Season 5 of Mad Men comes to a close this Sunday night with several women in transition only a week after the tragic event surrounding partner Lane Pryce.
In the season finale preview of Mad Men, tensions reach a boiling point on many fronts only a week after Lane Pryce hung himself inside his office at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. As Mad Men fans can see in the preview of “The Phantom,”, Joan gives her military husband direct orders before Peggy makes a key decision and Pete Campbell finds himself on the receiving end of someone’s anger. Also in the season finale preview of Mad Men, Megan unloads on Don about her acting while Roger reveals that it’s every man for himself and Joan asks for a bigger role in the firm’s business.
So, where do things stand when Mad Men Season 5 comes to a close this Sunday?
Well, as you can see, it’s really all about the women of Mad Men more so than the men. And since the Women’s Liberation Movement was in full swing in the late 1960s, Mad Men is accurately following the rise of women as professional forces in society.
So, will Peggy really leave the agency? What looks to be Peggy’s departure shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone since the Mad Men writers have been shaping her success as an independent woman from day one.
Will Joan realize her potential and rise above her domestic decisions to be more like Peggy? Given how Joan knew she was sacrificing her own life for a man, which turned out to be a huge mistake, it’s not a stretch to think that Joan is finally stepping into her own as a woman.
Will Megan eventually leave Don for a career in acting? As we’ve seen throughout the season, Don’s new wife is no Betty Draper.
So, what will eventually become of Betty Draper, who sacrificed her dreams to live what was supposed to be the perfect life as a wife and mother? How will Betty tap into the Women’s Liberation Movement of the era?
Although we’ve been following the life of Don Draper and the professional power of men in corporate life, it’s clear that the women of Mad Men are on the cusp of transition.