Mad Men: Season 3 (2009)

Every season is better then the last and I'm glade to say that I was able to get season 3 finished in time for the premier of season 4, as I have the opportunity to at least start the run of this season on TV as opposed to DVD. This show is really one of the all time greats, in the pantheon of astoundingly good and deep shows of my lifetime that includes Homicide: Life on the Street and Six Feet Under. The Third Season spans the Spring of 1963 to just before Christmas of the same year. The historical events covered are obvious, the March on Washington, early Vietnam, and the Kennedy Assassination, the last of which is astoundingly well handled in an episode that for our generation can evoke nothing save 9/11. But the emotional events, in both the home and work lives of our characters are equally, if not more astounding. This is the year that Don and Betty's marriage finally crumbles, that Dick Whitman's secret past gets reveled to his wife, that Pete and Trudy's marriage takes on a remarkable health and shine, Salvatore is in effect outed, and that little girl who plays Sally proves she is a really remarkable young actress. This is a great show, its so literary, I love the way it builds, those last three episodes are consecutive knock-outs of a level seldom seen on even good television. If you haven't you should watch this show, the most satisfying hour of programing currently on television. Thumbs way up, Five stars.