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A Mad Men Wish List for Season Six

Photo: AMC

Mad Men returns in a little over two months, though, as usual, there are pretty much no spoilers or any real information about what lies ahead. But we have hopes. We have dreams. Like Betty Hofstadt Draper Frances, we want things. We have no real reason to believe any of these wishes will be granted, but as Oprah says, you have to put stuff out in the universe. Mad Men season six, this is our wish list:

1. A Joan Meltdown
Christina Hendricks’s delivery of “surprise! there’s an airplane here to see you!” was one of the true gifts of last season. Joan has not had an easy go of things in the last several years — or maybe ever. There aren’t a lot of meltdowns on Mad Men, but if there’s anyone who has reason to cry, scream, throw things, threaten people, and really lose herself in the agony of the moment, it’s Joan. We don’t want to see Joan suffer, but she suffers a lot no matter what. Let it out, Joanie. It’s okay.

2. A Pete Scheme
Almost everyone is as miserable as Pete is, but everyone else is too repressed or oppressed to say so. But a happy, scheming Pete — a Pete with a plan? That is the best Pete! There’s a reason Pete’s season-one monologue about hunting was so effective in wooing Peggy: When Pete knows what he wants, it’s incredibly captivating.

3. Don’s Laughter
Don’s not fun. He’s not warm; he’s not particularly happy or open or liberated or joyous. But one time, for one second, it would be nice to see him enjoying himself while sober. A hearty, real, non-intoxicated laugh from Don Draper. How hard can that be? (Pretty hard.)

4. Peggy Dancing
Peggy doesn’t have full-on choreographed numbers like Trudy and Pete. But she can shimmy with the best of them.

5. Sally Draper Becoming Politically Radicalized
She’s seen some things by now, and she’s had a lot of people let her down. Sally deserves the support and passion political activism tends to generate in young people.

6. A Moment of Glory for Roger
Roger tripping balls last season was great. We’ve seen the guy through a lot of lows, though: barfing, having heart attacks, getting divorced, getting divorced again, being kind of a scumbag, etc. It’d be nice to see him have a moment of pure victory, however fleeting.

7. More Ken and Harry
We just love those guys! (Hope that L.A. is working out for Paul.)

A Mad Men Wish List for Season Six