Mad Men to Return this Spring on April 7

Megan and Don in season six of AMC's great drama series Mad Men.

Mad Men will be back on April 7!!! 

I just want to take a moment to go over some plot points that were left up in the air last season…. 

Is Don on the prowl? In the recent interview given by Matthew Weiner, creator and writer of the show, he said that the new season would explore Don's attempt at a blissful marriage with a woman he loves. This is not what I would have thought given the closing moments of season five, with Don walking away from his wife's set, sitting at a bar, and responding to a strange woman's flirtation with a slight turn of the head and sexy grin. For some reason, the writers love Megan, Don's young wife who aspires to be an actress but has just settled for being in a commercial, arranged through one of Don's work connections. I never liked her or thought she added anything special to the series. She has had some good moments but overall, the writers have done little to give depth to her character or the development of their relationship. Don wanting to escape what he once thought as paradise was an interesting turn I thought the show was making. I'm curious to see what they do here.

Will Peggy succeed at her new job? Will it mean competition with her mentor? Peggy Olsen was one of the strongest characters in the first two seasons of Mad Men. Since then, it seems the writers care less and less about her - or at least don't have much of a clue how to keep her character interesting and fresh. They recently gave her a steady boyfriend with whom she's now living and a senior job at another advertising firm. This is a good start to revitalizing the once-loved Peggy. I'm looking forward to seeing how this new setup changes her dynamic with Don. Their scenes together are always among my favorite, so I hope they keep them coming even if the two are no longer working under the same roof. 

Will Joan's steady climb continue? Last season, we saw Joan make some heavy sacrifices in order to rise up in the office hierarchy. She has always been integral to the functioning of the firm but now she is an official partner, and the writers will have to figure out exactly what that means in terms of the changes we'll have to see in the office. She's also now single, leaving her character open to being once again coupled up, with either a new character or one we already know. Returning to Roger would be too much of a move backwards. Perhaps in an ideal fictional world, Joan would end up with Don. If that does happen, though, it won't be until the last season. So who's good enough for the lovely, talented Joan? At this point, no one. But let's see what happens.

Roger is the weak link, and he knows it. Poor Roger. We love him because he makes us laugh. His brutal honesty and charm have made him one of the most amusing characters of Mad Men. We can always rely on him to speak the truth and make an inappropriate but telling joke. We left him high, naked, and relishing his beautiful view of the city. He was also very alone. Will he acquire a new Mrs. Sterling? Will he learn to be okay on his own? Will he become useful to the firm beyond his drinking ability? 

Pete… what is going on with Pete? The best thing that happened to Pete last season was being punched in the face by Lane, a character who then promptly killed himself in light of growing financial troubles and general lack of self confidence. Pete is probably one of the more realistic characters of the show, which is why I both detest his personality and love him as a very watchable, magnetic character. He is married to a woman he loves, has a baby, but is always wanting to escape his life by falling into bed with another woman. Will he outgrow this selfish tendency? Will he finally get the recognition he thinks he deserves in the firm? He's good at his job, despite having none of the charm of Don Draper. But maybe the writers will cut him some slack and he'll get to restore some of his self-worth this season.

Will this be an up season or a down season for Don Draper? Don is a moody man. From one episode to the next, or even one scene to the next, he can go from elatedly self-confident to devastatingly self-hating. We have seen him as an alcoholic, sleeping in the office, and feeling worthless; and we have seen him delighted at his new lover, waking up every day with a clear sense of his place at work and where he's going in life. I cannot guess where the writers will take Don this season. I can only hope they continue to be innovative in creating one of the most dynamic and wonderfully contradictory characters in the history of television. 

What do you hope - or not hope - to see in season six of Mad Men? Comment below!