Mad Men - All about the Women

The key to this show for me is that through all the male chauvinism and bravado, it is the women of the show that shine brightest. They show true bravery, determination, grace, and intelligence. Their beauty blinds the men around them to these qualities (almost) all of the time. They take an OK show with some cool set and turn it into the best show on TV right now.

Peggy - She is best of the bunch. She is young, energetic, has a no nonsense attitude, but also is mature beyond her years and increasingly sexually assertive. She is extremely progressive in her mindset but also is a devout Catholic. She has overcome adversity, faced her demons, and risen from the ashes, but now she is faced with the possibility that she has peaked at Sterling Cooper. She has stood up to the men and likes the way she measures up, but now she is faced with the prospect of being alone and with never being an equal no matter how good she is. I find myself rooting for her very hard.

Mate Rater - While she can seem stiff and kind of a wet blanket, I imagine her as very good in bed. Her looks are underrated. 9 out of 10.

Betty - She is so repressed. Brutally so. She is also very passive aggressive. She has been trained to keep her mouth shut and obey. Be pretty and be quiet. In an age where the Peggy's of the world are coming out of their shells, she doesn't have the social skills and fears she is missing the boat. She is a very sub-par mother. Have you ever seen her in a tender moment or acting in any way nurturing? Don treats her like garbage and I think she is tremendously bored.

Mate Rater - She is adorable and gorgeous. But she is cold and I imagine her to be a bit of a dead fish. 5 out of 10.

Joan - This season I have seen Joan in a totally new light. She is almost like a wild horse who was broken by the office rape. She has proven to be a faithful wife-to-be, even in the face of his worsening career prospects. She played the accordion like a monkey in front of his high society friends. She was Peggy and now she wants to be Betty. She probably thought it would never happen once Roger chose another. Through it all, she showed tremendous class and composure under pressure. I feel like she is on the verge of either a meltdown or a comeback.

Mate Rater - Has to be a little gun shy since the office rape, right? Otherwise, she seemingly does it all. 8 out of 10.