Of the handful of enduring questions remaining from the end of the excellent fifth season of "Mad Men," perhaps the biggest surrounded the fate of Peggy Olson, played by Elisabeth Moss. Having had enough of being overlooked and ill-treated at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (RIP), she jumped to a new job at Cutler Gleason and Chaough, which many figured meant Peggy's arc was done. And indeed, her brief appearance in the season finale seemed like a farewell, with her meeting Don who declared he was proud of her, before she left to go on the road for her job. But there is still more Peggy to come in season six.
Chatting with TVLine, the show's creator Matthew Weiner teased that Elisabeth Moss, “is going to be on the show next year. I can’t say how much, in what capacity or what [her story] is going to be, but she has not left the show.” But he does understand how people would get that idea. “When people leave Sterling Cooper, sometimes it is the end for [the character],” Weiner said. “But I will spoil that one tiny piece of anticipation and tell people that Elisabeth will be showing up to work.”
Of course, just how Peggy will be incorporated will be anyone's guess, and if anything, Weiner has proven to be as unpredictable as he is secretive about the fate of any of the characters on the show. Do you think Peggy needs to return? If so, how do you think she'll be looped back into the story? At any rate, Peggy is a pretty rich and interesting character (one of the show's best), and whatever Weiner has planned, we're eager to see where she goes next.
Excellent season? Hardly. I was a hardcore fan but can't stand any of the characters anymore. None of them have any redeeming qualities, they're terrible people. At some point you just have to ask "why am I wasting time with these hollow, self-centered assh*les?"
At the end of the season, Peggy was working on a campaign for a thin cigarette. She went to Virginia for a business trip. Who wants to guess that she's about the create the Virginia Slims' slogan, "You've Come a Long Way Baby." I'm guessing that next season's story line has her being as in demand (if not more so) than Don. The protege rivals the master — lots of stories to tell with that.
Not having access to cable but have seen the previous seasons on DVD, while keeping abreast of this season in recaps, I never believed for a second that Peggy Cooper would be shuffled out of the story. I wouldn't be surprised if she continues all the way through to the end of the series and becomes a major player in the advertising world, rivaling her old boss for accounts. After all, the story of Peggy Cooper is the story of the shifting gender relationships that will come crashing in the 1970s — if the story line makes it that far.