Mad Men finale

[donniesyracuse]

I am sad that my favorite show is ending. Even with shows I love, I am usually ready for them to end. Mad Men could hold my interest for another ten years.

I hope that the finale is not corny. Often, shows get too clever and try to provide resolution to everything. Shows unfortunately deviate from the formulas that made them great. Resolution has never been an ingredient in Mad Men. I hope to be left a little unsettled and wanting more; just like every other week.

I expect the finale to focus almost exclusively on the show's two main protagonists: Don and Peggy. The two previous episodes may have closed the book on some of the secondary characters (e.g., Betty, Pete, Joan, and Roger).

I am actively rooting against Don jumping or falling out of a window like the opening credit sequence suggests. That would be too obvious; although recent episodes might be foreshadowing it.

 

[donniesyracuse]

I thought the finale was excellent.

It is a shame more people did not watch this show. Everyone is apparently busy watching super heroes.

 

[BlackKnight76]

I thought the finale was excellent.

It is a shame more people did not watch this show. Everyone is apparently busy watching super heroes.

I agree. I didn't expect it to be quite so cynical, but I didn't think it was an inappropriate way for Don's storyline to end. Thought Wiener did a great job of mapping out how advertising was all Don had and the only venue in which he could help the people in his life, as meaningless as it is when compared to Betty, his kids, Anna Draper, etc. Saw a few writers throw the Coke ad out as a possible ending with the timeline we were in, and honestly, that was pretty perfect.

On the other hand, I was shocked and happy with how much time we got with Peggy, Joan, Roger, and everyone else, and even more shocked by how much fan service we got there, esp. with Peggy and Stan. Really good finale, a few people hated it, but Don was never going to get the happy ending, and I'm not sure he deserved it. Glad others did.

 

[moqui]

I've never watched the show - a few minutes here and there, but never a full episode.

Sunday night, I'm skimming through the channels and see the last 15 minutes of the finale is on, so I watch just out of curiosity. We see next to last scene, when Leonard makes his speech that breaks through to Don Draper. Leonard is played by Evan Arnold, my wife's best friend since 2nd grade! We had just had dinner with him the night before, and he never mentioned it. Turns out, he had signed an NDA and was forbidden from telling anyone that he was even on the show, let alone anything about the part he played. And, he didn't even know how pivotal the scene was nor even whether it was going to be used until he saw it himself.

Yesterday was the biggest day of his professional career - fielding calls from everyone he knows, an interview with Time Magazine and others. He's getting strong reviews and this could open the door to bigger things - he's going to be an "overnight success" after 30+ years in the business.

 

[NKR1978]

My only issue with the ending was that it seemed to wrap up in too neat a bow. Peggy and Stan was a bit too fan servicey, though Peggy admitted she loved Stan on the most Peggy way possible so they were really true to the character.

The ending was brilliant and I love the ambiguity of the ending. I choose to believe that Don or Peggy came up with that iconic ad. It makes sense in light of discussions earlier in the season where they discussed their ultimate goals and all the Coke images and talk.

Mad Men told a slow and thoughtful story and did big and small moments better than any show I can remember. The John Deere incident, Peggy telling Roger "no" when he told her to get coffee, "Not great Bob," and countless others. It was a truly great series and I imagine it will stand up over time.

 

[BlackKnight76]

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-a...hew-weiner-explains-the-mad-men-ending-or-not