AMC's Mad Men is often heralded as one of the greatest shows ever made. It was a brilliant combination of sexy period piece, wacky workplace comedy, intriguing look into societal movements and changes, and a glimpse into the human condition. Taken as a whole, Mad Men tells a wonderful story spanning the '60s - one of the busiest, most turbulent, and most forward-thinking decades in modern American history.

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But it also contains a number of amazing episodes that work perfectly well as their own little standalone stories. Many of the episodes are classics, and they helped make the show the icon that it is today.

The Wheel

Don pitches the Carousel

The first season of Mad Men is probably its weakest. While still a great season of television, it pales in comparison to the stellar work that Matthew Weiner and company would achieve down the line. Perhaps the finest hour of the show's first season is "The Wheel."

Serving as the season finale, "The Wheel" contains what is arguably Don's most famous and touching ad pitch in the carousel slide projector. Even people who don't watch Mad Men know about that scene. It also contains a haunting ending wherein Don returns home to an empty house.

Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency

Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency

The second season was also great, but Mad Men really came into its own in season three. The season contains numerous classic episodes, the first of which is "Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency." The episode is most fondly remembered for the scene in which Lois runs over Guy's foot with a riding lawnmower, splattering blood all over the Sterling Cooper employees.

The incident, along with the nightmarish aftermath (like window cleaners squeegeeing blood off the windows), is Mad Men at its most darkly comedic.

The Gypsy And The Hobo

Don Draper in a suit and hat

Season three ended in spectacular fashion, and the climax began with "The Gypsy and the Hobo." This episode culminated three seasons' worth of build-up, as Betty finally confronted Don over his past and his identity theft. The episode is mainly remembered for the scenes involving Don and Betty, complete with a surprisingly morose Don who is genuinely upset at being caught in the lie.

It also contains one of the series' best endings, as Don takes his kids trick-or-treating and is asked, "And who are you supposed to be?" The question cuts to the very confused heart of Don Draper.

Shut The Door. Have A Seat

Shut The Door. Have A Seat

"Shut the Door. Have a Seat" is a brilliant ending to a phenomenal season of television. This is one of those episodes in which nearly every aspect of its production can be praised, and it all comes together in a tight, mesmerizing package.

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The episode experiments with the traditional Mad Men style, being presented as a caper film (complete with "hiring the group" scenes and traditional caper music). There's also a beautiful scene between Don and Peggy and a monumental shift in the story, as Don and company leave Sterling Cooper to begin their own ad agency.

The Suitcase

Don and Peggy sleeping on the couch in The Suitcase

Season four's "The Suitcase" is often heralded as the greatest episode of the entire series. Bottle episodes are difficult to pull off, as they don't offer much visual variety and they downgrade the ensemble cast to just a handful of key players. But "The Suitcase" works wonderfully.

The dark, claustrophobic interiors offer an atmosphere of intimacy, which is perfect for the episode's story regarding Don and Peggy. It's Hamm and Moss's finest hours, and it proves Mad Men at its absolute peak.

The Other Woman

The Other Woman

Season 5 may be the best season of Mad Men, and it ends in truly spectacular fashion. "The Other Woman" is one of the most haunting installments of the series, as it concerns Joan prostituting herself for the company. But in many ways, it's an episode about female empowerment.

Megan begins feeling confident in her career as an actress and openly berates Don for his lack of confidence and support. Meanwhile, Peggy accepts an offer from Ted Chaough and leaves SCDP for greener, and hopefully more respected pastures.

Commissions And Fees

Lane stares out the window

The one-two punch of "The Other Woman" and "Commissions and Fees" is perhaps the greatest string of episodes in Mad Men history. "Commissions and Fees" contains a ton of great material, but it largely belongs to Lane Pryce. He is one of the most tragic characters of Mad Men (and that's saying a lot), and this episode highlights his downfall.

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He's fired by Don for embezzling funds from the company, attempts suicide in the series' most darkly hilarious sequence (bloody Jaguars), and finally succeeds by hanging himself in the office.

The Crash

Mad Men The Crash

Season six presents a bit of a comedown for the show, and it remains one of its most divisive seasons. And speaking of divisive - "The Crash." It was largely hated upon release, as it veered too wildly from the traditional Mad Men formula and didn't have much to say in regards to the story or characters.

But that's what makes it so unique and memorable. It's probably the funniest episode of Mad Men, as the employees of SCDP remain hopped up on some sketchy vitamin-speed combination that was injected into their butts.

Waterloo

Cooper dancing on Mad Men

"Waterloo" isn't just the best episode of season seven - it may be the best episode of the entire series. The episode is remembered for a few things, including Megan's official split from Don. But it's the moon landing and Cooper's death that makes the episode such a wild success.

If nothing else, "Waterloo" contains one of the greatest, wildest, and ultimately, most touching endings: A recently-deceased Cooper appears to Don, performs a magical and colorful dance, and waves goodbye as the door closes behind him. Don can barely contain his tears, and neither can viewers.

Person To Person

Mad Men Series Finale Don Draper Ending

And of course, there's the series finale, "Person to Person." Many esteemed dramas have bungled their endings throughout the years, but not Mad Men. "Person to Person" is one of the show's finest hours, complete with an ambiguous ending that somewhat mirrors Matthew Weiner's previous show - The Sopranos.

It's also fitting that the series ends on Coke's iconic Hilltop/Buy the World a Coke ad, which is arguably the most famous and influential advertisement in history.

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