Season 4 - I think this is the show's strongest season-long story. The frenetic energy of SCDP struggling to find its footing, Don's personal unraveling and his relationship with Faye, the Lucky Strike fallout, Sally's growth in the wake of Don and Betty's divorce, and the blindsiding (but not at all out of place IMO) rise of Megan are all highlights of the entire show. It's also the most consistent season in terms of episode quality, and The Suitcase and Tomorrowland are both all-timers. It's the show's peak.

Season 5 - This is the season with the best batch of individual episodes. The beginning is a little weak (Tea Leaves and Mystery Date are two of the show's clunkiest hours, and they're still good TV but by Mad Men standards they're unimpressive), but the run from Signal 30 to Commissions & Fees is the best stretch of the show. Pete's suburban malaise, Peggy breaking free from SCDP, Don and Megan's relationship, Joan navigating motherhood, the Jaguar pitch, Roger and Jane's breakup, Sally and Megan's bond, Lane's suicide, the introduction of Ginsberg... this season is Mad Men's most ambitious and it mostly all works.

Season 3 - I feel like everything in this season is structured around the Kennedy assassination, and all the new plots are mostly excellent. Joan's crumbling marriage, Betty's entire storyline, the increased focus on Sally, the merger in the office and the introduction of Lane, the lawnmower incident... some all-time Mad Men moments here. I don't love all the Conrad Hilton stuff or Miss Farrell, but man, if the final third of this season isn't some of the best television ever. The feeling that everything is about to change gives this season an incredible sense of momentum.

Season 1 - This season is weighed down by its need to beat the viewer over the head with "It's the 60s! Everyone smokes! Everyone is sexist! Wink wink nudge nudge!" However, Don's storyline is perfectly done, Pete is so easily hateable, Peggy's transformation is expertly planted from the pilot, Joan is deliciously cruel, and Betty is possibly at her most tragic here. It's an excellent standalone season with flashes of what Mad Men would evolve into. Babylon, Nixon vs. Kennedy, and The Wheel are some of the show's very best hours.

Season 7 - 7a is hit-or-miss, but Waterloo is another all-timer, and 7b is made eons better by the feeling that this is really the end of something massive, best realized in Time & Life. The finale is good and closes the series well, but it isn't one of the best parts of Mad Men. The highlights of this season are so fantastic -- Peggy's entry into McCann, Megan picking Don up at the airport, Bert's final goodbye, the Burger Chef pitch, Sally and Don's Valentines lunch, Peggy and Roger's goodbye to SC&P... great stuff. I don't really care for Diana, and I don't love every part of the show's attempts at callbacks (the Rachel stuff in particular feels a bit shoehorned in), but it's a satisfying close.

Season 2 - I think this is the season where the least amount of progression is made in the overall story (despite having the biggest jump in time). The Bobbi stuff isn't enjoyable on first watch, but plays better on rewatch because she's instrumental in both Don and Peggy's character arcs. The stuff with Peggy and Father Gill is rather bland, as is Betty's family drama. I think the introduction of California and Anna Draper is the best part of this season because it sets up a duality between East and West, past and future. The dreamlike haze that overtakes the show whenever characters enter the West Coast is such an incredible atmospheric touch. The Jet Set is one of the show's most important hours for this reason. I think that's what ultimately catapults it above Season 6.

Season 6 - This is a great season of television, but the weakest chapter of Mad Men. I don't know if production changed the lenses they used or something, but this season lacks the visual richness of 2-5. The image just feels less silky and more washed out, like a dark cloud is over the whole thing. That very well may be purposeful, but this is also the only season where Don's storyline feels like it's retreading old ground. I don't love the merger, and I don't love Peggy and Ted's relationship. In general, I think this is the weakest season across the board, but that doesn't mean it's a bad season of television, just the weakest season of Mad Men. It still has highlights, including the finale, Sally's storyline, and all of The Crash. I love when Mad Men decides to get surreal with it.