MadMen, Season3: Peggy's Character Arc, a prediction
In just two seasons, Peggy has been on a rollercoaster. Introduced as the new office secretary, quickly she fell into the trap of a New York office building in the 60s and was seduced by one of the male workers. She had his child in private, meanwhile, continue to show up and work every day. Working hard, she wanted to be more than a secretary, and eventually earned her place at the creative table, surrounded by all advertising men.
Beginning season 3, she’s different from the rest of the office floor. She can’t fit in with the men, no matter what she does, and now she’s the only woman with an office of her own. Throughout the first couple of episodes, we notice her watching the other women and how they sweet-talk visiting clients. Afterwards, she goes home and acts pretty in the mirroring, singing a Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” type performance. Later, she’s in a bar, surrounded by women who seem to naturally attract the eyes of a man. She awkwardly gets a man to buy her a drink, and while conversing with him, she feels his immaturity. She feels different.
She knows this difference, and although she’s proud of it, wants to cover it up.
So my prediction this season: we will watch her first succumb to this desire to be one of the girls, to regress into the role of a ditzy secretary, then by the end, after making many mistakes, maybe getting pregnant a second time, she’ll overcome it and embody that she’s different and that’s a good thing.