5/5 just keeps getting better
  by J. C. Mastantuono
the writing was superb once again, and the show has the acting chops to carry it through. mad men is a happy marriage of quality in writing and acting, sadly lacking in most other shows. this season didn't necessarily have the "bang" of the 1st one, but i loved the subtle nuances of the characters and their relationships. the finale was exciting and it definitely left you impatient for the start of season 4. the show is unpredictable...as a viewer, you can't assume too much about a storyline, as they take interesting arcs and sideturns, but this is a good thing. don draper is the quintessential alpha male, and you root for him even when he does detestable things. betty, the automaton housewife, comes out of her shell more this season than in past seasons, but in her controlled way. i generally tend to feel more sympathy for don than betty, which is probably by design...don't you just want to give don a great big bear hug? betty is not exactly the source of the warmth he needs in his life. i get the feeling she has depth somewhere, but it's hard to find through the superficiality that she seems to personify. don didn't marry her for her person so much as what she represented to him, and she surely has realized that and much more with the revelations found in that nondescript shoe box. there were so many great moments. and you've got to love joan. is there anyone more capable than joan? i have a feeling her hubs is going to see some (bad) action in vietnam in the future, but who knows (that's the beauty)? the other supporting characters are ALL just as rich: peggy, pete, roger, and the rest. i hope sal makes an appearance at the new agency, too. all in all, worth every minute of your time.


5/5 TV Magic
  by L. P. Schneider (San Rafael, CA United States)
This is one of the best series ever to air on television. It's hands-down the best TV has to offer today. "Mad Men" has it all - beginning with a well-crafted storyline and including its big-budget-film level production values, the incredible writing, impeccably wrought characters portrayed by perfectly cast actors and actresses...and the music, particuarly the songs selected to play out at the end of each episode...WOW...Matt Weiner, his cast and crew have given us three solid seasons of the finest television...cannot wait till Season 4 (though next August seems a million years away...)...

5/5 Mad Men - The Best Show Since Law and Order 20 yrs ago
  by J. Morin (Mesa, AZ USA)
I have watched this from the beginning and felt an immediate kinship to all the characters. I was only 8 yrs old in 1963 but I remember that era well. The first episode of season one was the best. Everyone smoking all the time, cocktail hour anytime of the day, big tobacco companies were king.
The best line was when Don Draper said to Pete Campbell " Pete, I had a report just like that one and it's not like there is a magic machine that makes identical copies". How nostalgic is that? I think as we get older we long to live in the past and I would do the sixties all over again.
It is just the best show ever and the writing is so exceptional that I hang on every word.

5/5 Oh, Don!
  by J. A Bowen (Millersville, MD)
For all the fans and true "Mad Men" addicts out there, Season 3 was much-anticipated. At the end of Season 2, we had reason to believe that Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the charismatic creative director of Sterling-Cooper, had come to his place of reckoning and was ready to turn a new leaf (sorry for all the cliches) in his marriage, if not his career. His gorgeous, emotionally stunted wife Betty (January Jones) just found out she was pregnant, and they apparently decide to mend their marriage and try to make a go of it. Presumably, women didn't have many choices back in the '60's. Also, Betty just might be that kind of woman - she needs a man to complete her.

But right from the beginning of Season 3, the viewer can see that not much has changed at all, and Don is off being the bad boy again. Betty seems in a world of her own with her pregnancy, and then her father's decline in health and the subsequent decisions that have to made give her all she can apparently cope with. I found myself growing angry at her numerous times because of her cold, unfeeling treatment of her adorable children. Even with all his immaturity, Don seems to be the far more caring parent, at least while face-to-face with his children. Sally Draper, their little girl, had some of the best acting of the season, and I think she will mature into a terrific actress.

So much happens on the career front, it would be a mistake to give it all away in a review. I heard complaints from various people that Season 3 was too slow -- but remember that this is a show about character development and nuance, above all. The last two episodes, about the Kennedy assassination and the Season finale, are as action-packed as any plot lover could want. They are magnificently written and acted, and left this viewer, at least, panting for Season 4. What more can a series offer?

5/5 From A Man Who's Mad About This Show
  by Highland Rob (Highland, IN)
From day one, this show has not disappointed. It has some of the best writing and acting that Hollywood has produced for a television show in a long time and it has the awards to prove it. It's highly stylized look at a Madison Avenue advertising agency and the people who work there has been extremely enjoyable. Season 3 has had the best writing and acting and the last 3 episodes have been the best out of all 39 episodes produced to date. You cannot truly appreciate season 3 without watching seasons 1 and 2 so if you are new to the series, please do yourself a favor and watch them before consuming season 3, you will not be disappointed.