A GIF Tribute to the Ladies of ‘Mad Men’

Haha, remember when season five of “Mad Men” began with those jerks dropping water balloons on the black picketers on the street below. That was dumb. As dumb as when Betty had her cancer scare, which has had exactly ZERO impact on anyone’s arc. (I will eat my words if Betty dies in the finale, and then I’ll have some whipped cream to celebrate, too.) Season five had its rough patches, but that first scene is an instance where you can say, “It only got better from here,” and actually mean it.

But overall, I’ve really liked season five (so far?). It hasn’t been as consistent as season four, and there’s no way “The Phantom” can top “Tomorrowland,” but it did give us The Punch Heard ‘Round the Internet, as well as “Zou Bisou Bisou,” which brings me to my point: women. Women OWNED "Mad Men" this season. Jessica Paré, as Megan Draper, came out of nowhere (i.e., a hot tub) to become a legitimate star, and even the characters we already knew were awesome, like Joan, Peggy, and Sally, outdid themselves. Plus, Rory Gilmore! Jane Sterling! Lane’s Wife! The girl who got hit on by the guy from “Suburgatory”!

So, instead of a normal, scattershot GIFs of the Week feature, I’m focusing today’s installment on the lovely ladies of season five of “Mad Men,” and Henry Francis’s mom. I couldn’t find one for everyone who made an appearance (sorry, Megan’s redhead friend), so I’ve included extra Joan and Peggy, instead. I’m sure no one will mind. One more thing: look out for Cajun Boy’s finale discussion/recap on Uproxx. We’ll keep you posted.