photo credit: tvworthwatching.com
By: Jessica Farley

It was in 1964 that Bob Dylan first sang “The Times They Are a-Changin’.” And that they did.

Season Five of AMC’s cult favorite, Mad Men, premiered last Sunday after a long and, for fans, painful hiatus. The show, which started out following Don Draper and the Madison Avenue gang in the early 1960’s, has progressed to the mid-60’s in its fifth season…in a very apparent way.

The two-hour episode began with African American protesters picketing in the streets of Manhattan, and ended with troves of Black men and women applying for jobs with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce- a clear and undeniable symbol of the radical shift of 1960’s America. Draper has set up house in a swank, mod Manhattan apartment, a stark contrast from his “Leave It To Beaver” home in upstate New York of previous seasons. On that same note, he has traded ex-wife and Grace Kelly doppelgänger Betty for former secretary and new wife Megan, who is reminiscent of a coquettish Barbara Parkins. In a very un-Don like fashion, Draper actually seems relaxed and content with life. “He’s kind and patient. I don’t recognize that man,” remarks Peggy in one scene.

For a show so well-known and applauded for their achievements in style and art direction, it is impossible not to note a palpable shift in the style of the characters, the office, and Manhattan itself. This is made so prominently clear during a surprise 40th birthday party that Megan (quite naively) plans for Draper, which appeared as though Edie Sedgwick was consulted for decorating and hosting tips.  It is simply undeniable that Mad Men has moved passed the JFK hey-days of the 1960’s, and the “swingin’ sixties” are lurking just around the corner of “Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s” offices.

The season opener picked up on storylines from previous seasons, as well as introduced new ones.  Fiery bombshell Joan has given birth to Roger Sterling’s baby, and despite always having emitted a motherly, nurturing quality in her, is itching to return to her true home- the office.  The ad firm itself is still struggling to find standing ground after the tumultuous downturn portrayed in past seasons. Roger and Peter are ever at odds, a feud which practically promises to hit the proverbial fan later in the season.  On a slightly more disappointed note, the season premiere was without a single glimpse or mention of the always fascinating Betty, save telling his children to “say ‘Hi’ to Morticia and Lurch for me” when dropping them off.

While the premiere managed to sail through  the admittedly somewhat tedious two-hour time span without any huge or imploding conflicts, the foreshadowing of an undeniable shift and the tremors of a tumultuous future were bubbling just beneath the glossy panache of Mad Men’s exterior- the calm before the storm.