10 Ways to Prepare for the Return of Mad Men

Are you really ready for the fifth season of AMC's acclaimed drama Mad Men, which returns this weekend after a 17-month hiatus? Here are 10 ideas to help you prep and pass the time before the Mar. 25 premiere.

1. Your coffee table needs a copy of the retro Mad Men-themed issue of Newsweek, which features neato ads for contemporary companies created in 1960s style. The in-depth cover story was penned by Eleanor Clift, who worked as a writer at Newsweek in the ’60s and fancies herself a total Peggy.

2. Planking. Tebowing. Owling. All previous Internet photo memes came and went so that Draping could exist. Casually stretch your arm around the Draping Tumblr.

3. Read Maxim's funny fake spoilers for the new season by Rich Sommer, who plays Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s head of television Harry Crane. Sample mindfuck: “Don leaves the agency. Gone. And opens up one of the earlier McDonald’s franchises.”

4. The closest you’re getting to legitimate Mad Men spoilers is the dish best served cool in Entertainment Weekly’s recent season 5 preview cover story.

5. Start planning a menu for your kitschy cocktail viewing party with deliciously retro recipe guides from HuffPo, Serious Eats, Epicurious, and The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook. Gotta love a deviled egg.

6. Vulture presents illustrated theories on what fates might befall the main characters if Mad Men extended into the ’70, ’80s, ’90s, and beyond. On future Don: “Metabolism: It's a hell of a thing, especially for a guy who now likes his french toast with rum and syrup. Don's was bound to catch up with him eventually, and now that it has, well, he's glad those on-trend polyester suits have some stretch."

7. Read The Advocate’s new Elisabeth Moss interview, in which the candid Scientologist discusses her character Peggy's sexuality — “I mean, if anyone’s going to be gay, it’s Peggy" — and the chance that the tension between Peggy and Joan might actually be sexual tension: "That would be really awesome, wouldn’t it? If they just totally attacked each other on top of a desk one day?"

8. From Alcohol to Zipper Music, check out Esquire’s handy A-to-Z guide to who's who and what's what and within the Mad Men universe.

9. Play the Fine Brothers Mad Men Game, a cheeky 8-bit interactive YouTube choose-your-own-adventure that summarizes last season.

10. Let's face it: You’ve killed a lot of brain cells in the last 17 months. Refresh yourself on season 4's shenanigans with Jace Lacob’s straightforward and snark-free Daily Beast recap, plus PopSugarTV’s sweet four-minute recap video below. R.I.P. Ida Blankenship.