I Could Not Agree More. As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don. Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the f\Pepsi ad that follows, but I Do Not. [KajiC, optional further reaction...] Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. Hamm believes in this character's redemption so much, he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self. Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, such stillness. In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending...
😌 Amazing concept, script, cast, show. Most complex protagonist? I don't doubt it. From within my limited knowledge of every of candidate, Could Not Agree More. As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don. Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the Pepsi ad that follows. But I Do Not. Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. In that moment what I see is that Jon Hamm believes in this intensely complex character's redemption so much, that he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self. Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, stillness. In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile, shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending... Amazing concept, script, cast, show. Most complex protagonist? I don't doubt it. From within my limited knowledge of every of candidate, Could Not Agree More. As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don. Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the Pepsi ad that follows. But I Do Not. Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. In that moment what I see is that Jon Hamm believes in this intensely complex character's redemption so much, that he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self. Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, stillness. In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile, shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending...
@@MarkLaw13 'Terrible comment'? Relax. I'm not saying other shows don't have great casts. I'm saying some shows show unique and groundbreaking ideas. This video proves it.
The final scene, Don is not smiling because he's found harmony with himself. He's smiling because he thought of a brilliant idea for a new Coke commercial.
It's both. Don finally having a chance to be at peace with himself allowed him the clarity to come up with a brilliant ad, which relies on concepts like love and togetherness to get its message across.
Mad Men is the literal definition of the word 'slow poison' . It proves that you don't need guns, drugs or dragons to make a perfectly engaging show rather an amazing cast,good script and a fine studio. Every dialogue every scenario is perfectly woven into a flawless web of astounding cinematography and top notch direction which makes each episode spectacular . The only thing AMC has done wrong is to air mad Men in the same time as breaking Bad otherwise it'd have been more popular.
I’m interested in your positive spin on the ending. To me, the coke advertisement that plays immediately after the scene cuts from Don is the add that he went back and produced after realizing that it would be a hit at the retreat. This showing that Don did not in fact make any peace with himself, and cannot stop his inner urge to achieve the life he was trying to live as Don Draper. In the last scene as he is sitting and meditating, a bell chimes, this is to signify the idea that Don gets, realizing that capitalizing on the hippie youth culture would be a sure fire sell, because his brain is wired to chase after success. This is ultimately a more sad, but realistic ending. I’d love to know your thoughts
I get that interpretation totally but I can also see as Don having reconciled with himself, returning to the career on his own terms and being creatively open. The ambiguity makes it a great ending though
@@algorithmicalychallenged.291 yes but what success means varies from person to person. The coke commercial was an attempt to consolidate the various versions of Don. It was on the surface, a story about unity and peace, about leadership and community. Then it becomes an allegory for a man who can't be true to himself faking his way through life and working in an industry of faking and exaggerating coming to terms with the reality that his mask has finally become his face, his great and final achievement is becoming Don Draper and accepting that he is earnestly the phony in his heart of hearts. Lastly there is the inescapable truth that Dick Whitman isn't a deep or complicated man, he isn't a great artist or thinker and it isn't because he couldn't have been one but it is because he spent his life pretending and developing the skills of a chameleon instead of developing his intellect in other ways. His entire being is the tools he has developed to obfuscate and delight with lies. When he accepts this he sells us sugar water in the most poetic way the world had ever seen.
Creator and lead writer Matthew Wiener is the driving force. He'd probably give us another masterpiece if Hollywood wasn't blackballing him just because of some unproven accusations about workplace treatment. He was a writer and later producer on the Sopranos too fyi.
Being black and a child of immigrants I did not expect to resonate so deeply with Don while watching Mad Men. Trying to overcompensate and also hide to “fit in” and gain access to that sweet dream fucked with me and my identity for a lot of my life. It was beautiful watching Don find self acceptance. This show somehow doesn’t get enough credit imo
I felt the same thing, and sadly many of my friends did'nt get it the way that I did. But my father was very much like Don only black, same age, same poor background, success in the era. Mad Men was an excellent character study.
I feel the same way! My dad didn't talk about his past; and I was too intimidated to ask. Gone decades ago, but I found out (by accident) this year that he was a preacher's kid.
@M Green you must live in a bubble if you think being black is a politics thing LMFAO You do realise that black people exist in real life, and that race is a part of what shapes their identity, right? One of the main themes of mad men is identity, so they are bringing up race because it is relevant to this theme in the show. I don’t know why you’re complaining about people discussing the shows themes in the comment section of a video essay about the show. Or is it okay to discuss the shows themes as long as you don’t mention race LMFAO
Disagree about the Gatsby comparison. Gatsby is a warning about dangers of being a simp. Don is farthest from that. In fact personality wise Don is closest to Tom. Don and Gatsby might be similar in going to war and becoming self-made men, but that the extent of it. The motivations and character of the two men are very different. Don is quite selfish where Gatsby does all for some hoe and got what he deserves.
This really was a golden age for this genre. Characters like Don Draper and Walter White followed in the footsteps of the likes of Tony Soprano. These characters showed that although they possessed the ability to do the right and good thing if they really wanted to, they routinely gravitated toward bad decisions, and in some cases downright evil. It showcases how there is no perfect, righteous, moral humans. We are all constructs of our backgrounds, experiences, and individual make up.
I remember Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston said an interview about thanking James Gandolfini (following his death) for making Don and Walter happened due to the impact of Tony. And we get three legendary performances in TV history
Im not white, american or jewish but this show pierced through my soul and connected with me in no other form of media ever has. The thing is it may discuss a lot of society's hierarchy and structure the show doesnt shy away from displaying people's different approaches to different situations. Its why each interaction feels satisfying and addictive to watch because everything feels authentic.
That's because the video makes a lot of outlandish extrapolations that are borderline absurd. Hence, why they don't mean much to most people but the TV series itself does mean a lot.
When it comes to social critique we tend to focus on how our systems harm those who are overtly oppressed and appeal to the sympathies of those in power to "fix" the injustice. Mad Men is in a different class because it shows how our oppressive systems harm everyone, even those who benefit from them. That's just masterful work.
Any system of any kind will oppress someone. It's the nature of human nature. Ultimately, it's not the system that oppresses you. It's your own inability to find the courage within yourself to live an authentic life. But for those who would rather blame something outside of themselves for their situation, yes, it's the system. Keep telling yourself that because it's so much easier to project your hate and blame onto everything outside of yourself rather than going within and finding your true self.
I really love this show. It made me understand my father much better, since he was like Don. Same generation, same charm and way of keeping hurtful experiences inside himself. Don is deeply flawed, and that's what makes him so relatable. So real.
Honestly, I think that Mad Men ending when and how it did is part of why that show is as phenomenal as it is. It didn’t spin its wheels endlessly, instead concluding in such a way that was so fitting to the show’s themes, characters and narrative. Having 92 episodes means that the episode “The Suitcase” is the pivotal midpoint whose events serve as such important catalysts for both Peggy and Don (the episode is smack dab in the middle of the series, being episode 46 out of 92). Another reason the finale works so well is that it mirrors the pilot episode (the first shot we ever see of Don is the back of his head while he’s dressed in a suit and sitting in a dark bar lounge; the last shot we see of Don is his face as he is outdoors in casual, more comfortable wear). I could go on, but I think I’ll stop here. I’d rather let Mad Men stand as it is: a finished TV masterpiece, one that doesn’t need a sequel, prequel or spin-off that might dilute its greatness.
Imagine all the precautions and fall back plans Don had to learn and create in order to have a life...and how much he had to close himself off from true friendship or love.
I never thought of Don as a despicable character. I always considered his faults as the result of his upbringing. He is undoubtably one of the most flawed, yet most human characters on tv.
That Season 5 closing scene / montage is brilliant, as is the use of the Nancy Sinatra song. The song seems more a propos here than its original use in the James Bond film. The show overall demonstrates brilliant, ingenious vision and production.
This is such a weird take on Mad Men I feel. Race was a topic on Mad Men but it wasn't as simple and distilled as this. The show was never so one note. Mad Men is purely about identity and the fiction vs the reality of our identity. Don is essentially an ideal man but since it's purely fictional to Don himself it doesn't mean anything to him. The family, money and respect are nothing but displays to him. What makes the show so poignant is it's showing how irrespective of how much he achieves his inability to accept himself makes him unhappy, an unhappiness which fuels his destructive tendencies which makes him more unhappy. Ultimately, in a moment of true acceptance he learns to embrace reality and gains peace from that. It's a really good show, my favourite probably. I appreciate the video but this feels kinda off imo.
Thank you for this take. Nerdstalgic took the lazy road and just did the politically correct and predictable take. This take you did is unironically more nuanced.
> Mad Men is purely about identify and the fiction vs the reality of our identity. I suppose to those obsessed with race as the only thing we can identify as, any analysis has to be obsessed with race. I generally like Nerdstalgic, but I think there was a miss here, and I think you nailed it.
But that was the vision of the creator, Nerdstalgic is explaining that. I know sometimes some white people get super upset or offended when someone brings up race but that doesn’t invalidate the point.
I think they use the word « white » more to designate being an ideal, a symbol of success ( a knight in shiny armour of some sort ), than the racial signification.
The worst thing that Draper ever did was to leave his daughter’s Birthday party and sit looking at the train going by. He was supposed to pick up her Birthday cake. After being gone for several hours he shows up with a full grown Golden Retriever. All is forgiven in Sally’s eyes.
Remember when my daughter would sit and wait for her Father to come. She sensed that it was Sunday. He did not show up. I know what the character Betty felt.
That was awful, I hated that episode. Just went to show how deeply arrogant and self-absorbed he was. He couldn’t set aside his feelings for his daughter’s day just a few more hours?
I think that might be an oversimplification. It’s not that he’s so self absorbed. It’s that he doesn’t know how to connect because of how he grew up. He had no love and caring. So he doesn’t know how to express that. Just a thought.
"Never meet your heroes". Don't go down a Google rabbit-hole about the hazing assault her participated in at college that left someone with lasting physical and emotional injuries...
@@jpharrahill7655 Not saying it never happened but was he ever charged? If not, you're kinda just damaging the man's reputation for no particular reason.
Glad to see a video like this but you miss the point of the last episode of Mad Men. Don Draper does not reach harmony with himself, this is impossible. His character is forever in internal conflict and that is what allows him to produce good art that is made for a mass audience. He takes his lessons from the commune-retreat and turns them into a grand tv advertisement. He doesn’t quit being Don Draper and revert to a “truer” self, his emptiness is bottomless and this makes him simultaneously repulsive and creatively strong. His character is basically a necessity for a mass culture.
i think its a scope thing - every show has a frame of reference for how bad "bad" is - the "evilness" of a character can really only be measured in relation to the rest of the show's morality and scope. the most evil act in mad men is nothing in comparison to the least remarkable episode of Oz, for example. Mad Men is a very 'small' show that focuses on the relations of a few dozen people in one tiny place in the world. If there was also an insane serial killer in Mad Men, then obviously Don is no longer the most "despicable" character - but the job of a writer is to establish the boundaries and limitations of someone's actions so that they have weight - and within the framework of Mad Men, no one else comes close to Don's selfishness and ugliness as a person. If you measured him against other characters in shows, like Vern Schillinger, Tony Soprano, or Gus Fring, then obviously he doesn't crack anyone's "top 10" - but that's the same mindset an 8 year old has when he gets into an argument about how Vegeta would beat Superman but lose to Optimus Prime. If you look at the deeds of the character compared to what else has taken place on the show, understanding the context of the character's actions in the rest of the work theyh inhabit - almost like a p4p ranking that disregards weight classes in boxing - then i think Draper is a frontrunner for the biggest piece of shit in tv
@@planetfixeri actually don’t take Don Draper is “despicable” at all 🤷♂️he wouldn’t even make the top 100 most despicable characters in tv history. He was a very flawed man, but certainly not a malicious or “evil” person I actually don’t really think he’s a bad person. I don’t consider cheating to be as big of a deal as a lot of other people. The man was the highest caliber of men on the outside at least. Him sleeping with lots of women is to be expected. It’s not like he through it his missus face or anything. He’s also a pathological liar which is certainly a bad trait but doesn’t make him “despicable” in my opinion. Idk lad it’s tough for me to say he’s one of the worst people in tv history after all the shows I’ve seen. He’s almost a saint compared to my favorite characters 😂😂(he’s also one of my favorites though) but characters like Walter white, Cersei Lannister, littlefinger, Dexter Morgan, homelander, tony soprano, Joe Goldberg, ghost st Patrick Logan Roy etc.. far worse than Don Draper
Fantastic analysis, as usual, but I disagree with your closing statement about Don finding happiness. I believe that smile he cracks at the end is in direct reference to the world renowned Coca Cola add that follows this very smile, at the end of the show. I think Don (or Dick) found a way to co-opt, to sell this idea of world unity, peace. I believe the intention was to show us Don didn't really change, he was just waiting for his next big idea, which lands as a well written critique of big companies using social development as a marketing ploy, while never really believing in it or enacting positive change. What'd your opinion on this?
Why can't it be both though? I saw it as accepting himself as kind of a 'sell-out'. A big part of finding happiness is accepting your own flaws after all. He has tried to sell himself the idea that advertising is this respectable, artistic thing, the same way he does to everyone else, but he finally gets that he doesn't need to anymore. He can just be himself and enjoy co-opting the latest hippie trend to make a really good ad.
You're right, in my opinion, that seems more likely. He doesn't look personally transformed, no tears or anything. It's also more realistic to the show and historically likely that he has found a way to sell Coke, in the context of the yuppies. The video analysis makes sense with a scene that stands out, where Don is getting high with hippies and one of them warns him that he can't go outside because of the cops. Don lets them know that he can, but they can't. The cops won't give a man like him trouble. Don Draper is "acceptable" to the American social system.
The history of the show demonstrates that every attempt to find internal equilibrium and happiness failed. So I don't believe he found it, but eventually, when he gets old, I won't matter as much, although it will still be there.
I always thought the finale of s5 wasn't about him being scared of Megan moving on. It was him kinda losing respect for her because she didn't fight for her dream, she took the easy way in, its shattered the illusion of her and how independent and different she was. I also disagree about the ending. I think it was bitter sweet - Don changed and grew but he will always be Don, he will always be the Ad man which can be good in the sense that its really something he loves but also a bit sad cause in a sense the moment he found peace he started to think of how to sell it. I think its "try again. Fail again. Fail better." thing. He didn't reach his happy ending, he brushed it and learn something new about himself and the world but its just another step on a long road to being ourselves and feeling happy. We all strive for it and hopefully get closer and closer but we never fully get there and never fully escape who we were
I haven't watched Mad Men before. Maybe I still will. Because the broad strokes reveal a singular distorted vision, fueled by self-deception and excess, of what happiness was in the 1960s. Am I still interested in watching hidden persuader Armin Tamzarian live his fake life and convince folks to buy junk they don't need? Or could I take in the authenticity of the age portrayed by the show and get tagged a materialist by people whose opinions are worthless to me?
@@eksortso I love this comment, and I’d urge you to watch it and find out the answers for yourself :) I’ve seen plenty of people I generally align with politically insist this show is all appearance and no substance, largely based on how some viewers indeed don’t engage with the subtext or themes, but I’ve always found it to have compelling commentary and satire.
You are twenty years too late with that relativist bullshit armchair nihilism matey. People who don't have sickness of the soul all know and ge on what is nice. We just laugh at idiots who don't know and try to convince other's that 'nice' and 'happiness' is all subjective. @@MistaAnonymous
Ooo I remember watching this some ten years ago. For some reason I couldn't stop being so curious about Draper, even though I found him to be so many negative things. This really was a show.
The poor man embodied sissyphus. No matter what approach he took,and how many different ways he applied it He always remained in the same place. You knew that his idea for the coke commercial was brilliant, but you knew deep down that success was going to be short lived. True success was always just out of reach for him. He couldn't see it.
Ok; this is why I really love this channel. Mad Men was a show that everyone I know has told me time after time that I would like. However, whenever I asked someone to sum it up for me their breakdowns left a lot to be desired. Explanations of how being an ass was easy back in the day or advertising pitches or fractured characters either sounded boring or redundant. The way this video describes the show as an internal conflict to belong in the most cutthroat way possible to chase the American dream? Now that's awesome. What excellent work you all do. Small aside, I like how recently you did a video on The Principal and The Pauper when the premise for that is bordering on comically identical to Don Draper's backstory.
Don Draper is the one despicable main character I never managed to hate just because of how much I related to him. I absolutely despised Walter White, Tony Soprano, Bojack Horseman, Jimmy McGill etc… but Don just hits too close.
It’s not a real thing, what they mean is privilege and social acceptance. Why they use the term “Whiteness” is beyond me when all the characters trying to obtain “Whiteness” are white. It’s really a clown world way to describe what they’re trying to say.
modern day use has poisoned it a bit into a clumsy sign that something is inherently bad/oppressive, but i think in the original context it was used to describe the specific, idealised economic and social class that basically every main character constantly sought to achieve. i think a portion of the show's brilliance is that it's a macro-scale study of the consequences of that whole mid-century "white-picket WASP" archetype being upheld in a world that was increasingly rendering that way of life untenable
It's one of my all time favorite shows, I have re-watched it maybe every year since it's concluded and each time I come to a different conclusion of how I feel about Don. But Don Draper really is just a stand in for an Ayn Rand hero and what that Ayn Rand hero is in real life... a despicable human being. He is charming, good looking, every woman wants him and he is really, really good at his job. He only follows what he wants in life with no care or thought for others. That's the Fountainhead, that's Ayn Rand's whole philosophy wrapped up into a character and the show never hides that from you... it's just a question of do you see the faults in Rand's belief and therefore do you see the faults in the American pursuit of self.
I think this is a great observation. The show isn't exactly subtle about showing how the characters, mainly Bert and Don, are influenced by Rand's objectivist philosophy, but its remarkable just how much they internalize Rand's characters in an attempt to embody them.
But Don doesn't actually pursue what he really wants, and the traits he has that everyone else envies don't make him happy. He's not a sociopath, just an unhappy person who's always living with a mask on.
@@Zoetherat Eh he does do exactly what he wants, that it doesn't satiate him, is a totally different point. Everything he does, he does for himself, to feel better, to fuck, to dominate, to make money, to take the business on his whims, and even when he helps people he does it in self interest. Yes, you aren't wrong in your final point, but I'd say he does do everything he wants. It's just that when he gets it, he destroys it, because he's always onto the next pursuit trying to fulfill his unending wants. He is the Ayn Rand philosophy embodied, he may not be sociopathic, like Howard Roark, but he is fully about himself.
@@FreddyMacT Even when he helps people, he does it in self interest? I mean, i suppose you could interpret any act of charity or kindness as self interest if you so choose. There was the episode when a guy who inherited a fortune was about to squander it on an advertising campaign for handball or something. Don told him not to do it. Now, you could rationalize that as "selfish", but only if you do it in a way that labels every charitable action a person could take as selfish.
If only there was a limited series about the Draper children and how Don's legacy affected all three children... Would Gene be the wild child? Would Sally find she's more like Don than she wants to admit? Does Bobby grow up representing the best of his father? There's a lot of possibilities. What if Joan became Sally's mentor?
4:50 so one of the biggest reveals in this, one of television’s highest-regarded series, is the exact same thing as the episode everyone thinks ruined The Simpsons?!
But in the Simpsons, it's forgotten about straight away. In Mad Men, it's the underpinning theme that motivates almost all of Don's actions. It's handled differently. That's why.
The Audio Commentaries in the Box Set add so much to the appreciation of this show. The research and the costume design aspects, the casting, the origins of the writing. Box set is absolutely worth the money.
Seeing John Hamm reminds me. You should do a video on Top Gun Maverick. Myself and most critics seem to think it's a near perfect way to do an "unnecessary" sequel to a standalone movie that is considered a classic. But obviously this channel has never existed to purely agree with the critics, so I'd be interested in your take.
9:02 The smile near the end of the last episode when Don's mediating is NOT Don in harmony with himself. It's Don realizing exactly how to market sugared caffeine water to the health-food loving hippies....He's envisioning the Coca-Cola commercial shown in the next scene ,"I'd like to teach the world to sing....") Though after a long dry spell, Don having a killer ad idea is probably as close to "Don in harmony with himself" as we'd get. Don wasn't real but that was a real commercial. I remember it getting stuck in my head as a very little kid. I didn't like it for that reason. It was too good of an ad.
The rumor of a Peggy and Joan sequel based in the late 70s and 80s would have been great. Women struggling to “have it all” set against the backdrop of a crime ridden NYC in those decades would have been excellent.
That still of Don meditating and then the smile. It’s an almost exact copy of Noodles at the end of Once Upon a Time in America. And yet Don smiles because he’s found himself while Noodles smiles for the opposite reasons. Both brilliant.
Nice try, but I think you confuse going full circle with repeating yourself. That and, I'm not sure about that interpretation of the finale. He smiled and immediately appeared a famous Coca-cola commercial that seems pretty clearly inspired by the hippie scene he's in. Seems to me he's just getting inspiration to go back to what he knows best.
You completely missed the point of the last shot of the serie. The point is that Don has not changed, he has not evolved and that he's content to go on living his life as he has been since he became Don.
Absolutely - it closes with the iconic Coca Cola commercial. He was happy to come up with another great ad campaign (one that's memorable decades later) and turning the idea of peace and harmony into a product to sell for the capitalist machine!
@@krystalmazzolawood yes ! Don is not a hero in the sense that he doesn't experience the hero's journey. The one true hero of madmen is Peggy and Don is one of the protagonists. Peggy evolves, learns and grows, whereasDon remains the same.
As someone who watches actions & thrillers, I was somehow hooked onto mad men. Probably because I recognise the characters in my colleagues at former workplace across the globe. Masterful character studies.
I completely disagree with the end of this video. Dan’s smile at the yoga retreat wasn’t because he was comfortable with himself. It was because he got an idea for the Coke ad.
Even if on the surface, culture and identity are at the center of the world which Don wishes to be apart of, this show transcends race, culture and gender. Mad Men can easily resonate with any individual who’s ever struggled against the rigidity of societal norms, whatever they might be and wherever they may be.
The medium of advertising wasn’t newly invented in the 1960s. Technically it has been around for Millennia, but it really took off in America at the turn of the century with the explosion of print media.
always figured the smile at S7 was at the advertising idea, he never was meditating but was just once again was utilising the current american culture for profit. nothing about it suggested and to the duality, it just meant he was keeping it up.
To me, the most despicable character on Mad Men was "Duck" Phillips. when he took his dog, a beautiful and friendly Irish Setter, down to the street and shoved it out the door and walked away, no one else on this show did anything as cold, cruel and/or horrifying.
I think "despicable" might be a touch hyperbolic, but in any case, I wouldn't rank him as the most despicable character on TV. I would argue that Walter White sits higher on the despicableness scale. I can see that Dick Whitman was desperate to escape his situation. As was Walter, however, Walter was given an out by Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz. They offered to pay his medical bills, and give him a job at Grey Matter. Walter's pride and ego wouldn't let him take it. Dick Whitman evolved into Don Draper over a decade, whereas I believe Walter's true nature was revealed. I don't know if I am explaining this well enough?? 🤷🏻♀🤷🏻♀
@@danielrmz40 I did consider Tony Soprano but truthfully I only saw the first 3 seasons, so I don't know how Tony evolved over the rest of the show. (No spoilers please, I will be watching it next month when I'm on leave ☺️). But Tony was born into a kill or be killed world, he didn't know anything else. Walter White is the only character I can think of who had other options and didn't take them and descended into a chaos of his own making.
I completely agree with this. They're both great shows but I find I don't like watching Breaking Bad because Walter White is so 'despicable' to me that it's hard to enjoy watching him. They both repeatedly squander their chances to be happy, but Dick's insecurities leads him to throwing them away, while Walter's makes him greedy and always look for something better. I've far more sympathy for self-loathing than entitlement.
Don Draper was a very talented individual who arguably wasn't much worse than his peers in terms of, well, everything, Walter White was a manipulative sob from the start.
Imo, this blows sopranos and breaking ad out of the water. Like you said at very start, the most complicated character on TV, ever. Much more than tony or walt. Only thing close, maybe even equal or greater than is True Detective, s 01
I think because in Don Draper, you see a man in need of light, but has given up his search, and stopped believing in its existence due to living in the dark for so long. So, he surrounds himself with the illusion of a life where he doesn't need the light, till a point comes, where it's all taken away, and all he has left with is his thirst for the hope of a better life. And i think we all have some little part of that inside us. That's why Don is so relatable, he makes us realize that it's okay to not pursuit something growth everyday & that the strongest & wealthiest can even fail.
What? He was a leader and innovator...a champion to be emulated. He made that money...with his will. All personalities are ideas based previous experiences. And the whiteness? Is just racist crt bias.
I would love to think that the smile on Don's lips at the very end of the series means what Nerdstalgic says; that he is finally at peace with himself. But then we continue into the famous Coca-Cola comercial, and this makes me believe that the smile rather means that Don has figured out a way to capitalize on the hippie culture.
This show was well done, from the writing, to the set design, to the costuming, and casting. It definitely embodied the era the boomers ( my mother's generation) grew up in and how the world was perceived, and what constituted an "All American" way of life, that I think people look back on now with a blind nostalgia of only good things were happening, while ignoring the reality of life for everyone that wasn't the Don Draper types. His character was a good bad guy.
I always loved this exact moment in the series, to the point of watching it on regular occasion. Only now do I really grasp the meaning behind it, and why it is followed by all the characters at the current stage of their own pursuit. Thank you.
Arguably the most perfectly cast actor in TV history. Right up there with Cranston and Gandolfini.
I would ad Odenkirk as Saul Goodman
I Could Not Agree More.
As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don. Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the f\Pepsi ad that follows, but I Do Not.
[KajiC, optional further reaction...]
Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. Hamm believes in this character's redemption so much, he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self.
Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, such stillness.
In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending...
😌
Amazing concept, script, cast, show. Most complex protagonist? I don't doubt it. From within my limited knowledge of every of candidate, Could Not Agree More.
As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don.
Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the Pepsi ad that follows. But I Do Not.
Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. In that moment what I see is that Jon Hamm believes in this intensely complex character's redemption so much, that he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self.
Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, stillness.
In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile, shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending... Amazing concept, script, cast, show. Most complex protagonist? I don't doubt it. From within my limited knowledge of every of candidate, Could Not Agree More.
As usual, my thoughts are mostly of Don.
Some see the last frame of Don cynically, because of the Pepsi ad that follows. But I Do Not.
Look at Don \ Dick \ Draper \ Jon Hamm's face. In that moment what I see is that Jon Hamm believes in this intensely complex character's redemption so much, that he lets some of the sweetness and serenity of his own being, of the actor's true self, bleed into Don in the last moment. Don is on his way to being more like Jon. Complex but not perennially tortured. In the world but not hopelessly compromised, public persona and inner self different but overlapping, not intensely at odds on the deepest levels. (On more superficial levels I think Dick has grown into the relaxed, power projecting postures of Don. There's overlap. But Don Draper is so fraudulently unflappable, while the Dick in Don is so flapped, so emotionally scared and wrecked, hunted and in hiding--the two selves can't peacefully co-exist. Most of us, and I assume Hamm also, have less outlandish contradictions to integrate and find a more harmonious, comfortable compromise between the many layers of more private and more public self.
Until this last moment Don could not access such peace, stillness.
In letting his own more modern, one certainly hopes and imagines less repressed, self, his own smile, shine through, Hamm lets us know that, while maybe not in a few weeks, that's poetic license but Hamm lets us know that he believes, knows, that Don, the character whose skin he's worn and who's soul he's provided for almost a decade: Don will not be trapped, conflicted, with himself, forever. Don has found the place he needs to be, and he has turned the corner. I long sought, hard won, and...maybe...through the penance of suffering deserved, happy ending...
Terrible comment.
You saying 24 is not cast well, Dexter, Michael Prison Break, Imp GOT, I can keep going...
@@MarkLaw13 'Terrible comment'? Relax. I'm not saying other shows don't have great casts. I'm saying some shows show unique and groundbreaking ideas. This video proves it.
The final scene, Don is not smiling because he's found harmony with himself. He's smiling because he thought of a brilliant idea for a new Coke commercial.
Yup. The dopamine rush of him spinning the perfect yarn.
Don was a con. And he reveled in the power of his spiel.
I like to think he found harmony in that he's a con-man, an advertiser. Dick created don and dick became don eventually
It's both. Don finally having a chance to be at peace with himself allowed him the clarity to come up with a brilliant ad, which relies on concepts like love and togetherness to get its message across.
Agreed
I always thought it was an ironic smile, in his most cathartic moment his brain still turn the moment into an ad
Mad Men is the literal definition of the word 'slow poison' . It proves that you don't need guns, drugs or dragons to make a perfectly engaging show rather an amazing cast,good script and a fine studio. Every dialogue every scenario is perfectly woven into a flawless web of astounding cinematography and top notch direction which makes each episode spectacular .
The only thing AMC has done wrong is to air mad Men in the same time as breaking Bad otherwise it'd have been more popular.
Damn that sucks ..
Mad Men was more popular than breaking bad for the entire run of the show up until the last two seasons.
Criminal that Jon Hamm never got an emmy for this performance
Walter White and Cranston unfortunately got in the way. I thought mad men and Don were better than BB and WW but I think im in the minority
He did. For the second half of season 7. Well deserved too
@@theworstguys9487 Oh shit, fuck me then. Thanks for the correction
@@kramertheassman1374 what does WW stand for?
@@Imthesoulofthes walter white
I’m interested in your positive spin on the ending. To me, the coke advertisement that plays immediately after the scene cuts from Don is the add that he went back and produced after realizing that it would be a hit at the retreat. This showing that Don did not in fact make any peace with himself, and cannot stop his inner urge to achieve the life he was trying to live as Don Draper. In the last scene as he is sitting and meditating, a bell chimes, this is to signify the idea that Don gets, realizing that capitalizing on the hippie youth culture would be a sure fire sell, because his brain is wired to chase after success. This is ultimately a more sad, but realistic ending. I’d love to know your thoughts
We all chase success...some are better at it then others.
I get that interpretation totally but I can also see as Don having reconciled with himself, returning to the career on his own terms and being creatively open.
The ambiguity makes it a great ending though
@@algorithmicalychallenged.291 yes but what success means varies from person to person. The coke commercial was an attempt to consolidate the various versions of Don. It was on the surface, a story about unity and peace, about leadership and community. Then it becomes an allegory for a man who can't be true to himself faking his way through life and working in an industry of faking and exaggerating coming to terms with the reality that his mask has finally become his face, his great and final achievement is becoming Don Draper and accepting that he is earnestly the phony in his heart of hearts.
Lastly there is the inescapable truth that Dick Whitman isn't a deep or complicated man, he isn't a great artist or thinker and it isn't because he couldn't have been one but it is because he spent his life pretending and developing the skills of a chameleon instead of developing his intellect in other ways. His entire being is the tools he has developed to obfuscate and delight with lies. When he accepts this he sells us sugar water in the most poetic way the world had ever seen.
Agreement
@@algorithmicalychallenged.291 Not everyone chases success
From start to finish, Mad Men was a rare masterpiece - and Don Draper was the driving force.
One of my favorite shows of all time, but felt the last couple of seasons were really treading water.
@@jpharrahill7655 yeah maybe
But still the ending was perfect
Creator and lead writer Matthew Wiener is the driving force. He'd probably give us another masterpiece if Hollywood wasn't blackballing him just because of some unproven accusations about workplace treatment. He was a writer and later producer on the Sopranos too fyi.
Being black and a child of immigrants I did not expect to resonate so deeply with Don while watching Mad Men. Trying to overcompensate and also hide to “fit in” and gain access to that sweet dream fucked with me and my identity for a lot of my life. It was beautiful watching Don find self acceptance. This show somehow doesn’t get enough credit imo
I felt the same thing, and sadly many of my friends did'nt get it the way that I did. But my father was very much like Don only black, same age, same poor background, success in the era. Mad Men was an excellent character study.
I feel the same way! My dad didn't talk about his past; and I was too intimidated to ask. Gone decades ago, but I found out (by accident) this year that he was a preacher's kid.
Don't worry everyone has to hide to fit in not just black people or minorities
@M Green you must live in a bubble if you think being black is a politics thing LMFAO
You do realise that black people exist in real life, and that race is a part of what shapes their identity, right? One of the main themes of mad men is identity, so they are bringing up race because it is relevant to this theme in the show.
I don’t know why you’re complaining about people discussing the shows themes in the comment section of a video essay about the show. Or is it okay to discuss the shows themes as long as you don’t mention race LMFAO
@M Green You would literally start whining like a child if a black dude said "I'm black" wouldn't you?
When you look at the themes, this show was basically a longer, modern version of The Great Gatsby and it was great.
That’s so true
with strong pieces from the man in the gray flannel suit
Disagree about the Gatsby comparison. Gatsby is a warning about dangers of being a simp. Don is farthest from that. In fact personality wise Don is closest to Tom. Don and Gatsby might be similar in going to war and becoming self-made men, but that the extent of it. The motivations and character of the two men are very different. Don is quite selfish where Gatsby does all for some hoe and got what he deserves.
This really was a golden age for this genre. Characters like Don Draper and Walter White followed in the footsteps of the likes of Tony Soprano. These characters showed that although they possessed the ability to do the right and good thing if they really wanted to, they routinely gravitated toward bad decisions, and in some cases downright evil. It showcases how there is no perfect, righteous, moral humans. We are all constructs of our backgrounds, experiences, and individual make up.
I remember Jon Hamm and Bryan Cranston said an interview about thanking James Gandolfini (following his death) for making Don and Walter happened due to the impact of Tony. And we get three legendary performances in TV history
I think the final smile is because he gets the idea for that "I'd like to teach the world to sing" Coke commercial.
Yep, Don Draper is a great character, but Roger Sterling is just pure gold.
still waiting for his book Sterling's Gold now that you mention it. Sounds like could be a prequel series or Better Call Saul style.
My favorite TV Character ever
Roger has the biggest heart.
Im not white, american or jewish but this show pierced through my soul and connected with me in no other form of media ever has. The thing is it may discuss a lot of society's hierarchy and structure the show doesnt shy away from displaying people's different approaches to different situations. Its why each interaction feels satisfying and addictive to watch because everything feels authentic.
Jewish people aren’t white, and it’s the most American thing to act like we are
What are you then?
Take that mask off bozo
That's because the video makes a lot of outlandish extrapolations that are borderline absurd. Hence, why they don't mean much to most people but the TV series itself does mean a lot.
When it comes to social critique we tend to focus on how our systems harm those who are overtly oppressed and appeal to the sympathies of those in power to "fix" the injustice. Mad Men is in a different class because it shows how our oppressive systems harm everyone, even those who benefit from them. That's just masterful work.
Any system of any kind will oppress someone. It's the nature of human nature. Ultimately, it's not the system that oppresses you. It's your own inability to find the courage within yourself to live an authentic life. But for those who would rather blame something outside of themselves for their situation, yes, it's the system. Keep telling yourself that because it's so much easier to project your hate and blame onto everything outside of yourself rather than going within and finding your true self.
I really love this show. It made me understand my father much better, since he was like Don. Same generation, same charm and way of keeping hurtful experiences inside himself. Don is deeply flawed, and that's what makes him so relatable. So real.
Mad Men is an work of art which I can see thousands and thousands of episodes of. So, a definite yes from me if there's a chance of a sequel.
Honestly, I think that Mad Men ending when and how it did is part of why that show is as phenomenal as it is. It didn’t spin its wheels endlessly, instead concluding in such a way that was so fitting to the show’s themes, characters and narrative. Having 92 episodes means that the episode “The Suitcase” is the pivotal midpoint whose events serve as such important catalysts for both Peggy and Don (the episode is smack dab in the middle of the series, being episode 46 out of 92).
Another reason the finale works so well is that it mirrors the pilot episode (the first shot we ever see of Don is the back of his head while he’s dressed in a suit and sitting in a dark bar lounge; the last shot we see of Don is his face as he is outdoors in casual, more comfortable wear). I could go on, but I think I’ll stop here. I’d rather let Mad Men stand as it is: a finished TV masterpiece, one that doesn’t need a sequel, prequel or spin-off that might dilute its greatness.
I've heard you can argue Mad Men is both the last great american novel in television form or just Desperate Housewives for boys
@@nelisezpasceno, it was for boys and girls alike 👍🏻.
Imagine all the precautions and fall back plans Don had to learn and create in order to have a life...and how much he had to close himself off from true friendship or love.
I never thought of Don as a despicable character. I always considered his faults as the result of his upbringing. He is undoubtably one of the most flawed, yet most human characters on tv.
An honest character. He had money, power, and loved sex.
He’s “whole” because he just thought of the Coca-Cola ad!
That Season 5 closing scene / montage is brilliant, as is the use of the Nancy Sinatra song. The song seems more a propos here than its original use in the James Bond film. The show overall demonstrates brilliant, ingenious vision and production.
This is such a weird take on Mad Men I feel. Race was a topic on Mad Men but it wasn't as simple and distilled as this. The show was never so one note. Mad Men is purely about identity and the fiction vs the reality of our identity. Don is essentially an ideal man but since it's purely fictional to Don himself it doesn't mean anything to him. The family, money and respect are nothing but displays to him. What makes the show so poignant is it's showing how irrespective of how much he achieves his inability to accept himself makes him unhappy, an unhappiness which fuels his destructive tendencies which makes him more unhappy. Ultimately, in a moment of true acceptance he learns to embrace reality and gains peace from that.
It's a really good show, my favourite probably. I appreciate the video but this feels kinda off imo.
Thank you for this take. Nerdstalgic took the lazy road and just did the politically correct and predictable take. This take you did is unironically more nuanced.
> Mad Men is purely about identify and the fiction vs the reality of our identity.
I suppose to those obsessed with race as the only thing we can identify as, any analysis has to be obsessed with race.
I generally like Nerdstalgic, but I think there was a miss here, and I think you nailed it.
@@fm5280 thanks man. I appreciate it 👍
But that was the vision of the creator, Nerdstalgic is explaining that. I know sometimes some white people get super upset or offended when someone brings up race but that doesn’t invalidate the point.
I think they use the word « white » more to designate being an ideal, a symbol of success ( a knight in shiny armour of some sort ), than the racial signification.
The show is certainly one of the most unique takes on life in America I have ever seen
despicable is definitley an overstatement and most despicable is a massive overstatement.
The worst thing that Draper ever did was to leave his daughter’s Birthday party and sit looking at the train going by. He was supposed to pick up her Birthday cake. After being gone for several hours he shows up with a full grown Golden Retriever. All is forgiven in Sally’s eyes.
Beautifully said. And truly heartbreaking for Betty to witness.
Remember when my daughter would sit and wait for her Father to come. She sensed that it was Sunday. He did not show up. I know what the character Betty felt.
That was awful, I hated that episode. Just went to show how deeply arrogant and self-absorbed he was. He couldn’t set aside his feelings for his daughter’s day just a few more hours?
I think that might be an oversimplification. It’s not that he’s so self absorbed. It’s that he doesn’t know how to connect because of how he grew up. He had no love and caring. So he doesn’t know how to express that. Just a thought.
It's crazy that Jon Hamm almost quit acting before he landed Mad men. He's a great actor and seems like a decent dude.
"Never meet your heroes". Don't go down a Google rabbit-hole about the hazing assault her participated in at college that left someone with lasting physical and emotional injuries...
@@jpharrahill7655 Not saying it never happened but was he ever charged? If not, you're kinda just damaging the man's reputation for no particular reason.
Glad to see a video like this but you miss the point of the last episode of Mad Men. Don Draper does not reach harmony with himself, this is impossible. His character is forever in internal conflict and that is what allows him to produce good art that is made for a mass audience. He takes his lessons from the commune-retreat and turns them into a grand tv advertisement. He doesn’t quit being Don Draper and revert to a “truer” self, his emptiness is bottomless and this makes him simultaneously repulsive and creatively strong. His character is basically a necessity for a mass culture.
Is the new “Literally Me” for the season?
I've seen worse despicable characters on TV. Don Draper doesn't even make my top 10 list but I suppose it's all subjective.
i think its a scope thing - every show has a frame of reference for how bad "bad" is - the "evilness" of a character can really only be measured in relation to the rest of the show's morality and scope. the most evil act in mad men is nothing in comparison to the least remarkable episode of Oz, for example. Mad Men is a very 'small' show that focuses on the relations of a few dozen people in one tiny place in the world. If there was also an insane serial killer in Mad Men, then obviously Don is no longer the most "despicable" character - but the job of a writer is to establish the boundaries and limitations of someone's actions so that they have weight - and within the framework of Mad Men, no one else comes close to Don's selfishness and ugliness as a person.
If you measured him against other characters in shows, like Vern Schillinger, Tony Soprano, or Gus Fring, then obviously he doesn't crack anyone's "top 10" - but that's the same mindset an 8 year old has when he gets into an argument about how Vegeta would beat Superman but lose to Optimus Prime. If you look at the deeds of the character compared to what else has taken place on the show, understanding the context of the character's actions in the rest of the work theyh inhabit - almost like a p4p ranking that disregards weight classes in boxing - then i think Draper is a frontrunner for the biggest piece of shit in tv
@@planetfixeri actually don’t take Don Draper is “despicable” at all 🤷♂️he wouldn’t even make the top 100 most despicable characters in tv history. He was a very flawed man, but certainly not a malicious or “evil” person I actually don’t really think he’s a bad person. I don’t consider cheating to be as big of a deal as a lot of other people. The man was the highest caliber of men on the outside at least. Him sleeping with lots of women is to be expected. It’s not like he through it his missus face or anything. He’s also a pathological liar which is certainly a bad trait but doesn’t make him “despicable” in my opinion. Idk lad it’s tough for me to say he’s one of the worst people in tv history after all the shows I’ve seen. He’s almost a saint compared to my favorite characters 😂😂(he’s also one of my favorites though) but characters like Walter white, Cersei Lannister, littlefinger, Dexter Morgan, homelander, tony soprano, Joe Goldberg, ghost st Patrick Logan Roy etc.. far worse than Don Draper
@@raymondsims7042 try reading what I said next time bro!
Fantastic analysis, as usual, but I disagree with your closing statement about Don finding happiness. I believe that smile he cracks at the end is in direct reference to the world renowned Coca Cola add that follows this very smile, at the end of the show. I think Don (or Dick) found a way to co-opt, to sell this idea of world unity, peace. I believe the intention was to show us Don didn't really change, he was just waiting for his next big idea, which lands as a well written critique of big companies using social development as a marketing ploy, while never really believing in it or enacting positive change. What'd your opinion on this?
Why can't it be both though? I saw it as accepting himself as kind of a 'sell-out'. A big part of finding happiness is accepting your own flaws after all. He has tried to sell himself the idea that advertising is this respectable, artistic thing, the same way he does to everyone else, but he finally gets that he doesn't need to anymore. He can just be himself and enjoy co-opting the latest hippie trend to make a really good ad.
You're right, in my opinion, that seems more likely. He doesn't look personally transformed, no tears or anything. It's also more realistic to the show and historically likely that he has found a way to sell Coke, in the context of the yuppies.
The video analysis makes sense with a scene that stands out, where Don is getting high with hippies and one of them warns him that he can't go outside because of the cops. Don lets them know that he can, but they can't. The cops won't give a man like him trouble. Don Draper is "acceptable" to the American social system.
Yes, completely agree
The history of the show demonstrates that every attempt to find internal equilibrium and happiness failed. So I don't believe he found it, but eventually, when he gets old, I won't matter as much, although it will still be there.
I always thought the finale of s5 wasn't about him being scared of Megan moving on. It was him kinda losing respect for her because she didn't fight for her dream, she took the easy way in, its shattered the illusion of her and how independent and different she was. I also disagree about the ending. I think it was bitter sweet - Don changed and grew but he will always be Don, he will always be the Ad man which can be good in the sense that its really something he loves but also a bit sad cause in a sense the moment he found peace he started to think of how to sell it. I think its "try again. Fail again. Fail better." thing. He didn't reach his happy ending, he brushed it and learn something new about himself and the world but its just another step on a long road to being ourselves and feeling happy. We all strive for it and hopefully get closer and closer but we never fully get there and never fully escape who we were
I thought he smiled because he got the idea for one of the most famous commercials of all time.
That's how I saw it back then too.
You are right, this video is trash
My post-modernist/Marxist English instructor at Berkeley would have definitely given this essay an A+ 😂
I haven't watched Mad Men before. Maybe I still will. Because the broad strokes reveal a singular distorted vision, fueled by self-deception and excess, of what happiness was in the 1960s. Am I still interested in watching hidden persuader Armin Tamzarian live his fake life and convince folks to buy junk they don't need? Or could I take in the authenticity of the age portrayed by the show and get tagged a materialist by people whose opinions are worthless to me?
Wait I thought Marxists were modernists how would they be post modernists
@@bigbillybrobbulonsbrothbug4541 She was a complicated lady. Not always consistent
Yes, take a ready to go ideological framing, just put it over anything and call it cultural studies. Also takes me back to my time in university.
@@eksortso I love this comment, and I’d urge you to watch it and find out the answers for yourself :)
I’ve seen plenty of people I generally align with politically insist this show is all appearance and no substance, largely based on how some viewers indeed don’t engage with the subtext or themes, but I’ve always found it to have compelling commentary and satire.
On the same note you should talk about Jimmy McGill. I find Saul Goodman one of the best written characters in the history of TV
You invent a character, a golem, try to sound like Nietzsche, and end up sounding like the desert menu at some upper restaurant.
The idea that wanting a nice home in a nice neighbourhood and a nice spouse and nice children somehow being a sick aspiration is getting real old.
what is "nice"?
You are twenty years too late with that relativist bullshit armchair nihilism matey.
People who don't have sickness of the soul all know and ge on what is nice.
We just laugh at idiots who don't know and try to convince other's that 'nice' and 'happiness' is all subjective. @@MistaAnonymous
Ooo I remember watching this some ten years ago. For some reason I couldn't stop being so curious about Draper, even though I found him to be so many negative things. This really was a show.
Because while people lie about what success looks like. Draper didn't pander....he was a leader, innovator and mad men.
The poor man embodied sissyphus. No matter what approach he took,and how many different ways he applied it He always remained in the same place. You knew that his idea for the coke commercial was brilliant, but you knew deep down that success was going to be short lived. True success was always just out of reach for him. He couldn't see it.
Ok; this is why I really love this channel.
Mad Men was a show that everyone I know has told me time after time that I would like. However, whenever I asked someone to sum it up for me their breakdowns left a lot to be desired. Explanations of how being an ass was easy back in the day or advertising pitches or fractured characters either sounded boring or redundant. The way this video describes the show as an internal conflict to belong in the most cutthroat way possible to chase the American dream? Now that's awesome.
What excellent work you all do.
Small aside, I like how recently you did a video on The Principal and The Pauper when the premise for that is bordering on comically identical to Don Draper's backstory.
Don Draper is the one despicable main character I never managed to hate just because of how much I related to him. I absolutely despised Walter White, Tony Soprano, Bojack Horseman, Jimmy McGill etc… but Don just hits too close.
Never quite understood the American thing with "Whiteness". From what I gathered it has nothing to do with being white, so why use that word ?
It’s not a real thing, what they mean is privilege and social acceptance. Why they use the term “Whiteness” is beyond me when all the characters trying to obtain “Whiteness” are white. It’s really a clown world way to describe what they’re trying to say.
modern day use has poisoned it a bit into a clumsy sign that something is inherently bad/oppressive, but i think in the original context it was used to describe the specific, idealised economic and social class that basically every main character constantly sought to achieve. i think a portion of the show's brilliance is that it's a macro-scale study of the consequences of that whole mid-century "white-picket WASP" archetype being upheld in a world that was increasingly rendering that way of life untenable
It's one of my all time favorite shows, I have re-watched it maybe every year since it's concluded and each time I come to a different conclusion of how I feel about Don. But Don Draper really is just a stand in for an Ayn Rand hero and what that Ayn Rand hero is in real life... a despicable human being. He is charming, good looking, every woman wants him and he is really, really good at his job. He only follows what he wants in life with no care or thought for others. That's the Fountainhead, that's Ayn Rand's whole philosophy wrapped up into a character and the show never hides that from you... it's just a question of do you see the faults in Rand's belief and therefore do you see the faults in the American pursuit of self.
I think this is a great observation. The show isn't exactly subtle about showing how the characters, mainly Bert and Don, are influenced by Rand's objectivist philosophy, but its remarkable just how much they internalize Rand's characters in an attempt to embody them.
The show even sticks a lampshade on it, when Bert Cooper tells Don that Ayn Rand would love to meet him.
But Don doesn't actually pursue what he really wants, and the traits he has that everyone else envies don't make him happy. He's not a sociopath, just an unhappy person who's always living with a mask on.
@@Zoetherat Eh he does do exactly what he wants, that it doesn't satiate him, is a totally different point.
Everything he does, he does for himself, to feel better, to fuck, to dominate, to make money, to take the business on his whims, and even when he helps people he does it in self interest.
Yes, you aren't wrong in your final point, but I'd say he does do everything he wants. It's just that when he gets it, he destroys it, because he's always onto the next pursuit trying to fulfill his unending wants.
He is the Ayn Rand philosophy embodied, he may not be sociopathic, like Howard Roark, but he is fully about himself.
@@FreddyMacT Even when he helps people, he does it in self interest? I mean, i suppose you could interpret any act of charity or kindness as self interest if you so choose. There was the episode when a guy who inherited a fortune was about to squander it on an advertising campaign for handball or something. Don told him not to do it. Now, you could rationalize that as "selfish", but only if you do it in a way that labels every charitable action a person could take as selfish.
If only there was a limited series about the Draper children and how Don's legacy affected all three children... Would Gene be the wild child? Would Sally find she's more like Don than she wants to admit? Does Bobby grow up representing the best of his father? There's a lot of possibilities. What if Joan became Sally's mentor?
I don't think he's the most despicable character in tv, that probably goes to Walter White or Tony Soprano.. Tony more-so.
Yeah, he's not even close.
as someone who never watched mad men im personally shocked to find out its an adaptation of the worst simpsons episode
Which episode was that?
The need to be seen and loved is the main theme of mad men imo
4:50 so one of the biggest reveals in this, one of television’s highest-regarded series, is the exact same thing as the episode everyone thinks ruined The Simpsons?!
Right? I know the joke "Simpsons already did it" but never realized how real it was
But in the Simpsons, it's forgotten about straight away. In Mad Men, it's the underpinning theme that motivates almost all of Don's actions. It's handled differently. That's why.
@@paigeconnelly4244 this!!
Which episode of The Simpsons is that?
@@mphrdldn'The Principal and the Pauper' from Season 9.
Whiteness whiteness oppression whiteness white whiteness race whiteness
💯 I absolutely love Mad Men. But I couldn't even make it halfway through this video because of all the woke buzzwords.
The fact that we have such strong feelings for a show that ended 9 years ago is a testament to the power of that show.
Love the channel and have been a watcher for a while now but this video is all over the place
He wasn't killed in an ambush, it was an accident.
This show and breaking bad would not exist without Tony soprano.
The Audio Commentaries in the Box Set add so much to the appreciation of this show. The research and the costume design aspects, the casting, the origins of the writing. Box set is absolutely worth the money.
Seeing John Hamm reminds me. You should do a video on Top Gun Maverick. Myself and most critics seem to think it's a near perfect way to do an "unnecessary" sequel to a standalone movie that is considered a classic. But obviously this channel has never existed to purely agree with the critics, so I'd be interested in your take.
4:49 I love how they shot the Korean War scenes in the exact same spot in Malibu, California where MASH was shot.
9:02 The smile near the end of the last episode when Don's mediating is NOT Don in harmony with himself. It's Don realizing exactly how to market sugared caffeine water to the health-food loving hippies....He's envisioning the Coca-Cola commercial shown in the next scene ,"I'd like to teach the world to sing....")
Though after a long dry spell, Don having a killer ad idea is probably as close to "Don in harmony with himself" as we'd get.
Don wasn't real but that was a real commercial. I remember it getting stuck in my head as a very little kid. I didn't like it for that reason. It was too good of an ad.
1:42 "Rachel is a second generation Jewish woman" as if her grandparent were not Jewish but suddenly gave birth to a Jew lol.
The rumor of a Peggy and Joan sequel based in the late 70s and 80s would have been great. Women struggling to “have it all” set against the backdrop of a crime ridden NYC in those decades would have been excellent.
That still of Don meditating and then the smile. It’s an almost exact copy of Noodles at the end of Once Upon a Time in America. And yet Don smiles because he’s found himself while Noodles smiles for the opposite reasons. Both brilliant.
My favorite TV show. I'll keep watching Mad Men until I die. Pure art.
Nice try, but I think you confuse going full circle with repeating yourself. That and, I'm not sure about that interpretation of the finale. He smiled and immediately appeared a famous Coca-cola commercial that seems pretty clearly inspired by the hippie scene he's in. Seems to me he's just getting inspiration to go back to what he knows best.
And here I thought the reason he smiled was that he'd just been struck with one of the greatest ad ideas in history. Go figure.
Really good analysis of you
You completely missed the point of the last shot of the serie. The point is that Don has not changed, he has not evolved and that he's content to go on living his life as he has been since he became Don.
Absolutely - it closes with the iconic Coca Cola commercial. He was happy to come up with another great ad campaign (one that's memorable decades later) and turning the idea of peace and harmony into a product to sell for the capitalist machine!
@@krystalmazzolawood yes ! Don is not a hero in the sense that he doesn't experience the hero's journey. The one true hero of madmen is Peggy and Don is one of the protagonists. Peggy evolves, learns and grows, whereasDon remains the same.
Definitely need more Mad Men videos from this channel.
*Hell's bells, Trudy!* is still one of my favorite lines in TV history 😂
You forgot the coke ad that came right after that smile, changing it’s meaning.
The last episode just show a DON recovering from depresion to come back to his former life
Great analysis of a great show.. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and observed men like Don and admired them and their beautiful wives.
Tony Soprano if he was a square businessman.
As someone who watches actions & thrillers, I was somehow hooked onto mad men. Probably because I recognise the characters in my colleagues at former workplace across the globe. Masterful character studies.
Probably my favorite show of all time.
I completely disagree with the end of this video. Dan’s smile at the yoga retreat wasn’t because he was comfortable with himself. It was because he got an idea for the Coke ad.
This is the first time I’ve heard the term “antivillain” and it fundamentally shifted something in my brain
Even if on the surface, culture and identity are at the center of the world which Don wishes to be apart of, this show transcends race, culture and gender. Mad Men can easily resonate with any individual who’s ever struggled against the rigidity of societal norms, whatever they might be and wherever they may be.
The medium of advertising wasn’t newly invented in the 1960s. Technically it has been around for Millennia, but it really took off in America at the turn of the century with the explosion of print media.
I still want Sally Draper Esquire and it take place in the 80s
always figured the smile at S7 was at the advertising idea, he never was meditating but was just once again was utilising the current american culture for profit. nothing about it suggested and to the duality, it just meant he was keeping it up.
So wait, Don Draper and Principal Skinner are essentially the same person?
You didn’t mention how immediately after that look it played the ad campaign for Coca-Cola that Don came up with
To me, the most despicable character on Mad Men was "Duck" Phillips. when he took his dog, a beautiful and friendly Irish Setter, down to the street and shoved it out the door and walked away, no one else on this show did anything as cold, cruel and/or horrifying.
Best character in television history
I think "despicable" might be a touch hyperbolic, but in any case, I wouldn't rank him as the most despicable character on TV. I would argue that Walter White sits higher on the despicableness scale. I can see that Dick Whitman was desperate to escape his situation. As was Walter, however, Walter was given an out by Gretchen and Elliott Schwartz. They offered to pay his medical bills, and give him a job at Grey Matter. Walter's pride and ego wouldn't let him take it. Dick Whitman evolved into Don Draper over a decade, whereas I believe Walter's true nature was revealed. I don't know if I am explaining this well enough?? 🤷🏻♀🤷🏻♀
Mmm have You seen the sopranos??
@@danielrmz40 I did consider Tony Soprano but truthfully I only saw the first 3 seasons, so I don't know how Tony evolved over the rest of the show. (No spoilers please, I will be watching it next month when I'm on leave ☺️). But Tony was born into a kill or be killed world, he didn't know anything else. Walter White is the only character I can think of who had other options and didn't take them and descended into a chaos of his own making.
I completely agree with this. They're both great shows but I find I don't like watching Breaking Bad because Walter White is so 'despicable' to me that it's hard to enjoy watching him. They both repeatedly squander their chances to be happy, but Dick's insecurities leads him to throwing them away, while Walter's makes him greedy and always look for something better. I've far more sympathy for self-loathing than entitlement.
Don Draper was a very talented individual who arguably wasn't much worse than his peers in terms of, well, everything, Walter White was a manipulative sob from the start.
Imo, this blows sopranos and breaking ad out of the water. Like you said at very start, the most complicated character on TV, ever. Much more than tony or walt. Only thing close, maybe even equal or greater than is True Detective, s 01
Don Draper has the same origin as Seymour Skinner.
I like how the writers made all of the characters human. Everyone had major issues and no one was a hero or necessarily a villain.
Most despicable ? Walter white poisoned a child and killed alot of people lol
"He's a serial cheater, a chain smoker and an alcoholic...." Pretty much sums up Don Draper..lol..
He was never whole, he just had an insight on how to commodify the hippie movement to sell coca-cola.
Great video man!
I think because in Don Draper, you see a man in need of light, but has given up his search, and stopped believing in its existence due to living in the dark for so long. So, he surrounds himself with the illusion of a life where he doesn't need the light, till a point comes, where it's all taken away, and all he has left with is his thirst for the hope of a better life.
And i think we all have some little part of that inside us. That's why Don is so relatable, he makes us realize that it's okay to not pursuit something growth everyday & that the strongest & wealthiest can even fail.
what ever happened to the original narrator of the channel?
Dammit now I gotta watch this whole series again.
I've watched this show like 3 times all the way through and I just love it
What? He was a leader and innovator...a champion to be emulated.
He made that money...with his will.
All personalities are ideas based previous experiences.
And the whiteness? Is just racist crt bias.
I would love to think that the smile on Don's lips at the very end of the series means what Nerdstalgic says; that he is finally at peace with himself. But then we continue into the famous Coca-Cola comercial, and this makes me believe that the smile rather means that Don has figured out a way to capitalize on the hippie culture.
This show was well done, from the writing, to the set design, to the costuming, and casting. It definitely embodied the era the boomers ( my mother's generation) grew up in and how the world was perceived, and what constituted an "All American" way of life, that I think people look back on now with a blind nostalgia of only good things were happening, while ignoring the reality of life for everyone that wasn't the Don Draper types. His character was a good bad guy.
Your videos are great for learning analytical writing and creating characters. Keep it up.
A class in yellow journalism. How to lean hard into bais.
@@algorithmicalychallenged.291 what
Thank you for this.
I always loved this exact moment in the series, to the point of watching it on regular occasion. Only now do I really grasp the meaning behind it, and why it is followed by all the characters at the current stage of their own pursuit. Thank you.
Mad men is one of best tv dramas , they had good yet unknown cost . The first 4 seasons where the best because they mostly set at fall/winter.
In the final scene I thought he accepts who he is at the core, an ad man exploiting the new age movement for a Coca-Cola ad.
Don Draper is who I turn to when I'm holding a blade to my skin, prepared to relapse. He f*cking gets it.