• Hitfix, Tuesday, April 2, 2013 12:21 PM

Keeping to what we presume are the guidelines "Mad Men" creator Matt Weiner lays down when he sends out screeners, critic Alan Sepinwall writes a review of the two-hour premiere that avoids plot specifics, telling us little beyond the fact that the show "continues to be one of the most satisfying dramas in the history of the medium." So Don and Pete have a conversation, Roger says something enigmatically funny, and the generation gap between 20somethings and their elders is now more pronounced. Other critics may not obey Weiner's strictures so carefully -- so maybe by the end of the week, if more reviews come out, we'll know at least what year the "Mad" folks are now living in?

Gotta admit, the lack of details adds to the suspense about the return of the show. Still, as Sepinwall notes, "What's going to happen next is never remotely as important as how and why it happens, which is why I've always felt that Weiner's handwringing over spoilers does a disservice to his own creation. There are at times surprises — Don's true identity, Peggy's baby — but the most interesting aspects of them are rarely the surprises themselves, but what they tell us about these people."

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