Characters

Peggy Olson Played by Elisabeth Moss

Mad Men Season 5 Elisabeth Moss Peggy Olson
Peggy Olson Quotes »

Peggy Olson is a Copywriter at the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce advertising agency. The Brooklyn native began at the original Sterling Cooper as Don Draper's secretary; he promoted her to Copywriter in recognition of her contributions to two successful campaigns.

When Don is arrested for drunk driving, he calls Peggy to bail him out. His companion during the incident, Bobbie Barrett, advises Peggy that only by treating Don as her equal can she advance her career. At Sterling Cooper, Peggy's attempts to gain equality achieve mixed results, though Don admires her talents enough to poach her for his new agency.

At SCDP, Peggy works on several successful campaigns but continues to struggle for acceptance in the male-dominated work environment. When freelancer Joey Baird depicts Joan Harris and Lane Pryce in an obscene pose, Don says she'll only earn respect by handling the matter herself. Peggy fires Joey, but Joan dismisses Peggy's resolution. "All you've done is prove to them that I'm a meaningless secretary and you're another humorless bitch," she snaps.

After Don wins a Clio Award for a Glo Coat floor wax commercial, Peggy complains that her contributions weren't sufficiently recognized. "That's what the money's for!" Don retorts. Peggy later admits that her work fulfills her, though she expresses frustration that her colleagues think she slept with Don to get ahead.

Peggy has had romantic affairs with co-workers past and present: A fling with Pete Campbell results in a pregnancy. Only well after her baby is born does she inform Pete of his child's existence. Peggy later becomes involved with Duck Phillips, formerly the Head of Accounts at Sterling Cooper. Peggy is currently seeing Abe Drexler, a political writer whose work has appeared in the Village Voice and other publications.

Video: Peggy Olson for Season 4 »

 

 

Peggy Olson Quotes

“Here’s your basket of kisses.”
Season 1, Episode 6: “Babylon”
“I don’t think anyone wants to be one of a hundred colors in a box.”
Season 1, Episode 6: “Babylon”
“Maybe you need me to lay on your couch to clear that up for you again.”
Season 1, Episode 10: “Long Weekend”
“I’m in the persuasion business. And frankly I’m disappointed by your presentation.”
Season 2, Episode 2: “Flight 1″
“I never expect Mr. Draper to be anything other than what he is.”
Season 2, Episode 5, “The New Girl”
“I don’t know why I pick the wrong boys.”
Season 2, Episode 11: “The Jet Set”
“Pete, just tell the truth; don’t worry about the outcome. People respect that.”
Season 2, Episode 13: “Meditations in an Emergency”
“You got me pregnant, I had a baby, and I gave it away.”
Season 2, Episode 13: “Meditations in an Emergency”
“Well. When he gets to “s”, I need Howard Sullivan at Lever Brothers.”
Season 3, Episode 1: “Out of Town”
“I’m Peggy Olson. I want to smoke some marijuana.”
Season 3, Episode 3: “My Old Kentucky Home”
“Your problem is not my problem.”
Season 4, Episode 4: “The Rejected”
“Let’s get liberated.”
Season 4, Episode 6: “Waldorf Stories”
“Why is there a dog in the Parthenon?”
Season 4, Episode 7: “The Suitcase”
“Oh, Miss Blankenship, good to see you. I mean nice to see you. I mean welcome back.”
Season 4, Episode 8: “The Summer Man”
“You need three ingredients for a cocktail. Vodka and Mountain Dew is an emergency.”
Season 4, Episode 8: “The Summer Man”
“I signed the first new business since Lucky Strike left. But it’s not as important as getting married. Again.”
Season 4, Episode 13: “Tomorrowland”