Ranking the Episodes of Mad Men Season 4
A breakdown of TV's greatest season
Reflecting on Season 4, I wondered if Mad World’s readers would tire of me yet again screaming from the rooftops “Wow, that was the best TV season of all time!”
Are you tired of it?
Well, your favorite moments or episodes may come in other seasons but there’s no denying how satisfying Season 4 handles the essence of what Mad Men is.
This show is a “meditation (in an emergency)” on what we can learn from the past.
It’s a continuous storyline of disaster and redemption ending with the overwhelming weight of each episode weighing on Don as he attempts to look into tomorrow.
What can he learn from his past and can tomorrow be better than what he has always known?
Let’s rank the 13 episodes of Season 4 set from November 1964 to October 1965.
I’ll clarify with these rankings that there is not a disappointing episode among the bunch, episodes ranked lower here would rank among the best in other seasons.
This was TV at its best.
S4 E1: “Public Relations”
Again, this is the greatest TV season of all time so I am not going to be harsh on any episode but one of them had to be last. The first episode of the season, “Public Relations” takes time to reintroduce us to the agency and its employees. It is great material but slower and less exciting than the other episodes.
S4 E4: “The Rejected”
I’m only two episodes in and already thinking “This is impossible, season 4 shouldn’t be ranked.” “The Rejected” is a great episode for Don facing the consequences of his actions but Joyce always felt unrealized as a character and this is our introduction to her.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E5: “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”
An essential part of why Season 4 is so effective is that each character gets a moment to lose their minds. We see the breaking point of everyone and Roger’s is perhaps the saddest. He will never make peace with the past.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E10: “Hands and Knees”
The most uncomfortable episode of the season. An acceptance that pain and suffering are an unavoidable part of life. What can we do to stop that pain from spreading? Certainly not run away from it.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E11: “Chinese Wall”
Boy Roger SUFFERS in this season. Even with success, a past failure may loom over you if you let it. If you do let it, that failure will define you.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E9: “The Beautiful Girls”
I think this will be the only controversial ranking on the list. “The Beautiful Girls” consistently ranks among the best episodes and I want to be clear that this is fantastic. Sally runs away from home, Miss Blankenship dies, Peggy basically gets called a Nazi… A LOT happens. A dense episode that consistently displays the best shot compositions of the season.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E2: “Christmas Comes But Once a Year”
Okay, I’m sorry that I didn’t rank “The Beautiful Girls” higher but, unfortunately, that episode doesn’t have a Christmas party conga line. Impossible to forget, makes you want to dress up as Santa and hand out cigarettes. That’s good advertising!
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E12: “Blowing Smoke”
A final remark on the smokey lies of the show’s pilot episode. The past may seem fine in a nostalgic haze but confronting it can reveal horror.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E3: “The Good News”
We’ve been waiting for an episode like this for a while. A satisfying story of Don Draper confronting the imminent death of a friend but also a goofy buddy adventure with Lane Pryce. Balances tragedy and comedy beautifully.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E13: “Tomorrowland”
The end is the beginning. Looking at the empty Draper house after four seasons, it feels like we have lost something too. The Mad Men we knew is gone, what will tomorrow bring?
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E6: “Waldorf Stories”
Perhaps Mad Men’s most influential episode due to the number of times I’ve seen drunk as a skunk Don Draper in front of that pitch board. Whatever Don’s failings, everything except for his name is self-made. A man who crafted his legend from nothing is now trying to make his destiny too. He is the man who pitched his own life.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E8: “The Summer Man”
The definitive character analysis of Don Draper provided for you by… Don Draper? What an episode and perhaps the show’s best needle drop!
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
S4 E7: “The Suitcase”
The greatest TV episode of all time, immortal and impactful just like Don and Peggy’s work. Creation is the answer to destruction.
(© AMC/Lionsgate)
I will be taking a break next week and then jumping into Season 5.
Happy holiday season and Merry Christmas everyone!