The first season seemed very tightly constructed, while the second season was a lot looser and somewhat... trippy. Which was fine, because eventually Don's wanderings brought him back home.
Season 3 is more of a mixed bag. Like season 2, it's a bit loose - perhaps reflecting the restless feelings that these characters have been wrestling with since the end of season 1. But I've also noticed that these episodes lack the density of the first season. The first season episodes were solidly packed with subtlety and nuance and heavy secondary stories. The second season managed to keep this up, letting the secondary plots carry things along while Don wandered around California.
The third season started off strong, but I feel that it slacked off a bit towards the end - which is why I stopped taking notes. I was less worried about missing (or forgetting) subtle glances and offhanded remarks that might later turn out to be significant, because such nuances seemed to disappear. The last few episodes of season 3 were about as subtle as a daytime soap opera.
It's not that there wasn't plenty of plot, but most of the secondary stories were developed during the first half of the season (Betty's father, Sally's grief, Joan's marriage, etc.), and the second half was mostly about Don and the agency. I would have preferred a more even distribution. I also felt that the Kennedy assassination seemed to have been shoehorned into a nearly-completed script. Some of the characters referred to the assassination as if it had changed the way they thought, but this seemed forced and I didn't feel that this change was reflected in anyone's actions. I think Pete, Betty, Don, & co. seemed like they were already on track to make the very decisions they ended up making, and the assassination was little more than a conversation piece, plot-wise.
There were also several storylines and twists that either didn't seem to be worthwhile, or else I outright hated them. Peggy's affair with Duck? UGH. All that stuff about Conrad Hilton? Started out interesting, but then fizzled (which was maybe the point, popping Don's ego-balloon a little bit, but I thought the pop should have been louder). Don and the schoolteacher? I'm still puzzling over that one - I don't see why he's attracted to her, specifically. She seems very ordinary compared to some of his other ex-girlfriends.
Perhaps what annoyed me the most was Don agreeing to uphold the firing of Sal. Since when does Don pimp the employees? Would he have expected Peggy to take one for the team if a client had requested it? I just don't see it.
On the other hand, I was more impressed by the continued strained relationship between Don and Roger; the disappointment in Joan's marriage and her husband's career; Sally's wonderful attachment to her grandfather and the crushing grief of his death; Pete's ego; integrating the new Draper baby into the household; Betty's fledgling affair; and of course the meltdown of the ad agency. These are the kinds of things that will carry me through season 4, and hopefully beyond.
It took me over a year to finish season 3. Hopefully it won't take me that long to go through season 4. I'm very curious to see how it compares - if the newer, more Don-centric, rushed approach that took over at the end of season 3 continues into season 4, or if we'll return to the steadier pacing, broader character focus, and nuanced performances that made Mad Men unique from the beginning.
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Season 4! WOW! It took me nearly a year and a half to get around to watching the whole thing - but it was worth it. It was everything I had hoped it would be.
I've started recapping Season 3. I don't know how long it will take or if I will even finish it. However, even if I do give up on 3, I intend to do Season 4.
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