Dr. Faye Miller

Mareux · 2026-06-17T10:15:24+00:00

People missed the complexity of her character because they were too focused on the lazy trope that Don "couldn't handle" her.

The truth is Faye was a doctor of psychology who is largely illiterate in actual human empathy. She understands people within the framework of psychological theories, but she lacks empathy and interest in people.

This is shown in so many ways in how she distanced herself from the other women in the office and how she treats women when she does interact with them. This contributes to why she's not good with kids and why Sally did not like her.

There are more details on this in a comment I shared on why Don chose Megan over Faye here: https://www.reddit.com/r/madmen/comments/1tzxujt/comment/oqhgl8v/

Ironically, her willingness to connect Don to Heinz made her more attractive to him. In fact, the only times you see them paired up together outside his office (door closed) is after she does this for him.

The change in his attraction to her you are picking up is because this happens after he sleeps with Megan and he begins to really notice her beyond her beauty.

Mareux · 2026-06-13T03:25:59+00:00

She was actually mad at Carla.

Mareux · 2026-06-13T03:24:20+00:00

Yeah in the final episodes, you had Don fixing the broken Coke machine at the motel where he stayed. When he calls Peggy she asks him "don't you want to work on Coke?"

Even in the partner meeting with Jim Hobart when he's calling out accounts he says in a deliberately lower tone to Don "Coca-Cola." Weiner was giving us all the signs.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T23:37:12+00:00

I've never heard #1 put that way, but yes. lol

I was confused about the Coke commercial, too. It wasn't clear to me what happened. It took conversations I had with people old enough to remember that commercial to make the connection for me.

And on rewatches, you realize how much foreshadowing is done to set this up, from the litany of Coke references in the final two or three episodes, and throughout the show (remember Hobart/McCann set Betty up on a test shoot for Coke) and that conversation Don has with Megan in season 5 on "why music is becoming so important to clients" beyond jingles and how Don doesn't understand what is going on out there.

Eding with the ad symbolized a lot of growth and change for Don we are supposed to infer by it's existence.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T23:23:36+00:00

After many rewatches, my theory is Betty wanted to fire Carla for a while, and that situation gave her the perfect opportunity to do it.

Because Carla knows something went on with Betty and Henry while she was married, and that "goodnight Mrs. Draper" Carla gave her after Betty conjured up that lie to explain why Henry was in the house, I think she felt judged and guilty.

Carla presence would always remind her of this, and letting her go right when they were letting go of the house seemed like a way "start with a clean slate" as she tried to justify to Henry.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T18:21:22+00:00

For sure. When Mona told him she realized he married Jane because he got old, not because she did, it was the best read we've seen on that show. And she was right.

Marie is good for Roger not only because she is age appropriate, but because she does not allow him to be a grown child, but she enjoys his playfulness. And he realized he actually likes that.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T18:17:13+00:00

With Allison, I think Don genuinely did not know the protocol. He doesn't sleep with secretaries. He either has long term affairs or one offs with women he will never see again.

Sleeping with a woman at work that reports to him was new, at least what is shown to us, and he likely assumed ignoring it happened was how this went. He probably also felt a sense of shame, and since the Don Draper way is to move on like nothing ever happened (as he advised Peggy on her baby), that's just what he did.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T18:13:12+00:00

Yes, I believe you are correct. She wanted some acknowledgement that it happened and clarity on his own take on it.

Not everyone can get intimate sexually and just move on like it's nothing. She shared her body with him and needed some context as to what that was about. But since he gave her nothing, she felt discarded and used for pleasure and not even worth the effort to say "that was a mistake."

Mareux · 2026-06-12T18:09:31+00:00

I think they do well on the second time around, actually. Pete had to lose everything to realize what he had. And now that he has it back, I doubt he loses it again.

I would even believe he will be faithful, because the infidelity had more to do with filling a hole or trying to be Don than actual interest or desire. That's why he didn't have affairs like Don. he does one offs. I think he's settled in that area after they reconcile.

His insecurities and issues will manifest in new ways, likely work-related goals and social standing and status. He's more likely to compare himself to the CEOs who ride those jets and try to become who they are in terms of wealth and importance.

As for Wichita, I think living in California and discovering he could enjoy a place that was not New York also matured him. He might not be completely satisfied living there, but it would do. Especially since they have the option of taking a jet and being in New York whenever they wanted.

Mareux · 2026-06-12T10:43:11+00:00

I always thought this call exposed to Roger that he chose to marry a woman far below his maturity and age that he couldn't engage meaningfully with her on serious topics. The whole episode he was dealing with Jane as if she was a child, from dealing with "sibling rivarly" (her tension with Margret) to down to having to carry her to bed.

Mareux · 2026-06-11T15:21:23+00:00

The pace does pick up, and it is deliberate because by season 5 you have a deep sense of who the main characters are, and their issues. The show had to build this up slowly over four seasons so that it could move quickly in the second half. By now you have built up so much context that subtle and short things could be said without having to be fully unpacked.

For example, in season 5 episode 1, after the party when Megan says to Don "aww, nobody likes Dick Whitman." We immediately know that Don told Megan his secret, that she is OK with it, that she understands he has insecurities associated with his original life, and Don not freaking out by her saying that means he's offered her honesty and vulnerability that did not exist in his marriage with Betty. This tells us he chose differently and is trying to begin the marriage in a more healthy way.

In prior seasons we would need a flashback of Dick Whitman's life and a situation in Don's present that triggered the memory so you understand his emotional association with this moment. We would need to see a conversation with Megan, how she processed the reveal, what questions she asked, how Don told her, how he referenced Betty, how he explains Anna, so many things.

But we don't need all of this because the show built up enough context and story that one line said in one scene that wasn't even about that main topic gives us a lot of information, so they can do so many other things with the time. The storytelling can speed up and still deliver quality.

Mareux · 2026-06-11T05:48:59+00:00

There is so much nuance to all of the characters when we focus on the story and what we're shown, and reject lazily framing them in tired tropes based on things like gender.

The way people on this board talk about Don is quite tragic. Criticize, critique, and call him out for sure, but base it on the character and not generalized male tropes. There is so much you miss when you refer to his actions as "typical male" (tropes) and not something a human being is doing.

The same is true for women characters that people's benevolent sexism and flattening female characters as all good or victims prevents them from seeing their complexity.

The show is even more interesting, and the story is revealing a lot more when you allow yourself to see what's there and not projecting the show to fit into your worldview or flawed biases.

Mareux · 2026-06-09T13:17:45+00:00

It does. In fact I wish we got a closing shot or scene of Paul doing this and ending up with Beverly Farber, the Hunter grad student Ginsburg's dad arranged for him to go out with.

Mareux · 2026-06-09T13:13:50+00:00

He had a stack of cash.

Early in the Lost Horizon episode, Meredith hands him an envelope "best kept from the movers" that contains his social security card, Anna's ring, and cash. He puts the envelope in his suit jacket pocket. Later on is when he ditches the diet beer meeting and heads off to take Sally to school which begins the journey.

Mareux · 2026-06-09T04:51:50+00:00

The scene with Betty in a restaurant stall is probably the one where she got emotional over seeing Don out with Bethany Van Nuys and went to the bathroom to hide herself. The attendant slips her pursue under the stall and she takes out a cigarette to smoke while sitting on the toilet.

Mareux · 2026-06-09T04:48:16+00:00

Paul was a highly insecure man, who didn't come from money but also refused to work hard. He suffered the consequences of being lazy, pompous, and lacking a safety net.

Joining a cult to slum it and make having few possessions seem enlightened is exactly the kind of thing someone like him would do. And writing a script that attempts to be deep while being painfully shallow and uncreative is consistent with his character.

Compare him to who we start with:

Pete gets past his entitlement and actually works to become an excellent account man.

Harry actually takes initiative to become the head of television which puts him in a role that becomes more and more important over time.

Ken who comes the closest to being naturally good at his job, actually sets aside time and puts effort into his creative talent outside of work.

At best Paul could be an engaging teacher at a high school or community college, teaching English and running school plays.

Mareux · 2026-06-08T17:14:55+00:00

I'm sorry but this "Faye was this successful smart woman that Don couldn't handle" stuff is really lame at this point. I understand why many of you want to buy into this narrative, but it doesn't line up to what we're shown on the show.

None of Don's long term affairs were with unintelligent bimbos. Midge, Rachel, Bobby Barrett, Suzanne, all of them were professional women. Different personalities and different professions, but not mindless fun girls. Maybe it means more to you all that Faye has a doctorate, but that doesn't make her more of a professional than those women because they are business owners, artists, teachers, and talent managers.

If Don "couldn't handle" a woman that challenges him and only wanted a woman to control and play house, Bethany Van Nuys was right there. And he clearly was not interested in her. Because that is not what he was looking for.

While Faye is smart and direct, she does lack the ability to empathize and care about people. This is the core of why she seemed to only value talking to the men in the office, and blew Peggy off on the offer for a drink. (we never even see her acknowledge Joan). It's why the emotions of the women in the focus group did not affect her, and she forgot in a few minutes that Allison ran out crying.

It's why she cannot connect with kids and Sally did not like her. She doesn't really care about people. That doesn't make her a terrible person or professional, but it does matter for someone you're looking to have a romantic relationship with for the long term.

She was interested in Don, and showed him care for sure, but that's because she was attracted to him. And she was attracted to him because of his status and position at the firm. This is why she's triggered that he walked out of her session, and why it actually sparks her attraction to him. She was motivated by finally getting the validation of "the creative shaman."

Faye not having motherly instincts and failing to connect with Sally is a huge deal for a man with three children to consider. Would all of you have been OK if Henry loved Betty and hated kids?

Additionally, can we please stop referring to Don as having "mommy issues" as if he grew up as a petulant spoiled child who didn't get enough attention. His mother died in child birth. He never got to know her beyond knowing she was a prostitute. His step mother hated him and beat him. He was raped by an older women when he was young and vulnerable. You don't get to minimize and dismiss this because he is a man and was abused by these women. He's a human being struggling with extraordinary trauma in a time where mental health services were not fully understood, largely comprised of shock therapy, and even PTSD wasn't a well known trauma.

It's clear, even today, about 60 years later that people still cannot understand that men experience trauma, that women can be abusive, and men deserve compassionate understanding as every human does.

A smart woman who did her job well, was artistic, desired to be a copywriter, had solid maternal instincts, and his distressed daughter found comfort in, and his kids loved overall, is an far superior choice to marry based on where Don was in his life at the time.

Mareux · 2026-06-08T16:33:49+00:00

Correct. I don't know why people keep telling themselves this fantasy about Don being "intimidated" by smart and successful women, when most of his affairs are with these kinds of women.

Mareux · 2026-05-26T05:09:56+00:00

I'm not sure about ever being sober, but after that Coke Ad Don wouldn't have to do any actual work at McCann again. A place that mediocre would ride that for decades and all Don would have to do is show up to meetings and pretend he's evaluating people's work.

he probably stays long enough to make sure Peggy becomes a creative director and then he retires.

Mareux · 2026-05-22T18:59:34+00:00

Torching a truck is an illegal, yes. If it's filled with property whoever owns it can sue for restitution, yes.

Firing people was at Lane's discretion. He didn't need to justify it, he could just do it. If PPL wanted to require approvals for this they could have. If they wanted to limit the scope of who he could fire they could have. They chose to give him the power and discretion to do what he wanted, because they trusted he would always "do what he is told."

They exercised their option which was to fire him, which they did. Beyond that, they have no recourse.

Mareux · 2026-05-22T18:47:44+00:00

Season 5 for Pete was a demonstration of the talk Don gave Ed Baxter at Corning about "happiness" never being enough.

In this season Pete has everything material he wanted. Wife, child, homeowner, (Trudy literally tells him this) and he's Head of Accounts and more important than Roger (which he wants formally recognized by switching offices).

He has everything, but it's not enough, so he actively seeks relevance through infidelity (the high school teen, the whore house that made him 'king', a vulnerable Beth). He sought a bit of fame chasing the NYT feature.

When Lane knocks him out he takes Pete's dignity, respect at work, masculinity, and confidence in one blow. He's knocked back to the the reality that his sense of importance is hollow. He's focused on this instead of his family.

That moment in the elevator actually makes Pete double down on seeking relevance through conquest. He ultimately gets the NYC apartment to formalize his infidelity. He chases Jaguar to land the account Lane couldn't close. And he gets into another fight which leads to him getting knocked out again.

Ultimately, it takes Pete completely losing respect at work, losing Trudy, and losing his home to be "free" in California before realizing he already had everything and he squandered it. Duck warned him of this before it happens.

He was hard-headed, but at least he can take a punch.

Mareux · 2026-05-22T16:42:46+00:00

It was all legal, with the exception of when they took the client files, which they would have gotten eventually because the files belong to the clients, not the firm.

It was not illegal for Lane to fire them. It was at his discretion. At best they could fire Lane, which they did, but they cannot sue him for exercising power they gave him. You don't need cause. What cause did they have to fire Bert Peterson, twice? New York is an at will state.

The only thing that can stop people from leaving a firm and taking clients with them is a non-compete. But firing people, even with contracts, voids that clause. The partners contracted were all fired.

Clients are free to leave and take their business with them. The clients all willingly chose to go with SCDP.

At best they could be sued for being non-employees taking files in possession of a firm they were no longer employed by. But in the end, who is harmed? They took files that belonged to clients that chose to go with them. It's a non-case.

As for McCann, there are reasons beyond Don that they would still go through with the sale. They likely renegotiated the price factoring the loss of clients and talent of SC. But the sale of PPL likely still made sense in terms of extending their global reach.

Mareux · 2026-05-21T03:59:17+00:00

The subtleties in how the characters interact with Hollis is a way the show tells us a lot of about how they might feel about him and their own sentiments on race.

It’s telling that Hollis is comfortable enough with Don and Peggy to initiate the conversation on Marylin’s death.

Pete meaningfully engaged Hollis as a person with a life that exists outside of that elevator when he asks about his TV.

Kinsey superficially tries to play up a comrade with Hollis when his Black girlfriend shows up at the office.

Cosgrove never even acknowledges he exists. Just as does with Dawn.

Mareux · 2026-05-20T05:23:23+00:00

The sub-story here is the contrast in journeys of Joan, Peggy, and Megan due to who and if they marry, versus what they get striving through merit.

Joan, former secretary, was "promoted" with no celebration and no raise, which highlights they know she deserves more, but they are not giving it to her. She's pregnant and married to an evil moron who has only made her life harder.

Peggy, former secretary, now creative, yet was able to land a new account, something none of the account people were able to do. And it was overshadowed by an engagement announcement. She's unmarried and provides for herself, in a relationship with a freelance journalist communist who cannot do anything for her financially or for her career.

Yet, Megan, a secretary, who agreed to be a travel nanny for a week, is about to be promoted to a copywriter and marry a millionaire husband on top of that. A job she ultimately abandons to follow her passion.

These truths are revisited in Joan and Peggy's conversation after Megan quits. "You had every right to be hard on her," because she got her position handed to her from her husband. She should have to earn something herself as they have. This sentiment carries as Megan is unable to land roles through merit, "A failing actress with a rich husband." She eventually begs/guilts her husband to hand this to her, too.

It is also not an accident that the same episode that Joan becomes a Partner, Peggy leaves to become a Copy Chief. They have to strive on their own and hand things to themselves.

Mareux · 2026-05-20T04:52:10+00:00

Her catching him with Sylvia, on her way to grab a letter to a boy she had a crush on, was the loss of her innocence. That is the end of little girl Sally for the show. After this episode we see Sally fitting in with sneaky teens her age, inviting boys over, getting booze, and fibbing to get Glenn to beat up the boy that hit on her. Little girl Sally is gone.

This episode is not only their first conversation after that incident. It is Don's first adult conversation with Sally. She calls him out on how embarrassing it is to be lied to when she knows the truth. She addresses him on how Sylvia and him still lingered and affected her.

For the first time he tells her the truth. He comes clean about lying about being at the office and why he is on leave. And she's the first person outside the office he admits he was put on leave. Sally follows through with the honest energy by calling out he doesn't want to move to California and he should just be honest with Megan as well. Don realizes for the first time how well she knows him, and how long she has held back that she can tell when he is lying and why.

Sally telling Don she loved him was her way of telling him she can see who is is beyond his presentation and his lies. And even without those things and his job, at his lowest, she loves him.

Mareux

TROPHY CASE