If you’re excited about season 5 of Mad Men but need to brush up on your knowledge of season 4—it did, after all, air a year and a half ago—you can re-watch it on Netflix or reread Slate’s TV Club from 2010. Or, if you’re in the mood for a refresher that’s a little sprightlier (and faster), you can play The Fine Brothers’ interactive, ‘80s-style 8-bit game that lightheartedly summarizes the key plot points of season 4:
The game is full of nice touches, from the electronic, pixelated version of the iconic opening credits to the sly references to earlier seasons (you’ll notice a lawnmower in the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce hallway during a race scene) to the arch dialogue, which comes half from the point of view of the characters and half from the point of view of the audience. (At one point, Don advises Pete, “Stop wearing those stupid pajamas at night. We all talk behind your back.”) But more importantly, it really does serve as a helpful primer to season 4—spend half an hour making choices for Don, and your locked-up memories of all the indiscretions, disagreements, revelations, and internecine office politics will start flooding back.
See all of Slate’s coverage of Mad Men, Season 5 here.
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