I thought it was the best series ending of all time, honestly. No dreams. No never minds. And to tie it in with one of the most powerful and memorable campaigns in the history of advertising blew me away.
Really. There is MUCH better analysis out there. And given is this my favorite series of all time, I say Pffffft. Plus, that voice (whether AI or human) is annoying as heck.
This has no analysis or new understanding or anything. You're just summarizing the episode. Waste of time. There was nothing in this video that I haven't heard in any other video I've watched on the ending so idk why you're saying you "finally" understand the ending
Hahaha...I'm sorry...I was 16 the year that Coke commercial first played. Bonafide peace-loving pot-smoking hippie, here, and in today's vernacular I thought it was cringe pulling hard for gay. "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R," was my favorite in 1970, but that was probably because I always had the munchies. Also liked the Alka-Seltzer "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" ad.
We saw don falling from a skyscraper in the intro for 8 years and never focused on what we see after. Him sitting on the couch smoking and drinking. That's the answer.
Matt Weiner said that first scene of the series is key to the ending... Don asked the waiter what he’d do if his brand of cigarettes were no longer available...the man really didn’t even want to think about that. Don lost everything and tried to add all these new layers...but he was going to go back to his brand...creating ads.
i always thought the ending scene with coca cola's "hands across america" tied back into what don said earlier about "landing coca cola" reaching his own personal nirvana
I thought the same. When i first saw that scene it was my first thought. He found himself and he will always be an ad man. Once he makes peace with his past, he is able to make his dream come true.
Absolutely loved MadMen. Watched every episode recently (DVDs and Blu-Rays). That was a lot of episodes. Sometimes it dragged a bit but not for long. TBH could have watched another 90+ episodes, it was that good.
I’m glad Pete was given a big opportunity and wanted to fulfill that next stage with Trudy and his daughter. Pete was always a go-getter and yes...a weasel but not anymore than the other guys on the show. Moving away from NY was probably the best thing for the Campbell family.
(paraphrasing): "Don decides to meditate with the group the next day." How do you figure that? The way it looked to me, Don had been at Esalen for some time as he sure did seem already comfortable at meditation, a skill that cannot be mastered overnight even in the very best workshop.
I agree I think it is implied that he had been there for a bit based on his posture and zen state. It's also stated that he is paid up through the week. But you're right the enlightenment to create the commercial doesn't happen overnight, and I doubt it was intended imply that
I wish they made one more episode of Mad Men to see how his life turns out. I too thought of the same idea when I saw the last scene of the finale of Mad Men.
Loved the end, for all the main characters...I lived that Era as Sally. Don makes a personal change in his life and sheds some emotional stuff, but ends up making an award winning tv ad for Coke. He sticks with it,
@@nate8604 Better yet, they are about to lose me, as a viewer. And Nate, there is nothing special about being "averagely" intelligent, that is the problem here.
You are wrong at 7:10 saying Stephanie took Don's car. No. There was no car with Don at that time. She just took off in the middle of the night. Didn't take anything from Don.
No, the ending means he has accepted his contradictions and defects, something that until the very end of the show made him suffer multiple times. For anyone who has entered the realm of meditation and self reflection, it's often a process activated by a strong need for mental peace, in Don's case, because of the suffering that it is perfectly summarized in this video. At the end of the process there is acceptance for what you truly are including your virtues and defects.
I know it’s just a TV show, but I was born in 1951, a contemporary of Sally, and was completely consumed with the show. I would love to see a movie, with the original actors, say, 15 years later in the mid 80s. But, on the other hand, I would never read the sequel to Gone With The Wind. When Rhett walks out that door, that is THE end! Most likely Don went back to his old ways, Joan became a billionaire movie producer,, Stan and Peggy got married and had six children, and Sally became the USA’s ambassador to Spain!
Having spent 30 years crawling thru the Big Surgery mountains, the last scene at Esalen almost brought tears. The perfect counterpoint to NY. As weird as the " counter-culture" was then (I was in it) , they were the pinnacle of sanity compared to genx genz, etc.The coke commercial was the beginning of the co-option of the movement by our corporate overloards (as was clear at the time). A lovely commercial none the less.
When everything is said and done and all the layers are stripped off the series you can understand it is basically about the decade of the sixties. Arguably the most pivotal decade in the history of the U.S. and maybe the world. All through the series Don is the only character that doesn't change with the times and finally at the end embraces the period and discovers the greatest advertising pitch of his life and finally understands what it's all about (not work but life).
I believe a big part of the ending has to do with Don finally learning to accept himself so he can ultimately love himself which is why all of his relationships never worked out because you need to love yourself before u can receive love & it work out with that person.
If they had ended the show with Don's smirk ! It would be just as gut punch as the ending of lost ! But ,that classic cola commercial made all the difference ! Best iconic ending for the T.V 's most sophisticated character.
Thank you Looper for your interesting , insightful, and coherent synopsis of the final episode of this amazing series! Mad Men is truly one of the best written and well acted shows of all time which provides not only an interesting study of the many characters portrayed in the show, but also illustrates one of our most tumultuous decades, the 1960s!
It all goes back to when Don runs into Midge again and her husband explains the painting No. 4. Go back and watch that conversation, it’s the end foreshadowed but Don’s view of the world wasn’t open enough to see it, until his moment of enlightenment on the hilltop.
Sooo you guys simply recapped the entire last episode then took a cheap shot at Don as some sort of analysis? Not sure you guys understand the ending of this show as well as you think you do..
Those final episodes capture how everything turns to shat when your company is sold. The new situation almost always destroys the things that made the company great and desirable to buyers in the first place. At that point the people controlling the buying company are invariably lost in a vast, impenetrable ego trip - they see themselves as powerful, special, genius, masters of the universe who have just obtained a new toy that they can throw around and play with at their whim. It is extraordinarily rare to ever see anybody who is not instantly seduced and corrupted by that feeling of power. Most people do not even try to resist being corrupted. Instead they quickly and eagerly jump in whole hog, and never look back.
There was nothing mysterious or confusing about the finale. It was damn near perfect in every way. Only millennials who have never seen a 1980 Coke commercial didn’t get it.
I'm a millennial and pretty young when it aired and not American (so I didn't know the ad before) and I got it the second I saw it 😄 It is so obvious, also considering the previous psuedo-developments Don went through. If Don had suddenly changed at the end, that would have been so cheesy.
I just ended seeing the mad Men series and found the ending flawless. I'll truly miss Don Draper and Peggy shenanigans and the whole series. Now with a bit of sadness can move on and try to find something else to watch and enjoy but Mad Men left the bar so high that I know it's going to be hard to find a replacement. Any suggestions?
What is really cool is that I truly believe the Coke ad was an ode to Betty. The last person he saw before he left town was Betty and they shared a really sweet moment. She was the Coke girl in season one. Betty loved Rome. Their last romantic trip before their divorce was to Rome. On his road trip, by a hotel pool, he sees a woman reading 'The Women of Rome' that he thinks looks like Betty. And then finds out she's dying and is grief stricken. The Coke ad was shot in Rome, and she most certainly had passed away by the time he came back and put the ad together. Betty absolutely inspired his ad.
This is just a summary of the finale not a full understanding of the series and where they go afterwards. Disappointing. I truly teared up when I saw Pete reconnected with his family. Watching his character grow that way was so wonderful. He came full circle. So did Roger altho I didn't care for Megan mother. Loved where Joan ended up. Don tho. That was another enigma. Don truly is a mystery even at the end. Mad men is truly one of the best shows if all time.
I thought it was funny Betty wanted her kids with her brother & his wife- she spoke so poorly of them constantly! His wife seemed so nice- I think Betty was jealous of her warm personality
It's possible to recognize someone's good qualities without being jealous of them. The brother & sister-in-law are the best choice. Betty is a stoic with a lot of intelligence & self-respect. She could have reached many clients and improved their lives, had she lived to practice a psychology career, as she had planned.
@@constantreader8760 Lol, you do understand that a Master's degree in psychology doesn't let you practice therapy. It's only a research and field. You need a Medical degree to get clients and help them. that's a psychiatrist. A psychologist is like a Botanist or a Geologist. Betty did it cuz of her passion.
In the end he created one of the most iconic coca cola ads ever. I watched the finale in my grandparents' house last year and when that song played they watched the ad too and was surprised hearing that again after probably so many years haha.
I don't agree with your conclusion. I think Don finally realises that life is about giving. His view of advertising was always strangely idealised - it was about touching people and creating a better world. All the money, women and competition was a distraction despite dominating all 7 series. Finally, he finds some peace ...
Don realizes that love is connection - he’s been compartmentalizing and keeping everyone at a distance his entire life. He’s been desperately seeking that “missing piece” that will make him feel whole. The “missing piece” was intimacy (which require vulnerability and total honesty). The Coke commercial ties back to Betty as well. She was the “coke girl” in season one and when Don has his “aha” moment (that love = intimacy = honesty) he has just learned that Betty is dying. He loved Betty all along but never knew how to show love or give it. It all ties back together in the end : family, love, connection, ambition, advertising, the human condition. Fantastic writing when everything comes full circle like that.
That's pretty much the way I took it..Kind of related..My place of employment has a Coke machine in which the local Coke distributer restocks. One day shortly after the Mad Men finally I was singing that song since the coke guy reminded me of it. And was perplexed that he had no idea what it was.
I like how Don's "this never happened" speech did not work on Stephanie. Earlier, when we catch up with Peggy, it turns out it didn't work on her either. It was season 2's most effective speech. And ultimately, it didnt work. Not on Peggy, not on Stephanie and not on Don.
Well It worked for Peggy in that it allowed her to continue on with the life and career she wanted. He never claimed it wouldn't leave a scar. He just told her what she needed to hear to pick herself up and keep going. It worked.
@@Thehubb1 Yup . Exactly. Although Peggy's mom and sister reminded her that she has a son. The baby didnt focused much in her mind. Don was just encouraging her to get up in life.
As a spiritual person, I see something entirely different in that last scene. I see Don tapping into the Akashic Records during that meditation and being given the idea for one of the most successful and memorable commercials ever. That's exactly how Steve Jobs got the idea for the iPhone.
No summary as promised and what little analyses there was was wrong. Draper's slight smile at the end is because he's finally learned how to feel emotions he only pretended to have before and he's finally at peace able to forgive himself for his past sins and mistakes. The advertising world goes on without him and he'll likely live out his years in modest comfort in semi retirement.
I love Don ending up at a Alan Watts event at Eselan Institute, Big Sur. Okay, but it wouldn’t a bad place to end up after Don’s trip through the real world. Lots of great Alan Watts lectures, fun with answers and questions, and Alan Watts at UCLA 1973
Ivan Lendl a British Philosopher born in England in January 6, 1915. Immigrated to the USA, ending up in Sausalito California, living on one of those houseboats. This was called the Vallejo.. fun lectures on youtube. He called himself a spiritual entertainer. If you watched the movie, Her. Before Samantha leaves, she tells Joaquin phoenix‘s character, that you should listen to that philosopher, Alan Watts. My wife absolutely started busting up, I was only one she ever heard mention him. But that was her sister live in those houseboating from 1971 in 1974. But like most people from the 60s, does it have any recollection of anything. Too much fun I guess
The 60’s in California, what a start. Route 66 all the way to California in a 57 Chevy Nomad. Floating in the womb, with the auxiliary tent on top. Shaken out of the womb, in 1960, 5 weeks early when mom, forgetting she was pregnant took a roller coaster 🎢 ride, this I was born. What a start,
I love this show, it’s def my all time fav. I’ve watched it so many times & I pick up something new each time. Don really did have to lose everything to gain some clarity. He always had everything but I feel like he’s always been a really generous person. He was selfish yet selfless. He tried to give too much and made promises he couldn’t keep. Both of his wives were the ones to leave him, which I thought was interesting. He wanted to satisfy everyone & gave too much of himself. I absolutely love how Pete changed from a sleezy womanizer to a caring responsible man. And how his relationships w Don and Peggy became genuinely respectful. So, when Roger told Pete that Don saved his job, is that when Pete became Don’s butt buddy? Bc at one moment Pete is trying to blackmail Don, but then he starts defending Don to those that talk sh*t... anyhow, the only thing that really pissed me off is when Joan’s old man boyfriend made her choose him or her career... i understand he’s old and didn’t want to waste his time. But that was really sh*tty of him to do. She was on the phone & he couldn’t even wait until she finished her phone call w someone else. Rude. Glad he left. I love this show so much. I usually end up hating some characters but I really liked all of them. OH JK, I hate Harry Crane so much. He’s always been a chubby gross pig & I even dislike the actor who played him. He was in that show “Love” and he was also a selfish creep in it. I just really dislike him so much. Great show though. These analyses are excellent! Thanks :)
That old man gave Joan two chances. First was when he decided to come back and help raise her kid after he had backed out the first time. He had already raised his kids. The second was her starting her own business. She put the kid before him which he was ok with and then the second time it was her business. Which if you see how don is would be business first then the kid and then finally him. So I don’t blame him one bit for leaving Joan
Nah, he was an elderly man looking to settle down, Joan knew this and thought she could “persuade” him into thinking different, as most women do. She has her career in the end, but is a single mother, and divorced. I don’t think she ended up completely happy.
@@nate8604 actually settling down is exactly what he explicitly states he doesn't want to do. He doesn't want to be encumbered by the demands of a small child and a small business. He has already done that and wanted freedom, with or without Joan. She wanted to build something. I think the final summary on her is clearly the fact that men had always let her down previously and throughout the show, and she no longer needed to tie her happiness to one in order to be satisfied. I think her ending was pretty positive.
+HubbzZ it ended good if you’re a woman who feels like job independence is a necessity over relationships. So, for women, who become their own bosses you can say that. I still see her son growing up without a consistent male role model in his life, she was a promiscuous woman who made bad choices in men.
@@nate8604 are you really trying to blame her for the actions of the men she dated? Firstly many people grow up to be perfectly fine without a father... Second she wasn't looking for job indepence, she had enough money from the sale to never have to work another day in her life. She wanted to build something of her own and missed working just like every man in the show. Pete did the same exact thing only Trudy happened to take him back. He didn't quit his job to fix his family or pursue a relationship. He took a better job and begged her to come with him. But when he does it, it's being a good provider but in Joan's case it's being a bad mother? Come on..
I've always preferred to interpret the ending as Don finally finding inner peace in his life while the rest of the mad world he left behind goes on without him as he starts a new chapter of his life in the '70s. The final shots of the episode are deliberately ambiguous, inviting a different reading of his ultimate fate, and while it's more probable that the intent was to show how he found renewed creativity by coming up with the Coke ad, it may actually be a happier ending for him that he walked away from his past and the drama and angst he was part of. Maybe he finished out his days making surf boards on the beach in L.A., dressing in Hawaiian shirts and living in a small cottage. At least I'd like to think that.
This show suckered me in with the Don Draper in the earlier seasons. The powerful executive that could .manage affairs, drinking, a family and most of all being one of the most talented and respected people in his profession. That is what really attracted people do this show. The writers then turned the show around in a different direction to make Don a lost soul loser. I started to not like his character and the show but the writers kept over and over dangling a karrot to make you think they were bringing the old Don back but it never happened. He would clean his act up and then lose it. I feel so disappointed for his character.
The writers are liberals. Many people don't realize it, but this show is a criticism of the 50s, not a highlight of the few progressive things that occurred then. The writers needed to destroy don to stop this image people have of him. Personally, I think they could've kept his storyline consistent without making him such a bum. It's silly in my opinion.
Nice video however, and not just here I keep hearing: the kids are alright. I find this strange as theres no real closure on the kids. Bobby was ignored most of his life, and was only giving negative attention. At those years this doesnt tend to be bump, but a real life lesson take away. now he is moving with his uncle. This will definitely have a negative impact on his development. Hes looking set up for classic middle age syndrome. And Sally grew up too fast. This is something that will benefit everyone around her, but not her directly. Her and Bobby will grow up taking care of others, and seldomly taking care of each other. They will have children and repeat this cycle. Maybe its just personal but I always felt this was something the show was constantly saying. People have kids, so that there kids can take care of them. They somewhat punctuate this at the end with Don's friend (her name escapes me) Abondondment issues are very real, very complicated, and have huge issues on everyone involved, even when slightly.
The world may refer to a Jean jacket as a Canadian tuxedo but anyone in Canada will tell you it’s really a plaid lumber jacket .. a Jean jacket is just a Jean jacket
having just rewatched the show i would nitpick one thing here, i don’t think the point was that Betty was “right,” about her assessment of Bobby and Gene, though she did have a very valid point concerning Don and he knew that. Sally was the one who saw things clearly and I think the very end signifies that. Don goes back to his kids but he doesn’t suddenly become a better dad; the boys stay with Henry and Sally assumes the motherly role.
He changed his life and became a new man a self made one.he ended up creating the number one iconic commercial ever.he overcame and succeeded what he started
The characterization of Don and Betty being bad parents is overstated. I feel it's more accurate to say they were uneven parents--they had good and bad moments, like many parents. The idea that Sally turned out ok on her own is both inaccurate and spurious.
Paris? Roger and Megan's mom were in Montreal. And Din didn't have a car, Stephanie just left him. The guys getting the speed record dropped him off in LA.
Come on, don"t be so down to earth or cynical. It's just about finding one's true self eventually. If you sum up the whole journey just to find out Don Draper is a real adman, well, you have it in the very first scene of season's 1 first episode...
Loved Mad Men in the first several seasons, but just like other devolving shows, it eventually just stitched together by characters jumping into each other's beds.
Don is a Master at monetizing the painful human experience; the hippe movement, (culture/life of the times) he made fun of he used to sell a toxic product that destroys life. Sums up Don as a man
I see Steve Jobs in the Don Draper character and there are hints... soda commercial, retreat at the shore of California, meditation, loose all, and the comeback... maybe a common recipe?
What was there to not understand? You guys simply narrated the entire last episode plot which everyone gets. I expected there would be something a bit more psychological or spiritual from Don's perpective.
I forgot about Betty Drapers last scene and how badass she looks. She has accepted her fate but that won't stop her from smoking. She knows she's going to die and was probably told by her doctor to stop smoking because it might extend her life a little bit. Peggy told the doctor, F that and F you. She's smoking her cigarettes and dying on her terms.
You were impressed that he lied to his wife and children and cheated on them constantly? Or how he got shitfaced at his daughters birthday and left for the rest of the day? Don was not an ideal man in any way other than superficial looks and charm
This show was very interesting, but people still see Don Draper as a badass, or a poor, misunderstood soul, when his character was actually such an incredibly revolting person. I kept wondering whole time, "Do they want us to feel bad for him?? Is his character really so complex and misunderstood, or are they finally going to "admit" that Don's a total scumbag??" I was pretty disgusted how the show tried to make Betty look like a jerk for "cheating" (did she even sleep with that guy before splitting with Don?) when Don cheated on her OVER AND OVER AND OVER! Empathy is important, trauma in childhood and adolescence has a very real effect on people....but at some point, you're a f------ adult! It's your responsibility to grow up, to get help, and you alone accountable for your own actions. I love Jon Hamm, so I was really disappointed by this POS character that so many sympathize with. But then his role as the reverend on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt did a lot to make up for it!
I didn't like the ending. Don going back into the world that had made him a slimeball and eventually dissatisfied him doesn't make for a good conclusion if he has any hopes of maintaining his new enlightened state. What was his breakdown for if he's only going back to the same ol' soul-sucking life?
Its called clarity. He found it. He also found a way to sell his own clarity. Something that he wasn't able to do before because he was always thinking like Don Drapper and not Dick. He was simply able to appriciate everything he had and be happy.
Were you content with the ending of Mad Men?
Yes
yes
yes!!
I thought it was the best series ending of all time, honestly. No dreams. No never minds. And to tie it in with one of the most powerful and memorable campaigns in the history of advertising blew me away.
Don's ending left me fully satisfied. Peggy and Stan seemed too sentimental and tacked-on. Everything else was just fine.
This is merely a summary of the episode, not a dissection as stated in the description.
Can't believe they only 'finally' just understood all this.
Thank you for avoiding me to waste 12 min of this quarantine :P
Really. There is MUCH better analysis out there. And given is this my favorite series of all time, I say Pffffft. Plus, that voice (whether AI or human) is annoying as heck.
This has no analysis or new understanding or anything. You're just summarizing the episode. Waste of time. There was nothing in this video that I haven't heard in any other video I've watched on the ending so idk why you're saying you "finally" understand the ending
I think what this video tried to say is Don is always an ad man .. that basically is it.
Click b8
Basically you finally came around to watching the final episode... waste of time.
First time on a Looper vid? 🤣
Which leads us to the assumption that they actually still don't understand the ending 😕
after 5 years you finally learned how to summarize the last episode
Right on
I was about to comment the same thing
Manel Beneusyiogyyy
Absolutely, first and last video I watched, F this clickbaiters
😂😂😂
To basically sum it all up:
" A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does"
"Peaceful Warrior." Great film
This doesn’t shed any new light. You literally just summarized the last season of Mad Men....
Finale conclusion: Don is, and always will be, an ad man.
Then, he lost it.
Don's a capitalist. He turned his euphoria into money
He found his destiny!
Which is kind of frustrating
...and a narcissist.
Spam. This wasn't an explanation of the ending, it was a recap. Why didn't you even try?
He cleared his mind, went back to work and created the iconic Coke Commercial.
Hahaha...I'm sorry...I was 16 the year that Coke commercial first played. Bonafide peace-loving pot-smoking hippie, here, and in today's vernacular I thought it was cringe pulling hard for gay. "My baloney has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R," was my favorite in 1970, but that was probably because I always had the munchies. Also liked the Alka-Seltzer "I can't believe I ate the whole thing!" ad.
@@IMCcanTWEESTEDNever even heard of those other two ads tho so you must be wrong lol
Then he jumped out the window at McCann
This was literally just an 11 minute recap of a 50 minute episode. two thumbs down.
A very well-written show. One of the best TV series ever. ❤️
We saw don falling from a skyscraper in the intro for 8 years and never focused on what we see after. Him sitting on the couch smoking and drinking. That's the answer.
Thats a good observation !
One of the best conclusions I’ve ever seen to a television show
Legion's finale was better.
sarcasm 101
*The Sopranos would like to have a word with you*
RUclips creators of 2019 - let’s trick you into watching a long video that doesn’t add anything new or interesting at all.
Matt Weiner said that first scene of the series is key to the ending...
Don asked the waiter what he’d do if his brand of cigarettes were no longer available...the man really didn’t even want to think about that. Don lost everything and tried to add all these new layers...but he was going to go back to his brand...creating ads.
i always thought the ending scene with coca cola's "hands across america" tied back into what don said earlier about "landing coca cola" reaching his own personal nirvana
I thought the same. When i first saw that scene it was my first thought. He found himself and he will always be an ad man. Once he makes peace with his past, he is able to make his dream come true.
@Ben Rosen You need new material.
Absolutely loved MadMen. Watched every episode recently (DVDs and Blu-Rays). That was a lot of episodes. Sometimes it dragged a bit but not for long. TBH could have watched another 90+ episodes, it was that good.
Sally was my favorite. Grew up to be a boomer
I’m glad Pete was given a big opportunity and wanted to fulfill that next stage with Trudy and his daughter. Pete was always a go-getter and yes...a weasel but not anymore than the other guys on the show. Moving away from NY was probably the best thing for the Campbell family.
(paraphrasing): "Don decides to meditate with the group the next day."
How do you figure that? The way it looked to me, Don had been at Esalen for some time as he sure did seem already comfortable at meditation, a skill that cannot be mastered overnight even in the very best workshop.
I agree I think it is implied that he had been there for a bit based on his posture and zen state. It's also stated that he is paid up through the week. But you're right the enlightenment to create the commercial doesn't happen overnight, and I doubt it was intended imply that
I wish they made one more episode of Mad Men to see how his life turns out. I too thought of the same idea when I saw the last scene of the finale of Mad Men.
Loved the end, for all the main characters...I lived that Era as Sally. Don makes a personal change in his life and sheds some emotional stuff, but ends up making an award winning tv ad for Coke. He sticks with it,
Nothing here is new for people averagely intelligent, Looper, be careful towards the audience you are asking for.
Yet they got you, an “intelligent” individual to click and comment...
@@nate8604 Better yet, they are about to lose me, as a viewer. And Nate, there is nothing special about being "averagely" intelligent, that is the problem here.
You are wrong at 7:10 saying Stephanie took Don's car. No. There was no car with Don at that time. She just took off in the middle of the night. Didn't take anything from Don.
I remember the scene where Betty leaves a note for her daughter made my cry.
I think all Mad Men understood all of this but it was nice remembering what a great show, with a fantastic finale, Mad Men was.
No, the ending means he has accepted his contradictions and defects, something that until the very end of the show made him suffer multiple times.
For anyone who has entered the realm of meditation and self reflection, it's often a process activated by a strong need for mental peace, in Don's case, because of the suffering that it is perfectly summarized in this video. At the end of the process there is acceptance for what you truly are including your virtues and defects.
I know it’s just a TV show, but I was born in 1951, a contemporary of Sally, and was completely consumed with the show. I would love to see a movie, with the original actors, say, 15 years later in the mid 80s. But, on the other hand, I would never read the sequel to Gone With The Wind. When Rhett walks out that door, that is THE end! Most likely Don went back to his old ways, Joan became a billionaire movie producer,, Stan and Peggy got married and had six children, and Sally became the USA’s ambassador to Spain!
This!!! Sally all grown up. Would be awesome!!
Stan and Peggy would have gotten married but 6 kids? Peggy? No way. Maybe 1 or 2 at most.
Having spent 30 years crawling thru the Big Surgery mountains, the last scene at Esalen almost brought tears. The perfect counterpoint to NY. As weird as the " counter-culture" was then (I was in it) , they were the pinnacle of sanity compared to genx genz, etc.The coke commercial was the beginning of the co-option of the movement by our corporate overloards (as was clear at the time). A lovely commercial none the less.
When everything is said and done and all the layers are stripped off the series you can understand it is basically about the decade of the sixties. Arguably the most pivotal decade in the history of the U.S. and maybe the world. All through the series Don is the only character that doesn't change with the times and finally at the end embraces the period and discovers the greatest advertising pitch of his life and finally understands what it's all about (not work but life).
I believe a big part of the ending has to do with Don finally learning to accept himself so he can ultimately love himself which is why all of his relationships never worked out because you need to love yourself before u can receive love & it work out with that person.
Don found inner peace and as a ad man, he found a way to sell it.
Don't watch the video. It's just a summary of the episode.
If they had ended the show with Don's smirk ! It would be just as gut punch as the ending of lost ! But ,that classic cola commercial made all the difference ! Best iconic ending for the T.V 's most sophisticated character.
Mad Men is about how the 1950's became the 1970's.
Finally, after all these years, we are able to understand this thing that no one didn't understand in the first place. God bless you, Looper.
Thank you Looper for your interesting , insightful, and coherent synopsis of the final episode of this amazing series! Mad Men is truly one of the best written and well acted shows of all time which provides not only an interesting study of the many characters portrayed in the show, but also illustrates one of our most tumultuous decades, the 1960s!
It all goes back to when Don runs into Midge again and her husband explains the painting No. 4. Go back and watch that conversation, it’s the end foreshadowed but Don’s view of the world wasn’t open enough to see it, until his moment of enlightenment on the hilltop.
Sooo you guys simply recapped the entire last episode then took a cheap shot at Don as some sort of analysis? Not sure you guys understand the ending of this show as well as you think you do..
Those final episodes capture how everything turns to shat when your company is sold. The new situation almost always destroys the things that made the company great and desirable to buyers in the first place. At that point the people controlling the buying company are invariably lost in a vast, impenetrable ego trip - they see themselves as powerful, special, genius, masters of the universe who have just obtained a new toy that they can throw around and play with at their whim. It is extraordinarily rare to ever see anybody who is not instantly seduced and corrupted by that feeling of power. Most people do not even try to resist being corrupted. Instead they quickly and eagerly jump in whole hog, and never look back.
There was nothing mysterious or confusing about the finale. It was damn near perfect in every way. Only millennials who have never seen a 1980 Coke commercial didn’t get it.
I'm a millennial and pretty young when it aired and not American (so I didn't know the ad before) and I got it the second I saw it 😄 It is so obvious, also considering the previous psuedo-developments Don went through. If Don had suddenly changed at the end, that would have been so cheesy.
I just ended seeing the mad Men series and found the ending flawless. I'll truly miss Don Draper and Peggy shenanigans and the whole series. Now with a bit of sadness can move on and try to find something else to watch and enjoy but Mad Men left the bar so high that I know it's going to be hard to find a replacement.
Any suggestions?
If you like mad men you'd like weeds
Breaking Bad. Better call Saul. The Wire. Sopranos
Nothing can live up to the greatness of MM!
I totally agree with your premise that Don got the Idea when meditating. Nothing wrong with being and Ad Man. Especially when your the best.
Damn I miss Mad Men. Even after the show dropped off post season 3, still a damn good show
Season 4 was its best, I dont agree thats when it dropped of. Season 5 however...
This content must be hard to make. I hear summarising stuff is really hard. ESPECIALLY when you have to do it in chronological order.
This has no analysis.
What is really cool is that I truly believe the Coke ad was an ode to Betty. The last person he saw before he left town was Betty and they shared a really sweet moment. She was the Coke girl in season one. Betty loved Rome. Their last romantic trip before their divorce was to Rome. On his road trip, by a hotel pool, he sees a woman reading 'The Women of Rome' that he thinks looks like Betty. And then finds out she's dying and is grief stricken. The Coke ad was shot in Rome, and she most certainly had passed away by the time he came back and put the ad together. Betty absolutely inspired his ad.
This is just a summary of the finale not a full understanding of the series and where they go afterwards. Disappointing. I truly teared up when I saw Pete reconnected with his family. Watching his character grow that way was so wonderful. He came full circle. So did Roger altho I didn't care for Megan mother. Loved where Joan ended up. Don tho. That was another enigma. Don truly is a mystery even at the end. Mad men is truly one of the best shows if all time.
I thought it was funny Betty wanted her kids with her brother & his wife- she spoke so poorly of them constantly! His wife seemed so nice- I think Betty was jealous of her warm personality
It's possible to recognize someone's good qualities without being jealous of them. The brother & sister-in-law are the best choice. Betty is a stoic with a lot of intelligence & self-respect. She could have reached many clients and improved their lives, had she lived to practice a psychology career, as she had planned.
@@constantreader8760 Lol, you do understand that a Master's degree in psychology doesn't let you practice therapy. It's only a research and field.
You need a Medical degree to get clients and help them. that's a psychiatrist.
A psychologist is like a Botanist or a Geologist. Betty did it cuz of her passion.
@@csgoark2521 Actually, you could "put out a shingle" so to speak, back then, with a Master's Degree in Psychology. Talk therapy indeed.
In the end he created one of the most iconic coca cola ads ever. I watched the finale in my grandparents' house last year and when that song played they watched the ad too and was surprised hearing that again after probably so many years haha.
...and realizing how they'd been had by the advertising industry.
I don't agree with your conclusion. I think Don finally realises that life is about giving. His view of advertising was always strangely idealised - it was about touching people and creating a better world. All the money, women and competition was a distraction despite dominating all 7 series. Finally, he finds some peace ...
Don realizes that love is connection - he’s been compartmentalizing and keeping everyone at a distance his entire life. He’s been desperately seeking that “missing piece” that will make him feel whole. The “missing piece” was intimacy (which require vulnerability and total honesty). The Coke commercial ties back to Betty as well. She was the “coke girl” in season one and when Don has his “aha” moment (that love = intimacy = honesty) he has just learned that Betty is dying. He loved Betty all along but never knew how to show love or give it. It all ties back together in the end : family, love, connection, ambition, advertising, the human condition. Fantastic writing when everything comes full circle like that.
The title should be "I finally understand the ending of mad men because I am a bit slow."
That's pretty much the way I took it..Kind of related..My place of employment has a Coke machine in which the local Coke distributer restocks. One day shortly after the Mad Men finally I was singing that song since the coke guy reminded me of it. And was perplexed that he had no idea what it was.
Mad men will be it's own unique masterpiece of television history.
Lol, at “really was an ad man in the end”. Good synpnosis.
I like how Don's "this never happened" speech did not work on Stephanie. Earlier, when we catch up with Peggy, it turns out it didn't work on her either. It was season 2's most effective speech. And ultimately, it didnt work. Not on Peggy, not on Stephanie and not on Don.
Agreed. The "you can't run from your problems" is the main theme of the entire show.
Well It worked for Peggy in that it allowed her to continue on with the life and career she wanted. He never claimed it wouldn't leave a scar. He just told her what she needed to hear to pick herself up and keep going. It worked.
@@Thehubb1 Yup . Exactly. Although Peggy's mom and sister reminded her that she has a son. The baby didnt focused much in her mind. Don was just encouraging her to get up in life.
Don found some level of peace. That was obvious when I saw it.
He figured out how to co-op the "Love Generation." He probably developed the messaging on how industry co-oped "Earth Day."
People were confused with the ending? I thought it was pretty clear... Also Don isn't exploring the hippy culture, he just simply got an idea
He was exploring hippy culture, then he discovered how to exploit it.
I totally missed what that last smile meant. Thanks for the explanation.
As a spiritual person, I see something entirely different in that last scene. I see Don tapping into the Akashic Records during that meditation and being given the idea for one of the most successful and memorable commercials ever. That's exactly how Steve Jobs got the idea for the iPhone.
But there was no analysis in this at all :(( more of a summary of the last few episodes?
I wished they show more how Joan and Peggy did with the new company after all we saw them climb every step.
No summary as promised and what little analyses there was was wrong. Draper's slight smile at the end is because he's finally learned how to feel emotions he only pretended to have before and he's finally at peace able to forgive himself for his past sins and mistakes. The advertising world goes on without him and he'll likely live out his years in modest comfort in semi retirement.
I love Don ending up at a Alan Watts event at Eselan Institute, Big Sur. Okay, but it wouldn’t a bad place to end up after Don’s trip through the real world. Lots of great Alan Watts lectures, fun with answers and questions, and Alan Watts at UCLA 1973
Curious Alan Watts?
Ivan Lendl a British Philosopher born in England in January 6, 1915. Immigrated to the USA, ending up in Sausalito California, living on one of those houseboats. This was called the Vallejo.. fun lectures on youtube. He called himself a spiritual entertainer. If you watched the movie, Her. Before Samantha leaves, she tells Joaquin phoenix‘s character, that you should listen to that philosopher, Alan Watts. My wife absolutely started busting up, I was only one she ever heard mention him. But that was her sister live in those houseboating from 1971 in 1974. But like most people from the 60s, does it have any recollection of anything. Too much fun I guess
The 60’s in California, what a start. Route 66 all the way to California in a 57 Chevy Nomad. Floating in the womb, with the auxiliary tent on top. Shaken out of the womb, in 1960, 5 weeks early when mom, forgetting she was pregnant took a roller coaster 🎢 ride, this I was born. What a start,
You put in more work making this video longer than 10 minutes than actually making a video. This is a summary, thanks for that.
I love this show, it’s def my all time fav. I’ve watched it so many times & I pick up something new each time.
Don really did have to lose everything to gain some clarity. He always had everything but I feel like he’s always been a really generous person. He was selfish yet selfless. He tried to give too much and made promises he couldn’t keep. Both of his wives were the ones to leave him, which I thought was interesting. He wanted to satisfy everyone & gave too much of himself.
I absolutely love how Pete changed from a sleezy womanizer to a caring responsible man. And how his relationships w Don and Peggy became genuinely respectful.
So, when Roger told Pete that Don saved his job, is that when Pete became Don’s butt buddy? Bc at one moment Pete is trying to blackmail Don, but then he starts defending Don to those that talk sh*t...
anyhow, the only thing that really pissed me off is when Joan’s old man boyfriend made her choose him or her career... i understand he’s old and didn’t want to waste his time. But that was really sh*tty of him to do. She was on the phone & he couldn’t even wait until she finished her phone call w someone else. Rude. Glad he left.
I love this show so much. I usually end up hating some characters but I really liked all of them. OH JK, I hate Harry Crane so much. He’s always been a chubby gross pig & I even dislike the actor who played him. He was in that show “Love” and he was also a selfish creep in it. I just really dislike him so much.
Great show though. These analyses are excellent! Thanks :)
That old man gave Joan two chances. First was when he decided to come back and help raise her kid after he had backed out the first time. He had already raised his kids. The second was her starting her own business. She put the kid before him which he was ok with and then the second time it was her business. Which if you see how don is would be business first then the kid and then finally him. So I don’t blame him one bit for leaving Joan
Nah, he was an elderly man looking to settle down, Joan knew this and thought she could “persuade” him into thinking different, as most women do. She has her career in the end, but is a single mother, and divorced. I don’t think she ended up completely happy.
@@nate8604 actually settling down is exactly what he explicitly states he doesn't want to do. He doesn't want to be encumbered by the demands of a small child and a small business. He has already done that and wanted freedom, with or without Joan. She wanted to build something. I think the final summary on her is clearly the fact that men had always let her down previously and throughout the show, and she no longer needed to tie her happiness to one in order to be satisfied. I think her ending was pretty positive.
+HubbzZ it ended good if you’re a woman who feels like job independence is a necessity over relationships. So, for women, who become their own bosses you can say that. I still see her son growing up without a consistent male role model in his life, she was a promiscuous woman who made bad choices in men.
@@nate8604 are you really trying to blame her for the actions of the men she dated? Firstly many people grow up to be perfectly fine without a father... Second she wasn't looking for job indepence, she had enough money from the sale to never have to work another day in her life. She wanted to build something of her own and missed working just like every man in the show. Pete did the same exact thing only Trudy happened to take him back. He didn't quit his job to fix his family or pursue a relationship. He took a better job and begged her to come with him. But when he does it, it's being a good provider but in Joan's case it's being a bad mother? Come on..
I've always preferred to interpret the ending as Don finally finding inner peace in his life while the rest of the mad world he left behind goes on without him as he starts a new chapter of his life in the '70s. The final shots of the episode are deliberately ambiguous, inviting a different reading of his ultimate fate, and while it's more probable that the intent was to show how he found renewed creativity by coming up with the Coke ad, it may actually be a happier ending for him that he walked away from his past and the drama and angst he was part of. Maybe he finished out his days making surf boards on the beach in L.A., dressing in Hawaiian shirts and living in a small cottage. At least I'd like to think that.
So pretty much the way we understood it 5 years ago
This show suckered me in with the Don Draper in the earlier seasons. The powerful executive that could .manage
affairs, drinking, a family and most of all
being one of the most talented and respected people in his profession.
That is what really attracted people do this show. The writers then turned the
show around in a different direction to make Don a lost soul loser. I started
to not like his character and the show but the writers kept over and over dangling a karrot to make you think they were bringing the old Don back but it never happened. He would clean his act up
and then lose it. I feel so disappointed
for his character.
The writers are liberals. Many people don't realize it, but this show is a criticism of the 50s, not a highlight of the few progressive things that occurred then. The writers needed to destroy don to stop this image people have of him.
Personally, I think they could've kept his storyline consistent without making him such a bum. It's silly in my opinion.
Nice video however, and not just here I keep hearing: the kids are alright.
I find this strange as theres no real closure on the kids. Bobby was ignored most of his life, and was only giving negative attention. At those years this doesnt tend to be bump, but a real life lesson take away. now he is moving with his uncle.
This will definitely have a negative impact on his development. Hes looking set up for classic middle age syndrome.
And Sally grew up too fast. This is something that will benefit everyone around her, but not her directly. Her and Bobby will grow up taking care of others, and seldomly taking care of each other.
They will have children and repeat this cycle. Maybe its just personal but I always felt this was something the show was constantly saying. People have kids, so that there kids can take care of them.
They somewhat punctuate this at the end with Don's friend (her name escapes me)
Abondondment issues are very real, very complicated, and have huge issues on everyone involved, even when slightly.
The world may refer to a Jean jacket as a Canadian tuxedo but anyone in Canada will tell you it’s really a plaid lumber jacket .. a Jean jacket is just a Jean jacket
having just rewatched the show i would nitpick one thing here, i don’t think the point was that Betty was “right,” about her assessment of Bobby and Gene, though she did have a very valid point concerning Don and he knew that. Sally was the one who saw things clearly and I think the very end signifies that.
Don goes back to his kids but he doesn’t suddenly become a better dad; the boys stay with Henry and Sally assumes the motherly role.
He changed his life and became a new man a self made one.he ended up creating the number one iconic commercial ever.he overcame and succeeded what he started
The characterization of Don and Betty being bad parents is overstated. I feel it's more accurate to say they were uneven parents--they had good and bad moments, like many parents. The idea that Sally turned out ok on her own is both inaccurate and spurious.
Always hoped don and Betty got back together
Why did I think Marie and Roger moved to Cananda?
Gee, thanks, I managed to wrap my head finally around the last episode properly, a fantastic drama. I enjoyed it so much.
Man, can you imagine working for Lear Jet? Just flying around the country and talking to business execs. Talk about life of riley.
TL;DR. Don finds innner peace and comes up with a Coke jingle.
Paris? Roger and Megan's mom were in Montreal.
And Din didn't have a car, Stephanie just left him. The guys getting the speed record dropped him off in LA.
You needed this long??
I freaking love this show
@Ben Rosen the show is not old. I'm 30 and love the show.
Come on, don"t be so down to earth or cynical. It's just about finding one's true self eventually. If you sum up the whole journey just to find out Don Draper is a real adman, well, you have it in the very first scene of season's 1 first episode...
Loved Mad Men in the first several seasons, but just like other devolving shows, it eventually just stitched together by characters jumping into each other's beds.
Don is a Master at monetizing the painful human experience; the hippe movement, (culture/life of the times) he made fun of he used to sell a toxic product that destroys life. Sums up Don as a man
I see Steve Jobs in the Don Draper character and there are hints... soda commercial, retreat at the shore of California, meditation, loose all, and the comeback... maybe a common recipe?
What was there to not understand? You guys simply narrated the entire last episode plot which everyone gets. I expected there would be something a bit more psychological or spiritual from Don's perpective.
It was the second best ending to a series in the history of television. M*A*S*H being the first. Breaking Bad is #3.
you cut off the line "I dont want to wake up pregant". It always makes me laugh
Hmm. I always assumed that Roger had moved to Montreal, not Paris, as Marie was French Canadian.
It all was wrapped up. Perfectly.
I forgot about Betty Drapers last scene and how badass she looks. She has accepted her fate but that won't stop her from smoking. She knows she's going to die and was probably told by her doctor to stop smoking because it might extend her life a little bit. Peggy told the doctor, F that and F you. She's smoking her cigarettes and dying on her terms.
Mad men is definitely one of best historic dramas.
I understood it right away. What´s so hard to understand??
The sunrise of a "new day" is actually a sunset. The sun that low over the Pacific looms the night - not a bright new day.
I was always impressed w/ Don until he just abandoned his little brother who eventually killed himself.
I just hated him after that..
You were impressed that he lied to his wife and children and cheated on them constantly? Or how he got shitfaced at his daughters birthday and left for the rest of the day? Don was not an ideal man in any way other than superficial looks and charm
This show was very interesting, but people still see Don Draper as a badass, or a poor, misunderstood soul, when his character was actually such an incredibly revolting person.
I kept wondering whole time, "Do they want us to feel bad for him?? Is his character really so complex and misunderstood, or are they finally going to "admit" that Don's a total scumbag??"
I was pretty disgusted how the show tried to make Betty look like a jerk for "cheating" (did she even sleep with that guy before splitting with Don?) when Don cheated on her OVER AND OVER AND OVER!
Empathy is important, trauma in childhood and adolescence has a very real effect on people....but at some point, you're a f------ adult! It's your responsibility to grow up, to get help, and you alone accountable for your own actions.
I love Jon Hamm, so I was really disappointed by this POS character that so many sympathize with. But then his role as the reverend on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt did a lot to make up for it!
My guess is Don returns to being his superficial self. That's who he is. The touchy-feely ad he puts out for Coke is him pivoting, not changing.
I didn't like the ending. Don going back into the world that had made him a slimeball and eventually dissatisfied him doesn't make for a good conclusion if he has any hopes of maintaining his new enlightened state. What was his breakdown for if he's only going back to the same ol' soul-sucking life?
Its called clarity. He found it. He also found a way to sell his own clarity. Something that he wasn't able to do before because he was always thinking like Don Drapper and not Dick. He was simply able to appriciate everything he had and be happy.
I thought the Coke ending was lame. How much did AMC have to pay to use THAT?
Did you watch the entire series? Ending was perfect.
It might have been the other way around. Free advertisement & promotion for Coke.