Don Draper is one of the greatest television protagonists of all time. Serving as the primary character of Mad Men, Don is a genius marketing executive who also happens to be deeply unhappy and directionless. He has everything that a '50s/'60s man could want on the surface - a doting housewife, loving children, lots of money, stability, a great job, power, respect, and allure (both sexual and otherwise).
Despite all of that, he is never happy, and he constantly wanders. Like all great characters, Don has both good and bad traits. He is human, and he is written as a deeply flawed individual.
Hate: His Philandering
One of Don's greatest character flaws is his constant philandering. It helps give the show some of its iconic and signature "sex appeal," but it also turns Don Draper into a problematic antihero. Not only does the philandering make Don a difficult character to root for, but it also turns Mad Men into a bit of a soap opera.
It seemed like every season Don had a new woman" and these subplots began to grow quite stale after a while - specifically around season six when Don was toying with his neighbor Sylvia.
Love: His Relatability
One of the most important qualities of a good and interesting protagonist is their relatability. Unbeatable superheroes certainly have their place, but most viewers typically want to see aspects of themselves in a show or a movie, and they want characters that are rooted in reality - flaws and all.
Don certainly fits this bill. He is deeply relatable and understandable as a human being, and many viewers may see themselves in any number of aspects of Don's character. He is a brilliantly written character.
Hate: His Treatment Of Peggy
Don is not a very nice person. That is clearly established throughout the entirety of Mad Men - specifically in the scenes that take place at the office. And while Don is the only one to see Peggy for the incredible talent that she is, he also treats her like an underling throughout much of the series.
"The Suitcase" was specifically written to address their problematic working relationship, and even by the final season, Don still saw himself as the "better" talent of the two. It's not until he lets go of his ego that he finds peace working for Peggy.
Love: Jon Hamm's Performance
Much of what makes Don Draper work as a character is Jon Hamm's incredible performance. Under any other actor, Don may have come across as too spoiled, too unlikable, not charismatic enough, among other things. But Jon Hamm nails every single aspect of Don's character, and he gave one of the greatest TV performances of all time.
Hamm earned himself eight straight Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, and he finally won for the show's final season in 2015.
Hate: His Constant Lying
The show made it very hard to root for Don and that's because Don was both a philanderer and a consummate liar. There were very few things that Don didn't lie about. In fact, Don was living a lie every single day of his life by pretending to be Don Draper (when in fact his real name is Dick Whitman, and he deserted the Korean War).
He constantly lied about where he was, who he was seeing, what he was doing, and more. It was a very rare day when Don Draper told the truth - not so coincidentally, it's also when he was most at peace.
Love: Being Lost
One of Don's most relatable characteristics is his constant feelings of being aimless and "lost." Don can't quite find his place in the world, and even though he does very well in advertising, he never quite feels like he belongs.
This is shown whenever Don's true identity is threatened to be revealed - rather than face the reality or the consequences, Don always decides to run away. Even in the end, Don forgoes the material and corporate success of McCann Erickson to live as a wanderer. He's no different than the hitchhiker he picks up on his way to Minnesota.
Hate: Sloppy Alcoholism
Like most of the men working at Sterling Cooper (and eventually Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce), Don enjoys the odd drink at work. But sometimes "the odd drink" turns into many more, and there were numerous episodes in which Don gets full-blown drunk at work.
Things eventually reach a tragic crescendo in season four, as Don falls into a horrible pit of alcoholism following his divorce from Betty. He loses entire weekends, ditches work, and often forgets what he tells his employees. It was sloppy, and it was very distressing.
Love: His Creativity
While Don's alcoholism was tough to behold, it often resulted in some genius pitches. Part of what makes Mad Men so unique and lovable is that it works as a character piece, a period drama, and a lesson in marketing. Don's pitches were always a sight to behold, and they were enough to leave viewers (and even other characters) in tears.
It was always interesting to watch Don's thought and creative process, and the results were always mesmerizing. The show truly did feature some fantastic ads.
Hate: His Parenting
There's no denying that Don's parenting is questionable at best. He is absent throughout large chunks of their upbringing - often working late or neglecting family time to pursue another sexual exploit.
Even when he's physically present, he's often not there - instead, he's thinking about work or deep into the newspaper, the TV, or a drink. As Sally later tells Betty, "My father has never given me anything." But that's not entirely true...
Love: His Parenting
There were times when Don was a good father, and those moments were often heartfelt and beautiful. Whenever Don actually put in an effort, he was quite a good father. Sometimes he spoiled the kids, like taking them to Beatles concerts, the movies, and even Disneyland. He let them into his personal life, like when he took them to see his rotten childhood home.
He even gives Sally a fantastic bit of advice (and one of the show's most beautiful quotes) when he told her, "You're a very beautiful girl. It's up to you to be more than that." Watching Don parent could often be very inspiring.