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I am crazy about making ranked lists but I do not always share them. People can get a bit lost in the sauce and become too focused on what they don’t like rather than what they love. It’s more about hating than celebrating when some critics do a retrospective and that can become blinding.

I adore Mad Men and I confidently says that every episode of Season One is good with a few being spectacular which makes this retrospective easy to write up and share. The flaws of this season come to be addressed in other seasons and the great moments already define it as one of the most iconic TV shows of all time.

Let’s rank Mad Men Season One which takes place from March 1960 to November 1960.

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13.
Season 1 - Episode 5: “5G”

The twist of Don Draper’s true identity is one of the strongest aspects of Season One but its introduction is clunky. It has to be clunky because we are feeling the same awkwardness that Don is but that still makes this a less memorable episode that serves a later fully realized plot. The story of “5G” is not complete until Don learns of his brother Adam’s suicide in the season finale. It serves the show as a whole far more than a singular, satsifying episode plot but that is necessary.

12.

Season 1 - Episode 10: “Long Weekend”

Joan gets to shine but it is much of the same bad behavior we know from the established characters. At a certain point, you’re almost eager for Roger to have his heart attack just so the plot will move forward. Once he does, the episode becomes a deeply sad reflection on what these character have given up by living for today rather than the future.

11.

Season 1 - Episode 4: New Amsterdam

Pete finally gets his moment in the spotlight and makes clear why we both love and detest him. Can be a touch dull but so is Pete’s life. Again, I love all of these episodes and most of my critiques are that the show is still figuring itself out and finding its footing. Pete is finding his own footing and place in life.

10.

Season 1 - Episode 2: “Ladies Room”

An establishing episode. Necessary but not often revisted. Now that the series has been picked up after the pilot, it is time to find its footing as I just said. Lets us know immediately that these characters have many more stories to tell and we already begin dreaming up some of our own. Takes great advantage of the promise of the series.

9.

Season 1 - Episode 11: “Indian Summer”

I group this and the following episode together as Betty dominates both. If you dislike Betty, these episodes will rank near the bottom. If you love her, these will be near the top. This is one of the funniest Season One episodes behind Roger’s oyster incident in “Red in the Face." Who can forget the Relax-a-Cizor!

8.

Season 1 - Episode 9: “Shoot”

Betty again dominates the narrative and serves us one of the most iconic and satisfying moments of the series when she takes out a gun and begins shooting her neighbor’s birds. Perhaps the least funny episode of the season and for good reason, Betty needs a serious moment of honesty. No jokes or lies to cloud her story. She is starting to take what control she can.

7.

Season 1 - Episode 8: “The Hobo Code”

The episode that spends the most time dominated by the past (or I should say the past’s past). Makes us feel for Don in a way that we didn’t before as we see his terrible childhood. The mystery is now not the only alluring part about him. We want to see him get better.

6.

Season 1 - Episode 1: “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”

Pitches Don Draper just as Don Draper pitches Lucky Strike. The iconic beginning that does very clearly feel like a pilot but sells you immediately on the show and its lead.

5.

Season 1 - Episode 12: “Nixon vs. Kennedy”

The reason why many fans like myself started watching, to become lost in history. Takes full advantage of its historical setting and is never lost in it. Some episodes in this season suffer from losing focus on characters due to multiple plots which is not the case here. The focus given to each character feels just right in the context of the episode. A lot happens and at the same time it feels very effetively contained.

4.

Season 1 - Episode 3: “Marriage of Figaro”

The moment when you realize you’re not just watching a good season of TV, you’re watching a great one. We’ve been sold on Don Draper but now, having seen both his highest highs and lowest lows, we’ve invested in him no matter how much lower he gets… and he’s gonna get lower, perhaps even by getting drunk at his daughter’s birthday party and coming home with a golden retreiver that it is never clear how he obtained.

3.

Season 1 - Episode 7: “Red in the Face”

The funniest episode of the season, a much needed break after some serious and hard-hitting moments. Establishes Don and Roger’s chemistry fully when they had just been coworkers with fun banter in prior episodes.

2.

Season 1 - Episode 13: “The Wheel”

Satsifying as as a first season close and impactful in a way that you carry with you after the credits roll. The episode that most clearly shows us the cost of being Don Draper and why you do not want to pay that cost. Wraps up the season while making us eager for season two immediately.

1.

Season 1 - Episode 6: “Babylon”

Every storyline of this episode plays into and compliments the others. It is a masterwork of telling multiple storylines through an hour slot TV format and one of the best episodes of the entire series.

“Babylon” is everything great about Mad Men and it paved the way for the later heights of the following seasons.

I’ll be taking a break from episode recaps this week and jump into Season 2 the following week. Happy New Year!

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