Mad Men is a series that deals with a whole bunch of characters who aren't exactly people we'd be quick to call "role models". Matt Weiner has intentionally created a universe where the employees on Madison Avenue care more about making it to the top than spreading acts of love (unless the act of love is done with someone who is not their spouse). On the AMC series, morals are corrupt and looks are nothing more than deceiving. The characters on Mad Men have done some pretty careless things throughout all seven seasons, and we've gathered the 10 worst behaviors each character has done.
DON TURNING DOWN HIS BROTHER
Don Draper isn't exactly a saint throughout the series. In fact, some people might consider the ad-man a downright terrible person. Throughout the series he is a notorious cheater, he is an absent father, and he only seems to care about money and sex. He is even guilty of stealing a dead man's identity.
Yet perhaps the worst thing that he has done throughout the entire series was when Don turned down his brother Adam and pretended not to know who his own family member was. After Adam's entire family had died, he turned to his half brother Dick Whitman in order to find support. But Dick Whitman no longer existed, so Don Draper gave Adam a check for a couple thousand dollars in order to bribe Adam into never contacting him again. Because Adam had no one to turn to, he committed suicide.
BETTY CARING MORE ABOUT HER CLOTHES THAN HER DAUGHTER
Betty is not who you would call "Mother Teresa". Although her character had her redeeming moments and at times we could totally sympathize with her, there were a lot of incidents where we despised her character for how she treated her kids, especially when it came to how she treated Sally.
At an earlier point in the series, Sally put a plastic dry-cleaning bag over her head in order to play "spaceman". While most mothers would be most concerned about their child's safety to make sure she doesn't suffocate, Betty's main concern is that her clothes are okay. Betty scolds Sally because her daughter took her precious dresses out of the dry-cleaning bag. Sally's safety is minimal compared to the safety of Betty D's clothes.
JOAN'S NASTY TREATMENT TOWARDS PEGGY
Joan and Peggy are both working as professionals in an office, yet the red-headed queen-bee treats the new girl like she is putting her through hazing recruitment during rush week. It is totally unprofessional and it is a complete double standard compared to how Joan treats the men in the office.
Joan judges Peggy based on her appearance alone in the first handful of episodes, and even tells her to stand in front of a mirror with a bag over her head and slits in the eyes in order to evaluate her "strengths and weaknesses". That's just pure cruelty, and Joan would never say such a thing to her male coworkers.
PEGGY SLUT SHAMING JOAN
In Peggy's mind, in order to succeed in the world as a woman, you must act like a man. Joan seems to have the complete opposite approach where she thinks the best way for her to make it is to embrace her femininity. Throughout the series, Peggy casually disrespects Joan's femininity and frowns upon her lack of masculinity. In season 7 episode 8, Peggy and Joan have just been sexually harassed while at a business meeting and Peggy blames Joan for the harassment because of the way Joan dresses.
Isn't Peggy supposed to be considered the most progressive character in the series?
PETE CAMPBELL COERCES HIS NEIGHBOR INTO SEX
Pete Campbell is a scummy specimen and we've known this from the very beginning of Mad Men. Yet his most unredeemable act in the entire series was when he coerced his neighbor into having sex with him because he did her a favor. In the scene, Pete has just helped her out of an issue involving a dress exchange and because he claims to have gone through "a lot of trouble" to get her out of a sticky situation, he thinks she owes him sex in return for the favor that she didn't even ask for. It is the most low-level move he has ever done, and he's committed his fair share of terrible acts throughout the entire series.
ROGER STERLING'S DISREGARD FOR WOMEN AS HUMAN BEINGS
When Don Draper asks Roger Sterling what women want, Sterling's immediate response is "who cares?". Although this line is meant to serve as comedic, it accurately represents how Roger Sterling regards women- that is, he doesn't regard them at all. To the suave-talking gray-haired businessman, women are nothing but objects designed for his own pleasure. Like Don, Roger is a notorious cheater throughout the entire series. He never wants what he can actually have, and he's constantly looking for the next best thing.
MEGAN DRAPER'S SUPERFICIAL DESIRES
Megan Draper is a warm and likable character, but there are some aspects to her personal ambitions that come across as rather vain and superficial. As we know, Megan wants to become an actress. She does not want to act for the purpose of inspiring others or to honor the artistry behind the films she stars in. She wants to act so she can be famous and so she can see herself on the big screen. In that sense, you can easily call her character superficial and somewhat entitled as she seems to think everything (including her career) should be handed to her without putting in the work ethic.
HARRY CRANE'S "CASTING COUCH" INCIDENT WITH MEGAN
So it turns out there's a valid reason as to why everyone in the ad firm hated Harry Crane- Apparently, they could sense the fact that he was a total scumbag. After setting up a meeting with Megan where they were to discuss how he could help her branch out in her acting career, not a minute into the meeting he promised he would help her get to the top if she, in turn, slept with him. Could his behavior possibly get any worse? Turns out it totally could have when he tried to convince Don that Megan was "crazy", thus gaslighting the poor woman for the whole situation, which was entirely his fault.
STAN RIZZO'S ORIGINAL TREATMENT OF PEGGY
In the finale, we are ultimately pleased with Stan and Peggy as a couple, yet this doesn't change the fact that Stan's behavior towards his coworker in the first handful of seasons was completely rude and unacceptable. At first, Stan could not stand Peggy because she wouldn't allow him to treat her like a sex object. She had her own opinions and creative thoughts, and she was never afraid to talk back to him. Because he was uncomfortable with a woman who stood up for herself, he told her that she was ashamed of her body. In turn, she stripped naked right in front of him.
GREG RAPES JOAN
And of course, what is perhaps the most obvious fault when it comes to Greg's character is that he maliciously rapes Joan in the office and then pretends that it never happened. This was perhaps the most obviously villainous moment that any character has done throughout the entire series, and we will never be able to forgive him for this. Luckily, Joan rises to the top in the end, and although she has faced countless incidents of harassment and assault, she is able to become one of the most successful characters on the entire show.