‘Mad Men’ season 7 endgame debate: Jessica Pare and Megan … Draper?

We’ve been covering some of the original “Mad Men” cast members in our endgame debate series over the past several days, talking about where we imagine that some of them will take off in the future based on evidence that has been revealed to us both on the show, and also what has been said by fans.

So this time around, we are changing things up slightly, and placing the focus on a woman who may or may not even have a big role on season 7: Jessica Pare. There is probably no greater question mark for a character than with her, given that she told Don that she need time after he forced her to quit his job for a move that wasn’t happening anymore. In subtle Matthew Weiner-speak, this may have been code for the relationship coming to a close.

Then again, the words of many “Mad Men” conspiracy theorists have been wrong in the past. According to many, Megan was meant to die this season and that never happened. So who knows? Maybe she can forgive him and stay put in New York; we would just be surprised if it happened. She is one of those characters who at this point exists in the universe, but does not need the camera on her to be impactful. Having her absent in Don’s life speaks as many volumes as it would to see her present by his side in day-to-day living.

For now, all Pare is saying in interviews about her future is to ask Weiner about her fate, and given that the scripts have yet to even be crafted for the new season, even he may be unsure as to how much he wants to feature her. If she does still plan a move to California, know this: The presence of Pete and Ted out there as a result of the finale could cause her to still be present.

We see Megan in the closing minutes of this season serving as that independent woman-type that Weiner has been slowly pushing towards over the series’ run, someone who realizes her capabilities over time and does not need to be held back by restrictions of her past gender role; if she can’t push forward with Don on that, she may choose to push forward by herself.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts below on where we could see Megan land at the end of “Mad Men’s” run next year. If you want to check out the rest of our debate series, our answer for you is simple: Just be sure to head on over to the link here.

Photo: AMC