| Abe Drexler | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | Charlie Hofheimer |
| First appearance | The Rejected |
| Details | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Journalist/Writer |
| Relations | |
| Romantic Partners | Peggy Olson (ex-girlfriend) |
Biography[]
Abe Drexler was one of Joyce Ramsay's friends. He later became Peggy Olson's long-term boyfriend and they lived together.
He met Peggy Olson at one of Davey Kellogg's warehouse parties. When the cops raided the event, Abe and Peggy hid in a closet and shared a kiss. ("The Rejected")
Months later, Joyce and Peggy went to grab drinks at a bar in midtown Manhattan. They saw Abe there; he had Joyce help arrange a meeting (Abe had not wanted to visit her at work and thought looking up her home address would be considered odd). At the bar, the anti-establishment Abe criticized corporations and Peggy's work--not understanding that patronizing and belittling a young career woman did not work as flirting, and not realizing how much he was angering Peggy. Peggy later pretended that she would not have been interested in working on the Barry Goldwater campaign. After he insulted her, she left.
The following day, Abe came to SCDP to apologize. He wrote her a story called "Nuremberg on Madison Avenue." After reading it, Peggy asked him not to publish it since it could impact her career in a negative way. He said to her that her job was a waste and that she could do/be so much more; Peggy countered that she was not a political person. Defeated, he told her that he would not bother her again. ("The Beautiful Girls")
Abe ran into Joyce and Peggy on a visit to Jones Beach. While they were packing up Joyce's car and preparing to head home, Abe and a few other people joined them. Peggy was suspicious but he insisted that he didn't plan their meeting. The two become very chummy on the ride home, with Peggy sitting in Abe's lap. Arriving back in the city, they head to her place. She and Abe end up spending the night together. The next day, Abe brought a package by the office, pretending to be a delivery boy, to Peggy's delight. ("Chinese Wall")
After they dated for some time, Abe called Peggy for a special dinner. Peggy realized that he would likely propose to her, and she excitedly purchased a new dress for the occasion. However, Abe asks to move in with her, which initially throws Petty for a loop but she ultimately is thrilled and accepts, much to the chagrin of her mother, who does not approve of unmarried couples living together.
Over time, tensions creep into the relationship as Abe's left-wing politics and counter-cultural approach conflicts with Peggy's corporate activities and the nature of advertising itself. Peggy purchases an apartment building in a dangerous neighborhood and grows concerned about crime, while Abe feels that the police are oppressing people and does not want to call them when they are broken into. The tensions come to a head when the paranoid Peggy accidentally stabs Abe when she goes after what she thinks is an intruder. Abe lives but angrily says that what she does for a living disgusts him and her stabbing him will make a great finish for the expose he has been writing about what it is like living with an advertising executive.