"They Raise You Up And They Knock You Down..."

*Spoiler Alert: This article is a recap of last nights season premiere.

As August approaches we can breathe a sigh of relief as basic cable networks are beginning to trot out all their Emmy contenders. Mad Men is back, and as captivating as ever. It truly is a stroke of genius to leave us in the dark as to how much time will have passed between seasons as each year I can't wait to catch the premiere and see when the hell Matthew Weiner's time machine is going to drop us off at.

In this case it seems about one year has passed. Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce has grown well beyond its hotel room offices and has expanded to an entire floor of an office building. As the episode opens we are treated to many of our favorite familiar faces and in Christina Hendricks case one of my favorite familiar everythings.

More quality TV just around the corner!

The first line of the episode, asked of Don during an interview, "Who is Don Draper?" remains as elusive an answer as it was two seasons ago. Don's own unwillingness to part with even the slightest hint leads to a disastrous interview costing SCDP a large client and earning the ire of his fellow partners.

It is clear that not all is well in the young company, and Don ever his own man is more determined than ever to let his nuts hang. The unofficial tally for the season premiere has Don at three women berated, and one set of clients tossed unceremoniously right out of the SCDP offices after rejecting his pitch.

Just as it looks like Don is ready to continue the same selfishly stubborn behavior we've seen since episode one, he does something quite un-Draper-ish. Finally forced to accept his role as star in the SDCP solar system, Don concedes to a second interview, this time with the prestigious Wall Street Journal .

After years of resisting Don appears ready to take his place as the "rock star" of Madison Avenue. While it's bound to be good for business, the repercussions of this exposure for a man living under an assumed identity remain to be seen. These questions aside, before we fade to black we witness old Don Draper, whiskey in hand making with the god damn sunshine. Apparently, when it comes down to it, selling yourself is as easy as selling Glo-coat.

Oh, and Don likes to get smacked around by hookers when he is banging them. Just thought that bore mentioning.