Mad Men - Season 3 - 8.5

(Oops, meant to put this in the quick reviews as well.)

So, Mad Men season 3 finished up another great season last night. The finale was wonderful, and it largely redeemed what was (for me) a lackluster penultimate episode and points the show in a good direction for the next season. That said, Mad Men remains just a tad too uneven to approach the great HBO shows of the last decade at their best. This year there were 2 classic episodes (Lawnmower + Finale), a handful of really good episodes (the build-up to lawnmower + the episode before JFK) and a rough patch in the middle third where it felt like they were treading water Sopranos-style. In my book, that adds up to a great season that doesn't quite cross the line and become elite.

The show still has the best production on TV hands down and that amazing craftmanship allows me forgive a lot. The sets and costumes are so beautiful and the characters are so enveloped in the time and place they reside, that the even the dud episodes are fun to watch on a visceral level. Mad Men has to be considered the best show on TV right now, but I'd say the door is open just a crack for a show like Lost to claim best show of the season when everything wraps up next spring.