Mad Men ran from 2007-2015 and proved to be a huge hit, following the life of the talented advertising executive, Don Draper with all the ups and downs from his work and his love life. The drama proved to be gripping from start to finish and highlighted the 1960s perfectly. While there might not be the violence and over the top moments that come from shows such as Game of Thrones or Walking Dead, Mad Men was just as entertaining.
With some incredible dialogue and a brilliant cast of characters, the show proved to be very easy to get emotionally attached throughout. The show was incredibly consistent throughout its run, finishing up with a rating of 8.6 overall on IMDb. Each season has some incredible episodes that truly stood out, and within this article, we will be looking at those. Here are the best episodes of each individual season, according to IMDb.
Season One - “The Wheel” (9.0)
From season one the best episode is ‘The Wheel,’ which is actually the final episode of that season, wrapping it up perfectly. Here Don and Betty Draper have a major argument when it is obvious he doesn’t want to spend Thanksgiving with her family.
Learning information about his brother Adam, the past begins to start haunting him. Peggy Olson also gets given a major account in Clearasil, despite the fact that it is Pete Campbell who lands the account from his father-in-law. However, Peggy ends up in the hospital to end the episode, which leads to a major storyline in regards to her and Pete.
Season Two - “Meditations In An Emergency” (9.0)
The best episode from season two also happened to be the season finale, which was set in the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis. With Don Draper returning to New York after his time away, he is given a major bombshell as Betty reveals she is pregnant with their third child.
However, while things aren’t exactly going to plan for Don in his personal life, back at Sterling Cooper there are issues for the entire company. News of the merger begins to leak out amongst the staff and all the staff contemplates their individual futures and if they will be sticking with the company.
Season Three - “Shut The Door. Have A Seat” (9.7)
‘Shut The Door. Have A Seat’ isn’t just the best episode of the third season (which was once again the season finale), but it is one of the most fantastic episodes of Mad Men’s entire series. With major changes set to take place for the firm, Sterling, Cooper, Don Draper, and Lane Pryce take a major leap of faith.
Starting up their own advertising firm, the group takes a huge risk, convincing certain members of staff such as Pete and Harry to join them, the episode is a frantic one. Seeing them run around and really push themselves to actually work (instead of just drinking) is very fun.
Season Four - The Suitcase (9.7)
For many people, ‘The Suitcase" is their favorite episode of Mad Men and rightfully so. There is a lot at play within this one with Don avoiding the phone call from California, knowing full well it is bad news about Anna. This plays a big impact on his mood as it is clear to see how much her death matters to him.
However, the reason that this episode is so fantastic is the scenes between Don and Peggy. Their relationship throughout the show is the most interesting, and this episode highlights it all. As he forces Peggy to miss her birthday celebrations to pull an all-nighter working with him, they have some unbelievable back and forth conversations that are superb.
Season Five - “The Other Woman” (9.4)
‘The Other Woman’ pretty much sums up why most people see Pete Campbell as a sleazeball. He sets up a moment for Joan where she has to sleep with a disgusting man in order to help secure the Jaguar account, despite Don’s best efforts to stop it from happening.
He refuses to be on board with it and he makes it incredibly clear. However, things only get worse for him as Peggy makes the decision to leave the advertising firm for Don’s rival, Ted. This leads to a massively emotional response, proving what she means to him.
Season Six - “In Care Of” (9.2)
Once again, the season finale takes the top spot for season six of Mad Men with ‘In Care Of.’ This episode is predominantly focused on Don Draper himself as his life both personally and professionally begins to crumble around him. It’s something we have seen before for him, but in this episode, his issues reach new heights.
He attempts to set up a new change for himself with new scenery, even though it is simply filling in the cracks that are taking shape. However, Pete’s life is also falling apart as well due to Bob Benson meddling in what happens. It finishes the season in a thrilling way, which might not be the happiest, but it sets up the scene nicely for the final season.
Season Seven - “Waterloo” (9.5)
The final episode of Mad Men’s history didn’t take the top spot in this season, despite a strong 9.3 rating. Instead, the honor went to the seventh episode of the final season, ‘Waterloo.’ The episode sees the sad death of Bert Cooper and the fantastic final, musical scene that he is given.
It also sees the Apollo Moon Landing take place, with Don and Peggy working together as they prepare for a big pitch to Burger Chef. However, with a big power struggle also taking place, Don’s future begins to hang in the balance, leaving people to wonder what his future holds.
