This whole thing started because of a T-shirt.

The "whole thing," of course, is the theory that Megan Draper, wife of Mad Men's Don Draper and star of soap operas as well as occasional hashish-fueled Hollywood party hallucinations, is destined to die this season. Or that she's possibly even already dead. Which she probably isn't. Probably.

Before we get into more crackpot theorizing and

death watch list-making , let's quickly recap. Serious speculation about Megan's life expectancy began after she appeared two episodes ago in a white T-shirt with a star printed on the front, the same shirt once worn by Sharon Tate in a photo shoot for this very magazine costume designer Janie Bryant confirmed on Twitter that the Tate connection was "no coincidence," which led to even more speculation, including a fascinating new theory proposed after Sunday's episode in which Don got super-high and face-planted into an L.A. pool after a trippy conversation with a hippie version of Megan.

That theory, as proffered by Uproxx's Dustin Rowles: that Megan is already dead, because, among other things, she appeared in Don's vision alongside the late Pfc. Dinkins and, in the previews for the next week, she wears red and black, the same colors that teamed up in Lane Pryce's tie before he checked out for good in season five.

Vulture absorbed Rowles's hypothesis and concluded that it seemed a bit too Shyamalan-esque. But then again: maybe?

Jezebel responded by saying: Cool theory. But no.

Then Megan Draper herself, Jessica Paré, told Esquire (that's us) that "In terms of whether that's going to happen or not, I'm pretty sure that Matt [Weiner] spoke to it, but I just want to say, I don't know."

Of course, there is no public record (so far) of Matthew Weiner addressing this important matter. Which brings us back to the wonderfully committed Dustin Rowles at Uproxx, who interpreted the Paré pseudo-denial as follows: "She didn't outright dismiss it so far as I can see, so the theories are still alive. FUEL FOR FIRE. FUEL FOR FIRE. FUEL FOR FIRE."

By the way, this entire back-and-forth basically summarizes why I love the Internet. And you know what the Internet needs re: the matter of Megan "Allegedly Dead Woman" Draper? ANOTHER OPINION.

So here's mine, for what it's worth, which probably isn't enough to get you a Sharon Tate-esque T-shirt on Etsy. (Sharon Tate was just mentioned again: significance!)

I don't think Megan died while Don was in L.A. And my bet is that she won't die before this season ends in three weeks. I do think it's possible that she could get pregnant again and actually start carrying the baby to term, something that I and many other Mad Men scribes have noted. But my gut instinct tells me that all this Megan business is a red herring, distracting us from confronting the reality that's currently hiding in plain Mad Men sight. Remember last season, when around this time we all were convinced Pete Campbell was going to off himself, and then it turned out that Lane Pryce — the guy with whom Pete engaged in a little boxing-ring dance — did it instead?

Well, if I may quote the giant from Twin Peaks: It is happening again.

If a Don Draper wife bites it this season, I don't think it will be his current spouse. I think it will be his ex: Betty.

Think about it: We already got to see Don and Betty together again this season, which seemed to being closure to that relationship, for Betty at least. Betty is barely in the show these days, so losing that character makes sense from a narrative efficiency standpoint. If we agree that Don Draper's identity as Don Draper will likely cease to exist this season, it would make complete sense for Betty, the symbol of Don's old life as Don, to be gone.

And imagine what might happen if Don is forced to raise Sally, Bobby, Gene, and, potentially, a fourth child born to Don and Megan. What was it Megan said in that hallucination in this week's episode, after she told Don she was having their child? "What do you think it is?" Don asked her. "A second chance," she said.

Betty's death could signify a second chance for Don to be the Don, and the dad, he couldn't quite be when he was married to Betty.

It's also worth noting that Paré spoke to Esquire writer Mike Ayers about the recent Don-Betty hookup and said: "I really liked to see Betty and Don have that kind of resolution, if indeed it is any kind of resolution." Notice how she said "have that resolution," then quickly backtracked with an "if indeed it is" to cover herself?

Look, I could be wrong. I may be hanging out at the bottom of a Mad Men rabbit hole myself, in which case, "Hi, Dustin Rowles! Pass me a carrot." But the more I think about Betty saying goodbye — a prospect that I don't relish because that character has always maddened and fascinated me — the more it makes sense to me. At least until the Internet, in its glorious, never-ending wisdom, convinces me otherwise.

PLUS: Read Jen Chaney's Esquire Mad Men Recap Every Week on The Culture Blog >>

MORE MAD MEN: Stephen Marche on Why We Love Mad Men and What the Show Really Gets Wrong >>

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