‘Mad Men’ season 7 endgame debate: Talking January Jones, Betty Francis

Since we cannot get enough of “Mad Men,” even though the series is off the air for the time being until the new year, now seems like the perfect and appropriate time for a new feature. In this, we’re going to focus on a new character with every article in an attempt to try and ascertain where this person will end up by the time the closing credits air on the show’s seventh and final season.

Given that she has long been among the more polarizing and frustrating characters on the show, it does only seem appropriate to start things up with a discussion all about January Jones, and her character of Betty Francis. This season, what we really had from Betty was almost a year of realizations. She learned that while she appreciates the attention, she does not need Don to be happy; she knows who she is now, and is reasonably content with it. Not only that, but she also realizes that it is Don that Sally Draper despises, and not so much her. They each almost have an unspoken common ground, in they have each been betrayed by him in some way.

So is Betty almost primed to come out on top next season? If you wanted to take a feminist approach to the show, it is interesting to see how many female characters (Betty, Peggy, Joan) have gained power throughout the series, regardless of how they managed to obtain it. These women are also in a more secure position to have a happy ending than the likes of Pete and Don, who are feeling the ramifications now of their behavior, which they long presumed would be able to keep doing forever without having to face any sort of dire consequences.

Moving forward, we do expect Betty, regardless of whether or not she ever learns about Don cheating on Megan with Sylvia, to further distance herself from the emotions of that situation, and go on living her life and finding her identity so that she can be a good mother, a good wife, and a person even aside from those labels. While her husband enters a position of power, there could be more opportunities coming her way. While we do not expect her to have an endgame filled with sunshine and rainbows, it will be one that could be full of contentment, and relief to be where she is in life after working so hard (and going through so much to get there).

In your head, what sort of ending to do you imagine for the Betty character? We welcome (and encourage) all of your theories below, and you can read more scoop on the future of “Mad Men” via Vincent Kartheiser here.

Photo: AMC