Hershey's pitch - Don breaks and reveals sad childhood - Mad Men great emotional scene מד מן

[@Azkahamm]

It was the one thing he couldn’t lie about. He couldn’t cheat the one good memory he had from his childhood. Definitely a Rosebud moment.

[@23jakesmith23]

Also in context, Don's secrets were beginning to catch up with him in his family. This was a tipping point.

[@thesuperiorshave]

gee suss | deep

[@chiedu90069]

"It was the only sweet thing in my life." Hamm's delivery of that line kills me every time.

[@MichaelRe-c7q]

Best actor for the role

[@AmyPags1]

Don finally lets his facade crack and has his first real human moment. And it ruins his life. This was hands down my favorite Don moment ever.

[@Raztatic]

I haven't watched the show, but I've seen many clips. How does this ruin his life?

[@andreww5574]

It didn't ruin his life. It damaged his image in the eyes of some in the room. It ruined his job (for a time)

[@liamsmith2183]

God I know this is 9 years old but I don't think it ruined his life. It set him on the path to enlightenment in the end

[@chrisconnor8086]

it jeopardized his identity because he stole his identity off a dead soldier but i dont think it ultimately ruined his life

[@BatmanHQYT]

"Ruins his life" is a stretch. It lost him a client.

[@DeadpoolX9]

it's amazing because he actually made two pitches, one was the beautiful lie he's been telling himself and everyone, and one was his actual connection to the product. guess which one screws him over? nobody wants the truth in advertising a gold coated lie will always be sweeter and more marketable than the truth. not even Don Draper could sell the truth.

[@kahlildozier1397]

you really shouldn't be selling candy to kids with stories of whorehouses

[@DrGH201]

Shelby Williams Wow... I didn’t see that, but often wondered why he chose that moment to be honest. Your take on that scene is right on, and I thank you for that.

[@carlsnyder4833]

So much truth in that. I’ll take it a step further and say that no one wants the truth in much of what we encounter including politics and religion and the like. Nuance makes it exhausting and difficult to sell. So we concentrate only on that which fits in our values and we condense and exaggerate and ignore all contradictions and sell it

[@tavi_elli]

Love how u break it down

[@rickrose5377]

DeadpoolX 9 Caspar David Friedrich! Nice.

[@Laf92]

Don Draper finally cracks at the only place he was ever comfortable being, a place where he was a king, this breakdown happens and they threw him away, a rather cruel fate

[@leviathanmg]

Yeah, but it shouldn't have taken this long. It shouldn't have happened here. Don -- or Dick -- ran from himself until his legs fell out from under him.

[@IRHasDiabetes911]

I still think Guy Mackendrick's fate was the cruellest.

[@Igni-bu5mz]

@@SaveriusTianhui What I learned from Mad Men: None of these people are happy. Don Draper/Dick Whitman: Not happy. Constantly plying himself with women and alcohol. Can't fix himself. Roger Sterling: Not happy. Same as Don. Pete Campbell: Not happy. Doesn't feel manly enough. Despite his hot wife, he's not satisfied. Harry Crane: Not happy, feels underappreciated. Ken Cosgrove: Not happy. Maybe he'd rather write. Paul Kinsey: Not happy. Doesn't really believe in what he's doing. Salvatore Romano: Not happy. Gay man in the closet in a very unforgiving age. Betty Draper: Not happy. Cold, bitter, sullen, angry mother. Unhappy with Don's philandering, but that was only part of it. She had her own issues. I could go on and on, but this show really hits home the fact that everyone is fighting a battle in some fashion or another.

[@stalledimagination]

@@Igni-bu5mz this is good pal, really good

[@wvcricker5683]

Mike G. You are right!! We are ALL fighting battles and the hardest ones to fight are the ones inside our minds... I am to the point where I wake up in the morning only to count how many more hours before I can go back to bed...

[@johnsierra7281]

One of the most phenomenal actors of our generation, and he certainly does not get the credit he deserves.

[@fluff975]

John Sierra I'd love to see Hamm take on another serious role... but as Draper, it is without a doubt one of the most remarkable portrayals of a television character ever. And Don is, to me, one of the great characters in the history of the medium, alongside Tony Soprano, Walter White.

[@simonromlie9009]

+Mobley Hernandez He is amazing in "A Young Doctors Notebook" with Daniel Radcliffe. Hamm was the reason I started watching it and I wasnt disappointed.

[@uscman]

I wish he would play Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic in an MCU Fantastic 4 film!

[@slide4180]

Don't say the U word! Don't do it!

[@jamiepaul2673]

He gets plenty of credit haha

[@DOTHISNOW]

He just couldn't lie any longer. Hershey actually meant something to him and he wanted them to know it.

[@RY-qd6qz]

The consummate liar could not bring himself to sully the one good thing from his childhood. It's all on painful display, the unloved orphan,defined solely by his utilitarian use to others, dreaming of a better life somewhere else. Absolutely one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever on television.

[@robynguzman2053]

Never thought of it as his refusal to sully Hershey's, and how unloved and completely USED as a child. Poor thing. Great perceptive insight, Ronito!

[@RY-qd6qz]

Robyn Guzman Thanks Robyn. I hope you enjoyed the finale. I loved it.

[@leviathanmg]

+Ronito Joven Don was definitely a utilitarian.

[@DrGH201]

Amazing insight into a very complicated character. I always thought this was just more BS or some breakdown, but I would have to agree with your assessment. I always thought his truly honest moment was when he took his kids to see his old house; that was a great scene.

[@thevideocommenter3061]

@James Gray lol where the hel did you get that from?

[@EmRePhoto]

I find it interesting that all the people don loves just tell him to be honest. But honesty makes him lose all the things he loves.

[@scottbennici4689]

Like what he said after Betty divorced him, “as soon as she found out who I really was, she wanted nothing to do with me”

[@alicemagnoni3210]

@@scottbennici4689 But it wasn't for that moment of honesty, it was for the years of lying

[@roycethompson3161]

He picked the worst possible context in which to drop that knowledge though,

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

@@alicemagnoni3210She married the lie and divorced the truth. Not solely on him.

[@scottbennici4689]

@@alicemagnoni3210 well yeah obviously, but, and I’m not blaming Betty here, but the way she called him “Dick” and her dislike for him after kind of echoes Don’s statement.

[@briandtnguyen]

One of the most cathartic and best scenes in television history, ever. After watching this scene for the billionth time, I noticed that Don glanced at Ted before he broke down and tells the truth about his childhood. Ted is a glaring reminder of how unhappy you can be if you're not allowed to be your true authentic self and seeing Ted look sad and mopey during the meeting gave Don the balls to man up and just go for it. Don probably felt like a sell out after he told that bullshit story and saw Ted looking downtrodden. Really subtle stuff that only an amazing team of writers could dream up! Bravo!

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

+Mooky Blaylock It's one of the best Mad Men scenes and Mad Men is one of the best shows. You don't know jack shit about TV and film do you?

[@meris8486]

@Mooky Blaylock It means what it says it means

[@dannyhicks8653]

I am just glad Ted became part of the teams and sort of friends with Don,cause I remember season 3 he hated Dons ass hah.

[@jkmwll456]

Ted Beneke???!

[@G-manMendoza]

@@jkmwll456 Bravo Vince 👏

[@yosetful]

Mad Men was the only thing sweet in my life

[@aislinnleblanc8019]

José Miguel Servian same

[@marcopico7074]

José Miguel Servian or porn

[@Zabs_Mcgee]

Lmao so true

[@leoboss3712]

Mad Men was so impactful to me. Absolutely love this show.

[@rorycox7830]

lol

[@tcs923]

The moment that really cracked him was when he told that fabulous, lovingly textured lie and they all smiled and thought it was a great childhood story, and then acted like it was really his. Living the other parts of his persona, no matter how fabricated they may be, is no problem when it comes to his job...that's a lie he can live with. But having to come to work every day and put real work into this project based around a tender, supposedly true, childhood memory, having all of his friends/coworkers smile warmly at him and what a great dad he had...that cuts too deeply to endure. There is living lies for fun, and there is this. That, and Ted, and his kids, and the rest of it...is why he cracked.

[@Alambamabomnshell]

Tristan Smith I agree. I can't remember but wasn't Ted having a problem that involved Peggy and maybe moving to L.A? He gives the first sale and then looks over at Ted who is forlorn and then goes to change it.

[@realexkav]

This is a bit late, but only a couple of moments earlier in that episode, Ted semi-reveals to Don that his father was an alcoholic. You can see Ted getting profoundly sad when Don tells his "happy childhood" story. Don seeing Ted, feeling this connection to him, is a pivotal factor in Don's breakdown.

[@slayr399]

I'm re-watching the series for about the tenth time now and it's only now reading your comment that I realise Ted was looking forlorn because he was thinking about his father. I always assumed it was solely because he had been denied the chance to go to California and escape Peggy.

[@Alambamabomnshell]

slayr399 10 times? That is amazing. What do u think of Betty? I love her but would like your take on her.

[@slayr399]

Betty has the petulance of a nine-year-old child. I particularly like that scene where she's talking about Sally's progress with Dr Edna: Edna suggests Betty could also benefit from talking with "someone", implying a psychologist; Betty responds petulantly, asking why she can't just speak to Edna; and Edna replies, "Betty, you can talk to me. But... you know... I'm a *child* psychologist." That sums up Betty perfectly to me. Having said that, Betty, like all the women of Mad Men, demonstrates very clearly, and often better than any of the other female characters, how difficult it was for women to be treated fairly during that period, which makes her an incredibly important character.

[@ChristianKelley91]

What was do despairingly sad was Don putting his heart out there, only to lead to his downfall at the company. I was so moved by the second sales pitch...it brought me to tears at how real it was. We were with Don all this time and knew, and finally he laid it all out. Great acting from Jon Hamm

[@bernarddiggins5404]

I grew up in Hershey and honestly found the second, true, recollection of Don's childhood and Hershey bars a more compelling pitch for the product.

[@xkavarsmith9322]

Bernard Diggins It really is. They're really lucky: Don gave them two pitches for the price of one.

[@NYCentralSpotter1070]

+Andy Smith If you just cut the whorehouse related stuff, you can probably build something worthwhile.

[@dynamitemike65]

Absolutely one of the best written scenes in dramatic television. I'll never forget this scene, my mouth hit the floor when Dan started in on his childhood. They just don't write TV shows like this anymore.

[@Mopark25]

Succession.

[@guitarslinger213]

They cut out the best part right after Don's meltdown where the Hershey's exec says, "Is that what the campaign is going to be?"

[@robertvwarren]

and he responds something to the effect of, “If it was up to me, you’d never have to advertise.”

[@rr7firefly]

That gesture, hand to the face at 3:15, gets me every time. So much expressed in that gesture: Don consoling himself, protecting his vulnerability. The painful memory of a young boy returns to him at that conference table. The moment is so raw and honest, unlike the facade that people always project to others.

[@mijreed]

Don couldn't handle the lies anymore. The lies about his past, the lies about who he was/is, the lies to the clients. I think right there he realized he built his entire life based on a lie and he couldn't live with himself anymore like that. He had to come clean about who he is.

[@fullfist]

this was the highlight of season six finale, i really wasnt expecting anything this game-chaning Cooper and Campbell were the only one who knew about his background and Cooper chose to let it pass because he believed a man could change his destiny.

[@Tasukihori]

Cooper and Campbell only knew bits and pieces of it. They knew that Don's real name was Dick, and that he stole an army buddy's identity when his buddy accidentally blew himself up in the Korean War, but they didn't know that he lived in a brothel as a child. That was new news to them.

[@umz_786]

mindblowing performance. finally the great Don Draper cracks.

[@tucsonia]

This is such a heartbreaking scene. I know that Don can be ruthless SOB but this meltdown betrays that he is a very mortal man who has finally reached the bottom of his emotional limits.

[@smarkslowplay3512]

Tragic figure. I still root for him all the time though, that's how good the writing was

[@andreww5574]

or the peak of his Draper facade

[@gordanshaw7747]

This may literally be the best scene of this excellent show. So much of Don is revealed here, and explains so much about him and his motivations without lengthy exposition.

[@siphillis]

It's the way Hamm delivers "feeling like a normal kid" that gets to me. It's delivered with such conviction and depth that I truly, honestly believe he is in that moment clawing back deep, painful memories from a time where all he ever wanted was to be loved.

[@TreeFiddyBandit]

Chills every time One of the best scenes I've ever Watched...movies, tv, or porn

[@thehoneybadgerusmc]

K

[@unowen7591]

Way to kill it with "porn"

[@flora4616]

Lmfaooo FR FR 😂🤣

[@dsroaddogg]

I too have gotten chills from certain porn

[@davecespedes5674]

Or porn...love it haha

[@GiantSandles]

I don't really mind if Mad Men never wins an Emmy for best drama again because it already has 4 (although it'd be cool if it could break the record), but Jon Hamm's got to win eventually. Seriously, it's pretty ridiculous that he hasn't even got one yet.

[@QGorski11]

Real tough to win when you're up against Cranston. But yes I agree, Hamm is amazing.

[@samichaudhury4527]

how do you give one to Jeff Daniels for the Newsroom over characters like Don Draper and Walter White? :S

[@lilibetp]

He can have it next season - this year it has to be Peter Dinklage's.

[@samichaudhury4527]

No one on game of thrones ever gets considered for a leading actor category

[@lilibetp]

I'm not sure that Peter won't be this year.

[@kingston4313]

When you go down, go down in style.

[@xkavarsmith9322]

Kingston Gapate If this is going "down", then Don Draper's final scene of going "up" is the drill that pierces the heavens.

[@jsrlord2625]

@@xkavarsmith9322 Gurren Lagann reference??

[@joeldalangin2427]

Hershey's : "Hookers and Johns all love the sweet taste of chocolate".... Bad timing Don

[@NYCentralSpotter1070]

+Joel Dalangin Yeah. That ad slogan would never fly.

[@FunkSoulBrother7]

Hershey's, the cure for the common whorehouse

[@paulallen579]

@@FunkSoulBrother7 Damn, this killed me! LMAO!

[@ShivC-jv2cy]

Nothing said in the clip remotely leads to such a slogan. Trying to get a chuckle out of strangers with low brow humor - sad life you have

[@893loses]

Ted also says an episode earlier that his dad was a drunk when was a kid. He's watching don do something he always wished his dad could do.

[@jamesbide7407]

"The wrapper looked like what was inside." How to sum up the entire show's trauma in one sentence. Bravo Matthew Weiner

[@Spikastru]

I don’t care what they think, I’m proud Don finally admits his background, instead of running away as usual. Bad timing indeed, yet it was necessary.

[@fluff975]

Such an underrated, subtly great season.

[@dish2824]

I agree, I don't understand people's hate for season six.

[@fluff975]

dish2824 its just very don-focused and slow burning. Its a much different stylistic approach than other seasons. Don's affairs and alcoholism felt tedious and repetitive to some, but I felt it was necessary and realistic showing how hard it is for people to change, which, in the case of Don Draper, means to finally begin being honest with himself and those around him. You are not watching Don Draper in this scene. You are watching Dick Whitman. I thought the lack of characters such as Joan and Roger was a little uneven and problematic, but the Don material more than made up for it, especially in the finale. This scene, and season, is truly special.

[@Alambamabomnshell]

Mobley Hernandez I love that you say ''you are watching Dick Whitman''. Perfect. Thanks for your thoughts.

[@fluff975]

Boss Lady Lauren Haha thanks! That actually put me in a good mood... wish there were more people commenting on youtube like you!

[@hiltonhosannah769]

Season 6 is personally my favorite of the series, so it's nice to read this comment.

[@joannaong]

I consider this the scene that strikes Don towards his retreat in California. It's also actually one of his nobler moments--notice that he doesn't break down to reveal his childhood until he notices Ted struggling with his own thoughts. Ted withdrew and seems to be struggling with his feelings in reaction to Don's more wholesome pitch, and Don sees that causing him to likewise break down. He feels the need to share his story in empathy or connection. (Ted had earlier began to reveal that his father was an alcoholic when Don was trying to quit drinking, but cut himself short.)

[@YTSparty]

The best part is Roger saying afterwards "did that really happen?". Like he would lie about something like that.

[@BatmanHQYT]

Roger's conception of Don is the idealized image Don projects to everyone else. This is shown during Roger's LSD trip when he imagines Don telling him "You are okay", mirroring his Lucky Strike pitch. It suggests Roger really believes Don's bullshit and perhaps himself aspires to be him, seeing him as this symbol of his own lost youth and glory. Little he does know what lies behind the mask, until now at least.

[@argylemanni280]

@@BatmanHQYT In the episode where the dog food lady comes in, Don admits to eating horse and Roger does a subtle double take. The takeaway is that Roger assumes he's bullshitting the client.

[@ThomasReeves-s7u]

Characters had suspected he came from a poor background, possibly in the Midwest, but this story is so much more intense than just "I was poor" that I think a bit of denial or confusion is understandable. I mean this is a big thing to reveal at like a business meeting. So it could be a bit of incredulity/denial like "Did this just happen? Is this real?"

[@ethanjones5340]

This was the most emotional scene in the series by far.

[@DonDraperism]

I've been there. It's an awful place to be when everything is falling apart and you're hanging on by the skin of your teeth.

[@v1ryus]

How did it get out of it? Asking for myself since I'm hanging on by thin threads...

[@hallhoney]

I love this scene. Not a stellar season, but Jon Hamm continues to act his ass off. It's unfortunate that he has to compete for the Best Actor Emmy against greats like Breaking Bad and Homeland. He's never really gotten the critical recognition he's deserved for this role.

[@GiantSandles]

"how has he been nominated SIX. FREAKING. TIMES. and never won?!" The worst thing is the year Bryan Cranston wasn't nominated, he still didn't fucking win. Somehow.

[@threenumbnuts]

No, the worst thing is that in two years that they've both been nominated the winners were Damian Lewis and Jeff Daniels (such a one-note, preachy performance as Will McAvoy).

[@GiantSandles]

threenumbnuts I think you could've made an argument for Lewis, he was brilliant in the first two seasons of Homeland. But yeah, Daniels winning was kind of a joke given the quality of Hamm, Cranston, Lewis and Spacey that year.

[@threenumbnuts]

He was good, but he was a rookie. Hamm had been doing it for 4/5 years, they should've had Lewis prove he could do it consistently. Not to say he isn't a great actor by any stretch.

[@simonromlie9009]

Honestly wouldnt you have given him the job for this pitch? First he tells an ordinary story that is 100% believeable and probably true about a boy and WHY he picks the Hersey bar. Afterwards, he tells the story of a boy on the complete opposite side of the spectrum and why that boy grew up to love Hersey Bars.

[@BigMac8000]

I would - he clearly loves the product. He demonstrated he knew exactly what to say. In my mind he was just saying "Thank you". But this was a different time. A confession like that, or mental instability, was considered weakness. If he couldn't finish his pitch without an emotional breakdown he must be weak or confused. Keep in mind in this era people reading books or understanding any kind of psychology were completely unheard of. It was all about social grace, fronting, and tucking back anything real by swirling it in ice and drinking through it. Honestly just having this dialogue, I want a hershey bar, and I don't really even particularly like them. Something about that line of, "Much ceremony" really hits you right in the feels to appreciate things.

[@oigomieggo24]

BigMac8000 the “much ceremony” really sells how much value he held for the candy as a kid. Like it was the only important thing he had, like the candy was to him, what holding a trophy in front of a team and his family was to a normal kid. You can just picture a sad kid hiding in a dark corner of his room reverently holding up the bar to the light, but clenched tightly like it’s a lifeline that can disappear, before he tries to savor every bite to stretch that feeling as long as he can before he has to venture back into the uncaring world to earn his next hit of fulfillment.

[@thetheodora2371]

@@BigMac8000 It shows right in the first season with Betty too, when her shaking hands are diagnosed as being neural in origin and Don just scoffs at it. Another character (don't wanna spoil anything) has a possibly bipolar meltdown and no one seems to understand what is going on. Another one kills themself - probably would have benefitted from therapy, finding different ways to cope. There's even the word MAD in the title, I just realized.

[@jukihiw]

@@thetheodora2371 MAD referred to Madison Avenue, but yes there is a double meaning :)

[@thetheodora2371]

@@jukihiw no, I know that, it's just I realized how casually the words mad / crazy / psycho would be casually thrown around back then (and still today) - they jokingly call themselves mad men, without realizing how this kind of work and society can affect mental health :)

[@max2082]

This was basically an academy award winning performance. Jon Hamm is an amazing actor who just needs more amazing roles whether it's in television or movies. Just an amazing actor and also an amazing show.

[@splinter360]

The greatest show of all time. Gets me everytime.

[@BatmanHQYT]

Outstanding scene. Hamm's decision to underplay the emotion instead of breaking down crying was especially fascinating, because while the surrounding context of what he's describing is horrible, the memory itself is a sweet one - indeed, the only one. There's a sense of relief he must feel finally releasing this pent-up pain, even if the two sides of his life (his past and his work) are colliding recklessly.

[@TheCapedWriter]

Wow. Apparently, I need to start watching this show again.

[@amd1273]

I'm watching it again, I can't even remember how many times I've went through this series. Maybe 6-7

[@chrisfloyd77]

When he says "with great ceremony", Niagara Falls every time. My favorite scene in the series.

[@rebelraccoon9018]

This is beyond heart breakingly

[@conservativehawk]

"It was the only sweet thing in my life" --What a great script.

[@tovbyte]

I love that he finishes his perfect pitch first before he breaks down. A lesser show would’ve have him break it off half way through, but here it is more deliberate. Don is a master of disguise and displaying confidence, obviously he can pull off a pitch. No, he realises afterwards that he can’t go on like this, that maybe it’ll be right to tell the truth this one time. It feels more like telling someone at the end of school that you had a crush on them, like a “hey I don’t know if we ever see each other again, so what the heck”. He can’t hold it back, but it also doesn’t burst out of him.

[@gregcosta4768]

I think this pitch is better than "The Carousel".

[@janiceweasley580]

But his feelings during that pitch were real... collecting and looking at those photos kind of made him love Betty again, at least for a while. The one part of this pitch, the actual pitch, that was about his dad and a convenience store is complete rubbish.

[@lisaevans5316]

This is a good one. Isn't it strange how advertising works and can make us feel, or make us wish that we did have that super happy family experience. At least he didn't faint like Tony S. always used to do (panic attacks) I really enjoy watching old ads on YT, and actually remember a few from the 60's and 70's

[@IAimToMisbehave42]

***** "The Carousel" seemed like a masterpiece in emotional manipulation. This a genuine moment that humanizes Dick/Don and almost makes you forgive all the crappy stuff he's done. Of course, there were less self-destructive ways for Don to deal with his childhood trauma.

[@meris8486]

The Carousel was Don's best told lie this is his best told truth

[@jamesbide7407]

"The wrapper looked like what was inside" The whole show in one sentence.

[@robertswitzer990]

I think if anything, this scene proves the opposite. The wrapper, Donald Draper, looked nothing like what was inside, Dick Whitman.

[@slide4180]

@@robertswitzer990 Exactly. If "the whole show" proves anything at all, it's that the wrapper indicates, at best, only a sliver of what's inside. Most people eventually come to know that.

[@Onigirli]

What? Why does this comment have so many likes? He couldn't be farther from the truth lol

[@JosephSchneider26]

@@Onigirli Because the show actually portrays "Mad men" - just not in the glorious sense the ad guys would've meant it.

[@TheDanPeckShow]

“Weren’t you a lucky little boy” “Sweet tales of childhood”

[@rogersimpson8871]

perhaps one of the best acting scenes on modern television from certainly one of the best shows of the modern era

[@vegabonzo73]

If you even breathed during this story...

[@AdamG1983]

Roger and Ted at 1:48. They knew something bad was going to happen, even if Cutler didn't.

[@benkata]

so difficult watching this scene ... its all unravelling - but is the most important scene for Don as a character

[@CJ-ft9yo]

Back then this kind of honesty wouldn’t be heroic but reckless and he’d be judged for it

[@acreking9680]

This show is truly fascinating how it treats life changing moments like this one. Even though this was the most cathartic moment of Don's life, it wasn't treated as a "hurray for Don" moment. Instead, he was basically shitcanned and even when he returned ppl still threw this moment back in his face. So many times when I watch Mad Men, I expect it to be like other shows. For the characters to have a "look at me changing and everything's great now" moment. But in this show, characters end up either not getting rewarded for these moments or not always changing for the better. Like when Betty immediately goes from one unhappy marriage to another. Or when Harry changes from likable but insucure guy to a punchable confident douchebag. Or when Joan finally separates from her awful husband only to end up not having anyone by the finale. Mad Men shows life as more indifferent than kind.

[@CatElse]

And that is how life is.can people cope with that? Or do they want unnuanced stories.? Yes they do.

[@rastapasta96]

Loved this scene! So deep and kind of disturbing but I can picture everything he's saying!

[@oldhollywoodangels]

The shot at 3:28 is absolutely beautiful, a broken man who can't keep up appearances at work anymore, who's tired of his own beautiful lies

[@rocksmith8899]

Love me some mad man .. especially when don goes all out like this

[@julieerin115]

He finally unwrapped some of his identity, and instead of the chocolate being smooth as he appears to be on the outside, it was actually deformed and melted.

[@automap]

Great, powerful scene. After the end of season six, this was all I could think about.

[@followingtheroe1952]

Don finally realizes in truth: his lies hurt people

[@excelsior8682]

In this instance however, it just reinforced a simple truth: People like Hershey bars lol

[@aislinnleblanc8019]

This scene yanked my heart strings

[@dudeguys6362]

And this is why Roger is awesome. He looked happy that Don became honest with himself.

[@CWScally]

brb rewatching that episode.

[@gomezaddams4347]

Watching this scene again makes me think that perhaps this was THE key scene in the entire series. Don’s adult life was built upon a foundation of a lonely, unloved boy who fantasized about being wanted and loved but who was surrounded by people who left him feeling empty and disconnected from true human contact. He matured into a man who pursued the outward signs of success, family, love, but who remained unable to connect with others, even his wife and children. His torture was that he always remained that lonely boy, scared to allow true intimacy for fear of being rejected again. He was a man in whom there was no there, there. Deep down he felt this but had no idea how to break the pattern.

[@burner27]

the difference between the audience and the cast reaction is amazing. this scene resonates with the audience, but the cast is horrified.

[@Harkness78]

Well yeah, because the audience has know for 6 seasons of TV that Don is living this double life and have slowly adjusted to the story of his horrible upbringing. He just laid it all out in front of his partners who had no idea about any of it, and even worse in front of their biggest potential client.

[@mjremy2605]

You cannot be human in a shark infested human world. How sad human beings have devolved to this level. This moment of pure sincerity where the truth pushed its way out of him like toothpaste out of a tube, ruined his professional life. How sad. But here we see the real man emerging, fed up with BS. Great scene.

[@MrChuckbass92]

one of the best scenes!

[@lawsonone6015]

Tag line: “Hershey. The only sweet thing in you’re life”.

[@NYCentralSpotter1070]

Hershey's: The Perfect Chocolate For Hookers and Johns nationwide!

[@buster560]

LOOOL

[@captainweekend5276]

I like the parallel between this scene and the scene with Leonard in the finale. In this scene, Don bares his heart to a group of people, exposing himself as vulnerable, and not only does no one understand, he is actively rebuffed by those around him. Then a season later, he sits and sees Leonard bare his heart to a group, only to witness the same thing happen with people staring blankly as Leonard's attempts at laughing it off give way to weeping. However, at that moment, Don realises not only is he not alone, but he can make a difference to Leonard, and let him know he is not alone either.

[@detectivesingh]

greatest scene on television

[@armthelandless]

i can care much less for awards and accolades, myself and much smarter people know this is the best tv series to ever have been made. plain and simple.

[@waveswavesocean]

Amen!

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

Sopranos first, Mad Men second. All other shows are competing for number three.

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

@monokhem No. Mad Men has a more realistic setting. That says nothing about the quality.

[@Lookhaz]

@@WhoopsieDayZ The Sopranos was groundbreaking and Gandolfini's performance was the best ever. But the show in it's entirety had too many cinematographic issues and story inconsistencies for it to still be #1. A show like Breaking Bad is much more complete in that regard.

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

@@Lookhaz Nah this just shows that you don't know much about TV writing and directing, if I'm honest. Breaking Bad doesn't even come close to Sopranos, Mad Men and Deadwood. Breaking Bad you can watch one, then the second time you watch it there's nothing new to discover. The show doesn't go very deep, all the characters are pretty basic. It always stays on the surface. Mad Men, Deadwood, Sopranos you can watch 5 times and still figure out new things about characters, notice jokes, references and other things you have never seen before. The writing in these three shows is so much better than that of Breaking Bad. Hell, even Better Call Saul has better characters, writing and editing than Breaking Bad so far. Sopranos is still number one, despite a few minor flaws here and there.

[@parkjeong5296]

I love how the sweet, buttery images worked so well. And how it didnt as soon as a lit of bitter was introduced. Hersheys, they at least know what they want. Their executives are made of the same sweet, buttery chocolate as their product. Bitter had no chance for them. Which is funny, because all great chocolates are defined by the bitterness of the cacao. The depth of Don Draper wasn't understood for the crowd-pleasing megabrand. Don was too bitter for Hersheys, but even more so, Hersheys was too sweet for young Don.

[@joshmccollen700]

"...with great ceremony." It's a great way to put it. We all had something in childhood which in retrospect meant more than it had a right to.

[@CodaMission]

My God, how is that not the story to tell from the beginning? Maybe leave some details out, but it still works! I was born a poor orphan, and when I was working hard to get myself out, I loved reading about Hershey's orphans and all my memories with Hershey bars were happy" Its THE American story!

[@donnierhodes3465]

I don't understand why the Hershey executives refused to do business with them. If anything they should be obliged since Don shared such an honest and beautifully tragic connection to their product. It obviously wasn't a second pitch and not a meltdown. Just a moment of truth, and people respect that above anything.

[@mlc2005]

Obviously this is a wonderful role and an amazing, iconic performance, and it really SHOULD win at least one Emmy. But with the way the process works, Bryan Cranston has the harder, more explosive role to play. It shouldn't take anything away, though, from Mad Men's legacy. I will say I was a bit surprised that he didn't win for the "Suitcase" episode, simply b/c it was his greatest showcase... But Kyle Chandler in Friday Night Lights was also stellar so...

[@threenumbnuts]

Yeah, those are understandable. Damian Lewis and Jeff Daniels winning over him AND Cranston, though? Bona fide travesties.

[@mrcurely]

"and it said sweet on the packet" classic dono draper

[@CandyPinkcake]

“Feeling like a normal kid” that hit the most

[@lauren.heaver]

That is a amaazing scene. Nearly at that episode can't wait now!

[@michaelspeers3396]

When you see all the seasons, to be is is the best series ever on television. Brilliant - and the canvas it get created on is probably the most fascinating time in America and how so much as changed in that 12 year period - the show covers I believe 1958-1970. What a different world America became.

[@furdiebant]

One of the best scenes in TV history.

[@brettbewley5798]

I always felt like this scene was written around the beginning of the show and kept on the shelf for when they wanted to reveal more about Don's past and his change in character. Something about it just has a very season 1 & 2 vibe to it.

[@nopejoeandangie]

Imagine if this was the carousel pitch tho

[@MichaelRe-c7q]

What a beautiful scene. Wow, an emotional scene and the vulnerability is overwhelming. Being wanted....is that not the entire need or desire Don Draper has. Despite all his infidelity in reality he's connecting more to this Hershey bar and it's memories more than anyone he's been with.

[@JoeMacStevens]

Pitching Hershey should have been Don's shining moment as one of the things he wanted most was to pitch the worlds biggest companies. It ends up being his lowest though because when he tells the truth about himself he almost loses his agency. Even more interesting to me is that his greatest fear was someone else reveling his secrets and hm losing everything but in a moment of painful sobriety he ends up revealing his darkest secrets himself.

[@RaptorJesus]

I love that word choice. "Painful sobriety". That's Don summed up perfectly in two words.

[@v1ryus]

So how does a person admit the truth to another person without getting shitted on for being honest? Seems as if you almost have to sugarcoat your deception or past to keep a happy life.

[@Davian2075]

If Don or any person who had a good family background and lived a decent life his whole time, then lying about a story like this is normal. But to Don, he has been lying about this version of him for too many times over, he could have gotten away had he not looked at Ted and saw his sad face, this conflict of personalities was too great for him to handle. You see how much he felt relief after sharing the truth about himself, at this point Don was so alone in his old faked pretty version of himself that he deliberately shared with the clients in a meeting what he truly felt about a chocolate bar that related to his miserable childhood. When you start get real with yourself, you start actually living.

[@SomeGuyFrom216]

Jesus, I forgot this scene. Bear with me. My dad lived Don's story. My grandmother was a prostitute and would kick him out of the house, at 7 or 8 or 9 years old, with either a bowl of grits or a Hershey's bar while she serviced men. He told me these stories when I was a kid and in a lot darker detail, but when I heard it from his side of the family, it hit me like a lightning bolt. My mother was horrible too. I guess that's one reason my dad and I were so close.

[@eo31772]

Sad to hear about your dad upbringing. Bless u and your loved ones!

[@jasonlefler3456]

I know that Don’s hands shaking is to do with his alcoholism. However, the shaking always calls to mind Betty in the first season, hands shaking, losing control of the steering wheel. I see it as a metaphor for the need to be authentic shaking itself into the open, forcing them to be true to themselves. Maybe that’s obvious though and doesn’t need pointing out.

[@MantisUmbrella]

The wrapper looked like what was inside

[@claytonbigsby381]

Watching this while eating a Hershey’s is really something

[@SpruntForever]

1:23 Don sees that one of the executives didn't have that childhood and it breaks him down

[@cche16]

this would be the exact moment a person realizes they need help and goes to therapy

[@finnmccool684]

"The wrapper looked like what was inside." Don Draper wants to be a Hershey bar. He, the "draper," wants to remove the "drapes," and show his true self to the world. Clever, but also very simple.

[@dowen679]

good one

[@kahlildozier1397]

might be stretching it

[@Estefaniac19]

but if you notice, the way he becamed Don also happened in a very simple and you could say ridicoulous way, one moment they were standing from being attacked, he notices he peed on himself lets the cigarret fall everything explodes, the real Don dies and he assumes his identity, it[s tragic yet simple, and i love it because you feel that those are the kind of things you could do something about them and make them stop at some point, yet the lie keeps getting bigger and complicated, that is actually his whole life, i don't know if i am making myself clear but this is the reason why i like this show so much, that simple yet complicated feeling of how things sometimes turn out to be.

[@waltercolombe6105]

That Hershey's bar represented a significant truth to his being.To lie about how much it meant would one betrayal too many.

[@RaptorJesus]

You can lie to a lot of people. Most people. Maybe even everyone. And you can do that for your entire life, and never feel more than a minor bit of wistful "oh, but what if?". Beyond that, though? Nothing. You'll be fine. But you can't lie to yourself, about your happiness. That will eat you up on the inside. It will break you.

[@barrycosgrove9615]

heart breaking scene. Thanxs

[@shermanbaker]

I cried.

[@hanklesacks]

Almost made me shed a tear ngl

[@jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj178]

Every single one of them has had a bad, embarassing meeting, and when Don, to whom they owe everything, has his bad day, they throw him away like trash. They should be ashamed.

[@marcuslosgreat4225]

This is when I knew we are the stories we tell ourselves.