Don made it clear in the pilot that he is her boss not her boyfriend.

I think Don is Peggy's secret love. He did make it clear he had no interest in her personally. But through everything that has happened to her since she began work in that office Don Draper has emerged the hero. He gave her her first taste of copywriting, he came to her in the hospital and gave her the desire to get her life back, he encourages her in her work and now has given her another promotion with Freddie's departure. Why would she not have feelings for him? She also has been given a peek into his private life after the incident with Bobbie. Now she knows he is not faithful in his marriage. I don't think she will make any moves that would show him how she feels about him. It is enough for her, at the moment, to have these hidden feelings for him and the knowledge that he trusts her enough to let her into his secret life.

I love Peggy and Don's relationship. I don't see them ever being lovers, but I could see him mentoring her so successfully they become direct competitors for position in the company. By the time that happens, we'll be seeing a much more confident and sophisticated woman, not a girl. Then it may be believable they take their relationship a step further. S & S, I agree Peggy and Don are genuinely good people. Don is more jaded, true, which is what Peggy needs more of to get ahead at SC or anywhere in business. I noticed they are the only ones who treat Hollis, the elevator man, as a real human being, not just a nameless servant. I want them to go out to a bar and get drunk and spill their guts to eachother. Lay it all out there. Confession over cocktails would be good for their souls.

I agree that Don really admires Peggy. She is totally business like doesn't show very much emotion and is very much like him in my opinion.

If it's true, as Matt Weiner has stated, that Mad Men is about "a man who falls in love again," then I think it's entirely possible that Don could wind up with Peggy.

Their relationship keeps escalating week after week. I think it's probably the most intimate relationship he's ever had with a woman (including Rachel). I can see Don telling Peggy things he would NEVER tell Betty or any other woman.

Unless he "falls in love again" with his own wife.

But remember, Elisabeth Moss is the female lead character in this show. Her billing is second only to Jon Hamm's. I think that's very significant.

When Peggy was called into Don office and told to close the door at first she looked like am I in trouble?

With Freddie gone Don will have to lean on Peggy even more so unless he can hire a replacement.

I don't see Don and Peggy as a couple at all. Peggy sees Don as more of a mentor and father figure. I don't see Don having any physical attraction to Peggy whatsoever. Somewhere down the line I can see Don being so disillusioned with Sterling Cooper that he leaves to start his own agency and takes Peggy with him.

hi there,

I agree with most of the commentary on the complexity of Peggy and Don's relationship - I don't see them becoming lovers either, but I do think they are moving towards having the most unexpected intimacy of any of the relationships on the show. Already, they're privy to each others' transgressions, and have come to some tacit loyalty between them. I suspect that Don does not know that the baby is Pete's and until now, Peggy does not know that he started out as Dick Whitman. But, I think that the groundwork is laid for these things to come out between them, as there is no one else that either of them would trust to confess to.

Don and Peggy are also the only ones in that office that are there to work, and not simply to enjoy the lifestyle. Neither of them are frivolous in any way, and he clearly respects her sense of seriousness and her talent. I see them as becoming more allied and ultimately, respected colleagues - perhaps one day she'd become a partner [loooong way off, I know it's the sixties....and she's very young].

Peggy is sort of fascinating, she's changing and we see her sense of purpose and there are soo many ways that she's distinguishing herself from everyone in that office. more serious than the frat boys, more focused than the crying secretaries, and more compassionate and principled than any of them - yet, she took herself seriously enough to tell him not to 'be mean to her because she knows about' his accident with Bobby [paraphrasing]. she had the presence of mind to detach herself, and just, well, help them.

Thanks for this commentary. I think Peggy and Don's relationship is at the heart of this show, but cannot figure out what it is exactly or where it is going. Right now they are worlds apart (different personalities, different genders, different ages, different levels in the work hierarchy). And yet, as people have written here, they are also the most intimately connected in the sense that they know each other's secrets (though Don does not yet know about Peggy's father's baby - can't wait for that! - and Peggy does not yet know about Dick Whitman). They also are clearly know that the other is who they can go to in a time of great trouble. I think Don's admonishment to Peggy in the last ep about getting ambushed, implying she should have prepped him for that, was him telling her exactly what he expects of their relationship: he expects that she and he will always be on the same page. He was telling her, You are on my side, don't ever forget it. They are in it together. But what is it, exactly, that they are in, and in what way are they together?

If this show turns out to be a love story between them in, say, 3 seasons or so, I'm sure I will buy it b/c the writing and acting is so good and both Don and Peggy will change tremendously in the upcoming seasons. But if this show turns out to be about a friendship between a male executive and his female junior colleague (and one-time secretary), if it is just about a friendship between two people that goes deeper than any work or family relationship, if it is just about how the most real and honest intimacy can end up being with someone who you're not married to, in love with, or related to, then I will really, really admire the hell out of this program. I think the Don and Peggy thing could end up being about two people that care about each other in some powerful way - maybe even about two people who save each other - without any romantic entanglement whatsoever.

Abelard, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Thank you for a great post.

enjoyed reading the great posts. Peggy's become my favorite character this season, as you can see from the avatar, so I'll toss in my take: Don and Peggy have mutual trust and respect. Don made it clear if Peggy'd told him about Freddy's "accident" he wouldn't have been blind-sided by the devious duo of Duck & Pete. She's a quick study and won't make that mistake again. She trusted Pete to "take care of it" and that led to Freddy's exit and to a challenge of Don's authority in his department. She is now allied with Don against her sometime lover and his mentor, Duck. It should be interesting to see the next power play. Don lost Round One with the firing of Freddy and he doesn't like to lose.
I see Don and "Preggy's" relationship as purely professional. I can't imagine those two together romantically. But stranger things have happened on MM so I won't place any bets.

to emerygm: YES! In 1970 Don and Peggy leave SC to form Draper & Olsen and take Joan along as head of the TV Department. They hire Hildy as Office Manager.

If I'm not mistaken there was an ep where Peggy said how Don had everything and she wanted what he had. I think they are the cut from the same cloth which is why they 'get' each other, but they both define their identity and happiness in their work, which is love thing would not work...sex possibly?

Peggy wants Don's world foolishly. Don will mistakenly trust her but as this ep and last week's ep showed she has alot of resentment...she could be an "all about eve" type character which would be juicy!

If I'm not mistaken there was an ep where Peggy said how Don had everything and she wanted what he had. I think they are cut from the same cloth which is why they 'get' each other, but they both define their identity and happiness in their work, which is a love thing would not work...sex possibly?

Peggy wants Don's world foolishly. Don will mistakenly trust her and he thinks he can handler her, but as this ep and last week's ep showed she has alot of resentment...she could be an "all about eve" type character which would be juicy!