A look back at the best and worst of TV in the past week (Nov. 8-14), and a peek at what’s coming up. Warning, spoilers for “Mad Men,” “Top Chef” and “Amazing Race” ahead.

Highlights

What will Don Draper do?

What will Don Draper do?

1. “Mad Men” (AMC). A brilliant season finale for the best series on TV. It was a remarkably hopeful episode, in stark contrast to the overwhelming sadness of the previous week. Don led a talent jailbreak from the doomed Sterling Cooper, and it seemed like ages since he, Roger and Bert seemed so alive. Did we also see an epiphany in Don as well? After being dumped by his biggest client, then his wife, and his corporate masters ready to do the same, he seemed to suddenly take notice of his own faults and shortcomings, and gain a new appreciation for the talents of others — Roger, Peggy, Pete . . . . even Betty, who he comfortingly told he wouldn’t fight their divorce. (BTW, does anyone else think Betty’s new beau is a little creepy? Getting married and they barely know each other! And nice move at the end, as she runs off to Reno and leaves her kids alone with the housekeeper for six weeks. That’s parent-of-the-year stuff.) Back at the office, how awesome was it to see Lane stick it to his ungrateful British bosses? Great to see Joan back in the fold too. Those were both woo-hoo moments. All in all, a stirring episode that worked on so many levels, and set up a ton of interesting storylines for next season.

2. “Sons of Anarchy” (FX). What a great episode. Jax and the club agonized over his decision to go nomad (loved the looks of hurt and betrayal as he told each member, it was like he was renouncing his friendships), Chibs became a snitch out of pure revenge, and Gemma unburdened herself of her big secret in a (successful) gamble to heal the rift between Jax and Clay. Oh, and then there were the magic mushrooms that turned the Prospect giddy and made Tig break down. Just a mesmerizing episode, with so much going on.

3. “Amazing Race” (CBS). A brutal episode. How twisted are the producers to bring back the most agonizing challenge in the show’s history, the ol’ needle-in-a-haystack? But it made for gripping TV. It was fascinating to watch each team handle it differently. The Globetrotters lucked out and won the leg on Flight Time’s birthday. Cheyne inexplicably let Meghan do the gruelling physical task, but she rocked it . . . . eventually. Ericka and Brian were cute, dull, but efficient. Sam and Dan (I still can’t tell which is which) spent the challenge screaming at each other until a tearful realization that screaming wasn’t helping them. (Duh.) Gary and Matt persevered until the end, and were rewarded for the effort with a non-elimination leg. Five teams remain, and it’s getting good. There’s no one left who I don’t like, and that’s the telltale sign of a good season.

Honorable mention: “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO). For perhaps the most ridiculous (and hilarious) rule Larry has ever decreed: “There are only two ways to injure your neck. . . .” (This being a family blog, suffice to say one way is a car crash and the other, well, isn’t.) Also “South Park” (Comedy Central) for perfectly summing up James Cameron’s upcoming flop, “Avatar”: It’s “Dances with Smurfs.” God, they hit the nail right on the head with that one. Ouch.

Lowlights

Lonely Boy's not so lonely anymore.

Lonely Boy's not so lonely anymore.

1. “Gossip Girl” (The CW). That was it?!? The much-anticipated, controversial threesome was totally anticlimactic and lame. A few kisses and boom, cut away to morning. I expected something more racy from this show. On a more critical note, the threesome was also a terrible plot point that could cause long-term ruin. After three years of suppressing their attraction and being “just friends,” what in the world would make Dan and Vanessa sleep together with nothing more than a raised eyebrow? (And no, they didn’t seem drunk enough.) Dan, especially, overthinks everything and takes the sloooow approach to sex. It was completely out of character for him to just jump in to something as game-changing as sleeping with his best friend. Besides, it needed more buildup to be remotely believable; coming in the last two minutes, it felt like a gratuitous throwaway scene. And now we’re doubtlessly going to be subjected to regrets and jealousy and stupidity for weeks to come. And in the other storyline, Jenny has turned completely evil and nasty. What happened to her kinder, gentler reign? Does absolute power corrupt that absolutely? Another case of a character throwing away three seasons’ worth of development.

2. “The Office” (NBC). Otherwise known as the episode where Jim sold his soul and became a corporate stooge. Maybe this hits too close to home for me, but I can’t respect a boss who keeps secret information critical to the lives of his employees. If the company’s failing, it might be nice if they had a little heads-up that they might not be getting paychecks in another month. This is why people resent upper management. Here’s a hint: Employees aren’t children, and playing games won’t distract them from the harsh realities. It just bugged me. Can you tell?

3. “Top Chef” (Bravo). It’s ironic. I’m relieved that Robin is finally gone. But based on their dishes, Eli was the one who deserved to go. When Padma said she never wanted to taste something like that again, and Nigella Lawson said she wanted to spit it out, it should have been pretty clear that his was the worse dish. At least they could swallow Robin’s. And her Jeff Chihuly concept was creative and interesting. Oh well, Eli’s toast anyway, as long as Jen can avoid self-destructing again this week.

Looking forward to . . .

1. “The Prisoner” (8 p.m., Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, AMC). This re-imagining of the classic ’60s series has had me excited for months. But the reviews are in and they aren’t good. I’m gonna cross my fingers and give it a shot anyway.

2. “Sons of Anarchy” (10 p.m., Tuesday, FX). Jax and Clay now have a common goal: Kill Zobelle and his crew. Oooooh, this is gonna be good. And so well-deserved.

3. “Top Chef” (10 p.m., Wednesday, Bravo). The five remaining cheftestants take part in the Culinary Olympics. What’s that? Beats me. But such kitchen luminaries as Paul Bocuse, Daniel Bouloud, Thomas Keller and Traci Des Jardins will be involved somehow.

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