The fourth season of the American television drama series Mad Men premiered on July 25, 2010, and concluded on October 17, 2010.
As Don falls deeper into existential despair, he begins regularly meeting with prostitutes and faces debilitating alcoholism.
The fourth season of Mad Men was widely commended by television critics, who viewed it as continuing the show's excellence in all areas of production while still emphasizing strong character development.
The season received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and recognition from the American Film Institute for the show's fourth year in a row.
Don comes back from this public relations disaster by cavalierly throwing a client out of his office after they show concern about his supposedly risque advertising pitch.
He sleeps with his well-meaning secretary Allison – breaking his own rules and her heart – and she eventually quits in a flurry of anguish and resentment.
Peggy, meanwhile, makes friends with a group of beatniks, including Joyce, a lesbian photo editor at Life magazine and Abe, a liberal writer whom she starts to date.
When Don causes Peggy to miss her own surprise birthday party (arranged by boyfriend Mark) in order to work on a presentation for Samsonite suitcases, the tension comes to a head.
Don having received an urgent message from Stephanie the day prior, returns this call after waking up, who confirms that Anna Draper has indeed died.
After Anna's death, Don cuts down on his drinking and is shown to be increasingly introspective; he begins to keep a journal and exercise regularly.
At the agency, Roger loses the Lucky Strike account, putting the financial security of the entire company in jeopardy.
The interrogation turns out to be a routine response to any requests for security clearance at North American Aviation, the application for which was submitted by Pete and Don's new secretary Megan Calvet.
In order to put a positive spin on being dropped from Lucky Strike (and perhaps partly motivated by Midge's desperation and inner destruction), Don writes an Op Ed in The New York Times proclaiming to the nation that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is taking a healthful stand and, from here on out, will no longer be doing business with Big Tobacco.
In October 1965, Don takes his kids on a trip to California (with Megan in tow) and stops by Anna Draper's home, now occupied by Stephanie.
[19] Robert Bianco of USA Today said that the series was "adept at changing course without diminishing its appeal or fundamentally altering its core".
And it was hard not to root for Don once he'd found happiness", yet noted that season 4 was strong because of the focus on Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
Club writer Keith Phipps considered it the best season of the series so far, noting that "Matthew Weiner knows every rule of creating tense, dramatic story arcs and then willfully ignores them.
"[23] Keith also observed that the best episodes of the season were light on plot, praising the "ruminative depth" of "mood pieces" like "The Good News" and "The Suitcase".
Don Draper reflects the American compulsion to sidestep the hard work of living a flawed but authentic life for the empty illusion of perfection, as shiny and skin-deep as an advertisement that promises the impossible.
Robert Morse received yet another nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his work as Bert Cooper.
In addition, Cara Buono (Faye Miller) and Randee Heller (Ida Blankenship) were nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
[30] The American Film Institute honored the series as one of the ten greatest television achievements of 2010, for the fourth year in a row.
AFI referred to the fourth season as its finest, and praised Jon Hamm, the ensemble cast, and the storyline revolving around Don Draper's decline.
Jon Hamm also won the Individual Achievement in Drama award for his performance as Don Draper during the fourth season.