangements,” 3:5, “The Fog”
March 2
Take a break for the Oscars. And get ready for the amazing …
March 3
3:6, “Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency”
March 4
3:7, “Seven Twenty Three”
March 5
3:8, “Souvenir”
March 6
3:9, “Wee Small Hours”
March 7
3:10, “The Color Blue,” 3:11, “The Gypsy and the Hobo”
March 8
3:12, “The Grown-Ups,” 3:13, “Shut the Door. Have a Seat.”
Season Four
March 9
4:1, “Public Relations”
March 10
4:2, “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”
DANCE BREAK:
March 11
4:3, “The Good News”
March 12
4:4, “The Rejected”
March 13
4:5, “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”
March 14
4:6, “Waldorf Stories,” 4:7, “The Suitcase” (Such an excellent pairing.)
March 15
4:8, “The Summer Man,” 4:9, “The Beautiful Girls”
March 16
Break time!
March 17
4:10, “Hands and Knees”
March 18
4:11, “Chinese Wall”
March 19
4:12, “Blowing Smoke”
March 20
4:13, “Tomorrowland”
Season Five
DANCE BREAK:
March 21
5:1, “A Little Kiss, Part 1,” 5:2, “A Little Kiss, Part 2”
March 22
5:3, “Tea Leaves,” 5:4, “Mystery Date”
March 23
5:5, “Signal 30”
March 24
Take a break — this season gets heavy. And for fun, print out the above picture of Pete, tape it to a pillow, and punch the pillow repeatedly.
March 25
5:6, “Far Away Places”
March 26
5:7, “At the Codfish Ball”
FAT BETTY BREAK:
March 27
5:8, “Lady Lazarus”
March 28
5:9, “Dark Shadows”
March 29
5:10, “Christmas Waltz,” 5:11, “The Other Woman”
March 30
5:12, “Commissions and Fees,” 5:13, “The Phantom”
Season Six
March 31
6:1, “The Doorway, Part 1”
April 1
6:2, “The Doorway, Part 2”
April 2
6:3, “The Collaborators”
April 3
6:4, “To Have and to Hold”
April 4
6:5, “The Flood”
April 5
6:6, “For Immediate Release”
April 6
Take a break for the Game of Thrones Season Four premiere!
April 7
6:7, “Man with a Plan”
April 8
6:8, “The Crash”
April 9
6:9, “The Better Half”
April 10
6:10, “A Tale of Two Cities”
April 11
6:11, “Favors”
April 12
6:12, “The Quality of Mercy”
April 13
6:13, “In Care Of”
Season Seven premiere time! You made it! I’m so proud of you. Don is, too, but he has a hard time expressing it.
Sarah Carlson is a TV Critic for Pajiba. She lives in San Antonio. You can find her on Twitter.