Mad Men's Final Season

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Greg
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Greg »

Betty's cancer makes me think about this article "My Own Life" written by Oliver Sacks after he learned that he had terminal cancer. He is a neurologist who wrote the book Awakenings, upon which the movie was made.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opini ... ancer.html

I remember I passed up an opportunity to hear him lecture. It was at a convention of the American Chemical Society and I was in a bad mood as I had interviewed for a job at Pfizer and I did not think the interview went well. I did not get the job. Even so, if his lecture was anything like this article, I should have still went to it.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Greg »

Mister Tee wrote:Betty has been fairly widely disliked by websters over the years, but I think nearly everyone was crushed by this development. And it was handled so well in so many ways: the vague flirtation with the younger student prior to the fall; the students listing her as Mrs. Robinson; the humiliation (true to 1970) of not even being allowed to hear your own diagnosis till your husband turns up -- these nicely calibrated details made the moment ring truer and deeper. And then, the reactions -- Sally's covering her ears (I didn't hear that!), and, as FilmFan has already noted, taking Gene onto her lap; Henry's unexpected burst of crying (and Sally's "What the hell do I do here?" gesture); and Betty's brilliant exchange with Henry "What do you think Rocky would do in this situation?" "He would DIE".
The scene that really got to me was Betty awkwardly walking past Sally as she leaves the kitchen.

Here is one real off-the-wall prediction I thought of for the finale, Don and Peggy get married and raise Don and Betty's children.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by flipp525 »

I know my mind just naturally "goes there" but it really did seem like Don was going to start screwing that hustler/boy-maid at some point during this episode. Their scenes felt quite homoerotic to me, especially the scene at the end when Don pushed him down onto the bed. Not that Don is even remotely gay, but there was that scene a couple episodes back where he seemed more than willing to join the gay couple (now inhabiting Diana's rundown apartment) for a drink. The maid/hustler was clearly up for anything if the price was right.

Don was also involved in a gay fantasy, albeit tangentially, when Mathis called him out about coasting because Lee Gardner Jr. had visions of jacking him off, rather than on talent or merit.

And then there was that fetishized, lingering look at the mom by the pool which was totally aborted where, in earlier seasons, I would fully expect Don to have somehow bedded her. She was reading The Woman Of Rome which felt like a nod to the trip to Rome he took with Betty on behalf of Conrad Hilton. That scene probably just served to illustrate that Don can now lust without consummating.

The homoeroticism seen with the hustler/boy-maid as well as the scene where Don seems willing to drink with the gay couple in Diana's old apartment seem like a closeted Weiner pushing the envelope as far as he can. He's attracted to Jon Hamm and likes the idea of putting him in "gay porn-like scenarios" but knows he can't actually *go there*.
Last edited by flipp525 on Wed May 13, 2015 10:43 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by The Original BJ »

Uri wrote:
The Original BJ wrote:(Has Peggy ever been absent from an episode? I feel like maybe, but that's such a rare occurrence).
Yes – she was not on the episode following her leaving SCDP on season 5’s The Other Woman, steering a lot of speculation she was actuality gone forever from the show, only to be back in full swing in that season finale (featuring her and Don and James Bond at the cinema).
Of course! I knew there was something I was forgetting where Peggy's absence was significant; can't believe that skipped my mind.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by danfrank »

We'll find out whether this telegraphs anything about the final episode, but the line that Flip Wilson says to Redd Foxx just before Don's TV blacks out was "Children are a blessing." It seems the only thing that Don hasn't dropped, or lost, in his life, is his relationship with Sally. I'm guessing those two phone calls that Don made during his stay at the motel were to her. I hope the final episode gives some clue as to whether Don will commit himself to his soon-to-be-motherless children, or cuts all ties to his Don Draper life.

The only other thing I want to see is some development about Peggy. I wish a hopeful ending for her. This show has had a serious feminist consciousness throughout, and I would expect our final view of Peggy to have something to say about that. A final scene between Don and Peggy seems unlikely given the developments of the show, but it would certainly be satisfying.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Uri »

The Original BJ wrote:(Has Peggy ever been absent from an episode? I feel like maybe, but that's such a rare occurrence).
Yes – she was not on the episode following her leaving SCDP on season 5’s The Other Woman, steering a lot of speculation she was actuality gone forever from the show, only to be back in full swing in that season finale (featuring her and Don and James Bond at the cinema).

As for this last episode – I have mixed feelings. It was brilliant storytelling, and being so committed to this universe and these characters for so long I was as emotionally devastated of its abyss (doomed Betty) as well as thrilled by its relative high (Pete and Trudy) as the next guy, still I felt it was a bit too much on the neatly-wrapped, catharsis-inducing kind of story-concluding farewells I was somewhat apprehensive of. I’m perfectly fine with the way Don’s narrative is being unfolded though.

On a more positive note – I’d like to take a more sober look at Betty’s finale proclamation of love for Sally. Betty was always at her best as a mother to her daughter when she could see her as an extension of herself, as a reflection and manifestation of her own codes and agendas, when she felt she was winning this tug of war she was playing with Don over Sally’s persona. The casual Mom and her little girl applying makeup side by side in front of a mirror in season 1, giving sally a replica of her own riding costume, defining them as a team while Don’s MIA in California in Season 2, making a lovely speech about the significant of the first kiss(s) both shared with Francine’s boy and Henry on season 3, all heartedly enjoying Sally being so typically and over the top girly on learning she was going to a Beatles concert on season 4, another great speech about being a woman when Sally had her first period (and triumphantly rubbing it to Megan – She needed her mother) in season 5, offering Sally a cigarette on their drive back from Miss Porter when she finds out Sally was perfectly presentable in season 6.

And now this. Yes it was about love, but it was also about finding a way to pull Sally’s strings from beyond the grave, making sure she properly conduct herself the way Betty believes she herself always had. By dying this young, she wins this battle. Sally will never be a rebel, she will never drop everything and go on the road – she will be a dutiful, responsible substitute mother figure to her little brothers, a comforting surrogate spouse to Henry, a perfectly put together mistress of ceremonies at Betty’s funeral. And eventually she’d be this dependable, commandingly in charge imposing lady for the rest of her life the way Betty’s mother was, an act Betty always so courageously struggled to master and finely managed to organically inhabit on her last days, majestically facing death.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by The Original BJ »

Even up until the bitter end, Mad Men continues to defy expectations about how television stories can be told. Who'd have thought that the penultimate episode wouldn't feature characters as integral to the series as Peggy, Roger, and Joan? (Has Peggy ever been absent from an episode? I feel like maybe, but that's such a rare occurrence). There's a part of me that would get a kick out of the writers doing something super out there in the finale -- like an episode without Jon Hamm or something -- and I love that we didn't even get any scenes from the next episode this week to keep things almost entirely up in the air about even WHO will appear in this last episode.

But this was another terrific episode following the past couple. I've always liked Betty Draper -- at least as a character, that is -- and her entire storyline was just heartbreaking. I agree with flipp -- that letter to Sally was one of the most emotionally resonant moments in the history of the show, and of course it totally makes sense that a character as frigid as Betty would only be able deliver such a moment in letter form. (I also liked that it really brought things full circle to the beginning of the series, in which Don and company had to figure out how to sell cigarettes to a public becoming aware of their health risks; now we essentially see the tragic consequences of those ads).

The Don plot line, too, brought things full circle to the essential hook of the show. Mad Men's take on Don's identity swap has always seemed to straddle the line between the Betty reaction (WHAT?!) and the Bert Cooper one (So?) -- it's both a completely intrinsic foundation for the series as well as a nearly incidental footnote of a character detail. I think with these last episodes, we're really seeing how much Don's feelings of confusion and aimlessness toward the world around him are rooted in the fact that he ran away from his identity so many years ago. One of the main themes of Mad Men over the years seems to be that, as much as you may try, you can't really change very much who you are, and while we've seen this play out among many characters over the years, it's definitely reaching a zenith with our protagonist here.

I enjoyed the Pete-Trudy storyline almost entirely for the fact that after all the failed marriages on this show -- Don/Betty, Don/Megan, Joan/Greg, Roger/Mona, Roger/Jane -- there's something poignant about one similar couple getting a second chance. (And maybe there's some irony that the one to get a happy ending in this department was that rascal Pete.)

There was something kind of cheekily ominous about ending this episode with a Buddy Holly song, given the number of theories that abound about the doomsday scenarios Don could encounter in the last episode. (And I almost wondered if that crazy D.B. Cooper theorist had decided it was yet more evidence to support her doomed flight prediction.)
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Mister Tee »

Betty has been fairly widely disliked by websters over the years, but I think nearly everyone was crushed by this development. And it was handled so well in so many ways: the vague flirtation with the younger student prior to the fall; the students listing her as Mrs. Robinson; the humiliation (true to 1970) of not even being allowed to hear your own diagnosis till your husband turns up -- these nicely calibrated details made the moment ring truer and deeper. And then, the reactions -- Sally's covering her ears (I didn't hear that!), and, as FilmFan has already noted, taking Gene onto her lap; Henry's unexpected burst of crying (and Sally's "What the hell do I do here?" gesture); and Betty's brilliant exchange with Henry "What do you think Rocky would do in this situation?" "He would DIE".

The question is, will we ever see Don's reaction, as he is off on his own adventure (though checking back in periodically, so far). There was a sense of dread surrounding the whole small town visit, especially once the motel owner talked him into staying the extra night. But there was marvelous misdirection involved: we're sure Don's going to be caught out by someone who knew something about Korea, but the only one who does was from a different hitch; then we think the group might turn on him for his confession, but if anything the offer him absolution, in the form of "We all did what we needed to get home"; finally, when we think he's home free, they break in and punish him -- but they have (ironically, given Don's fake identity) the wrong man.

Incidentally, when the episode opened with that "We've been looking for you" dream, I'd thought it was based on his fear of the McCann folk tracking him down. But by the end, I'm thinking Don's never stopped feeling pursued over the Korea incident.

And the Campbell family offers us some ray of hope this episode. It's always great to see Alison Brie get some scenes -- though I have to say she was so convincing in her mid-point arguments against getting back with Pete that I'm wondering about her acquiescence at the finish.

As for what happens in the final (TV guide says) hour and 15 minutes: I root to see all the characters at least make an appearance. I can't believe we won't see Peggy once more; the show has clearly been about her and Don from the beginning, and, while her strut in to McCann with sunglasses and painting was a fine visual sign-off, I'm thinking she needs encounter her mentor one more time.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Kellens101 »

Gosh, last night's episode was just heart-wrenching. I'm dying to see what happens in the finale. I hope it ends well for everyone.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by CalWilliam »

Such a cold, poignant penultimate episode. Just in order to get away from sadness, I'd like to say that those references to The Graduate and The Godfather were nice.

Was this Milk and Honey Route the path towards Don Draper's death or Dick Whitman's? Is he going to finally found himself? If not, which one of both is going to prevail?

I have no idea how the finale is going to be developed, but I deeply expect to see Peggy and Joan one last time, and like its title announces, 50 minutes of subtle and quiet conversations between the main characters would be the proper thing to watch. No more surprises, nor late twists, nor strong emotions. All those insightful glances will suffice.

Last shot of the series: I'd wish Joan Harris with Don, shutting a door and having a seat.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by flipp525 »

Sally reading that letter from Betty saying how much she admires Sally is one of my favorite moments of the series. It was incredibly moving especially for a show that doesn't often trade on emotion. I'm going to be a mess for the finale.

My gut tells me that next week will be the most significant time jump of the season and that Betty will have already passed away.

They did a fantastic job ratcheting up the sense of dread in that Legion meeting.
Last edited by flipp525 on Mon May 11, 2015 6:16 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by FilmFan720 »

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot to add to this episode...just wonderful from top to bottom. For only having 3 of our main characters (and only 5 series regulars), it seemed like such a fitting penultimate episode. And in true Sopranos fashion, the penultimate episode is where the looming presence of death is felt.

To me, the most heart-breaking moment was Sally sitting at the kitchen table, Gene on her lap and Bobby staring at her. Her expression said it all: the fear of losing a mother and the weight of becoming the woman of the family. With Don an unfit day-to-day father, and Henry not really being the most warm or fatherly figure (and not having time to raise two kids), my thought was does this mean Sally gives up everything to raise the boys? She is so unhappy in that world, and seems destined for an alternate life, that will this throw all that away. Then comes the letter from Betty, and her admiration for Sally, and it all just opened up.

So, I will leave us with one of our favorite pastimes on this board: predictions. I'm not really interested in figuring out how Weiner is going to end the show (he is constantly unpredictable...24 hours ago, Betty dying, Trudy and Pete getting back together and the return of Duck would have all been far from my mind). Instead, lets take bets as to which characters appear in the final episode. Will it be Don and no one else? Will we go back to McCann and see Roger and Peggy one last time? Will we return to the Francis household? Will our last image of Sally be reading the letter, and finally having her mother's blessing for going out and being her own person? Will we see Joan again, or has she just cashed out and left our story? Will we have another Duck Phillips-esque return from Freddy, Kinsley, Sal (wishful thinking?), Bob Benson, Lucky Strike cigarettes, Conrad Hilton or even poor Ginsberg?
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Big Magilla »

I had intended to binge watch the entire season after it ended but with the episodic details being spilled all over the internet I feel like I've already seen all but the last episode which I may have to watch live if I don't want to be inadvertently greeted with spoilers.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Greg »

Wow, I did not imagine that the big tragedy would hit Betty.
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Re: Mad Men's Final Season

Post by Mister Tee »

I think I vaguely heard some suggestion Don was D.B. Cooper a while back, but, as you guys say, apart from potentially disappearing, it's hard to see how it fits Don's m.o. These details the writer seem to feel make her case -- Bert Cooper reappearing -- are so flimsy it's hard to believe anyone could take them as buttressing the case. (They more resemble a paranoiac's pointing to seemingly disconnected facts and claiming they represent a dastardly pattern)

And this guy's final paragraph -- saying the show will probably end in '71, and Cooper did his thing in November of that year -- is a howler. It's more likely, given the show's standard time-jumps, that the last episode will take place inside 1970, at most a few weeks/months into '71. Unless the show goes all Six Feet Under-finale on us, the idea we'll jump 14 months in the last two episodes seems insane.
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