3x13 Shut the Door. Have a Seat

While preparing for their presentation to American Airlines in Season 2, Don Draper closes a meeting by saying "we got a lot of bricks but I don't know what the building looks like." Throughout season 2 and 3, that quote reflected a lot of my sentiment about the show. I appreciated the care that the show took with developing not only the central storyline of Don but also the stories of the orbital characters. But I wasn't quite sure what the end point would be. We see that Betty is no longer the same Betty that cowers in the shadow of Don and confesses her loneliness to Glen in the middle of the grocery store parking lot. We have been provided a personal look into the insecurities that make Pete the flawed character he is. Even Joan and Harry have had their moments.

However, for much of the show till now, I was not sure how all the pieces fit, where all the stories were headed. So, in some sense, this was one of the episode finales with higher stakes riding on it, at least for me. And does it deliver. The way in which Mad Men makes you care for each character makes their collective protest against Sterling Cooper's sale feel as momentous as an Avengers-style team-up. The storyline is witty, and the dialogue laced with an undercurrent of humor. And lastly - but perhaps most importantly - Jon Hamm's portrayal of Don makes this episode. Beneath the slick hair and the penetrating intelligence, we see Don for who he is - someone relatable, who despite the appearance to the contrary, wants someone to lean on and is still searching for answers.