Peggy Olson
In a 1960s-set show that prominently features sexist discrimination toward women, Mad Men’s Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) is a trailblazer. First appearing as a relatively inexperienced secretary at the advertising agency, she quickly gets promoted up through the creative ranks under the initial mentorship of the legendary ad-man Don Draper (Jon Hamm). As we see her move from secretary, to advertising copywriter, to eventual Copy Chief, her personal life also evolves. She blossoms from uncertain and sheltered, to bold and ambitious, embarking on romantic relationships with caution, due to a desire to maintain her independence.
Peggy seemingly approaches everything with an expectation of equal treatment, so her dissatisfied reactions to the misogyny of the time are something of a proxy for our own. However, most telling for this complex character are her reactions to being told that she must queue for opportunity with the rest of the staff. Peggy demands equality, and recognition based solely on her talent, and it is a shock to her when the she is subjected to the meritocratic system she seeks, only to occasionally find herself falling short. Such realizations serve only to spur her on, however, and it is her determination to succeed that generates her power.
Carrie Mathison
In Homeland’s Carrie Mathison, we not only have a fully realized, complex portrait of a woman working in a physically and emotionally demanding job, but one of a woman doing all that while also managing a mental illness. The result is a compelling character that leaves the audience feeling wrung out with empathy and compassion.
As the show heads into its fifth season, we have seen this character stick to her convictions and doggedly follow her instincts through situations both life-threatening and benign. She has made the right choices and some very bad decisions, but has consistently taken ownership of each of her actions. In the early seasons, she stalked Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) as he returned from captivity, convinced he was a terrorist. She hunted an extremist planning mayhem and murder, and navigated the intricate politics of the CIA.
More recent episodes have seen her promoted to Station Chief, where she oversaw operations that arguably contributed to a devastating attack on American personnel. Simultaneously, she has dealt with unplanned motherhood, grief, and the reappearance of a long-lost mother – mirroring her own role as an absent matriarch.
Within the framework of a drama as unpredictable as Homeland, Carrie Mathison has consistently been a very real, open wound – often raw, with a maelstrom of emotion simmering just below the surface.
