Underdog Peggy Olson was a character whom Mad Men viewers were completely enamored with. Her arc from mousy, eager-to-please secretary to confident, badass copy chief was brave and unprecedented in the male-driven world of advertising in the 1960s. Fans rooted for her every step of the way.
But while Peggy makes (mostly) the right moves in her career, her love life is a bit of a disaster. Remember the Duck Phillips affair? And don't get us started on Ted Chaough. Then in the very final episode, longtime colleague Stan Rizzo confesses his unrequited love for Peggy. It's a heartfelt moment, and brought a tear to many a viewers' eye... but lovey-dovey as it was, Stan's revelation seemed to come out of nowhere. Which makes us think, is there somebody out there better for Peggy Olson? We propose these 10 candidates.
10 Michael Ginsberg
Yes, of course this would only happen in a world without Nipplegate.
Peggy and Michael are both outsiders. Whereas she's learned how to play along to get along, concealing her individuality only to later weaponize it and use it to her advantage, Michael wears his uniqueness on his sleeve. In this regard, they could really bring out the best in each other as a couple. Peggy has always seen something special in him — she's the reason he got hired at the firm — and it seems like these two have way more in common than she does with Stan.
9 Joan Holloway-Harris
Throughout most of the show, Peggy and Joan have had a somewhat contentious, problematic relationship. But really, these two powerhouse women are two sides of the same coin in that they are both trying to achieve unprecedented goals in a male-run workplace; they just happen to go about it in completely opposite ways.
But as the end of the series illustrates, all these two need is some distance. After Joan leaves the firm, she and Peggy have a lovely lunch where they actually seem like friends. The former even asks the latter to go into business with her. The truth is that underneath it all, Peggy and Joan respected each other the whole time — unlike Stan, who took his sweet time learning how to respect Peggy. What would happen if the women's respect turned into admiration, and eventually attraction? One thing is for sure: they would never be bored.
8 Megan Draper
It's easy for Peggy to resent Megan, who seemingly got everything handed to her by virtue of being Don's blushing bride, where Peggy had to be scrappy and fight for every little win. But if Peggy would take a minute to understand that Megan is just like her, a woman with big dreams who simply happened to achieve them in a different way, the ill will should melt away.
Other than this road block, Peggy and Megan seem to get along just fine. Besides their ambition, they both have had to contend with their fair share of men who clearly don't deserve them. If this writer and actress got together, they would not only support each other's goals, but throw smashing parties full of burgeoning artists that would give Andy Warhol and his Factory a run for their money.
7 Lane Pryce
Peggy and Lane have sacrificed so much for the firm, including their dignity and personal lives, only to be treated like second-class citizens in favor of good ole boys like Don and Roger. Lane's need to keep up with the ad man crowd — that would never truly accept him — is what cost him his life.
What if instead of crushing on Joan, Lane found a kindred spirit in Peggy? Together, they could leave everyone who underestimated them in the dust, embarking on a thrilling new partnership, both professional and romantic.
6 Joyce Ramsay
Photo editor Joyce Ramsay is the one who introduced Peggy to the counter culture of the 1960s, forever altering the arc of this formerly timid secretary. That's enough to make fans forgive Joyce for introducing Peggy to Abe (almost).
It's been clear from jump that Joyce has a thing for Peggy. What if instead of Abe — ugh, Abe — Peggy reciprocated Joyce's feelings? They could party and protest together, and viewers could be treated to a whole different perspective of the era, one that Peggy and Joyce would help shape.
5 Ken Cosgrove
Sure, Ken and the office frat boys were insufferable in the early days of the show, and his fat-shaming comments about Peggy's weight gain are not forgotten. But Ken grows up considerably as the decade progresses.
Imagine a scenario where both writers decide to pursue their creative endeavors and leave behind all the colleagues and bosses who took advantage of them. Peggy would never have to work on her birthday again and Ken would still have both eyes. If that doesn't sound like a match made in heaven, what does?
4 Faye Miller
Peggy eventually evolved into a confident woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it, and that's exactly who Faye is when viewers first meet her. But while these two women may be high achievers in the professional world, they haven't been as successful in terms of finding partners who deserve them.
Unlike Peggy's string of mediocre boyfriends, Faye would bolster her self-esteem and treat Peggy like the beautiful woman she is. Faye would find unwavering commitment in Peggy, and you know if things get rough, Peggy would never end things over the phone. Imagine that.
3 Don Draper
To even broach being good enough for Peggy Olson, Don needs to go a monumental attitude adjustment. The good news is that the series finale finds him having some sort of epiphany that could lead to just that. It's telling that one of the people he calls in the episode is Peggy.
Since their first meeting, she has always been there for him — with the exception being when she had enough and temporarily walked away. Peggy has always loved Don, and has admitted her attraction to him. Stan doesn't have a fraction of the deep connection to Peggy that she has with Don. Provided he treats her properly, Don Draper is the better match.
2 Pete Campbell
Before you throw your old-fashioned across the room, take a deep, Bert Cooper-zen breath. Did Pete Campbell start the series as an odious, chauvinistic rat fink? You bet your last Lucky Strike. But he evolves throughout the series, and arguably undergoes more of a character arc than Don Draper. By the finale, Pete has realized the error of his ways and is a completely changed man.
Plus, as they continue to work alongside each other, Peggy and Pete find common ground and mutual respect. Though Pete glides through the world with a privilege Peggy can never hope to gain, he has placed himself in a gilded cage while she has broken out of hers. Deep down, Pete knows this. He also wakes up to what a special person Peggy is way earlier than Stan. Had Pete not been married to Trudy, he wouldn't have been foolish enough to let Peggy slip through his grasp again.
1 Roger Sterling
For two platonic characters, Peggy and Roger had chemistry off the charts. Every scene between them was crackling with wit, whether it was Peggy shaking Roger down for the contents of his wallet as payment for saving his bacon or her replying with a smile "no" when he orders her to fetch him coffee.
On paper, these two are polar opposites but somehow they're able to let their guard down around each other, like when they both feel left behind by the new firm in the final season. When it finally dawns on Roger that his days of scotch swilling and skirt chasing haven't made him any happier, what if instead of finding joy with Marie Calvet — though they are delightful together — he picked the gal who makes him laugh, Peggy Olson?
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