THE RETURN OF MAD MEN AND WHAT TO EXPECT IN SEASON FIVE

Published March 15, 2021 | By tmi

After a difficult year of contract negotiations and time slot problems (in the world of TV Sundays at 9PM is primo), Mad Men Season 5 finally returns on March 25. To kick things off in an epic way, the show’s writer and creator, Matthew Weiner, says the show will be a 2-hour premiere, in order to make up for a really, really, really long 17-month hiatus.

“It is a complete story,” Weiner told the The Hollywood Reporter of the 2-hour premiere. “The ending of the second episode is related to the beginning of the first episode.” He also told EW.com: “The episode is really about: Is the office a good place? There’s a lot in that. What holds us to work? If the office is bad, is it because we’re bringing our badness back and forth? We spend more time at work than we do with our family.”

Season 5 will basically pick up where the last season left off leaving us with the unanswered questions, Will Don marry Megan? Will Joan have Roger’s baby? But one of the major thing that Season 5 will focus on is the struggle with the agency (Remember Roger losing that Lucky Strike account?) and the cultural change going on in the time period (second half of the ‘60s) and how that will affect the characters. “[In the early '60s], books came out: Why is there poverty in America? Why is there pollution in America? Why is there inequality of the sexes in America?” Weiner told EW. “And I’ve shown that those things didn’t make that big an impact on our characters, especially because they’re in advertising. Well, that impact is coming.”

One thing audiences should note is that there will be a time jump in the first episode. “It’s off enough to where you’re like, “Okay, where are we? It doesn’t feel like the next day,” Jon Hamm told EW. “It’s just enough of a jump to where you go, “Whoa, what happened to those two? Do those two know each other? Do they know what happened?” All those things impact and land in the first episode.”

According to Spoiler TV, the two-hour premiere titled, “A Little Kiss” we’re welcomed back with a surprise for Don. When we last left the gang, they had just started their own agency, Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and we can expect some struggles for the agency, as everyone will be on a power trip. Also in the first episode, we’ll find Pete and Roger butting heads while Joan clashes with a house guest.

EPISODE 503 – “Tea Leaves”
As Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce tries to build upon its current business, Peggy is given new responsibility. Don and Harry indulge a client.
EPISODE 504 – “Mystery Date”
Don runs into someone from his past. Joan makes a decision, and Roger gives Peggy extra work (boy Peggy is on a role!). EPISODE 505 – “Signal 30”
Lane strikes up an interesting friendship. Pete entertains guests (how cryptic!).

Mad Men stars Jon Hamm, Christina Hendricks, John Slattery, Jared Harris, Vincent Kartheiser, Robert Morse, Elisabeth Moss and January Jones.
—By Toni-Marie Ippolito