Mary C. Curtis

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Takin' Care of Business: The Can-Do Women of 'Mad Men'

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11/11/09

Filed Under:Woman Up, Culture

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Is the newly chastised Don Draper more attractive than the old Master of the Universe? The one-two punch of the final episodes of AMC's "Mad Men" landed with devastating force. The penultimate episode, film director Barbet Schroeder's moody contribution, stripped the slick ad man bare. This week's finale saw Don – gasp – growing, trying to make peace with those he has disregarded and disrespected. OK, it's because he was forced to, but isn't that why most of us change?

Who would have thought that real-life relevance would come wrapped in 1960s glamour? At first, the device of looking at that decade's societal change mainly through the lens of a morally compromised deceiver came off a bit heavy-handed. When the payback piled on, as Don Draper's world fell apart, you wondered, was this guy unlucky or was he Job? But it worked.

In "Mad Men," the fun is guessing what will happen next, which is weird since the 1960s have already happened. Very few television shows actually make you concerned for the characters, wondering about their futures. Still fewer chronicle the characters changing – sometimes but not always for the better.

It's a nice twist that a show about powerful men ended its season with so many changes in the lives of its women.

Betty Draper is on a plane heading to a Reno divorce, finally liberated from her controlling husband and his hidden life. Her moment of independence was just that, as her new path goes right through another handsome, high-powered guy. Who can blame her, after being confronted by the straitjacket of New York divorce laws designed to keep couples together, whether they like it or not? When her new Prince Charming promises to take care of her and her children and tells her not to worry about the divorce settlement, well, it looks like her journey to freedom is far from over.

Little Sally Draper, resentful toward both parents and in search of a stable family, looks ripe for either the Hare Krishnas or Charles Manson's cult. Don's drunken comment that the kids would be better off with him would be easier to take seriously if he weren't such a careless father.

Peggy Olson, the secretary turned copywriter, finally got the nerve to tell Don off, and when he came back to court her – her talent – she turned a corner, too. Will the writers ever give her personal happiness, or is she a stand-in for the sacrifices career women have to make?

Trudy Campbell -- eavesdropping, then coaching husband Pete -- is savvy enough to know her partner's weaknesses. But she'll always be there with sandwiches and cake.

And the guys? Now that the crew at the new agency has to actually build something, they look more vulnerable and more appealing: Roger Sterling (still with the best lines), Pete Campbell (with the confidence that comes with Don's approval, for now) and Don Draper, himself.

Of course, they're still taking orders from Joan.

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Mary C. Curtis

Mary C. Curtis, an NPR contributor based in Charlotte, N.C., was previously a writer and editor for The New York Times and the Charlotte Observer... more

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garry402

4:11PM Nov 11th 2009

It's a TV show. They're not real people.

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danad

8:02AM Nov 13th 2009

Crisp engaging sharply written piece made me sorry I only once saw this show at a real fan's request. Now I'll look for someone who DVR'd this. Thanks for the insight, Mary.

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