Mad Men Series Finale "Person to Person"
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 11:17PM EDITOR'S NOTE: Abundant intelligent movie references were what first prompted the "Mad Men at the Movies" series. Though this series finale had no movie references, the great series' best episodes, hell even its minor ones, have had the richness of cinema both visually and thematically. That said, I personally enjoyed the unprovoked flashback to Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) a fitting companion film to see this week, for many reasons: its time period, its troubled romances, self-discovery retreats, and especially its gorgeously sly double-sided satiric/genuine "EPIPHANY!" and hippie-love musical finale. Here's new contributor Lynn Lee to wrap up as we raise our glasses (of Coke naturally) to the greatest TV show of all time - Nathaniel
It’s been less than 24 hours since the series finale of “Mad Men” aired and a vigorous debate is already raging over the last few minutes of it. What, we wonder, was the meaning of the cut from Don’s closed eyes and beatific smile to the classic 1971 Coke commercial that introduced “I’d like to buy the world a Coke”?
Is this where Don’s inspiration leads – back to McCann and Coca-Cola’s signature advertising hook? Or is the juxtaposition an ironic commentary on the enlightenment he thinks he’s found? Or is it a non-ironic contrast between the enlightenment he truly has found and the ersatz version that Coke would peddle as a substitute for the real thing?
The only definite answer is that there is no definite answer, although there have certainly been plenty of clues. We’ve seen repeated references to Coke even after Don left McCann. The commercial itself contains unmistakable echoes of his experience at the hippie retreat, from the elaborate, very “Mad Men”-ish metaphor of the refrigerator in sad Leonard’s dream to the red-ribboned braids of the hippie receptionist. Put together with Don’s history of leaving and, as Roger and Stan both point out, always coming back, I’d put the odds at ~ 75% in favor of his being the man behind the commercial (which historically was, in fact, created by McCann Erickson). But assuming that he is, what does it mean?
You spend your whole life thinking you’re not getting it, people aren’t giving it to you. Then you realize they’re trying and you don’t even know what it is.”
Don’s breakthrough vis-à-vis sad Leonard suggests recognition that he’s been looking at himself and his life the wrong way all along. Like Leonard, his fear that he doesn’t deserve love has blinded him to the love that’s actually offered him. The big question is how he uses this epiphany: to let go of his fear and become truly open to love, or to do what he’s always been best at—channeling that moment of genuine emotion into the false promise of advertising?
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that both of these outcomes could be true simultaneously. The episode, titled “Person to Person,” is structured around three calls Don places to the three women in his life. The first two show him continuing to search in vain for a sign he’s needed, as they drop not only the bombshell of Betty’s cancer but the even bigger bombshell that it changes nothing about his relationship with them. It’s not that they don’t love Don; they just don’t want anything more than what they’ve learned to expect from him.
Their rejection sends Don on his umpteenth bender and, as I predicted, one last trip to California, where he seeks out Stephanie—his last living reminder of Anna, the only woman whose love absolved him from guilt rather than adding to it. Stephanie rejects the familial gesture, but seeing his suffering, takes him to a place she thinks may be able to help both of them. However, she rejects him again when, in her most vulnerable moment, he offers her his Don Draper-patented advice to put her guilt behind her. It’s the same advice he gave Peggy so many years ago. But it rings false now, and he knows it. It doesn’t even work for himself anymore.
And that’s when he makes his third phone call—to Peggy. She doesn’t give him what he’s looking for, either, at least not at first. She doesn’t know what to make of his sins, and she’s too honest to tell him that either she or McCann needs him to succeed. But she wants him to come back and believes he has a place there (“Don’t you want to work on Coke?”). Even though it doesn’t register at the time with Don, who’s in his darkest hour, it may be the lifeline that ultimately draws him back to advertising. If so, the takeaway isn’t necessarily that Don doesn’t change. It’s more complicated than that. Don may not change, but he does learn. And if nothing else, he may have learned to accept who he is, a theme that holds true for the other characters as well.
Going into the finale, I half-expected it would be devoted exclusively to Don. But I’m glad it wasn’t. I didn’t know I needed any of those other final tie-ups until they happened. I loved the pairing of Pete’s farewell to Peggy with Roger’s visit to Joan and Kevin—both scenes richly layered with their respective histories, tinged with just the right amount of tenderness and the faintest whisper of melancholy over what might have been, yet untainted by any bitterness over what actually was. I don’t know which was lovelier, Pete’s giving Peggy the cactus (a perfect symbol for both of them) and telling her what he once wanted someone to say to him, or Joan’s expression when she gently teases Roger about finally getting his timing right.
I was also glad to see Joan finally become the independent businesswoman we always knew she could be. For the first time in her life, she’s calling her own shots, and if it means flying solo, she’s ok with that. Which is why I wasn’t surprised that Peggy turned down her offer of a partnership—and, after my initial giddiness at the thought of “Harris Olson,” I wasn’t sorry, either. Much as those two respect each other, they’ve rarely been on exactly the same page because their professional experience has been so dramatically different. Holloway Harris is right for Joan, just as McCann is right for Peggy, at least for now.
And with McCann, Stan! That ending did take me by surprise. This isn’t the first time Stan’s copped to having feelings for Peggy, but she just never seemed interested. To be honest, I was content with the platonic BFF dynamic they developed. Peggy’s romantic eureka felt like fan service (except I don’t think Matthew Weiner does fan service) and more like “When Harry Met Sally” than “Mad Men.” But then, I’ve always loved “When Harry Met Sally,” and even if this wasn’t the ending I’d have chosen for Peggy and Stan, I can’t begrudge it to them. They deserve to be happy together.
Random observations:
-Don’s last phone conversation with Betty: devastating. Those two in many ways have had the most complicated and interesting relationship on the show, and Jon Hamm and January Jones have played so well off each other.
-Almost as heartbreaking: Sally and Bobby trying to fill in their parents’ roles in the kitchen. (That had to be the most lines, and most interesting lines, Bobby ever had in the entire series.)
-Doesn't Stephanie look a little like a grown-up Sally?
-Adieu, Richard. I liked him, even at the end. It’s easy to dismiss his exit as a sexist refusal to take a backseat to a woman’s career, but I give him credit for being honest about what he wants and understanding why it’s at odds with what Joan wants.
Line of the week:
“OMMMMMMMM”
Reader Comments (17)
"Don may not change, but he does learn. And if nothing else, he may have learned to accept who he is, a theme that holds true for the other characters as well."
This, exactly. I think it's very possible to live in a world where Don achieves spiritual awakening and also returns to advertisement. I don't think these two have to be mutually exclusive, and I don't think the Coca-Cola commercial has to be viewed through such a cynical lens. To me, it promotes a vision of unity, in which counterculture and normative American culture come together. What's wrong with that?
The finale confirms that the show is about settling and acceptance, as you suggest. It answers Peggy Lee's question "Is That All There Is?" by saying, Yes, whatever IT is, and Weiner allows his characters after seven seasons to come to terms with this fact in their own ways. It argues that settling isn't so bad because the alternative is to constantly run away and search for answers you'll never find, like Don did. The characters learn to do the best they can with the choices they make and the options they have. It wasn't so much that Don changed the core of who he is at the end, but he changes his perception of himself and his place in the world. He's finally at peace with who he is, where he's been, and where he'll go in the future. I think the same holds true for the other characters as well.
To me, it's the most realistic "happy" ending we could hope for.
Like most of this season some stuff worked like gangbusters (Don's calls with Betty, Peggy and Sally) and others not so much (except for those three scenes, the rest of Don's scenes were cut-off from rest of the show and not compelling nor where I wanted to spend my time. Given how much of the episode was devoted to that I'd give the episode a solid 7.5/10. Also Happy Joan was a delight. Her, Peggy and Roger definitely got their happy endings while Pete & Don may have found temporary peace but will undoubtably muck it up. Good News: the finale to this great show was not an embarrassment (cough* Lost & Battlestar Galactica) even if it will never deservedly show up on any best series finale lists. Also, yes Peggy's story here was like a romcom but I was smiling ear to ear.
I feel like "best series finale" is an oxymoron. Almost no finale, save perhaps Newhart or The Mary Tyler Moore Show, had a series-high style finale.
I felt the strongest phone convo was between Don & Betty -- January Jones really has some good stuff in these last two eps to secure another Emmy nod.
I'd also say Jon Hamm, Kiernan Shipka and Christina Hendricks could all get nominations from these last 7 eps. But, sadly, even with the respect the show has gotten, I think the awards ship may have sailed.
Nathaniel,
Thank you for the great Mad Men posts and analysis over the years. This has truly been a show that gives credence to the claim that we are in a new golden age of television. I never missed an episode and was always sure to go back and rewatch after seeing your commentary.
Jerry
Sorry, I addressed this to Nathaniel, but I believe the posts had more than one contributor? Thanks to all!
I sobbed so hard during the Don/Peggy phone call I had to pause the TV. It was the most emotional I can recall being during a TV show or movie. And I am still smiling over our final glimpses of Joan (I was really happy that the show had the courage to have her choose her career over her relationship, and not hook her up with Richard, who set off a lot of alarm bells for me) and Pete and his family heading to Witchita.
This is my favorite show of all-time, by far. What does Matt Weiner do for an encore?
I am still unsure that the Don ad is by Don, but I also think it does signal him returning to advertising. I think the Peggy call underlines the fact, it is the one thing he is good at doing and can always go back to doing. I also just thought the ad was about leaving on a high and that the whole coming together of everybody, characters and viewers alike, was Matthew Weiner's ode to the series in general. I guess I do not see cynicism, but more of the fact I think MW does like advertising and is not always afraid to drive the sentiment part of the ad as an underlying theme of the show. And just my general opinion: That Coke ad is closer to a Peggy type of ad in choices (rituals, togetherness, coming together as a unit) than Don's (a lot of it from a high subjective point of view). But I am also not gonna run around to state that Peggy was the secret creative behind that Coke ad either. Anyway, the ad is about 'perfect harmony' and the characters and the show are going off on a high while there is still fizz from the Coke bottle.
I have to give the show kudos in just having it be a matter of fact that Don is not a good father. It is actually best for the kids if he just remain with the same closeness and distance he usually does, and not try to transform him some stay at home Dad. Betty being right, something many fans thought the show was saying the opposite of for so many years (not me), was surprisingly satisfying, even if I definitely relate a lot to Don. He does need some 'me' time, so consider it a great favor. Don will do better as a grandfather, in my opinion.
I've personally had Stan and Peggy pegged (no pun intended) as something that would happen since they got naked in front of each other at the Waldorf Astoria. It felt like one of those weird digressions you hear at family parties about the strange circumstances about how the old married couples met. I think Peggy's bad relationship choices has always reflected she wanted to meet a man at work but often picked men who too old, too tied down, or whose personal interests weren't really about her. Stan gradually softening from his introduction as an arrogant art director to total mensh while working under Peggy, and I love the fact that the confession is played through their phone relationship, always had me thinking he wanted to always tell her but never wanted to make it weird. I think pretty subtextually the show always threw in things about them that made me wonder, such as her knowing his 'sexy voice' and his 'schedule' (read: sleeping with people). Then they kissed before, albeit it not the best circumstances in 'The Crash' (but goodness was she ever worried about him when he made himself a human target). What sold it though, beyond the chemistry of Elisabeth Moss and Jay R. Ferguson, is that when she confessed she had a kid and choice a career and he did not judge her. Peggy just does not tell that story to anyone. I get why people preferred they stick with BFFs, but I like that she still has her goals and ambitions intact even as she is now with somebody who 'gets' her and knows her.
I love the fact on how feminist Joan ended up being. The woman who played the rules the men set and then said enough, and even after taking the money, still has the hunger to work, be her own boss and aim to get the respect she deserves. If men weren't up to her speed, too bad. She's gotten screwed over in that department too long.
And I may never get over that Don ended up telling Peggy who he really was over the phone, even if she may never realize. Maybe she is the new Anna Draper in his life after all.
"I don’t think Matthew Weiner does fan service"
i thought the entire finale was fan service. and after seven seasons of being the most withholding show on television, i loved every second of it
It was a good ending. Not great, but good enough. That's the thing.
I personally loved what a fine showcase S7.2 was for January Jones. She acted the hell out of Betty and reminded me that her gifts didn't diminish after S2 and S5 (her previous bests). Kudos to Matthew Weiner for ultimately not discarding her and keeping her in focus till the very end. (Her smoking a cigarette in her last scene is just priceless and oh-so-Betty.)
Joan and Peggy both got the happy endings I wished for them. :-)
Loved every second of it.
One of the things that MAD MEN did so well was showing the very natural way that people, places and things come and go. This was the season finale, but not the end of everybody's story (except Betty, obviously). People's lives don't crescendo into big moments, they simply continue to happen. People in our lives come and go and I didn't need every character to have a big send off (think of how many people just drop out of our lives unexpectedly) because that's not how life is. Peggy and Don didn't need to say everything they haven't said to one another, their lives will carry on.
I loved that Betty finally made Don listen to her and listen to what she wanted and what she thought was best because he understood that he'd be a hypocrite if he didn't having deserted his job and gone road trippin' at a moments notice.
I loved that Sally ultimately wasn't like either of her parents, despite what Don told her a few weeks ago. She stayed by her mother's side and showed maturity when it came to her siblings and those around her.
I definitely think it's implied that Don created the Coke commercial. I'm not sure what the confusion is. Didn't even Jon Hamm say that's what he thinks. He's still an ad man, that won't change, and sitting on that cliff having finally found somebody else in his shoes he realized that was the message. He'd fixed the coke machine at the motel, and he'd fixed himself, so put the two together and you've got that commercial.
I am definitely seeing this January Jones nomination
I gave a standing ovation to my TV set.
Thank you Mr. Weiner.
Cal & Markeo -- i'm seeing the Jones nomination, too, unless the large turn against Betty in general (god how people hated that character) killed any need to wish the actress well as the show wraps. But given how few episodes there were and how competitive supporting actress drama is i wonder what's going to happen since technically wouldn't Moss, Hendricks, and Jones have to all compete there (along with basically EVERYONE in orange is the new black + the Dowager Countess. They need about 20 nominations ;)
Peggy Sue -- i felt like my screening was a standing ovation since it was a big museum screening in a gorgeous theater with mad men fanatics around.
Glenn -- i agree that that's one of the best things about the show even though it's maddening because TV has trained us to expect for our favorites never to vanish. That one season where Joan basically dropped out of everyone's lives and off our screens was torture for me since she's the best character. But it was 100% what would have happened.
Jerry - it was mostly me until this season but i gave it over to Lynn Lee since i knew she could do it justice. Glad you enjoyed.\
Lynn --
Joseph
thank you and exactly. People always want to simplify complicated things. but this show stayed true to its complexity when it comes to the human character.
If you think about it Don has always behaved this way. Genius work with messy personal life followed by downturn and 'wanderings' when the work gets as messy as the personal life followed by small redemptions, trying again (at both personal and work life) and then the cycle again. He may mellow out of learn to live with himself better as he ages but he's always going to be essentially the same person. If you look at his two in show marriages he was a lot more honest with Megan than he was with Betty. I love that this finale gave him a way to do still be the character we always knew but to suggest he could move the needle maybe a little bit toward a more stable more integrated soul and maybe he'd been doing that all along. two steps forward one step back and so on.
Complexity at its best. I am glad I was alive in these Mad Men times. LOVE IT, all the way. Hamm, Jones, Hendricks and Moss gave one of their best performance in the finale. This episode was a big Fuck You to the Emmys. Nuance and subtle acting extraordinaire, if that has sense.
The stan peggy ending was cheesy and romcomy, and left me with a big smile and wet eyes