With seven seasons and almost 100 episodes (92 to be exact), Mad Men had a lot of different storylines throughout its time on television. While there was the main plot of Don Draper’s life, both romantically and professionally, there were also countless subplots that were created throughout.
Bringing in all the other characters together gave the likes of Peggy Olson, Roger Sterling, and Pete Campbell some storylines to get stuck into. The show did a brilliant job of having lots going on, while not managing to be confusing either. However, because Mad Men had so much going on, the show had a lot to wrap up throughout the series. For the most part, those stories were given a satisfying conclusion, but there were a few that did slip through the cracks unfinished, as we will reveal in this list.
Wrapped Up Perfectly: Joan’s Marriage
One of the best subplots through Mad Men was Joan Holloway’s marriage to Greg. It was a perfect way to showcase her character, going from the perfect ideal woman who lands her seemingly perfect man with a great job that all turned out to be a huge lie.
Greg ended up being a rapist who failed in his professional career and left Joan voluntarily several times for the army. Seeing Joan fix up the cracks to present herself perfectly was a great way to show the true character, and she ended up being even stronger when she plucked up the courage to get rid of him once and for all.
Didn’t Wrap Up: Preacher John Gill
This was a subplot that took place early on in the show and is one that ended up being universally hated. While John Gill starts out as a seemingly innocent enough character, he quickly becomes obsessed with Peggy Olson and making her confess her sins after giving birth.
Her childbirth, in general, is a subplot that is generally swept under the carpet, but this one is even worse. There’s no major payoff at the end as she doesn’t confess and he just winds up fading away. It felt like a way to emphasize what Peggy was going through, but there are better ways the show could have done this.
Wrapped Up Perfectly: Peggy/Pete
This was another subplot that took place early on, featuring Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell as they had an early office romance. Things went as far as Pete actually impregnating Peggy, which resulted in another major storyline for her, building the relationship she has with Don.
They bring things to an end nicely but do call back to it at certain times with the duo making small comments to each other. They both also do a nice job with eye contact and reacting to things each other does throughout the series, with this being one of the strongest subplots of the show.
Didn’t Wrap Up: Betty’s Weight
This was a very strange subplot that simply came and then went, without much explanation or reasoning on the show. In reality, the reason Mad Men gave Betty Draper the storyline of gaining weight and becoming body conscious is that actress, January Jones was pregnant in real life.
While that makes sense, it would have been better if there was a real storyline in place here. Her weight gain comes out of nowhere and then just disappears and moves on to other stories randomly as well. It was something that Mad Men could have just done without in general.
Wrapped Up Perfectly: Betty’s Illness
While the weight gain situation for Betty Draper/Francis was a pointless subplot, her final storyline that led to her death of lung cancer was incredibly well done. Obviously, it was an emotional one that had a major impact on other people, but it was acted incredibly and ended in the right way.
With Sally basically taking the mantel of her mother, becoming the strong independent woman, and the illness playing into Don’s fall. It also linked every season nicely with her chain-smoking, which she did to deal with her stress and anxiety issues coming back into play in an unfortunate manner.
Didn’t Wrap Up: Don & Suzanne
Throughout the show, Don Draper ends up being involved with several different women. It becomes clear that he’s a womanizer and is happy to move on from woman to woman, however, there are a few that he does connect with. One of those, is Sally Draper’s teacher, Suzanne Farrell.
Don and Suzanne have a special connection and she falls head over heels with him. She’s accepting of the fact she isn’t going to be his wife and things work out great. However, when he leaves her stranded due to Betty confronting him about his past, their relationship just completely ends. There’s never an argument or a big goodbye, and it feels like they just left things very flat.
Wrapped Up Perfectly: Caught In The Act
Another of the women that Don Draper ends up having a relationship with enough to create a subplot is Sylvia, who lives in the same building as him and Megan. They have an interesting relationship, mainly due to the fact they are friends with each other’s partners.
However, their time wraps up perfectly when they are caught in the act by Don’s daughter, Sally Draper. This moment has a huge impact on Sally as a character and puts a real strain on her relationship with her father, making this subplot a very useful one.
Didn’t Wrap Up: Hare Krishna
Paul Kinsey’s entire Mad Men journey is a little pointless when you re-watch it from the start knowing that it leads to nothing. He can add moments of hilarity, but this is never highlighted more than the random Hare Krishna storyline that pops up.
Other than to add some comedic moments as Paul writes up his Star Trek fan fiction and to prove Harry Crane is a terrible friend, this offers very little. It doesn’t go anywhere or lead to anything of importance and felt like a storyline that was thrown in to fill time.
Wrapped Up Perfectly: Lane Pryce’s Money Problems
There aren’t many deaths within the world of Mad Men as it’s not that kind of show, but that is what makes the suicide of Lane Pryce even more impactful. His storyline quietly bubbles on in the background, with his private money problems being a very interesting story, considering he is in charge of the firm’s finances.
After he is caught forging Don’s signature, he ends up having to quit, a decision which pushes him to the edge. Few expected him to end up killing himself, but that highlighted just how serious the problem was and how embarrassed he was over the issue. It might not have been a happy ending, but it did finish the story in one of Mad Men’s most talked about moments.
Didn’t Wrap Up: Sal’s Firing
The subplot of Salvatore Romano secretly being homosexual was one that had massive potential and started out really well. With Don Draper catching him in the act, but not acting on it, this seemed like something that would be dragged on even further.
In the end, he gets fired for turning down the sexual advances of a client, who makes up a lie about Sal to get rid of him. While this is how Mad Men wrapped things up, it wasn’t the right place to end this story. This is something that had legs to continue and really explore the topic in detail. Simply writing off one of the most popular characters at the time was a shame and one that fans weren’t pleased with.
