Here is a wonderful comparison of Betty Draper in Rome to Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. As we know, Mad Men is a seriously complex program that draws inspiration from many of the worlds most classic films and advertising campaigns while making wonderfully tasteful references to world history.

“Ah, Rome. A perfect place for Betty and Don to rekindle the romance — who needs Paris, anyway? Betty, in complete control of herself and Don for once, effortlessly breezes through the place and captures the hearts of several men, including her husband’s. For that purpose, she gets dressed up at the Hilton’s beauty parlor, in an outfit aesthetically similar to one of the greatest Italian films of all time, Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.

In the film, Anita Ekberg plays a Swedish (but basically an American representation) movie star, Sylvia, who sweeps into Rome and carries away several men. Her most famous scene? The one of her jumping into the Trevi Fountain. Framing Betty against a fountain calls the image to mind immediately. Both outfits both play with black and white and involve similar makeup; the difference is that while Sylvia is unadorned and effortlessly beautiful, Betty’s creation is one of direct manipulation, with many baroque effects (the hair bow, the necklace). While Sylvia is unaware of the effect she has on her own strong-jawed man (Marcello Mastroianni), Betty couldn’t be more conscious of Don’s reaction to her flirtations.

The character of Sylvia is intended by Fellini to represent a modern American intrusion into the ancient city of Rome, which is trying desperately to play catch up. Whereas she has more of an effect on Rome than it does on her, we see by the end of “Souvenir” that the opposite is true for Betty.”

Over at CBC news in Canada, they’re writing:

If you’re mad for Mad Men, you already know that this Sunday, Nov. 8, marks the season three finale of the Emmy-winning show. For those who aren’t quite so obsessed, the cable TV series explores the machinations at Sterling Cooper, a Manhattan advertising agency in the early ’60s. The show stars Jon Hamm as the debonair Don Draper, the cunning yet conflicted ad man whose suburban idyll – spacious home, knockout wife, adorable brood – masks a network of lies. The biggest one being Don’s real identity: a farmer’s son named Dick Whitman.

With every season, Mad Men has become more tense, more complex – and, let’s face it, more soap opera-like. (But in a good way!)

This season, we’ve seen Don engage in more ill-advised affairs, jeopardize his friendship with agency senior partner Roger Sterling (John Slattery), humiliate his young protégé, Peggy (Elizabeth Moss), and strike up a bizarre, all-consuming working relationship with hotel tycoon Conrad Hilton (played by Chelcie Ross). Meanwhile, Don’s wife, Betty (January Jones), is plotting to liberate herself from her domestic hell.

Here’s what we want to know: How do you think the season will end?

To get you thinking, we’ve drawn on the expertise of some Mad Men fanatics at CBC News.

Here’s how Andre Mayer, senior arts producer at CBCNews.ca, thinks the season will end:

Don returns home from a demanding day at work to find Betty gone. She has left a note: “You’ve always been a Dick, even when I thought you were a Don. I’m starting a new life, without you and our tedious children.” Don trudges up the stairs to find Conrad Hilton waiting for him in bed.

Here’s a prediction from Greig Dymond, arts producer, CBCNews.ca:

I’m betting that Don and Betty will split up, but just for a while; Don might be forced to spend a few more weeks doing marital penance in the Roosevelt Hotel. Hey, you’ve got to expect your wife to be angry if you’ve never told her your real name, and she finally finds out about it. Sal will stay in the closet and get some air time in the finale. I also worry about the health of Bert Cooper. The predatory Duck Phillips will play a key role, but I hope he’s never allowed to own another dog. There’s such a sense of impending doom among the minor characters this season — I won’t be surprised if either Joan’s husband, Greg, school-teacher Suzanne or Conrad Hilton (Don’s surrogate daddy) go off the deep end in a spectacular way.

Since Season Three has already addressed the JFK assassination, Season Four will probably highlight another seismic event: the Beatles arriving in NYC, launching the groovier part of the decade — the part that didn’t look or feel like the 1950s. Of course, with Chief Financial Officer Lane Pryce (played by Jared Harris) cutting costs all season long, Sterling Cooper has already experienced its own British invasion.

You get the idea.

I am super excited to watch and see!