Last night in Times Square Mad Men Season four premiered at 9PM, an hour earlier than the AMC broadcast premiere. And we were there. Beginning at 7PM, people lined up to have their picture taken with Elizabeth Moss, the actress who plays the Peggy Olson character. We have to say, she’s the cutest in real life.
In addition to a step and repeat, there was a game show on the main stage which asked contestants trivia questions about the series. As all of this was going on, hired actors waltzed about the crowd dressed in full Mad Men garb. But they were outnumbered by many in the audience who also showed up to the premiere decked out in early sixties fashion.
A few minutes before the episode began, Moss was brought onstage by the moderator. She was joined by January Jones, the actor who plays the Betty Draper character. The two giggled and joked and then a cake was rolled out in celebration of Moss’ birthday.
At 9PM, the premiere kicked off with a story line that picks up a year after the end of last season. We won’t offer spoilers but the premiere centers on the new ad agency that was formed at the end of last season and Don’s hesitant realization he can’t hide forever and if he’s going to make it in the industry, he’s going to have to at least make up a story about his checkered past the press will buy.
As always, Roger has the best lines. Of Advertising Age which sent a reporter with a wooden leg, the result of an injury in the Korean war, Roger said, “[They’re] So cheap they couldn’t even afford a whole reporter!” We won’t spoil the episode for you but if you want a full on re-cap, there’s one over at New York Magazine.
After the (commercial-free, thankfully) premiere ended, Moss, Jones and a parade of PR folk made their way over to the Blue Fin. We considered chasing them in paparazzi-style but figured we really didn’t need to be that much of an asshole. We did get a few passable shots of her which you can see here along with other photos from the event.
