Freddy Rumsen Breakdown
A veteran copywriter's fall from grace and his hard-won return to the business.
Freddy Rumsen is a copywriter at Sterling Cooper who appears in multiple episodes of Mad Men. He is older than the other copywriters, served in World War II, and was the first to see Peggy Olson's potential as a copywriter. His drinking at work costs him his job in Season 2, and he returns sober as a freelancer in Season 4.
Lore & Background
Freddy Rumsen is introduced as a copywriter at Sterling Cooper. He is generally well liked, but he is an alcoholic who drinks heavily at work even by Sterling Cooper standards. This behavior leads to his firing from Sterling Cooper. After his departure, Freddy gets sober. He returns in Season 4, sixteen months sober, to freelance for SCDP, bringing the Pond's Cold Cream account with him. In Season 7 he is still freelancing for Sterling Cooper & Partners.
Reader's Guide
Freddy Rumsen's arc begins with him as a copywriter at Sterling Cooper. He is generally well liked, but he is an alcoholic who drinks heavily at work even by Sterling Cooper standards. His decline is marked by a public incident where he urinates on himself, which Sal Romano laughs at. After his departure, Freddy gets sober.
Interpersonal Dynamics and Office Culture
Freddy Rumsen's interpersonal dynamics are characterized by his relationship with Sal Romano, who laughs at him after he urinates on himself. After his return he clashes with Peggy over his old-fashioned ideas about marketing to women, but the two make amends, and in Season 5 he quietly makes job inquiries on her behalf.
More in Episodes & Narrative Arcs
Elsewhere in Mad Men
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