On a recent segment of Today that featured the cast of Mad Men, Matt Lauer asked if the show is equally as much about Peggy as Don.
Actress Elizabeth Moss responded that although Peggy is a central figure and critical component to the show's narrative, the series is really about Don.
It is no question that the prevalence and prominence of 1960s masculinity is at the forefront of the show.
I mean, 75% of Mad Men has been men drinking whiskey and hooking up with the newest secretary. And considering the turnover rate for secretaries at Sterling Cooper, that's a lot of bumping uglies with the administrative assistants.
However, tonight's episode, Mad Men Season 7 Episode 9, challenged any notions that it's only a man's world in Mad Men. The men were merely a backdrop tonight.
The undercurrent of and thread between the women was the act of claiming autonomy over their own lives.
What she wants might be fame and money, but Megan exemplifies the young woman of the late 60s who realizes she doesn't need a man to succeed.
Early in the episode, Megan calls Don to ask for money.
When Don questions how much money she could possibly be spending, Megan replies, "You were a millionaire when I met you." Then, she asks for $500.
Gold digger? Maybe. Maybe not.
Though she seems to be working her way through Don's money, she expresses a desire to move past her dependency. She says, "I'm tired of asking for an allowance. Can't we sign the papers and get this over with?"
Also, when she returns to New York to collect her belongings from the apartment she shared with Don, Megan directs her mother and sister to allow the movers to take only the necessities and the few items she wants.
As her mother and sister argue that she should take everything, Megan resists. "I don't want to spend my whole life being ashamed," she says.
She proves she means this with Harry.
F*cking Harry.
At a business lunch, Harry propositions Megan, offering to help her work up the career ladder if she goes to his room to take care of business—if you know what I mean.
She forcefully says no and storms out of the restaurant.
Countless times, we have seen women give in to the pathetic plea of Madison Avenue's men. Holla, Megan.
Certainly, this isn't the first time a man on Mad Men tries to manipulate a woman's career.
In season one, a rival advertising agency attempts to lure Don from Sterling Cooper by hiring his then-wife, Betty, to model. Betty was a sucker who fell hook, line, and sinker into their ploy.
Although she didn't sleep with anyone to get the modeling gig, Betty has had enough questionable interactions that makes us think she would have if given the chance.
Megan, on the other hand, was in charge enough to know what was going on and how to handle the situation.
She is savvy and can't be fooled.
However, if Megan cashes the million dollar check Don wrote her, this theory is bust. But something tells me she is going to rip that thing up.
One can only hope at least.
Diana, Don's newest mistress, was a feature figure in tonight's episode.
On the surface, she seems fragile. She is broke, living in a dumpy one room apartment, and trying to get her life back together after a divorce.
Emotional and seemingly easily manipulated, she is a prime target for a womanizer like Don.
After all, it only took Don saying she looked familiar for her have a little alleyway action on a smoke break on last week's episode.
As we get to know her better though, she is not exactly as feeble as she seems.
In fact, she struggles to refrain from blurting out the truth. She says, "I'm trying to talk myself out of what I'm going to say."
As she proceeds to tell Don she doesn't want to see him anymore, she also exposes she "had two children. Two girls. One died and one…my oldest is in Racine with her father."
By moving to NYC, she made the difficult decision to leave her child behind.
Yes, this is a questionable and controversial decision.
But she faced the hard truth most women couldn't confront in the 60s (or even today) and decided she did not want motherhood.
This plot isn't new on Mad Men. One of the first scenes of the series showed Peggy getting birth control. And, of course, later, Peggy gives her unplanned child up for adoption.
Tonight's episode isn't a major revelation in the series. But it certainly does underscore the theme of choice in women's lives.
If Betty Draper understood her choices in the way that Diana and Peggy do, Betty would have left motherhood a long time ago.
For most of the series, Betty has lacked identity by fulfilling a traditional 1950s role. Betty likely doesn't know she has many choices.
She isn't all old school and vulnerable though.
Betty tells Don in the beginning of the episode that she is applying to graduate school, a "Master of Psychology" she says.
It's about d*mn time Betty does something.
Doing something--whether it is saying no to a man, leaving one's family, or going to grad school--is the theme. Do something.
When Megan's mom decided to leave her husband for Sterling, Megan says, "She's been very unhappy for a very long time. At least she did something about it."
They are all doing something about it.
These last few episodes have been dubbed "the end of an era." And these women are proving that it's the end of an era in more ways than one.
What did you think of this episode? Comment below with your thoughts, and as always, you can watch Mad Men online at TV Fanatic to see it in its entirety.
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