Don Draper (Jon Hamm) has had a lot of ladies come and go in his life in seven seasons of “Mad Men,” but perhaps no relationship is as central to the AMC series as that with his secretary-turned-protégée Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss).
He was an early champion of Peggy’s work, but their boss-employee relationship has gone through many ups and downs as their personal and professional lives have intertwined (though the two have never been involved romantically).
In Sunday’s episode, Don finally returned to work, reuniting the two onscreen — but not everyone was happy about the reunion. In any complicated relationship, it helps to have a back story, so here’s a look at the key moments in the saga of Don and Peggy.
Don meets his secretary (Season 1)
We first meet Peggy Olson on her first day at Sterling Cooper, where she’s assigned as a secretary for creative director Don Draper. He has demanding requirements, but also defends her when Pete Campbell makes a rude remark about her appearance. Don allows Peggy to write some copy for the Belle Jolie lipstick campaign, and eventually promotes her to junior copywriter at the end of the season in recognition.
Don visits Peggy in the hospital (Season 2)
At the end of Season 1, Peggy goes to the hospital for severe stomach pains and is shocked to learn she is actually in labor (the father of the baby was Pete). Peggy gives up the child and is in mental state of denial, forcing a long absence from work. In a Season 2 flashback, we see that Don goes to visit Peggy in the hospital, where he advises her to forget it ever happened and move on with her life.
Peggy bails Don out of jail (Season 2)
Don gets arrested for drunk driving and calls Peggy to bail him and his mistress of the moment out of jail. In appreciation for his kindness during her post-pregnancy turmoil, she allows his mistress to stay at her apartment for a few days.
Peggy feels unappreciated (Season 3)
Feeling overworked and underpaid by Don and tiring of his angry outbursts (and starting to be wooed by other firms), she shocks him by initially declining his offer to join him at the new ad agency he is starting. He later shows up at her apartment and pleads with her, assuring her he values her work, and she eventually agrees to follow him.
Don and Peggy bond in “The Suitcase” (Season 4)
In this pivotal episode, Don forces Peggy to work all night on her birthday, which causes her boyfriend Mark to break up with her when she cancels on the surprise dinner he organized at the last minute. Though she is angry with Don at first, the two eventually make up and go to dinner, where they have an intimate conversation. Back at the office, Peggy helps an inebriated Don, who gets in a fight with Duck Phillips to defend her honor. He and Peggy eventually fall asleep together on his office couch. In the morning, Don cries after finding out his dear friend Anna died, and she consoles him.
Peggy leaves SCDP (Season 5)
Don and Peggy’s relationship becomes strained when he marries his secretary Megan and promotes her to copywriter and gives Peggy an increased workload. Peggy reaches her breaking point when Don throws money in her face and quits her job at SCDP to take an offer from Cutler, Gleason and Chaough. When she breaks the news to Don, he tries several tactics to get her to stay before finally accepting her resignation, kissing her hand as she leaves.
Don and Peggy go from competitors to co-workers (Season 6)
The two become rivals when both their firms try to pitch for the Chevrolet account. Realizing neither small agency will get it alone, Don proposes a maerger to Ted Chaough, and they ask Peggy to draft the press release. A disappointed Peggy reluctantly does so, resentful of being back under the thumb of her old boss.
Peggy and Don clash at SC&P (Season 6)
Now copy chief of the merged SC&P, Peggy is constantly put in the middle of Don and Ted’s squabbles for authority, which causes tension in her relationship with Don. He discovers the romantic affection between Ted and Peggy and calls them out on their inappropriate relationship, causing Ted to back away and Peggy to call Don a monster.
Don returns to work (Season 7)
It’s a tense day at SC&P when Don shows up while everyone except Roger thinks he’s still on leave. Reduced to waiting in the lunchroom, Don must endure a lot of stares and glares. One of these comes from Peggy, who walks up to Don and says, “I, for one, didn’t miss you.”