DON DRAPER
Jon Hamm
WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Spiritually lost, the adulterous Don (né Dick Whitman) recommitted to
his newly pregnant wife, Betty, after a surreal Southern California
idyll featuring delusional hedonists and the wise widow of the real Don
Draper. At work, Don thwarted Duck Phillips' power play for control
after the agency's sale to the British firm Putnam, Powell, and Lowe.
WHAT'S IN STORE
''He's trying to be a better husband and father,'' says Hamm. ''People say
having a baby solves a lot of problems. Well, it creates a lot of
problems, too.'' A business trip in the first episode to visit a client,
London Fog raincoats, will test his moral mettle. ''The first image of
the season is Don's bare feet,'' says executive producer Matthew Weiner.
''This year is about stripping Don down. Who's the man under that suit?''
Weiner sums up Don's arc with one unexpected and cryptic word:
''Liberation. It's a big theme of the season in general.''
BETTY DRAPER
January Jones
WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
Furious over Don's betrayals and profoundly rattled by her unintentional
pregnancy, the model housewife tossed propriety aside for drunken
revenge sex with a total stranger. ''She's slowly turning into Don,''
quips Jones, who was shocked by Betty's dalliance and tickled by fan
feedback. ''It's the old double standard. Men were really disturbed, but
women were like, 'Finally! Betty gets hers!'''
WHAT'S IN STORE
A baby — and perhaps more marital problems. ''I think Betty is in love with
Don, but Don loves the idea of Betty,'' says Jones. ''Their marriage is a
constant struggle. We're halfway through shooting the season, and I
still don't know what's going to happen with them.'' Weiner warns that
Betty's infidelity ''did change her,'' and while it's not immediately
addressed, ''I have not forgotten about it.... The real question for this
couple is, Can these people really be in love with each other anymore?''
PEGGY OLSON
Elisabeth Moss
WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
The ambitious copywriter continued her rise at Sterling Cooper, scoring
a new account and a new office. Spurred by priestly counsel, Peggy
confessed to Pete that she had given up their baby — and in doing so, she
dealt with her guilt.
WHAT'S IN STORE
''She's ready to move into the next stage in her life,'' says Weiner,
adding that Peggy will re-embrace her femininity — and risk mixing
business with pleasure, as her male superiors do. ''She has to deal with
the same work world that Don does, and possibly in the same way.'' Moss
says that as Mad Men moves deeper into the '60s, Peggy will reflect the
culture shift: ''There's change bubbling under the surface.'' There's also
a fashion upgrade. ''She's not making her own clothes anymore,'' says Moss
with a laugh. ''And she gets to keep her haircut. It's a whole new world
of headbands.''
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