Season four left the fate of the ailing ad agency Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce up in the air. Their inability to sign accounts and their alienation from the tobacco industry spelled certain doom until Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) delivers a glimmer of hope in the form of a new client. "A Little Kiss" shows the new company building on this momentum and bringing in more clients, but with more clients come more power struggles. Cue the drama, jealousy and whiskey.
The constant battle for power and petty back-and-forths between Roger Sterling (John Slattery) and possibly my favorite fictional Dartmouth alum, Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser), provide a much needed comedic element to the episode at one point, Pete gets so angry that he walks straight into a wall, resulting in a bloody nose. The power struggle also accentuated the worst, most annoying aspect of each character, namely Pete's whininess and Roger's immaturity. In low doses, this provides for humorous storylines, but when their flaws are overexposed on the show, the characters become irksome and grating. Furthermore, though the constant infighting between the partners of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce fuels the drama and intrigue of the show, it also becomes tiresome for the viewer.
The characters' ever-changing relationships also take center stage in the long awaited premiere. Ladies man and advertising genius Don shocked audiences by spontaneously proposing to his secretary, Megan (Jessica Pare), at the end of last season. Since Don's relationships have all ultimately failed, I had very little faith in this new romantic endeavor.
"A Little Kiss" does not do much to allay my fears. As of now, the direction Megan's storyline will take is ambiguous. Since she was a menial character until the last few episodes of season four, she is essentially an empty slate. It seems to me, however, that Don has escaped the clutches of his slightly crazy and emotionally immature ex-wife, Betty (January Jones), only to flee into the arms of a slightly less crazy and emotionally immature woman based on her actions in "A Little Kiss."
Although Don is most aptly characterized by his romantic prowess, the most touching parts of the episode and the show as a whole involve his interactions with his children. These scenes, though only taking up a tiny portion of "A Little Kiss," demonstrate the softer side of the show. Don's happiness when he is with his kids and sadness when he must return them to Betty and her new husband truly humanizes him. When Don is with women, he comes off as a sleazy womanizer devoid of true emotions. With his children, however, Don lets his emotional guard down, and Hamm masterfully portrays him as a tender, loving father with sincerity.
All in all, "A Little Kiss" was intriguing, entertaining and an excellent beginning to a much anticipated fifth season. The two-hour episode featured a blend of hard-hitting moments, humorous scenes and even a French musical performance, as if to make up for the show's absence over the past 17 months. True, the plot did not develop exactly as I had hoped, but I know I speak for more than just myself when I say it was truly delightful to watch all of my favorite characters back on TV once again.
