NGKUR: Mad Men Finale Predictions (spoiler warning!)

[shadesofgold]

May 18, 2015 7:27:45 GMT -5 pinkcat said:

So many great moments last night! One of the best was Joan calling Greg a terrible person- so satisfying.

Betty and Don's phone call- heartbreaking.

I've read a lot of negative reviews of the episode saying they were disappointed Don went back to advertising to make the Coke ad, but I really disagree. I think last night was about personal growth- Don has been on a journey since season 1, and I think he finally is able to be at peace with who he is and what he's done. Going back to McCann would be very difficult for the old Don, and being able to do that and have the best ad he's ever done- it shows how far he's come.

So sad it's over!!

Yes! Exactly this. Just about every character got a happy ending because they embraced who they really are. Peggy is gonna be a rock star, but she wants other things in life, too. The Campbells get to be royalty. Roger finds a match and it is someone his own age. Joan finds the exactly perfect job for her - being the ultimate organizer rather than the account man, taking control of her life when finally presented with the opportunity. Sally is ultimately a better person than both her parents, with the best qualities of each - present and practical (Betty), while compassionate and independent (Don). And Don is who he is - a brilliant sales man and maybe a halfway decent father. His yogi "ah-ha" moment was the perfect ad pitch. And that is so who Don is, and part of what he has been trying to run from for a decade. Has he been able to shed all of his self-loathing?

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

[shadesofgold]

May 17, 2015 22:27:12 GMT -5 ceejay said:

When the episode ended, I was a little unhappy and upset that that was how they chose to end it for Don. But the more I think about it, I really liked it...

Don has spent his life trying to make other people happy and make himself happy - filling his life with people that would make him feel good (all the women he slept with) and make him feel important (everyone that worked for him at SCDP), living so that he would be viewed in a certain way. But now, at the end of it all, he is completely alone and stripped of his New York Don Draper persona, and finally, he is at peace and truly happy.

But then the whole coke ad really threw me off...

ETA - Apparently I missed the true meaning behind Don's smirk at the end. Thanks shadesofgold for your detailed explanation! I still like to think that Don found some peace for himself at the hippy retreat, even if he did return to New York after all.

I do think it is open to interpretation! I read a few recaps and it seems like a lot of people believe that the ad was Don's brilliant idea, but there is another interpretation. That Don found happiness and peace, finally, that we were shown how all of the characters could go on living without him just fine and so would the firm, coming up with one of the most iconic ads of all time without him in the room. The fact that it so perfectly resembled the hippy hillside scene Don found himself in could be pure coincidence. With all the pretty bows tied on all the other story lines in the finale, I do think Matt Wiener wanted to give us something ambiguous. 

[shadesofgold]

May 18, 2015 6:30:04 GMT -5 adorebel said:

Given that they showed us soooo many characters last night, it was almost shocking that there wasn't even one shot of Megan! She's just...gone.

Totally agree on Trudy and Joan. I love that the two names on Joan's office door will both be hers - and one of them brings her back to who she was before she married Greg.

Completely shocked they're allowing Peggy to be happy. Weiner has always waxed poetic about how Peggy chooses the wrong men! Stan isn't unlike Abe in some ways, though, so Abe was kind of a forerunner. The differences between Abe and Stan are what matter, though, since Peggy needs to be supported and loved, and Stan will do that.

Loved the final phone call between Betty and Don, and that last scene of Sally washing the dishes. There's something amazing about that mother-daughter relationship - we've spent seasons wanting Sally to get back at her mother, but on the other hand, in her fucked up way, Betty has always been around, and Don hasn't. Sally is finally an adult because she has seen that and chosen to be there for the end.

Finally, LOL at Ken saying his kid was weird! I love Ken.

I totally forgot about Abe. You're so right. Peggy's type is sort of the counter-culture dude, but Stan is the only person who sees Peggy for exactly what she is (and wants) and loves her for it. Some people said they don't buy that romance, but it has been simmering for seasons. They're BFFs and Stan is the only person (aside from Don) who Peggy has told about her child. And he was the first person she called for help after Don called her for help. Full circle.

[pinkcat]

May 18, 2015 9:12:34 GMT -5 shadesofgold said:

May 18, 2015 7:27:45 GMT -5 pinkcat said:

So many great moments last night! One of the best was Joan calling Greg a terrible person- so satisfying.

Betty and Don's phone call- heartbreaking.

I've read a lot of negative reviews of the episode saying they were disappointed Don went back to advertising to make the Coke ad, but I really disagree. I think last night was about personal growth- Don has been on a journey since season 1, and I think he finally is able to be at peace with who he is and what he's done. Going back to McCann would be very difficult for the old Don, and being able to do that and have the best ad he's ever done- it shows how far he's come.

So sad it's over!!

Yes! Exactly this. Just about every character got a happy ending because they embraced who they really are. Peggy is gonna be a rock star, but she wants other things in life, too. The Campbells get to be royalty. Roger finds a match and it is someone his own age. Joan finds the exactly perfect job for her - being the ultimate organizer rather than the account man, taking control of her life when finally presented with the opportunity. Sally is ultimately a better person than both her parents, with the best qualities of each - present and practical (Betty), while compassionate and independent (Don). And Don is who he is - a brilliant sales man and maybe a halfway decent father. His yogi "ah-ha" moment was the perfect ad pitch. And that is so who Don is, and part of what he has been trying to run from for a decade. Has he been able to shed all of his self-loathing?

Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.

I love what you said about each character getting a happy ending because they embraced their true selves- I totally agree!

I am excited to get home from work today and watch the episode again! Is it 5:00 yet?!

[shadesofgold]

I've been reading recaps basically every free moment today. Here's one that is particularly good on Joan's storyline, and also some historical commentary: grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/mad-men-week-finale-recap/

And my all-time favorite Mad Men commentators, Tom and Lorenzo: tomandlorenzo.com/2015/05/mad-men-person-to-person/

[mrsjene]

May 18, 2015 9:21:07 GMT -5 shadesofgold said:

May 18, 2015 6:30:04 GMT -5 adorebel said:

Given that they showed us soooo many characters last night, it was almost shocking that there wasn't even one shot of Megan! She's just...gone.

Totally agree on Trudy and Joan. I love that the two names on Joan's office door will both be hers - and one of them brings her back to who she was before she married Greg.

Completely shocked they're allowing Peggy to be happy. Weiner has always waxed poetic about how Peggy chooses the wrong men! Stan isn't unlike Abe in some ways, though, so Abe was kind of a forerunner. The differences between Abe and Stan are what matter, though, since Peggy needs to be supported and loved, and Stan will do that.

Loved the final phone call between Betty and Don, and that last scene of Sally washing the dishes. There's something amazing about that mother-daughter relationship - we've spent seasons wanting Sally to get back at her mother, but on the other hand, in her fucked up way, Betty has always been around, and Don hasn't. Sally is finally an adult because she has seen that and chosen to be there for the end.

Finally, LOL at Ken saying his kid was weird! I love Ken.

I totally forgot about Abe. You're so right. Peggy's type is sort of the counter-culture dude, but Stan is the only person who sees Peggy for exactly what she is (and wants) and loves her for it. Some people said they don't buy that romance, but it has been simmering for seasons. They're BFFs and Stan is the only person (aside from Don) who Peggy has told about her child. And he was the first person she called for help after Don called her for help. Full circle.

The scene where she called him a failure?  I turned to my H and said, "Why didn't it ever happen between those two?  They would've made a great couple!"

A few scenes later....