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* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]] [[note]]Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Holloway, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, Lane Pryce, Betty Draper, Sally Draper[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]][[note]]Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, Paul Kinsey, Sal Romano, Duck Phillips, Freddy Rumsen, Allison, Lois Sadler, Kurt Smith and Smitty, John Hooker[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]][[note]]Stan Rizzo, Faye Miller, Megan Draper, Michael Ginsberg, Dawn Chambers, Bob Benson, Lou Avery, Meredith, Caroline, Clara, Shirley, Scarlet, Johnny Mathis[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]][[note]]Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, Paul Kinsey, Sal Romano, Duck Phillips, Freddy Rumsen, Allison, Lois Sadler, Kurt Smith and Smitty, John Hooker[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]][[note]]Stan Rizzo, Faye Miller, Megan Draper, Michael Ginsberg, Dawn Chambers, Bob Benson, Lou Avery, Meredith, Caroline, Clara, Shirley, Scarlet, Johnny Mathis[[/note]]
to:
* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]] [[note]]Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Holloway, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, Lane Pryce, Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, Betty Draper, Sally Draper, Megan Draper[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper SterlingCooper]][[note]]Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, Cooper]][[note]] Paul Kinsey, Sal Romano, Duck Phillips, Freddy Rumsen, Allison, Lois Sadler, Kurt Smith and Smitty, John Hooker[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]][[note]]Stan Rizzo, Faye Miller,Megan Draper, Michael Ginsberg, Dawn Chambers, Bob Benson, Lou Avery, Meredith, Caroline, Clara, Shirley, Scarlet, Johnny Mathis[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]][[note]]Stan Rizzo, Faye Miller,
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Carla, Bobbie Barrett, Jimmy Barrett, Ed Baxter, Glen Bishop, Manolo Colon, Midge Daniels, Lt. Don Draper, Suzanne Farrell, Lee Garner, Jr., Father John Gill, Francine Henson, Conrad Hilton, Jim Hobart, Stephanie Horton, Mack Johnson, Guy [=McKendrick=], Rachel Menket, St. John Powell, Kitty Romano, Dr. Arnold Rosen, Sylvia Rosen[[/note]]
to:
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Carla, Bobbie Barrett, Jimmy Barrett, Ed Baxter, Glen Bishop, Manolo Colon, Midge Daniels, Lt. Don Draper, Suzanne Farrell, Lee Garner, Jr., Father John Gill, Francine Henson, Conrad Hilton, Jim Hobart, Stephanie Horton, Mack Johnson, Guy [=McKendrick=], Rachel Menket, Menken, St. John Powell, Kitty Romano, Dr. Arnold Rosen, Sylvia Rosen[[/note]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Carla, Bobbie Barrett, Jimmy Barrett, Ed Baxter, Glen Bishop, Manolo Colon, Midge Daniels, Lt. Don Draper, Suzanne Farrell, Lee Garner, Jr., Father John Gill, Francine Henson, Conrad Hilton, Jim Hobart, Stephanie Horton, Mack Johnson, Guy McKendrick, Rachel Menket, St. John Powell, Kitty Romano, Dr. Arnold Rosen, Sylvia Rosen[[/note]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]][[note]]Carla, Bobbie Barrett, Jimmy Barrett, Ed Baxter, Glen Bishop, Manolo Colon, Midge Daniels, Lt. Don Draper, Suzanne Farrell, Lee Garner, Jr., Father John Gill, Francine Henson, Conrad Hilton, Jim Hobart, Stephanie Horton, Mack Johnson, Guy McKendrick, [=McKendrick=], Rachel Menket, St. John Powell, Kitty Romano, Dr. Arnold Rosen, Sylvia Rosen[[/note]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler Gleason Chaough]]
* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Families]]
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler Gleason Chaough]]
* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Families]]
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]]
Characters]] [[note]]Don Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Holloway, Pete Campbell, Roger Sterling, Bert Cooper, Lane Pryce, Betty Draper, Sally Draper[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper SterlingCooper]]
Cooper]][[note]]Harry Crane, Ken Cosgrove, Paul Kinsey, Sal Romano, Duck Phillips, Freddy Rumsen, Allison, Lois Sadler, Kurt Smith and Smitty, John Hooker[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper DraperPryce]]
Pryce]][[note]]Stan Rizzo, Faye Miller, Megan Draper, Michael Ginsberg, Dawn Chambers, Bob Benson, Lou Avery, Meredith, Caroline, Clara, Shirley, Scarlet, Johnny Mathis[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler GleasonChaough]]
Chaough]][[note]]Ted Chaough, Jim Cutler, Frank Gleason[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenFamiliesFamilies]]
Families]] [[note]]Emile and Marie Calvet, Trudy Campbell, Cynthia Cosgrove, Anna Draper, Bobby and Gene Draper, Henry Francis, Pauline Francis, Margaret Sterling, Greg Harris, Gayle Holloway, Anita Olson, Katherine Olson, Jane Sterling, Mona Sterling, Abagail Whitman, Adam Whitman, Archie Whitman[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters OtherCharacters]]Characters]][[note]]Carla, Bobbie Barrett, Jimmy Barrett, Ed Baxter, Glen Bishop, Manolo Colon, Midge Daniels, Lt. Don Draper, Suzanne Farrell, Lee Garner, Jr., Father John Gill, Francine Henson, Conrad Hilton, Jim Hobart, Stephanie Horton, Mack Johnson, Guy McKendrick, Rachel Menket, St. John Powell, Kitty Romano, Dr. Arnold Rosen, Sylvia Rosen[[/note]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler Gleason
* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other
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Due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters extensive]] list of the characters in ''Series/MadMen'', the character sheet has been split between the main ensemble and the supporting cast. Beware of spoilers.
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Due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters extensive]] extensive list of the characters in ''Series/MadMen'', the character sheet has been split between the main ensemble and the supporting cast. Beware of spoilers.
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* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPyce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPyce [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPryce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]Characters]]
[[/index]]
[[/index]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
[[/index]]
----
%%
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%% There is NEVER a correct reason to put the name of a trope in spoiler tags. If the trope name itself is a spoiler, either don't add the example to begin with or embed it as a pothole from another trope entry. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details.
%%
%%
[[foldercontrol]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
----
[[/index]]
----
%%
%%
%% There is NEVER a correct reason to put the name of a trope in spoiler tags. If the trope name itself is a spoiler, either don't add the example to begin with or embed it as a pothole from another trope entry. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details.
%%
%%
[[foldercontrol]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
----
to:
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
[[/index]]
----
%%
%%
%% There is NEVER a correct reason to put the name of a trope in spoiler tags. If the trope name itself is a spoiler, either don't add the example to begin with or embed it as a pothole from another trope entry. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details.
%%
%%
[[foldercontrol]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
----Characters]]
[[/index]]
----
%%
%%
%% There is NEVER a correct reason to put the name of a trope in spoiler tags. If the trope name itself is a spoiler, either don't add the example to begin with or embed it as a pothole from another trope entry. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details.
%%
%%
[[foldercontrol]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
----
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Changed line(s) 20,28 (click to see context) from:
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
to:
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''':
The Drapers' housekeeper and
Don and Betty's sons. Much more
Changed line(s) 31,40 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
to:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobbyin "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. GeneSally, being the only adult in Season 7B.
their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
*DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's father dies]], brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and shenames the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, butrarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him,usually changes the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been subject rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.abruptly.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene
*
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him,
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
Changed line(s) 43,48 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Henry Francis]]
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
to:
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance
The son of
Changed line(s) 51,63 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
to:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
*MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems,it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been througha divorce before, Henry tries to be mark of how twisted the voice basis of reason with Betty their friendship is that she agrees to try to get along better with Don for it. By the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, of Season 5, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudginghas a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with creepy crush on Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.though.]]
*NiceGuy: ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems toconsider him this, have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has himbuttons is a pretty impressive display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} sinceof "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he'smore around than Don 18 and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this,hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, hedoesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn'tlike it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother see him that his approach way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister todealing with him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain aspeeding ticket is "to pay it".
long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
*SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather:PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the most ironic way possible, given the context.army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
*
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems,
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging
*
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since
** In season 7B, he's
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this,
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a
*
* StandardFiftiesFather:
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
Changed line(s) 66,79 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Mona Sterling]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger Sterling's
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points
*
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even
** Played with in scenes with
*
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
Changed line(s) 82,92 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
to:
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her
*
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered
* MissingMom: Becomes this
Changed line(s) 95,100 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
to:
[[quoteright:155:https://static.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
The
Changed line(s) 102,107 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
to:
*
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the
*
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
Changed line(s) 110,115 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Trudy Campbell]]
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
to:
[[quoteright:145:https://static.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
Changed line(s) 117,136 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts the series with chic updos of the later 1950s and early 1960s, only to loosen to bouffants as the series goes on.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
to:
*
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him
Changed line(s) 139,143 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Emile and Marie Calvet]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
to:
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
Changed line(s) 146,164 (click to see context) from:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
to:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far fromAscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a glass, modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of Esso. He doesn't appear again until the bottle.final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
*AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the other a LadyDrunk partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
Joan's frustrations.
*BrutalHonesty: Marie tends ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Rogerlikes about her.it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
*DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it'sKarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that Mari point -- who knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]what TheSeventies hold?]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from
*
*
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger
*
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's
Changed line(s) 167,172 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Greg Harris]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
to:
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in
Changed line(s) 175,182 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he'snot Jewish, but Roger thinks a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he"used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn'thas less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been seen since "Mystery Date" entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and had twins and hasn't bothered it leads to visit Kevin... and their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he'sstill unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyonecertainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why heto actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't see Kevin anymore have any such quandaries, and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardestit, much to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.annoyance.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
Changed line(s) 185,197 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
to:
->'''Played By''':
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise
* WellDoneDaughterGal:
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to
Deleted line(s) 199,441 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Anita Olson Respola]]
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gayle Holloway]]
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pauline Francis]]
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 21,32 (click to see context) from:
!Cutler Gleason Chaough
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
to:
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''':
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
Changed line(s) 35,53 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
to:
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy"Field Trip"; both dealing with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned relationship with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
parents.
*BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reducedTheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names thelast two episodes baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of theseries.
Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
*FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity Bobby's case. Due to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last namemultiple recastings (see below) he was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have beenpronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Tedhas been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move come to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less soan end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggyepisode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.that "Bobby one" left.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy
*
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the
*
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted
* TheRival: To Don. Less so
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy
Changed line(s) 56,64 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Jim Cutler]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and
Changed line(s) 67,84 (click to see context) from:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
to:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, hisfair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's decided more mild-mannered compared to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards:her. He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]]shown to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Rogerin some denial after the agencies merge.
a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
*HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". MayDecemberRomance: He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is morea good fifteen years older than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
*KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging hisvendetta against car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don in order to comply not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, tokids for the point that they were seen coming out sake of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
fight.]]
*MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus:contrast to Don. He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd alwaysmay not be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud much of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and adrunk; a football player teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment ina suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a littlegirl jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice aboutyour impoverished childhood. Oh, you want everything ''except'' when it comes to take Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with aswing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]]
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger
*
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more
*
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to
--> Is that Shalimar?
*
* PutOnABus:
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
Changed line(s) 87,95 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Frank Gleason]]
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
to:
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played
The third partner
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being
*
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
Changed line(s) 98,106 (click to see context) from:
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
to:
[[folder:Bobby Draper
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
->'''Played By''':
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and
Changed line(s) 108,118 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
to:
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]],
*
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him,
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
*
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
Changed line(s) 121,126 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Henry Francis]]
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
to:
[[quoteright:153:https://static.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate
Pete Campbell's wife, from a
Changed line(s) 128,141 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
to:
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids
*
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
*
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible,
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
Changed line(s) 144,178 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Mona Sterling]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
to:
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''':
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the
Changed line(s) 180,185 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
to:
*
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the
*
*
*
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she
Changed line(s) 188,193 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Trudy Campbell]]
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
to:
[[quoteright:145:https://static.
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Pete Campbell's wife, from
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a
Changed line(s) 195,214 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts the series with chic updos of the later 1950s and early 1960s, only to loosen to bouffants as the series goes on.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
to:
*
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with
* SeventiesHair: When she
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.
*
*
*
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells
Changed line(s) 217,242 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Emile and Marie Calvet]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
----
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
----
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
to:
->'''Played By''':
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
----
*
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and
*
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger)
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she
*
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship.
Deleted line(s) 245,277 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Greg Harris]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
----
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
[[/folder]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
----
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
[[/folder]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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Changed line(s) 21,29 (click to see context) from:
!SCDP New Additions
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
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->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
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[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.
!Cutler Gleason Chaough
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
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->'''Played By''':
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The
Partner and
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* SeventiesHair: By the end of the series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
to:
* SeventiesHair: By His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
series.
*AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a seniorTheAce: A very talented creative member of SCDP.
who even pilots planes.
*BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have thisArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for his late cousin Robbie, when Don, the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
*BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment:is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He goes from also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as beingchauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his co-workers, especially Peggy.troubles.
*DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets togetherCantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' revealshim to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so muchin later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is"Man With a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While highPlan." He passes out on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By theothers try to hit a piece end of paper with a picture the series, he is sick of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries being a boss and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California thatwas he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in thepen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later afterlast two episodes of the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.series.
*TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" FireForgedFriends: Ted and pretty Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the muchkeeps younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries hisown wits together best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in theface of an alcoholic boss, a boss final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated witha SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort forPeggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the end of affair short, for the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].sake of his family.
*
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior
*
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this
*
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment:
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being
*
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
*
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
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[[folder:Faye Miller]]
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
to:
[[quoteright:191:https://static.
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->'''Played
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP,
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and
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* CareerVersusMan: She is strictly a business woman. She has no real interest in raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
to:
* CareerVersusMan: She is strictly a business woman. She has no real interest in raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to buildBigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's irresistible charms manage bad behavior. Roger's proposal to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over[=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the phone, because she refuses his invitation mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to discuss bad news face cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright toface.
a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: Toboth of Don's wives Betty Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and Megan. While Betty was unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" andjudgemental of others, Faye "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Donto perform from the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for all Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes hisflaws and encourages vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied thatwork while Megan sees he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Donthe way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believesin the value of kindness mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted andunderstanding I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line isa spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knowssuit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you only was when you were blubbering like the beginning a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of things.trouble!
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes
--> You know, Ted and
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is
-->I hope she knows
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[[folder:Megan Calvet Draper]]
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
to:
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[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''':
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids...
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the
Changed line(s) 85,115 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
to:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clearADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand hermother's advice, she pretends to help a friend father and fellow actress get vice versa) and Sally (who is having a part in hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a commercial by one ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot ofDon's clients but goes to him wanting things around the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he saidhouse. It's not that she reminds unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more ofPeggy, a frustrating mystery to him, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationalityalways been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene isalluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: Peoplethe one child Betty constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right upholds next to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able tomarry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian,talk since we've known him and we hear her speak rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like itonce or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party could change for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is oneBobby as of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. InSeason 6 episode, "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due toget her cast multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a commercial.]]
teenager by 1970.
*PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understandepisode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows offknown as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just"Bobby five" because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, there's so many, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold"."Bobby one" left.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality
** Gene is
* CharacterShilling: People
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian,
** This looks like it
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to
*
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
Changed line(s) 118,127 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Michael Ginsberg]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
to:
[[quoteright:163:https://static.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the
A Jewish copywriter hired
Changed line(s) 130,147 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women (even bluntly telling them that he's not interested) and has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy that the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks downwomen (even bluntly telling them that at Betty and he's not interested) more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty andhas been questioned multiple times by while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries toPeggy that be the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thinvoice of reason with Betty to Stan's Big try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despiteher own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit shrugs it off.
** The one real flash ofinsulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts offanger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his nipple to prove car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his love items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.the sake of the fight.]]
*ConspiracyTheorist: NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He becomes convinced that may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be theIBM computer is turning everyone gay.
best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
*DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, butScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he tends doesn't invoke his clout to insult them to their faces or act dodge petty things like he car tickets and doesn't like them.it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
*GeniusDitz: Don realizes SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the mostof SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced thatironic way possible, given the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite
** The one real flash of
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off
*
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the
*
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but
*
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
Changed line(s) 150,171 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Dawn Chambers]]
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
----
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
----
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
to:
->'''Played
An African-American
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she
----
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
*
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to
** Played with
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
*
* PutOnABus: The last we see of
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as
Changed line(s) 174,191 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Bob Benson]]
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
to:
->'''Played
An accounts man hired in season 6,
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first
* AbortedArc: The story arc
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
Changed line(s) 194,198 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
to:
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''':
The
Changed line(s) 200,214 (click to see context) from:
* BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death to most of the other creatives at SC&P, but to business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes him the perfect hire.
* TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during the final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
to:
*
*
*
*
* {{Jerkass}}:
*
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
Changed line(s) 217,224 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Meredith]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a
Changed line(s) 226,242 (click to see context) from:
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing the model plane at her; in Season 7, she tells Don off for withholding information and joins her co-workers in their walk out.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
to:
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz",
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary,
*
* MilitaryBrat:
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to
*
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and
*
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's
** In 7B she clearly tells
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[[folder:Caroline]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the
Changed line(s) 254,262 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seenwearing very far from a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointingglass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out how she isn't as gorgeous as a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the otherwomen a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in theoffice.
final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
*CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is very funny a piece of work, a grandmother, and she is also does insult people in French, as seen playing when she dines out with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older,Don and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "oldMegan when they met with Mr. and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age andwhile Caroline is frumpy fiercely attractive and silly, she is very good-natured sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn'ttake herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirleymuch care, but that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what'shim going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the
*
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older,
** To Joan, who is also "old
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's
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[[folder:Clara]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
A secretary hired sometime around
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season
Changed line(s) 274,280 (click to see context) from:
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems to maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
to:
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems to maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably shortAmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifleSiegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's had not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season1 5, [[spoiler:this is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnantfinally subverted when Joan kicks him out of wedlock by her apartment for good after he volunteers for a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnantsecond tour of duty in Season 7A Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice andit was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse orsweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the ups and downs sting out of the office get to her.
him being a rapist though.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or
Changed line(s) 283,309 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Shirley]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
----
* SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so with her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
----
* SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so with her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and
----
* SeventiesHair: In
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp,
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
*
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this
*
* PutOnABus: Or rather,
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor
*
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
Changed line(s) 312,320 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Scarlett]]
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
----
* GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in a way that mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and she's likely about a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes to work in go-go boots and miniskirts.
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
----
* GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in a way that mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and she's likely about a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes to work in go-go boots and miniskirts.
to:
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season
----
*
* SexySecretary: It's hinted
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in
Changed line(s) 323,354 (click to see context) from:
!Cutler Gleason Chaough
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
----
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
----
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
to:
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the
Partner
----
*
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing
*
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear
*
*
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in
*
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short,
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of
Changed line(s) 357,365 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Jim Cutler]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner
Henry's Mother and
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
Changed line(s) 368,385 (click to see context) from:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
to:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic forcewhat Betty needs during the first half divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of thefinal season. After accepting the buyout, he kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outrightshown to a client about SCDP's media department having a state take care of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to bekids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at themost dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlikeend of the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication fourth season for letting Glen come to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", evensee Sally, though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It'sit's strongly implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You'reBetty just used it as a bully convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want one of the last major remnants of her marriage to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any oftrouble!her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of
Changed line(s) 388,407 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Frank Gleason]]
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
to:
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than
Changed line(s) 410,419 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
to:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in "The Flood" the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and"Field Trip"; it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look bothdealing with awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his relationship with prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of hisparents.
awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
*TheCutie: Bobby. Gene [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]],7 all slimmed down and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't stand her father recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, andvice versa) in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
says she doesn't see him that way.
*TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Bettycomes down on turns him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.down.]]
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
*
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]],
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and
*
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
Changed line(s) 422,427 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Henry Francis]]
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
to:
[[quoteright:153:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance
The daughter of
Changed line(s) 430,442 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
to:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is awas the first time she was seen since the very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version beginning of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems,Season 2, it's clear they love each other very much.also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
*TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuffafter an argument with Betty, she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday she had her children, only to quit because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of thefight.]]
things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
*NiceGuy: Betty LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems toconsider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty,get that with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.Tilden Katz.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems,
*
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the
*
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty,
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
Changed line(s) 445,458 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Mona Sterling]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
to:
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger Sterling's
The very first
* FiftiesHair: Starts off
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
*
*
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her
Changed line(s) 461,471 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger
The boisterous and
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the
----
*
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
Changed line(s) 474,479 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
to:
[[quoteright:155:https://static.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
The wife of the real
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don
Changed line(s) 481,486 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
to:
*
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
Changed line(s) 489,494 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Trudy Campbell]]
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
to:
[[quoteright:145:https://static.
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one
The head of
Changed line(s) 496,515 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts the series with chic updos of the later 1950s and early 1960s, only to loosen to bouffants as the series goes on.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
to:
*
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to
* SeventiesHair:
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.
*
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host,
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
Changed line(s) 518,522 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Emile and Marie Calvet]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
to:
->'''Played By''':
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
Changed line(s) 525,543 (click to see context) from:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
to:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass,pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's awine glass comedian, and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. Onean acerbic one at that, this is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tendsto be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
*DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger hasis cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emilerevelation, and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Personit leads to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each havetheir moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart:Emile was caught crying to a female college student on Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature presence of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]his annoyance.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass,
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends
*
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart:
Changed line(s) 546,551 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Greg Harris]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
to:
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Joan's fiancé and then husband,
The ''real'' Don Draper, a
Changed line(s) 554,561 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- BodyHorror: His body is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan statedabsolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; hemet a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware Dick don't really look all that he isn't much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before theboy's biological father.
series gets underway.
*{{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about whyReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't see Kevin anymore take it out on Dick, and if he knows about Joan shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He andRoger)'' No. He's Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joanfew tents and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.shovels.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the
*
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why
* WithThisHerring: He and
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
Deleted line(s) 563,820 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anita Olson Respola]]
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gayle Holloway]]
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pauline Francis]]
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
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Changed line(s) 20,29 (click to see context) from:
!Sterling Cooper (later Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, even later Sterling Cooper & Partners)
[[folder:Harry Crane]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry-001_6954.png]]
->'''Played By''': Rich Sommer
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my key demographic."''
A media buyer at Sterling Cooper notable chiefly because everyone tends to overlook his existence, he eventually gets the agency into the television game, becoming Head of Television. He skips to SCDP to do the same job, where he finally has the resources to be effective... and somehow manages to end up even more of a schlemiel and a milquetoast (despite his good work).
[[folder:Harry Crane]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry-001_6954.png]]
->'''Played By''': Rich Sommer
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my key demographic."''
A media buyer at Sterling Cooper notable chiefly because everyone tends to overlook his existence, he eventually gets the agency into the television game, becoming Head of Television. He skips to SCDP to do the same job, where he finally has the resources to be effective... and somehow manages to end up even more of a schlemiel and a milquetoast (despite his good work).
to:
[[folder:Harry Crane]]
!SCDP New Additions
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''':
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my key demographic."''
A media buyer
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper
Changed line(s) 32,55 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off looking like a nerd from that era with slicked hair.
* SeventiesHair: Throughout the 60s he starts experimenting with the Peacock and Mod fashions of the era, even growing out his hair and ends the series with a very full hairdo with long side burns.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions, he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do to Megan reek of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday, and in "Tea Leaves" he talks about how good Charlton Heston looks naked. On the other hand, he's definitely had drunken one-night stands with women (his wife exiles him to the couch for it), so it's fairly likely he has ''some'' natural inclination towards women.
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and doesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the importance of television. He was also a photographer in college.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity to make millions.]]
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines in the first half of the 1960s to a black and angular thick-framed variety post-Season 4.
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because a great man who brought hope to millions died, but because the media coverage of his death is preempting programs in which SCDP's commercials were supposed to air, costing the agency money. Pete, of all people, calls Harry out on his insensitive behavior.
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the show and was wracked with regret, but by the later seasons he was shamelessly using his TV connections to have sex with any women in eyeshot.
* SeventiesHair: Throughout the 60s he starts experimenting with the Peacock and Mod fashions of the era, even growing out his hair and ends the series with a very full hairdo with long side burns.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions, he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do to Megan reek of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday, and in "Tea Leaves" he talks about how good Charlton Heston looks naked. On the other hand, he's definitely had drunken one-night stands with women (his wife exiles him to the couch for it), so it's fairly likely he has ''some'' natural inclination towards women.
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and doesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the importance of television. He was also a photographer in college.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity to make millions.]]
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines in the first half of the 1960s to a black and angular thick-framed variety post-Season 4.
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because a great man who brought hope to millions died, but because the media coverage of his death is preempting programs in which SCDP's commercials were supposed to air, costing the agency money. Pete, of all people, calls Harry out on his insensitive behavior.
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the show and was wracked with regret, but by the later seasons he was shamelessly using his TV connections to have sex with any women in eyeshot.
to:
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions, he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have
*
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to
*
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to
* OnlySaneMan: Is a
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
*
* TookALevelInKindness: While he
*
*
Changed line(s) 58,68 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Ken Cosgrove]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kencosgrove_3125.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AaronStaton
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont and a major rival of Pete's, coming in as an account executive at about the same time as him. They eventually come to a truce.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kencosgrove_3125.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AaronStaton
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont and a major rival of Pete's, coming in as an account executive at about the same time as him. They eventually come to a truce.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''':
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and
Changed line(s) 71,96 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: This is especially noticeable in the first three seasons; it loosens up into the late 60s "Dry Look" over time.
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster and inappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy and treats her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife and Peggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster and inappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy and treats her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife and Peggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]
to:
* FiftiesHair: This CareerVersusMan: She is especially noticeable in the first three seasons; it loosens up into the late 60s "Dry Look" over time.
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to beingstrictly a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDPbusiness with his personal life woman. She has no real interest in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also raising a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his blusterfamily, and inappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy is absolutely terrible at understanding and treats talking to children, which, given her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym,career, is something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients andPeggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons,remain professional, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack toDon's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in responseirresistible charms manage to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses hisfather-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty andthen tells Roger Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and Pete calmly judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that they will work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to Californiaseen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind andmaintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym,
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons,
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
Changed line(s) 99,106 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Paul Kinsey]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Paul-Kinsey-001_5907.png]]
->'''Played By''': Michael Gladis
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus He doesn't transfer to SCDP with the rest of the cast]].
to:
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He
Changed line(s) 109,137 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a groomed look of the era, adds a goatee, and then ends up with no hair.
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facade that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: More and more as Peggy rises through the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tells him he's likely not going to get rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of things that annoy him.
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to the contrary.
** Compared to Peggy, his work as a copywriter is mediocre at best.
** His coworkers discover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired from a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry with a spec script he has written for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He is very proud of his work, calling it the best thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives in New Jersey through the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facade that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: More and more as Peggy rises through the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tells him he's likely not going to get rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of things that annoy him.
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to the contrary.
** Compared to Peggy, his work as a copywriter is mediocre at best.
** His coworkers discover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired from a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry with a spec script he has written for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He is very proud of his work, calling it the best thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives in New Jersey through the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a groomed look SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the era, adds a goatee, series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and then ends up with no hair.
[[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
*BourgeoisBohemian: Grows AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a beard to put on Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the facade that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: Moreadvertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more as Peggy rises through the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt ofsupportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the more incompetent employees, tells American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him he's likely not going with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted toget rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of thingsmen and it's been implied that annoy him.
she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
*GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a talented writer. The show tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantlyproviding evidence to the contrary.remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
** Compared * ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to Peggy, his work the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has acopywriter is mediocre at best.miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
** His * MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkersdiscover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, revealsare convinced that he has been fired from the only reason that she was made a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry withwas as a spec script he has written reward for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is very proud of played straight, when Don uses his work, calling it influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits thebest thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through aseries of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still livesafter she finalizes her divorce with Don in New Jersey through the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
"New Business".]]
*KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and heThePollyanna: She doesn't want anyone else seem to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hardunderstand that she can't do everything she wants to get along with do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage andcontributes feels guilt about wanting to his ButtMonkey status, but have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's reallyfatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one thathe never applied, suggesting is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that his pride was too bruised to consider show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs thatthey might have she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though givenhim a second shot. Contrast the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to Cosgrove, who was for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This alsoleft behind initially but made helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on hisway arm. When she decides she wants to go back to SCDP acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in short order.advertising than acting.
*PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absentthen tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the entirety ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and6, being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
*
* ButtMonkey: More
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of things
*
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals
** He presents Harry with
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives
*
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given
** This also
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his
*
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and
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[[folder:Sal Romano]]
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sal-001_8317.png]]
->'''Played By''': Bryan Batt
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before the end of Season 3 for reasons that have to do with Sterling Cooper's main client being a huge dick.
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sal-001_8317.png]]
->'''Played By''': Bryan Batt
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before the end of Season 3 for reasons that have to do with Sterling Cooper's main client being a huge dick.
to:
[[quoteright:169:https://static.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season
Changed line(s) 148,155 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Has a stylized, but slick and masculine look from that era.
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but has turned (most of) them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretary that we know of, and he plays this trope up for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation in the minds of his [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
* PutOnABus: In Season 3, when he's fired by SC.
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but has turned (most of) them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretary that we know of, and he plays this trope up for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation in the minds of his [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
* PutOnABus: In Season 3, when he's fired by SC.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Has a stylized, but slick and masculine look from that era.
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, butAmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned (most of) down women (even bluntly telling them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it,that he's not killed interested) and has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy that the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, butonce Sal is outed, he gets sent tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with hiswalking papers, and was father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He neverseen or mentioned again.
shuts up.
*{{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretaryNewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that we know of, the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics andhe plays this trope up paranoia are mostly played for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the minds early symptoms of his [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
*PutOnABus: In Season 3, when he's fired by SC.TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it,
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never
*
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretary
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and
*
Changed line(s) 158,163 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Herman "Duck" Phillips]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''': Mark Moses
Brought into Sterling Cooper after his DarkAndTroubledPast at the London office of Young & Rubicam[[note]]A real firm, by the way.[[/note]]. His decisions result in frequent clashes with others (especially Don), but he gets the job done. Gets a job with agency Grey[[note]]Also real.[[/note]] after PPL sells Sterling Cooper to [=McCann=] Erickson[[note]]Real again. How did you guess?[[/note]]. He eventually becomes a headhunter that many of [=SC&P=]'s staff use.
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''': Mark Moses
Brought into Sterling Cooper after his DarkAndTroubledPast at the London office of Young & Rubicam[[note]]A real firm, by the way.[[/note]]. His decisions result in frequent clashes with others (especially Don), but he gets the job done. Gets a job with agency Grey[[note]]Also real.[[/note]] after PPL sells Sterling Cooper to [=McCann=] Erickson[[note]]Real again. How did you guess?[[/note]]. He eventually becomes a headhunter that many of [=SC&P=]'s staff use.
to:
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Brought into Sterling Cooper
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after
Changed line(s) 166,185 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Has the StandardFiftiesFather look, then close cuts his hair, and then ends the series with slightly looser hair.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan to use the merger to become company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 4, when he drunkenly disrupts the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the SCDP office to take a crap on Don's chair (where Peggy finds him after he almost does it in Roger's office by mistake). He seems to have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan to use the merger to become company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 4, when he drunkenly disrupts the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the SCDP office to take a crap on Don's chair (where Peggy finds him after he almost does it in Roger's office by mistake). He seems to have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.
to:
* FiftiesHair: BrainyBrunette: Has the StandardFiftiesFather look, then close cuts his hair, dark hair and then ends the series with slightly looser hair.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree onis a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to run navigate the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless inoffice politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] tocamouflage Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with afatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
*KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the streets of New York real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around Joan has nowhere else to put her and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show will not fire Dawn for something that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterlingother people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He'sfor making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.mind]].
*VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Don effortlessly foils his plan Joan switches to use being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in themerger ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to becomecompany president.]] It reaches its climax a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season4, when he drunkenly disrupts 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into rest of the SCDP office to take a crap staff, turn their backs on Don's chair (where Peggy finds him the partners and walk off after he almost does it in Roger's office by mistake). He seems to have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck inthey make the first place.announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a
*
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
*
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in
Changed line(s) 188,193 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Freddy Rumsen]]
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freddy-Rumsen-001_8578.png]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Murray
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a little old and behind the times, is generally open and fun-loving. He's a big supporter of Peggy, though they have their disagreements. Has had problems with alcohol, but is presently on the up-and-up.
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freddy-Rumsen-001_8578.png]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Murray
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a little old and behind the times, is generally open and fun-loving. He's a big supporter of Peggy, though they have their disagreements. Has had problems with alcohol, but is presently on the up-and-up.
to:
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freddy-Rumsen-001_8578.png]]
->'''Played By''':
An
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
Changed line(s) 196,200 (click to see context) from:
* TheAlcoholic: Joan in Season One makes a snarky remark about his drinking habits after he expresses amazement at Peggy's wordplay ("Wouldn't you like to put that in a drink") and Season Two shows that his drinking led to him performing Mozart by unzipping his fly out in the steno pool and peeing his pants during a meeting. This leads to him getting fired and becoming freelance.
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's awful in bed, he doesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first to notice Peggy's talent for words, and he is more involved with his family affairs all in contrast to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, and Harry.
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's awful in bed, he doesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first to notice Peggy's talent for words, and he is more involved with his family affairs all in contrast to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, and Harry.
to:
* TheAlcoholic: Joan in Season One BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death to most of the other creatives at SC&P, but to business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes a snarky remark about his drinking habits after he expresses amazement at Peggy's wordplay ("Wouldn't you like to put that in a drink") and Season Two shows that his drinking led to him performing Mozart by unzipping his fly out in the steno pool and peeing his pants during a meeting. This leads to him getting fired and becoming freelance.
perfect hire.
*TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and standsTheDragon: Essentially becomes one for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's awful in bed, he doesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool Jim Cutler during the focus group test final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work forBelle Jolie lipstick, the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as thefirst new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages tonotice Peggy's talent for words, become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode andhe is more involved lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his family affairs all superior, after having given Peggy a raise in contrast order to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" andHarry.moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
*
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
Changed line(s) 203,211 (click to see context) from:
!SCDP New Additions
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
to:
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''':
The
Changed line(s) 214,238 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: By the end of the series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
to:
* SeventiesHair: By BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing the end of the series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beardmodel plane at her; in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall7, she tells Don off for withholding information and built, joins her co-workers in their walk out.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and laterput on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent andhe's found sexy.
efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
*BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful tohave this Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished forhis late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio:her loyalty to Don Draper. The Big to Michael's Thin and next episode, she's Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinisticsecretary, and rather full when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind ofhimself, to being understanding a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
*DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson,PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While highquick on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort fordraw as Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stanjob overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]]. assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and
*
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for
* BigThinShortTrio:
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of
*
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson,
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
Changed line(s) 241,246 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Faye Miller]]
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
to:
[[quoteright:191:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
A marketing researcher
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired
Changed line(s) 249,256 (click to see context) from:
* CareerVersusMan: She is strictly a business woman. She has no real interest in raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
to:
* CareerVersusMan: She AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she isstrictly very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not abusiness woman. She has no real stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest inraising a family, the well-being of Roger and is absolutely terrible at understanding his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and talking to children, which, given her career, is something played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty wasafraid Roger will have a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl:She's quite kind Friendly, warm, welcoming and understanding, enthusiastic of her co-workers and believes in even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what thevalue of kindness and understanding in other is dealing with people as opposed in separate occasions) and tends to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.cry when grieving or stressed out.
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl:
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
Changed line(s) 259,264 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Megan Calvet Draper]]
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
to:
[[quoteright:173:https://static.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
Changed line(s) 267,297 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
to:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end TheCutie: Despite taking some of the series, most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman''still seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attractedto men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him thatshe does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 7, she has 1 is a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
squirrel-shooter at best.
*BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting PutOnABus: In the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he saidSeason 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked aboutof wedlock by a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.co-worker.
*ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in season 4, Season 7A and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speakit once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.was written in.
*MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of anydowns of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence tooffice get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seemto understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken fromher.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman''
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that
*
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
*
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
*
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
Changed line(s) 300,309 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Michael Ginsberg]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
to:
[[quoteright:163:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season
Changed line(s) 312,329 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women (even bluntly telling them that he's not interested) and has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy that the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest inan on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (evenbluntly telling them that he's not interested) and has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy that dresses sexy with the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thinsass to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stanmatch) and Peggy care in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for him, but he tends marriage to insult them her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track totheir faces or act like he a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn'tlike them.
behave that way towards her superiors.
*GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning SassySecretary: Averted in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keepsthat she doesn't act so with his father is her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
bit playful with Roger.
*MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced thatSexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs,office, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of she has a very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him againstsassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't
*
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
*
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs,
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
Changed line(s) 332,336 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Dawn Chambers]]
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
to:
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season
Changed line(s) 339,353 (click to see context) from:
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
to:
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold",
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off
*
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work;
Changed line(s) 356,380 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Bob Benson]]
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
to:
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
An accounts man hired
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose,
Partner and
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of
Changed line(s) 383,396 (click to see context) from:
* BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death to most of the other creatives at SC&P, but to business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes him the perfect hire.
* TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during the final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
* TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during the final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
to:
* BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less. SeventiesHair: His entire philosophy is basically "does it make hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death Dry Look to most swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the other creatives at SC&P, but to business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes him the perfect hire.
series.
*TheDragon: Essentially becomes TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one forJim Cutler during Don, the final season, as latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they both want to force start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Donout ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the agency.ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine:Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou [[spoiler:He and Jim Cutler are willing Don agree to collaborate merge their agencies to undermine Don's place in get the company.
GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
*{{Foil}}: ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated theanti-Don Draper much younger Peggy in quite Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being afew ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, workaholic and guileless at nearly all times getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on ateetotaler. recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He'sa hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chefinfatuated with Peggy Olson as and plans to leave his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
family.
*
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine:
*
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
Changed line(s) 399,406 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Meredith]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and
Changed line(s) 409,424 (click to see context) from:
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing the model plane at her; in Season 7, she tells Don off for withholding information and joins her co-workers in their walk out.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
to:
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the model plane at her; in course of Season 7, she tells Don off for withholding information 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan andjoins her co-workers in their walk out.
Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
*ButtMonkey: Tends DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be thebutt of jokes in most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike theshow due constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to her childlike demeanor gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" andsubject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much"their guys". He's been doing everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have neededhis power to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow,undermine "their guys", even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith hasthough this is harming the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is morewomanly Joan.than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
*PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe andbuyout by viewers.
[=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
*TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he can't be withholding is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as importantinformation from her regarding her employment.as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and
*
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and
* TheDitz: Pretty much
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow,
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more
*
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
*
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
Changed line(s) 427,433 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Caroline]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''':
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than
Changed line(s) 436,444 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening"Field Trip"; both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene inseparate occasions) Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], andtends she names the baby after him, much to cry when grieving the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four orstressed out.five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
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[[folder:Clara]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for
Changed line(s) 456,462 (click to see context) from:
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems to maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
to:
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared tomaintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Laterher. He's shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara leftin some denial after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of wedlock by his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's aco-worker.good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
*RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it was written in.off.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or ** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the ups day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and downs Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the office get fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems toher.
consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to
* TheFashionista: Later
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a
*
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
Changed line(s) 465,491 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Shirley]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
----
* SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so with her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
----
* SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so with her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played
First Peggy Olson's
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary
----
*
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest
*
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track
** Played with in
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor
* ShesGotLegs: And
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
Changed line(s) 494,502 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Scarlett]]
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
----
* GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in a way that mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and she's likely about a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes to work in go-go boots and miniskirts.
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
----
* GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in a way that mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and she's likely about a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes to work in go-go boots and miniskirts.
to:
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season
----
*
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes
Changed line(s) 505,515 (click to see context) from:
!Cutler Gleason Chaough
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
to:
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with
The wife of the
Partner
Changed line(s) 517,536 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
to:
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the
*
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
Changed line(s) 539,547 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Jim Cutler]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and
Changed line(s) 549,567 (click to see context) from:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
to:
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business,
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
*
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything
*
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that
*
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to
--> Is that Shalimar?
*
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't
* PutOnABus: He leaves
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one
** [[spoiler:They're in the
--> You know, Ted
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just
* NiceHat: Has a
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot
Changed line(s) 570,589 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Frank Gleason]]
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
to:
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the
Changed line(s) 592,601 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
to:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "TheFlood" Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and "Field Trip"; both dealing follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with hisrelationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Genedaughter in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she namesthe baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand final sequence, convincing her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with to follow her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
dreams.
*TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more ofshe's so much a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow nosenior (she's younger than four or five in 1960 Roger) but not yet she is a teenager by 1970.
piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
*TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it SilverVixen: Marie looks like this has come young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying toan end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in a female college student on the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that ([[InUniverse at Mari knows about his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that "Bobby one" left.him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names
*
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no
*
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to
Changed line(s) 604,609 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Henry Francis]]
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
to:
[[quoteright:153:https://static.
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a
Changed line(s) 612,624 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
to:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifyingAmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and domineering woman Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated thatlooks down at Betty if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He'sshown just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one insome denial which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version second tour of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren'tduty in Vietnam without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake andher own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty letsapproval. While doing this, she also calls him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.out on raping her.]]
*NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year incontrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty,Vietnam without discussing it with him even referring to both her and Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have ateenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} sincefew moments where he's more around than Don quite nice and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except''sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when it comes he treats her cut. It's not enough to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: Intake the most ironic way possible, given the context.sting out of him being a rapist though.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets
*
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty,
* PetTheDog: He does have a
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except''
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In
Changed line(s) 627,640 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Mona Sterling]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
to:
->'''Played
Roger Sterling's first wife,
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who
*
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she
*
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even
*
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than
Changed line(s) 643,653 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
to:
->'''Played
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be
* MissingMom: Becomes this to
Changed line(s) 656,668 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
to:
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''':
The wife of
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with
*
*
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
Changed line(s) 671,676 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Trudy Campbell]]
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
to:
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most
Changed line(s) 678,697 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts the series with chic updos of the later 1950s and early 1960s, only to loosen to bouffants as the series goes on.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
to:
*
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the
* SeventiesHair: When she
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are
Changed line(s) 700,704 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Emile and Marie Calvet]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
to:
->'''Played By''':
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
Changed line(s) 707,725 (click to see context) from:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
to:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets himabout admiring to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his work creepy crush on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.Betty, though.]]
*DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeingforbids Sally dressed up for dinner to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) ina very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs''Commissions and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]]Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in "Person his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems toPerson".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They eachhave their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "ThePhantom", respectively. In Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP army and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts is about to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her be sent to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.Vietnam.]]
*NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger)act on it once he turns 18, but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but thatBetty turns him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.down.]]
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.
*
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]]
** Though by season six, he seems to
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.
*
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger)
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that
Changed line(s) 728,733 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Greg Harris]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
to:
[[quoteright:149:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Joan's fiancé
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and
Changed line(s) 736,743 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't beenDon in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since "Mystery Date" the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: andJoan stated that if after she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or it is revealed she kept leading her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. Thestore even during her marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as ahuge contrast kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to theprofessional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out main cast of her apartment for good the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after he volunteers for a second tour all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of duty in Vietnam without tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her approval. While doing this, brain, and she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilstasks if she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4,the only Jew he [[spoiler:signs knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew upfor another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she a mother. [[spoiler:She is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He doesrevealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season3 when he treats her cut. It's not two just long enough to take let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the sting out night of him being Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a rapist though.seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4,
* MissingMom: She grew up
* PetTheDog: He does
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
Changed line(s) 746,758 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
to:
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools
The very first woman
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
*
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
Changed line(s) 761,778 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Anita Olson Respola]]
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty
The boisterous and
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with
*
*
*
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
Changed line(s) 781,799 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Gayle Holloway]]
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
Joan's mother.
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
*
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
Changed line(s) 802,816 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Pauline Francis]]
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
to:
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played
Henry's Mother
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends
* NiceGuy: He is
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say
--> She's
Changed line(s) 819,825 (click to see context) from:
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
to:
[[folder:Carla]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
The
Changed line(s) 828,832 (click to see context) from:
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
to:
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty needs during a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Donhumiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobbyand Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sallypartners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of one, then disappears from the kids with Betty show entirely for six seasons only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during play a major role in season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
7.
*PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse {{Determinator}}: Tries to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside theDon Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season
*
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
Changed line(s) 835,839 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
to:
->'''Played By''':
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who
Changed line(s) 842,855 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
to:
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in onJerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty,can't recall ever giving an apology and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
actually meaning it.
*GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B,MotorMouth: Seeing how he's 18 a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he hashair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed downthat Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally,Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and in season five tells guys in school it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he'sdating certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says However, she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. Hehave any such quandaries, and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn thathe has enlisted in the army and is about knows it, much to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]his annoyance.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty,
*
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B,
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally,
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
Changed line(s) 858,864 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
The
Changed line(s) 867,874 (click to see context) from:
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
to:
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out blast that she passed away shortly kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before theevents of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
series gets underway.
*CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother,being assigned one soldier instead of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distantan entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and exotic tribe shows himself to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He andprobably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behindjust a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person,tents and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.shovels.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the
*
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother,
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant
* WithThisHerring: He and
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person,
Deleted line(s) 876,1002 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
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* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
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[[folder:Don Draper]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dondraper_9197.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This never happened."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JonHamm
->''"I have been watching my life. It's right there. I keep scratching at it, trying to get into it. I can't."''
The most prominent member of the series' EnsembleCast, Draper starts Season 1 as the head of Creative at Sterling Cooper, rises to junior partner, and flees the company to start Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce when Sterling Cooper is sold to [=McCann=] Erickson. He has a secret past - he was born as Richard "Dick" Whitman, and assumed his commanding officer's identity when he was killed in action in the Korean War.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dondraper_9197.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"This never happened."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JonHamm
->''"I have been watching my life. It's right there. I keep scratching at it, trying to get into it. I can't."''
The most prominent member of the series' EnsembleCast, Draper starts Season 1 as the head of Creative at Sterling Cooper, rises to junior partner, and flees the company to start Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce when Sterling Cooper is sold to [=McCann=] Erickson. He has a secret past - he was born as Richard "Dick" Whitman, and assumed his commanding officer's identity when he was killed in action in the Korean War.
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"This never happened."'']]
->'''Played By''':
->''"I have been watching
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my
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* FiftiesHair: He maintains a slick, jelled look well into the early seventies, making him look like a suave dinosaur; one episode in the last season had him not able to groom his hair in his usual manner, which struck his [[SeventiesHair more up-to-date colleagues odd]].
* AbusiveParents:
** Don's father was an abusive drunk, and his wife, who only took Don in because [[LawOfInverseFertility she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths]], clearly never liked him, referring to him as a "whore child".
** During a flashback in "The Crash", she is shown beating him with a wooden spoon for losing his virginity to a prostitute, an encounter which was itself sexual abuse.
* TheAlcoholic: In Season 4. His nurse neighbor and Allison both call him a drunk. Hits rock bottom in Season 6, even spending a night in jail.
** Things were a bit better after he initially met Megan, whom he would ask to keep track of how many drinks he's had... until he started just drinking excessively behind her back.
* {{Adorkable}}: Downplayed example. Flashbacks reveal that he used to be more boyish and eager a few years before the series, especially around Anna (he's downright vulnerable when he tells her how much he loves Betty and how he wants to ask her to marry him).
* AlliterativeName: Both "Don" and "Draper" start with "D". Doesn't apply to his real name, Dick Whitman.
* AntiHero: He's an asshole, a serial adulterer, and a horribly negligent parent with the occasional PetTheDog moment, with good intentions.
* ArtifactAlias: Betty Francis, Bert Cooper, Pete Campbell, and Megan Draper know that Don Draper's real name is Dick Whitman, yet they all call him Don.
* TheAtoner: He tries to become a better person in the Season 6 finale. [[ReformedButRejected It doesn't work.]]
* BadassBaritone: He has a deep baritone voice that suits his [[TallDarkAndHandsome appearance]] and [[TheCharmer personality]] perfectly.
* TheBarnum: Don is willing to make an ad for just about anything, if the price is right, though he treats consumers with somewhat more respect than normal for this trope.
* BastardBoyfriend: Don is basically never good to his girlfriends or his wives Betty or Megan, but he's especially this to Bobbi after she threatens to tell his wife.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: {{Word of God}} says he's responsible for the creation of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM this famous Coke ad from the early 70s]].
* BrokenAce: Top of the line in his profession, handsome, charismatic, a keen business acumen, combines a beautiful family with the life of a ladies' man, apparently a real winner. Underneath it all, he suffers from some serious ParentalIssues and other mental problems which make him get no satisfaction.
* BrokenPedestal: For Peggy, who eventually calls [[YouMonster him a monster]] and for Sally, when the girl gets a glimpse of [[YourCheatingHeart the real Draper.]]
* BrutalHonesty[=/=]ConsummateLiar: He mostly bullshits his way through (a dual) life, and part of his executive / creative job consists of it in order to keep clients happy, but oddly enough, he manages to combine both; at work, he prefers not to sugarcoat the truth and likes to be as direct or blunt as possible, as exemplified by his sudden lambast against tobacco and his attack of sincerity during his Hershey's pitch.
* BumblingDad[=/=]ParentalNeglect: In an odd sort of way. He gives the overall impression of being well-meaning and loving, if clueless, which stands in sharp contrast to Betty's emotional and physical abuse of Sally. However, the later seasons are taking this apart. In the fourth, following his divorce, he starts forgetting when he has to take his kids, going on a date and leaving them with a sitter, or missing his weekend with them because he was on a two-day bender. The fifth season opener shows the increasing distance with his promise to take the kids to the Statue of Liberty, to which Sally responds, "You always say that, but we never do."
-->'''Don:''' I don't think I ever wanted to be the man who loves children. But from the moment they're born, that baby comes out and you act proud and excited and hand out cigars but you don't feel anything. Especially if you had a difficult childhood. You want to love them, but you don't. And the fact that you're faking that feeling makes you wonder if your own father had the same problem. Then one day they get older, and you see them do something and you feel that feeling that you were pretending to have. And it feels like your heart is going to explode.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: The best creative there is, he can skip important meetings or do eccentric things just because he's that good, but eventually the partners stop putting up with him.
* ByronicHero: TallDarkAndHandsome? Check! [[TheCharmer Charismatic and Charming?]] Check! Passionate when putting his mind to something? Check! Has ''numerous'' flaws? Check! DarkAndTroubledPast? He took someone else's identity to run away from it, so... Check!
* CarpetOfVirility: Don's manliness only gets reinforced during his {{Shirtless Scene}}s.
* TheCasanova: Wherever Don Draper goes, beautiful women hit on him and Don is perfectly willing to take them up on it, despite being married. He becomes something more of a CasanovaWannabe in the fourth season. Now that he's available and hitting on everything that moves, he gets turned down a lot more (though his conquests are still legendary). At least until he starts getting his act together in ''The Summer Man.''
** As more of his past becomes revealed and particularly [[RapeAsBackstory the parts that likely affected his current behavior]], he turns into a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. He's an exercise in just how screwed-up someone has to be to actually behave like he does.
* TheCharmer: Don is immensely charming and charismatic and knows how to use it with his looks to win over clients and any woman he sets his sights on.
* ChivalrousPervert: In spite of his dickish tendencies, he has a problem with the other guys at the office being overtly crude and creepy around female employees. He sort of lampshades this tendency when he tells Peggy, "I have rules" about this kind of thing (meaning, particularly, hitting on/having relationships with women at work). His drunken seduction of Allison, his secretary in Season 4, unfortunately, undermined this -- becoming [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness a deliberate signal of just how out of control Don's life has become]].
* ControlFreak: His relationship with Sylvia eventually turns into him demanding she do various demeaning things. [[spoiler:This causes her to break up with him.]]
* CoolCar: In order: 1959 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 sedan, 1960 Buick [=LeSabre=] convertible, 1961 Dodge Polara, 1962 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, 1965 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.
* DeadpanSnarker: He likes to make fun of the more absurd things he sees.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: While serving in the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar, he accidentally caused a gas explosion that killed his commanding officer and wounded him. He switched their dog tags, used Don Draper's identity to desert, and pretended to be him to get away from his family and start his own life.
* DeathByChildBirth: His mother was a young prostitute who died giving birth to him.
* DiscoDan: As the series goes on, it's clear that Don's still stuck in the '50s. It's especially evident in the trailer to Season 7B, where he still has the '50s look going into the '70s.
* DisneylandDad: After divorcing Betty, Don goes long stretches without seeing his kids. When he does pick them up for visitation, he takes them to flashy places, including once to Disneyland.
* DomesticAbuse: While the time period prevents the show from directly acknowledging it, in the past Don has threatened to harm Betty (even implied killing her), called her a whore, gaslighted her, on top of the myriad of lies and adultery.
* DoorstopBaby: How he arrived at his biological father's house.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: as pointed out by Abigail Rine in [[https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/don-draper-was-raped/276937/ ''The Atlantic'']], Aimee's rape of Don didn't get as much notice (much less extensive debate) as other then-current fictional rapes, being largely glossed over or, when it was mentioned, it was if he actually wanted it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After a whole lot of soul-searching and a decade's worth of self-loathing and character development, Dick Whitman/Donald Draper self-actualizes on a hippie commune, ending the series seemingly at peace with himself.
* {{Expy}}: A wealthy self-made man who grew up poor, adopted a new name to escape his past and gives off the impression of charm and charisma to [[BrokenAce cover how broken and unhappy he is]], Don is basically a twenty-first century version of [[Literature/TheGreatGatsby Jay Gatsby]].
* AFatherToHisMen: A very distant, cold, 1960s-style father, but a father none-the-less.
* FlatWhat: Don does these. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJSRP7cZVo A lot.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: He tries to talk Betty out of a divorce and she holds firm, eventually after finding out about her and Henry he threatened to cut Betty off financially and from the kids, but then relenting and splitting more amicably with Betty.
* FreudianExcuse: His [[DarkAndTroubledPast backstory flashbacks]] often account for his twisted personality in the present day. Hell, even his very name, Dick Whitman, has a Freudian origin; his mother's greatest wish was to [[FreudianThreat cut off his father's dick]] and boil it in hog fat for getting her pregnant. His [[MommyIssues mother-figures were also traumatically terrible]].
* FriendlyEnemies: His general relationship with Pete. Half of the time, they're at each other's throats. The other half, they show a genuine respect for each other and share a drink when discussing the issues of their personal lives.
* GuileHero: Although he borders on VillainProtagonist a lot of the time, Don's great ability is his capacity to talk his way out of everything, which is best demonstrated by his advertising presentations.
* HasAType: Don begins the show married to a blonde {{Stepford Smiler}}, but all of his mistresses/lovers have been rather independent-minded and outspoken, and all have been brunette except for redhead Bobbie Barrett (who pursued him, rather than the other way around), and blonde Faye Miller (whom he dated after his divorce).
* HeroicBastard: Although calling him "heroic" is a stretch, he is the protagonist and he has been struggling with being a bastard to his mother who died.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Don's character arc in the final season has him suffering an emotional breakdown due to the failings of his second marriage and the company's absorption into [=McCann=]. After finally coming to terms with all of his shortcomings, Don realizes the one thing he's really good at and enjoys doing is being an advertiser.
* {{Hunk}}: Suave, manly, and sharply dressed.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** He is a serial adulterer, but is absolutely cruel to Betty and then Megan when he believes them to be promiscuous.
** When Don learns that Sal is gay, Don lectures Sal about how it's important to be faithful to one's wife. Don was cheating on Betty shortly before he learned about Sal's sexuality.
** In the season 3 finale, Don masterminds the creation of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce to avoid being absorbed by [=McCann=]. Later in season 7, when Jim Cutler is trying to force Don out of the company, he convinces the other partners that [[ItsAllAboutMe it would now be for the best to sell out to [=McCann=].]]
* IndyPloy: Despite demanding a solid planification from his underlings, Don relies too much on his own talent, [[EurekaMoment inspiration]], improvisation, [[RefugeInAudacity audacity]], or plain luck, a thing that doesn't sit well with his partners.
-->'''Campbell:''' Don't act like you had a plan. You are Tarzan, swinging from vine to vine!
* InformedAttractiveness: Women on the show frequently mention how handsome he is. In season five, when he jokes that it will look like he struck out when he leaves Joan in a bar, she scoffs at the idea that anyone would believe that.
* ItsAllAboutMe: The other partners or workers call him out arguing this whenever he does something impulsive or unexpected (which happens a lot). Most of his peculiar behavior is the way he has to cope around his own issues.
* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: He tends to be [[BrutalHonesty blunt]] or distant and his chronic infidelity alone makes him a dick. He can also be quite personable, charming, and fair and often tries to be a decent human being and father, but his character flaws often work against his good intentions.
** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Pulls some strings to provide a deferment to the Rossen boy, only to regain a place between the legs of Sylvia, the boy's mother.
* LadykillerInLove: Season 5, when he settles down with Megan.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: As Megan puts it, "My father has Marx, you have the bottle."
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: This seems to be Don's worldview. He seeks prim and proper women, like Betty, to settle down with, but constantly engages in extramarital affairs with sexually aggressive women. This is most obvious with Don's third wife, Megan. Don marries her after seeing how good she is with his kids, but is extremely upset when she displays any hints of sexuality outside of his control, such as singing a sexy French song at Don's 40th birthday party or when she does a kissing scene for her role on a TV Soap Opera.
* ManipulativeBastard: Don's a master of office politics. To say nothing of his emotional abuse of Betty.
* MeaningfulName: Among other Freudian connotations explored below, "Dick" reflects his inability to keep it in his pants and his mean tendencies, while "Don" and "Draper" evoke his manly, mercantilistic, elegant, and dapperish parts.
* MoralityPet: Anna is his. He's not entirely a bad guy, but Anna is the only person in his life he doesn't on occasion act like a dick towards. Tellingly, she's also for a long time the only person who really knows who he is.
* TheMovieBuff: Don is often seen going to the movies, sometimes to get ideas, other times just to be alone. He has occasionally taken other people with him - he goes with Lane to see a Japanese monster movie in Season 4, and in Season 6, he takes Bobby to see ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968''.
* MrFanservice: Don probably has the most shirtless scenes of the male cast.
* MysteriousPast: Most of the characters, including his children, know virtually nothing about his background. Don eventually reveals he's from [[spoiler:Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is just [[FlyOverCountry barely far enough]] into Central PA to count as sort of Midwestern. It certainly isn't within the UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} sphere of influence that would render it East Coast. When you add that he was born and spent his first ten years in rural Illinois--just outside UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}--it's enough.]]
-->'''Harry:''' Draper? Who knows anything about that guy? No one’s ever lifted that rock. He could be Franchise/{{Batman}} for all we know.
* {{Narcissist}}: A textbook example. Throughout the series, he [[ItsAllAboutMe consistently prioritizes his own desires at others' expense]] and [[AllTakeAndNoGive feels entitled to respect and adoration despite being largely incapable of reciprocating such feelings]].
* NiceHat: His fedora.
* NotSoStoic: When he mourns over Adam.
* [[OneOfTheBoys One Of The Girls]]: For a macho man and serial womanizer, Don does not have many close friendships with men, (aside from an oftentimes hostile relationship with Roger), instead forming closer friendships with women like Anna, Peggy, and Joan.
* OrphansOrdeal: His being a bastard led to some hard times growing up.
* ParentalAbandonment: Don has abandoned his children on several occasions -- his daughter Sally's birthday party where he just took off for several hours, missing the cake; his trip to California which lasted almost a month; and his blackout in Season 4, where he drank the whole weekend and forgot to come get his kids for their visit.
* PetTheDog: He has numerous moments throughout the series, mainly with his children and Anna, that show he's capable of genuine kindness and provide some insight into the kind of man Don could be if he weren't so extraordinarily fucked up.
* PromiscuityAfterRape: Don's first sexual experience was being raped by a prostitute who'd been taking care of him. As an adult, Don seems nearly incapable of monogamy generally have a flings while also having an affair while married.
* TheQuietOne: As admen go he is incredibly taciturn. This actually works to his advantage in meetings and campaign sessions, because what he does have to say comes off as that much more important.
* RagsToRiches: He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression and is now a very wealthy man with a fancy apartment in Manhattan.
* RapeAsBackstory: As revealed in "The Crash" -- a prostitute, Aimee, who had been caring for the sick adolescent Dick Whitman, molested him and took his virginity. This is implied to be a major contributing factor to his skewed perspectives on women and sex.
** Emphasized in season 6 when Megan and her friend Amy (who has the same name as Don's abuser) decide to have a threesome with Don. When Megan offers while she and Amy both kiss and caress Don, he seems to freeze up and says he doesn't really want to, but Megan grabs him by the genitals [[AManIsAlwaysEager and calls him a liar,]] reminiscent of how he lost his virginity. The next day, they don't talk about it.
* RatedMForManly: The epitome of suave masculinity in and out-universe and also a deconstruction, he's a pretty damaged individual below the smooth surface.
* ReallyGetsAround: He has a reputation.
* RedemptionFailure: [[spoiler:Don reverts to his philandering ways between seasons 5 and 6, cheating on Megan with a neighbor.]]
* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Don makes a sincere effort to make things right with all the people he's wronged in the season 6 finale, but he has too many pieces to pick up and everything he does to help one person ends up hurting someone else, leaving him without both Megan and his job.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Don does this during meetings so often it could be considered a running gag of sorts.
* SelfMadeMan: A rural boy raised in a whorehouse becomes a successful executive and partner of a Midtown Manhattan company thanks to his hard work and talent after working as a salesman and attending City College at night.
* SexGod: He's supposedly really good in bed.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: To Peggy.
* SonOfAWhore: "You told me your mother [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]]. Mine did too. She was a prostitute. I don't know if my father paid her, but when she died, they brought me to him and his wife. And when I was ten years old, he died. He was a drunk, he got kicked in the face by a horse. She buried him and took up with some other man, and I was raised by those two sorry people."
* SpiritualSuccessor: A lighter, nobler incarnation of [[Series/TheSopranos Tony Soprano]], the protagonist of creator Matthew Weiner's previous show. Both characters are middle-aged {{broken ace}}s with a dual life, are serial adulterers married to a blonde {{stepford smiler}} but [[HasAType fond of brunettes]], endure TheChainsOfCommanding, and have serious parental issues, among other minor common traits.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Taken apart at the seams. Him being married with kids is a FirstEpisodeSpoiler after he's already established as a womanizer, and he understands clients a whole lot better than his family.
* TheStoic: Displays a stern and cold demeanor, even when he's being charming.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: When you hear this phrase, Don Draper is the image that pops into your head.
* ThatManIsDead: The only time he acknowledges having been Dick Whitman is when Adam confronts him, and even then he does not directly confirm it. He does go by Dick when with Anna. Although his second wife, Megan, also knows his real name, and refers to him as it in "A Little Kiss."
* TookALevelInKindness: Briefly after his second marriage. "Good"-ol' Draper [[HesBack comes back]] before long.
-->'''Peggy: '''I don't recognize that man. He's kind and he's patient... [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness It concerns me]].
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Whiskey. Reflecting on his sober (as in solemn) and classic personality, Mister Draper will have an Old Fashioned made with rye, generally Canadian (and particularly Canadian Club, of which he keeps a bottle in his office).
* TheUnfavourite: His father's wife never liked him and was mean to him even before she had a son of her own.
* UnfortunateNames: Dick isn't a terribly unfortunate name in and of itself, but add Whitman to the end and you easily come to Dick Whit. His mother died in childbirth and her last words were, "I'll cut his dick off."
* WouldntHurtAChild: Don is against the use of physical punishment in the raising of his kids, a very progressive attitude for his time. As he explains to Betty when questioned about this, his father used to beat him up all the time when he was a child, and all it led to was him bottling up a lot of anger towards him, to the point of regularly fantasizing about murdering him.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's a serial adulterer and can't seem to quit it (with either of his wives).
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]: He's not shown saying this directly to her, but he refuses to acknowledge Abigail as his mother, [[WickedStepmother no doubt because she never treated him like a son either]]. In addition, when Adam is born, he refuses to acknowledge him as his brother.
* AbusiveParents:
** Don's father was an abusive drunk, and his wife, who only took Don in because [[LawOfInverseFertility she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths]], clearly never liked him, referring to him as a "whore child".
** During a flashback in "The Crash", she is shown beating him with a wooden spoon for losing his virginity to a prostitute, an encounter which was itself sexual abuse.
* TheAlcoholic: In Season 4. His nurse neighbor and Allison both call him a drunk. Hits rock bottom in Season 6, even spending a night in jail.
** Things were a bit better after he initially met Megan, whom he would ask to keep track of how many drinks he's had... until he started just drinking excessively behind her back.
* {{Adorkable}}: Downplayed example. Flashbacks reveal that he used to be more boyish and eager a few years before the series, especially around Anna (he's downright vulnerable when he tells her how much he loves Betty and how he wants to ask her to marry him).
* AlliterativeName: Both "Don" and "Draper" start with "D". Doesn't apply to his real name, Dick Whitman.
* AntiHero: He's an asshole, a serial adulterer, and a horribly negligent parent with the occasional PetTheDog moment, with good intentions.
* ArtifactAlias: Betty Francis, Bert Cooper, Pete Campbell, and Megan Draper know that Don Draper's real name is Dick Whitman, yet they all call him Don.
* TheAtoner: He tries to become a better person in the Season 6 finale. [[ReformedButRejected It doesn't work.]]
* BadassBaritone: He has a deep baritone voice that suits his [[TallDarkAndHandsome appearance]] and [[TheCharmer personality]] perfectly.
* TheBarnum: Don is willing to make an ad for just about anything, if the price is right, though he treats consumers with somewhat more respect than normal for this trope.
* BastardBoyfriend: Don is basically never good to his girlfriends or his wives Betty or Megan, but he's especially this to Bobbi after she threatens to tell his wife.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: {{Word of God}} says he's responsible for the creation of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM this famous Coke ad from the early 70s]].
* BrokenAce: Top of the line in his profession, handsome, charismatic, a keen business acumen, combines a beautiful family with the life of a ladies' man, apparently a real winner. Underneath it all, he suffers from some serious ParentalIssues and other mental problems which make him get no satisfaction.
* BrokenPedestal: For Peggy, who eventually calls [[YouMonster him a monster]] and for Sally, when the girl gets a glimpse of [[YourCheatingHeart the real Draper.]]
* BrutalHonesty[=/=]ConsummateLiar: He mostly bullshits his way through (a dual) life, and part of his executive / creative job consists of it in order to keep clients happy, but oddly enough, he manages to combine both; at work, he prefers not to sugarcoat the truth and likes to be as direct or blunt as possible, as exemplified by his sudden lambast against tobacco and his attack of sincerity during his Hershey's pitch.
* BumblingDad[=/=]ParentalNeglect: In an odd sort of way. He gives the overall impression of being well-meaning and loving, if clueless, which stands in sharp contrast to Betty's emotional and physical abuse of Sally. However, the later seasons are taking this apart. In the fourth, following his divorce, he starts forgetting when he has to take his kids, going on a date and leaving them with a sitter, or missing his weekend with them because he was on a two-day bender. The fifth season opener shows the increasing distance with his promise to take the kids to the Statue of Liberty, to which Sally responds, "You always say that, but we never do."
-->'''Don:''' I don't think I ever wanted to be the man who loves children. But from the moment they're born, that baby comes out and you act proud and excited and hand out cigars but you don't feel anything. Especially if you had a difficult childhood. You want to love them, but you don't. And the fact that you're faking that feeling makes you wonder if your own father had the same problem. Then one day they get older, and you see them do something and you feel that feeling that you were pretending to have. And it feels like your heart is going to explode.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: The best creative there is, he can skip important meetings or do eccentric things just because he's that good, but eventually the partners stop putting up with him.
* ByronicHero: TallDarkAndHandsome? Check! [[TheCharmer Charismatic and Charming?]] Check! Passionate when putting his mind to something? Check! Has ''numerous'' flaws? Check! DarkAndTroubledPast? He took someone else's identity to run away from it, so... Check!
* CarpetOfVirility: Don's manliness only gets reinforced during his {{Shirtless Scene}}s.
* TheCasanova: Wherever Don Draper goes, beautiful women hit on him and Don is perfectly willing to take them up on it, despite being married. He becomes something more of a CasanovaWannabe in the fourth season. Now that he's available and hitting on everything that moves, he gets turned down a lot more (though his conquests are still legendary). At least until he starts getting his act together in ''The Summer Man.''
** As more of his past becomes revealed and particularly [[RapeAsBackstory the parts that likely affected his current behavior]], he turns into a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. He's an exercise in just how screwed-up someone has to be to actually behave like he does.
* TheCharmer: Don is immensely charming and charismatic and knows how to use it with his looks to win over clients and any woman he sets his sights on.
* ChivalrousPervert: In spite of his dickish tendencies, he has a problem with the other guys at the office being overtly crude and creepy around female employees. He sort of lampshades this tendency when he tells Peggy, "I have rules" about this kind of thing (meaning, particularly, hitting on/having relationships with women at work). His drunken seduction of Allison, his secretary in Season 4, unfortunately, undermined this -- becoming [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness a deliberate signal of just how out of control Don's life has become]].
* ControlFreak: His relationship with Sylvia eventually turns into him demanding she do various demeaning things. [[spoiler:This causes her to break up with him.]]
* CoolCar: In order: 1959 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 sedan, 1960 Buick [=LeSabre=] convertible, 1961 Dodge Polara, 1962 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, 1965 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.
* DeadpanSnarker: He likes to make fun of the more absurd things he sees.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: While serving in the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar, he accidentally caused a gas explosion that killed his commanding officer and wounded him. He switched their dog tags, used Don Draper's identity to desert, and pretended to be him to get away from his family and start his own life.
* DeathByChildBirth: His mother was a young prostitute who died giving birth to him.
* DiscoDan: As the series goes on, it's clear that Don's still stuck in the '50s. It's especially evident in the trailer to Season 7B, where he still has the '50s look going into the '70s.
* DisneylandDad: After divorcing Betty, Don goes long stretches without seeing his kids. When he does pick them up for visitation, he takes them to flashy places, including once to Disneyland.
* DomesticAbuse: While the time period prevents the show from directly acknowledging it, in the past Don has threatened to harm Betty (even implied killing her), called her a whore, gaslighted her, on top of the myriad of lies and adultery.
* DoorstopBaby: How he arrived at his biological father's house.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: as pointed out by Abigail Rine in [[https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/don-draper-was-raped/276937/ ''The Atlantic'']], Aimee's rape of Don didn't get as much notice (much less extensive debate) as other then-current fictional rapes, being largely glossed over or, when it was mentioned, it was if he actually wanted it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After a whole lot of soul-searching and a decade's worth of self-loathing and character development, Dick Whitman/Donald Draper self-actualizes on a hippie commune, ending the series seemingly at peace with himself.
* {{Expy}}: A wealthy self-made man who grew up poor, adopted a new name to escape his past and gives off the impression of charm and charisma to [[BrokenAce cover how broken and unhappy he is]], Don is basically a twenty-first century version of [[Literature/TheGreatGatsby Jay Gatsby]].
* AFatherToHisMen: A very distant, cold, 1960s-style father, but a father none-the-less.
* FlatWhat: Don does these. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJSRP7cZVo A lot.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: He tries to talk Betty out of a divorce and she holds firm, eventually after finding out about her and Henry he threatened to cut Betty off financially and from the kids, but then relenting and splitting more amicably with Betty.
* FreudianExcuse: His [[DarkAndTroubledPast backstory flashbacks]] often account for his twisted personality in the present day. Hell, even his very name, Dick Whitman, has a Freudian origin; his mother's greatest wish was to [[FreudianThreat cut off his father's dick]] and boil it in hog fat for getting her pregnant. His [[MommyIssues mother-figures were also traumatically terrible]].
* FriendlyEnemies: His general relationship with Pete. Half of the time, they're at each other's throats. The other half, they show a genuine respect for each other and share a drink when discussing the issues of their personal lives.
* GuileHero: Although he borders on VillainProtagonist a lot of the time, Don's great ability is his capacity to talk his way out of everything, which is best demonstrated by his advertising presentations.
* HasAType: Don begins the show married to a blonde {{Stepford Smiler}}, but all of his mistresses/lovers have been rather independent-minded and outspoken, and all have been brunette except for redhead Bobbie Barrett (who pursued him, rather than the other way around), and blonde Faye Miller (whom he dated after his divorce).
* HeroicBastard: Although calling him "heroic" is a stretch, he is the protagonist and he has been struggling with being a bastard to his mother who died.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Don's character arc in the final season has him suffering an emotional breakdown due to the failings of his second marriage and the company's absorption into [=McCann=]. After finally coming to terms with all of his shortcomings, Don realizes the one thing he's really good at and enjoys doing is being an advertiser.
* {{Hunk}}: Suave, manly, and sharply dressed.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** He is a serial adulterer, but is absolutely cruel to Betty and then Megan when he believes them to be promiscuous.
** When Don learns that Sal is gay, Don lectures Sal about how it's important to be faithful to one's wife. Don was cheating on Betty shortly before he learned about Sal's sexuality.
** In the season 3 finale, Don masterminds the creation of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce to avoid being absorbed by [=McCann=]. Later in season 7, when Jim Cutler is trying to force Don out of the company, he convinces the other partners that [[ItsAllAboutMe it would now be for the best to sell out to [=McCann=].]]
* IndyPloy: Despite demanding a solid planification from his underlings, Don relies too much on his own talent, [[EurekaMoment inspiration]], improvisation, [[RefugeInAudacity audacity]], or plain luck, a thing that doesn't sit well with his partners.
-->'''Campbell:''' Don't act like you had a plan. You are Tarzan, swinging from vine to vine!
* InformedAttractiveness: Women on the show frequently mention how handsome he is. In season five, when he jokes that it will look like he struck out when he leaves Joan in a bar, she scoffs at the idea that anyone would believe that.
* ItsAllAboutMe: The other partners or workers call him out arguing this whenever he does something impulsive or unexpected (which happens a lot). Most of his peculiar behavior is the way he has to cope around his own issues.
* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: He tends to be [[BrutalHonesty blunt]] or distant and his chronic infidelity alone makes him a dick. He can also be quite personable, charming, and fair and often tries to be a decent human being and father, but his character flaws often work against his good intentions.
** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Pulls some strings to provide a deferment to the Rossen boy, only to regain a place between the legs of Sylvia, the boy's mother.
* LadykillerInLove: Season 5, when he settles down with Megan.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: As Megan puts it, "My father has Marx, you have the bottle."
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: This seems to be Don's worldview. He seeks prim and proper women, like Betty, to settle down with, but constantly engages in extramarital affairs with sexually aggressive women. This is most obvious with Don's third wife, Megan. Don marries her after seeing how good she is with his kids, but is extremely upset when she displays any hints of sexuality outside of his control, such as singing a sexy French song at Don's 40th birthday party or when she does a kissing scene for her role on a TV Soap Opera.
* ManipulativeBastard: Don's a master of office politics. To say nothing of his emotional abuse of Betty.
* MeaningfulName: Among other Freudian connotations explored below, "Dick" reflects his inability to keep it in his pants and his mean tendencies, while "Don" and "Draper" evoke his manly, mercantilistic, elegant, and dapperish parts.
* MoralityPet: Anna is his. He's not entirely a bad guy, but Anna is the only person in his life he doesn't on occasion act like a dick towards. Tellingly, she's also for a long time the only person who really knows who he is.
* TheMovieBuff: Don is often seen going to the movies, sometimes to get ideas, other times just to be alone. He has occasionally taken other people with him - he goes with Lane to see a Japanese monster movie in Season 4, and in Season 6, he takes Bobby to see ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968''.
* MrFanservice: Don probably has the most shirtless scenes of the male cast.
* MysteriousPast: Most of the characters, including his children, know virtually nothing about his background. Don eventually reveals he's from [[spoiler:Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is just [[FlyOverCountry barely far enough]] into Central PA to count as sort of Midwestern. It certainly isn't within the UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} sphere of influence that would render it East Coast. When you add that he was born and spent his first ten years in rural Illinois--just outside UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}--it's enough.]]
-->'''Harry:''' Draper? Who knows anything about that guy? No one’s ever lifted that rock. He could be Franchise/{{Batman}} for all we know.
* {{Narcissist}}: A textbook example. Throughout the series, he [[ItsAllAboutMe consistently prioritizes his own desires at others' expense]] and [[AllTakeAndNoGive feels entitled to respect and adoration despite being largely incapable of reciprocating such feelings]].
* NiceHat: His fedora.
* NotSoStoic: When he mourns over Adam.
* [[OneOfTheBoys One Of The Girls]]: For a macho man and serial womanizer, Don does not have many close friendships with men, (aside from an oftentimes hostile relationship with Roger), instead forming closer friendships with women like Anna, Peggy, and Joan.
* OrphansOrdeal: His being a bastard led to some hard times growing up.
* ParentalAbandonment: Don has abandoned his children on several occasions -- his daughter Sally's birthday party where he just took off for several hours, missing the cake; his trip to California which lasted almost a month; and his blackout in Season 4, where he drank the whole weekend and forgot to come get his kids for their visit.
* PetTheDog: He has numerous moments throughout the series, mainly with his children and Anna, that show he's capable of genuine kindness and provide some insight into the kind of man Don could be if he weren't so extraordinarily fucked up.
* PromiscuityAfterRape: Don's first sexual experience was being raped by a prostitute who'd been taking care of him. As an adult, Don seems nearly incapable of monogamy generally have a flings while also having an affair while married.
* TheQuietOne: As admen go he is incredibly taciturn. This actually works to his advantage in meetings and campaign sessions, because what he does have to say comes off as that much more important.
* RagsToRiches: He grew up on a farm during the Great Depression and is now a very wealthy man with a fancy apartment in Manhattan.
* RapeAsBackstory: As revealed in "The Crash" -- a prostitute, Aimee, who had been caring for the sick adolescent Dick Whitman, molested him and took his virginity. This is implied to be a major contributing factor to his skewed perspectives on women and sex.
** Emphasized in season 6 when Megan and her friend Amy (who has the same name as Don's abuser) decide to have a threesome with Don. When Megan offers while she and Amy both kiss and caress Don, he seems to freeze up and says he doesn't really want to, but Megan grabs him by the genitals [[AManIsAlwaysEager and calls him a liar,]] reminiscent of how he lost his virginity. The next day, they don't talk about it.
* RatedMForManly: The epitome of suave masculinity in and out-universe and also a deconstruction, he's a pretty damaged individual below the smooth surface.
* ReallyGetsAround: He has a reputation.
* RedemptionFailure: [[spoiler:Don reverts to his philandering ways between seasons 5 and 6, cheating on Megan with a neighbor.]]
* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Don makes a sincere effort to make things right with all the people he's wronged in the season 6 finale, but he has too many pieces to pick up and everything he does to help one person ends up hurting someone else, leaving him without both Megan and his job.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Don does this during meetings so often it could be considered a running gag of sorts.
* SelfMadeMan: A rural boy raised in a whorehouse becomes a successful executive and partner of a Midtown Manhattan company thanks to his hard work and talent after working as a salesman and attending City College at night.
* SexGod: He's supposedly really good in bed.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: To Peggy.
* SonOfAWhore: "You told me your mother [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]]. Mine did too. She was a prostitute. I don't know if my father paid her, but when she died, they brought me to him and his wife. And when I was ten years old, he died. He was a drunk, he got kicked in the face by a horse. She buried him and took up with some other man, and I was raised by those two sorry people."
* SpiritualSuccessor: A lighter, nobler incarnation of [[Series/TheSopranos Tony Soprano]], the protagonist of creator Matthew Weiner's previous show. Both characters are middle-aged {{broken ace}}s with a dual life, are serial adulterers married to a blonde {{stepford smiler}} but [[HasAType fond of brunettes]], endure TheChainsOfCommanding, and have serious parental issues, among other minor common traits.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Taken apart at the seams. Him being married with kids is a FirstEpisodeSpoiler after he's already established as a womanizer, and he understands clients a whole lot better than his family.
* TheStoic: Displays a stern and cold demeanor, even when he's being charming.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: When you hear this phrase, Don Draper is the image that pops into your head.
* ThatManIsDead: The only time he acknowledges having been Dick Whitman is when Adam confronts him, and even then he does not directly confirm it. He does go by Dick when with Anna. Although his second wife, Megan, also knows his real name, and refers to him as it in "A Little Kiss."
* TookALevelInKindness: Briefly after his second marriage. "Good"-ol' Draper [[HesBack comes back]] before long.
-->'''Peggy: '''I don't recognize that man. He's kind and he's patient... [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness It concerns me]].
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Whiskey. Reflecting on his sober (as in solemn) and classic personality, Mister Draper will have an Old Fashioned made with rye, generally Canadian (and particularly Canadian Club, of which he keeps a bottle in his office).
* TheUnfavourite: His father's wife never liked him and was mean to him even before she had a son of her own.
* UnfortunateNames: Dick isn't a terribly unfortunate name in and of itself, but add Whitman to the end and you easily come to Dick Whit. His mother died in childbirth and her last words were, "I'll cut his dick off."
* WouldntHurtAChild: Don is against the use of physical punishment in the raising of his kids, a very progressive attitude for his time. As he explains to Betty when questioned about this, his father used to beat him up all the time when he was a child, and all it led to was him bottling up a lot of anger towards him, to the point of regularly fantasizing about murdering him.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's a serial adulterer and can't seem to quit it (with either of his wives).
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]: He's not shown saying this directly to her, but he refuses to acknowledge Abigail as his mother, [[WickedStepmother no doubt because she never treated him like a son either]]. In addition, when Adam is born, he refuses to acknowledge him as his brother.
to:
* FiftiesHair:
* SeventiesHair: Throughout the
* AbusiveParents:
** Don's father was an abusive drunk,
** During a flashback in "The Crash", she is shown beating him
*
** Things were a bit better after he initially met Megan, whom he would ask to keep track
* {{Adorkable}}: Downplayed example. Flashbacks reveal that he used to be more boyish and eager a few years before the series, especially around Anna (he's downright vulnerable when he tells her
* AlliterativeName: Both "Don" and "Draper" start with "D". Doesn't apply to his real name, Dick Whitman.
* AntiHero: He's an asshole, a serial adulterer, and a horribly negligent parent with the occasional PetTheDog moment, with good intentions.
* ArtifactAlias: Betty Francis, Bert Cooper, Pete Campbell, and
* TheAtoner: He tries to become a better person in the Season 6 finale. [[ReformedButRejected It doesn't work.]]
* BadassBaritone: He has a deep baritone voice that suits his [[TallDarkAndHandsome appearance]]
* TheBarnum: Don is willing to make an ad for just
* BastardBoyfriend: Don is basically never
* BeenThereShapedHistory: {{Word of God}} says he's responsible for the creation of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM this famous Coke ad from the early 70s]].
* BrokenAce: Top of the line in his profession, handsome, charismatic, a keen business acumen, combines a beautiful family with the life of a ladies' man, apparently a real winner. Underneath it all, he suffers from some serious ParentalIssues and other mental problems which make him get no satisfaction.
* BrokenPedestal: For Peggy, who eventually calls [[YouMonster him a monster]] and for Sally, when the girl gets a glimpse of [[YourCheatingHeart the real Draper.]]
* BrutalHonesty[=/=]ConsummateLiar: He mostly bullshits his way through (a dual) life, and part of his executive / creative job consists of it in order to keep clients happy, but oddly enough, he manages to combine both; at work, he prefers not to sugarcoat the truth and likes to be as direct or blunt as possible, as exemplified by his sudden lambast against tobacco and his attack of sincerity during his Hershey's pitch.
* BumblingDad[=/=]ParentalNeglect: In an odd sort of way. He gives the overall impression of being well-meaning and loving, if clueless, which
** And then there's Joey's reaction to
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a
* BunnyEarsLawyer: The best creative there is, he can skip important meetings or do eccentric things just because
* ByronicHero: TallDarkAndHandsome? Check! [[TheCharmer Charismatic and Charming?]] Check! Passionate when putting
* CarpetOfVirility: Don's manliness
* TheCasanova: Wherever Don Draper goes, beautiful women hit
** As more of his past becomes revealed and particularly [[RapeAsBackstory the parts that likely affected his current behavior]], he turns into a {{Deconstruction}} of the trope. He's an exercise in just how screwed-up someone has to be to actually behave like he does.
* TheCharmer: Don is immensely charming and charismatic and knows how to use it with his looks to win over clients and any woman he sets his sights on.
* ChivalrousPervert: In spite of his dickish tendencies, he has a problem with the other guys at the office being overtly crude and creepy around female employees. He sort of lampshades this tendency when he tells Peggy, "I have rules" about this kind of thing (meaning, particularly, hitting on/having relationships with women at work). His drunken seduction of Allison, his secretary in Season 4, unfortunately, undermined this -- becoming [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness a deliberate signal of just how out of control Don's life has become]].
* ControlFreak: His relationship with Sylvia eventually turns into
*
* DeadpanSnarker: He likes
*
* DeathByChildBirth: His mother was a young prostitute who died giving birth to him.
* DiscoDan: As the series goes on, it's clear that Don's still stuck in the '50s. It's especially evident in the trailer to Season 7B,
* DisneylandDad: After divorcing Betty, Don goes long stretches without seeing his kids. When he does pick them up for visitation, he takes them to flashy places, including once to Disneyland.
* DomesticAbuse: While the time period prevents the show from directly acknowledging it, in the past Don has threatened to harm Betty (even implied killing her), called her a whore, gaslighted her, on top of the myriad of lies and adultery.
* DoorstopBaby: How he arrived at his biological father's house.
* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: as pointed out by Abigail Rine in [[https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/don-draper-was-raped/276937/ ''The Atlantic'']], Aimee's rape of Don didn't get as much notice (much less extensive debate) as other then-current fictional rapes,
* EarnYourHappyEnding: After
* {{Expy}}: A wealthy self-made man who grew up poor, adopted a new name to escape his past and gives off the impression of charm and charisma to [[BrokenAce cover how broken and unhappy he is]], Don
* AFatherToHisMen: A very distant, cold, 1960s-style father, but a father none-the-less.
* FlatWhat: Don does these. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJSRP7cZVo A lot.
* FreudianExcuse: His [[DarkAndTroubledPast backstory flashbacks]] often account for his twisted personality
* FriendlyEnemies: His general relationship with Pete. Half of the time, they're at each other's throats. The other half, they show
* GuileHero: Although he borders on VillainProtagonist a lot of the time, Don's great ability is his capacity to talk his way out of everything, which is best demonstrated by his advertising presentations.
* HasAType: Don begins the show married to a blonde {{Stepford Smiler}}, but all of his mistresses/lovers have been rather independent-minded and outspoken, and all have been brunette except for redhead Bobbie Barrett (who pursued him, rather than the other way around), and blonde Faye Miller (whom he dated after his divorce).
* HeroicBastard: Although calling him "heroic" is a stretch, he is the protagonist and he has been struggling with being a bastard to his mother who died.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Don's character arc in the final season has him suffering an emotional breakdown due to the failings of his second marriage and the company's absorption into [=McCann=]. After finally coming to terms with all of his shortcomings, Don realizes the one thing he's really good at and enjoys doing is being an advertiser.
* {{Hunk}}: Suave, manly, and sharply dressed.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** He is a serial adulterer, but is absolutely cruel to Betty and then Megan when he believes them to be promiscuous.
** When Don learns that Sal is gay, Don lectures Sal about how it's important to be faithful to one's wife. Don was cheating on Betty shortly before he learned about Sal's sexuality.
** In the season 3 finale, Don masterminds the creation of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce to avoid being absorbed by [=McCann=]. Later in season 7, when Jim Cutler is trying to force Don out of the company, he convinces the other partners that [[ItsAllAboutMe it would now be for the best to sell out to [=McCann=].
*
-->'''Campbell:''' Don't act like you had a plan. You are Tarzan, swinging from vine to vine!
* InformedAttractiveness: Women on the show frequently mention how handsome he is. In season five, when he jokes that it will look like he struck out when he leaves Joan in a bar, she scoffs at the idea that anyone would believe that.
* ItsAllAboutMe: The other partners or workers call him out arguing this whenever he does something impulsive or unexpected (which happens a lot). Most of his peculiar behavior is the way he has to cope around his own issues.
* JerkassWithAHeartOfGold: He tends to be [[BrutalHonesty blunt]] or distant and his chronic infidelity alone makes him a dick. He can also be quite personable, charming, and fair and often tries to be a decent human
** JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: Pulls some strings to provide a deferment
* LadykillerInLove: Season 5, when he settles down
*
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: This seems to be Don's worldview. He seeks prim and proper women, like Betty, to settle down with, but
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with
* ManipulativeBastard: Don's a master of office politics. To say nothing of his emotional abuse of Betty.
* MeaningfulName: Among other Freudian connotations explored below, "Dick" reflects his inability to keep
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and
* MoralityPet: Anna is his. He's not entirely a bad guy, but Anna is the only person in his life he doesn't on occasion act like a dick towards. Tellingly, she's
* TheMovieBuff: Don is
* MrFanservice: Don probably
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and doesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the
* MysteriousPast: Most of the characters, including his children, know virtually nothing about his background. Don
* NiceHat: His fedora.
* NotSoStoic: When he mourns over Adam.
* [[OneOfTheBoys One Of The Girls]]: For a macho man and serial womanizer, Don does not have many close friendships with men, (aside
* OrphansOrdeal: His being a bastard led to some hard times growing up.
* ParentalAbandonment: Don has abandoned his children on several occasions -- his daughter Sally's birthday party where he just took off for several hours, missing
* PetTheDog: He has numerous moments throughout the series, mainly with his children and Anna, that show he's capable of genuine kindness and provide some insight into the kind of man Don could be if he weren't so extraordinarily fucked up.
* PromiscuityAfterRape: Don's
* TheQuietOne: As admen go he is incredibly taciturn. This actually works
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because
* RagsToRiches: He grew up on a farm during
* RapeAsBackstory: As revealed in "The Crash" -- a prostitute, Aimee, who had been caring for
**
* RatedMForManly: The epitome of suave masculinity in and out-universe and also a deconstruction, he's a pretty damaged individual below the smooth surface.
* ReallyGetsAround: He has a reputation.
* RedemptionFailure: [[spoiler:Don reverts to his philandering ways between seasons 5 and 6, cheating on Megan with a neighbor.]]
* ReformedButRejected: [[spoiler:Don makes a sincere effort to make things right with all the people he's wronged in the season 6 finale, but he has too many pieces to pick up and everything he does to help one person ends up hurting someone else, leaving him without both Megan and his job.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Don does
*
* SexGod: He's supposedly really good in bed.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: To Peggy.
* SonOfAWhore: "You told me your mother [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]]. Mine did too. She
* SpiritualSuccessor: A lighter, nobler incarnation of [[Series/TheSopranos Tony Soprano]], the protagonist of creator Matthew Weiner's previous show. Both characters are middle-aged {{broken ace}}s with a dual life, are serial adulterers married to a blonde {{stepford smiler}}
* StandardFiftiesFather: Taken apart at the seams. Him being married with kids is a FirstEpisodeSpoiler after he's already established as a womanizer, and he understands clients a whole lot better than his family.
* TheStoic: Displays a stern and cold demeanor, even when he's being charming.
* TallDarkAndHandsome: When you hear this phrase, Don Draper is the image that pops into your head.
* ThatManIsDead: The only time he acknowledges having been Dick Whitman is when Adam confronts him, and even then he does not directly confirm it. He does go by Dick when with Anna. Although his second wife, Megan, also knows his real name, and refers to him as it in "A Little Kiss."
* TookALevelInKindness: Briefly
-->'''Peggy: '''I don't recognize that man. He's kind and he's patient... [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness It concerns me]].
* TrademarkFavouriteFood: Whiskey. Reflecting on his sober (as in solemn) and classic personality, Mister Draper will have an Old Fashioned made with rye, generally Canadian (and particularly Canadian Club, of which
* TheUnfavourite: His father's wife never liked him and was mean
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even
* UnfortunateNames: Dick isn't a terribly unfortunate name in and of itself, but add Whitman to
* WouldntHurtAChild: Don is against
* YourCheatingHeart:
* [[YoureNotMyFather You're Not My Mother]]: He's not shown saying this directly
Changed line(s) 137,146 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Margaret "Peggy" Olson]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_peggy_olson_transformation.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/ElisabethMoss
->'''Don:''' Its your job! I give you money. You give me ideas.\\
'''Peggy:''' And you never say thank you!\\
'''Don:''' That's what ''the money'' is for! You're young, you'll get your recognition. And honestly, its absolutely ridiculous to be two years into your career and counting your ideas! Everything to you is an opportunity! And you should be thanking me every morning when you wake up, along with Jesus for giving you another day!
Starting as Don Draper's wide-eyed new secretary at the beginning of Season 1, she ends up senior copywriter at SCDP. Initially has trouble with men (particularly Pete) hitting on her; eventually, she starts hitting on men. Known for flirting with the counterculture, but not being radical/interested enough to commit to it.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_peggy_olson_transformation.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/ElisabethMoss
->'''Don:''' Its your job! I give you money. You give me ideas.\\
'''Peggy:''' And you never say thank you!\\
'''Don:''' That's what ''the money'' is for! You're young, you'll get your recognition. And honestly, its absolutely ridiculous to be two years into your career and counting your ideas! Everything to you is an opportunity! And you should be thanking me every morning when you wake up, along with Jesus for giving you another day!
Starting as Don Draper's wide-eyed new secretary at the beginning of Season 1, she ends up senior copywriter at SCDP. Initially has trouble with men (particularly Pete) hitting on her; eventually, she starts hitting on men. Known for flirting with the counterculture, but not being radical/interested enough to commit to it.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''':
->'''Don:''' Its your job! I give you money. You give me ideas.\\
'''Peggy:''' And you never say thank you!\\
'''Don:''' That's what ''the money'' is for! You're young, you'll get your recognition. And honestly, its absolutely ridiculous to be two years into your career
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont and
Starting as Don Draper's wide-eyed new secretary
Changed line(s) 149,216 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a curled ponytail and very short bangs, later she gets her hair cut into a more fashionable flip that she maintains with slight changes, into the Seventies.
* SeventiesHair: Her 60s flips still look conservative and use hairspray but they started looking more low-maintenance with more movemen; Still fits as many women in professional settings often maintained conservative styles.
* {{Adorkable}}: Starts off awkward, shy, and the opposite of a fashionista. She's also very pretty with an impressive talent for slogans.
* AfraidOfBlood: In Season 3, she faints when she sees a man bleeding from a [[ItMakesSenseInContext tractor injury]] with his foot cut off. By Season 6 and 7, she keeps her head together and helps the bleeder.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Throughout the series, Peggy displays an overt (some would say unhealthy) attraction towards men with aggressive personalities - men who prioritize their own desires and who don't shy away from fulfilling them at the expense of others. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted when she gets together with Stan Rizzo in the series finale.]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Over the course of season 3, Peggy becomes this in relation to Paul Kinsey. By the end of the season, Don chooses Peggy over Paul as his lead copywriter.
* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod has it that her complex protegee-mentor relationship with Don draws a lot from the time when Matthew Weiner worked under David Chase's wing in ''Series/TheSopranos''.
* BerserkButton: Peggy hates it when people imply that she became a copywriter by sleeping with Don.
* BigThinShortTrio: At 5'3", the Short to Stan's Big and Michael's Thin.
* BrainyBrunette: She's brunette and one of the smarter characters in the series.
* BreakTheCutie: With regard to Pete and the baby.
* BrokenPedestal: For years, she idolized Don and looked up to him. By the end of Season 6, she can barely stand him. The pedestal is slightly rebuilt, not to the extent it was but she still cares about him.
* CareerVersusMan: A major theme of her character arc. Peggy's success at her job (and the long hours and energy it demands) repeatedly comes at the expense of her romantic relationships. Subverted in the finale, [[spoiler:she gets together with Stan (who is sweetly snarky yet supportive) and is on the path to becoming a creative director]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding: It takes Peggy some time to accept that she can't be both a productive team leader and a nice friend to her underlings.
* DefiledForever: Played with. After being seduced by Pete, she seems to struggle intensely with having a romantic relationship for basically the entire series, [[spoiler:although she eventually ends up happy.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Not that she's the biggest IceQueen in the show (that title can go to Betty and Joan), but often she can be rather tough on those around her, yet there are times where she warms up and is friendly with people like her co-workers or Julio.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Peggy's story gets the most time and attention after Don's.
* DistaffCounterpart: Peggy is developing into one for Don, adopting many of his mannerisms and personality traits.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: A pioneering woman who feels unappreciated at times, but her bosses point out that she has a meteoric career despite being under thirty.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: You don't have to tell Peggy that she has to work for what she's worth; she worked her way up from a shy, mousily dressed secretary with a ponytail to a more confident, tougher Copy Chief and finally doesn't have to choose between her love life and career.
* EruditeStoner: Like the rest of Creative (except Don), she smokes a fair bit of pot for inspiration by Season 5 (1966-67).
* FriendlyEnemy: She's still on good terms with Don, even when they are competitors.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Her sister resents that she gave birth to a child, gave him up, and seemingly went on with her life (and career) as if it never happened. Peggy does focus on advancing her career but in "The Suitcase", she reveals to Don that she can't help but wonder about the child she gave up.
* GlamorousSingleMother: Subverted. Peggy's career grows during the course of the series and she develops a thicker skin and confidence along with more flattering hair and clothes. Yet it's implied she has to avoid thinking about the baby she had to give up just to get by.
-->'''Don:''' Do you ever think about it?\\
'''Peggy:''' I try not to. But then it comes up out of nowhere. Playgrounds.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this slightly with her devout Catholic housewife sister Anita.
* HiddenDepths: "Lost Horizon" reveals she's a very adept roller skater and was shown to be enthusiastically acing the Twist earlier on.
* IAmNotPretty: Expresses this worry in the season four episode ''The Suitcase'' where she admits to Don she doesn't like dating and she has a hard time with it and "men don't exactly stop and take a look at me", doesn't help she (despite being played by a beautiful albeit less conventionally attractive Creator/ElisabethMoss) works in an industry where there are a lot of drop dead gorgeous models being used and hired as secretaries and the men around her seem to look down on women who don't look like a movie star.
* ImportantHaircut: During season 2, her long dainty ponytail is sheared off and styled into an aggressive no-nonsense business cut to reaffirm her days as a secretary are over.
* ImprobableAge: She's the copy chief at one of the best ad agencies in the country and she's not even thirty.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Her coworkers ''see'' her as this, initially (she was at one point described as an undercover nun). [[{{Averted}} This obviously isn't true.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: She has striking blue eyes and starts off as a shy NaiveNewcomer and, if not pure, she is one of the few people on the show who has their act together and is a relatable heroic character.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Julio, a young boy that lives in the same apartment building as her and comes over to watch tv, as of the 7th season.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not as bad as her colleagues or boss, she has become more curt and prickly as the years go on; however her sense of fairness and care don't waver, and tends to be tender with those close to her, more likely to forgive, and can back up her colleagues.
* KarmaHoudini: How her sister perceives her for having a baby out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption, returning to her job like nothing happened, at a time when there was still a heavy stigma on unwed mothers.
* LawOfInverseFertility: While on birth control (albeit, just starting to use it), she becomes pregnant by Pete Campbell and gives birth to his child. This surfaces during the second season, at the same time that he and his wife are unsuccessfully trying to conceive.
* MarriedToTheJob: She even chooses staying at work on her birthday instead of spending it with her boyfriend and family.
* MyBelovedSmother: Her mother is a classic example, constantly nagging her to go to church and trying to set her up with men, taking her decision to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan (where her job is) as a personal betrayal, and sowing enough Catholic guilt for Peggy to reap for a lifetime. (However, she does seem to have been touchingly supportive about the fact that Peggy got pregnant out of wedlock about five minutes into the flashy Manhattan job that worries her so much.)
* NaiveNewcomer: Initially, she quickly catches up.
* NiceHat: Has quite a collection of hats, not unusual for the era, later wearing them when out and the weather is cold. The image shows one of many.
* NoAccountingForTaste: [[SmugSnake Pete Campbell]], [[KickTheDog Duck Phillips]], [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim Mark]], [[BourgeoisBohemian Abe]], Ted....the number of [[Literature/BridgetJones fuckwits]] she's been with is astounding; she later averts this after [[spoiler: getting together with Stan]].
* NoSocialSkills: For the first couple of seasons she has a habit of occasionally seeming pretentious, and [[BrutalHonesty breaking bad news in the worst ways possible]]. By the time she starts working at SCDP she's largely grown out of these habits.
* OddFriendship: With a few people on the show, what's odd is that usually said people have insulted her before, but she has grown a thicker skin and makes them learn to respect her as a person. She fights and bonds with Joan, she and Stan are polar opposites and have friendly arguments and confidences [[spoiler: then moves beyond "just good friends"]], and she forms a personal relationship of AmicableExes with Pete. Also seems to be forming one with [[spoiler:Roger by the end of the series]].
* OldMaid: Not that she spends 100% of her time worrying about it, but she, like Joan before her, gets angsted by the expectations of women in her generation and worried about becoming one of those women she hates... one that lies about her age.
* OneOfTheBoys: Once she becomes a copywriter, she spends her time with other men instead of the secretaries (two female friends being Joyce and Megan). In Season 4, she accompanies Don to the men's room when he throws up, a symbolic representation of her transition to one of the guys; After becoming a copywriter, her fashion also changes, wearing dresses and skirt suits styled to resemble menswear.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Even after she gets more in-depth with the office politics and shenanigans of her peers, she still remains in the middle of things and an apt observer.
* ParentalSubstitute: To her neighbor Julio in Season 7, the boy spends time watching tv with her in her apartment and confides in her, [[ParentalNeglect feeling his mother doesn't care.]] An acute example, due to him being around the same age as the baby Peggy gave up, something she frequently thinks about.
* PluckyOfficeGirl: She gets hired as a secretary, but her comments on a lipstick project in which the secretaries are used as guinea pigs get her noticed, and she becomes a copywriter and a rising star.
* RaisedCatholic: Her faith at the very least took a big dent over her pregnancy, but as there's no escaping the Church, she still goes to Mass off and on, does the posters for a CYO dance, and creates an ad for Popsicles inspired by Catholic iconography. The church's new, young priest takes an interest in her and tries to steer her back towards the religion. Later in the series, she clearly is out of the Church and makes references to having been raised in the religion and before one flight (before the Moon Landing) she crosses her self which makes Harry nervous.
* ServileSnarker: Develops into one.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Gets one of these moments at the end of a season 2 episode, and in general as she starts to dress (in Joan's words) "less like a little girl" over the season and into season 3; her wardrobe gets upgraded after becoming Copy Chief and even more so in her thirties, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY topped off with her entrance]] into [=McCann=] Erickson.
* ShesGotLegs: A more subdued and shorter version of the trope, as it's not so much about sex appeal as it is about the later styles and her burgeoning confidence; Joan notes her as having "darling little ankles" that need to be shown off and as the 60s go on, her skirts reveal more leg, but [[http://www.entertainmentfuse.com/images/mad-men-s05e04-assertive-peggy.jpg the penultimate moment is when she shakes down Roger for money after he gives her extra work]].
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly in season one, she was incredibly shy, modest, and afraid to risk losing her job by standing up for herself. But she learns to shake this off once she realizes what she could achieve in the company if she gets a tougher hide.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Peggy is wrapped up in her career, but she does want a guy that understands her, shares her passions, loves her, and isn't threatened by her force of personality nor her success. [[spoiler: She gets that with Stan at the end.]]
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Once she's promoted from secretary, the only female copywriter at the firm. Justified in that this is the early 60's and the second wave of feminism won't really kick it into high gear for nearly a decade. Useful to the agency (in addition to her talent) in that she brings a female perspective to the boys club of advertising. Has complained about only being given the "girly" accounts (bras, lipstick, diet soda, etc).
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Prickly to a fault, yet can be very tender and protective of her friends, co-workers, mentors, and Stan.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Don Draper is inarguably the main character, the series opens up on her first day at the office, and the show's longest running consistent arc seems to be her own evolution as she rises to the top.
* SurprisePregnancy: At the end of season one she gives birth, much to her surprise.
* TookALevelInBadass: Turning down Don's demand that she join SCDP in the season 3 finale, because of the simple fact he hasn't ''asked'' her. He needs her so much, he ends up begging her to join.
** And another one in "The Other Woman"; when she figures out that Don and the rest of SCDP have been taking her for granted, she [[spoiler:quits her job and takes an offer with CGC making triple what Sterling Cooper was paying her.]]
** And in "Lost Horizon", she walks into [=McCann=] Erickson [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY with the aura of giving no fucks.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: By Season 7, her lack of a love life has turned her into a paranoid wreck, then by ''The Runaways'' she's back in form (having a close kinship with a child and having to deal with Ginsberg amongst other things) and just mellowed out into her prickly yet righteous self.
* TheUnfavourite: To her mother because of the baby and because she's putting her career ahead of finding a husband.
* UngratefulBastard: On Don's return in season seven, she antagonizes him the most by telling him they've been functioning just fine since his absence, forgetting or ignoring that he helped start the agency, is the reason she is no longer a secretary, was Joan's ally when Pete pimped her out to Jaguar, and has the talent to save the agency from falling on its collective ass. She also seems to blame Don for breaking up her and Ted, even though Ted was the one who truly instigated the breakup out of an unwillingness to break up his family. Her relationship with Don is mended soon and she forgets about Ted.
* VocalEvolution: When she starts out as a secretary, she speaks in a girlish whisper. Her voice becomes more commanding as she rises in her career.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done, Student Girl]]: Her relationship with Don.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Behaves this way with Stan, calling him out for slacking off, arguing with him and [[spoiler:gets together with him]].
* SeventiesHair: Her 60s flips still look conservative and use hairspray but they started looking more low-maintenance with more movemen; Still fits as many women in professional settings often maintained conservative styles.
* {{Adorkable}}: Starts off awkward, shy, and the opposite of a fashionista. She's also very pretty with an impressive talent for slogans.
* AfraidOfBlood: In Season 3, she faints when she sees a man bleeding from a [[ItMakesSenseInContext tractor injury]] with his foot cut off. By Season 6 and 7, she keeps her head together and helps the bleeder.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Throughout the series, Peggy displays an overt (some would say unhealthy) attraction towards men with aggressive personalities - men who prioritize their own desires and who don't shy away from fulfilling them at the expense of others. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted when she gets together with Stan Rizzo in the series finale.]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Over the course of season 3, Peggy becomes this in relation to Paul Kinsey. By the end of the season, Don chooses Peggy over Paul as his lead copywriter.
* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod has it that her complex protegee-mentor relationship with Don draws a lot from the time when Matthew Weiner worked under David Chase's wing in ''Series/TheSopranos''.
* BerserkButton: Peggy hates it when people imply that she became a copywriter by sleeping with Don.
* BigThinShortTrio: At 5'3", the Short to Stan's Big and Michael's Thin.
* BrainyBrunette: She's brunette and one of the smarter characters in the series.
* BreakTheCutie: With regard to Pete and the baby.
* BrokenPedestal: For years, she idolized Don and looked up to him. By the end of Season 6, she can barely stand him. The pedestal is slightly rebuilt, not to the extent it was but she still cares about him.
* CareerVersusMan: A major theme of her character arc. Peggy's success at her job (and the long hours and energy it demands) repeatedly comes at the expense of her romantic relationships. Subverted in the finale, [[spoiler:she gets together with Stan (who is sweetly snarky yet supportive) and is on the path to becoming a creative director]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding: It takes Peggy some time to accept that she can't be both a productive team leader and a nice friend to her underlings.
* DefiledForever: Played with. After being seduced by Pete, she seems to struggle intensely with having a romantic relationship for basically the entire series, [[spoiler:although she eventually ends up happy.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Not that she's the biggest IceQueen in the show (that title can go to Betty and Joan), but often she can be rather tough on those around her, yet there are times where she warms up and is friendly with people like her co-workers or Julio.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Peggy's story gets the most time and attention after Don's.
* DistaffCounterpart: Peggy is developing into one for Don, adopting many of his mannerisms and personality traits.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: A pioneering woman who feels unappreciated at times, but her bosses point out that she has a meteoric career despite being under thirty.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: You don't have to tell Peggy that she has to work for what she's worth; she worked her way up from a shy, mousily dressed secretary with a ponytail to a more confident, tougher Copy Chief and finally doesn't have to choose between her love life and career.
* EruditeStoner: Like the rest of Creative (except Don), she smokes a fair bit of pot for inspiration by Season 5 (1966-67).
* FriendlyEnemy: She's still on good terms with Don, even when they are competitors.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Her sister resents that she gave birth to a child, gave him up, and seemingly went on with her life (and career) as if it never happened. Peggy does focus on advancing her career but in "The Suitcase", she reveals to Don that she can't help but wonder about the child she gave up.
* GlamorousSingleMother: Subverted. Peggy's career grows during the course of the series and she develops a thicker skin and confidence along with more flattering hair and clothes. Yet it's implied she has to avoid thinking about the baby she had to give up just to get by.
-->'''Don:''' Do you ever think about it?\\
'''Peggy:''' I try not to. But then it comes up out of nowhere. Playgrounds.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this slightly with her devout Catholic housewife sister Anita.
* HiddenDepths: "Lost Horizon" reveals she's a very adept roller skater and was shown to be enthusiastically acing the Twist earlier on.
* IAmNotPretty: Expresses this worry in the season four episode ''The Suitcase'' where she admits to Don she doesn't like dating and she has a hard time with it and "men don't exactly stop and take a look at me", doesn't help she (despite being played by a beautiful albeit less conventionally attractive Creator/ElisabethMoss) works in an industry where there are a lot of drop dead gorgeous models being used and hired as secretaries and the men around her seem to look down on women who don't look like a movie star.
* ImportantHaircut: During season 2, her long dainty ponytail is sheared off and styled into an aggressive no-nonsense business cut to reaffirm her days as a secretary are over.
* ImprobableAge: She's the copy chief at one of the best ad agencies in the country and she's not even thirty.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Her coworkers ''see'' her as this, initially (she was at one point described as an undercover nun). [[{{Averted}} This obviously isn't true.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: She has striking blue eyes and starts off as a shy NaiveNewcomer and, if not pure, she is one of the few people on the show who has their act together and is a relatable heroic character.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Julio, a young boy that lives in the same apartment building as her and comes over to watch tv, as of the 7th season.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not as bad as her colleagues or boss, she has become more curt and prickly as the years go on; however her sense of fairness and care don't waver, and tends to be tender with those close to her, more likely to forgive, and can back up her colleagues.
* KarmaHoudini: How her sister perceives her for having a baby out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption, returning to her job like nothing happened, at a time when there was still a heavy stigma on unwed mothers.
* LawOfInverseFertility: While on birth control (albeit, just starting to use it), she becomes pregnant by Pete Campbell and gives birth to his child. This surfaces during the second season, at the same time that he and his wife are unsuccessfully trying to conceive.
* MarriedToTheJob: She even chooses staying at work on her birthday instead of spending it with her boyfriend and family.
* MyBelovedSmother: Her mother is a classic example, constantly nagging her to go to church and trying to set her up with men, taking her decision to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan (where her job is) as a personal betrayal, and sowing enough Catholic guilt for Peggy to reap for a lifetime. (However, she does seem to have been touchingly supportive about the fact that Peggy got pregnant out of wedlock about five minutes into the flashy Manhattan job that worries her so much.)
* NaiveNewcomer: Initially, she quickly catches up.
* NiceHat: Has quite a collection of hats, not unusual for the era, later wearing them when out and the weather is cold. The image shows one of many.
* NoAccountingForTaste: [[SmugSnake Pete Campbell]], [[KickTheDog Duck Phillips]], [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim Mark]], [[BourgeoisBohemian Abe]], Ted....the number of [[Literature/BridgetJones fuckwits]] she's been with is astounding; she later averts this after [[spoiler: getting together with Stan]].
* NoSocialSkills: For the first couple of seasons she has a habit of occasionally seeming pretentious, and [[BrutalHonesty breaking bad news in the worst ways possible]]. By the time she starts working at SCDP she's largely grown out of these habits.
* OddFriendship: With a few people on the show, what's odd is that usually said people have insulted her before, but she has grown a thicker skin and makes them learn to respect her as a person. She fights and bonds with Joan, she and Stan are polar opposites and have friendly arguments and confidences [[spoiler: then moves beyond "just good friends"]], and she forms a personal relationship of AmicableExes with Pete. Also seems to be forming one with [[spoiler:Roger by the end of the series]].
* OldMaid: Not that she spends 100% of her time worrying about it, but she, like Joan before her, gets angsted by the expectations of women in her generation and worried about becoming one of those women she hates... one that lies about her age.
* OneOfTheBoys: Once she becomes a copywriter, she spends her time with other men instead of the secretaries (two female friends being Joyce and Megan). In Season 4, she accompanies Don to the men's room when he throws up, a symbolic representation of her transition to one of the guys; After becoming a copywriter, her fashion also changes, wearing dresses and skirt suits styled to resemble menswear.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Even after she gets more in-depth with the office politics and shenanigans of her peers, she still remains in the middle of things and an apt observer.
* ParentalSubstitute: To her neighbor Julio in Season 7, the boy spends time watching tv with her in her apartment and confides in her, [[ParentalNeglect feeling his mother doesn't care.]] An acute example, due to him being around the same age as the baby Peggy gave up, something she frequently thinks about.
* PluckyOfficeGirl: She gets hired as a secretary, but her comments on a lipstick project in which the secretaries are used as guinea pigs get her noticed, and she becomes a copywriter and a rising star.
* RaisedCatholic: Her faith at the very least took a big dent over her pregnancy, but as there's no escaping the Church, she still goes to Mass off and on, does the posters for a CYO dance, and creates an ad for Popsicles inspired by Catholic iconography. The church's new, young priest takes an interest in her and tries to steer her back towards the religion. Later in the series, she clearly is out of the Church and makes references to having been raised in the religion and before one flight (before the Moon Landing) she crosses her self which makes Harry nervous.
* ServileSnarker: Develops into one.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Gets one of these moments at the end of a season 2 episode, and in general as she starts to dress (in Joan's words) "less like a little girl" over the season and into season 3; her wardrobe gets upgraded after becoming Copy Chief and even more so in her thirties, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY topped off with her entrance]] into [=McCann=] Erickson.
* ShesGotLegs: A more subdued and shorter version of the trope, as it's not so much about sex appeal as it is about the later styles and her burgeoning confidence; Joan notes her as having "darling little ankles" that need to be shown off and as the 60s go on, her skirts reveal more leg, but [[http://www.entertainmentfuse.com/images/mad-men-s05e04-assertive-peggy.jpg the penultimate moment is when she shakes down Roger for money after he gives her extra work]].
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly in season one, she was incredibly shy, modest, and afraid to risk losing her job by standing up for herself. But she learns to shake this off once she realizes what she could achieve in the company if she gets a tougher hide.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Peggy is wrapped up in her career, but she does want a guy that understands her, shares her passions, loves her, and isn't threatened by her force of personality nor her success. [[spoiler: She gets that with Stan at the end.]]
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Once she's promoted from secretary, the only female copywriter at the firm. Justified in that this is the early 60's and the second wave of feminism won't really kick it into high gear for nearly a decade. Useful to the agency (in addition to her talent) in that she brings a female perspective to the boys club of advertising. Has complained about only being given the "girly" accounts (bras, lipstick, diet soda, etc).
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Prickly to a fault, yet can be very tender and protective of her friends, co-workers, mentors, and Stan.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Don Draper is inarguably the main character, the series opens up on her first day at the office, and the show's longest running consistent arc seems to be her own evolution as she rises to the top.
* SurprisePregnancy: At the end of season one she gives birth, much to her surprise.
* TookALevelInBadass: Turning down Don's demand that she join SCDP in the season 3 finale, because of the simple fact he hasn't ''asked'' her. He needs her so much, he ends up begging her to join.
** And another one in "The Other Woman"; when she figures out that Don and the rest of SCDP have been taking her for granted, she [[spoiler:quits her job and takes an offer with CGC making triple what Sterling Cooper was paying her.]]
** And in "Lost Horizon", she walks into [=McCann=] Erickson [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY with the aura of giving no fucks.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: By Season 7, her lack of a love life has turned her into a paranoid wreck, then by ''The Runaways'' she's back in form (having a close kinship with a child and having to deal with Ginsberg amongst other things) and just mellowed out into her prickly yet righteous self.
* TheUnfavourite: To her mother because of the baby and because she's putting her career ahead of finding a husband.
* UngratefulBastard: On Don's return in season seven, she antagonizes him the most by telling him they've been functioning just fine since his absence, forgetting or ignoring that he helped start the agency, is the reason she is no longer a secretary, was Joan's ally when Pete pimped her out to Jaguar, and has the talent to save the agency from falling on its collective ass. She also seems to blame Don for breaking up her and Ted, even though Ted was the one who truly instigated the breakup out of an unwillingness to break up his family. Her relationship with Don is mended soon and she forgets about Ted.
* VocalEvolution: When she starts out as a secretary, she speaks in a girlish whisper. Her voice becomes more commanding as she rises in her career.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done, Student Girl]]: Her relationship with Don.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Behaves this way with Stan, calling him out for slacking off, arguing with him and [[spoiler:gets together with him]].
to:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a curled ponytail and very short bangs, later she gets her hair cut into a more fashionable flip that she maintains with slight changes, This is especially noticeable in the first three seasons; it loosens up into the Seventies.
* SeventiesHair: Herlate 60s flips still look conservative "Dry Look" over time.
* TheAce: He can dance anduse hairspray but they started looking more low-maintenance write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved withmore movemen; Still fits as many women in professional settings often maintained conservative styles.
* {{Adorkable}}: Starts off awkward, shy, andany of the opposite of a fashionista. She's also very pretty with an impressive talent for slogans.
* AfraidOfBlood: In Season 3, she faints when she sees a man bleeding from a [[ItMakesSenseInContext tractor injury]] with his foot cut off. By Season 6 and 7, she keeps her head together and helps the bleeder.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Throughout the series, Peggy displays an overt (some would say unhealthy) attraction towards men with aggressive personalities - men who prioritize their own desires and who don't shy away from fulfilling them at the expense of others. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted when she gets together with Stan Rizzo in the series finale.]]
office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:Over He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season3, Peggy becomes this in relation 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to Paul Kinsey. By the end of the season, Don chooses Peggy over Paul as his lead copywriter.
* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod has it that her complex protegee-mentor relationship with Don draws a lot from the time when Matthew Weiner worked under David Chase's wing in ''Series/TheSopranos''.
* BerserkButton: Peggy hates it when people imply that she became a copywriter by sleeping with Don.wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
*BigThinShortTrio: At 5'3", the Short to Stan's Big HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster andMichael's Thin.
* BrainyBrunette: She's brunetteinappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy and one treats her relatively equally much faster than any of the smarter other characters in the series.
* BreakTheCutie: With regard to Petehis generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written andthe baby.
* BrokenPedestal: For years, she idolized Don and looked up to him. By the end ofpublished one story, but Season 6, she can barely stand him. The pedestal is slightly rebuilt, not to the extent it was but she still cares 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about him.
* CareerVersusMan: A major theme of her character arc. Peggy's success at her job (and the long hoursbut that both his wife and energy it demands) repeatedly comes at the expense of her romantic relationships. Subverted in the finale, [[spoiler:she gets together with Stan (who is sweetly snarky yet supportive) and is on the path to becoming a creative director]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding: It takesPeggy some time to accept that she can't be both seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a productive team leader and a nice friend to her underlings.
* DefiledForever: Played with. After being seduced by Pete, she seems to struggle intensely with having a romantic relationshiptongue lashing for basically the entire series, [[spoiler:although she eventually ends up happy.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: Not that she's the biggest IceQueen in the show (that title can go to Betty and Joan), but often she can be rather tough on those around her, yet there are times where she warms up and is friendly with people like her co-workers or Julio.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Peggy's story gets the most time and attention after Don's.dividing his focus.
*DistaffCounterpart: Peggy is developing into one for Don, adopting many MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his mannerisms writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, andpersonality traits.honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
*DudeWheresMyRespect: A pioneering woman who feels unappreciated at times, but her bosses point out that she TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a meteoric career despite being number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is underthirty.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: You don't have to tell Peggy that she has to work for what she's worth; she worked her way up from a shy, mousily dressed secretary with a ponytail to aextreme duress. He seems more confident, tougher Copy Chief apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and finally doesn't have he's genuinely pleased to choose between her love life and career.
* EruditeStoner: Likesee Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the rest carousel in Central Park reminds him of Creative (except Don), she smokes Don, serving as a fair bit of pot for inspiration by heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 5 (1966-67).
* FriendlyEnemy: She's still on good terms with Don, even when they are competitors.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Her sister resents that she gave birth to a child, gave him up, and seemingly went on with her life (and career) as if it never happened. Peggy does focus on advancing her career but in1's "The Suitcase", she reveals to Don that she can't help but wonder about the child she gave up.
* GlamorousSingleMother: Subverted. Peggy's career grows during the course of the series and she developsWheel" (which would've occurred almost a thicker skin and confidence along with more flattering hair and clothes. Yet it's implied she has to avoid thinking about the baby she had to give up just to get by.decade a go, in-universe).
-->'''Don:''' Do you ever think about it?\\
'''Peggy:''' I try not to. But then it comes up out of nowhere. Playgrounds.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this slightly with her devout Catholic housewife sister Anita.
* HiddenDepths: "Lost Horizon" reveals she's a very adept roller skater and was shown to be enthusiastically acing the Twist earlier on.
* IAmNotPretty: Expresses this worry in the season four episode ''The Suitcase'' where she admits to Don she doesn't like dating and she has a hard time with it and "men don't exactly stop and take a look at me", doesn't help she (despite being played by a beautiful albeit less conventionally attractive Creator/ElisabethMoss) works in an industry where there are a lot of drop dead gorgeous models being used and hired as secretaries and the men around her seem to look down on women who don't look like a movie star.
* ImportantHaircut: During season 2, her long dainty ponytail is sheared off and styled into an aggressive no-nonsense business cut to reaffirm her days as a secretary are over.
* ImprobableAge: She's the copy chief at one of the best ad agencies in the country and she's not even thirty.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Her coworkers ''see'' her as this, initially (she was at one point described as an undercover nun). [[{{Averted}} This obviously isn't true.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: She has striking blue eyes and starts off as a shy NaiveNewcomer and, if not pure, she is one of the few people on the show who has their act together and is a relatable heroic character.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Julio, a young boy that lives in the same apartment building as her and comes over to watch tv, as of the 7th season.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not as bad as her colleagues or boss, she has become more curt and prickly as the years go on; however her sense of fairness and care don't waver, and tends to be tender with those close to her, more likely to forgive, and can back up her colleagues.
* KarmaHoudini: How her sister perceives her for having a baby out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption, returning to her job like nothing happened, at a time when there was still a heavy stigma on unwed mothers.
* LawOfInverseFertility: While on birth control (albeit, just starting to use it), she becomes pregnant by Pete Campbell and gives birth to his child. This surfaces during the second season, at the same time that he and his wife are unsuccessfully trying to conceive.
* MarriedToTheJob: She even chooses staying at work on her birthday instead of spending it with her boyfriend and family.
* MyBelovedSmother: Her mother is a classic example, constantly nagging her to go to church and trying to set her up with men, taking her decision to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan (where her job is) as a personal betrayal, and sowing enough Catholic guilt for Peggy to reap for a lifetime. (However, she does seem to have been touchingly supportive about the fact that Peggy got pregnant out of wedlock about five minutes into the flashy Manhattan job that worries her so much.)
* NaiveNewcomer: Initially, she quickly catches up.
* NiceHat: Has quite a collection of hats, not unusual for the era, later wearing them when out and the weather is cold. The image shows one of many.
* NoAccountingForTaste: [[SmugSnake Pete Campbell]], [[KickTheDog Duck Phillips]], [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim Mark]], [[BourgeoisBohemian Abe]], Ted....the number of [[Literature/BridgetJones fuckwits]] she's been with is astounding; she later averts this after [[spoiler: getting together with Stan]].
* NoSocialSkills: For the first couple of seasons she has a habit of occasionally seeming pretentious, and [[BrutalHonesty breaking bad news in the worst ways possible]]. By the time she starts working at SCDP she's largely grown out of these habits.
* OddFriendship: With a few people on the show, what's odd is that usually said people have insulted her before, but she has grown a thicker skin and makes them learn to respect her as a person. She fights and bonds with Joan, she and Stan are polar opposites and have friendly arguments and confidences [[spoiler: then moves beyond "just good friends"]], and she forms a personal relationship of AmicableExes with Pete. Also seems to be forming one with [[spoiler:Roger by the end of the series]].
* OldMaid: Not that she spends 100% of her time worrying about it, but she, like Joan before her, gets angsted by the expectations of women in her generation and worried about becoming one of those women she hates... one that lies about her age.
* OneOfTheBoys: Once she becomes a copywriter, she spends her time with other men instead of the secretaries (two female friends being Joyce and Megan).TranquilFury: In Season 4, she accompanies Don 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to the men's room when he throws up, a symbolic representation of her transition to one of the guys; After becoming a copywriter, her fashion also changes, wearing dresses getting fired by Roger and skirt suits styled to resemble menswear.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Even after she gets more in-depth with the office politics and shenanigans of her peers, she still remains in the middle of things and an apt observer.
* ParentalSubstitute: To her neighbor Julio in Season 7, the boy spends time watching tv with her in her apartment and confides in her, [[ParentalNeglect feeling his mother doesn't care.]] An acute example, due to him being around the same age as the baby Peggy gave up, something she frequently thinks about.
* PluckyOfficeGirl: She gets hired as a secretary, but her comments on a lipstick project in which the secretaries are used as guinea pigs get her noticed, and she becomes a copywriter and a rising star.
* RaisedCatholic: Her faith at the very least took a big dent over her pregnancy, but as there's no escaping the Church, she still goes to Mass off and on, does the posters for a CYO dance, and creates an ad for Popsicles inspired by Catholic iconography. The church's new, young priest[=McCann=], Ken takes an interest in her and tries to steer her back towards the religion. Later in the series, she clearly is out of the Church and makes references to having been raised in the religion and before one flight (before the Moon Landing) she crosses her self which makes Harry nervous.
* ServileSnarker: Develops into one.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Gets one of these moments at the end of a season 2 episode, and in general as she starts to dress (in Joan's words) "less like a little girl"over the season his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and into season 3; her wardrobe gets upgraded after becoming Copy Chief and even more so in her thirties, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY topped off with her entrance]] into [=McCann=] Erickson.
* ShesGotLegs: A more subdued and shorter version of the trope, as it's not so much about sex appeal as it is about the later styles and her burgeoning confidence; Joan notes her as having "darling little ankles" that need to be shown off and as the 60s go on, her skirts reveal more leg, but [[http://www.entertainmentfuse.com/images/mad-men-s05e04-assertive-peggy.jpg the penultimate moment is when she shakes downthen tells Roger for money after he gives her extra work]].
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly in season one, she was incredibly shy, modest,and afraid to risk losing her job by standing up for herself. But she learns to shake this off once she realizes what she could achieve in the company if she gets a tougher hide.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Peggy is wrapped up in her career, but she does want a guyPete calmly that understands her, shares her passions, loves her, and isn't threatened by her force of personality nor her success. [[spoiler: She gets that with Stan at the end.they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Once she's promoted ** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from secretary, the only female copywriter at the firm. Justified in that this is the early 60's and the second wave of feminism won't really kick it into high gear for nearly a decade. Useful to the agency (in addition to her talent) in that she brings a female perspective to the boys club of advertising. Has complained about only being given the "girly" accounts (bras, lipstick, diet soda, etc).
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Prickly to a fault, yet can be very tender and protective of her friends, co-workers, mentors, and Stan.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Don Draper is inarguably the main character, the series opens up on her first day at the office, and the show's longest running consistent arc seems to be her own evolution as she rises to the top.
* SurprisePregnancy: At the end of season one she gives birth, much to her surprise.
* TookALevelInBadass: Turning down Don's demand that she join SCDP in the season 3 finale, because of the simple fact he hasn't ''asked'' her. He needs her so much, he ends up begging her to join.
** And another one in "The Other Woman"; when she figures out that Don and the rest of SCDP have been taking her for granted, she [[spoiler:quits her job and takes an offer with CGC making triple what Sterling Cooper was paying her.]]
** And in "Lost Horizon", she walks into [=McCann=] Erickson [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY with the aura of giving no fucks.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: By Season 7, her lack of a love life has turned her into a paranoid wreck, then by ''The Runaways'' she's back in form (having a close kinship with a child and having to deal with Ginsberg amongst other things) and just mellowed out into her prickly yet righteous self.
* TheUnfavourite: To her mother because of the baby and because she's putting her career ahead of finding a husband.
* UngratefulBastard: On Don's return in season seven, she antagonizes him the most by telling him they've been functioning just fine since his absence, forgetting or ignoring that he helped start the agency, is the reason she is no longer a secretary, was Joan's ally when Pete pimped her out to Jaguar, and has the talent to save the agency from falling on its collective ass. She also seems to blame Don for breaking up her and Ted, even though Ted was the one who truly instigated the breakup out of an unwillingness to break up his family. Her relationship with Don is mended soon and she forgets about Ted.
* VocalEvolution: When she starts out as a secretary, she speaks in a girlish whisper. Her voice becomes more commanding as she rises in her career.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done, Student Girl]]: Her relationship with Don.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Behaves this way with Stan, calling him out for slacking off, arguing with him and [[spoiler:gets together with him]].[=McCann=].]]
* SeventiesHair: Her
* TheAce: He can dance and
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with
* {{Adorkable}}: Starts off awkward, shy, and
* AfraidOfBlood: In Season 3, she faints when she sees a man bleeding from a [[ItMakesSenseInContext tractor injury]] with his foot cut off. By Season 6 and 7, she keeps her head together and helps the bleeder.
* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Throughout the series, Peggy displays an overt (some would say unhealthy) attraction towards men with aggressive personalities - men who prioritize their own desires and who don't shy away from fulfilling them at the expense of others. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted when she gets together with Stan Rizzo in the series finale.]]
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season
* AuthorAvatar: WordOfGod has it that her complex protegee-mentor relationship with Don draws a lot from the time when Matthew Weiner worked under David Chase's wing in ''Series/TheSopranos''.
* BerserkButton: Peggy hates it when people imply that she became a copywriter by sleeping with Don.
*
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster and
* BrainyBrunette: She's brunette
* BreakTheCutie: With regard to Pete
** It was already known that Ken had written and
* BrokenPedestal: For years, she idolized Don and looked up to him. By the end of
* CareerVersusMan: A major theme of her character arc. Peggy's success at her job (and the long hours
* TheChainsOfCommanding: It takes
* DefiledForever: Played with. After being seduced by Pete, she seems to struggle intensely with having a romantic relationship
* DefrostingIceQueen: Not that she's the biggest IceQueen in the show (that title can go to Betty and Joan), but often she can be rather tough on those around her, yet there are times where she warms up and is friendly with people like her co-workers or Julio.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Peggy's story gets the most time and attention after Don's.
*
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
*
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under
* EarnYourHappyEnding: You don't have to tell Peggy that she has to work for what she's worth; she worked her way up from a shy, mousily dressed secretary with a ponytail to a
* EruditeStoner: Like
* FriendlyEnemy: She's still on good terms with Don, even when they are competitors.
* FamilyVersusCareer: Her sister resents that she gave birth to a child, gave him up, and seemingly went on with her life (and career) as if it never happened. Peggy does focus on advancing her career but in
* GlamorousSingleMother: Subverted. Peggy's career grows during the course of the series and she develops
'''Peggy:''' I try not to. But then it comes up out of nowhere. Playgrounds.
* HiddenDepths: "Lost Horizon" reveals she's a very adept roller skater and was shown to be enthusiastically acing the Twist earlier on.
* IAmNotPretty: Expresses this worry in the season four episode ''The Suitcase'' where she admits to Don she doesn't like dating and she has a hard time with it and "men don't exactly stop and take a look at me", doesn't help she (despite being played by a beautiful albeit less conventionally attractive Creator/ElisabethMoss) works in an industry where there are a lot of drop dead gorgeous models being used and hired as secretaries and the men around her seem to look down on women who don't look like a movie star.
* ImportantHaircut: During season 2, her long dainty ponytail is sheared off and styled into an aggressive no-nonsense business cut to reaffirm her days as a secretary are over.
* ImprobableAge: She's the copy chief at one of the best ad agencies in the country and she's not even thirty.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Her coworkers ''see'' her as this, initially (she was at one point described as an undercover nun). [[{{Averted}} This obviously isn't true.]]
* InnocentBlueEyes: She has striking blue eyes and starts off as a shy NaiveNewcomer and, if not pure, she is one of the few people on the show who has their act together and is a relatable heroic character.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Julio, a young boy that lives in the same apartment building as her and comes over to watch tv, as of the 7th season.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not as bad as her colleagues or boss, she has become more curt and prickly as the years go on; however her sense of fairness and care don't waver, and tends to be tender with those close to her, more likely to forgive, and can back up her colleagues.
* KarmaHoudini: How her sister perceives her for having a baby out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption, returning to her job like nothing happened, at a time when there was still a heavy stigma on unwed mothers.
* LawOfInverseFertility: While on birth control (albeit, just starting to use it), she becomes pregnant by Pete Campbell and gives birth to his child. This surfaces during the second season, at the same time that he and his wife are unsuccessfully trying to conceive.
* MarriedToTheJob: She even chooses staying at work on her birthday instead of spending it with her boyfriend and family.
* MyBelovedSmother: Her mother is a classic example, constantly nagging her to go to church and trying to set her up with men, taking her decision to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan (where her job is) as a personal betrayal, and sowing enough Catholic guilt for Peggy to reap for a lifetime. (However, she does seem to have been touchingly supportive about the fact that Peggy got pregnant out of wedlock about five minutes into the flashy Manhattan job that worries her so much.)
* NaiveNewcomer: Initially, she quickly catches up.
* NiceHat: Has quite a collection of hats, not unusual for the era, later wearing them when out and the weather is cold. The image shows one of many.
* NoAccountingForTaste: [[SmugSnake Pete Campbell]], [[KickTheDog Duck Phillips]], [[WhatDoesSheSeeInHim Mark]], [[BourgeoisBohemian Abe]], Ted....the number of [[Literature/BridgetJones fuckwits]] she's been with is astounding; she later averts this after [[spoiler: getting together with Stan]].
* NoSocialSkills: For the first couple of seasons she has a habit of occasionally seeming pretentious, and [[BrutalHonesty breaking bad news in the worst ways possible]]. By the time she starts working at SCDP she's largely grown out of these habits.
* OddFriendship: With a few people on the show, what's odd is that usually said people have insulted her before, but she has grown a thicker skin and makes them learn to respect her as a person. She fights and bonds with Joan, she and Stan are polar opposites and have friendly arguments and confidences [[spoiler: then moves beyond "just good friends"]], and she forms a personal relationship of AmicableExes with Pete. Also seems to be forming one with [[spoiler:Roger by the end of the series]].
* OldMaid: Not that she spends 100% of her time worrying about it, but she, like Joan before her, gets angsted by the expectations of women in her generation and worried about becoming one of those women she hates... one that lies about her age.
* OneOfTheBoys: Once she becomes a copywriter, she spends her time with other men instead of the secretaries (two female friends being Joyce and Megan).
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Even after she gets more in-depth with the office politics and shenanigans of her peers, she still remains in the middle of things and an apt observer.
* ParentalSubstitute: To her neighbor Julio in Season 7, the boy spends time watching tv with her in her apartment and confides in her, [[ParentalNeglect feeling his mother doesn't care.]] An acute example, due to him being around the same age as the baby Peggy gave up, something she frequently thinks about.
* PluckyOfficeGirl: She gets hired as a secretary, but her comments on a lipstick project in which the secretaries are used as guinea pigs get her noticed, and she becomes a copywriter and a rising star.
* RaisedCatholic: Her faith at the very least took a big dent over her pregnancy, but as there's no escaping the Church, she still goes to Mass off and on, does the posters for a CYO dance, and creates an ad for Popsicles inspired by Catholic iconography. The church's new, young priest
* ServileSnarker: Develops into one.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Gets one of these moments at the end of a season 2 episode, and in general as she starts to dress (in Joan's words) "less like a little girl"
* ShesGotLegs: A more subdued and shorter version of the trope, as it's not so much about sex appeal as it is about the later styles and her burgeoning confidence; Joan notes her as having "darling little ankles" that need to be shown off and as the 60s go on, her skirts reveal more leg, but [[http://www.entertainmentfuse.com/images/mad-men-s05e04-assertive-peggy.jpg the penultimate moment is when she shakes down
* ShrinkingViolet: Particularly in season one, she was incredibly shy, modest,
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Peggy is wrapped up in her career, but she does want a guy
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Prickly to a fault, yet can be very tender and protective of her friends, co-workers, mentors, and Stan.
* SupportingProtagonist: While Don Draper is inarguably the main character, the series opens up on her first day at the office, and the show's longest running consistent arc seems to be her own evolution as she rises to the top.
* SurprisePregnancy: At the end of season one she gives birth, much to her surprise.
* TookALevelInBadass: Turning down Don's demand that she join SCDP in the season 3 finale, because of the simple fact he hasn't ''asked'' her. He needs her so much, he ends up begging her to join.
** And another one in "The Other Woman"; when she figures out that Don and the rest of SCDP have been taking her for granted, she [[spoiler:quits her job and takes an offer with CGC making triple what Sterling Cooper was paying her.]]
** And in "Lost Horizon", she walks into [=McCann=] Erickson [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI2TXQ2yjY with the aura of giving no fucks.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: By Season 7, her lack of a love life has turned her into a paranoid wreck, then by ''The Runaways'' she's back in form (having a close kinship with a child and having to deal with Ginsberg amongst other things) and just mellowed out into her prickly yet righteous self.
* TheUnfavourite: To her mother because of the baby and because she's putting her career ahead of finding a husband.
* UngratefulBastard: On Don's return in season seven, she antagonizes him the most by telling him they've been functioning just fine since his absence, forgetting or ignoring that he helped start the agency, is the reason she is no longer a secretary, was Joan's ally when Pete pimped her out to Jaguar, and has the talent to save the agency from falling on its collective ass. She also seems to blame Don for breaking up her and Ted, even though Ted was the one who truly instigated the breakup out of an unwillingness to break up his family. Her relationship with Don is mended soon and she forgets about Ted.
* VocalEvolution: When she starts out as a secretary, she speaks in a girlish whisper. Her voice becomes more commanding as she rises in her career.
* [[WellDoneSonGuy Well Done, Student Girl]]: Her relationship with Don.
* WellExcuseMePrincess: Behaves this way with Stan, calling him out for slacking off, arguing with him and [[spoiler:gets together with him]].
Changed line(s) 219,227 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Pete Campbell]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/petecampbell_8238.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''" Please tell me you don't pity me."'']]
->'''Played By''': Vincent Kartheiser
->''"Why does it have to be like this? [[ItsAllAboutMe Why can't I get anything good all at once?]]"''
From a family that once owned half of Upper Manhattan, now fallen on relatively hard times. Initially full of himself and rather an unlikable creep who compensates for his inferiority complex by both sexually harassing and bullying the secretarial staff. However, his experiences at work give him a sense of humility and maturity that makes him a more likable character by Season 4 (in some viewers' eyes, anyway). This takes a step back in Season 5, however.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/petecampbell_8238.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''" Please tell me you don't pity me."'']]
->'''Played By''': Vincent Kartheiser
->''"Why does it have to be like this? [[ItsAllAboutMe Why can't I get anything good all at once?]]"''
From a family that once owned half of Upper Manhattan, now fallen on relatively hard times. Initially full of himself and rather an unlikable creep who compensates for his inferiority complex by both sexually harassing and bullying the secretarial staff. However, his experiences at work give him a sense of humility and maturity that makes him a more likable character by Season 4 (in some viewers' eyes, anyway). This takes a step back in Season 5, however.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[folder:Paul Kinsey]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:''" Please tell me you don't pity me."'']]
->'''Played By''':
->''"Why does it have
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus He doesn't transfer to
From a family that once owned half of Upper Manhattan, now fallen on relatively hard times. Initially full of himself and rather an unlikable creep who compensates for his inferiority complex by both sexually harassing and bullying
Changed line(s) 229,284 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: In the earlier seasons, he has a jelled haircut that would fit into a Prep School or on American Bandstand.
* SeventiesHair: By Season 7, he has sideburns and haircut that veritably scream "I am a middle-aged businessman in the 1970s!"
* AfraidOfNeedles: Mentioned during the blood drive.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Don is often this to him.
* AmicableExes: He and Trudy seem to settle into these roles by the point of Season 7B, if "Time & Life" is representative of anything. [[spoiler:They get back together in the "Milk and Honey Route".]]
** He develops a similar relationship with Peggy starting in Season 4, after engaging in friendly banter with slight tension in previous seasons; he even departs, giving her best wishes and the prediction she will be Creative Director by the year 1980.
* TheBarnum: Like most of the cast, Pete's willing to sell any product.
* BatmanGambit: He figures out that Roger has been reading his secretary's calendar in order to poach his accounts, and so he has his secretary write in a fictional meeting with Coca-Cola at 6 in the morning at the Staten Island Ferry Building. [[spoiler:It works.]]
* ButtMonkey: Of all the characters in the office, he tends to have the highest amount of slap-stick, being slapped, punched, tripping downstairs, and running into support beams frequently.
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Pete doesn't realize that working to impress the executives of General Motors at Detroit is going to require some driving skills, as Ken exemplified in the past.
* DisappearedDad: Hardly around his daughter Tammy so much that when he comes to visit her in "The Strategy", the little girl doesn't recognize him. He does get better, and by the last season, he is a loving doting father to Tammy who absolutely adores him.
* DivorceIsTemporary: He and Trudy divorce around Season 6, but they get back together at the end of the series.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Not really crazy, but very poorly, and his lack of skill as a driver repeatedly figures as a plot point.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: [[spoiler:After Lucky Strike switched to another firm]], Pete surpassed Roger in terms of contributions to SCDP's profits. Despite this, he still has the worst office in the building and is not pleased about it (he eventually gets Harry's office, but it doesn't stop him from feeling he deserves ''Roger's"). To add insult to injury, Roger then starts to poach potential customers from him and Pete can't officially do anything about it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He ends the series on a high note with [[spoiler:being hired by Learjet and moving to Wichita with Trudy and Tammy, their divorce now dissolved]].
* FamousAncestor:
** He is a descendant of the (non-fictional) Campbell family of the (equally non-fictional) Glencoe Massacre legend. This becomes an issue when he finds out that a headmaster refuses admission to his daughter in a school because he's a [=MacDonald=] (the victims of the massacre). Pete punches him out, stating that his family were carrying out the King's orders by violating SacredHospitality (actually the justification members of Clan Campbell use to defend themselves in arguments about the massacre to this day).
** He is also (on his mother's side) a member of the (non-fictional) Dyckman family, descendants of the Dutch farmer William Dyckman, who owned a massive tract of land in Harlem way back when it was the rural north end of the island of Manhattan; a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyckman_Street major thoroughfare in Upper Manhattan]] is named after the family.
* FormerlyFit: By the end of the series, he gets chubbier and his hairline starts deciding (though not fat or unattractively so) in contrast to the lean, Boy Band look he had in the beginning.
* GoSeduceMyArchNemesis: A painfully mundane example; [[spoiler:he asks Trudy to somehow convince an ex-boyfriend to publish a short story of his in a reputable magazine. Trudy stopping short of actual adultery relegates the story to "Boy's Life".]]
* GoldDigger: Surprisingly averted. He did marry into money, but was unaware [[spoiler:of his family's drop in wealth until after he was married for over a year.]] Also, if anything, he resents his father-in-law for always trying to help financially. He does, however, want his business and has made no secret of it.
* HasAType: His three love interests (Trudy, Peggy and Beth) are slender brunettes with a youthful appearance and big blue eyes. This should also give away his narcissism: the same description applies to him as well.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Depends on the situation and the week.
* HenpeckedHusband: Feels like this in his marriage as of Season 5. He is about as far from this as can be in the first two or three seasons (his wife was just as -- arguably more -- submissive than Betty), as can be seen in "The Mountain King" and "The New Girl". However, towards the end (last two episodes) of season three and then on, Trudy becomes very nagging of the man.
* HiddenDepths: Despite hailing from a privileged background and acting like a brown-nosing greenhorn in the first season, he has an eye for social change that the dinosaurs at SC sorely lack; though they scoff at him for predicting things like the trend of humorous advertising, or that Kennedy was going to beat Nixon, (He doesn't even wear a hat!) he turns out to be right. He is completely baffled as to why the senior leadership of Sterling Cooper and their clients aren't going after African-American customers, as to his eyes they are consumers who no one is trying to reach (and in the case of the clients, black people seem to be buying their products anyway). He is also always disgusted when he comes across racism. This relative colorblindness is rather progressive for the time, to say the least. He's also quite the social dancer.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He [[spoiler: callously cheated on Trudy from before they were even married]], but when he goes home to visit Tammy [[spoiler: while he and Trudy were in the process of divorcing]], he acts disgusted when it looks like she went out on a date.
* IJustWantToBeYou: He's obsessed with living up to the ideal of the "red-blooded American male", his most obvious example being Don. By season five, his life almost exactly resembles Don's back in season one -- and he still hasn't caught on that Don was as miserable then as Pete is now.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: He comes from one of the oldest Dutch families in America, with a million connections in Manhattan, but due to a combination of being TheUnfavorite and his spendthrift father having nothing to leave when he dies, he becomes beholden to his NouveauRiche parents-in-law, which puts a strain on his marriage.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His need for approval.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Though he occasionally starts showing signs of growing out of it, this is pretty much his raison d'etre.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sure, he's petulant and selfish, but he has progressive views on race relations for the time.
** {{Jerkass}}: Despite displaying such progressive sentiments, this doesn't stop him from having Joan literally prostitute herself in order to secure a business deal with Jaguar in "The Other Woman."
* LoveConfession: He does it twice during the series:
** In Season 2, after a season of tension between him and Trudy for failing to conceive a baby, he confesses his feelings for Peggy, telling her he should have gotten with her instead. Peggy replies that she has renounced to guilt him into being with her when she had his child. The reveal [[ShipSinking sinks their ship]] for good.
** In Season 7B, after roughly two after his separation from Trudy, he comes to understand that he had loved her all along and manages to save their marriage confessing his love and the intention of starting a new life together with their daughter.
* LoveRedeems: Downplayed, but he becomes a much more tolerable person through his affection for Peggy, which borders on PetTheDog given how loathsome he is, and then much more tolerable ''again'' when he and Trudy end up happy together.
* {{Narcissist}}: An even more severe example than Don Draper. Despite having a deep-rooted craving for others' respect and praise, he [[{{Pride}} views nearly everyone around him with barely disguised contempt]] and [[TheUnfettered shows hardly any qualms about exploiting others to advance his own interests]] '''regardless''' of the circumstances.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Naturally, as he is played by Vincent Kartheiser. In an attempt to mitigate this, Kartheiser shaved his hair in a way to make it look as though Pete's hairline is receding.
* PapaWolf: Punches a headmaster that's keeping Tammy from being admitted because she failed a stick figure test and over a 200-year-old family grudge.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: "Villain" is ''too'' strong of a word to describe him, but he's still a colossal {{jerkass}} who cheats on his wife, makes the women he cheats with her on cheat on their own significant others, and is often the most antagonistic force against Don. He's also one of the biggest supporters of the Civil Rights Movement (enough that he lashes out at Harry when he sees MLK's death as a {{skewed priorit|ies}}y) and once called out Roger for his Japanophobia against the Honda executives.
* PrettyBoy: He's much more boyish and soft looking than the other more debonair men in the office. His pretty-boy looks may have scored him a brief fling with Peggy, but over the next few seasons, his hairline starts to recede more, contrasting his youthful face.
* ReallyGetsAround: Ranks third in this regard, only behind Don and Roger.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Tends to get these a lot.
** He is finally able to give a few come Season Four, particularly to Roger and to Don.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Pete believes that his upbringing entitles him to the respect of his peers. He grows out of this after his various schemes end in his own humiliation.
* SmugSnake: Again, he's improving - until season five's "Signal 30", where he resumes being a pain in the ass.
* ThisLoserIsYou: Everybody wants to be Don, but most people are like Pete, uncharismatic, flawed and average.
* TookALevelInBadass: In season four's "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", taking point on the Honda account and verbally eviscerating Roger over his prejudice.
** Also, in covering for Don after the security probe threatens to reveal his ruse.
** In season 5 he starts demanding more respect from the partners (especially Roger) and retaliates when Roger starts poaching his clients.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Zigzagged over the course of the series.
* TookALevelInKindness: Season 7B shows him being much more involved in his daughter's life, more protective and loving with Trudy, supportive of Peggy and Joan, and basically relaxing more. He's also let go of the competition with Don that only existed in his own mind, and became one of his staunchest supporters when Don fell out of favor with the agency.
* TheUnfavorite: In both his personal and professional life, he's generally not respected.
* UptownGirl: Gender Inverted with Peggy.
* WellDoneSonGuy: He never got his father's approval before he died, which just adds more to his inferiority complex. His desire for Don's approval reflects this, but he's really bad at taking good advice.
* YourCheatingHeart: His wife only expects him to be discreet, but he fails at that too.
* SeventiesHair: By Season 7, he has sideburns and haircut that veritably scream "I am a middle-aged businessman in the 1970s!"
* AfraidOfNeedles: Mentioned during the blood drive.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Don is often this to him.
* AmicableExes: He and Trudy seem to settle into these roles by the point of Season 7B, if "Time & Life" is representative of anything. [[spoiler:They get back together in the "Milk and Honey Route".]]
** He develops a similar relationship with Peggy starting in Season 4, after engaging in friendly banter with slight tension in previous seasons; he even departs, giving her best wishes and the prediction she will be Creative Director by the year 1980.
* TheBarnum: Like most of the cast, Pete's willing to sell any product.
* BatmanGambit: He figures out that Roger has been reading his secretary's calendar in order to poach his accounts, and so he has his secretary write in a fictional meeting with Coca-Cola at 6 in the morning at the Staten Island Ferry Building. [[spoiler:It works.]]
* ButtMonkey: Of all the characters in the office, he tends to have the highest amount of slap-stick, being slapped, punched, tripping downstairs, and running into support beams frequently.
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Pete doesn't realize that working to impress the executives of General Motors at Detroit is going to require some driving skills, as Ken exemplified in the past.
* DisappearedDad: Hardly around his daughter Tammy so much that when he comes to visit her in "The Strategy", the little girl doesn't recognize him. He does get better, and by the last season, he is a loving doting father to Tammy who absolutely adores him.
* DivorceIsTemporary: He and Trudy divorce around Season 6, but they get back together at the end of the series.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Not really crazy, but very poorly, and his lack of skill as a driver repeatedly figures as a plot point.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: [[spoiler:After Lucky Strike switched to another firm]], Pete surpassed Roger in terms of contributions to SCDP's profits. Despite this, he still has the worst office in the building and is not pleased about it (he eventually gets Harry's office, but it doesn't stop him from feeling he deserves ''Roger's"). To add insult to injury, Roger then starts to poach potential customers from him and Pete can't officially do anything about it.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He ends the series on a high note with [[spoiler:being hired by Learjet and moving to Wichita with Trudy and Tammy, their divorce now dissolved]].
* FamousAncestor:
** He is a descendant of the (non-fictional) Campbell family of the (equally non-fictional) Glencoe Massacre legend. This becomes an issue when he finds out that a headmaster refuses admission to his daughter in a school because he's a [=MacDonald=] (the victims of the massacre). Pete punches him out, stating that his family were carrying out the King's orders by violating SacredHospitality (actually the justification members of Clan Campbell use to defend themselves in arguments about the massacre to this day).
** He is also (on his mother's side) a member of the (non-fictional) Dyckman family, descendants of the Dutch farmer William Dyckman, who owned a massive tract of land in Harlem way back when it was the rural north end of the island of Manhattan; a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyckman_Street major thoroughfare in Upper Manhattan]] is named after the family.
* FormerlyFit: By the end of the series, he gets chubbier and his hairline starts deciding (though not fat or unattractively so) in contrast to the lean, Boy Band look he had in the beginning.
* GoSeduceMyArchNemesis: A painfully mundane example; [[spoiler:he asks Trudy to somehow convince an ex-boyfriend to publish a short story of his in a reputable magazine. Trudy stopping short of actual adultery relegates the story to "Boy's Life".]]
* GoldDigger: Surprisingly averted. He did marry into money, but was unaware [[spoiler:of his family's drop in wealth until after he was married for over a year.]] Also, if anything, he resents his father-in-law for always trying to help financially. He does, however, want his business and has made no secret of it.
* HasAType: His three love interests (Trudy, Peggy and Beth) are slender brunettes with a youthful appearance and big blue eyes. This should also give away his narcissism: the same description applies to him as well.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Depends on the situation and the week.
* HenpeckedHusband: Feels like this in his marriage as of Season 5. He is about as far from this as can be in the first two or three seasons (his wife was just as -- arguably more -- submissive than Betty), as can be seen in "The Mountain King" and "The New Girl". However, towards the end (last two episodes) of season three and then on, Trudy becomes very nagging of the man.
* HiddenDepths: Despite hailing from a privileged background and acting like a brown-nosing greenhorn in the first season, he has an eye for social change that the dinosaurs at SC sorely lack; though they scoff at him for predicting things like the trend of humorous advertising, or that Kennedy was going to beat Nixon, (He doesn't even wear a hat!) he turns out to be right. He is completely baffled as to why the senior leadership of Sterling Cooper and their clients aren't going after African-American customers, as to his eyes they are consumers who no one is trying to reach (and in the case of the clients, black people seem to be buying their products anyway). He is also always disgusted when he comes across racism. This relative colorblindness is rather progressive for the time, to say the least. He's also quite the social dancer.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He [[spoiler: callously cheated on Trudy from before they were even married]], but when he goes home to visit Tammy [[spoiler: while he and Trudy were in the process of divorcing]], he acts disgusted when it looks like she went out on a date.
* IJustWantToBeYou: He's obsessed with living up to the ideal of the "red-blooded American male", his most obvious example being Don. By season five, his life almost exactly resembles Don's back in season one -- and he still hasn't caught on that Don was as miserable then as Pete is now.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: He comes from one of the oldest Dutch families in America, with a million connections in Manhattan, but due to a combination of being TheUnfavorite and his spendthrift father having nothing to leave when he dies, he becomes beholden to his NouveauRiche parents-in-law, which puts a strain on his marriage.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His need for approval.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Though he occasionally starts showing signs of growing out of it, this is pretty much his raison d'etre.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sure, he's petulant and selfish, but he has progressive views on race relations for the time.
** {{Jerkass}}: Despite displaying such progressive sentiments, this doesn't stop him from having Joan literally prostitute herself in order to secure a business deal with Jaguar in "The Other Woman."
* LoveConfession: He does it twice during the series:
** In Season 2, after a season of tension between him and Trudy for failing to conceive a baby, he confesses his feelings for Peggy, telling her he should have gotten with her instead. Peggy replies that she has renounced to guilt him into being with her when she had his child. The reveal [[ShipSinking sinks their ship]] for good.
** In Season 7B, after roughly two after his separation from Trudy, he comes to understand that he had loved her all along and manages to save their marriage confessing his love and the intention of starting a new life together with their daughter.
* LoveRedeems: Downplayed, but he becomes a much more tolerable person through his affection for Peggy, which borders on PetTheDog given how loathsome he is, and then much more tolerable ''again'' when he and Trudy end up happy together.
* {{Narcissist}}: An even more severe example than Don Draper. Despite having a deep-rooted craving for others' respect and praise, he [[{{Pride}} views nearly everyone around him with barely disguised contempt]] and [[TheUnfettered shows hardly any qualms about exploiting others to advance his own interests]] '''regardless''' of the circumstances.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Naturally, as he is played by Vincent Kartheiser. In an attempt to mitigate this, Kartheiser shaved his hair in a way to make it look as though Pete's hairline is receding.
* PapaWolf: Punches a headmaster that's keeping Tammy from being admitted because she failed a stick figure test and over a 200-year-old family grudge.
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: "Villain" is ''too'' strong of a word to describe him, but he's still a colossal {{jerkass}} who cheats on his wife, makes the women he cheats with her on cheat on their own significant others, and is often the most antagonistic force against Don. He's also one of the biggest supporters of the Civil Rights Movement (enough that he lashes out at Harry when he sees MLK's death as a {{skewed priorit|ies}}y) and once called out Roger for his Japanophobia against the Honda executives.
* PrettyBoy: He's much more boyish and soft looking than the other more debonair men in the office. His pretty-boy looks may have scored him a brief fling with Peggy, but over the next few seasons, his hairline starts to recede more, contrasting his youthful face.
* ReallyGetsAround: Ranks third in this regard, only behind Don and Roger.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Tends to get these a lot.
** He is finally able to give a few come Season Four, particularly to Roger and to Don.
* SmallNameBigEgo: Pete believes that his upbringing entitles him to the respect of his peers. He grows out of this after his various schemes end in his own humiliation.
* SmugSnake: Again, he's improving - until season five's "Signal 30", where he resumes being a pain in the ass.
* ThisLoserIsYou: Everybody wants to be Don, but most people are like Pete, uncharismatic, flawed and average.
* TookALevelInBadass: In season four's "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", taking point on the Honda account and verbally eviscerating Roger over his prejudice.
** Also, in covering for Don after the security probe threatens to reveal his ruse.
** In season 5 he starts demanding more respect from the partners (especially Roger) and retaliates when Roger starts poaching his clients.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Zigzagged over the course of the series.
* TookALevelInKindness: Season 7B shows him being much more involved in his daughter's life, more protective and loving with Trudy, supportive of Peggy and Joan, and basically relaxing more. He's also let go of the competition with Don that only existed in his own mind, and became one of his staunchest supporters when Don fell out of favor with the agency.
* TheUnfavorite: In both his personal and professional life, he's generally not respected.
* UptownGirl: Gender Inverted with Peggy.
* WellDoneSonGuy: He never got his father's approval before he died, which just adds more to his inferiority complex. His desire for Don's approval reflects this, but he's really bad at taking good advice.
* YourCheatingHeart: His wife only expects him to be discreet, but he fails at that too.
to:
* FiftiesHair:
* SeventiesHair: By Season 7, he has sideburns and haircut that veritably scream "I am a middle-aged businessman in the 1970s!"
* AfraidOfNeedles: Mentioned during the blood drive.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Don is often this to him.
* AmicableExes: He and Trudy seem to settle into these roles by the point of Season 7B, if "Time & Life" is representative of anything. [[spoiler:They get back together in the "Milk and Honey Route".]]
** He develops a similar relationship
* TheBarnum: Like most
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to
* BatmanGambit: He figures out
* ButtMonkey:
* TheChewToy: Is the
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Pete doesn't realize that working to impress the executives
* DisappearedDad: Hardly around his daughter Tammy so much that when he comes to visit her in "The Strategy", the little girl doesn't recognize him. He does get better, and by the last season, he is a loving doting father to Tammy who absolutely adores him.
* DivorceIsTemporary: He and Trudy divorce around Season 6, but they get back together at the end
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Not really crazy, but very poorly, and his lack of skill as a driver repeatedly figures as a plot point.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: [[spoiler:After Lucky Strike switched to another firm]], Pete surpassed Roger in terms of contributions to SCDP's profits. Despite this, he still has the worst office in the building and is not pleased about it (he eventually gets Harry's office, but it doesn't stop
* EarnYourHappyEnding: He ends the series on a high note with [[spoiler:being hired by Learjet and moving to Wichita with Trudy and Tammy, their divorce now dissolved]].
* FamousAncestor:
** He is a descendant of the (non-fictional) Campbell family of the (equally non-fictional) Glencoe Massacre legend. This becomes an issue when he finds out that a headmaster refuses admission to his daughter in a school because
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to the
**
* FormerlyFit: By the end of the series, he gets chubbier and his hairline starts deciding (though not fat or unattractively so) in contrast to the lean, Boy Band look he had in the beginning.
* GoSeduceMyArchNemesis: A painfully mundane example; [[spoiler:he asks Trudy to somehow convince an ex-boyfriend to publish a short story of his in a reputable magazine. Trudy stopping short of actual adultery relegates the story to "Boy's Life".]]
* GoldDigger: Surprisingly averted. He did marry into money, but was unaware [[spoiler:of his family's drop in wealth until after he was married for over a year.]] Also, if anything, he resents his father-in-law for always trying to help financially. He does, however, want his business and has made no secret of it.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired from a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry with a
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
*
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the
*
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season
* HiddenDepths: Despite hailing from a privileged background and acting like a brown-nosing greenhorn in the first season, he has an eye for social change
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't
* {{Hypocrite}}: He [[spoiler: callously cheated on Trudy from before they were even married]], but when he goes home to visit Tammy [[spoiler: while he and Trudy were in the process of divorcing]], he acts disgusted when it looks like she went out on a date.
* IJustWantToBeYou: He's obsessed with living up to the ideal of the "red-blooded American male", his most obvious example being Don. By season five, his life almost exactly resembles Don's back in season one -- and he still hasn't caught on that Don was as miserable then as Pete is now.
* ImpoverishedPatrician: He comes from one of the oldest Dutch families in America, with a million connections in Manhattan, but due to a combination of being TheUnfavorite and his spendthrift father having nothing to leave when he dies, he becomes beholden to his NouveauRiche parents-in-law, which puts a strain on his marriage.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His need for approval.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Though he occasionally starts showing signs of growing out of it, this is pretty much his raison d'etre.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Sure, he's petulant and selfish, but he has progressive views on race relations for the time.
** {{Jerkass}}: Despite displaying such progressive sentiments, this doesn't stop him from having Joan literally prostitute herself in order to secure a business deal with Jaguar in "The Other Woman."
* LoveConfession: He does it twice during the series:
** In Season 2, after a season of tension between him and Trudy for failing to conceive a baby, he confesses his feelings for Peggy, telling
** In Season 7B, after roughly two after his separation from Trudy, he comes to understand that he had loved her all along and manages to save their marriage confessing his love and the intention of starting a new life together with their daughter.
* LoveRedeems: Downplayed, but he becomes a much more tolerable person through his affection for Peggy, which borders on PetTheDog given how loathsome he is, and then much more tolerable ''again'' when he and Trudy end up happy together.
* {{Narcissist}}: An even more severe example than Don Draper. Despite having a deep-rooted craving for others' respect and praise, he [[{{Pride}} views nearly everyone around him with barely disguised contempt]] and [[TheUnfettered shows hardly any qualms about exploiting others to advance his own interests]] '''regardless''' of the circumstances.
* OlderThanTheyLook: Naturally, as he is played by Vincent Kartheiser. In an attempt to mitigate this, Kartheiser shaved his hair in a way to make it look as though Pete's hairline is receding.
* PapaWolf: Punches a headmaster that's keeping Tammy from being admitted because she failed a stick
* PoliticallyCorrectVillain: "Villain" is ''too'' strong of a word to describe him, but he's still a colossal {{jerkass}} who cheats on his wife, makes the women he cheats with her on cheat on their own significant others, and is often the most antagonistic force against Don. He's also one of the biggest supporters of the Civil Rights Movement (enough that he lashes out at Harry when he sees MLK's death as a {{skewed priorit|ies}}y) and once called out Roger for his Japanophobia against the Honda executives.
* PrettyBoy: He's much more boyish and soft looking than the other more debonair men in the office. His pretty-boy looks may have scored him a brief fling with Peggy, but over the next few seasons, his hairline starts to recede more, contrasting his youthful face.
* ReallyGetsAround: Ranks third in this regard, only behind Don and Roger.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Tends to get these a lot.
** He is finally able to give a few come Season Four, particularly to Roger and to Don.
* SmallNameBigEgo:
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his
* SmugSnake: Again,
* ThisLoserIsYou: Everybody wants to be Don, but most people are like Pete, uncharismatic, flawed and average.
* TookALevelInBadass: In season four's "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", taking point
** Also, in covering for Don after the security probe threatens to reveal his ruse.
** In season 5 he starts demanding more respect from the partners (especially Roger) and retaliates when Roger starts poaching his clients.
* TookALevelInJerkass: Zigzagged over the course of the series.
* TookALevelInKindness: Season 7B shows him being much more involved in his daughter's life, more protective and loving with Trudy, supportive of Peggy and Joan, and basically relaxing more. He's also let go of the competition with Don that only existed in his own mind, and became one of his staunchest supporters when Don fell out of favor
* TheUnfavorite:
* UptownGirl: Gender Inverted
* WellDoneSonGuy: He never got
* YourCheatingHeart: His wife only expects him to be discreet, but he fails at
Changed line(s) 287,294 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Joan Harris (née Holloway)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_joan_holloway_promo.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/ChristinaHendricks
->''"You want to have this conversation in front of Mr. Draper? I'm going to the break room to find your replacement."''
Voluptuous and highly competent -- if at times difficult -- head of the Sterling Cooper secretarial pool at the beginning, with an on-again-off-again affair with Roger Sterling. By the end of Season 4, she's the office manager at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and widely recognized as the ''sine qua non'' of the whole agency. By Season 5, she's a partner.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_joan_holloway_promo.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/ChristinaHendricks
->''"You want to have this conversation in front of Mr. Draper? I'm going to the break room to find your replacement."''
Voluptuous and highly competent -- if at times difficult -- head of the Sterling Cooper secretarial pool at the beginning, with an on-again-off-again affair with Roger Sterling. By the end of Season 4, she's the office manager at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce and widely recognized as the ''sine qua non'' of the whole agency. By Season 5, she's a partner.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
->''"You want to have this conversation in front of Mr. Draper? I'm going to the break room to find your replacement."''
Voluptuous and highly competent -- if
Head art director at
Changed line(s) 296,357 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with an artichoke that gradually became an elaborate french twist and beehive well into the 1960s.
* SeventiesHair: Her updos gradually looked for wavy and looser, albeit in elaborate styles.
* AlphaBitch: Sometimes acts this way toward the other women in the secretarial pool, though she is not without her sympathetic traits or humanizing moments. Helps that there are some men that don't ogle her: [[ChivalrousPervert Don]] admits to being scared of her at first and [[StiffUpperLip Lane]] only develops a crush on her after knowing her.
* BadassBureaucrat: She eventually gets placed in charge of managing SCDP's finances. She's also the kind of person you do not want to get on the bad side of.
* BerserkButton:
** When she finds out that her husband voluntarily re-upped for another tour of duty in Vietnam, she's not happy.
** She also really hates sexual harassment. In Season 7B, [[spoiler:she quits [=McCann=] after being repeatedly harassed.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from men and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
* BreakTheHaughty: Initially the queen bitch of the office, much of the first three years are devoted to knocking her down a peg, in both her personal and professional lives.
* CareerVersusMan: Although she's peerlessly good at her job, she explicitly is in the market for a husband and only plans to work until she finds one. She's given a promotion in season four, but it comes with no acknowledged power or prestige. After she marries Greg, she's expected to leave SCDP and she's heartbroken over it. Following her divorce, she strikes a deal with Pete that nets her a non-silent partnership with 5% stake in SCDP. She turns down a chance to be a TrophyWife to StraightGay Bob Benson for a chance at real love, and in the end, [[spoiler:after dating an older man who wants to "spoil" her and dumps her when she refuses to leave her career behind, starts her own production company]].
* ConsummateProfessional: Possibly the most professional of all the people in the office. She will NOT put up with shenanigans if she has anything to say about it.
* DiscoDan: A realistic version. Not as bad as Don, but she carries on the early 1960s Cocktail Bombshell look well into 1967, she eventually updates her look to look hipper but retains that Pinup model look well into 1970. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that she is a woman who looks to TheFifties as her best decade, where she came of age and developed a style that suited her body.
* TheDreaded: Not only the other secretaries are intimidated by her, but also the men who are —in theory— her superiors. Don Draper was advised in his first week at the agency that she's the one person he shouldn't cross.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: At the end of the series, she went from a head secretary who placed marriage and appealing to the MaleGaze as her top priorities to a Junior Executive/Partner/Accounts Woman after divorcing Greg, in all while she lost the romances in she had in the series...she gets the child and [[spoiler:starts her own production company]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Her roommate in Season 1 propositions her. [[KickTheDog Joan pressures her into sleeping with a man in retaliation.]]
* FamilyVersusCareer: She's gotten what she's always wanted, a doctor husband, a baby, a nice little apartment in the city... and the fifth season opener shows her impatient to come back to work because she values it and because she's valued. Roger's joke advertisement of SCDP as an equal opportunity employer inspires her to walk back into the office and start demonstrating her competence in a bid to save her job. Then [[spoiler:she starts a production company with her mother (Holloway-Harris) with a schedule that allows her to both run a company and bond with her young son]].
* TheFashionista: Doesn't have the usual slender build yet shows off a more office-oriented pinup style that's combined with the artistry of Chanel, though her outfits are designed to flatter her body and get attention from men.
* FieryRedhead: {{Averted}}. She loses her temper only a few times and isn't any more fiery than the non-redheads on the show, preferring to use TranquilFury or to insult a person, and keeps her temper ''too'' tightly controlled.
* FreudianExcuse: After 4 seasons of Joan looking down at Peggy for not using her feminine wiles and of Joan herself caring very much of how attractive men regard her and of taking a traditional path in life even after she was raped by her fiancee; we meet her mother, who does flirt, get competitive with her daughter, and preach a traditionally wifely role for her daughter to follow.
---> My Mother raised me to be admired.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: Even after dumping Greg, she maintains a separation from him for her son's sake, then she throws a loud tantrum in reception when she was served divorce papers though this is more out of wounded pride and anger that Greg (who raped her and treated her like an idiot) gets to maintain the high ground.
* GlamorousSingleMother: {{Subverted}}. She may look the part, but it's not easy raising a baby on her own. Then later it's harder for her go out dating when she has a young son, especially with many a man that's gun shy about dealing with children again.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Nope. Joan has had at least two abortion in the past, and considers having another when [[spoiler:she becomes pregnant with Roger's child in season 4]]. Then again, it's debatable whether she counts as a "good girl" by the social standards of either the setting or of contemporary audiences.
* HeadTurningBeauty: Most of the male cast can't stop staring at her.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Men want her, but this is played with because Men don't know how to treat her like a full human individual rather than a sex object. As the series goes on, she is a RedheadedHero as the second-pioneering woman in the ad business.
* HiddenDepths: Plays the accordion, and with her stint working for Harry proves herself to have a great deal of business acumen. Also, through most of the first three seasons, almost no one seems to realize that she's running the office.
* HypercompetentSidekick: She starts off relatively low-ranking, but it eventually becomes clear that she's the one holding the agency together.
* InformedAttractiveness: As with Don, it is simply understood by all characters on the show that she is the hottest person in any room she's in (despite the cast consisting of very attractive people), the costume design does help insure that she is to be a main focus to the audience eye.
* IronLady: Always a zero-nonsense boss, her commanding style doesn't get softer when she's promoted.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:she only accepts half of the money she's owed as a partner because she knows she can't win against [=McCann=].]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She can be very cold and intimidating, and lack of professionalism and respect can make her downright scary, but the moments when she consoles or advices someone make it shine through that, underneath the icy exterior, she's actually a very nice person. Specifically, her relationships with Lane and Peggy (even if it didn't start out that way) bring out the best in her.
* LadyInRed: Red ([[RedheadInGreen along with green]]) is one of her colors, and she is one of the sexiest and powerful women on the show.
* MeaningfulName: According to this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNGs4IW8ruo video]]her last name "Holloway" can refer to how hollow her ambitions towards the house with a big yard and marriage to Greg and making her way with her beauty are; on the other hand, her first name can be alluded to the strong, courageous, independent Joan of Arc which fits her true nature.
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: Was raised with this mindset by her mother who "raised me to be admired" and only begins to subvert this trope in the Second Season when she's being consulted for non-secretarial tasks and sees how capable she is along with being excited by her job.
* MsFanservice: She usually wears form-fitting clothing with intent to be admired.
* MyBelovedSmother: Joan's mom, though she's more along the lines of simply meddling, since she really seems to want to be there for Joan and has her best interests at heart.
* NoAccountingForTaste: Has two ex-husbands, one is a whiny, selfish rapist and the other can best be referred to as a NoodleIncident. She's dated KnowNothingKnowItAll Kinsey, immature Roger, and the self-centered Richard.
* NonPromotion: To Director of Agency Operations, a meaningless title during the struggling beginnings of SCDP.
* OldMaid: Part of her story. In Season 2, Joan gets humiliated when Paul Kinsey copied her driver's license and highlighted her birthdate and stuck it on the breakroom board, revealing that she's 31 and single. She gets engaged to her {{Jerkass}} fiancé and goes through with the wedding even afer [[spoiler:he raped her]], and later after getting divorced, Bob Benson chides her for not accepting his [[TheBeard proposal of marriage]] due to her approaching the age of 40 with a young son and a mother in an apartment; she refuses since she is more willing to marry again for love. In a word, she still wants that Nuclear Family model, but not if it's going to be a sham marriage.
* OddFriendship: With Lane.
** She argues and bonds with Peggy.
** Develops a friendship with Pete, odd given that [[spoiler: he sold her out to Herb Rennett, who wanted to sleep with her]].
* RapeAsDrama: Joan's fiancé Greg is introduced [[spoiler:by raping her on the floor of Don's office. She says no and even attempts to fight him off, but he doesn't care.]]
%%* RealWomenHaveCurves: [[HeadTurningBeauty And how]]!
* RedheadedHero: Grew into this as the series progresses, as the audience sees her move away from just being the Office Hottie to being someone who's journey they can identify with.
* ResentfulGuardian: Played for drama. A man dumps Joan when she reveals she's the mother of a toddler; later, she is sarcastically or sincerely contemplating leaving her child to gallivant with her boyfriend.
--> '''Joan:''' You're ruining my life! ''(directly to babysitter and indirectly to Kevin)''\\
-->'''Kevin:''' I love you, Mommy.
-->''(Joan cries outside her door)''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:Joan finally quits [=McCann=], fed up with all the sexism.]]
* SecretKeeper: In "Chinese Wall" -- and for other secrets a long time beforehand -- Joan for Roger.
* ServileSnarker: She's willing to make fun of her superiors.
* SexForServices: Prostitutes herself for the sake of SCDP with a client at the suggestion of Pete and with the approval of the partners, excluding Don, getting a partnership in return.
* SexySecretary: Probably this generation's TropeCodifier.
* SexySpectacles: She used to wear glasses only at home, but now that she's become a partner, she openly wears them at meetings.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Starts out wanting a prosperous and handsome husband who'll take her to live in the suburbs and after her divorce, she states she'll wait forever for a man that loves her.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Depending on her mood and her opinion of the person she's talking to, Joan can either be very nice or very rude.
* TookALevelInBadass: Finally standing up to her husband, then [[spoiler:kicking him to the curb in season 5]].
--> "You're not a good man. You never were. [[MaritalRapeLicense And you know what I'm talking about]]."
* {{Tsundere}}: This is apparently the reason Don never made a move on her; she's gorgeous and fun, but terrifying.
* UngratefulBastard: Joan might be this, especially during the few times Peggy and Don have stood up for her one way or another. Peggy, when she fired Joey for being a misogynistic bully towards her, and Don when he finally told Herb how disgusting he is. Then in 7A, she along with Peggy and Bert are very antagonistic to Don due to things done to the agency (the loss of Jaguar, Tobacco, and Ted as a boyfriend), while the latter two more or less have forgave Don, she wanted to see him ousted from the agency and this lasts into half of next season.
* YourCheatingHeart: Joan cheats on Greg with Roger, but it borders on SympatheticAdulterer given that her relationship with her husband is very troubled.
* SeventiesHair: Her updos gradually looked for wavy and looser, albeit in elaborate styles.
* AlphaBitch: Sometimes acts this way toward the other women in the secretarial pool, though she is not without her sympathetic traits or humanizing moments. Helps that there are some men that don't ogle her: [[ChivalrousPervert Don]] admits to being scared of her at first and [[StiffUpperLip Lane]] only develops a crush on her after knowing her.
* BadassBureaucrat: She eventually gets placed in charge of managing SCDP's finances. She's also the kind of person you do not want to get on the bad side of.
* BerserkButton:
** When she finds out that her husband voluntarily re-upped for another tour of duty in Vietnam, she's not happy.
** She also really hates sexual harassment. In Season 7B, [[spoiler:she quits [=McCann=] after being repeatedly harassed.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from men and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
* BreakTheHaughty: Initially the queen bitch of the office, much of the first three years are devoted to knocking her down a peg, in both her personal and professional lives.
* CareerVersusMan: Although she's peerlessly good at her job, she explicitly is in the market for a husband and only plans to work until she finds one. She's given a promotion in season four, but it comes with no acknowledged power or prestige. After she marries Greg, she's expected to leave SCDP and she's heartbroken over it. Following her divorce, she strikes a deal with Pete that nets her a non-silent partnership with 5% stake in SCDP. She turns down a chance to be a TrophyWife to StraightGay Bob Benson for a chance at real love, and in the end, [[spoiler:after dating an older man who wants to "spoil" her and dumps her when she refuses to leave her career behind, starts her own production company]].
* ConsummateProfessional: Possibly the most professional of all the people in the office. She will NOT put up with shenanigans if she has anything to say about it.
* DiscoDan: A realistic version. Not as bad as Don, but she carries on the early 1960s Cocktail Bombshell look well into 1967, she eventually updates her look to look hipper but retains that Pinup model look well into 1970. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that she is a woman who looks to TheFifties as her best decade, where she came of age and developed a style that suited her body.
* TheDreaded: Not only the other secretaries are intimidated by her, but also the men who are —in theory— her superiors. Don Draper was advised in his first week at the agency that she's the one person he shouldn't cross.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: At the end of the series, she went from a head secretary who placed marriage and appealing to the MaleGaze as her top priorities to a Junior Executive/Partner/Accounts Woman after divorcing Greg, in all while she lost the romances in she had in the series...she gets the child and [[spoiler:starts her own production company]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Her roommate in Season 1 propositions her. [[KickTheDog Joan pressures her into sleeping with a man in retaliation.]]
* FamilyVersusCareer: She's gotten what she's always wanted, a doctor husband, a baby, a nice little apartment in the city... and the fifth season opener shows her impatient to come back to work because she values it and because she's valued. Roger's joke advertisement of SCDP as an equal opportunity employer inspires her to walk back into the office and start demonstrating her competence in a bid to save her job. Then [[spoiler:she starts a production company with her mother (Holloway-Harris) with a schedule that allows her to both run a company and bond with her young son]].
* TheFashionista: Doesn't have the usual slender build yet shows off a more office-oriented pinup style that's combined with the artistry of Chanel, though her outfits are designed to flatter her body and get attention from men.
* FieryRedhead: {{Averted}}. She loses her temper only a few times and isn't any more fiery than the non-redheads on the show, preferring to use TranquilFury or to insult a person, and keeps her temper ''too'' tightly controlled.
* FreudianExcuse: After 4 seasons of Joan looking down at Peggy for not using her feminine wiles and of Joan herself caring very much of how attractive men regard her and of taking a traditional path in life even after she was raped by her fiancee; we meet her mother, who does flirt, get competitive with her daughter, and preach a traditionally wifely role for her daughter to follow.
---> My Mother raised me to be admired.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: Even after dumping Greg, she maintains a separation from him for her son's sake, then she throws a loud tantrum in reception when she was served divorce papers though this is more out of wounded pride and anger that Greg (who raped her and treated her like an idiot) gets to maintain the high ground.
* GlamorousSingleMother: {{Subverted}}. She may look the part, but it's not easy raising a baby on her own. Then later it's harder for her go out dating when she has a young son, especially with many a man that's gun shy about dealing with children again.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Nope. Joan has had at least two abortion in the past, and considers having another when [[spoiler:she becomes pregnant with Roger's child in season 4]]. Then again, it's debatable whether she counts as a "good girl" by the social standards of either the setting or of contemporary audiences.
* HeadTurningBeauty: Most of the male cast can't stop staring at her.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Men want her, but this is played with because Men don't know how to treat her like a full human individual rather than a sex object. As the series goes on, she is a RedheadedHero as the second-pioneering woman in the ad business.
* HiddenDepths: Plays the accordion, and with her stint working for Harry proves herself to have a great deal of business acumen. Also, through most of the first three seasons, almost no one seems to realize that she's running the office.
* HypercompetentSidekick: She starts off relatively low-ranking, but it eventually becomes clear that she's the one holding the agency together.
* InformedAttractiveness: As with Don, it is simply understood by all characters on the show that she is the hottest person in any room she's in (despite the cast consisting of very attractive people), the costume design does help insure that she is to be a main focus to the audience eye.
* IronLady: Always a zero-nonsense boss, her commanding style doesn't get softer when she's promoted.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:she only accepts half of the money she's owed as a partner because she knows she can't win against [=McCann=].]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She can be very cold and intimidating, and lack of professionalism and respect can make her downright scary, but the moments when she consoles or advices someone make it shine through that, underneath the icy exterior, she's actually a very nice person. Specifically, her relationships with Lane and Peggy (even if it didn't start out that way) bring out the best in her.
* LadyInRed: Red ([[RedheadInGreen along with green]]) is one of her colors, and she is one of the sexiest and powerful women on the show.
* MeaningfulName: According to this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNGs4IW8ruo video]]her last name "Holloway" can refer to how hollow her ambitions towards the house with a big yard and marriage to Greg and making her way with her beauty are; on the other hand, her first name can be alluded to the strong, courageous, independent Joan of Arc which fits her true nature.
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: Was raised with this mindset by her mother who "raised me to be admired" and only begins to subvert this trope in the Second Season when she's being consulted for non-secretarial tasks and sees how capable she is along with being excited by her job.
* MsFanservice: She usually wears form-fitting clothing with intent to be admired.
* MyBelovedSmother: Joan's mom, though she's more along the lines of simply meddling, since she really seems to want to be there for Joan and has her best interests at heart.
* NoAccountingForTaste: Has two ex-husbands, one is a whiny, selfish rapist and the other can best be referred to as a NoodleIncident. She's dated KnowNothingKnowItAll Kinsey, immature Roger, and the self-centered Richard.
* NonPromotion: To Director of Agency Operations, a meaningless title during the struggling beginnings of SCDP.
* OldMaid: Part of her story. In Season 2, Joan gets humiliated when Paul Kinsey copied her driver's license and highlighted her birthdate and stuck it on the breakroom board, revealing that she's 31 and single. She gets engaged to her {{Jerkass}} fiancé and goes through with the wedding even afer [[spoiler:he raped her]], and later after getting divorced, Bob Benson chides her for not accepting his [[TheBeard proposal of marriage]] due to her approaching the age of 40 with a young son and a mother in an apartment; she refuses since she is more willing to marry again for love. In a word, she still wants that Nuclear Family model, but not if it's going to be a sham marriage.
* OddFriendship: With Lane.
** She argues and bonds with Peggy.
** Develops a friendship with Pete, odd given that [[spoiler: he sold her out to Herb Rennett, who wanted to sleep with her]].
* RapeAsDrama: Joan's fiancé Greg is introduced [[spoiler:by raping her on the floor of Don's office. She says no and even attempts to fight him off, but he doesn't care.]]
%%* RealWomenHaveCurves: [[HeadTurningBeauty And how]]!
* RedheadedHero: Grew into this as the series progresses, as the audience sees her move away from just being the Office Hottie to being someone who's journey they can identify with.
* ResentfulGuardian: Played for drama. A man dumps Joan when she reveals she's the mother of a toddler; later, she is sarcastically or sincerely contemplating leaving her child to gallivant with her boyfriend.
--> '''Joan:''' You're ruining my life! ''(directly to babysitter and indirectly to Kevin)''\\
-->'''Kevin:''' I love you, Mommy.
-->''(Joan cries outside her door)''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:Joan finally quits [=McCann=], fed up with all the sexism.]]
* SecretKeeper: In "Chinese Wall" -- and for other secrets a long time beforehand -- Joan for Roger.
* ServileSnarker: She's willing to make fun of her superiors.
* SexForServices: Prostitutes herself for the sake of SCDP with a client at the suggestion of Pete and with the approval of the partners, excluding Don, getting a partnership in return.
* SexySecretary: Probably this generation's TropeCodifier.
* SexySpectacles: She used to wear glasses only at home, but now that she's become a partner, she openly wears them at meetings.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Starts out wanting a prosperous and handsome husband who'll take her to live in the suburbs and after her divorce, she states she'll wait forever for a man that loves her.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Depending on her mood and her opinion of the person she's talking to, Joan can either be very nice or very rude.
* TookALevelInBadass: Finally standing up to her husband, then [[spoiler:kicking him to the curb in season 5]].
--> "You're not a good man. You never were. [[MaritalRapeLicense And you know what I'm talking about]]."
* {{Tsundere}}: This is apparently the reason Don never made a move on her; she's gorgeous and fun, but terrifying.
* UngratefulBastard: Joan might be this, especially during the few times Peggy and Don have stood up for her one way or another. Peggy, when she fired Joey for being a misogynistic bully towards her, and Don when he finally told Herb how disgusting he is. Then in 7A, she along with Peggy and Bert are very antagonistic to Don due to things done to the agency (the loss of Jaguar, Tobacco, and Ted as a boyfriend), while the latter two more or less have forgave Don, she wanted to see him ousted from the agency and this lasts into half of next season.
* YourCheatingHeart: Joan cheats on Greg with Roger, but it borders on SympatheticAdulterer given that her relationship with her husband is very troubled.
to:
* FiftiesHair:
*
*
* BadassBureaucrat: She eventually gets placed in charge of managing SCDP's finances. She's also the kind of person you do not want to get on the bad side of.
* BerserkButton:
** When she finds out that her husband voluntarily re-upped for another tour of duty in Vietnam, she's not happy.
** She also really hates sexual harassment. In Season 7B, [[spoiler:she quits [=McCann=] after being repeatedly harassed.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from men and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
* BreakTheHaughty: Initially the queen bitch of the office, much of the first three years are devoted to knocking her down a peg, in both her personal and professional lives.
* CareerVersusMan: Although she's peerlessly good at her job, she explicitly is in the market for a husband and only plans to work until she finds one. She's
* ConsummateProfessional: Possibly the most professional of all the people in the office. She will NOT put up with shenanigans if she has anything to say about it.
* DiscoDan: A realistic version. Not as bad as Don, but she carries on the early 1960s Cocktail Bombshell look well into 1967, she eventually updates her look to look hipper but retains that Pinup model look well into 1970. This is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] in that she is a woman who looks to TheFifties as her best decade, where she came of age and developed a style that suited her body.
* TheDreaded: Not only the other secretaries are intimidated by her, but also the men who are —in theory— her superiors. Don Draper was advised in his first week at the agency that she's the one person he shouldn't cross.
* EarnYourHappyEnding: At the end of the series, she went from a head secretary who placed marriage and appealing to the MaleGaze as her top priorities to a Junior Executive/Partner/Accounts Woman after divorcing Greg, in all while she lost the romances in she had in the series...she gets the child and [[spoiler:starts her own production company]].
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Her roommate in Season 1 propositions her. [[KickTheDog Joan pressures her into sleeping with a man in retaliation.]]
* FamilyVersusCareer: She's gotten what she's always wanted, a doctor husband, a baby, a nice little apartment in the city...
*
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the
*
*
---> My Mother raised me to be admired.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: Even after dumping Greg, she maintains a separation from him for her son's sake, then she throws a loud tantrum in reception when she was served divorce papers though this is more out of wounded pride and anger that Greg (who raped her and treated her like an idiot) gets to maintain the high ground.
* GlamorousSingleMother: {{Subverted}}. She may look the part, but it's not easy raising a baby on her own. Then later it's harder for her go out dating when she has a young son, especially with many a man that's gun shy about dealing with children again.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Nope. Joan has had
* HeadTurningBeauty: Most of the male cast can't stop staring at her.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Men want her, but this is played with because Men don't
* HiddenDepths: Plays the accordion,
* HypercompetentSidekick: She starts off relatively low-ranking, but it eventually becomes clear that she's the one holding the agency together.
* InformedAttractiveness: As with Don, it is simply understood by all characters on the show that she is the hottest person in any room she's in (despite the cast consisting of very attractive people), the costume design does help insure that she is to be a main focus to the audience eye.
* IronLady: Always a zero-nonsense boss, her commanding style doesn't get softer when she's promoted.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:she only accepts half of the money she's owed as a partner because she knows she can't win against [=McCann=].]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She can be very cold and intimidating, and lack of professionalism and respect can make her downright scary, but the moments when she consoles or advices someone make it shine through that, underneath the icy exterior, she's actually a very nice person. Specifically, her relationships with Lane and Peggy (even if it didn't start out that way) bring out the best in her.
* LadyInRed: Red ([[RedheadInGreen along with green]]) is one of her colors, and she is one of the sexiest and powerful women on the show.
* MeaningfulName: According to this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNGs4IW8ruo video]]her last name "Holloway" can refer to how hollow her ambitions towards the house with a big yard and marriage to Greg and making her way with her beauty are; on the other hand, her first name can be alluded to the strong, courageous, independent Joan of Arc which fits her true nature.
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: Was raised with this mindset by her mother who "raised me to be admired" and only begins to subvert
*
* MyBelovedSmother: Joan's mom, though she's more along the lines of simply meddling, since she really seems to want to be there for Joan and has her best interests at heart.
* NoAccountingForTaste: Has two ex-husbands, one is a whiny, selfish rapist and the other can best be referred to as a NoodleIncident. She's dated KnowNothingKnowItAll Kinsey, immature Roger, and the self-centered Richard.
* NonPromotion: To Director of Agency Operations, a meaningless title during the struggling beginnings of SCDP.
* OldMaid: Part of her story.
* OddFriendship: With Lane.
** She argues and bonds with Peggy.
** Develops a friendship with Pete, odd given that [[spoiler: he sold her out to Herb Rennett, who wanted to sleep with her]].
* RapeAsDrama: Joan's fiancé Greg is introduced [[spoiler:by raping her on the floor of Don's office. She says no and even attempts to fight him off, but he doesn't care.]]
%%* RealWomenHaveCurves: [[HeadTurningBeauty And how]]!
* RedheadedHero: Grew into this as the series progresses, as the audience sees her move away from just being the Office Hottie to being someone who's journey they can identify with.
* ResentfulGuardian: Played for drama. A man dumps Joan when she reveals she's the mother of a toddler; later, she is sarcastically or sincerely contemplating leaving her child to gallivant with her boyfriend.
--> '''Joan:''' You're ruining my life! ''(directly to babysitter and indirectly to Kevin)''\\
-->'''Kevin:''' I love you, Mommy.
-->''(Joan cries outside her door)''
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In "Lost Horizon", [[spoiler:Joan finally quits [=McCann=], fed up with all the sexism.]]
* SecretKeeper: In "Chinese Wall" -- and for other secrets a long time beforehand -- Joan for Roger.
* ServileSnarker: She's willing to make fun of her superiors.
* SexForServices: Prostitutes herself for the sake of SCDP with a client at the suggestion of Pete and with the approval of the partners, excluding Don, getting a partnership in return.
* SexySecretary: Probably this generation's TropeCodifier.
* SexySpectacles: She used to wear glasses only at home, but now that she's become a partner, she openly wears them at meetings.
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Starts out wanting a prosperous and handsome husband who'll take her to live in the suburbs and after her divorce, she states she'll wait forever for a man that loves her.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Depending on her mood and her opinion of the person she's talking to, Joan can either be very nice or very rude.
* TookALevelInBadass: Finally standing up to her husband, then [[spoiler:kicking him to the curb in season 5]].
--> "You're not a good man. You never were. [[MaritalRapeLicense And you know what I'm talking about]]."
* {{Tsundere}}: This is apparently the reason Don never made a move on her; she's gorgeous and fun, but terrifying.
* UngratefulBastard: Joan might be this, especially during the few times Peggy and Don have stood up for her one way or another. Peggy, when she
* YourCheatingHeart: Joan cheats on Greg with Roger, but it borders on SympatheticAdulterer given that her relationship with her husband is very troubled.
Changed line(s) 360,370 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Roger Sterling]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rogersterling_5853.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't fool yourself. This is some very dirty business."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_roger_sterling_john_slattery_mustache.jpg[[/labelnote]] Roger's appearance in Season 7b.]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JohnSlattery
-->'''Don :''' Why do we do this?
-->'''Roger: ''' For the sex, but it's always disappointing.
Partner at Sterling Cooper and then Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. A chronic drinker and womanizer, he's a bit older than Don (having served in the Pacific Theater of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), but is arguably his closest friend (or, along with Peggy, perhaps the closest thing he has to a friend). He inherited his partnership from his father, a friend of Bert Cooper's.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rogersterling_5853.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't fool yourself. This is some very dirty business."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_roger_sterling_john_slattery_mustache.jpg[[/labelnote]] Roger's appearance in Season 7b.]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JohnSlattery
-->'''Don :''' Why do we do this?
-->'''Roger: ''' For the sex, but it's always disappointing.
Partner at Sterling Cooper and then Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. A chronic drinker and womanizer, he's a bit older than Don (having served in the Pacific Theater of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), but is arguably his closest friend (or, along with Peggy, perhaps the closest thing he has to a friend). He inherited his partnership from his father, a friend of Bert Cooper's.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Don't fool yourself. This is some very dirty business."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_roger_sterling_john_slattery_mustache.jpg[[/labelnote]] Roger's appearance in Season 7b.]]
->'''Played By''':
-->'''Don :''' Why do we do this?
-->'''Roger: ''' For the sex, but it's always disappointing.
Partner at
Brought into Sterling Cooper
Changed line(s) 373,426 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative styles of that era.
* SeventiesHair: He grows out his sideburns, the top of this hair, and even adds a mustache to his look.
* TheAlcoholic: An unapologetic expert on the subject.
-->You (Don) don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drink because it's good, because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar, because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do.
* AmicableExes: Given his serial philandering it's pretty weird to see that he retains a good relationship with all his exes (Mona, Joan, Jane). Maybe his GentlemanSnarker personality is a reason.
* TheArtifact: InUniverse, Season 5 drives the point home that Roger is getting overshadowed by both Don (who is the true brains behind the agency) and Pete (who does all the leg work in getting new accounts). Roger, meanwhile, is revealed to be coasting on his family name (he ''inherited'' his position in the company).
* BadassMoustache: Grows one just before the start of Season 7B.
* BadBoss: Roger treats his employees (with the exception of Don) pretty terribly, frequently belittling them and cracking rude jokes at their expense. At least twice throughout the series he fires a valuable, hard-working employee simply because someone important wanted them gone, not even trying to put up a fight for them.
* TheBarnum: Like the rest of the cast, Roger is willing to sell just about anything.
* BerserkButton: Do not expect Roger to [[YellowPeril react rationally around the Japanese]]; he's still angry with them over Pearl Harbor.
* BreakTheHaughty: Roger's fast-living, hard drinking, womanizing lifestyle has been shown to have consequences. He's survived a heart attack -- not that it really slowed him down too much -- and he's confronting the reality that in this new agency, he might be superfluous.
* ButtMonkey: Despite his vivacious façade, he's unable to stay happy for too long. He eventually loses the Lucky Strike account, inherited from his father, and his decay is more evident and pathetic in Season 5 when he becomes a joke who stays afloat thanks to his pocket money, which he has to hand away. In Season 6, his mother passes away and he becomes estranged to his daughter.
* TheCharmer: At first, due to his extreme wit. He starts behaving more and more like a DirtyOldMan.
* CoolOldGuy: The first cast member to try LSD. Later in the series, he relates more to the hippies than to the establishment.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a snarky one-liner for virtually every occasion.
* DirtyOldMan: While he's not ''that'' old, he still fits -- particularly in the beginning of "The Long Weekend."
* DropInCharacter: An at work example. Spends at least as much time in Don's office as his own, usually just to mooch a drink.
* EruditeStoner: He's trying to become one using LSD. He later becomes a very vocal proponent of it to anyone that will listen.
* HandsomeLech: "When God closes a door, he opens a dress."
* HappilyMarried: To [[spoiler: Marie]] at the end of ''Person to Person''.
* HonoraryUncle: Takes up this role for Don's children, the fun "Uncle Roger". Also settles in this role for Joan's son Kevin, [[spoiler: actually his illegitimate son]].
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: "Psychiatry is just this year's candy pink stove." says the man in the second episode. By Season 6, he's seeing a shrink.
* JadedWashout: An unusual wealthy example. A privileged member of The Greatest Generation, Roger is a man in a permanent decline who longs for the good old days and struggles to avoid irrelevance while looking for meaning and purpose in everchanging times.
-->No more Sterling Cooper, and no more Sterlings...
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The man pays little regard to politeness. He is not without decency, but you have to look for the good parts pretty hard.
* LackOfEmpathy: Played with, it seems to be a coping mechanism. When his mother dies, he not only appears callously unaffected, he's also annoyed by his secretary genuinely mourning over his loss, but eventually Roger breaks down in tears.
* LadykillerInLove: Genuinely had affection for Joan, but mostly cared more for her body, and later [[spoiler:he hooks up with and marries Marie Calvet]].
* MayDecemberRomance: Had many relationships or hook ups with women at least a decade younger than him (Joan, Jane, twin models, a flight attendant, a group of hippie girls, etc.) before settling down with a woman closer to his age... [[spoiler:Marie]].
* MeaningfulName: "Sterling" is another word for money, and Roger is quite well-off. It's also a synonym for "silver", and he wears a lot of the color -- and is noted for his gray (i.e. silver) hair, to boot.
** IronicName: "Sterling" also refers to being a person of the highest quality, and Roger isn't a very good person much of the time.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: He indirectly ends up destroying both [[spoiler:the original Sterling-Cooper, and then later on SC&P]]; in the former case because he pushes to allow [[spoiler:a buy-out by Puttnam, Powell & Lowe]] in order to get money for his impending divorce, and in the latter case because he ends up [[spoiler:selling a controlling interesting in the company to [=McCann-Erickson=] in order to save Don]]. In both cases it has the same result: [[spoiler:[=McCann-Erickson=] absorbs the company and lays off most of the staff, after buying out PPL in the former case, and directly in the latter]].
* MostWritersAreWriters: Spent a lot of his time offscreen during the seasons working on an autobiography, or rather, making lots and lots of drunken tape recordings and having someone else write it down for him. Upon hearing that Ken is secretly a successful published author, he becomes jealous because of the lack of sales on his autobiography.
* PetTheDog: Roger is extremely passionate in arguing for Don's case against the rest of the firm's partners.
** Despite his shortcomings as a father, he is a completely doting grandfather.
* PairTheSpares: With [[spoiler:Marie, Megan's mother]] after he divorces Jane and [[spoiler:she divorces Megan's father, Emil]].
* PassThePopcorn: His reaction to [[spoiler:Lane challenging Pete to a fistfight]]:
--> "I know that cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one who wants to see this?"
* PointyHairedBoss: The times he has to do actual management over his underlings.
-->Well, I gotta go learn a bunch of people's names before I fire them.
* ReallyGetsAround: Only surpassed by Don in [[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/04/which_mad_men_characters_score_the_most_the_slate_mad_men_scorecard.html the scorecard]].
* SadClown: Underneath the jokes and playboy exterior, he is a deeply unhappy man.
* SharpDressedMan: His waistcoats stand out in an already sharp environment.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Would appear to the case, given his continued hostility towards the Japanese and underlying emotional issues.
* SilverFox: Despite having grey hair, Roger is still rather attractive and very promiscuous.
* SlouchOfVillainy: The villain part is downplayed, but his remarkable assholism is often underscored by his postures when he's using a chair or a couch.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Providing many SugarWiki/FunnyMoments.
* StepfordSnarker: Roger uses humor to deflect or cope with many unpleasant aspects of his unbalanced life.
* TookALevelInBadass: Early in "Waterloo," Cooper says that Roger has many talents, but isn't really a leader. After [[spoiler:Cooper dies]] later in the episode, Roger realizes that Cutler will now be able to easily get rid of Don (and in the longer run, will probably force him and Pete out too for being Don's main allies), he sets up a deal to [[spoiler:partly sell the agency to [=McCann Ericson=], which both secures Don's job and makes Roger the president of SC&P]]. Unfortunately, this turns into a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero the following season, when it's announced that [[spoiler:[=McCann Ericson=] are fully absorbing the agency]].
* TragicBigot: His hostility towards the Japanese is implied to be due to the traumatic things he saw in the Pacific Theater.
* TrueCompanions: By Season 7, we find out that he truly is this to Don. While they fought on several occasions beforehand and Roger signed off on Don's leave of absence at the end of Season 6 (with Don's own best interests in mind, and fully intending to bring him back once he straightened himself up), the events of "Field Trip" show him bringing Don back to the firm and arguing his case vehemently against Cutler and Joan. In "Waterloo", after [[spoiler:Bert's death]], Roger bemoans that Cutler has enough power to force Don from the firm, and opines to his friend that "I'm losing you, too".
** The events of "Waterloo" show that Roger and [[spoiler:Bert]] were these, too.
* UnconfessedUnemployment: When Lucky Strike, Roger's only account, drops SCDP (which may as well mean the death of the firm), he keeps it a secret trying to somehow control the disaster. When the truth gets out, he puts up a shameful charade trying to keep face.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: After several rejections, he ends up hiring Don after the two share plenty of drinks one night. When Don shows up the next day, Roger doesn't remember anything of it.
* YourCheatingHeart: Roger seems to be incapable of monogamy, cheating on Mona with Joan and then Jane, later marrying Jane and cheating on her with Joan again.
* SeventiesHair: He grows out his sideburns, the top of this hair, and even adds a mustache to his look.
* TheAlcoholic: An unapologetic expert on the subject.
-->You (Don) don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drink because it's good, because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar, because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do.
* AmicableExes: Given his serial philandering it's pretty weird to see that he retains a good relationship with all his exes (Mona, Joan, Jane). Maybe his GentlemanSnarker personality is a reason.
* TheArtifact: InUniverse, Season 5 drives the point home that Roger is getting overshadowed by both Don (who is the true brains behind the agency) and Pete (who does all the leg work in getting new accounts). Roger, meanwhile, is revealed to be coasting on his family name (he ''inherited'' his position in the company).
* BadassMoustache: Grows one just before the start of Season 7B.
* BadBoss: Roger treats his employees (with the exception of Don) pretty terribly, frequently belittling them and cracking rude jokes at their expense. At least twice throughout the series he fires a valuable, hard-working employee simply because someone important wanted them gone, not even trying to put up a fight for them.
* TheBarnum: Like the rest of the cast, Roger is willing to sell just about anything.
* BerserkButton: Do not expect Roger to [[YellowPeril react rationally around the Japanese]]; he's still angry with them over Pearl Harbor.
* BreakTheHaughty: Roger's fast-living, hard drinking, womanizing lifestyle has been shown to have consequences. He's survived a heart attack -- not that it really slowed him down too much -- and he's confronting the reality that in this new agency, he might be superfluous.
* ButtMonkey: Despite his vivacious façade, he's unable to stay happy for too long. He eventually loses the Lucky Strike account, inherited from his father, and his decay is more evident and pathetic in Season 5 when he becomes a joke who stays afloat thanks to his pocket money, which he has to hand away. In Season 6, his mother passes away and he becomes estranged to his daughter.
* TheCharmer: At first, due to his extreme wit. He starts behaving more and more like a DirtyOldMan.
* CoolOldGuy: The first cast member to try LSD. Later in the series, he relates more to the hippies than to the establishment.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a snarky one-liner for virtually every occasion.
* DirtyOldMan: While he's not ''that'' old, he still fits -- particularly in the beginning of "The Long Weekend."
* DropInCharacter: An at work example. Spends at least as much time in Don's office as his own, usually just to mooch a drink.
* EruditeStoner: He's trying to become one using LSD. He later becomes a very vocal proponent of it to anyone that will listen.
* HandsomeLech: "When God closes a door, he opens a dress."
* HappilyMarried: To [[spoiler: Marie]] at the end of ''Person to Person''.
* HonoraryUncle: Takes up this role for Don's children, the fun "Uncle Roger". Also settles in this role for Joan's son Kevin, [[spoiler: actually his illegitimate son]].
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: "Psychiatry is just this year's candy pink stove." says the man in the second episode. By Season 6, he's seeing a shrink.
* JadedWashout: An unusual wealthy example. A privileged member of The Greatest Generation, Roger is a man in a permanent decline who longs for the good old days and struggles to avoid irrelevance while looking for meaning and purpose in everchanging times.
-->No more Sterling Cooper, and no more Sterlings...
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The man pays little regard to politeness. He is not without decency, but you have to look for the good parts pretty hard.
* LackOfEmpathy: Played with, it seems to be a coping mechanism. When his mother dies, he not only appears callously unaffected, he's also annoyed by his secretary genuinely mourning over his loss, but eventually Roger breaks down in tears.
* LadykillerInLove: Genuinely had affection for Joan, but mostly cared more for her body, and later [[spoiler:he hooks up with and marries Marie Calvet]].
* MayDecemberRomance: Had many relationships or hook ups with women at least a decade younger than him (Joan, Jane, twin models, a flight attendant, a group of hippie girls, etc.) before settling down with a woman closer to his age... [[spoiler:Marie]].
* MeaningfulName: "Sterling" is another word for money, and Roger is quite well-off. It's also a synonym for "silver", and he wears a lot of the color -- and is noted for his gray (i.e. silver) hair, to boot.
** IronicName: "Sterling" also refers to being a person of the highest quality, and Roger isn't a very good person much of the time.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: He indirectly ends up destroying both [[spoiler:the original Sterling-Cooper, and then later on SC&P]]; in the former case because he pushes to allow [[spoiler:a buy-out by Puttnam, Powell & Lowe]] in order to get money for his impending divorce, and in the latter case because he ends up [[spoiler:selling a controlling interesting in the company to [=McCann-Erickson=] in order to save Don]]. In both cases it has the same result: [[spoiler:[=McCann-Erickson=] absorbs the company and lays off most of the staff, after buying out PPL in the former case, and directly in the latter]].
* MostWritersAreWriters: Spent a lot of his time offscreen during the seasons working on an autobiography, or rather, making lots and lots of drunken tape recordings and having someone else write it down for him. Upon hearing that Ken is secretly a successful published author, he becomes jealous because of the lack of sales on his autobiography.
* PetTheDog: Roger is extremely passionate in arguing for Don's case against the rest of the firm's partners.
** Despite his shortcomings as a father, he is a completely doting grandfather.
* PairTheSpares: With [[spoiler:Marie, Megan's mother]] after he divorces Jane and [[spoiler:she divorces Megan's father, Emil]].
* PassThePopcorn: His reaction to [[spoiler:Lane challenging Pete to a fistfight]]:
--> "I know that cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one who wants to see this?"
* PointyHairedBoss: The times he has to do actual management over his underlings.
-->Well, I gotta go learn a bunch of people's names before I fire them.
* ReallyGetsAround: Only surpassed by Don in [[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/04/which_mad_men_characters_score_the_most_the_slate_mad_men_scorecard.html the scorecard]].
* SadClown: Underneath the jokes and playboy exterior, he is a deeply unhappy man.
* SharpDressedMan: His waistcoats stand out in an already sharp environment.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Would appear to the case, given his continued hostility towards the Japanese and underlying emotional issues.
* SilverFox: Despite having grey hair, Roger is still rather attractive and very promiscuous.
* SlouchOfVillainy: The villain part is downplayed, but his remarkable assholism is often underscored by his postures when he's using a chair or a couch.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Providing many SugarWiki/FunnyMoments.
* StepfordSnarker: Roger uses humor to deflect or cope with many unpleasant aspects of his unbalanced life.
* TookALevelInBadass: Early in "Waterloo," Cooper says that Roger has many talents, but isn't really a leader. After [[spoiler:Cooper dies]] later in the episode, Roger realizes that Cutler will now be able to easily get rid of Don (and in the longer run, will probably force him and Pete out too for being Don's main allies), he sets up a deal to [[spoiler:partly sell the agency to [=McCann Ericson=], which both secures Don's job and makes Roger the president of SC&P]]. Unfortunately, this turns into a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero the following season, when it's announced that [[spoiler:[=McCann Ericson=] are fully absorbing the agency]].
* TragicBigot: His hostility towards the Japanese is implied to be due to the traumatic things he saw in the Pacific Theater.
* TrueCompanions: By Season 7, we find out that he truly is this to Don. While they fought on several occasions beforehand and Roger signed off on Don's leave of absence at the end of Season 6 (with Don's own best interests in mind, and fully intending to bring him back once he straightened himself up), the events of "Field Trip" show him bringing Don back to the firm and arguing his case vehemently against Cutler and Joan. In "Waterloo", after [[spoiler:Bert's death]], Roger bemoans that Cutler has enough power to force Don from the firm, and opines to his friend that "I'm losing you, too".
** The events of "Waterloo" show that Roger and [[spoiler:Bert]] were these, too.
* UnconfessedUnemployment: When Lucky Strike, Roger's only account, drops SCDP (which may as well mean the death of the firm), he keeps it a secret trying to somehow control the disaster. When the truth gets out, he puts up a shameful charade trying to keep face.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: After several rejections, he ends up hiring Don after the two share plenty of drinks one night. When Don shows up the next day, Roger doesn't remember anything of it.
* YourCheatingHeart: Roger seems to be incapable of monogamy, cheating on Mona with Joan and then Jane, later marrying Jane and cheating on her with Joan again.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative styles of that era.
* SeventiesHair: He grows outHas the StandardFiftiesFather look, then close cuts his sideburns, the top of this hair, and even adds a mustache then ends the series with slightly looser hair.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by hislook.
alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
*TheAlcoholic: An unapologetic expert IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on thesubject.
-->You (Don) don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drinkstreets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's good, because it feels better than unbuttoning your collar, because we deserve it. We drink because it's what men do.
* AmicableExes: Given his serial philandering it's pretty weirdclearly done to see show that he retains Duck is not a good relationship with all nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when hisexes (Mona, Joan, Jane). Maybe his GentlemanSnarker personality is a reason.
* TheArtifact: InUniverse, Season 5 drivescontact at the point home that Roger airline is getting overshadowed by both Don (who is the true brains behind the agency) and Pete (who does all the leg work in getting new accounts). Roger, meanwhile, is revealed to be coasting on his family name (he ''inherited'' his position in the company).
* BadassMoustache: Grows one justfired right before the start scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice ofSeason 7B.a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
*BadBoss: Roger treats VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his employees (with the exception of Don) pretty terribly, frequently belittling them and cracking rude jokes time at their expense. At least twice throughout the series he fires a valuable, hard-working employee simply because someone important wanted them gone, not Sterling Cooper. It gets even trying to put up a fight for them.
* TheBarnum: Likeworse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the rest of wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan to use the cast, Roger is willing merger to sell just about anything.
* BerserkButton: Do not expect Roger to [[YellowPeril react rationally around the Japanese]]; he's still angry with them over Pearl Harbor.
* BreakTheHaughty: Roger's fast-living, hard drinking, womanizing lifestyle has been shown to have consequences. He's survived a heart attack -- not that it really slowed him down too much -- and he's confronting the reality that in this new agency, he might be superfluous.
* ButtMonkey: Despite his vivacious façade, he's unable to stay happy for too long. He eventually loses the Lucky Strike account, inherited from his father, and his decay is more evident and patheticbecome company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 5 4, when he becomes a joke who stays afloat thanks to his pocket money, which he has to hand away. In Season 6, his mother passes away and he becomes estranged to his daughter.
* TheCharmer: At first, due to his extreme wit. He starts behaving more and more like a DirtyOldMan.
* CoolOldGuy: The first cast member to try LSD. Later indrunkenly disrupts the series, he relates more to Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the hippies than to the establishment.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a snarky one-liner for virtually every occasion.
* DirtyOldMan: While he's not ''that'' old, he still fits -- particularly in the beginning of "The Long Weekend."
* DropInCharacter: An at work example. Spends at least as much time in Don'sSCDP office as his own, usually just to mooch take a drink.
* EruditeStoner: He's trying to become one using LSD. He later becomes a very vocal proponent of it to anyone that will listen.
* HandsomeLech: "When God closes a door, he opens a dress."
* HappilyMarried: To [[spoiler: Marie]] at the end of ''Person to Person''.
* HonoraryUncle: Takes up this role for Don's children, the fun "Uncle Roger". Also settles in this role for Joan's son Kevin, [[spoiler: actually his illegitimate son]].
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: "Psychiatry is just this year's candy pink stove." says the man in the second episode. By Season 6, he's seeing a shrink.
* JadedWashout: An unusual wealthy example. A privileged member of The Greatest Generation, Roger is a man in a permanent decline who longs for the good old days and struggles to avoid irrelevance while looking for meaning and purpose in everchanging times.
-->No more Sterling Cooper, and no more Sterlings...
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The man pays little regard to politeness. He is not without decency, but you have to look for the good parts pretty hard.
* LackOfEmpathy: Played with, it seems to be a coping mechanism. When his mother dies, he not only appears callously unaffected, he's also annoyed by his secretary genuinely mourning over his loss, but eventually Roger breaks down in tears.
* LadykillerInLove: Genuinely had affection for Joan, but mostly cared more for her body, and later [[spoiler:he hooks up with and marries Marie Calvet]].
* MayDecemberRomance: Had many relationships or hook ups with women at least a decade younger than him (Joan, Jane, twin models, a flight attendant, a group of hippie girls, etc.) before settling down with a woman closer to his age... [[spoiler:Marie]].
* MeaningfulName: "Sterling" is another word for money, and Roger is quite well-off. It's also a synonym for "silver", and he wears a lot of the color -- and is noted for his gray (i.e. silver) hair, to boot.
** IronicName: "Sterling" also refers to being a person of the highest quality, and Roger isn't a very good person much of the time.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: He indirectly ends up destroying both [[spoiler:the original Sterling-Cooper, and then later on SC&P]]; in the former case because he pushes to allow [[spoiler:a buy-out by Puttnam, Powell & Lowe]] in order to get money for his impending divorce, and in the latter case because he ends up [[spoiler:selling a controlling interesting in the company to [=McCann-Erickson=] in order to save Don]]. In both cases it has the same result: [[spoiler:[=McCann-Erickson=] absorbs the company and lays off most of the staff, after buying out PPL in the former case, and directly in the latter]].
* MostWritersAreWriters: Spent a lot of his time offscreen during the seasons working on an autobiography, or rather, making lots and lots of drunken tape recordings and having someone else write it down for him. Upon hearing that Ken is secretly a successful published author, he becomes jealous because of the lack of sales on his autobiography.
* PetTheDog: Roger is extremely passionate in arguing for Don's case against the rest of the firm's partners.
** Despite his shortcomings as a father, he is a completely doting grandfather.
* PairTheSpares: With [[spoiler:Marie, Megan's mother]] after he divorces Jane and [[spoiler:she divorces Megan's father, Emil]].
* PassThePopcorn: His reaction to [[spoiler:Lane challenging Pete to a fistfight]]:
--> "I know that cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one who wants to see this?"
* PointyHairedBoss: The times he has to do actual management over his underlings.
-->Well, I gotta go learn a bunch of people's names before I fire them.
* ReallyGetsAround: Only surpassed by Don in [[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/04/which_mad_men_characters_score_the_most_the_slate_mad_men_scorecard.html the scorecard]].
* SadClown: Underneath the jokes and playboy exterior, he is a deeply unhappy man.
* SharpDressedMan: His waistcoats stand out in an already sharp environment.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Would appear to the case, given his continued hostility towards the Japanese and underlying emotional issues.
* SilverFox: Despite having grey hair, Roger is still rather attractive and very promiscuous.
* SlouchOfVillainy: The villain part is downplayed, but his remarkable assholism is often underscored by his postures when he's using a chair or a couch.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Providing many SugarWiki/FunnyMoments.
* StepfordSnarker: Roger uses humor to deflect or cope with many unpleasant aspects of his unbalanced life.
* TookALevelInBadass: Early in "Waterloo," Cooper says that Roger has many talents, but isn't really a leader. After [[spoiler:Cooper dies]] later in the episode, Roger realizes that Cutler will now be able to easily get rid of Don (and in the longer run, will probably force him and Pete out too for being Don's main allies), he sets up a deal to [[spoiler:partly sell the agency to [=McCann Ericson=], which both secures Don's job and makes Roger the president of SC&P]]. Unfortunately, this turns into a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero the following season, when it's announced that [[spoiler:[=McCann Ericson=] are fully absorbing the agency]].
* TragicBigot: His hostility towards the Japanese is implied to be due to the traumatic things he saw in the Pacific Theater.
* TrueCompanions: By Season 7, we find out that he truly is this to Don. While they fought on several occasions beforehand and Roger signed offcrap on Don's leave of absence at the end of Season 6 (with Don's own best interests in mind, and fully intending to bring chair (where Peggy finds him back once he straightened himself up), the events of "Field Trip" show him bringing Don back to the firm and arguing his case vehemently against Cutler and Joan. In "Waterloo", after [[spoiler:Bert's death]], Roger bemoans that Cutler has enough power to force Don from the firm, and opines to his friend that "I'm losing you, too".
** The events of "Waterloo" show that Roger and [[spoiler:Bert]] were these, too.
* UnconfessedUnemployment: When Lucky Strike,he almost does it in Roger's only account, drops SCDP (which may as well mean the death of the firm), he keeps it a secret trying to somehow control the disaster. When the truth gets out, he puts up a shameful charade trying to keep face.
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: After several rejections, he ends up hiring Don after the two share plenty of drinks one night. When Don shows up the next day, Roger doesn't remember anything of it.
* YourCheatingHeart: Rogeroffice by mistake). He seems to be incapable of monogamy, cheating on Mona with Joan have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he andthen Jane, later marrying Jane and cheating Don were initially on her with Joan again.much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.
* SeventiesHair: He grows out
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
*
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the
-->You (Don) don't know how to drink. Your whole generation, you drink for the wrong reasons. My generation, we drink
* AmicableExes: Given his serial philandering it's pretty weird
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his
* TheArtifact: InUniverse, Season 5 drives
* BadassMoustache: Grows one just
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
*
* TheBarnum: Like
* BerserkButton: Do not expect Roger to [[YellowPeril react rationally around the Japanese]]; he's still angry with them over Pearl Harbor.
* BreakTheHaughty: Roger's fast-living, hard drinking, womanizing lifestyle has been shown to have consequences. He's survived a heart attack -- not that it really slowed him down too much -- and he's confronting the reality that in this new agency, he might be superfluous.
* ButtMonkey: Despite his vivacious façade, he's unable to stay happy for too long. He eventually loses the Lucky Strike account, inherited from his father, and his decay is more evident and pathetic
* TheCharmer: At first, due to his extreme wit. He starts behaving more and more like a DirtyOldMan.
* CoolOldGuy: The first cast member to try LSD. Later in
* DeadpanSnarker: Has a snarky one-liner for virtually every occasion.
* DirtyOldMan: While he's not ''that'' old, he still fits -- particularly in the beginning of "The Long Weekend."
* DropInCharacter: An at work example. Spends at least as much time in Don's
* EruditeStoner: He's trying to become one using LSD. He later becomes a very vocal proponent of it to anyone that will listen.
* HandsomeLech: "When God closes a door, he opens a dress."
* HappilyMarried: To [[spoiler: Marie]] at the end of ''Person to Person''.
* HonoraryUncle: Takes up this role for Don's children, the fun "Uncle Roger". Also settles in this role for Joan's son Kevin, [[spoiler: actually his illegitimate son]].
* ItWillNeverCatchOn: "Psychiatry is just this year's candy pink stove." says the man in the second episode. By Season 6, he's seeing a shrink.
* JadedWashout: An unusual wealthy example. A privileged member of The Greatest Generation, Roger is a man in a permanent decline who longs for the good old days and struggles to avoid irrelevance while looking for meaning and purpose in everchanging times.
-->No more Sterling Cooper, and no more Sterlings...
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The man pays little regard to politeness. He is not without decency, but you have to look for the good parts pretty hard.
* LackOfEmpathy: Played with, it seems to be a coping mechanism. When his mother dies, he not only appears callously unaffected, he's also annoyed by his secretary genuinely mourning over his loss, but eventually Roger breaks down in tears.
* LadykillerInLove: Genuinely had affection for Joan, but mostly cared more for her body, and later [[spoiler:he hooks up with and marries Marie Calvet]].
* MayDecemberRomance: Had many relationships or hook ups with women at least a decade younger than him (Joan, Jane, twin models, a flight attendant, a group of hippie girls, etc.) before settling down with a woman closer to his age... [[spoiler:Marie]].
* MeaningfulName: "Sterling" is another word for money, and Roger is quite well-off. It's also a synonym for "silver", and he wears a lot of the color -- and is noted for his gray (i.e. silver) hair, to boot.
** IronicName: "Sterling" also refers to being a person of the highest quality, and Roger isn't a very good person much of the time.
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: He indirectly ends up destroying both [[spoiler:the original Sterling-Cooper, and then later on SC&P]]; in the former case because he pushes to allow [[spoiler:a buy-out by Puttnam, Powell & Lowe]] in order to get money for his impending divorce, and in the latter case because he ends up [[spoiler:selling a controlling interesting in the company to [=McCann-Erickson=] in order to save Don]]. In both cases it has the same result: [[spoiler:[=McCann-Erickson=] absorbs the company and lays off most of the staff, after buying out PPL in the former case, and directly in the latter]].
* MostWritersAreWriters: Spent a lot of his time offscreen during the seasons working on an autobiography, or rather, making lots and lots of drunken tape recordings and having someone else write it down for him. Upon hearing that Ken is secretly a successful published author, he becomes jealous because of the lack of sales on his autobiography.
* PetTheDog: Roger is extremely passionate in arguing for Don's case against the rest of the firm's partners.
** Despite his shortcomings as a father, he is a completely doting grandfather.
* PairTheSpares: With [[spoiler:Marie, Megan's mother]] after he divorces Jane and [[spoiler:she divorces Megan's father, Emil]].
* PassThePopcorn: His reaction to [[spoiler:Lane challenging Pete to a fistfight]]:
--> "I know that cooler heads should prevail, but am I the only one who wants to see this?"
* PointyHairedBoss: The times he has to do actual management over his underlings.
-->Well, I gotta go learn a bunch of people's names before I fire them.
* ReallyGetsAround: Only surpassed by Don in [[http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2013/04/which_mad_men_characters_score_the_most_the_slate_mad_men_scorecard.html the scorecard]].
* SadClown: Underneath the jokes and playboy exterior, he is a deeply unhappy man.
* SharpDressedMan: His waistcoats stand out in an already sharp environment.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Would appear to the case, given his continued hostility towards the Japanese and underlying emotional issues.
* SilverFox: Despite having grey hair, Roger is still rather attractive and very promiscuous.
* SlouchOfVillainy: The villain part is downplayed, but his remarkable assholism is often underscored by his postures when he's using a chair or a couch.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Providing many SugarWiki/FunnyMoments.
* StepfordSnarker: Roger uses humor to deflect or cope with many unpleasant aspects of his unbalanced life.
* TookALevelInBadass: Early in "Waterloo," Cooper says that Roger has many talents, but isn't really a leader. After [[spoiler:Cooper dies]] later in the episode, Roger realizes that Cutler will now be able to easily get rid of Don (and in the longer run, will probably force him and Pete out too for being Don's main allies), he sets up a deal to [[spoiler:partly sell the agency to [=McCann Ericson=], which both secures Don's job and makes Roger the president of SC&P]]. Unfortunately, this turns into a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero the following season, when it's announced that [[spoiler:[=McCann Ericson=] are fully absorbing the agency]].
* TragicBigot: His hostility towards the Japanese is implied to be due to the traumatic things he saw in the Pacific Theater.
* TrueCompanions: By Season 7, we find out that he truly is this to Don. While they fought on several occasions beforehand and Roger signed off
** The events of "Waterloo" show that Roger and [[spoiler:Bert]] were these, too.
* UnconfessedUnemployment: When Lucky Strike,
* WhatDidIDoLastNight: After several rejections, he ends up hiring Don after the two share plenty of drinks one night. When Don shows up the next day, Roger doesn't remember anything of it.
* YourCheatingHeart: Roger
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and
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[[folder:Harry Crane]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry-001_6954.png]]
->'''Played By''': Rich Sommer
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my key demographic."''
A media buyer at Sterling Cooper notable chiefly because everyone tends to overlook his existence, he eventually gets the agency into the television game, becoming Head of Television. He skips to SCDP to do the same job, where he finally has the resources to be effective... and somehow manages to end up even more of a schlemiel and a milquetoast (despite his good work).
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harry-001_6954.png]]
->'''Played By''': Rich Sommer
->''"Oooh, a Negro homosexual, Canadian sexpot, and unaccompanied redhead. This may be my key demographic."''
A media buyer at Sterling Cooper notable chiefly because everyone tends to overlook his existence, he eventually gets the agency into the television game, becoming Head of Television. He skips to SCDP to do the same job, where he finally has the resources to be effective... and somehow manages to end up even more of a schlemiel and a milquetoast (despite his good work).
to:
[[quoteright:184:https://static.
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
->''"Oooh,
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a
A media buyer at Sterling Cooper notable chiefly because everyone tends to overlook his existence, he eventually gets
Changed line(s) 439,462 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off looking like a nerd from that era with slicked hair.
* SeventiesHair: Throughout the 60s he starts experimenting with the Peacock and Mod fashions of the era, even growing out his hair and ends the series with a very full hairdo with long side burns.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions, he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do to Megan reek of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday, and in "Tea Leaves" he talks about how good Charlton Heston looks naked. On the other hand, he's definitely had drunken one-night stands with women (his wife exiles him to the couch for it), so it's fairly likely he has ''some'' natural inclination towards women.
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and doesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the importance of television. He was also a photographer in college.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity to make millions.]]
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines in the first half of the 1960s to a black and angular thick-framed variety post-Season 4.
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because a great man who brought hope to millions died, but because the media coverage of his death is preempting programs in which SCDP's commercials were supposed to air, costing the agency money. Pete, of all people, calls Harry out on his insensitive behavior.
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the show and was wracked with regret, but by the later seasons he was shamelessly using his TV connections to have sex with any women in eyeshot.
* SeventiesHair: Throughout the 60s he starts experimenting with the Peacock and Mod fashions of the era, even growing out his hair and ends the series with a very full hairdo with long side burns.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions, he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do to Megan reek of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday, and in "Tea Leaves" he talks about how good Charlton Heston looks naked. On the other hand, he's definitely had drunken one-night stands with women (his wife exiles him to the couch for it), so it's fairly likely he has ''some'' natural inclination towards women.
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and doesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the importance of television. He was also a photographer in college.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity to make millions.]]
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines in the first half of the 1960s to a black and angular thick-framed variety post-Season 4.
* SkewedPriorities: He is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because a great man who brought hope to millions died, but because the media coverage of his death is preempting programs in which SCDP's commercials were supposed to air, costing the agency money. Pete, of all people, calls Harry out on his insensitive behavior.
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the show and was wracked with regret, but by the later seasons he was shamelessly using his TV connections to have sex with any women in eyeshot.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off looking TheAlcoholic: Joan in Season One makes a snarky remark about his drinking habits after he expresses amazement at Peggy's wordplay ("Wouldn't you like a nerd from to put that era with slicked hair.
* SeventiesHair: Throughoutin a drink") and Season Two shows that his drinking led to him performing Mozart by unzipping his fly out in the 60s he starts experimenting with steno pool and peeing his pants during a meeting. This leads to him getting fired and becoming freelance.
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be thePeacock butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older andMod fashions of the era, even growing out more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his hair wife and ends the series with a very full hairdo with long side burns.
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions,stands for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's talked about how a different character is "queer". His crass jokes about what he'd do to Megan reek of HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday, and awful in "Tea Leaves" bed, he talks about how good Charlton Heston looks naked. On the other hand, he's definitely had drunken one-night stands with women (his wife exiles him to the couch for it), so it's fairly likely he has ''some'' natural inclination towards women.
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, anddoesn't seem to have their connections. He is ahead of his time on the importance of television. He was also a photographer in college.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity tomake millions.]]
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines indegrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first half of the 1960s to a black notice Peggy's talent for words, and angular thick-framed variety post-Season 4.
* SkewedPriorities: Hehe is upset at learning of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death not because a great man who brought hope to millions died, but because the media coverage of more involved with his death is preempting programs family affairs all in which SCDP's commercials were supposed contrast to air, costing the agency money. men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, of all people, calls Harry out on his insensitive behavior.
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the showand was wracked with regret, but by the later seasons he was shamelessly using his TV connections to have sex with any women in eyeshot.Harry.
* SeventiesHair: Throughout
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and
* AmbiguouslyBi: Harry Crane gives off vibes of this. On at least two separate occasions,
** And then there's Joey's reaction to Harry's attempts to befriend him by telling him he could get him on Peyton Place:
-->'''Joey:''' "Everyplace I've worked, there's always some old fairy who comes on to me, but that was the weirdest by far."
* ButtMonkey: Very often.
* CasanovaWannabe: '''SO''' hard. In a series where EverybodyHasLotsOfSex, he's the guy who never, ever, manages it on his own merits. After his drunken, regretted one-night-stand in season 1, the only time we see him get any, [[spoiler:it was being used on him as a bargaining chip by Lakshmi to get him to back off from helping Paul.]]
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In the first two seasons, he was completely devoted to his wife, being legitimately repentant that he had a drunken one-night stand and cheated on her. In the more recent seasons, he TookALevelInJerkass and is an outright braggart over how often he cheats on his wife.
* TheChewToy: To the point where [[spoiler:Harry missing his chance at becoming a partner at the moment where being one would have made him a millionaire is played for laughs.]]
** [[HumiliationConga And then]] in the following episode, [[spoiler:he loses even more money in a messy divorce.]]
* DemotedToExtra: Despite still being technically a regular character in the second half of Season 7, his role is reduced to the point where he gets barely any more focus than the various secretaries. Even in the series finale, the only thing he gets to do is go to a farewell lunch with Pete.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Harry constantly complains that he's passed over for a partnership, despite being indispensable to the firm. Heavily {{Lampshade}}d in the episode ''A Tale of Two Cities'', where he understands exactly how Hollywood works while Don and Roger are fish out of water -- but Don and Roger are convinced that all their errors are the fault of the people in California, not their unwillingness to listen to Harry.
** By season seven, he has given up on trying to earn respect and becomes a DeadpanSnarker who has no problem with calling out his bosses for ignoring the media department until it bites them in the behind.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even Pete and Cutler can barely stand Harry and his smarminess.
* HappilyMarried: For the longest time, he fits this trope best out of the married men in the office -- he did cheat on his wife once, but it was a drunken one-night stand, he clearly regretted it immediately, and he must have told her, because it's doubtful she could have found out any other way. He was temporarily ExiledToTheCouch for it and then forgiven (between seasons). She also has a job of her own and he often takes her advice on work matters. Subverted in Season 4, where he is seen flirting with a model, and in Season 5 it is revealed that he has become unhappy with his marriage and cheats on his wife once more. In "Waterloo", he mentions that his wife is considering divorcing him.
* HiddenDepths: He's clearly succeeded despite having fewer advantages than Pete or Ken -- he didn't go to an Ivy League school, for instance, and
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Helps Kinsey out when Kinsey is at his lowest.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Harry spends the latter seasons trying desperately to assert himself as a pivotal member company, eventually chasing after a position as Partner. When he finally gets an offer, he dicks around trying to play hardball with the negotiations. [[spoiler:Naturally, at the halfway point of Season 7, he waits too long to sign the contract and misses an opportunity to
* NerdGlasses: Transitions in style from rounded browlines in
* SkewedPriorities: He
** It's hinted that he had this as early as Season 3. Following JFK's death, Pete notes to Trudy that Harry was, of all things, checking his data to see what programs wouldn't be aired as a result.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the beginning of the show he was one of the nicest guys in the office, but after his Television department takes off at SCDP, he starts to suffer from a massively inflated ego, not to mention becoming far more overtly sexist. By series' end, nearly ever major character seems to openly loathe him.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Helped Kinsey out even though no one, not even Kinsey, would ever know the full extent of the help.
* YourCheatingHeart: He had a one-night-stand early in the show
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[[folder:Ken Cosgrove]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kencosgrove_3125.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AaronStaton
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont and a major rival of Pete's, coming in as an account executive at about the same time as him. They eventually come to a truce.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kencosgrove_3125.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_ken_cosgrove_eye_patch.jpg[[/labelnote]] Ken's appearance starting from "The Quality of Mercy".]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AaronStaton
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont and a major rival of Pete's, coming in as an account executive at about the same time as him. They eventually come to a truce.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I wanna stand and salute that."'']]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see]]https://static.
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
->''"Title"? I'm Ken!...Cosgrove...[[SatelliteCharacter Accounts.]]''
[[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague Columbia]]-educated WASP from Vermont
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and
Changed line(s) 478,503 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: This is especially noticeable in the first three seasons; it loosens up into the late 60s "Dry Look" over time.
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster and inappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy and treats her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife and Peggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any of the office politics.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's the target of envy from Pete, Harry, and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and later shooting him on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of some rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking with a cane and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks to a hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls it quits]] and hands the account to Pete.
* CharacterDevelopment: Actually done rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
* HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
* HiddenDepths: For all his bluster and inappropriate behavior, he respects Peggy and treats her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5 reveals he's published over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife and Peggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.
* MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn to be jealous.
* NiceGuy: Ken has a few obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken seems to be the only character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any of the other deep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy in Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughout the early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]
to:
* FiftiesHair: This is especially noticeable in SeventiesHair: By the first three seasons; it loosens up into the late 60s "Dry Look" over time.
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with anyend of the office politics.
series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
*AlwaysSomeoneBetter: AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He'sthe target of envy from Pete, Harry, always been tall and Paul.
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash andbuilt, but later shooting him put on a hunting trip -- enough to make him give the Chevy account to Pete.
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy ofsome rowdy executives of General Motors. A car accident leaves him walking weight with a cane visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and shortly after he needs an eyepatch thanks he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed toa hunting accident. Then he [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere calls have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it quits]] hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin andhands the account to Pete.
Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment:Actually done He goes from being chauvinistic and rather subtly, but Ken's has steadily changed over the course full of the series. In the early series, he was a bit of a {{Jerkass}} Womanizer who had no problem taking advantage of the office politics. After settling down and getting married, Ken mellowed out, becoming faithful to his wife and transitioned himself, to being an all around nice guy. By latter seasons, Ken is the only member of the office able to balance his work understanding and personal life.
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescendingcaring towards the females he's hitting on. He treats Peggy with respect and tries ([[HopelessSuitor unsuccessfully]]) to court Jane before he finally gets engaged and remains faithful to his wife.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.co-workers, especially Peggy.
*HappilyMarried: To [[Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack Alex Mack]].
DeadpanSnarker
*HiddenDepths: For all his bluster [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and inappropriate behavior, he respects as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego andtreats her relatively equally much faster than any of the other characters in his generation.
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he'spublished over 20 science fiction and fantasy stories under a pseudonym, something he's mildly embarrassed about but that both his wife and Peggy seem genuinely impressed by. When Roger finds out, he's less impressed, giving Ken a tongue lashing for dividing his focus.constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
*MostWritersAreWriters: During season one, he fiddled around TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with getting some of his writings published, much to the jealous fury of Pete. When it turns out a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's succeeding, it's Roger's turn in love with]] who tends to be jealous.
get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
*NiceGuy: Ken TookALevelInKindness: While he still has a few some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious moments in early seasons, but eventually becomes the most decent, likable, and honest person in the office.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Kenfratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to be have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been theonly character whose work has never been affected by a secret personal life, blatant narcissism, excessive drinking, platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the inability to keep his pants on, spinelessness, or any end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each otherdeep character flaws everyone else seems to have.
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggyin Season 5.
* TheReliableOne: Throughoutthe early seasons, the senior staff actually favored Ken over Pete Campbell. He doesn't advance like others because of his refusal to get involved in any of the office politics.
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]series finale]].
* TheAce: He can dance and write, in addition to being a good salesman.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In response to Roger's pirate crack when wearing the eye patch [[spoiler:after being accidentally shot by a couple of GM executives]], he says he'd laugh if he didn't hurt so much.
* AlmightyJanitor: Roger offers to promote Ken to partner in exchange for Ken getting his father-in-law to sign on as an account. Ken turns him down because he does not want to get involved with any
*
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's
* BreakTheCutie: The Chevy execs drive him crazy, involving him in a car crash and
* ButtMonkey: In Season 6, courtesy of
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment:
* ChivalrousPervert: In the early seasons, he's every bit the womanizer that his peers are, but unlike them, Ken is never shown to be manipulative or condescending
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Oh, poor Sal.
* EyeScream: He loses an eye to [[RecklessGunUsage a hunting accident]] in Season 6.
** EyepatchOfPower: His attempt to cover it up does make Ken look more distinctive.
* TheGenericGuy[=/=]SatelliteCharacter: Ken seems to exist primarily to act as a foil for other characters. Paul Kinsey and Pete Campbell are jealous of Ken's literary ability, Sal Romano is attracted to him, and Ken's refusal to mix SCDP business with his personal life in Season 4 serves to contrast with most of the other account men at SCDP. Early in season 1, Ken was also a Charismatic Womanizer while Harry was a stiff who kowtowed to his wife. In later seasons, Ken is now HappilyMarried while Harry callously cheats on his wife.
*
*
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and
** It was already known that Ken had written and published one story, but Season 5
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's
*
*
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In season 4, Ken quits his position at [=McCann=] when he's approached by the Partners to start working for SCDP. This ultimately comes back to bite him in Season 7 where [[spoiler:after [=McCann=] buys out SC&P, [=McCann=] makes it his first priority to fire Ken for previously quitting. The real kicker is [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately Roger doesn't even try to fight for his job.]]]]
* OnlySaneEmployee: So far, Ken
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Peggy
* TheReliableOne: Throughout
* TookALevelInJerkass: In "Time Zones", the stress from managing virtually every account in SC&P's New York office has done a number on Ken's temper.
** Though these are mostly restricted to times when he is under extreme duress. He seems more apologetic to Joan for his irritability later, and he's genuinely pleased to see Don in "Field Trips". He specifically notes how much the carousel in Central Park reminds him of Don, serving as a heartwarming CallBack to Don's speech way back in Season 1's "The Wheel" (which would've occurred almost a decade a go, in-universe).
* TranquilFury: In Season 7's "Severance," [[spoiler:in response to getting fired by Roger and [=McCann=], Ken takes over his father-in-law's position at Dow Chemicals and then tells Roger and Pete calmly that they will be needing to please ''him'' now.]]
** [[spoiler:After stringing them along for a few months, Ken gleefully fired them when doing so would kibosh SC&P's attempt to move to California and maintain autonomy from [=McCann=].]]
Changed line(s) 506,512 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Bert Cooper]]
[[quoteright:182:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bert-Cooper-001_8642.png]]
[[caption-width-right:182:''"Mr. Campbell, who cares?"'']]
->'''Played By''': Robert Morse
Senior partner in Sterling Cooper and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, known for his fondness for Japonica, the Republican Party, Creator/AynRand, and other eccentricities. Has known Roger Sterling from childhood.
[[quoteright:182:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bert-Cooper-001_8642.png]]
[[caption-width-right:182:''"Mr. Campbell, who cares?"'']]
->'''Played By''': Robert Morse
Senior partner in Sterling Cooper and Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, known for his fondness for Japonica, the Republican Party, Creator/AynRand, and other eccentricities. Has known Roger Sterling from childhood.
to:
[[quoteright:182:https://static.
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.
Senior partner in Sterling Cooper
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and
Changed line(s) 515,537 (click to see context) from:
* AGoodWayToDie: [[spoiler:Bert dies in awe and wonder watching the moon landing, and is mourned deeply by his coworkers. Don has the vision of [[TheCastShowOff Bert singing "The Best Things In Life Are Free"]] and actually gets teary-eyed.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: He's willing to resort to blackmail and Roger (half-seriously) claims that Bert had his old doctor killed for performing an unnecessary surgery which cost Bert his balls.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Bert is obsessed with Japan and Ayn Rand. He's also an excellent businessman who's kept Sterling Cooper afloat since its founding and has the respect of just about everyone there.
* CastingGag: Robert Morse's first big role was in the 1961 [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sendup of the business world]] ''Film/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying''.
* TheCastShowoff: Bert gets a musical number in "Waterloo", giving Robert Morse a chance to show off his pipes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He certainly acts like one, although he has demonstrated an uncanny talent for being cleverer than his fellows give him credit for.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As shown with his verbal smackdown of Pete in the season 1 finale, as well as Roger's theory that Bert had a doctor who gave him an unnecessary orchiectomy killed. He is also the only character to have gotten away with blackmailing Don, and Don never even ''tries'' to retaliate.
* DirtyOldMan: He has a copy of the woodcut The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife on the wall of his office.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:While ecstatically watching humanity's first steps on the moon.]]
* DoesNotLikeShoes: And extended to others; removing your shoes in his office is a must.
* EccentricMillionaire: Bert's strangeness is matched only by his wealth.
* ForeignCultureFetish[=/=]OccidentalOtaku: As mentioned above, he has a fondness for Japonica. His office at SC was done at least partially in tatami and had ''shoji'' partitions. Also, the office is decked out in ''ukiyo-e'' prints, and he demanded that everyone who entered said office take off their shoes.
%% * GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Dies right after watching the Apollo 11 landing.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: He votes against firing Don from the company in "Waterloo", but when Roger talks with him later, Bert admits that Don is more of a liability now than anything. When Roger asks why he didn't join Cutler in voting Don out, Bert says that he has to be loyal to a member of his team.
* TheMan: Until they sell the firm. As the last living founder of Sterling Cooper[[note]]The "Sterling" in the agency name is Roger's late father[[/note]], Bert has the final say.
* [[ObfuscatingStupidity Obfuscating Senility]]: It's been pointed out in the commentaries that his bizarre insistence that everyone take off their shoes before entering his office is actually a power move.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 4. He had already entered a state of semi-retirement at the end of Season 2 and he doesn't even have an office in SCDP's building (he hangs out in the lobby instead). His role in Season 4 mostly consists of making snarky comments to passersby. Lampshaded and subverted in Season 5's "Far Away Places", where Don is stunned when he learns that Bert has become involved in SCDP business once more.
* PetTheDog: As amoral as he is, he still is outraged when he learns that Pete tried to get Joan to engage in prostitution. Even after he and the other partners vote that it's okay if Joan's okay with it, he tells Pete that if Joan changes her mind, he can't force her to do it.
* SatanicArchetype: Bert isn't literally the Devil, but his Satanic appearance isn't by accident. Nor is it by accident that it is Cooper who blackmails Don into signing his [[DealWithTheDevil contract]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Don denounces tobacco in a full-page ad, an outraged Bert leaves the company. He comes back almost immediately, though.
* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:After Bert dies, Don has hallucinations where Bert's spirit gives him advice.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His relationship with Don becomes increasingly strained as the series progresses. Initially, Don looks up to Bert as a MentorArchetype. Likewise, Bert values Don as the agency's ace-in-the-hole, often treating him as a protege of sorts. This changes as Don's behavior becomes more destructive and Bert begins to view him as a liability. By the time of Bert's death, he is openly opposed to Don working for the company, referring to him as a "pain in the ass", and only holding off on backing Jim's attempts to fire Don and seize his shareholding in the business on the grounds that Jim had exceeded his authority by trying to do so without consulting the other partners.
* WorthyOpponent: He admits that, while Jim Cutler is not "on [his] team", he has vision and leadership skills that Roger lacks.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: He's willing to resort to blackmail and Roger (half-seriously) claims that Bert had his old doctor killed for performing an unnecessary surgery which cost Bert his balls.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Bert is obsessed with Japan and Ayn Rand. He's also an excellent businessman who's kept Sterling Cooper afloat since its founding and has the respect of just about everyone there.
* CastingGag: Robert Morse's first big role was in the 1961 [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sendup of the business world]] ''Film/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying''.
* TheCastShowoff: Bert gets a musical number in "Waterloo", giving Robert Morse a chance to show off his pipes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He certainly acts like one, although he has demonstrated an uncanny talent for being cleverer than his fellows give him credit for.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As shown with his verbal smackdown of Pete in the season 1 finale, as well as Roger's theory that Bert had a doctor who gave him an unnecessary orchiectomy killed. He is also the only character to have gotten away with blackmailing Don, and Don never even ''tries'' to retaliate.
* DirtyOldMan: He has a copy of the woodcut The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife on the wall of his office.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:While ecstatically watching humanity's first steps on the moon.]]
* DoesNotLikeShoes: And extended to others; removing your shoes in his office is a must.
* EccentricMillionaire: Bert's strangeness is matched only by his wealth.
* ForeignCultureFetish[=/=]OccidentalOtaku: As mentioned above, he has a fondness for Japonica. His office at SC was done at least partially in tatami and had ''shoji'' partitions. Also, the office is decked out in ''ukiyo-e'' prints, and he demanded that everyone who entered said office take off their shoes.
%% * GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Dies right after watching the Apollo 11 landing.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: He votes against firing Don from the company in "Waterloo", but when Roger talks with him later, Bert admits that Don is more of a liability now than anything. When Roger asks why he didn't join Cutler in voting Don out, Bert says that he has to be loyal to a member of his team.
* TheMan: Until they sell the firm. As the last living founder of Sterling Cooper[[note]]The "Sterling" in the agency name is Roger's late father[[/note]], Bert has the final say.
* [[ObfuscatingStupidity Obfuscating Senility]]: It's been pointed out in the commentaries that his bizarre insistence that everyone take off their shoes before entering his office is actually a power move.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 4. He had already entered a state of semi-retirement at the end of Season 2 and he doesn't even have an office in SCDP's building (he hangs out in the lobby instead). His role in Season 4 mostly consists of making snarky comments to passersby. Lampshaded and subverted in Season 5's "Far Away Places", where Don is stunned when he learns that Bert has become involved in SCDP business once more.
* PetTheDog: As amoral as he is, he still is outraged when he learns that Pete tried to get Joan to engage in prostitution. Even after he and the other partners vote that it's okay if Joan's okay with it, he tells Pete that if Joan changes her mind, he can't force her to do it.
* SatanicArchetype: Bert isn't literally the Devil, but his Satanic appearance isn't by accident. Nor is it by accident that it is Cooper who blackmails Don into signing his [[DealWithTheDevil contract]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Don denounces tobacco in a full-page ad, an outraged Bert leaves the company. He comes back almost immediately, though.
* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:After Bert dies, Don has hallucinations where Bert's spirit gives him advice.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His relationship with Don becomes increasingly strained as the series progresses. Initially, Don looks up to Bert as a MentorArchetype. Likewise, Bert values Don as the agency's ace-in-the-hole, often treating him as a protege of sorts. This changes as Don's behavior becomes more destructive and Bert begins to view him as a liability. By the time of Bert's death, he is openly opposed to Don working for the company, referring to him as a "pain in the ass", and only holding off on backing Jim's attempts to fire Don and seize his shareholding in the business on the grounds that Jim had exceeded his authority by trying to do so without consulting the other partners.
* WorthyOpponent: He admits that, while Jim Cutler is not "on [his] team", he has vision and leadership skills that Roger lacks.
to:
* AGoodWayToDie: [[spoiler:Bert dies in awe and wonder watching the moon landing, and CareerVersusMan: She is mourned deeply by his coworkers. Don has the vision of [[TheCastShowOff Bert singing "The Best Things In Life Are Free"]] and actually gets teary-eyed.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: He's willing to resort to blackmail and Roger (half-seriously) claims that Bert had his old doctor killed for performing an unnecessary surgery which cost Bert his balls.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Bert is obsessed with Japan and Ayn Rand. He's also an excellent businessman who's kept Sterling Cooper afloat since its founding and has the respect of just about everyone there.
* CastingGag: Robert Morse's first big role was in the 1961 [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sendup of thestrictly a business world]] ''Film/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying''.
* TheCastShowoff: Bert gets a musical number in "Waterloo", giving Robert Morse a chance to show off his pipes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He certainly acts like one, although hewoman. She has demonstrated an uncanny talent for being cleverer than his fellows give him credit for.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As shown with his verbal smackdown of Peteno real interest in the season 1 finale, as well as Roger's theory raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that Bert had a doctor who gave him an unnecessary orchiectomy killed. He is also the only character to have gotten away with blackmailing Don, and Don never even ''tries'' to retaliate.
she's deeply self-conscious about.
*DirtyOldMan: He has a copy of the woodcut The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife on the wall of his office.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:While ecstatically watching humanity's first steps on the moon.]]
* DoesNotLikeShoes: And extended to others; removing your shoes in his office is a must.
* EccentricMillionaire: Bert's strangeness is matched only by his wealth.
* ForeignCultureFetish[=/=]OccidentalOtaku: As mentioned above, he has a fondness for Japonica. His office at SC was done at least partially in tatami and had ''shoji'' partitions. Also, the office is decked out in ''ukiyo-e'' prints, and he demanded that everyone who entered said office take off their shoes.
%% * GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Dies right after watching the Apollo 11 landing.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: He votes against firing Don from the company in "Waterloo", but when Roger talks with him later, Bert admits that Don is more of a liability now than anything. When Roger asks why he didn't join Cutler in voting Don out, Bert says that heConflictingLoyalty: She has to be loyal to a member of his team.
* TheMan: Until they sellbuild the firm. As the last living founder of Sterling Cooper[[note]]The "Sterling" in the agency name is Roger's late father[[/note]], Bert has the final say.
* [[ObfuscatingStupidity Obfuscating Senility]]: It's been pointed out in the commentaries that his bizarre insistence that everyone take off their shoes before entering his office is actually a power move.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 4. He had already entered a state of semi-retirement at the end of Season 2proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and he doesn't even have an office in SCDP's building (he hangs out in the lobby instead). His role in Season 4 mostly consists of making snarky comments to passersby. Lampshaded and subverted in Season 5's "Far Away Places", where Don is stunned when he learns that Bert has become involved in SCDP business once more.
* PetTheDog: As amoral as he is, he still is outraged when he learns that Pete tried to get Joan to engage in prostitution. Even after he and the other partners vote that it's okay if Joan's okay with it, he tells Pete that if Joan changes her mind, he can't force her to do it.
* SatanicArchetype: Bert isn't literally the Devil,remain professional, but his Satanic appearance isn't by accident. Nor is it by accident that it is Cooper who blackmails Don into signing his [[DealWithTheDevil contract]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Don denounces tobacco in a full-page ad, an outraged Bert leaves the company. He comes back almost immediately, though.
* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:After Bert dies, Don has hallucinations where Bert's spirit gives him advice.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His relationship with Don becomes increasingly strained as the series progresses. Initially, Don looks up to Bert as a MentorArchetype. Likewise, Bert values Don as the agency's ace-in-the-hole, often treating him as a protege of sorts. This changes asDon's behavior becomes more destructive irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty andBert begins Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to view him as a liability. By perform the time hardwork of Bert's death, self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he is openly wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed toDon working for the company, referring to him as force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a"pain in the ass", and spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you onlyholding off on backing Jim's attempts to fire Don and seize his shareholding in like the business on the grounds that Jim had exceeded his authority by trying to do so without consulting the other partners.
* WorthyOpponent: He admits that, while Jim Cutler is not "on [his] team", he has vision and leadership skills that Roger lacks.beginning of things.
* AmbiguouslyEvil: He's willing to resort to blackmail and Roger (half-seriously) claims that Bert had his old doctor killed for performing an unnecessary surgery which cost Bert his balls.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Bert is obsessed with Japan and Ayn Rand. He's also an excellent businessman who's kept Sterling Cooper afloat since its founding and has the respect of just about everyone there.
* CastingGag: Robert Morse's first big role was in the 1961 [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sendup of the
* TheCastShowoff: Bert gets a musical number in "Waterloo", giving Robert Morse a chance to show off his pipes.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He certainly acts like one, although he
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: As shown with his verbal smackdown of Pete
*
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler:While ecstatically watching humanity's first steps on the moon.]]
* DoesNotLikeShoes: And extended to others; removing your shoes in his office is a must.
* EccentricMillionaire: Bert's strangeness is matched only by his wealth.
* ForeignCultureFetish[=/=]OccidentalOtaku: As mentioned above, he has a fondness for Japonica. His office at SC was done at least partially in tatami and had ''shoji'' partitions. Also, the office is decked out in ''ukiyo-e'' prints, and he demanded that everyone who entered said office take off their shoes.
%% * GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Dies right after watching the Apollo 11 landing.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: He votes against firing Don from the company in "Waterloo", but when Roger talks with him later, Bert admits that Don is more of a liability now than anything. When Roger asks why he didn't join Cutler in voting Don out, Bert says that he
* TheMan: Until they sell
* [[ObfuscatingStupidity Obfuscating Senility]]: It's been pointed out in the commentaries that his bizarre insistence that everyone take off their shoes before entering his office is actually a power move.
* OutOfFocus: In Season 4. He had already entered a state of semi-retirement at the end of Season 2
* PetTheDog: As amoral as he is, he still is outraged when he learns that Pete tried to get Joan to engage in prostitution. Even after he and the other partners vote that it's okay if Joan's okay with it, he tells Pete that if Joan changes her mind, he can't force her to do it.
* SatanicArchetype: Bert isn't literally the Devil,
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When Don denounces tobacco in a full-page ad, an outraged Bert leaves the company. He comes back almost immediately, though.
* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:After Bert dies, Don has hallucinations where Bert's spirit gives him advice.]]
* WeUsedToBeFriends: His relationship with Don becomes increasingly strained as the series progresses. Initially, Don looks up to Bert as a MentorArchetype. Likewise, Bert values Don as the agency's ace-in-the-hole, often treating him as a protege of sorts. This changes as
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a
-->I hope she knows you only
* WorthyOpponent: He admits that, while Jim Cutler is not "on [his] team", he has vision and leadership skills that Roger lacks.
Changed line(s) 540,548 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Lane Pryce]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lanepryce_8522.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Well, gentlemen, I suppose you're fired."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JaredHarris
->''"My entire life -- every time someone's asked me what I wanted, I've never told them the truth."''
Introduced in Season 3, when the British firm Putnam, Powell, & Lowe buys out Sterling Cooper. Initially presented as the unwelcome representative of the foreign overlords, it proves that PPL isn't exactly treating him well, either. In exchange for "firing" Sterling, Cooper, and Draper, he is invited to become a named partner and the chief money man at their new firm.
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lanepryce_8522.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Well, gentlemen, I suppose you're fired."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JaredHarris
->''"My entire life -- every time someone's asked me what I wanted, I've never told them the truth."''
Introduced in Season 3, when the British firm Putnam, Powell, & Lowe buys out Sterling Cooper. Initially presented as the unwelcome representative of the foreign overlords, it proves that PPL isn't exactly treating him well, either. In exchange for "firing" Sterling, Cooper, and Draper, he is invited to become a named partner and the chief money man at their new firm.
to:
[[quoteright:250:https://static.
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.
[[caption-width-right:250:''"Well, gentlemen, I suppose you're fired."'']]
->'''Played By''':
->''"My entire life -- every time someone's asked me what I wanted, I've never told them
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the
Introduced in Season 3, when the British firm Putnam, Powell, & Lowe buys out Sterling Cooper. Initially presented
Changed line(s) 551,577 (click to see context) from:
* AbusiveParents: His father STILL hits him. That is to say, clubs him to the ground and then tortures him for supposedly "abandoning" his family.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He has an attraction to Joan that he harbors for a long time. When he finally makes a pass at her she quietly makes it clear she doesn't feel the same way.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant: Initially comes off as a humorless buzzkill who PPL sent to babysit the managing partners of Sterling Cooper. He actually turns out to be a pretty good guy, until he [[spoiler:embezzles funds from SCDP to fix his tax problems.]]
* BerserkButton: When he finds out the guys' visit to a brothel scuttles a deal with Jaguar he helped negotiate, Lane goes ballistic, leading to...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "Signal 30", [[spoiler:he responds to Pete's mockery by challenging him to a fist fight. Lane kicks his ass.]]
* BritishStuffiness: He only shows emotion when he's drunk and/or very upset.
* BungledSuicide: The Jaguars are indeed lemons.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: He comes to enjoy America and get along well with Don as Season 3 and Season 4 roll on.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After battling with depression for a whole season, Lane kills himself after Don fires him for embezzlement.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: He's quite often the HypercompetentSidekick, but feels and gets unappreciated almost as often.
* FatalFlaw: Pride, and his British StiffUpperLip. Much of what happens to Lane could be avoided if only he could ask for help from the others, which he doesn't.
* HonourBeforeReason: Lane's pride is his fatal flaw. He finds asking for financial help unbecoming, as it would speak badly of his managerial skills.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To PPL as demonstrated in the Season 3 finale, when he demonstrates that he is more than capable of going out on his own, using what he's learned despite being massively unappreciated. He's also often this throughout Season 4, as he's much more on the "technician" side of TechnicianVersusPerformer.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Lane ''loves'' living in America and being a New Yorker. He makes an effort to pick up some American habits and decks out his office in New York-related tchotchkes -- including a [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Mets]] pennant (the Mets, like Lane, were new in the Big Apple, having been established in 1962). That said, he's still a proud Brit, defending Jaguar and cheering England in the 1966 World Cup.
* IntimidatingRevenueService: He owes the British government a large amount of money in back taxes, and he is so scared of Inland Revenue that [[spoiler:he embezzles from the company]] to pay them back. According to his lawyer, the British tax authorities are going after him so harshly because he paid his US taxes before he paid his UK taxes.
* MistakenForGay: The reason the Jaguar executive doesn't invite him along with Roger, Pete, and Don to the brothel.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted according to WordOfGod. Joan noticeaby wrinkles her nose when his body blocks his office door from opening.]]
* OddFriendship: With Joan.
* OnlySaneMan: Frequently clashes with Don and Roger over their more extravagant ideas and reminds them of their financial obligations.
* PlayboyBunny: He dates one -- a black one.
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: ''Deconstructed'' all over the place. While Lane does have many of these traits, he finds himself actually much more attracted to America and their forward-thinking ideals, which leads to him separating from his wife, being attacked by his father, and ultimately, [[spoiler:his suicide.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He seems to have a more even temper than the rest of the partners. When Joan is in tears, thinking they're going to replace her at the opening of season five, he comforts her and tells her that they're barely holding together without her and can't wait for her to return. Don would have been stiff and uncomfortable in the presence of a crying woman and Roger would have tried to have sex with her.
* SpotOfTea: Frequently seen with a cuppa.
* StealingFromTheTill: [[spoiler:He is driven to embezzle money from SCDP to solve his financial troubles.]]
* StiffUpperLip: A prime example, even [[spoiler:in his suicide note: it's just a boilerplate resignation letter]].
* TookALevelInBadass: At the end of season 3. Goes from being PPL's little snitch/bitch to standing up to them and basically hijacking SCDP from under their noses and again in "Signal 30" when he [[spoiler:beats down Pete for insulting him.]]
* UnconfessedUnemployment: Lane doesn't tell his wife that he's been forced to resign from SCDP after Don catches him embezzling.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He has an attraction to Joan that he harbors for a long time. When he finally makes a pass at her she quietly makes it clear she doesn't feel the same way.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant: Initially comes off as a humorless buzzkill who PPL sent to babysit the managing partners of Sterling Cooper. He actually turns out to be a pretty good guy, until he [[spoiler:embezzles funds from SCDP to fix his tax problems.]]
* BerserkButton: When he finds out the guys' visit to a brothel scuttles a deal with Jaguar he helped negotiate, Lane goes ballistic, leading to...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "Signal 30", [[spoiler:he responds to Pete's mockery by challenging him to a fist fight. Lane kicks his ass.]]
* BritishStuffiness: He only shows emotion when he's drunk and/or very upset.
* BungledSuicide: The Jaguars are indeed lemons.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: He comes to enjoy America and get along well with Don as Season 3 and Season 4 roll on.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After battling with depression for a whole season, Lane kills himself after Don fires him for embezzlement.]]
* DudeWheresMyRespect: He's quite often the HypercompetentSidekick, but feels and gets unappreciated almost as often.
* FatalFlaw: Pride, and his British StiffUpperLip. Much of what happens to Lane could be avoided if only he could ask for help from the others, which he doesn't.
* HonourBeforeReason: Lane's pride is his fatal flaw. He finds asking for financial help unbecoming, as it would speak badly of his managerial skills.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To PPL as demonstrated in the Season 3 finale, when he demonstrates that he is more than capable of going out on his own, using what he's learned despite being massively unappreciated. He's also often this throughout Season 4, as he's much more on the "technician" side of TechnicianVersusPerformer.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Lane ''loves'' living in America and being a New Yorker. He makes an effort to pick up some American habits and decks out his office in New York-related tchotchkes -- including a [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Mets]] pennant (the Mets, like Lane, were new in the Big Apple, having been established in 1962). That said, he's still a proud Brit, defending Jaguar and cheering England in the 1966 World Cup.
* IntimidatingRevenueService: He owes the British government a large amount of money in back taxes, and he is so scared of Inland Revenue that [[spoiler:he embezzles from the company]] to pay them back. According to his lawyer, the British tax authorities are going after him so harshly because he paid his US taxes before he paid his UK taxes.
* MistakenForGay: The reason the Jaguar executive doesn't invite him along with Roger, Pete, and Don to the brothel.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted according to WordOfGod. Joan noticeaby wrinkles her nose when his body blocks his office door from opening.]]
* OddFriendship: With Joan.
* OnlySaneMan: Frequently clashes with Don and Roger over their more extravagant ideas and reminds them of their financial obligations.
* PlayboyBunny: He dates one -- a black one.
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: ''Deconstructed'' all over the place. While Lane does have many of these traits, he finds himself actually much more attracted to America and their forward-thinking ideals, which leads to him separating from his wife, being attacked by his father, and ultimately, [[spoiler:his suicide.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He seems to have a more even temper than the rest of the partners. When Joan is in tears, thinking they're going to replace her at the opening of season five, he comforts her and tells her that they're barely holding together without her and can't wait for her to return. Don would have been stiff and uncomfortable in the presence of a crying woman and Roger would have tried to have sex with her.
* SpotOfTea: Frequently seen with a cuppa.
* StealingFromTheTill: [[spoiler:He is driven to embezzle money from SCDP to solve his financial troubles.]]
* StiffUpperLip: A prime example, even [[spoiler:in his suicide note: it's just a boilerplate resignation letter]].
* TookALevelInBadass: At the end of season 3. Goes from being PPL's little snitch/bitch to standing up to them and basically hijacking SCDP from under their noses and again in "Signal 30" when he [[spoiler:beats down Pete for insulting him.]]
* UnconfessedUnemployment: Lane doesn't tell his wife that he's been forced to resign from SCDP after Don catches him embezzling.
to:
* AbusiveParents: His SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her fatherSTILL hits him. That is to say, clubs a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him to of cheating on her in front of Don and at the ground and then tortures American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him for supposedly "abandoning" his family.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He has an attraction to Joan that he harbors for a long time. When he finally makes a pass at her she quietly makes it clear she doesn't feel the same way.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant: Initially comes off as a humorless buzzkill who PPL sent to babysit the managing partners of Sterling Cooper. He actually turns out to be a pretty good guy, until he [[spoiler:embezzles funds from SCDP to fix his tax problems.with Roger.]]
*BerserkButton: AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When he finds out the guys' visit her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a brothel scuttles a deal threesome with Jaguar he helped negotiate, Lane goes ballistic, leading to...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "Signal 30", [[spoiler:he responds to Pete's mockery by challenging him toDon and a fist fight. Lane kicks his ass.female friend while high.]]
*BritishStuffiness: He BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She showsemotion the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, whenhe's drunk and/or very upset.
* BungledSuicide: The Jaguars are indeed lemons.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: He comesDon uses his influence to enjoy America and get along well with Don as Season 3 and Season 4 roll on.
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After battling with depression forher cast in a whole season, Lane kills himself after Don fires him for embezzlement.commercial.]]
*DudeWheresMyRespect: He's quite often PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the HypercompetentSidekick, but feels and gets unappreciated almost as often.
* FatalFlaw: Pride, and his British StiffUpperLip. Much of what happens to Lane could be avoided if only he could ask for help from the others, which he doesn't.
* HonourBeforeReason: Lane's pride is his fatal flaw. He finds asking for financial help unbecoming, as it would speak badly of his managerial skills.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To PPL as demonstrated in the Season 3 finale, when he demonstrates that he is more than capable of going out on his own, using what he's learned despite being massively unappreciated. He's also often this throughout Season 4, as he's much more on the "technician" side of TechnicianVersusPerformer.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Lane ''loves'' living in America and being a New Yorker. He makes an effort to pick up some American habits and decks out his office in New York-related tchotchkes -- including a [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Mets]] pennant (the Mets, like Lane, were new in the Big Apple, having been established in 1962). That said, he's still a proud Brit, defending Jaguar and cheering England in the 1966 World Cup.
* IntimidatingRevenueService: He owes the British government a large amount of money in back taxes, and he is so scared of Inland Revenue that [[spoiler:he embezzles from the company]] to pay them back. According to his lawyer, the British tax authorities are goingseries after him so harshly because he paid his US taxes before he paid his UK taxes.
* MistakenForGay: The reason the Jaguar executive doesn't invite him alongshe finalizes her divorce with Roger, Pete, and Don to the brothel.
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted according to WordOfGod. Joan noticeaby wrinkles her nose when his body blocks his office door from opening.in "New Business".]]
*OddFriendship: With Joan.
* OnlySaneMan: Frequently clashes with Don and Roger over their more extravagant ideas and reminds them of their financial obligations.
* PlayboyBunny: He dates one -- a black one.
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: ''Deconstructed'' all over the place. While Lane does have many of these traits, he finds himself actually much more attractedThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to America and their forward-thinking ideals, which leads to him separating from his wife, being attacked by his father, and ultimately, [[spoiler:his suicide.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He seems to have a more even temper than the rest of the partners. When Joan is in tears, thinking they're going to replace her at the opening of season five, he comforts her and tells herunderstand that they're barely holding together without her and she can't wait for her do everything she wants to return. Don would have been stiff do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage anduncomfortable in the presence of a crying woman and Roger would have tried feels guilt about wanting to have sex with an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
*SpotOfTea: Frequently seen with a cuppa.
* StealingFromTheTill: [[spoiler:He is driven to embezzle money from SCDP to solve his financial troubles.SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
*StiffUpperLip: SexySecretary: A prime example, even [[spoiler:in his suicide note: it's coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as aboilerplate resignation letter]].
copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass:At [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the end ending of season 3. Goes from their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, beingPPL's little snitch/bitch to standing up to them cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and basically hijacking SCDP from under their noses and again in "Signal 30" when he [[spoiler:beats down Pete for insulting him.]]
* UnconfessedUnemployment: Lane doesn't tell his wife that he's been forced to resign from SCDP after Don catches him embezzling.To Hold".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He has an attraction to Joan that he harbors for a long time. When he finally makes a pass at her she quietly makes it clear she doesn't feel the same way.
* BaitAndSwitchTyrant: Initially comes off as a humorless buzzkill who PPL sent to babysit the managing partners of Sterling Cooper. He actually turns out to be a pretty good guy, until he [[spoiler:embezzles funds from SCDP to fix his tax problems.
*
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In "Signal 30", [[spoiler:he responds to Pete's mockery by challenging him to
*
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when
* BungledSuicide: The Jaguars are indeed lemons.
* [[DefrostingIceQueen Defrosting Ice King]]: He comes
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:After battling with depression for
*
* FatalFlaw: Pride, and his British StiffUpperLip. Much of what happens to Lane could be avoided if only he could ask for help from the others, which he doesn't.
* HonourBeforeReason: Lane's pride is his fatal flaw. He finds asking for financial help unbecoming, as it would speak badly of his managerial skills.
* HypercompetentSidekick: To PPL as demonstrated in the Season 3 finale, when he demonstrates that he is more than capable of going out on his own, using what he's learned despite being massively unappreciated. He's also often this throughout Season 4, as he's much more on the "technician" side of TechnicianVersusPerformer.
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Lane ''loves'' living in America and being a New Yorker. He makes an effort to pick up some American habits and decks out his office in New York-related tchotchkes -- including a [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Mets]] pennant (the Mets, like Lane, were new in the Big Apple, having been established in 1962). That said, he's still a proud Brit, defending Jaguar and cheering England in the 1966 World Cup.
* IntimidatingRevenueService: He owes the British government a large amount of money in back taxes, and he is so scared of Inland Revenue that [[spoiler:he embezzles from the company]] to pay them back. According to his lawyer, the British tax authorities are going
* MistakenForGay: The reason the Jaguar executive doesn't invite him along
* NoDeadBodyPoops: [[spoiler:Averted according to WordOfGod. Joan noticeaby wrinkles her nose when his body blocks his office door from opening.
*
* OnlySaneMan: Frequently clashes with Don and Roger over their more extravagant ideas and reminds them of their financial obligations.
* PlayboyBunny: He dates one -- a black one.
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: ''Deconstructed'' all over the place. While Lane does have many of these traits, he finds himself actually much more attracted
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He seems to have a more even temper than the rest of the partners. When Joan is in tears, thinking they're going to replace her at the opening of season five, he comforts her and tells her
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and
*
* StealingFromTheTill: [[spoiler:He is driven to embezzle money from SCDP to solve his financial troubles.
*
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a
* TookALevelInBadass:
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being
* UnconfessedUnemployment: Lane doesn't tell his wife that he's been forced to resign from SCDP after Don catches him embezzling.
Changed line(s) 580,585 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Paul Kinsey]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Paul-Kinsey-001_5907.png]]
->'''Played By''': Michael Gladis
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus He doesn't transfer to SCDP with the rest of the cast]].
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Paul-Kinsey-001_5907.png]]
->'''Played By''': Michael Gladis
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus He doesn't transfer to SCDP with the rest of the cast]].
to:
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
A wannabe Bohemian copywriter. [[PutOnABus He doesn't transfer to SCDP with
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
Changed line(s) 588,616 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a groomed look of the era, adds a goatee, and then ends up with no hair.
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facade that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: More and more as Peggy rises through the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tells him he's likely not going to get rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of things that annoy him.
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to the contrary.
** Compared to Peggy, his work as a copywriter is mediocre at best.
** His coworkers discover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired from a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry with a spec script he has written for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He is very proud of his work, calling it the best thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives in New Jersey through the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facade that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: More and more as Peggy rises through the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tells him he's likely not going to get rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has no problem making fun of things that annoy him.
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to the contrary.
** Compared to Peggy, his work as a copywriter is mediocre at best.
** His coworkers discover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.
** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired from a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harry with a spec script he has written for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He is very proud of his work, calling it the best thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' I think it was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
* GreenEyedMonster: He's jealous of Peggy's success (not that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer at Princeton, and sung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works for [=McCann=] Erickson but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives in New Jersey through the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes to see that Peggy and Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed that he went to Princeton on a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with a groomed look of the era, adds a goatee, and then ends up with no hair.
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facadeAmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women (even bluntly telling them that he's "with it" among the righteous youth.
* ButtMonkey: Morenot interested) and more as has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy rises through that the ranks.
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tellsoffice computer's data waves were making him he's "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likelynot going to get rehired post-merger due to redundancy.
an institution.]]
*DeadpanSnarker: ConspiracyTheorist: He has no problem making fun of things becomes convinced that annoy him.
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence tothe contrary.IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
** Compared to Peggy, his work as a copywriter is mediocre at best. \n ** His coworkers discover a play he has written and act it out. No one is impressed.\n ** His return, after being PutOnABus, reveals that he has been fired * GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a number of copywriter jobs at other agencies.
** He presents Harrybottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps witha spec script he has written for a ''Franchise/StarTrek'' episode. He is very proud of his work, calling it the best thing he has ever written. Harry, Peggy, and even Paul's girlfriend agree that it's terrible.
-->'''Harry:''' Ifather is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't thinkit was really hard for him.
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
*GreenEyedMonster: MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He'sjealous of Peggy's success (not convinced that he does anything about it).
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singerthe IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at Princeton, SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics andsung in their choir.
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he worksparanoia are mostly played for [=McCann=] Erickson laughs, but is fired. He then goes through a series of jobs at other agencies until he is reduced to work as an in-house copywriter for A&P. Then he loses that job as well.
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still livesin New Jersey through hindsight were clearly the early seasons (Season 2 opens at a party at his apartment in Montclair).
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He'ssymptoms of very pretentious and arrogant, though it's repeatedly made clear that he's something of a dunce and everyone eventually comes serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to see that be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggyand Smitty are more talented copywriters.
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealedto hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that he went to Princeton on [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a scholarship in season 3, implying he's from lower-class roots and he doesn't want anyone else to know.
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.Jew.]]
* BourgeoisBohemian: Grows a beard to put on the facade
* ButtMonkey: More
* TheChewToy: Is the butt of a lot of demeaning jokes. Even Lois, one of the more incompetent employees, tells
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely
*
* GiftedlyBad: Fancies himself a talented writer. The show is constantly providing evidence to
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
** He presents Harry
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with
-->'''Harry:''' I
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think
-->'''Peggy:''' Then he shouldn't be doing it.
*
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's
* HiddenDepths: Was a talented a capella singer
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and
* {{Hipster}}: Of the period's definition of the word, although to be frank he'd fit right in with today's hipsters, too.
* HumiliationConga: After he is not invited to join SCDP, he works
* {{Joisey}}: He apparently had a ''really'' thick accent before he went to Princeton. He still lives
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: He's
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy
* MoralityPet: In "Christmas Waltz", he becomes Harry's.
* MostWritersAreWriters: He tries, anyway.
* OldShame: It's revealed
* {{Pride}}: His inflated, sensitive ego makes him hard to get along with and contributes to his ButtMonkey status, but the really fatal example of this can be inferred from offscreen. When Crane asks Peggy why Kinsey was never brought on at SCDP, she responds that he never applied, suggesting that his pride was too bruised to consider that they might have given him a second shot. Contrast to Cosgrove, who was also left behind initially but made his way back to SCDP in short order.
* PutOnABus: He isn't hired by SCDP and thus leaves the cast after Season 3.
** TheBusCameBack: After being absent for the entirety of Season 4, he shows up once more in Season 5's "Christmas Waltz," where it is revealed that he has joined the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At the end of that episode, he is put more literally and permanently on a bus, to Hollywood by Harry Crane.
* ShockValueRelationship: He dates a black woman to show how "progressive" he is. It doesn't take her long to figure it out.
* SmallNameBigEgo: A fairly frail ego at that.
* SoapboxSadie: Against the destruction of Penn Station.
* SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX: In an attempt to show how progressive he is to his black girlfriend, Paul pretends he's on a first name basis with the African American elevator attendant.
* TheUnfavorite: Has very clearly become this compared to Peggy by mid-late Season 3, with Don considering him a spent force creatively and being thoroughly sick of his politics. Harry even admits privately to Pete in Season 5 that even if the [=McCann-Erickson=] buyout hadn't gone ahead, then sooner or later Don would probably have fired him anyway.
Changed line(s) 619,624 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Sal Romano]]
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sal-001_8317.png]]
->'''Played By''': Bryan Batt
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before the end of Season 3 for reasons that have to do with Sterling Cooper's main client being a huge dick.
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sal-001_8317.png]]
->'''Played By''': Bryan Batt
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before the end of Season 3 for reasons that have to do with Sterling Cooper's main client being a huge dick.
to:
[[quoteright:169:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sal-001_8317.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Head art director at Sterling Cooper, and a closeted gay man. He leaves just before the end of
An African-American secretary hired in Season
Changed line(s) 627,634 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Has a stylized, but slick and masculine look from that era.
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but has turned (most of) them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretary that we know of, and he plays this trope up for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation in the minds of his [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
* PutOnABus: In Season 3, when he's fired by SC.
* TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given the time period, and the fact that Sal is extremely careful and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but has turned (most of) them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive to at least one doe-eyed secretary that we know of, and he plays this trope up for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation in the minds of his [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
* PutOnABus: In Season 3, when he's fired by SC.
to:
* FiftiesHair: BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a stylized, very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, butslick and masculine look it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants thatera.
started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
*TheBeard: His wife, Kitty.
* ButNotTooGay: Justified givenKickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and timeperiod, and cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the fact qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" thatSal is extremely careful everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and conscientious. He's had his opportunities, but has turned (most of) them down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractiveto at least one doe-eyed secretary that we know of, and he plays this trope up for maximum cover. It probably also provides an explanation Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in theminds ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention ofhis [=WASPy=] colleagues for his slight flamboyance.
trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus:In The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season3, when he's fired by SC.7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that
*
* ButNotTooGay: Justified given
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: In a rare case of it, he's not killed off, but once Sal is outed, he gets sent his walking papers, and was never seen or mentioned again.
* {{Gayngst}}: Justified, given the period setting.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday
* LatinLover: His Italian heritage makes him automatically attractive
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of
* PutOnABus:
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season
Changed line(s) 637,642 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Herman "Duck" Phillips]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''': Mark Moses
Brought into Sterling Cooper after his DarkAndTroubledPast at the London office of Young & Rubicam[[note]]A real firm, by the way.[[/note]]. His decisions result in frequent clashes with others (especially Don), but he gets the job done. Gets a job with agency Grey[[note]]Also real.[[/note]] after PPL sells Sterling Cooper to [=McCann=] Erickson[[note]]Real again. How did you guess?[[/note]]. He eventually becomes a headhunter that many of [=SC&P=]'s staff use.
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''': Mark Moses
Brought into Sterling Cooper after his DarkAndTroubledPast at the London office of Young & Rubicam[[note]]A real firm, by the way.[[/note]]. His decisions result in frequent clashes with others (especially Don), but he gets the job done. Gets a job with agency Grey[[note]]Also real.[[/note]] after PPL sells Sterling Cooper to [=McCann=] Erickson[[note]]Real again. How did you guess?[[/note]]. He eventually becomes a headhunter that many of [=SC&P=]'s staff use.
to:
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Herman-001_613.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Brought into Sterling Cooper
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
Changed line(s) 645,664 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Has the StandardFiftiesFather look, then close cuts his hair, and then ends the series with slightly looser hair.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan to use the merger to become company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 4, when he drunkenly disrupts the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the SCDP office to take a crap on Don's chair (where Peggy finds him after he almost does it in Roger's office by mistake). He seems to have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most of the drama stems from their inability to agree on how to run the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly as good at office politics as he thinks, as Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan to use the merger to become company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 4, when he drunkenly disrupts the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the SCDP office to take a crap on Don's chair (where Peggy finds him after he almost does it in Roger's office by mistake). He seems to have got his act together again by Season 6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but he and Don were initially on much better terms. After all, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.
to:
* FiftiesHair: Has the StandardFiftiesFather look, then close cuts his hair, and then ends the series with slightly looser hair.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He,BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less, serves as this in season 2, becoming Don's ArchEnemy within Sterling Cooper. Most less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death to most of the drama stems from their inability other creatives at SC&P, but to agree on how to run business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes him the agency, working instead to outsmart and undermine each other.
perfect hire.
*DarkAndTroubledPast: His career at Y&R was ruined by his alcoholism and an affair.
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularlyTheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during his affair with Peggy.
* SmugSnake: He's not nearlythe final season, as good at office politics as he thinks, as they both want to force Don effortlessly spoils his attempt to use out of the [=PPL=] merger to make himself company president.
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.agency.
*VillainousBreakdown: Gradually becomes more stressed out over his time at Sterling Cooper. It gets even worse when he [[OffTheWagon falls off the wagon.]] This culminates in his [[spoiler:ragequitting Sterling Cooper after Don effortlessly foils his plan EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to use the merger collaborate to become company president.]] It reaches its climax in Season 4, when he drunkenly disrupts the Clio award ceremony, then breaks into the SCDP office to take a crap on undermine Don's chair (where Peggy finds him after place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because healmost does it wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest inRoger's the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his officeby mistake). looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** Heseems also very, very nearly gets Don to have got implode and lose his act together again job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season6's "The Better Half".
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but[=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and Don were initially on much better terms. moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: Afterall, it was Don who hired Duck in the first place.events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
* AppropriatedAppelation: Implied:
-->'''Duck''': Please, call me "Duck".\\
'''Don''': I was told not to call you "Duck".
* BigBad: He,
*
** He also killed seventeen men at Okinawa.
* IKnowKungFu: He can handle himself in a fight, as [[spoiler:Don]] learns in "The Suitcase".
* {{Jerkass}}: Probably the most ruthless in office politics while at Sterling Cooper, though he tries to camouflage it with a fatherly demeanor. It doesn't fool anybody.
* KickTheDog: When he lets his dog Chauncey go on the streets of New York because he's bothered by it looking at him while drinking. After the conversation with Pete earlier in the episode (where Pete says he loves having Chauncey around and wants a dog "for the office"), it's clearly done to show that Duck is not a nice person.
* MayDecemberRomance: With the decade or so younger Peggy.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He persuades Sterling Cooper to get rid of their existing regional airline client in order to bring in American Airlines, which backfires horribly when his contact at the airline is fired right before the scheduled pitch, killing the deal there and then. Roger calls him out on this when he requests to be made partner, pointing out that thanks to the mess, the company is actually ''worse'' off than they were when he was brought in.
* OffTheWagon: As we later discover.
* SmokingHotSex: Of its many practitioners on the series, none is quite as avid as Duck, particularly
* SmugSnake: He's not nearly
* StandardFiftiesFather: Divorced though he may be, this is clearly an image he's cultivated for himself.
* StartOfDarkness: While he was never that nice of a person, he was at least no worse than Don, Roger or Bert were. The combination of his attempted deal with American Airlines being sunk by misfortune, along with his wife cutting off access to his children sends him down a dark path, and he goes FromBadToWorse after Roger scornfully turns down his request to be made a partner in the company.
* TyrantTakesTheHelm: For all of a couple of minutes.
*
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season
* WeUsedToBeFriends: "Friends" is stretching it a bit, but
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After
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[[folder:Freddy Rumsen]]
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freddy-Rumsen-001_8578.png]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Murray
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a little old and behind the times, is generally open and fun-loving. He's a big supporter of Peggy, though they have their disagreements. Has had problems with alcohol, but is presently on the up-and-up.
[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Freddy-Rumsen-001_8578.png]]
->'''Played By''': Joel Murray
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a little old and behind the times, is generally open and fun-loving. He's a big supporter of Peggy, though they have their disagreements. Has had problems with alcohol, but is presently on the up-and-up.
to:
[[quoteright:174:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An avuncular copywriter who, despite being a little old
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and
Changed line(s) 675,679 (click to see context) from:
* TheAlcoholic: Joan in Season One makes a snarky remark about his drinking habits after he expresses amazement at Peggy's wordplay ("Wouldn't you like to put that in a drink") and Season Two shows that his drinking led to him performing Mozart by unzipping his fly out in the steno pool and peeing his pants during a meeting. This leads to him getting fired and becoming freelance.
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's awful in bed, he doesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first to notice Peggy's talent for words, and he is more involved with his family affairs all in contrast to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, and Harry.
* TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: In the Season 7 premiere, we find out that during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands for her honor when someone implies she's unattractive and he's awful in bed, he doesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first to notice Peggy's talent for words, and he is more involved with his family affairs all in contrast to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, and Harry.
to:
* TheAlcoholic: BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing the model plane at her; in Season One makes a snarky remark about his drinking habits after he expresses amazement at Peggy's wordplay ("Wouldn't you like to put that in a drink") 7, she tells Don off for withholding information and Season Two shows that his drinking led to him performing Mozart by unzipping his fly out joins her co-workers in the steno pool and peeing his pants during a meeting. This leads to him getting fired and becoming freelance.
their walk out.
*TheBusCameBack: In Seasons 4, 5, and 7A.
* ChewToy: Pretty much existsButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of Roger's (and Don, to a lesser extent) jokes.
* PlayingCyrano: Injokes in the Season 7 premiere, we find show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes outthat during his "leave of absence", Don gets Freddy to go into SC&P as a front to give pitches Don wrote so he can still work. Freddy [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this to Don later by calling sounding like she heard it "This Cyrano routine".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Ofsomewhere else and is hoping it fits the older and more conservative men in Sterling Cooper. He is faithfully married to his wife and stands for her honor when someone implies situation she's unattractive in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair andhe's is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don inbed, Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after hedoesn't make degrading remarks about the secretarial pool during the focus group test decides that Dawn needs to be punished for Belle Jolie lipstick, he was the first her loyalty to notice Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's talent secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board forwords, decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom andhe is Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more involved with his family affairs all in contrast to men like Roger, Don, Lane, Pete, womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy andHarry.quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
*
* ChewToy: Pretty much exists
* PlayingCyrano: In
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out
* TokenGoodTeammate: Of
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
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!SCDP New Additions
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Stan-Rizzo-001_3356.png]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jay Ferguson
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms and political grandstanding dies down as the firm nears disaster. Much of his obnoxious behavior is tolerated because he's quite good at his job.
to:
[[folder:Stan Rizzo]]
[[quoteright:184:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/57b367f5cd424e796885d80d71d0d7fa.png]]
->'''Played By''':
The new artistic director at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Seen at first as a ReplacementScrappy for Sal Romano, his cocky mannerisms
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and
Changed line(s) 693,717 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: By the end of the series he grew from a crewcut to a fuller mane and beard.
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
* AmbiguouslyJewish: He has a large poster of a man who appears to be [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Dayan Moshe Dayan]] hanging over his bed. On the other hand, his name is stereotypically Italian.
* BadassBeard: Literally and figuratively grows the beard in Season 6, underscoring his maturation into a senior creative member of SCDP.
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall and built, but later put on some weight with a visible belly along with facial hair; nobody complains and he's found sexy.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to have this for his late cousin Robbie, when the latter died in Vietnam, Stan really took it hard.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Big to Michael's Thin and Peggy's Short.
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full of himself, to being understanding and caring towards his co-workers, especially Peggy.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for her to loosen up, as this trope.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with co-workers like the irreverent and unprofessional Mathis, a few other immature copywriter guys, a stressed out Peggy who lives for work, a few bosses who've been here and there, and {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Michael Ginsberg.
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
to:
* ButtMonkey: Only a
*
* BigBeautifulMan: He's always been tall
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with
* BigBrotherInstinct: Revealed to
*
* BunnyEarsLawyer
* CasanovaWannabe
* CharacterDevelopment: He goes from being chauvinistic and rather full
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[HugeGuyTinyGirl Huge Guy]]: Portrayed by the 5'11" Ferguson, and as of "Person to Person" [[spoiler:gets together with the more petite Peggy]].
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Given the events of ''Person To Person'', one can see Stan encouraging Peggy to go to Paris with Mathis's brother-in-law in ''Severance'' just for
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Peggy would be the first to say he does have an ego and ''New Business'' reveals him to wrestle with that and a crippling insecurity about his work, one that a client is able to use for getting the upper hand on him.
* {{Jerkass}}: At first, but not so much in later seasons.
* JerkJock: At least in appearance.
* LadykillerInLove: Is a CasanovaWannabe and had some one night stands, yet is revealed to be in love with [[spoiler:Peggy]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: While high on the energy booster given to him by Cutler's doctor, he has the others try to hit a piece of paper with a picture of an apple on it that's above his head with their pens. Michael tries and ends up hitting his arm with a craft razor that was in the pen-cup. Stan responds with an "Aw Crap" that sounds more like he spilled water on himself.
* OddCouple: His officemate is Peggy. They even keep in touch after Peggy hops over to Ted Chaough's firm; later after the merger and a few breakups between them, [[spoiler:they can arguably be called an [[OfficialCouple Official Odd Couple]]]].
* OnlySaneMan: Is a Creative with
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other
* RagingStiffie: In his introductory episode, when Peggy challenges him to put his money where his mouth is and work, alongside her, in the nude.
* TheStoner: In season six, he's constantly seen smoking marijuana in the SCDP offices. He gets away with it because he claims to do better work when stoned.
* TeamDad: Became this; Michael calls him "a Mother Hen" and pretty much keeps his own wits together in the face of an alcoholic boss, a boss with a SmallNameBigEgo, a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} colleague, and a copy chief [[spoiler: he's in love with]] who tends to get nervous and is MarriedToTheJob.
* TookALevelInKindness: While he still has some very brash moments, Stan is unquestionably much more kind-hearted and noble than the loud obnoxious fratboy he started as. (Discovering pot seems to have helped.)
* UnderstandingBoyfriend: Been the platonic and non-fantasy sort for Peggy and finally [[spoiler: officially her romantic partner at the end of the series]].
* VitriolicBestBuds: Stan and Peggy settle into this relationship [[spoiler:until they declare their love for each other in the series finale]].
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[[folder:Faye Miller]]
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
[[quoteright:191:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Faye-Miller-001_7760.png]]
->'''Played By''': Cara Buono
A marketing researcher hired by SCDP, and probably the healthiest of Don's post-divorce relationships, until he screws it up.
to:
[[quoteright:191:https://static.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
A
Changed line(s) 728,735 (click to see context) from:
* CareerVersusMan: She is strictly a business woman. She has no real interest in raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over the phone, because she refuses his invitation to discuss bad news face to face.
* {{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's quite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.
to:
* CareerVersusMan: She is strictly a business woman. She has no real interest in raising a family, and is absolutely terrible at understanding and talking to children, which, given her career, is something that she's deeply self-conscious about.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to buildTheCutie: Despite taking some of the proverbial Chinese wall to insulate her clients and remain professional, but Don's irresistible charms manage to tear it down.
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her overmost hostile venting of all the phone, because secretaries, she refuses his invitation still seems to discuss bad news face to face.
maintain a rather positive tune.
*{{Foil}}: To both of Don's wives Betty and Megan. While Betty was a traditional housewife who was very harsh with her children and judgemental of others, Faye is awkward yet patient with Sally and encourages Don to perform the hardwork of self-improvement. Faye also accepts Don for all his flaws and encourages that work while Megan sees Don the way he wants TheFashionista: Later shown to be seen.
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She'squite kind and understanding, and believes in the value of kindness and understanding in dealing clotheshorse, with people as opposed to force.
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hopeseveral late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knowsyou only like more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In thebeginning Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of things.wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
* ConflictingLoyalty: She has to build
* DroppedABridgeOnHer: Don dumps her over
*
* InformedJudaism
* NiceGirl: She's
* SchiffOneLiner: Her last line is a spot-on definition of Don.
-->I hope
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows
* PutOnABus: In the
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
Changed line(s) 738,743 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Megan Calvet Draper]]
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
[[quoteright:173:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Megan-Calvet-001_7078.png]]
->'''Played By''': Jessica Paré
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids... and then ''he proposes to her''. She later joins the SCDP Creative team as a copywriter... only to leave to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
to:
[[quoteright:173:https://static.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Don's latest secretary, to whom he takes a shine quite suddenly. He cheats on Faye with her, he asks her to accompany him to California to help watch his kids...
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then
Changed line(s) 746,776 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and the advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
* BrainyBrunette: ''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said that she reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react to her version...
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear her speak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids a French song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
* TheFashionista: Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny: She's really good with kids. Don even calls her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don for a while, but it doesn't last too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it in stride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason that she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She doesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
* SexySecretary: A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
* ShesGotLegs: Long slender legs that she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
* TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
to:
* SeventiesHair: Her hair is looser and longer by the end of the series, In her first appearance (in 1969), she is even compared to Creator/BrigitteBardot and [[Film/LoveStory Ali Mac Graw]].
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general andthe advertising industry in particular. Her ''Maman'' seems much nicer and more supportive, but [[spoiler:after overhearing her husband having a suspicious phone conversation first main character with one of his students, she accuses him of cheating on her in front of Don and at the American Cancer Society reception, she cheats on him with Roger.]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to bean Afro, that she does not want to cheat on Don. [[spoiler:In Season 7, she has a threesome with Don and a female friend while high.]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turnmaintains into this when she's upset, which became very clear in "The Phantom:" After rudely dismissing her mother's advice, she pretends to help a friend and fellow actress get a part in a commercial by one of Don's clients but goes to him wanting the job for herself.
next year.
* BrainyBrunette:''Don'' thinks so at least, as he said Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades thatshe reminds him of Peggy, the resident Brainy Brunette in-chief. How true this is remains to be seen, although her idea for Heinz does seem to have worked out quite well.
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers reactfiancee wouldn't agree to her version...
working after they get married.
*EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: She's French-Canadian, and we hear DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending herspeak it once or twice, plus she teaches the Draper kids flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put aFrench song. In the opening of season 5, she throws a surprise party for Don and sings [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo "Zou Bisou Bisou"]] to him.
bell on you.
* TheFashionista:Especially in later seasons, Megan is one of Wears the most fashion-forward characters, always impeccably dressed latest in late 60s and keeps up with the trends.
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshakeearly 70s styles and Megan is incredibly nice and cool about it, instead of being a DramaQueen works them just as the Drapers had come to expect after being accustomed to Betty. Deconstructed in that it gradually becomes evident that she's not really compatible with Don, but then again, who is.
well.
*GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: She discusses this with Sylvia after she has a miscarriage, as they were both RaisedCatholic.
* MagicalNanny:{{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's really good young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy withkids. Don even calls the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her [[Film/TheSoundOfMusic Maria Von Trapp]].
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Donjob for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to awhile, but it career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn'tlast too long, as he only likes beginnings; it turns out behave that no matter how fun and sweet she is, that Don will always be an unhappy adulterer.
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one ofway towards her (female) bosses over to her apartment for dinner while Don is away and discusses the problems she and Don are having with their marriage. Her boss takes this as a cue to kiss her on the lips. Megan takes it superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted instride after her boss assures her that turning her down won't get her fired.
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reasonthat she was made a copywriter was as a reward for marrying Don. She subverts this by actually being competent. In "The Phantom" [[spoiler:this is played straight, when Don uses his influence to get her cast in a commercial.]]
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: Shedoesn't seem to understand that she can't do everything she wants to do.
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don toldact so with her he's really Dick Whitman.]]
bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary:A coquettish form, one that is more youthful than say Joan, Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she did wear bright-colored, tight clothes that show off has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs; she loses the secretary part after marrying Don and becoming a copywriter.
legs.
* ShesGotLegs:Long slender legs that And she shows off as hemlines start getting higher.
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leadsisn't shy to for so many characters, maybe that just makes her the smart one.)
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
showcase them.
*TrophyWife: A borderline example. The age difference between her and Don, while referenced in the show, is only 14 years (slightly larger than the real nine year age gap between Jon Hamm and Jessica Pare), and Megan wants to work with Don in advertising rather than merely look pretty on his arm. When she decides she wants to go back to acting rather than continue as a copywriter, Don is upset — not just because he likes having his wife at work with him (though he does, and he also thinks that having her around all the time will help him keep his impulses under control), but because he thinks she has a better future in advertising than acting.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Her father is a Marxist university professor who disapproves of capitalism in general and
* AmbiguouslyBi: She's definitely attracted to men and it's been implied that she's attracted to women as well. When her female boss propositions her, Megan's only objection appears to be
* BitchInSheepsClothing: She has a tendency to turn
* BrainyBrunette:
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that
* CanadaEh: She's French-Canadian from Montreal. Her nationality is alluded to/joked about a few times, though language lessons have hidden her accent.
* CharacterShilling: People constantly remark how beautiful and talented Megan is.
* ChekhovsGunman: She's introduced early in season 4, and although she doesn't play any important role in the plot, she is repeatedly included in scenes and mentioned by name. Viewers may wonder why this is, right up to the point that Don falls in love with her and asks her to marry him.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: How ''will'' people who've heard [[Series/{{Degrassi}} Zig Novak's]] [[CringeComedy rendition]] [[HotForTeacher of]] Zou Bisou Bisou before hers react
*
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a
* TheFashionista:
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She drags her feet regarding the divorce, until she gets a million dollars.
* FourthDateMarriage: And four is pushing it. The defining moment happens during a trip to California when Sally drops a milkshake
*
* MagicalNanny:
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Reinvigorates Don
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't
* MistakenForGay: Megan invites one of
* SassySecretary: Averted in
* MsFanservice: She shows the most flesh of any of the female cast, frequently wearing miniskirt outfits to just about any occasion, including the workplace.
* {{Nepotism}}: Several of her coworkers are convinced that the only reason
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:She exits the series after she finalizes her divorce with Don in "New Business".]]
* ThePollyanna: She
* RaisedCatholic: She is from Quebec, after all. She has a miscarriage and feels guilt about wanting to have an abortion before the decision was taken from her.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:In between seasons, Don told
* SexySecretary:
* ShesGotLegs:
* SiblingYinYang: She's a modern, liberated aspiring actress, but her sister is a repressed, devout Catholic.
* ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: Megan has a habit of doing this. (Though given the repression of the times and the unhappiness this leads
** This also helps to differentiate her from Betty, who often bottled up her feelings when she was married to Don.
*
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:When she divorces Don, tells him off, walks away with a lot of money and then tells off her whiny sister for blaming her for the ending of their parents' dysfunctional marriage.]]
* WaitingForABreak: She gets one at the start of Season 6, being cast on a SoapOpera called "To Have and To Hold".
Changed line(s) 779,788 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Michael Ginsberg]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired in Season 5. He's good at his job, but rather eccentric.
to:
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Michael-Ginsberg-001_726.png]]
[[quoteright:163:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad-men-ginsberg-s6-e1_3721.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/BenFeldman
->'''Michael:''' ''"LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair!"''
->'''Stan:''' ''"Should read the rest of that poem, ya boob."''
A Jewish copywriter hired
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season
Changed line(s) 791,808 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women (even bluntly telling them that he's not interested) and has been questioned multiple times by other characters about whether or not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy that the office computer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin to Stan's Big and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
to:
* AmbiguouslyGay: He has never been GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in an on-screen relationship, has repeatedly turned down women (even bluntly telling them a way that he's not interested) mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and has been questioned multiple times by other characters she's likely about whether or a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not he likes girls. He also admits to Peggy known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the officecomputer's data waves were making him "excited" looking at Stan's shoulders.
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thinduring Season 6, as she goes to Stan's Big work in go-go boots and Peggy's Short.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]miniskirts.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office
* BigThinShortTrio: The Thin
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Despite generally being polite to people's faces, he has a habit of insulting them behind their backs.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Subverted. His eccentricity initially made Peggy refuse to hire him.
* CelibateHero: Still a virgin by choice.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Although he can turn it off. [[spoiler:He ultimately turns out to be a deconstruction when he cuts off his nipple to prove his love for Peggy and gets carted off, most likely to an institution.]]
* ConspiracyTheorist: He becomes convinced that the IBM computer is turning everyone gay.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler:He was born in a concentration camp.]]
* DeadpanSnarker
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]], Stan and Peggy care for him, but he tends to insult them to their faces or act like he doesn't like them.
* GeniusDitz: Don realizes most of SCDP's recent campaigns came from Ginsberg. Ted calls him "lightning in a bottle."
* MenCantKeepHouse: The apartment he keeps with his father is a mess.
---> '''Morris Ginsberg:''' You can't sew... Cook... Clean. You don't think there's a reason you have all these flaws? You need a girl.
* MotorMouth: He never shuts up.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil: He's convinced that the IBM machine is plotting to replace all the humans at SC&P.
* NoSocialSkills
* SanitySlippage: Ginsberg's neurotic tics and paranoia are mostly played for laughs, but in hindsight were clearly the early symptoms of very serious mental illness. He ends the series being dragged away to be institutionalized.
* TokenMinority: Roger ordered Peggy to hire him against her better judgment simply because Roger believed that [[YouHaveToHaveJews every ad agency needs a Jew.]]
Changed line(s) 811,815 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Dawn Chambers]]
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
->'''Played By''': Teyonah Parris
An African-American secretary hired in Season 5. So far seems to be doing just fine in the world of SCDP. Worked for Don, which for awhile led to some jokes. Then after Don was (temporarily) on leave, she worked for Lou and became Office Manager after Joan left for Accounts
to:
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
An African-American secretary hired
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in
Partner and
Changed line(s) 818,832 (click to see context) from:
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark hair and is a very competent, observant, and intelligent character who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
* FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around the same age): both come from working class backgrounds with a mother and sibling, both dress rather simply with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough, the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper for making her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].
* NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan with some new responsibilities: Joan places her in charge of the stockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk of being fired any moment.
* TookALevelInBadass: Starts off as a unfailingly polite and obedient secretary that's afraid to rock the boat at work; Season 7 shows her telling off Lou for his sexist, rude, and racist behavior and getting promoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners and walk off after they make the announcement that the agency has been "absorbed" into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]
to:
* BrainyBrunette: Has dark SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and is the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A verycompetent, observant, and intelligent character talented creative who knows how to navigate the office politics of SC&P.
even pilots planes.
*FunWithHomophones: Dawn sounds just like ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, her boss. The RunningGag about their names [[NeverHeardThatOneBefore gets old really fast]] to Don.
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being aroundthe same age): both come from latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working class backgrounds together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy witha mother far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and sibling, both dress rather simply is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with rarely any frills, and both are observant participants that started working the loss of revenue for Don and grew more of a backbone.
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough,the real reason why she is promoted to office manager is because Joan has nowhere else to put her and will not fire Dawn agency than for something that is other people's fault. The promotion is his health. He also Joan's way of getting back at Avery and Cooper apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing formaking her job difficult for petty reasons. [[{{Squee}} Dawn does not mind]].his troubles.
*NonPromotion: After reluctantly helping to instigate some office drama in "To Have and to Hold", Dawn is nominally punished by Joan CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with some new responsibilities: Joan places her him in charge "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of thestockroom and time cards. Dawn, however, seems to take this in a more positive light. In season seven, this comes back to help her, as it gives her the qualifications to be promoted to Joan's old role as office manager after Joan switches to being an account executive.
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, andseries, he is happy with being a secretary. As of "To Have And To Hold", she is put in charge of the keys and a season later, she becomes the Office Manager after Joan moves to Accounts.
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risksick of being fired any moment.
a boss and just wants to do creative work.
*TookALevelInBadass: Starts off DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as aunfailingly polite primary counterpart to Don and obedient secretary that's afraid potential LoveInterest to rock the boat at work; Peggy throughout Season 7 shows her telling off Lou 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In hissexist, rude, early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s andracist behavior dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and gettingpromoted to Office Manager and telling off Roger for attempting to fire her, Shirley, and Caroline over an oversight. [[spoiler:She then, along annoyed with the rest of the staff, turn their backs on the partners people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and walk off after fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they make the announcement that the agency butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been"absorbed" appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into [=McCann=] Erickson.]]the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
* TheAce: A very
*
-->'''Harry Crane:''' I don't know how I'll be able to tell you apart.
-->'''Dawn:''' Everybody keeps saying that, but it really hasn't been a problem.
* GenerationXerox: Can be seen as this for Peggy (despite being around
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with
* KickedUpstairs: While Dawn is competent enough,
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for
*
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the
* OnlySaneEmployee: Notes in "Mystery Date" that everyone at SCDP drinks a lot. Later in "To Have and to Hold" she tells a friend:
-->"Everyone's scared there. Women crying in the ladies’ room. Men crying in the elevator. It’s like New Year’s Eve when they empty the garbage there. There’s so many bottles!"
* PluckyOfficeGirl: Peggy was thrown off guard upon hearing that Dawn has no intention of trying to become a copy writer, and
* PutOnABus: The last we see of her was when she walked off with her co-workers after the agency has been absorbed.
* SourPrude: Not pronounced, she tends to be very friendly with flashier co-workers and enjoys a deep bond with sexy Shirley, but one episode had her lamenting her dating life since it's hard to stand out with all the "harlots" at her church.
* TokenMinority: One of ''four'' African-Americans to even have a speaking role on the show.
** Discussed in an episode which pointed a bit of spotlight onto her, where she tells her other black friends that she is terrified of taking any sort of risks at the office because she is the only black person there, and feels like she is at risk
*
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
Changed line(s) 835,859 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Bob Benson]]
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
->'''Played By''': James Wolk
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge against Pete for accusing him of being an accomplice to murder.]]
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose, and becomes extremely pissed off when it turns out that the reason he made his move when he did was to help him secure an exec's job at General Motors.]]
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's a conman.]]
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6 and 7.
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played
An accounts man hired in season 6, and the show's biggest brown-noser since Pete in the first season.
* AbortedArc: The story arc about him [[spoiler:being an impostor like Don]] is never mentioned after Season 6.
* TheBusCameBack: He returns from Detroit in "The Strategy" [[spoiler:and leaves the agency the same episode.]]
* HiddenDepths:
** In the office, he seems totally indiscriminate (and pretty obvious) about currying favor with the higher-ups, but during the hospital scene in "Man with a Plan", Bob shows he can actually put his self-effacing charms to good use, tactfully maneuvering the nurse into sending in an agonized Joan right away.
** "The Quality of Mercy" reveals that he can speak Spanish.
** [[spoiler:He seems to be genuinely horrified to learn that Manolo killed Pete's mother. Not that it stops him from taking petty revenge
->''"Unless this works, I'm against
* ManipulativeBastard:
** In "The Quality of Mercy", [[spoiler:Pete learns that Benson's references are all lies. He relies on his charm to deter anyone from investigating his past so he can have jobs he is completely unqualified for. In other words, he's a younger Don Draper.]]
** In "The Strategy", it's implied that the reason he's always been so friendly with Joan -- though he genuinely does like her as a person -- is because he was setting her up to eventually become TheBeard for him. [[spoiler:Unfortunately for him, she immediately sees through this when he tries to propose,
Another partner and
* NiceGuy: To all appearances. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out he's
* ProfessionalButtKisser: Good lord, he even offered to pay for Pete's visit to a brothel. Subverted, since it's strongly implied in "Favors" that [[spoiler:he is in love with Pete.]]
* PutOnABus: He moves to Detroit to handle [=SC&P=]'s accounts there in between Seasons 6
* StraightGay: Like Sal before him, Bob avoids gay stereotypes at all costs because of the institutionalized homophobia of the 60s.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lou Avery]]
->'''Played By''': Allan Havey
The new head of Creative in season 7, replacing Don after his suspension.
Changed line(s) 862,875 (click to see context) from:
* BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, more or less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death to most of the other creatives at SC&P, but to business-oriented people like Cutler and Bert makes him the perfect hire.
* TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during the final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
* TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler during the final season, as they both want to force Don out of the agency.
* EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing to collaborate to undermine Don's place in the company.
* {{Foil}}: He's the anti-Don Draper in quite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at nearly all times and a teetotaler. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio to adapt "Scout's Honor" and moves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
to:
* BoringButPractical: Why he got hired, BigBad: He more or less. His entire philosophy is basically "does it make less evolves into this over the client happy? Good, then we're done," which is death course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to most [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the other creatives at SC&P, but mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to business-oriented people like Cutler cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan andBert makes him Wendy (the daughter of the perfect hire.
recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
*TheDragon: Essentially becomes one for Jim Cutler DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the final season, as they both want to force Don out first half of the agency.final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
*EnemyMine: Despite having a mutual dislike of each other, Lou and Jim Cutler are willing KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to collaborate to undermine Don's place in comply with the company.
buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
*{{Foil}}: He's MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the anti-Don Draper point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, inquite a few ways; Lou is uncreative, completely straightforward, and guileless at particular that good creative isn't nearly all times and a teetotaler. as important as strong media presence. He's a hack and a jerk, but he's not prone to the drama and implosions lot more cunning (and less of someone like Don.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus:[[spoiler:In Season [=7B=], he convinces a Japanese studio He leaves the agency after selling it to adapt "Scout's Honor" [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted andmoves to Tokyo.]]
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hackI, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a sexist, racist asshole.
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the eventsdrunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of the season 7 midseason finale, Lou has been sent off to run SCP's west coast office, presumably so the rest of them no longer have to share an office with him.
trouble!
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and
*
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
*
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
*
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in
* ItsAllAboutMe: He refuses to nominate anyone else's work for the CLIO awards. Also insists that Dawn be reassigned because he wants one that he's not "sharing" due to her still taking messages for Don, though that's a reasonable complaint.
* {{Jerkass}}: One of the biggest in the series. Alongside being racist and sexist, he's also incredibly selfish and egotistical, as noted with the CLIO and with anything related to his comic Scout's Honor. It's no wonder that he was sent to California.
* KickTheDog: After Sally Draper appears in his office looking for her father, he condescendingly shoos her away and blames Dawn (because she wasn't there; he'd sent her to do a personal errand for him) and demands that Joan move her to another desk. [[spoiler:Joan ends up appointing Dawn as the new office manager out of spite.]]
* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
** Lou finally manages to become a legitimate threat to Don when [[spoiler:Lou starts to pursue Phillip Morris as a client. Since Phillip Morris is still upset about Don's anti-cigarette editorial, the only way the company will agree to hire SC&P is if they fire Don. The plan only fails because Harry accidentally tips off Don.]]
** He also very, very nearly gets Don to implode and lose his job immediately after his return by forcing him to work on Burger Chef with Peggy Olson as his superior, after having given Peggy a raise in order to get her on his side instead of Don's.
* PutOnABus:
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and
* PointyHairedBoss: Lou is an incompetent hack
* ReassignedToAntarctica: After the events
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[[folder:Meredith]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_meredith.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Stephanie Drake
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet and a bit clumsy at her job.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[/folder]]
!Families
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''':
The receptionist at SCDP, temporarily Lou Avery's secretary until replaced by Shirley. Seems sweet
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
Changed line(s) 888,903 (click to see context) from:
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, but she isn't afraid to tell Joan off for talking rudely to her and throwing the model plane at her; in Season 7, she tells Don off for withholding information and joins her co-workers in their walk out.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "The Christmas Waltz", she may have needed to pick up the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart that proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
to:
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's usually very dense about when people insult her, ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, butshe isn't afraid Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery totell Joan off for talking rudely him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her andthrowing treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of themodel plane at her; in Season 7, she tells Don off for withholding information and joins her co-workers in their walk out.
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In6 episode, "The Christmas Waltz", she may Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There haveneeded been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to pick up an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the pace, but as she points out, Joan can't just throw a model airplane at her and later points out episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that [=McCann=] is an awful place to work at.
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and efficient than ever; she is still naive and childish, though.
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheartthat proves helpful to Don.
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment."Bobby one" left.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the
* ButtMonkey: Tends to be the butt of jokes in the show due to her childlike demeanor and subject to rudeness by others.
* TheDitz: Pretty much everything she says comes out sounding like she heard it somewhere else and is hoping it fits the situation she's in at that moment.
* DumbBlonde: She has blond hair and is not very bright.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have
* DumbassNoMore: "Severance" shows her more competent
* EatingTheEyecandy: She develops a crush on Don in Season 7 and spends most of their scenes together staring at him lecherously.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Blonde and a cheerful sweetheart
* IdiotHoudini: Somehow, even after several mistakes, she never got fired.
** What's more, in season 7, she becomes Lou Avery's secretary temporarily after he decides that Dawn needs to be punished for her loyalty to Don Draper. The next episode, she's Peggy's secretary, and when Don returns to SC&P, becomes '''his''' secretary.
* {{Kawaiiko}}
* MilitaryBrat: She tells Don in "Lost Horizon" that she's an army brat, after helping put together a mood board for decorating ideas for a new apartment.
* OneOfTheKids: Peggy tells Joan that Meredith has the mind of a child. Pointed out so brilliantly by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/05/mad-style-christmas-waltz Tom and Lorenzo at their blog]] in comparison to the more womanly Joan.
* PluckyGirl: Not as brainy and quick on the draw as Peggy and Dawn, yet she's cheerfully optimistic and proves competent at her job overtime. Then later [[spoiler:when Roger had to fire her, as he can't support two secretaries and assures her she'll land on her feet, she replies "I always do"]].
* SnarkBait: Living, breathing, and walking in-universe and by viewers.
* TookALevelInBadass: By Season 7B, she's more competent at her job and tells Don that he can't be withholding important information from her regarding her employment.
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[[folder:Caroline]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_caroline.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Beth Hall
Roger Sterling's secretary, hired sometime around Season 4. Married and older than the other secretaries.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance of Roger
Changed line(s) 915,923 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has a Brooklyn or Queens accent and was [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the other women in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is very funny and she is also seen playing with Roger's grandson Ellery.
* {{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's more emotional, older, and not a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image of what Joan doesn't want to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks to Shirley that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and his family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Has FiftiesHair: As he is a Brooklyn or Queens accent politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying andwas [[http://23ejn74ajhew3v6c2o3b0xx713lp.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Mad-Men-Mad-Style-Season-7-Episode-4-Tom-Loenzo-Site-TLO-13.jpg seen wearing a Star of David pin]].
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, withdomineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some jokes pointing out how she isn't as gorgeous as the denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each otherwomen in the office.
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she isvery funny and she is also seen playing much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason withRoger's grandson Ellery.
Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
*{{Foil}}: To Shirley. She's NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's moreemotional, older, around than Don and not has far less issues than him. Don gets a stylish dresser.
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a imagelittle jealous of what Joan his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn'twant invoke his clout to become and while Caroline is frumpy and silly, she is very good-natured dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't take herself too seriously.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarkslike it when his relatives try to. He explains to Shirley his Mother that he doesn't care much for Caroline.
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger andhis family. She even wept when Roger's mother died and played around with Roger's grandson along with informing Joan that she's afraid Roger will have a very lonely Thanksgiving.
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitiveapproach to what's going on other peoples' lives (enlightening both Roger and Joan about what the other is dealing with in separate occasions) and tends to cry when grieving or stressed out.a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and
* ButtMonkey: Only a few times, with
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other
* CoolOldLady: As pointed out by [[http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/03/mad-style-a-little-kiss-part-2 Tom and Lorenzo]], she is
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
*
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more
** To Joan, who is also "old and married", Caroline is a image
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: In ''Lost Horizon'', Roger remarks
* GirlFriday: Goes beyond the calling of being a secretary due to her interest in the well-being of Roger and
* NiceGirl: Friendly, warm, welcoming and enthusiastic of her co-workers and even cares for her employers' relatives.
* ProneToTears: While competent at her job, she is very sensitive
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
Changed line(s) 926,941 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Clara]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
----
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems to maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Alexandra Ella
A secretary hired sometime around Season 4, who works for Pete.
----
* TheCutie: Despite taking some of the most hostile venting of all the secretaries, she still seems to maintain a rather positive tune.
* TheFashionista: Later shown to be quite the clotheshorse, with several late 60s looks being paraded when she appears; even her maternity dress is fashionably short and bright colored and patterned.
* HiddenDepths: Apparently knows more about guns than Pete does, and points out to him that his little hunting rifle he's had since Season 1 is a squirrel-shooter at best.
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete that Clara left after becoming "big as a house" after being pregnant out of wedlock by a co-worker.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: The actress playing Clara became pregnant in Season 7A and it was written in.
* TheStoic: Doesn't let Pete's abuse or the ups and downs of the office get to her.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_clara.jpg]]
->'''Played
A
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary
----
*
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she
*
* HiddenDepths:
* PutOnABus: In the Season 7B premiere, Ken mentions to Pete
*
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to
Changed line(s) 944,950 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Shirley]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_shirley.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Sola Bamis
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's and then later Roger's second secretary). First appears in Season 7.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
First Peggy Olson's secretary before becoming Lou Avery's (and then temporarily Ken's
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and
Changed line(s) 952,970 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: In her first appearance (in 1969), she is the first main character with an Afro, that she maintains into the next year.
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp, and witty.
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that her fiancee wouldn't agree to her working after they get married.
* DeadpanSnarker: About Peggy:
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that she doesn't act so with her bosses. In "Lost Horizon", she's a bit playful with Roger.
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
to:
* BrainyBrunette: Dark-haired, sharp,
* CareerVersusMan: She lampshades that
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't
*
---> '''Shirley:''' Who the hell is sending her flowers?
** And Meredith:
---> '''Shirley:''' My goodness, Meredith. We should put a bell on you.
* TheFashionista: Wears the latest in late 60s and early 70s styles and works them just as well.
* {{Foil}}: To Caroline. She's young, stylish, and more composed in her manner than the older woman.
* GenerationXerox: Could be seen as this to Joan (even dresses sexy with the sass to match) and Peggy in when with Dawn; however, both are friendlier to one another and Shirley is unsure about giving up her job for marriage to her soon-to-be husband.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Becomes this when she works as Roger's second secretary and with Caroline, being the more composed and mature of the three.
* PutOnABus: Or rather, she put herself on the track to a career in insurance, voicing that "advertising isn't for everyone".
* SassyBlackWoman: Compared to the more demure Dawn, yet doesn't behave that way towards her superiors.
* SassySecretary: Averted in that
* SexySecretary: Oh yes! She may not flirt with guys in the office, but she has a very sassy demeanor and wears skirts revealing her legs.
* ShesGotLegs: And she isn't shy to showcase them.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Wears very short skirts.
Changed line(s) 973,975 (click to see context) from:
[[folder: Scarlett]]
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
to:
Harry Crane's secretary. First appears in Season 5.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
Changed line(s) 977,981 (click to see context) from:
* GenerationXerox: She was clad with hair done in a way that mirrored Joan's style, only with a more Mod flavor and she's likely about a decade younger; like Joan, she is having an affair with her boss who is not known for being quiet about it.
* SexySecretary: It's hinted that she and Harry are having an affair.
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in the office during Season 6, as she goes to work in go-go boots and miniskirts.
to:
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is
*
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she
** In "A Day's Work", Joan comments that Scarlett and Harry might as well be married.
* ZettaiRyouiki: She rather sticks out in
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
Changed line(s) 984,994 (click to see context) from:
!Cutler Gleason Chaough
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Kevin Rahm
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with the big boys. A full-page ad in The Times. What did that run you?"''
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
to:
[[folder:Ted Chaough]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tedchaough_5457.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
->''"Teddy Chaough! Thanks for sticking my name in there with
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the
Partner and Creative Director at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough, one of SCDP's competitors.
Changed line(s) 997,1015 (click to see context) from:
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes from a slightly Mod short style and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, and a mustache at the end of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he is sick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love for their work.
* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic and getting annoyed with people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice and fair with people as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so in the final season.
* YourCheatingHeart: He's infatuated with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.
to:
* SeventiesHair: His hair goes ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from aslightly Mod short style glass, and the Dry Look to swooped bangs, longer sideburns, in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and a mustache at the end then chooses to just drink out of the series.
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.bottle.
*CantHoldHisLiquor: Don drinks AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with him in "Man With a Plan." He passes out on the flight.
tongue sharp like a guillotine.
*TheChainsOfCommanding: By the end of the series, he BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile issick of being a boss and just wants to do creative work.
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpartMarxist. Megan is married to Don and potential LoveInterest to Peggy throughout Season 6, Ted's role is greatly reduced in Season 7. He doesn't even appear in the last two episodes Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of the series.
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and lovecapitalism) for their work.
a living.
*EnemyMine: [[spoiler:He and Don agree to merge their agencies to get the GM account]] in "For Immediate Release".
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove inDirtyCommunist: Roger has this trait among the cast. Despite being a workaholic reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile andgetting annoyed with Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, Ted genuinely tries to be as nice who nonetheless have raised a happy and fair functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation withpeople as possible and tries his best to mend bridges with people when they butt heads.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less sodaughter in the final season.
sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart:He's infatuated Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Peggy and plans to leave his wife, but he eventually cuts the affair short, for the sake of his family.Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a
* TheAce: A very talented creative who even pilots planes.
* ArchEnemy: Sees himself as one for Don, the latter of whom doesn't take him very seriously until they start working together.
* BenevolentBoss: He treats Peggy with far more respect than Don ever did. When one of his partners reveals that he has cancer, Chaough is genuinely concerned and is irritated that the ill partner thought that Chaough would be more concerned with the loss of revenue for the agency than for his health. He also apologizes to Peggy when he kisses her after she cheers him up.
* BerserkButton: Hates it when people compare him unfavorably with Don. One employee who credits Don as being "a genius" gets a vicious tongue lashing for his troubles.
*
*
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is
* DeathSeeker: He's so miserable in California that he starts to contemplate suicide.
* DemotedToExtra: After serving as a primary counterpart
* FireForgedFriends: Ted and Don spend most of the show locked in a bitter rivalry with each other. Their later collaborations allow their initial animosity to develop into mutual respect.
* {{Foil}}: To Don. They are opposites in virtually every trait save their dedication to and love
*
* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In his early appearances, his last name was pronounced "Shaw". As of season 6, more characters have been pronouncing the "ch".
* MayDecemberRomance: He's in his late 30s to early 40s and dated the much younger Peggy in Season 6 (who was then 29).
* MarriedToTheJob: His domestic life suffers from it.
* NiceGuy: Probably second only to Ken Cosgrove in
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with
* PromotionToOpeningTitles: Ted has been appearing on a recurring basis since season 4; Peggy's move to CGC and later the merger in season 6 brought him into the main cast.
* TheRival: To Don. Less so
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart:
Changed line(s) 1018,1026 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Jim Cutler]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_harry_hamlin_jim_cutler.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Creator/HarryHamlin
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner and Head of Accounts at CGC; he has a hard-edged, media-focused and (''avant le lettre'') data-driven approach to advertising.
to:
[[quoteright:350:https://static.
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played
->''"Unless this works, I'm against it."''
Another partner
Joan's fiancé and
Changed line(s) 1029,1046 (click to see context) from:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, but as of the mid-season finale, it appears he's decided to cooperate with the regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He still views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative isn't nearly as important as strong media presence. He's a lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're just a bully and a drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering like a little girl about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want to take a swing at me? It would save us all a lot of trouble!
to:
* BigBad: He more or less evolves into this over the course of Season 7's first half, albeit with his fair share of JerkassHasAPoint moments concerning Don's bad behavior. Roger's proposal to [=McCann=] seemed to spell Cutler's end, AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but as of the mid-season finale, it appears not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's decided not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to cooperate be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live withthe regime change.
* DirtyOldMan: He watches StanGreg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and Wendy (the daughter of the recently deceased Frank Gleason) getting it on on the couch.
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobarthad twins and the others at [=McCann=] Erickson.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but evenhasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's taken aback by Harry Crane lying outright to a client about SCDP's media department having a state of the art computer.
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: Hestill views SC&P as being divided into "our guys" and "their guys". He's been doing everything in his power to undermine "their guys", even though this is harming the agency.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's impliedunaware that he blames Don for Ted's depression.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creativeisn't nearly as important as strong media presence. the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He'sa lot more cunning (and less of an alcoholic) than Duck, though.
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You'rejust a bully terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan anda drunk; a football player in a suit. The most eloquent I've ever heard you was when you were blubbering then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a little girl normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about your impoverished childhood. Oh, you want it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to takea swing at me? It would save us all a lot the sting out of trouble!him being a rapist though.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with
* DirtyOldMan: He watches Stan
* DiskOneFinalBoss: Acts as the main antagonistic force during the first half of the final season. After accepting the buyout, he is replaced by Jim Hobart
* EveryoneHasStandards: He's very ruthless at business, but even
-->"You have stiff competition, but I believe [[TheFriendNobodyLikes you]] to be the most dishonest man I've ever worked with."
* {{Foil}}: To Roger Sterling. He was CGC's equivalent, and unlike the constantly-distracted, increasingly out-of-the-loop Roger, Cutler has a single-minded dedication to gaining power that gives him an upper hand on Roger after the agencies merge.
* HangingSeparately: He
* {{Hypocrite}}: Listening to the Democratic National Convention when you are supposed to be working is bad. Getting the entire office high thus preventing anyone from getting anything done is good.
* ItsPersonal: It's pretty obvious that his crusade to oust Don from the agency is more than just a business matter for him. It's implied
* KnowWhenToFoldEm[=/=]EveryManHasHisPrice: Forgoes his vendetta against Don in order to comply with the buyout by [=McCann=].
--> '''Roger:''' Really?
--> '''Jim:''' It's a lot of money.
* MayDecemberRomance: It's implied that he is carrying on an affair with Ted's secretary Moira, to the point that they were seen coming out of an elevator together during the afternoon.
--> Is that Shalimar?
* MeetTheNewBoss: Shares a lot of Duck Phillips' philosophies about the ad business, in particular that good creative
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's
* PutOnABus: He leaves the agency after selling it to [=McCann=].
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Lays out a particularly brutal one on Don in the mid-season finale:
--> You know, Ted and I, whenever we would hear that your agency was involved, we'd always be so intimidated. What was that man up to? Such a cloud of mystery! Now that I've been backstage, I'm deeply unimpressed Don. You're
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take
Changed line(s) 1049,1057 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Frank Gleason]]
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Craig Anton
The third partner and Art Director at CGC. He and Ted are old friends and part of one of those copywriter/artist pairs that occur occasionally in advertising. He dies from cancer shortly after being introduced.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes and died an episode after his second appearance.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: He has terminal cancer.
to:
[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_frank_gleason.jpg]]
->'''Played
The third partner
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that
* WeHardlyKnewYe: He only appeared in two episodes
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an
*
Changed line(s) 1060,1073 (click to see context) from:
!Families
[[folder:Betty Draper Francis]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bettydraper_5674.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I know people say life goes on, and it does but no one tells you that's not a good thing."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JanuaryJones
-->'''Betty Francis:''' I wanted a fresh start, OK? I'm entitled to that!\\
'''Henry Francis:''' There is no fresh start! Lives carry on.\\
'''Betty:''' Jesus, Henry, just once could you take my side?\\
'''Henry:''' No one's ever on your side, Betty.
Wife of Don until the end of Season 3. Wealthy and educated, and bourgeois and somewhat broken. When we first meet her, she's TheWoobie, an outwardly perfect, inwardly depressed housewife who can't even go to her [[FreudianCouch old-school Freudian psychiatry sessions]] without her husband calling her doctor behind her back to find out what she's saying. Over the first three seasons, she finds out a lot about Don that she didn't want to know and confronts him several times to varying effect, eventually falling for another man (although she resists engaging in a physical or sexual affair) and eventually divorcing Don. The effects of Don's borderline abusive behaviour towards her are explored over the remaining seasons, with a big focus on how this affects her fairly terrible parenting skills.
[[folder:Betty Draper Francis]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bettydraper_5674.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I know people say life goes on, and it does but no one tells you that's not a good thing."'']]
->'''Played By''': Creator/JanuaryJones
-->'''Betty Francis:''' I wanted a fresh start, OK? I'm entitled to that!\\
'''Henry Francis:''' There is no fresh start! Lives carry on.\\
'''Betty:''' Jesus, Henry, just once could you take my side?\\
'''Henry:''' No one's ever on your side, Betty.
Wife of Don until the end of Season 3. Wealthy and educated, and bourgeois and somewhat broken. When we first meet her, she's TheWoobie, an outwardly perfect, inwardly depressed housewife who can't even go to her [[FreudianCouch old-school Freudian psychiatry sessions]] without her husband calling her doctor behind her back to find out what she's saying. Over the first three seasons, she finds out a lot about Don that she didn't want to know and confronts him several times to varying effect, eventually falling for another man (although she resists engaging in a physical or sexual affair) and eventually divorcing Don. The effects of Don's borderline abusive behaviour towards her are explored over the remaining seasons, with a big focus on how this affects her fairly terrible parenting skills.
to:
[[folder:Betty Draper Francis]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bettydraper_5674.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I know people say life goes on, and it does but no one tells you that's not a good thing."'']]
->'''Played By''':
-->'''Betty Francis:''' I wanted a fresh start, OK? I'm entitled to that!\\
'''Henry Francis:''' There is no fresh start! Lives carry on.\\
'''Betty:''' Jesus, Henry, just once could you take my side?\\
'''Henry:''' No one's ever on your side, Betty.
Wife of Don until
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gayle Holloway]]
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pauline Francis]]
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
Changed line(s) 1076,1124 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: The beginning of the series sees her with a slightly modified look reminiscent of Creator/GraceKelly, one that she maintains well into the mid 1960s with slight deviations that resemble Jackie Kennedy.
* SeventiesHair: Towards the end of the series, her hair is more helmet-like with a bold swoop, that resembles the look of real-life political wives [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/397301998351803787/ Pat Nixon]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251497960411637478/ Betty Ford]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/20407004533223175/ Ladybird Johnson]], and [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/546976317242222574/ Martha Mitchell]].
* AbusiveParents: We learn through her therapy sessions that [[DeathByOriginStory her mom]] was emotionally abusive and highly critical (for example, Betty was chubby as a child and her mother told her that because of this she wouldn't be able to find a husband) - she becomes defensive when her doctor points out that she has a lot of anger towards her mother. Later, feeling beleaguered by her own children, she displays some abusive tendencies herself, especially in the immediate wake of the divorce.
* AllGirlsLikePonies: Is frequently seen riding in Season 2 as a means of staving off her depression.
* AmicableExes: Makes great strides towards this with Don by the end of the sixth season. [[spoiler:This leads to them having a one night stand that neither seems to regret very much.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Played completely straight when [[spoiler: she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in the penultimate episode. Although she looks a little weaker, she's still very beautiful. Her vanity is partly why she refuses treatment.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: In Season 5, she has gained a significant amount of weight. This is alluded to when Henry tells her he doesn't care about if she's big or not, she snaps that it's because his [[YourMom mother is obese]]. By Season 6, she has lost most of the weight, along with letting go of her bitterness towards Don.
* BrainlessBeauty: Appearance means everything to her. A firm believer of MenAreStrongWomenArePretty. She isn't a DumbBlonde though, given she graduated from Bryn Mawr in with a Bachelors in Anthropology, speaks Italian, and can be pretty cunning; it's just she was raised to be a TrophyWife rather than an intellectual woman.
* BreakTheCutie: Seasons 1 and 2 showed her absolutely miserable and crawling up the walls living with Don and his pile of lies, secrets, and infidelities. [[spoiler:To top it all off, she gets diagnosed with bone cancer in season 7b.]]
* BrokenBird: The mean variety after her marriage to Don crumbles.
* CelebrityResemblance: Is said to look like Creator/GraceKelly (and briefly gets a modeling gig (partially) because of it).
** This is in fact an InvokedTrope: The show's stylists intentionally modeled Betty's general look on Kelly.
* CoolCar: Starts off with a buttercup-yellow-and-white '57 Ford wagon, graduating to a black/fake wood '60 Mercury wagon before inheriting her father's '61 Lincoln Continental which is a CoolCar for a suburban mother of three ''in the context of the '60s'', not just something that has more style than, say, a Honda CR-V but had the same image as one in its day.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Why she refuses to get treatment when she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She says she knows her time is over and doesn't want her children watching her rotting slowly as it happened to her mother.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: It takes her a while to divorce Don, but it's justified in that 1. It was scandalous 2. It took her a while to know he was cheating on her 3. She has to deal with a senile father and a unplanned pregnancy on top of it. But after JFK gets shot and she finds love in the arms of Henry, she really serves Don the papers.
* FormerlyFat: Two times this happened to her. She was chubby as a child (and given a hard time of it by her Mom) until her 13th summer. Then later, after she marries Henry and Don is engaged to Megan, she puts on a significant amount of weight to cause her former-model self angst. She then loses the weight.
** FormerlyFit: Before the aforementioned weight gain, she was a former model with a slim and delicate figure.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Discusses the possibility with her doctor and a friend, but ultimately keeps the baby.
* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]], never fulfilling her potential.
* {{Housewife}}: The show spends three seasons deconstructing this trope, as we see seemingly stereotypical 50s housewife Betty dealing with sexual frustration, her husband's infidelity, and boredom.
** And it doesn't stop with her marriage to Henry: frustration, weight gain, Henry entering politics, her inability to be truly tender with her kids, and Henry states he'd prefer her not to speak her mind about politics at dinners.
* IceQueen: And she's not defrosting any time soon. Sometimes combined with DramaQueen. She's that insecure and voluble.
* ItsAllAboutMe: One of Betty's biggest flaws: she's a narcissist and a control freak, and her sense of self-worth revolves around having total control of everyone around her and having her life follow her definition of perfection. When she has an opinion, she expects people to agree with her, and when anything goes against the way she wants it, she snaps.
* {{Joisey}}: But not the way we usually think of it. Born in Cape May, a tony resort community where her family summered. Grew up in Lower Merion Township, on the Main Line in Pennsylvania.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Discovers she's pregnant at the end of Season 2 right when she and her husband are on the verge of becoming permanently estranged. (It's also in contrast to Pete and Trudy, who really want a baby and aren't conceiving, while Betty is so desperate she's even considering abortion.)
* MamaBear: After her neighbor threatens to kill Sally's dog, she takes pot-shots at his pigeons.
* MyBelovedSmother: Betty's mom seems to be mostly responsible for Betty's huge complex about physical appearances.
* ModelCouple: Makes one with Don, her [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark haired]], equally gorgeous (ex)husband. It has been commented on in show just how picture perfect a couple they are.
-->'''Roger:''' I remember Mona said they looked like they were on our wedding cake.
** With Henry to a lesser extent, she is the youthful looking and glamorous TrophyWife to Henry's Silver haired Politician, Sally even comments that they make it a thing about how perfect they look together.
* NightmareFetishist: Partially a sign of the times, partially a sign of how she's messed-up, but she has a wildly inappropriate sense of flirtatious humor, where she casually jokes about helping her husband rape a teenage girl in the other room.
* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen has a crush on ''her'', instead of crushing teenage Sally.
* StepfordSmiler: While married to Don, who was manipulative and completely emotionally shut off from her. After remarrying, she thought she'd escape this, but found herself just as unhappy about her life, only now she doesn't have Don to blame for it, and spends most of season 5 passing the day eating in her mausoleum of a home to ignore her disappointment.
** This starts to change in late season 5 when Betty realizes that Sally will still run to her in a crisis. By season 6, she seems to be letting go of her anger and has made peace with Don.
* TheTopicOfCancer: [[spoiler:Discovers she has lung cancer after breaking a rib in season 7b.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The first three seasons were Betty trying to find the courage to stand her ground against Don. The fourth and fifth are her being essentially driven over the edge from this. The sixth is Betty beginning to reign the anger in. The 7th season has Betty, more or less, examining the role she was raised for and then she starts taking classes in psychology.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the start of the series, her frustration and loneliness from her marriage to Don is easily sympathetic, but after her divorce and getting seemingly everything she has ever wanted, she goes on a pretty ugly downward spiral. Her anger at Don grows into spiteful bitterness, which she lashes out on Sally and anyone else in the house siding against her. Eventually, this takes a physical toll on her appearance in the fifth season.
** TookALevelInKindness: By the sixth season, she starts letting go of her anger (and the excess weight) and becomes happier than she has been in years.
* WeightWoe: Gained a significant amount of weight in Season 5. Don't expect breakfast-skipping, former model Betty to be taking it well. By late season 6, with the announcement that Henry is running for state senate, she gets herself back to her Draper level weight.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She and Sally clash over her wanting the girl to be perfect and over politics. After learning [[spoiler:she's going to die in less than a year]], she gives Sally a set of instructions for the burial and leaves her with these heartfelt words.
---> '''Betty:''' Sally, I always worried about you, because you marched to the beat of your own drum, but now I know that's good. I know your life will be an adventure. I love you, Mom.
* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Technically, she's of German descent. Hofstadt isn't really a WASP-y name, and her father's (very Philly) accent and general aspect implies that he is a self-made man who rose up from humbler urban roots. But her upbringing and milieu (Philadelphia Main Line, Bryn Mawr, the fashion industry, Westchester County) is the very definition of WASP. So culturally, if not ethnically.
* WomanChild: Highly immature, as her daughter's shrink politely lampshades.
** As much as she'd like to think she's been around the block, she has some very naive and childlike qualities, which make her a victim initially (she has to have it spelled out for her before she realizes that Don cheats on her and constantly lies, and she forms a weird friendship with a ten-year-old boy to cope with her loneliness) and eventually a victimizer (manifesting most significantly in the petty, spiteful way she acts with Sally). Her comments about her own childhood reveal that her mother raised her pretty much how she raises Sally, and her father's comparison of her to a housecat ("You're very important and you have little to do") sums up the kind of adult life she expected and was expected to have.
** After divorcing Don (and the recent death of her father), she marries a man a generation older than she is.
* WomanScorned: After her divorce from Don and remarrying to Henry, Betty's bitterness makes her go ''way'' out of her way to make Don's life miserable, including still living in the house Don pays for and using their kids against him. [[DramaticIrony However, this actually makes HER more miserable than Don]]: Sally rebels against her and challenges her authority, and the feeling of lacking control over her supposed idyllic life starts breaking her emotionally and psychologically.
* WomenAreWiser: Played with when she was married to Don, where she was the child and he was the adult, but he'd cheat on her; [[AvertedTrope averted]] in her marriage to Henry.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:In season 7b, she finds that she has lung cancer and less than a year to live.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: This is pretty much how she reacts when, after divorcing Don and marrying Henry Francis, she finds she's not suddenly in paradise with all her problems solved.
* SeventiesHair: Towards the end of the series, her hair is more helmet-like with a bold swoop, that resembles the look of real-life political wives [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/397301998351803787/ Pat Nixon]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251497960411637478/ Betty Ford]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/20407004533223175/ Ladybird Johnson]], and [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/546976317242222574/ Martha Mitchell]].
* AbusiveParents: We learn through her therapy sessions that [[DeathByOriginStory her mom]] was emotionally abusive and highly critical (for example, Betty was chubby as a child and her mother told her that because of this she wouldn't be able to find a husband) - she becomes defensive when her doctor points out that she has a lot of anger towards her mother. Later, feeling beleaguered by her own children, she displays some abusive tendencies herself, especially in the immediate wake of the divorce.
* AllGirlsLikePonies: Is frequently seen riding in Season 2 as a means of staving off her depression.
* AmicableExes: Makes great strides towards this with Don by the end of the sixth season. [[spoiler:This leads to them having a one night stand that neither seems to regret very much.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Played completely straight when [[spoiler: she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in the penultimate episode. Although she looks a little weaker, she's still very beautiful. Her vanity is partly why she refuses treatment.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: In Season 5, she has gained a significant amount of weight. This is alluded to when Henry tells her he doesn't care about if she's big or not, she snaps that it's because his [[YourMom mother is obese]]. By Season 6, she has lost most of the weight, along with letting go of her bitterness towards Don.
* BrainlessBeauty: Appearance means everything to her. A firm believer of MenAreStrongWomenArePretty. She isn't a DumbBlonde though, given she graduated from Bryn Mawr in with a Bachelors in Anthropology, speaks Italian, and can be pretty cunning; it's just she was raised to be a TrophyWife rather than an intellectual woman.
* BreakTheCutie: Seasons 1 and 2 showed her absolutely miserable and crawling up the walls living with Don and his pile of lies, secrets, and infidelities. [[spoiler:To top it all off, she gets diagnosed with bone cancer in season 7b.]]
* BrokenBird: The mean variety after her marriage to Don crumbles.
* CelebrityResemblance: Is said to look like Creator/GraceKelly (and briefly gets a modeling gig (partially) because of it).
** This is in fact an InvokedTrope: The show's stylists intentionally modeled Betty's general look on Kelly.
* CoolCar: Starts off with a buttercup-yellow-and-white '57 Ford wagon, graduating to a black/fake wood '60 Mercury wagon before inheriting her father's '61 Lincoln Continental which is a CoolCar for a suburban mother of three ''in the context of the '60s'', not just something that has more style than, say, a Honda CR-V but had the same image as one in its day.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Why she refuses to get treatment when she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She says she knows her time is over and doesn't want her children watching her rotting slowly as it happened to her mother.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: It takes her a while to divorce Don, but it's justified in that 1. It was scandalous 2. It took her a while to know he was cheating on her 3. She has to deal with a senile father and a unplanned pregnancy on top of it. But after JFK gets shot and she finds love in the arms of Henry, she really serves Don the papers.
* FormerlyFat: Two times this happened to her. She was chubby as a child (and given a hard time of it by her Mom) until her 13th summer. Then later, after she marries Henry and Don is engaged to Megan, she puts on a significant amount of weight to cause her former-model self angst. She then loses the weight.
** FormerlyFit: Before the aforementioned weight gain, she was a former model with a slim and delicate figure.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Discusses the possibility with her doctor and a friend, but ultimately keeps the baby.
* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]], never fulfilling her potential.
* {{Housewife}}: The show spends three seasons deconstructing this trope, as we see seemingly stereotypical 50s housewife Betty dealing with sexual frustration, her husband's infidelity, and boredom.
** And it doesn't stop with her marriage to Henry: frustration, weight gain, Henry entering politics, her inability to be truly tender with her kids, and Henry states he'd prefer her not to speak her mind about politics at dinners.
* IceQueen: And she's not defrosting any time soon. Sometimes combined with DramaQueen. She's that insecure and voluble.
* ItsAllAboutMe: One of Betty's biggest flaws: she's a narcissist and a control freak, and her sense of self-worth revolves around having total control of everyone around her and having her life follow her definition of perfection. When she has an opinion, she expects people to agree with her, and when anything goes against the way she wants it, she snaps.
* {{Joisey}}: But not the way we usually think of it. Born in Cape May, a tony resort community where her family summered. Grew up in Lower Merion Township, on the Main Line in Pennsylvania.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Discovers she's pregnant at the end of Season 2 right when she and her husband are on the verge of becoming permanently estranged. (It's also in contrast to Pete and Trudy, who really want a baby and aren't conceiving, while Betty is so desperate she's even considering abortion.)
* MamaBear: After her neighbor threatens to kill Sally's dog, she takes pot-shots at his pigeons.
* MyBelovedSmother: Betty's mom seems to be mostly responsible for Betty's huge complex about physical appearances.
* ModelCouple: Makes one with Don, her [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark haired]], equally gorgeous (ex)husband. It has been commented on in show just how picture perfect a couple they are.
-->'''Roger:''' I remember Mona said they looked like they were on our wedding cake.
** With Henry to a lesser extent, she is the youthful looking and glamorous TrophyWife to Henry's Silver haired Politician, Sally even comments that they make it a thing about how perfect they look together.
* NightmareFetishist: Partially a sign of the times, partially a sign of how she's messed-up, but she has a wildly inappropriate sense of flirtatious humor, where she casually jokes about helping her husband rape a teenage girl in the other room.
* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen has a crush on ''her'', instead of crushing teenage Sally.
* StepfordSmiler: While married to Don, who was manipulative and completely emotionally shut off from her. After remarrying, she thought she'd escape this, but found herself just as unhappy about her life, only now she doesn't have Don to blame for it, and spends most of season 5 passing the day eating in her mausoleum of a home to ignore her disappointment.
** This starts to change in late season 5 when Betty realizes that Sally will still run to her in a crisis. By season 6, she seems to be letting go of her anger and has made peace with Don.
* TheTopicOfCancer: [[spoiler:Discovers she has lung cancer after breaking a rib in season 7b.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The first three seasons were Betty trying to find the courage to stand her ground against Don. The fourth and fifth are her being essentially driven over the edge from this. The sixth is Betty beginning to reign the anger in. The 7th season has Betty, more or less, examining the role she was raised for and then she starts taking classes in psychology.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the start of the series, her frustration and loneliness from her marriage to Don is easily sympathetic, but after her divorce and getting seemingly everything she has ever wanted, she goes on a pretty ugly downward spiral. Her anger at Don grows into spiteful bitterness, which she lashes out on Sally and anyone else in the house siding against her. Eventually, this takes a physical toll on her appearance in the fifth season.
** TookALevelInKindness: By the sixth season, she starts letting go of her anger (and the excess weight) and becomes happier than she has been in years.
* WeightWoe: Gained a significant amount of weight in Season 5. Don't expect breakfast-skipping, former model Betty to be taking it well. By late season 6, with the announcement that Henry is running for state senate, she gets herself back to her Draper level weight.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She and Sally clash over her wanting the girl to be perfect and over politics. After learning [[spoiler:she's going to die in less than a year]], she gives Sally a set of instructions for the burial and leaves her with these heartfelt words.
---> '''Betty:''' Sally, I always worried about you, because you marched to the beat of your own drum, but now I know that's good. I know your life will be an adventure. I love you, Mom.
* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Technically, she's of German descent. Hofstadt isn't really a WASP-y name, and her father's (very Philly) accent and general aspect implies that he is a self-made man who rose up from humbler urban roots. But her upbringing and milieu (Philadelphia Main Line, Bryn Mawr, the fashion industry, Westchester County) is the very definition of WASP. So culturally, if not ethnically.
* WomanChild: Highly immature, as her daughter's shrink politely lampshades.
** As much as she'd like to think she's been around the block, she has some very naive and childlike qualities, which make her a victim initially (she has to have it spelled out for her before she realizes that Don cheats on her and constantly lies, and she forms a weird friendship with a ten-year-old boy to cope with her loneliness) and eventually a victimizer (manifesting most significantly in the petty, spiteful way she acts with Sally). Her comments about her own childhood reveal that her mother raised her pretty much how she raises Sally, and her father's comparison of her to a housecat ("You're very important and you have little to do") sums up the kind of adult life she expected and was expected to have.
** After divorcing Don (and the recent death of her father), she marries a man a generation older than she is.
* WomanScorned: After her divorce from Don and remarrying to Henry, Betty's bitterness makes her go ''way'' out of her way to make Don's life miserable, including still living in the house Don pays for and using their kids against him. [[DramaticIrony However, this actually makes HER more miserable than Don]]: Sally rebels against her and challenges her authority, and the feeling of lacking control over her supposed idyllic life starts breaking her emotionally and psychologically.
* WomenAreWiser: Played with when she was married to Don, where she was the child and he was the adult, but he'd cheat on her; [[AvertedTrope averted]] in her marriage to Henry.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:In season 7b, she finds that she has lung cancer and less than a year to live.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: This is pretty much how she reacts when, after divorcing Don and marrying Henry Francis, she finds she's not suddenly in paradise with all her problems solved.
to:
* FiftiesHair: The beginning KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of theseries sees her kids with a slightly modified look reminiscent of Creator/GraceKelly, one that Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she maintains well into is shown to take care of the mid 1960s with slight deviations that resemble Jackie Kennedy.
kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
*SeventiesHair: Towards PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the series, her hair is more helmet-like with a bold swoop, that resembles the look of real-life political wives [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/397301998351803787/ Pat Nixon]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/251497960411637478/ Betty Ford]], [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/20407004533223175/ Ladybird Johnson]], and [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/546976317242222574/ Martha Mitchell]].
* AbusiveParents: We learn through her therapy sessions that [[DeathByOriginStory her mom]] was emotionally abusive and highly critical (for example, Betty was chubby as a child and her mother told her that because of this she wouldn't be ablefourth season for letting Glen come to find a husband) - she becomes defensive when her doctor points out that she has a lot of anger towards her mother. Later, feeling beleaguered by her own children, she displays some abusive tendencies herself, especially in the immediate wake of the divorce.
* AllGirlsLikePonies: Is frequently seen riding in Season 2 as a means of staving off her depression.
* AmicableExes: Makes great strides towards this with Don by the end of the sixth season. [[spoiler:This leads to them having a one night stand that neither seems to regret very much.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Played completely straight when [[spoiler: she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in the penultimate episode. Although she looks a little weaker, she's still very beautiful. Her vanity is partly why she refuses treatment.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: In Season 5, she has gained a significant amount of weight. This is alluded to when Henry tells her he doesn't care about if she's big or not, she snaps thatsee Sally, though it's because his [[YourMom mother is obese]]. By Season 6, strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she has lost most saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the weight, along with letting go last major remnants of her bitterness towards Don.
* BrainlessBeauty: Appearance means everything to her. A firm believer of MenAreStrongWomenArePretty. She isn't a DumbBlonde though, given she graduated from Bryn Mawr in with a Bachelors in Anthropology, speaks Italian, and can be pretty cunning; it's just she was raised to be a TrophyWife rather than an intellectual woman.
* BreakTheCutie: Seasons 1 and 2 showed her absolutely miserable and crawling up the walls living with Don and his pile of lies, secrets, and infidelities. [[spoiler:To top it all off, she gets diagnosed with bone cancer in season 7b.]]
* BrokenBird: The mean variety afterher marriage to Don crumbles.
Don.
*CelebrityResemblance: Is said to look like Creator/GraceKelly (and briefly gets a modeling gig (partially) because of it).
** This is in fact an InvokedTrope: The show's stylists intentionally modeled Betty's general look on Kelly.
* CoolCar: Starts off with a buttercup-yellow-and-white '57 Ford wagon, graduating to a black/fake wood '60 Mercury wagon before inheriting her father's '61 Lincoln Continental which is a CoolCar for a suburban mother of three ''in the context of the '60s'', not just something that has more style than, say, a Honda CR-V but had the same image as one in its day.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Why she refuses to get treatment when she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She says she knows her time is over and doesn't want her children watching her rotting slowly as it happened to her mother.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: It takes her a while to divorce Don, but it's justified in that 1. It was scandalous 2. It took her a while to know he was cheating on her 3. She has to deal with a senile father and a unplanned pregnancy on top of it. But after JFK gets shot and she finds love in the arms of Henry, she really serves Don the papers.
* FormerlyFat: Two times this happened to her. She was chubby as a child (and given a hard time of it by her Mom) until her 13th summer. Then later, after she marries Henry and Don is engaged to Megan, she puts on a significant amount of weight to cause her former-model self angst. She then loses the weight.
** FormerlyFit: Before the aforementioned weight gain, she was a former model with a slim and delicate figure.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Discusses the possibility with her doctor and a friend, but ultimately keeps the baby.
* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]],SatelliteCharacter: We never fulfilling her potential.
* {{Housewife}}: The show spends three seasons deconstructing this trope, as wesee seemingly stereotypical 50s housewife Betty dealing with sexual frustration, her husband's infidelity, and boredom.
** And it doesn't stop with her marriage to Henry: frustration, weight gain, Henry entering politics, her inability to be truly tender with her kids, and Henry states he'd prefer her not to speak her mind about politics at dinners.
* IceQueen: And she's not defrostingany time soon. Sometimes combined with DramaQueen. She's that insecure and voluble.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Oneof Betty's biggest flaws: she's a narcissist and a control freak, and her sense of self-worth revolves around having total control of everyone around her and having her life follow her definition of perfection. outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she has an opinion, she expects people to agree with her, and when anything goes against the way she wants it, she snaps.
* {{Joisey}}: But not the way we usually think of it. Born in Cape May, a tony resort community where her family summered. Grew up in Lower Merion Township, on the Main Line in Pennsylvania.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Discovers she's pregnant at the end of Season 2 right when she and her husband are on the verge of becoming permanently estranged. (It's also in contrast to Pete and Trudy, who really want a baby and aren't conceiving, while Betty is so desperate she's even considering abortion.)
* MamaBear: After her neighbor threatens to kill Sally's dog, she takes pot-shots at his pigeons.
* MyBelovedSmother: Betty's mom seems to be mostly responsible for Betty's huge complex about physical appearances.
* ModelCouple: Makes one with Don, her [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark haired]], equally gorgeous (ex)husband. It has been commented on in show just how picture perfect a couple they are.
-->'''Roger:''' I remember Mona said they looked like they were on our wedding cake.
** With Henry to a lesser extent, she is the youthful looking and glamorous TrophyWife to Henry's Silver haired Politician, Sally even comments that they make it a thing about how perfect they look together.
* NightmareFetishist: Partially a sign of the times, partially a sign of how she's messed-up, but she has a wildly inappropriate sense of flirtatious humor, where she casually jokes about helping her husband rape a teenage girl in the other room.
* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen has a crush on ''her'', instead of crushing teenage Sally.
* StepfordSmiler: While married to Don, who was manipulative and completely emotionally shut off from her. After remarrying, she thought she'd escape this, but found herself just as unhappy about her life, only now she doesn't have Don to blame for it, and spends most of season 5 passing the day eating in her mausoleum of a home to ignore her disappointment.
** This starts to change in late season 5 when Betty realizes that Sally will still run to her in a crisis. By season 6, she seems to be letting go of her anger and has made peace with Don.
* TheTopicOfCancer: [[spoiler:Discovers she has lung cancer after breaking a rib in season 7b.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The first three seasons were Betty trying to find the courage to stand her ground against Don. The fourth and fifth are her being essentially driven over the edge from this. The sixth is Betty beginning to reign the anger in. The 7th season has Betty, more or less, examining the role she was raised for and thenshe starts taking classes in psychology.
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the start of the series, her frustration and loneliness from her marriage to Don is easily sympathetic, but after her divorce and getting seemingly everything she has ever wanted, she goes on a pretty ugly downward spiral. Her anger at Don grows into spiteful bitterness, which she lashes out on Sally and anyone else in the house siding against her. Eventually, this takes a physical toll on her appearance in the fifth season.
** TookALevelInKindness: By the sixth season, she starts letting go of her anger (and the excess weight) and becomes happier than she has been in years.
* WeightWoe: Gained a significant amount of weight in Season 5. Don't expect breakfast-skipping, former modelto, Betty to be taking it well. By late season 6, with usually changes the announcement that Henry is running for state senate, she gets herself back to her Draper level weight.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She and Sally clash over her wanting the girl to be perfect and over politics. After learning [[spoiler:she's going to die in less than a year]], she gives Sally a set of instructions for the burial and leaves her with these heartfelt words.
---> '''Betty:''' Sally, I always worried about you, because you marched to the beat of your own drum, but now I know that's good. I know your life will be an adventure. I love you, Mom.
* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Technically, she's of German descent. Hofstadt isn't really a WASP-y name, and her father's (very Philly) accent and general aspect implies that he is a self-made man who rose up from humbler urban roots. But her upbringing and milieu (Philadelphia Main Line, Bryn Mawr, the fashion industry, Westchester County) is the very definition of WASP. So culturally, if not ethnically.
* WomanChild: Highly immature, as her daughter's shrink politely lampshades.
** As much as she'd like to think she's been around the block, she has some very naive and childlike qualities, which make her a victim initially (she has to have it spelled out for her before she realizes that Don cheats on her and constantly lies, and she forms a weird friendship with a ten-year-old boy to cope with her loneliness) and eventually a victimizer (manifesting most significantly in the petty, spiteful way she acts with Sally). Her comments about her own childhood reveal that her mother raised her pretty much how she raises Sally, and her father's comparison of her to a housecat ("You're very important and you have little to do") sums up the kind of adult life she expected and was expected to have.
** After divorcing Don (and the recent death of her father), she marries a man a generation older than she is.
* WomanScorned: After her divorce from Don and remarrying to Henry, Betty's bitterness makes her go ''way'' out of her way to make Don's life miserable, including still living in the house Don pays for and using their kids against him. [[DramaticIrony However, this actually makes HER more miserable than Don]]: Sally rebels against her and challenges her authority, and the feeling of lacking control over her supposed idyllic life starts breaking her emotionally and psychologically.
* WomenAreWiser: Played with when she was married to Don, where she was the child and he was the adult, but he'd cheat on her; [[AvertedTrope averted]] in her marriage to Henry.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:In season 7b, she finds that she has lung cancer and less than a year to live.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: This is pretty much how she reacts when, after divorcing Don and marrying Henry Francis, she finds she's not suddenly in paradise with all her problems solved.subject rather abruptly.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the
*
* AbusiveParents: We learn through her therapy sessions that [[DeathByOriginStory her mom]] was emotionally abusive and highly critical (for example, Betty was chubby as a child and her mother told her that because of this she wouldn't be able
* AllGirlsLikePonies: Is frequently seen riding in Season 2 as a means of staving off her depression.
* AmicableExes: Makes great strides towards this with Don by the end of the sixth season. [[spoiler:This leads to them having a one night stand that neither seems to regret very much.]]
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Played completely straight when [[spoiler: she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in the penultimate episode. Although she looks a little weaker, she's still very beautiful. Her vanity is partly why she refuses treatment.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: In Season 5, she has gained a significant amount of weight. This is alluded to when Henry tells her he doesn't care about if she's big or not, she snaps that
* BrainlessBeauty: Appearance means everything to her. A firm believer of MenAreStrongWomenArePretty. She isn't a DumbBlonde though, given she graduated from Bryn Mawr in with a Bachelors in Anthropology, speaks Italian, and can be pretty cunning; it's just she was raised to be a TrophyWife rather than an intellectual woman.
* BreakTheCutie: Seasons 1 and 2 showed her absolutely miserable and crawling up the walls living with Don and his pile of lies, secrets, and infidelities. [[spoiler:To top it all off, she gets diagnosed with bone cancer in season 7b.]]
* BrokenBird: The mean variety after
*
** This is in fact an InvokedTrope: The show's stylists intentionally modeled Betty's general look on Kelly.
* CoolCar: Starts off with a buttercup-yellow-and-white '57 Ford wagon, graduating to a black/fake wood '60 Mercury wagon before inheriting her father's '61 Lincoln Continental which is a CoolCar for a suburban mother of three ''in the context of the '60s'', not just something that has more style than, say, a Honda CR-V but had the same image as one in its day.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Why she refuses to get treatment when she's diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She says she knows her time is over and doesn't want her children watching her rotting slowly as it happened to her mother.]]
* FootDraggingDivorcee: It takes her a while to divorce Don, but it's justified in that 1. It was scandalous 2. It took her a while to know he was cheating on her 3. She has to deal with a senile father and a unplanned pregnancy on top of it. But after JFK gets shot and she finds love in the arms of Henry, she really serves Don the papers.
* FormerlyFat: Two times this happened to her. She was chubby as a child (and given a hard time of it by her Mom) until her 13th summer. Then later, after she marries Henry and Don is engaged to Megan, she puts on a significant amount of weight to cause her former-model self angst. She then loses the weight.
** FormerlyFit: Before the aforementioned weight gain, she was a former model with a slim and delicate figure.
* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Discusses the possibility with her doctor and a friend, but ultimately keeps the baby.
* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]],
* {{Housewife}}: The show spends three seasons deconstructing this trope, as we
** And it doesn't stop with her marriage to Henry: frustration, weight gain, Henry entering politics, her inability to be truly tender with her kids, and Henry states he'd prefer her not to speak her mind about politics at dinners.
* IceQueen: And she's not defrosting
* ItsAllAboutMe: One
* {{Joisey}}: But not the way we usually think of it. Born in Cape May, a tony resort community where her family summered. Grew up in Lower Merion Township, on the Main Line in Pennsylvania.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Discovers she's pregnant at the end of Season 2 right when she and her husband are on the verge of becoming permanently estranged. (It's also in contrast to Pete and Trudy, who really want a baby and aren't conceiving, while Betty is so desperate she's even considering abortion.)
* MamaBear: After her neighbor threatens to kill Sally's dog, she takes pot-shots at his pigeons.
* MyBelovedSmother: Betty's mom seems to be mostly responsible for Betty's huge complex about physical appearances.
* ModelCouple: Makes one with Don, her [[TallDarkAndHandsome dark haired]], equally gorgeous (ex)husband. It has been commented on in show just how picture perfect a couple they are.
-->'''Roger:''' I remember Mona said they looked like they were on our wedding cake.
** With Henry to a lesser extent, she is the youthful looking and glamorous TrophyWife to Henry's Silver haired Politician, Sally even comments that they make it a thing about how perfect they look together.
* NightmareFetishist: Partially a sign of the times, partially a sign of how she's messed-up, but she has a wildly inappropriate sense of flirtatious humor, where she casually jokes about helping her husband rape a teenage girl in the other room.
* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen has a crush on ''her'', instead of crushing teenage Sally.
* StepfordSmiler: While married to Don, who was manipulative and completely emotionally shut off from her. After remarrying, she thought she'd escape this, but found herself just as unhappy about her life, only now she doesn't have Don to blame for it, and spends most of season 5 passing the day eating in her mausoleum of a home to ignore her disappointment.
** This starts to change in late season 5 when Betty realizes that Sally will still run to her in a crisis. By season 6, she seems to be letting go of her anger and has made peace with Don.
* TheTopicOfCancer: [[spoiler:Discovers she has lung cancer after breaking a rib in season 7b.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The first three seasons were Betty trying to find the courage to stand her ground against Don. The fourth and fifth are her being essentially driven over the edge from this. The sixth is Betty beginning to reign the anger in. The 7th season has Betty, more or less, examining the role she was raised for and then
* TookALevelInJerkass: At the start of the series, her frustration and loneliness from her marriage to Don is easily sympathetic, but after her divorce and getting seemingly everything she has ever wanted, she goes on a pretty ugly downward spiral. Her anger at Don grows into spiteful bitterness, which she lashes out on Sally and anyone else in the house siding against her. Eventually, this takes a physical toll on her appearance in the fifth season.
** TookALevelInKindness: By the sixth season, she starts letting go of her anger (and the excess weight) and becomes happier than she has been in years.
* WeightWoe: Gained a significant amount of weight in Season 5. Don't expect breakfast-skipping, former model
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She and Sally clash over her wanting the girl to be perfect and over politics. After learning [[spoiler:she's going to die in less than a year]], she gives Sally a set of instructions for the burial and leaves her with these heartfelt words.
---> '''Betty:''' Sally, I always worried about you, because you marched to the beat of your own drum, but now I know that's good. I know your life will be an adventure. I love you, Mom.
* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Technically, she's of German descent. Hofstadt isn't really a WASP-y name, and her father's (very Philly) accent and general aspect implies that he is a self-made man who rose up from humbler urban roots. But her upbringing and milieu (Philadelphia Main Line, Bryn Mawr, the fashion industry, Westchester County) is the very definition of WASP. So culturally, if not ethnically.
* WomanChild: Highly immature, as her daughter's shrink politely lampshades.
** As much as she'd like to think she's been around the block, she has some very naive and childlike qualities, which make her a victim initially (she has to have it spelled out for her before she realizes that Don cheats on her and constantly lies, and she forms a weird friendship with a ten-year-old boy to cope with her loneliness) and eventually a victimizer (manifesting most significantly in the petty, spiteful way she acts with Sally). Her comments about her own childhood reveal that her mother raised her pretty much how she raises Sally, and her father's comparison of her to a housecat ("You're very important and you have little to do") sums up the kind of adult life she expected and was expected to have.
** After divorcing Don (and the recent death of her father), she marries a man a generation older than she is.
* WomanScorned: After her divorce from Don and remarrying to Henry, Betty's bitterness makes her go ''way'' out of her way to make Don's life miserable, including still living in the house Don pays for and using their kids against him. [[DramaticIrony However, this actually makes HER more miserable than Don]]: Sally rebels against her and challenges her authority, and the feeling of lacking control over her supposed idyllic life starts breaking her emotionally and psychologically.
* WomenAreWiser: Played with when she was married to Don, where she was the child and he was the adult, but he'd cheat on her; [[AvertedTrope averted]] in her marriage to Henry.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:In season 7b, she finds that she has lung cancer and less than a year to live.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: This is pretty much how she reacts when, after divorcing Don and marrying Henry Francis, she finds she's not suddenly in paradise with all her problems solved.
Changed line(s) 1127,1135 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Sally Draper]]
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sally-Draper-001_5558.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_6778.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/KiernanShipka
-->''"My father's never given me anything."''
Don and Betty's eldest child and only daughter. Very intelligent and precocious, she seems to take after her father. Betty takes primary custody after the divorce, which causes Sally to resent her even more.
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sally-Draper-001_5558.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_6778.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/KiernanShipka
-->''"My father's never given me anything."''
Don and Betty's eldest child and only daughter. Very intelligent and precocious, she seems to take after her father. Betty takes primary custody after the divorce, which causes Sally to resent her even more.
to:
[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sally-Draper-001_5558.png]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_6778.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
-->''"My father's never given me anything."''
Don and Betty's eldest child and only daughter. Very intelligent and precocious, she seems
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to
Changed line(s) 1138,1165 (click to see context) from:
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Basically everything she says has varying overtones of this. Arguably, she also has Armor Piercing Eyes.
-->'''Sally:''' (to Betty) Did you make him leave?
* AscendedExtra: Nothing more than background decoration in the first few seasons, Sally later becomes one of the principal members of the cast.
* BlackSheep: In Betty's eyes, Sally is a nightmarish brat, but only because she's the only child currently old enough to have her own thoughts, while Don is too detached and tired to deal with her youth.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Played with in Season 5, as she becomes more aware of the lies and hypocrisy of the adults around her.
** Fully becomes this by the time of Season 6.
-->(to her mother about a friend) "She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* BreakTheCutie: Her parents divorce, and being raised with a bitter Betty had a very negative impact on her.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Sadly had to deliver this to her parents more than once in her life (and before the age of 20!)
* ComingOfAgeStory: Seasons four through six seem to be hers.
* DaddysGirl: To adorable and beyond. [[spoiler:At least at first. Season 4 sees the beginning of the end of this in "The Beautiful Girls." Completely over in season 6 after she catches Don with his latest mistress and Don tries to tell her she didn't see what she saw.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Just like her parents.
-->(to her mother about a friend)" She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Glen.
* ImportantHaircut: A shorter boy, to symbolize her maturity and how she's trying to be her own person, she later grows out her hair.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]; Betty and Don even get into a playful argument over which parent Sally resembles more.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted as of "Commissions and Fees."
* OutnumberedSibling: The only daughter of Betty and Don, who have two younger sons.
** Betty's marriage to Henry seems to rectify it somewhat, as he has an adult daughter.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Doesn't seem to mind Henry Francis all that much, but has hated every single one of Don's girlfriends (and friends who happen to be girls) except for Megan, who she was introduced to and befriended ''before'' being informed about their relationship.
* PrimalScene: Three times:
** In an early-season episode, both she and Bobby walk in when Don and Betty are about to get it on. They don't see much, and they're young enough not to (openly) question Betty's weak explanation that "Mommy and Daddy are...sleeping..."
** "At the Codfish Ball" (Season 5, Episode 7): She spies her HonoraryUncle Roger Sterling getting a blowjob from her step-grandmother Marie Calvet.
** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante'' and her relationship with Don deteriorates after that.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler:Hinted at in the finale, when she moves back home to take care of her dying mother and her little brothers.]]
* StepfordSmiler: Learns that it's better to say what her mother expects her to say or nothing at all rather than express her actual opinions or feelings. This is actually encouraged by her shrink.
* TheUnfavourite: She's old enough to hold her own opinions, and Betty openly can't stand her rebelliousness, at least in the first years after the divorce. The relationship seems to have cooled to standard mother teenage sniping.
-->'''Sally:''' (to Betty) Did you make him leave?
* AscendedExtra: Nothing more than background decoration in the first few seasons, Sally later becomes one of the principal members of the cast.
* BlackSheep: In Betty's eyes, Sally is a nightmarish brat, but only because she's the only child currently old enough to have her own thoughts, while Don is too detached and tired to deal with her youth.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Played with in Season 5, as she becomes more aware of the lies and hypocrisy of the adults around her.
** Fully becomes this by the time of Season 6.
-->(to her mother about a friend) "She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* BreakTheCutie: Her parents divorce, and being raised with a bitter Betty had a very negative impact on her.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Sadly had to deliver this to her parents more than once in her life (and before the age of 20!)
* ComingOfAgeStory: Seasons four through six seem to be hers.
* DaddysGirl: To adorable and beyond. [[spoiler:At least at first. Season 4 sees the beginning of the end of this in "The Beautiful Girls." Completely over in season 6 after she catches Don with his latest mistress and Don tries to tell her she didn't see what she saw.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Just like her parents.
-->(to her mother about a friend)" She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Glen.
* ImportantHaircut: A shorter boy, to symbolize her maturity and how she's trying to be her own person, she later grows out her hair.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]; Betty and Don even get into a playful argument over which parent Sally resembles more.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted as of "Commissions and Fees."
* OutnumberedSibling: The only daughter of Betty and Don, who have two younger sons.
** Betty's marriage to Henry seems to rectify it somewhat, as he has an adult daughter.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Doesn't seem to mind Henry Francis all that much, but has hated every single one of Don's girlfriends (and friends who happen to be girls) except for Megan, who she was introduced to and befriended ''before'' being informed about their relationship.
* PrimalScene: Three times:
** In an early-season episode, both she and Bobby walk in when Don and Betty are about to get it on. They don't see much, and they're young enough not to (openly) question Betty's weak explanation that "Mommy and Daddy are...sleeping..."
** "At the Codfish Ball" (Season 5, Episode 7): She spies her HonoraryUncle Roger Sterling getting a blowjob from her step-grandmother Marie Calvet.
** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante'' and her relationship with Don deteriorates after that.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler:Hinted at in the finale, when she moves back home to take care of her dying mother and her little brothers.]]
* StepfordSmiler: Learns that it's better to say what her mother expects her to say or nothing at all rather than express her actual opinions or feelings. This is actually encouraged by her shrink.
* TheUnfavourite: She's old enough to hold her own opinions, and Betty openly can't stand her rebelliousness, at least in the first years after the divorce. The relationship seems to have cooled to standard mother teenage sniping.
to:
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Basically everything she says has varying overtones of this. Arguably, she also has Armor Piercing Eyes.
-->'''Sally:''' (to Betty) Did you make him leave?
* AscendedExtra: Nothing more than background decorationSeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the first few seasons, Sally later becomes one of last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in theprincipal members of the cast.
* BlackSheep: In Betty's eyes, Sally is a nightmarish brat, but only becausebathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the only child currently old enough to have her own thoughts, while Don basis of their friendship is too detached and tired to deal with her youth.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Played with in Season 5, asthat she becomes more aware of the lies and hypocrisy of the adults around her.
** Fully becomes this byagrees to it. By the time of Season 6.
-->(to her mother about5, he has a friend) "She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* BreakTheCutie: Her parents divorce, and being raised with a bitter Betty had a very negative impact on her.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Sadly had to deliver this to her parentsmuch more than once in her life (and before the age of 20!)
* ComingOfAgeStory: Seasons four through six seem to be hers.
* DaddysGirl: To adorable and beyond. [[spoiler:At least at first. Season 4 sees the beginning of the end of this in "The Beautiful Girls." Completely over in season 6 after she catches Don withnormal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his latest mistress and Don tries to tell her she didn't see what she saw.creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Just like her parents.
-->(to her mother about a friend)" She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Glen.
* ImportantHaircut: A shorter boy, to symbolize her maturityBetty, and how she's trying later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be her own person, she later grows out her hair.
friends with him.
*[[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]; Betty GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Don even get into a playful argument over which parent Sally resembles more.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted as of "CommissionsFees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and Fees."
* OutnumberedSibling: The only daughterrumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of Betty and Don, who have two younger sons.
[[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
**Betty's marriage to Henry Though by season six, he seems to rectify it somewhat, as he have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and hasan adult daughter.
* ParentWithNewParamour: Doesn't seem to mind Henry Francis allhair and wears clothes that much, but has hated every single one make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit ofDon's girlfriends (and a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends who happen to be girls) except for Megan, who with a girl, and Sally says she was introduced to and befriended ''before'' being informed about their relationship.
* PrimalScene: Three times:
** In an early-season episode, both she and Bobby walk in when Don and Betty are about to get it on. They don'tdoesn't see much, and they're young enough not to (openly) question Betty's weak explanation him that "Mommy way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He andDaddy are...sleeping..."
** "At the Codfish Ball" (Season 5, Episode 7): She spies her HonoraryUncle Roger Sterling gettingSally maintain a blowjob from her step-grandmother Marie Calvet.
** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante'' and herlong-distance relationship with Don deteriorates after that.
* PromotionToOpeningTitles
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler:Hintedvia secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in thefinale, when she moves back home to take care of her dying mother army and her little brothers.is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
*StepfordSmiler: Learns that it's better PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to say what her mother expects her to say or nothing at all rather than express her actual opinions or feelings. This is actually encouraged by her shrink.
* TheUnfavourite: She's old enough to hold her own opinions, andact on it once he turns 18, but Betty openly can't stand her rebelliousness, at least in the first years after the divorce. The relationship seems to have cooled to standard mother teenage sniping.turns him down.]]
-->'''Sally:''' (to Betty) Did you make him leave?
* AscendedExtra: Nothing more than background decoration
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the
* BlackSheep: In Betty's eyes, Sally is a nightmarish brat, but only because
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: Played with in Season 5, as
** Fully becomes this by
-->(to her mother about
* BreakTheCutie: Her parents divorce, and being raised with a bitter Betty had a very negative impact on her.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Sadly had to deliver this to her parents
* ComingOfAgeStory: Seasons four through six seem to be hers.
* DaddysGirl: To adorable and beyond. [[spoiler:At least at first. Season 4 sees the beginning of the end of this in "The Beautiful Girls." Completely over in season 6 after she catches Don with
-->(to her mother about a friend)" She acts like she's 25 just because she uses tampons."
* ImportantHaircut: A shorter boy, to symbolize her maturity
*
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted as of "Commissions
* OutnumberedSibling: The only daughter
**
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has
* ParentWithNewParamour: Doesn't seem to mind Henry Francis all
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of
* PrimalScene: Three times:
** In an early-season episode, both she and Bobby walk in when Don and Betty are about to get it on. They don't
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and
** "At the Codfish Ball" (Season 5, Episode 7): She spies her HonoraryUncle Roger Sterling getting
** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante'' and her
* PromotionToOpeningTitles
* PromotionToParent: [[spoiler:Hinted
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the
*
* TheUnfavourite: She's old enough to hold her own opinions, and
Changed line(s) 1168,1172 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Bobby Draper and Gene Draper]]
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
->'''Bobby Played By''': Maxwell Huckabee, Aaron Hart, Jared Gilmore, and Mason Vale Cotton
Don and Betty's sons. Much more in the background than Sally.
to:
->'''Bobby Played
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''':
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and
Don and Betty's sons. Much more
Changed line(s) 1175,1184 (click to see context) from:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
* TheCutie: Bobby. Gene in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition is born soon after Betty's father dies]], and she names the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death without a ReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: As a young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not that unusual, but Betty comes down on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him, the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene is the one child Betty constantly holds next to her and treats tenderly.
* LivingProp: Well, Gene is still a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known as "Bobby five" because there's so many, and that "Bobby one" left.
to:
* ADayInTheLimelight: For Bobby BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in "The Flood" and "Field Trip"; both dealing with his relationship with his parents.
the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
*TheCutie: Bobby. Gene CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season 7B.
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtapositionTwo, she is born soon seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after Betty's father dies]], she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and shenames asks if she's the baby after him, much to the dismay of Don (who couldn't stand her father and vice versa) and Sally (who is having a hard enough time dealing with her grandfather's death only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without aReplacementGoldfish coming along).
* TheKlutz: Asmother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young child, Bobby accidentally hurts himself and breaks a lot of things around the house. It's not children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know thatunusual, but Betty comes down she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on him hard over it.
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him,the few times we see him interact alone with Bobby have always been rather emotionally significant to Don, night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his own baggage related to his father causes him to see a certain connection to him.
** Gene isalias when the one child Betty constantly holds next guys are trying to her and treats tenderly.
get into a seedy club.)
*LivingProp: Well, Gene is still SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a baby, but Bobby has been able to talk since we've known him and rarely avails himself of this ability.
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentionsman that ([[InUniverse at his summer camp]]) he's known appreciates her as "Bobby five" because there's so many, a person, and seems to get that "Bobby one" left.with Tilden Katz.
*
* DeadGuyJunior: Gene [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she
* MissingMom: She grew up without a
* TheKlutz: As
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that
* ParentalFavoritism: While Sally is more of a frustrating mystery to him,
** Gene is
*
** This looks like it could change for Bobby as of the Season 6 episode, "The Flood."
* SoapOperaRapidAgingSyndrome: Inverted in Bobby's case. Due to multiple recastings (see below) he was somehow no younger than four or five in 1960 but not yet a teenager by 1970.
* TheOtherDarrin: There have been ''four'' Bobbys so far. With Mason Vale Cotton's PromotionToOpeningTitles, it looks like this has come to an end. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the episode "The Better Half" where Bobby mentions
Changed line(s) 1187,1192 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Henry Francis]]
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
[[quoteright:153:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Henry-Francis-001_7404.png]]
->'''Played By''': Christopher Stanley
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State first for Governor Nelson Rockefeller, then for New York Mayor John Lindsay,[[note]]Both Rockefeller and Lindsay were noted liberal Republicans, and Francis is no different[[/note]] whom Betty meets at a party. After her marriage to Don starts to founder, she begins an affair with him and eventually divorces Don to marry him. He himself is already divorced, with a daughter. He is eventually elected to the New York State Senate from a safe GOP seat in Westchester County.
to:
[[quoteright:153:https://static.
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
An acquaintance of Roger Sterling's, Henry is a Republican political operative in New York State
The very first
Changed line(s) 1195,1207 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying and domineering woman that looks down at Betty and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through a divorce before, Henry tries to be the voice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don for the kids sake and her own future, but tends to be terse with Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he doesn't invoke his clout to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In the most ironic way possible, given the context.
to:
* FiftiesHair: As he is a politician, he maintains this conservative look into 1970.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying{{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and domineering is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman that looks down at Betty of her age and he's more mild-mannered compared to her. He's shown to be in some denial after a heavier Betty dyes her hair black, resembling a younger version of his Mother.
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.generation.
*TheMissusAndTheEx: Having been through TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a divorce before, Henry tries to be heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from thevoice of reason with Betty to try to get along better with Don more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard forthe kids sake him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her own future, but tends to be terse with a bohemian artist), she and Don every time they communicate in early years. By later seasons, he generally shrugs it off.
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring toare both her and a teenage Sally as [[FreudianSlip "Girls! Girls!"]]
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, heself-centered (she doesn't invoke care to hear about his clout wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to dodge petty things like car tickets and doesn't like it when his relatives try to. He explains to his Mother that his approach to dealing with a speeding ticket is "to pay it".
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: Inthe most ironic way possible, given the context.other women who cared for him.
* MamasBoy: Implied, his mother is a very terrifying
* MayDecemberRomance: He's a good fifteen years older than Betty and while they aren't without problems, it's clear they love each other very much.
*
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for
** The one real flash of anger toward Don featured Henry passive aggressively nudging his car forward into boxes of Don's stuff after an argument with Betty, and while requesting he move his items in a later conversation, requesting Don not come on Sunday because that is the day of Don's son Gene's birthday party. [[spoiler:Don shows up anyway and Betty lets him because he'd not risk losing contact with the kids for the sake of the fight.]]
* NiceGuy: Betty seems to consider him this, in contrast to Don. He may not be so much of one.
* NotSoAboveItAll: "The Runaways" has him display some [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]] attitudes towards Betty, with him even referring to
* OnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He might be the best parent on the show. In spite of this, Betty takes his advice about everything ''except'' when it comes to Sally.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Defied, he
* SilverFox
* StandardFiftiesFather: In
Changed line(s) 1210,1223 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Mona Sterling]]
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
->'''Played By:''' Talia Balsam
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces and leaves for Jane, a secretary at SCDP.
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end of the decade.
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and spent most of his time at the agency or with mistresses.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure to be more poised in comparison to Jane and has a hard time being neutral during the wedding plans in regards to Jane.
** Played with in scenes with her and Joan, as she isn't aware of the relationship between Joan and Roger and respects Joan's beauty and fashion know-how.
* RichBitch: Her first appearance shown her to not show any sympathy to Betty when she mentions that she still is reeling from the death of her mother, Roger complained about her being judgmental; she is a more sympathetic example than most.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger Sterling's first wife, who he divorces
The boisterous and
* FiftiesHair: Starts off with very conservative hair until she loosens up towards the end
* DeadpanSnarker: Hmmm, so that's what they saw in each other....
* FootDraggingDivorcee: She refuses to divorce Roger until she gets a lot of money from him after 20 years of marriage.
* GrandeDame: Oh so much.
* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Family Member]]: A mediator for both her ex-husband and daughter, this is well shown in the 3rd season when Margaret's wedding was being prepared.
* TheMissusAndTheEx: With Jane Sterling, even after Roger and Jane are divorced, Mona makes sure
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in
** Played
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with
*
Changed line(s) 1226,1236 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Margaret Hargrove (née Sterling)]]
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
->'''Played By:''' Elizabeth Rice
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob in Season One and maintains wavy hair and beehives.
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she is over 20.
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids to marry his secretary, so why can't she do the same as him.
* [[LikeFatherLikeSon Like Father, Like Daughter]]: Lampshaded in the first season when Roger complains about how bratty she is, with Joan pointing out that she's only taking after Roger; she also turns out to be as self-centered as him.
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
to:
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played
Roger and Mona Sterling's only daughter. She is married and has one child. She later leaves her husband and son to live in a Hippie commune and changes her name to "Marigold".
* FiftiesHair: Has a ponytail later cut into a bob
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and
* SeventiesHair: Her hair gets looser as the show goes on and ends up a hippie with long, loose hair.
* BrattyTeenageDaughter: That doesn't change much even when she
* CallingTheOldManOut: After being asked how she could live with abandoning her family by her father, she brutally points out the hypocrisy in that, considering how he was a distant, incapable, apathetic parent who abandoned his wife and kids
*
* MistakenForServant: The first
* MissingMom: Becomes this to her son when she runs off to a commune.
Changed line(s) 1239,1251 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Anna Draper]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
[[quoteright:155:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anna-Draper-001_3999.png]]
->'''Played By''': Melinda Page Hamilton
The wife of the real Don Draper, who lives in California. Through flashbacks, we find out that she tracked "Don" down after he came back from the war and demanded an explanation, but was very forgiving when she got one. She and this Don never had a romantic relationship; instead she was, as they both said at different times, the only person who knew all about him. [[spoiler:She dies of cancer in season four.]]
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One of the few attractive women Don wouldn't try to stick his Dick Whitman in.
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
to:
[[quoteright:155:https://static.
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played
The wife
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but
----
* FiftiesHair: When a flashback shows her confronting Don, she has very late 1940s-early 1950s hair, complete with the shiny lower bun and the suit with the shoulder pads. Later flashbacks and current appearances show her with longer, looser hair.
* BlitheSpirit[=/=]ManicPixieDreamGirl
* TheConfidant
* MoralityPet: To Don.
* RomancingTheWidow: Averted. One
* YourDaysAreNumbered: [[spoiler:But she doesn't know it.]]
Changed line(s) 1254,1259 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Trudy Campbell]]
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
[[quoteright:145:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trudy-Campbell-001_8730.png]]
->'''Played By''': Creator/AlisonBrie
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one of the most stable and loving couples on the show for a brief period of time.
to:
[[quoteright:145:https://static.
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.
->'''Played By''':
Pete Campbell's wife, from a NouveauRiche family. They had a rocky start, but have grown into one
The head of
Changed line(s) 1261,1280 (click to see context) from:
* FiftiesHair: Starts the series with chic updos of the later 1950s and early 1960s, only to loosen to bouffants as the series goes on.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
* SeventiesHair: When she isn't wearing her hair up, she wears her hair lose and when we see her again in 1969 and 1970, her hair is long and loose with some curls. The finale sees her traveling with long, loose but styled hair.
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
* BrainyBrunette: A cunning, witty, vivacious brown-haired woman who coaches her husband through his career and reads "the Classics" as opposed to modern short stories and paperback novels.
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much for her (which her husband resents, given [[TheUnfavourite his upbringing]]). [[spoiler: To the point of throwing out of the window a years-long partnership with Pete when his father-in-law finds out he cheats on his daughter.]]
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host, who won't take no for an answer when inviting people. She was even able to force Don to attend a party he wanted out of, and Betty couldn't even get the guy to show up to his kid's birthday party.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than what her husband expects.
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
to:
*
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to
* SeventiesHair:
* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.
*
* DaddysGirl: She's her father little princess, and nothing is ever too much
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Having had enough of Peter's lies and adultery, Trudy unleashes a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech before kicking him out of the house in season 6. A completely unintimidated Pete then bites back himself, stating "You're going to sleep alone tonight. And you will realize you don't know anything for sure." In this show, he's right.]]
* HappilyMarried: Played with.
** Pete and Trudy's marriage takes work (and isn't always so happy), but as pointed out above, it's on much solider ground than most of the other SCDP marriages. However, she eventually becomes quite naggy (see entry on her husband.)
** [[spoiler:They're in the process of divorcing by Season 7 and then call it off in 7B before moving to Wichita.]]
* HiddenDepths: Trudy can dance a mean Charleston and apparently ''really'' loves watching boxing.
** It was also shown that she is known among the office as a notoriously adamant party host,
* LawOfInverseFertility: Gets pregnant just as she and Pete decide to adopt, after trying for three years with no luck she gives birth to their daughter. In Season 2, her inability to conceive is also framed in contrast to Peggy's unwanted pregnancy in Season 1 (by Pete, no less) and Betty's at the end of season 2.
* NiceHat: Has a wide collection of hats for her going-out outfits, the image shown is just one of many.
* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
* SilkHidingSteel: Appears to be a young, bubbly, sociable upper-middle class housewife with classy manners and a fashionable wardrobe, she always proves herself to be tougher than
* SocialClimber: Much of the earlier season has her courting the attention of more established women and planning dinner parties, she doesn't abandon this activity but focuses more on their daughter Tammy.
* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
* StepfordSmiler: Downplayed. She has a habit of hiding negative emotions behind a bubbly smile, but is still capable of putting her foot down and asserting herself when she feels the need to.
* WomenAreWiser: She is sometimes more adult than Pete. Other times she can be naive or overly optimistic, and Pete needs to tell her what's what.
** In 7B she clearly tells him that she looks back and sees things as they are rather than how she wants to see them as, so she has grown a lot from the young, wide-eyed bride she was in the early 60s.
Changed line(s) 1283,1287 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Emile and Marie Calvet]]
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
->'''Played By''': Ronald Guttman and Julia Ormond
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
to:
->'''Played By''':
Megan's French-Canadian parents, whose marriage is decaying from the inside out.
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
Changed line(s) 1290,1308 (click to see context) from:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass, and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out a wine glass and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends to be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have their moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart: Emile was caught crying to a female college student on the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and doesn't much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]
to:
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Emile seemed amused JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at Pete fooling him about admiring his work on Marxism.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass,pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and in "For Immediate Release" she pulls out actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's awine glass comedian, and then chooses to just drink out of the bottle.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. Onean acerbic one at that, this is a communist KnightTemplar and the other a LadyDrunk with a tongue sharp like a guillotine.
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tendsto be amazingly blunt (see above). [[spoiler: Another thing Roger likes about her.]]
expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
*DatingWhatDaddyHates: Emile is a Marxist. Megan is married to SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don Draper, who does advertising (the epitome of capitalism) for a living.
* DirtyCommunist: Roger hasis cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this reaction when he hears about Emile's political affiliations.
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emilerevelation, and Marie are both very spiteful and unhappy people, who nonetheless have raised a happy and functional daughter.
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Personit leads to Person".
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each havetheir moments, in "At the Codfish Ball" and "The Phantom", respectively. In the former, Emile convinces Megan to quit her unsatisfying job at SCDP and follow her dream. In the latter, when Megan has hit a wall in her efforts to pursue an acting career, Marie convinces her to use Don's influence to get work through nepotism. Thanks to this advice, she is a famous soap opera star by the beginning of Season 6.
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart:Emile was caught crying to a female college student on Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the phone, though it's never made explicit the exact nature presence of their relationship. It's suggested that Mari knows about his occasional indiscretions and wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much care, but that him going to someone besides her for ''emotional'' support really hurt her. [[spoiler:Marie sleeps with Roger.]]his annoyance.
* TheAlcoholic: Marie is rarely seen very far from a glass,
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Two [[FunnyForeigner funny foreigners]] who argue in French. One
* BrutalHonesty: Marie tends
*
* DirtyCommunist: Roger has
* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: Not "evil", per se, but both Emile
* FreudianSlip: After seeing Sally dressed up for dinner in a very Megan-esque outfit...
-->'''Emile:''' There is nothing you can do, Don. One day your daughter will spread her legs and fly away.
-->'''Roger:''' ''(laughs)''
-->'''Megan:''' Wings, Daddy. You mean wings.
* HappilyMarried: Marie [[spoiler:to Roger]] in "Person
* JerkassHasAPoint: They each have
* MamaBear: Marie [[spoiler:takes all of Don's furniture in retaliation for divorcing Megan.]]
* NiceHat: Marie has quite a number of them to match her outfits.
* PetTheDog: Emile, who has spent the entirety of the episode "At the Codfish Ball" wallowing pathetically in self-pity and resentment for all those around him, finally has a one-on-one conversation with his daughter in the final sequence, convincing her to follow her dreams.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Marie, not that she's so much a senior (she's younger than Roger) but she is a piece of work, a grandmother, and she does insult people in French, as seen when she dines out with Don and Megan when they met with Mr. and Mrs. Rennet.
* SilverVixen: Marie looks young for her age and is fiercely attractive and sensual.
* YourCheatingHeart:
Changed line(s) 1311,1316 (click to see context) from:
[[folder:Greg Harris]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''': Samuel Page
Joan's fiancé and then husband, a doctor. In the first episode in which he is featured (he is seen before briefly), he rapes her on the floor of Don's office, which she keeps a secret and hasn't mentioned since. He fails to get his residency when they planned, then joins the Army instead. [[spoiler:In Season Five, he and Joan have a huge fight and he files for divorce.]]
to:
[[quoteright:149:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Greg-Harris-001_5362.png]]
->'''Played By''':
Joan's fiancé and then husband,
The ''real'' Don Draper, a
Changed line(s) 1319,1326 (click to see context) from:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals that he met a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware that he isn't the boy's biological father.
* {{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why he doesn't see Kevin anymore and if he knows about Joan and Roger)'' No. He's just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
to:
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Harris -- like Miller and Siegel -- BodyHorror: His body is sometimes but not always a Jewish name; Joan says he's not Jewish, but Roger thinks he "used to be."
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan statedabsolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that if she died, Kevin would live with Greg's parents or her mom; "Person To Person" reveals kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; hemet a nurse, married her, and had twins and hasn't bothered to visit Kevin... and he's still unaware Dick don't really look all that he isn't much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before theboy's biological father.
series gets underway.
*{{Jerkass}}: He seldom thinks about anyone other than himself.
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about whyReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't see Kevin anymore take it out on Dick, and if he knows about Joan shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He andRoger)'' No. He's Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a terrible person.
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joanfew tents and then acts like nothing happened, but rather the ones later on where they have every appearance of a normal loving relationship. The marriage does have more mundane low points. Joan's contempt for him for sucking at his job and {{wangst}}ing about it, a huge contrast to the professional life ''she'''s giving up to marry him -- which he doesn't even seem to realize. In Season 5, [[spoiler:this is finally subverted when Joan kicks him out of her apartment for good after he volunteers for a second tour of duty in Vietnam without her approval. While doing this, she also calls him out on raping her.]]
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.shovels.
* DisappearedDad: He hasn't been seen since "Mystery Date" and Joan stated
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the
*
---> '''Joan:''' ''(about why
* WithThisHerring: He and
* HappilyMarried: The scene that's hardest to watch may not be the one in which he sexually assaults Joan
* MaritalRapeLicense: Takes Joan against her will whilst she's his fiancee.
* MarriedToTheJob: In season 4, he [[spoiler:signs up for another year in Vietnam without discussing it with Joan first]]; she is is less than happy.
* PetTheDog: He does have a few moments where he's quite nice and sweet to Joan, like in season 3 when he treats her cut. It's not enough to take the sting out of him being a rapist though.
Deleted line(s) 1328,1585 (click to see context) :
[[folder:Katherine Olson]]
->'''Played By''': Myra Turley
Peggy's widowed mother.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BeehiveHairdo: Wears her hair in a similar style, was chosen for her by her hairdresser.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is unpleasant and is responsible for her daughters' insecurities, but she really does love them.
* MyBelovedSmother: Has more than enough guilt for her daughters to partake in, she even made Peggy feel bad about wanting to move to Manhattan, acting like Peggy was moving to Nairobi rather than a train ride away.
* RacistGrandma: Might appear to be this when she expresses surprise that the Jewish Abe eats pork and might have a problem with Swedish people; she is very amiable to Abe up until he and Peggy announce they are cohabiting and she was an Irish Catholic who married a Norwegian Protestant with half-Italian grandsons and really likes Nat King Cole.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: It's lot easier to bathe a cat than to try to get any approval from Katherine.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Anita Olson Respola]]
->'''Played By''': Audrey Wasilewski
Peggy's homemaker older sister.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
* AwfulWeddedLife: Her marriage to Gerry looks to be that way in the Second Season and she is implied to envy her sister's single life, her marriage has seemed to have gotten better.
* {{Foil}}: To Megan's sister Marie-France, both are devout Catholic mothers with dissatisfying marriages and look down on their sisters' life choices. But Anita has evolved past her resentment of her sister, while Marie-France gets called out for being a "ghoul" who cannot see anyone make radical choices to gain happiness.
** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Has this with Peggy, who works in Madison Avenue and lives the more "glamorous" single girl life and is a professional success while Anita stays home with three boys and a husband who is on the mend.
* GreenEyedMonster: Is very jealous and resentful of any (sometimes positive) attention Katherine and Father Gill give to Peggy, in retaliation, she tells Father Gill about Peggy being pregnant and even embellishes the story.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
* KarmaHoudini: Anita never faces any sort of punishment for what she did to Peggy, but truth told only Father Gill and herself know it.
* MayDecemberRomance: Her husband Gerry looks a lot older than her.
* TheResenter: Is resentful to the point of hatred in Season Two of Peggy, because Peggy isn't as beholden to the repressive attitudes of their family and community, she gets over this by Season Three and is more supportive of Peggy and stands up to their mother.
* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Gayle Holloway]]
->'''Played By''': Christine Estabrook
Joan's mother.
* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.
* CoolOldLady: Has a camaraderie with the hippie-styled babysitter of Kevin and with Joan's childhood friend.
* {{Foil}}: To Katherine Olson and the late Ruth Hofstadt, she does stress Joan out and is responsible for how Joan uses her looks to operate throughout the world and for submitting to men in relationships, but her relationship with Joan has grown enough for her to see that Joan is a grown woman who can take care of herself while Peggy and Betty have clearly been scarred by their Mother's disapproving behavior.
* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
* IAmNotPretty: She raised Joan to put care and attention to her appearance, to be the most beautiful woman in the room and is implied to feel she isn't so attractive. When Joan's friend Kate gives her a Mary Kay makeover, Kate remarks "if you look at little rusty, it's because I'm a little rusty" and Gail replies "I need all the help I can get".
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Is meddling and messes with Joan's mind, but she is very supportive of her daughter and her career; Gail is even welcoming to Joan's friends and later [[spoiler: helps start a production company with Joan]].
* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: She raised Joan to be "admired", as in for being beautiful and subservient to men, rather than for any personal and professional merits Joan can achieve.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is one of the few people who can try to make Joan waver in confidence, it seems her influence has been slipping somewhat with Joan as an adult woman who is learning to live life the way it makes her happy. Implied she is competitive with Joan about attracting men and is the reason Joan attaches a great value to her looks.
-->'''Gayle:''' You aren't at your fighting weight
--> '''Joan:''' Try Me.
* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
* StayInTheKitchen: She has these ambitions for Joan, urges her to be submissive to men especially her husband, despite having to had to work when Joan was growing up.
* WellDoneDaughterGal: She is even surprised herself that she is more proud of her daughter being a Madison Avenue agency partner than for her being a Surgeon's wife.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Pauline Francis]]
->'''Played By''': Pamela Dunlap
Henry's Mother and Betty's new mother-in-law.
* AbusiveParents: Her father once kicked her clear across the room and said "that's for nothing".
* AccentuateTheNegative: She tends to have a negative opinion of everything and plenty of people. Heavy traffic on Thanksgiving? The country is being run to the ground because of divorce. Her new daughter-in-law trying to please her? She's a silly woman. One episode had Sally try to trick her into voicing her true, negative opinions of Betty and the Draper children.
* FatBitch: Very unpleasant and obese.
* GrandeDame: Upper-class, older, and serious.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Very unpleasant but she really cares for Henry and even for her step-grandchildrens' welfare.
* JerkassHasAPoint: She is not a pleasant person but her instincts about Betty are right on point.
* MyBelovedSmother: She is very involved in Henry's business and family, is implied to have been a controlling mother.
* ObnoxiousInLaws: She doesn't think very well of Betty, to say the least. She even had the gall to criticize Betty about gaining weight even though she is heavy herself.
--> She's a silly woman
[[/folder]]
!Other characters
[[folder:Carla]]
->'''Played By''': Deborah Lacey
The Drapers' housekeeper and sort-of nanny. The show's most prominent black character in the first four seasons, not that that's saying very much.
----
* KindlyHousekeeper: Very kind. She takes care of what Betty needs during the divorce and whenever Betty is hungover after a party where Don humiliated her.
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Parental Figure]]: Served as this to Bobby and Sally, being the only adult in their household who isn't having an affair, an alcoholic, depressed, narcissistic, childish, nor possessing any other dysfunctional behavior.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Sally and Bobby, often. Especially during Betty's brief collapse during season 2, where Carla would take virtually complete care of the kids with Betty only bothering to say goodbye to them on their way to school. And during season 3 when she is shown to take care of the kids for 6 weeks while both parents are away.
* PutOnABus: Betty fired her at the end of the fourth season for letting Glen come to see Sally, though it's strongly implied that Betty just used it as a convenient excuse to get rid of what she saw as both a challenge to her authority as a mother, and one of the last major remnants of her marriage to Don.
* SatelliteCharacter: We never see any of her life outside the Draper household, and she rarely discusses it. When she starts to, Betty usually changes the subject rather abruptly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Glen Bishop]]
->'''Played By''': Marten Weiner
The son of Helen Bishop, a divorced woman who moves into the Drapers' neighborhood in season one. Betty develops a rapport with him due to their mutual loneliness. We don't see him again until after Betty has divorced and remarried; he befriends Sally.
----
* SeventiesHair: Has curly [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady]] hair in the last season.
* CreepyChild: He purposely walks in on Betty in the bathroom when she's babysitting him. After she gets him to apologize, he asks for a lock of her hair, and it's a mark of how twisted the basis of their friendship is that she agrees to it. By the time of Season 5, he has a much more normal personality, though he is still a little socially awkward. [[spoiler:He still has his creepy crush on Betty, though.]]
* ForbiddenFriendship: With Betty, and later in season 4 with Sally. Ironically, it's Betty who forbids Sally to be friends with him.
* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted(!) in ''Commissions and Fees'' - he manages to look both awkwardly adolescent and rumpled in his prep-school uniform. Picture [[Series/MyBabysittersAVampire Ethan Morgan]] in one of [[Series/SixtyMinutes Andy Rooney's]] suits.
** Though by season six, he seems to have grown a bit out of his awkward phase, and his teenage jacket covered in buttons is a pretty impressive display of "cool kid" fashion.
** In season 7B, he's 18 and has hair and wears clothes that make him resemble Greg Brady. Betty doesn't even recognize him at first.
* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: He returns in Season 7 all slimmed down and [[Series/TheBradyBunch Greg Brady-esque]], Betty couldn't recognize him.
* IntergenerationalFriendship
* JustFriends: He seemed to have a bit of a crush on Sally, and in season five tells guys in school he's dating her. But he claims it's just so they won't bully him more than they already do for being friends with a girl, and Sally says she doesn't see him that way.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: He says it himself that he considers Sally a sister to him.
* LonelyTogether
* OffToBoardingSchool: His fate in Season 5. He and Sally maintain a long-distance relationship via secret phone calls late at night.
* PutOnABus: In "The Forecast", [[spoiler:we learn that he has enlisted in the army and is about to be sent to Vietnam.]]
* PrecociousCrush: On Betty. [[spoiler:He tries to act on it once he turns 18, but Betty turns him down.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Rachel Menken]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_rachel_menken.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Maggie Siff
The daughter of a Jewish department-store owner and heir to the business, who comes to Sterling Cooper in the first episode. She and Don have an affair, which she ends when she realizes he keeps coming to her when he's in trouble and wants to run away. Smart and self-possessed, making her one of his more interesting relationships.
----
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She appears as an illusion to Don in the premiere of Season 7B. We then find out that she passed away shortly before the events of the episode.]] Given how this was the first time she was seen since the very beginning of Season 2, it's also an interesting case of BackForTheFinale.
* CareerVersusMan: When she appears again in Season Two, she is seen married to a man named Tilden Katz [[spoiler: and after she died, it is revealed she kept leading her store even during her marriage and while she had her children, only to quit because she had gotten sick]].
* DeathByChildbirth: Her mother, one of the things that makes Don see her as a kindred spirit.
* LonelyTogether: With Don.
* MatzoFever: Lampshaded. Particularly in the first season, ''Mad Men'' acted like Jews were a distant and exotic tribe to the main cast of the show, who, while mostly conservative [=WASPs=], were after all New Yorkers in the advertising business and probably wouldn't have been ''that'' befuddled and bedazzled by them. When SC does business with Israel's ministry of tourism, Don arranges lunch with Rachel to pick her brain, and she asks if she's the only Jew he knows in New York. (She is.)
* MissingMom: She grew up without a mother. [[spoiler:She is revealed to have died of leukemia in "Severence" and left behind a few young children]].
* PutOnABus: She resurfaces in season two just long enough to let us know that she's married some guy named Tilden Katz, i.e. that we won't be seeing her anymore. Many fans were disappointed. (In a BrickJoke on the night of Freddy Rumsen's firing, Don uses "Tilden Katz" as his alias when the guys are trying to get into a seedy club.)
* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: She wants love, especially with a man that appreciates her as a person, and seems to get that with Tilden Katz.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Midge Daniels]]
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_midge_daniels.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Rosemarie [=DeWitt=]
The very first woman we see Don sleep with, a commercial artist with a circle of racially mixed, pot-smoking, counterculture friends. Don stops seeing her when he comes to believe that she's in love with one of them.
----
* {{Beatnik}}: She lives in Greenwich Village and is of that set, and dresses unconventionally for a woman of her age and generation.
* TheBusCameBack: She's another character who reappears in season four, [[spoiler:now a heroin addict]].
* DrugsAreBad: Well, heroin is, anyway.
* StarvingArtist: By 1965, she is a lot scrawnier and strung out on heroin, far from the more comfortable artist she was in 1960.
* TooMuchAlike: Aside from her disregard for him and their differences (he an Ad Man and her a bohemian artist), she and Don are both self-centered (she doesn't care to hear about his wife because it makes her feel bad)in contrast to the other women who cared for him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lee Garner, Jr.]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_lee_garner_jr_3.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Darren Pettie
The boisterous and possibly insane member of the family that owns North American Tobacco, which owns Sterling Cooper's most lucrative account, Lucky Strike. At first seemingly a friend of Roger's -- they're certainly rather similar -- he proves to be too much for everyone.
----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though moreso in his private life than in his professional capacity; the former bleeds over into the latter, however, so it counts.
* DepravedBisexual: His demand that Sal sleep with him leads to Sal's departure the next morning.
* GoodOlBoy
* JerkAss: Oh, yes. It eventually becomes clear that Roger's chief contribution to Sterling Cooper and SCDP is the ability to put up with Lee's abuse.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Conrad "Connie" Hilton]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_conrad_hilton.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': Chelcie Ross
RealLife hotelier who befriends Don in Season 3.
----
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He calls Don up at odd hours and is genuinely upset to learn that Sterling Cooper can't literally put an ad on the moon.
* CoolOldGuy: Despite being a client from hell, Connie has Don's back, and he alerts Don to the upcoming sell-off of Sterling Cooper early enough that Don and the others are able to strip-mine the agency and set up SCDP.
* MistakenForServant: The first time we see him is during a wedding, where he is standing behind a counter at the bar. It wasn't until later that Don realized the old man he was chatting up with who he thought was the bartender was actually one of the wealthiest potential clients they've had.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: The Whitmans]]
!Archibald "Archie" Whitman
Don Draper's father.
* AbusiveParent: Don tells Betty his father beat the hell out of him as a child.
* TheAlcoholic: Archie loved himself some moonshine.
* PosthumousCharacter: He died when Don was only ten years old, way before the series begins. He only shows up via flashbacks to Don's youth, and in one occasion as a hallucination of sorts to Don when he's under the influence of drugs.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Violet flavored chewing gum, according to Don in ''Three Sundays''. This is later touched on as him having gifted Peggy a pack of them for a good luck charm.
* UndignifiedDeath: Peggy assumes Don was joking when he says his father was kicked to death by a horse while drunk. Nope.
!Abigail Whitman
Don's stepmother.
* AbusiveParent: She was heavily emotionally abusive to Don, calling him a "whorechild". It's to the point Don altogether refuses to acknowledge her as being any sort of mother to him.
* DoubleStandard: She beat young Dick with a spoon when she learned that he was molested by a prostitute, blaming him for it.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Only took Don in because she wanted a child and her own had all been stillbirths.
* PosthumousCharacter: Adam reveals that she died some years before the series began. Don is untroubled by this news.
* WickedStepmother: Though it's debatable whether she was any more evil than Don's actual father.
!Adam Whitman
[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_adam_whitman.jpg]]
->'''Played by''': Jay Paulson
Don's half-brother.
* DrivenToSuicide: A combination of his desire to keep his past a secret, and his contempt for his old family led to Don turning him away after everyone Adam knew was now dead. He didn't handle it well.
* NiceGuy: He is only ever shown to interact much with Don, but he's portrayed as a very warm, friendly if somewhat awkward guy who really did care for his half-brother, and probably the only member of the family that ever truly loved him. Unfortunately, Don was never able to really love him back due to his resentment of the family as a whole.
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jim Hobart]]
[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mad_men_jim_hobart.jpg]]
->'''Played By''': H. Richard Greene
The head of [=McCann=] Erickson.
----
* AscendedExtra: He first appears in Season 1, trying to convince Don to join [=McCann=] by offering Betty a modelling job with Coca-Cola, as well as offering Don large accounts such as Pan Am and Esso. He doesn't appear again until the final season, where [=McCann=] plays a much larger role.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: Initially appears to be very congenial when dealing with Don and the partners of SC&P, but he ultimately reveals himself as quite sexist and petty when dealing with Joan's frustrations.
* ChekhovsGunman: He appears once in season one, then disappears from the show entirely for six seasons only to play a major role in season 7.
* {{Determinator}}: Tries to get Don Draper to work in [=McCann=] over the course of a decade. [[spoiler:He succeeds, but is frustrated with Don's tendency to leave the office without word. When he complains to Roger about it, Roger only shrugs and says "he does that".]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:He never gets his comeuppance for his sexism. But then, [=McCann=] is a firm stuck in old attitudes at that point -- who knows what TheSeventies hold?]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder: Jimmy Barrett]]
->'''Played By''': Patrick Fischler
A foul-mouthed (by 1960s standards) comedian, who frequently appears in Sterling Cooper's TV adverts.
----
* JerkWithAHeartOfJerk: He's ''very'' good at pulling off the JerkWithAHeartOfGold act whenever the need arises, but privately confides to Betty that he can't recall ever giving an apology and actually meaning it.
* MotorMouth: Seeing how he's a comedian, and an acerbic one at that, this is to be expected. It also gets him into trouble, and nearly costs Sterling Cooper an account.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: While he has less screentime than his wife does, he winds up being the person who tells Betty that Don is cheating on her. Previously they had been entirely HappilyMarried, but [[spoiler:Don's and Betty's relationship never really recovers from this revelation, and it leads to their eventual divorce]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Downplayed; he's certainly not above actively flirting with other women, even in the presence of his wife, but he has more class than to actually cheat on her. However, she doesn't have any such quandaries, and he knows it, much to his annoyance.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lt. Donald Draper]]
->'''Played By''': Troy Ruptash
The ''real'' Don Draper, a soldier who served in the Korean War with Dick Whitman, until being killed in a bombing raid. Following a chance misunderstanding, Dick assumes his identity.
----
* BodyHorror: His body is absolutely ''mutilated'' by the blast that kills him. It's no wonder that his corpse was mistaken for Dick's.
* IdenticalStranger: Downplayed; he and Dick don't really look all that much alike, but their height, build and hair color are all similar enough that his body is mistaken for Dick's after his face gets blown off.
* PosthumousCharacter: Is killed a decade or so before the series gets underway.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite clearly being peeved at only being assigned one soldier instead of an entire unit, he doesn't take it out on Dick, and shows himself to be a reasonable man.
* WithThisHerring: He and Dick are assigned to set up a field hospital with just a few tents and shovels.
[[/folder]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Foreign Dignitaries and Leaders]]
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* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Foreign Dignitaries and Leaders]]Families]]
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Due to the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters extensive]] list of the characters in ''Series/MadMen'', the character sheet has been split between the main ensemble and the supporting cast. Beware of spoilers.
[[index]]
* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPyce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler Gleason Chaough]]
* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Foreign Dignitaries and Leaders]]
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
[[/index]]
[[index]]
* [[Characters/MadMenTheMainCharacters The Main Characters]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooper Sterling Cooper]]
* [[Characters/MadMenSterlingCooperDraperPyce Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce]]
* [[Characters/MadMenCutlerGleasonChaough Cutler Gleason Chaough]]
* [[Characters/MadMenFamilies Foreign Dignitaries and Leaders]]
* [[Characters/MadMenOtherCharacters Other Characters]]
[[/index]]
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* HonoraryUncle: Takes up this role for Don's children, the fun "Uncle Roger". Also settles in this role for Joan's son Kevin, [[spoiler: actually his illegitimate son]].
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* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sale. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
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* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sale.sake. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
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* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]] never fulfilling her potential.
to:
* HiddenDepths: She's actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]] role]], never fulfilling her potential.
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* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen crush on ''her'' instead of teenage Sally.
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* StacysMom: She's extremely beautiful and youthful even in her late thirties (but she is 28 in Season 1). That is, her daughter's friend Glen has a crush on ''her'' ''her'', instead of crushing teenage Sally.
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** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante''.
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** "Favors" (Season 6, Episode 11): She walks in on Don and Sylvia ''in flagrante''.flagrante'' and her relationship with Don deteriorates after that.
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* OnlySaneMan
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* OnlySaneManOnlySaneMan: Usually is, but his old-fashioned ways do clash with Betty's CharacterDevelopment in late seasons.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
* ParentalSubstitute: {{Justified}} since he's more around than Don and has far less issues than him. Don gets a little jealous of his good parenting skills.
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* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and started working at the agency and was womanizing.
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* HiddenDepths: "The Monolith" points out that she struggled with drinking and depression while raising Margaret as a young mom and that she was often lonely, likely when Roger was at War or when he came back and started working spent most of his time at the agency and was womanizing.or with mistresses.
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* AmicableExes: She settles in this kind of relationship with Pete in late seasons, for their daughter's sale. [[spoiler: And eventually rekindling their marriage.]]
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* NouveauRiche: Her father is a SelfMadeMan of humble background, and she married into an old money but impoverished family.
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* SpoilerSweet: She is a only child and her parents' little princess. She is usually kind and considerate but later seasons shows that she is used to get what she wants. Hers and Pete's biggest crisis starts when they move out of Manhattan and she really can't see that Pete is deeply unhappy with living in suburbs.
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* AmicableExes: Given his serial philandering it's pretty weird to see that he retains a good relationship with all his exes (Mona, Joan, Jane). Maybe his GentlemanSnarker personality is a reason.
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* TheGadfly: Joan says Gayle loves to "stir the shit" and Gayle seems to find ways to manipulate Joan into obeying her or trip over her insecurities, for instance the SCDP ad to take the piss at Y&R.
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* SilverVixen: Clearly wants to be this, inviting the plumber in to enjoy his company (deliberately putting a lemon peel in the garbage disposal, and plays stupid when Joan tells her she can ask him out and she states he is married with four children. Later on his wife refuses him into Joan's apartment because of Gayle's behavior.
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* BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
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* BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from men and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
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*BigBeautifulWoman: Joan is bustier and heavier than most women in the office but her rubenesque figure has gotten her attention from and comparisons to Marilyn Monroe
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* IAmNotPretty: Expresses this worry in the season four episode ''The Suitcase'' where she admits to Don she doesn't like dating and she has a hard time with it and "men don't exactly stop and take a look at me", doesn't help she (despite being played by a beautiful albeit less conventionally attractive Creator/ElisabethMoss) works in an industry where there are a lot of drop dead gorgeous models being used and hired as secretaries and the men around her seem to look down on women who don't look like a movie star.
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* YourCheatingHeart: He's a serial adulterer and can't seem to quit it. At times, this borders on SympatheticAdulterer due to some of Betty's deep character flaws, but it's portrayed as a bad thing.
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* YourCheatingHeart: He's a serial adulterer and can't seem to quit it. At times, this borders on SympatheticAdulterer due to some it (with either of Betty's deep character flaws, but it's portrayed as a bad thing.his wives).
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Changed line(s) 1080 (click to see context) from:
* HiddenDepths: She's actuality an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelor in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]] never fulfilling her potential.
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* HiddenDepths: She's actuality actually an extremely intelligent and educated woman, with a bachelor bachelors in Anthropology and fluent in Italian. Her tragedy is that her repressed and sexist upbringing have locked her in a [[StayInTheKitchen decorative role]] never fulfilling her potential.
* ApronMatron: A tough, middle-aged, stout, Irish Catholic, take no fools woman who can be harsh and critical of her daughters.
* BasementDweller: Some dialogue stated that she and her husband lived with Peggy's grandparents (likely implied to be her parents) until after Anita was born, judging by the ages of Anita and Peggy, it was UsefulNotes/TheGreatDepression and would have been harder for Mr. Olson to afford a house.
* ApronMatron: She's pretty young for the trope [[YoungerThanTheyLook (despite her matronly look, she is about the same age as Betty and Joan who were born in the earlier part of the 1930s)]] but she has the strong-mindedness, well-knowing attitude, the homemaking and cooking skills, and the figure for the trope; however a few episodes imply that the toll of raising three boys, having a husband in and out of employment, and being a hostess to impress the priest and the neighbors can be hard on her.
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** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamourous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity.
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** To Joan, both have flaming-colored updos and wonder (often out loud) why Peggy is not following their line of choices. But Anita's path is less glamourous, glamorous, more domestic, and the marriage is dissatisfying while Joan champions a more sophisticated, sensual, stylish femininity. femininity.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
** To Betty, both are young housewives in dead end marriages with disapproving parents and have moments of resentment towards more modern women. But Anita lacks Betty's wealthy background, education, and [[HollywoodHomely isn't compared to movie stars]] like Betty (or even referred to as having a pretty face like their mother refers to Peggy), she does however learn to get past her resentment of Peggy and seems to be slightly more assertive to their mother, trying to carve out her own point of view rather than ape her mom.
* {{Housewife}}: A more realistic one for that time. She stays home with three young boys at the house and hosts Sunday dinners; her day to day life is not very glamorous, with a husband with chronic back problems.
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* TheUnfavorite: In her way, while Peggy's choices are the subject of their mother's scorn, it seems to be implied that Anita [[WellDoneSonGuy doesn't receive positive feedback for her life choices]] and the look she makes when Katherine comments on Peggy's beauty seems to imply that she never got the same attention.
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* ApronMatron: Played with. She's a lot kookier and more glammed up than the usual trope but her background implies she was TheAlcoholic who raised Joan mostly by herself and she worked outside the home while being a domestic goddess; she also has old-fashioned standards for Joan's behavior.