Mad Men: Ending Explained

[@darinmalone]

In the end Don learned an age old truth. You can make a shitload of money off hippies.

[@iamV10010]

Which is weird considering how broke they looked.

[@ssy12335]

They were indulged by their parents Every single one.

[@anneb889]

The seemed to know the hypocrisy of hippies in season one with Midge and her counter culture friends.

[@utkarshtripathi3781]

@@anneb889 they were beatniks, not hippies

[@robertlimestone6248]

The thing about hippies is that many realized they need money to get dope, and good dope costs more than cheap dope. But then a good stereo costa more than a cheap one. But then you have to have pizza. For that you need a job. Hippies had a pile of money they could not admit having.

[@frankenviews4069]

I always saw Madmen as a show about the tremendous cultural shift from 1960 to 1970. The series begins with Don as the perfect 1950's man. Perfectly in-tune with the zeitgeist of the 50's. This allowed him to be the great ad man that he was during the first couple of seasons. As society shifted around him, he struggled to adjust and keep pace. The final episodes sees him at his lowest and most disoriented by his fall from grace and painful transformation as he recalibrates his talents. The smirk at the final shot is Don emerging from his cocoon, transformed, having mastered this new generation's philosophy, ready to sell once again like only Don Draper can.

[@mykiemilford720]

But in order for Don to effectively function on the wavelength of the 70s zeitgeist a very real and sincere personal transformation still had to occur. Matt Weiner’s intention wasn’t so cynical as many believe. Though it may have been in service to corporate interests, that Coke ad nonetheless provided a cultural touchstone and helped mainstream a beautiful message in its day. It reflected back to society a global connection and compassionate humanism the previous decade’s ads (and admen) could neither touch nor understand.

[@powfoot4946]

absolutely, you can even tell by his fashion. He always wore the same blazer/shirt/tie combo, polo and sports jacket on the weekends, from the first episode to the very end. you look at someone like harry crane or rodger who changed with the times, grew facial hair, dressed differently, etc. but never don. And as we all know, the physical appearance always relates to a characters mentalilty in a tv show

[@bradtorville5526]

Except Don was always a fraud, right from the beginning. That he was able to pass himself off as an Ad Man who can pull the perfect pitch from out of thin air was most of the time due to pure luck and other times from knowing exactly what string to pull to jerk out the right sentiment for the occasion. When called on it if it failed, he'd often strike back with anger and bitterness -- it's THEIR fault, meaning the clients or his colleagues or whomever but never his fault. And he was always self-destructive, from the excessive drinking to his womanizing and disregard for nearly everyone and everything around him so long as he got to do whatever he wanted and got away with it. The entire series is his descent from the perch on which he climbed and claimed as his own down to his lowest point with a fantastical shot of redemption at his final grasp of the Coke jingle that marked his next triumph in his climb back up the ladder once more. Mad Men also chronicled how men viewed and treated women in the mid 20th century and how women chose to play the role of sex kitten which fed into men seeing them as nothing more than a "great piece of ass" and women wondering why they couldn't catch the men of their dreams as husbands. What man could have any respect for a woman who'd spread her legs wide at the drop of a hat and still expect to be taken seriously later on? By that same token, women who knew certain men to be grunting pigs who used women at every possible turn but still were foolish enough to believe that it would be somehow different for them simply because it was their turn at bat. Women competing in a man's world, not being taken seriously, treated and expected to act like sex objects, gleefully accepting that role and later regretting it but also knowing that they had little recourse for anything else given the time and circumstances. The one thing that truly bothered me more than anything else was Joan's rape by Greg. The fact that she felt she could do nothing to prevent or stop it and still had to pretend to forget all about it later on and marry him just filled me with rage and disgust, particularly when later she chose to end it with him when he decided to reup for another tour in Vietnam. It's a pity she didn't have the fortitude to break it off after the rape. True, screaming for help at that time probably wouldn't have gotten her any from anyone in the office but she could and should have ended it with him after the party and chosen not to marry him but women didn't do that back then.

[@popejaimie]

​@@bradtorville5526 you have wildly misunderstood women's role in the show lol

[@mnw5240]

@bradtorville5526 I saw in another video, someone asked Matt Weiner, who studied literature, if the name Dick Whitman was a reference to Walt Whitman. Matt Weiner said no, it was a play on White Man. When the show aired, I think a lot of people, white men especially, thought Don Draper was their hero: handsome, successful, women falling at his feet. The arc of his character shows a hollowness at the core and the way he is able benefit from fraudulent behavior and skate by, leaving a lot of damage in his wake You see, in flashbacks throughout the seasons, how he got where we first find him was a series of lucky breaks that he is clever enough to take advantage of but then he’s never actually able to appreciate his advantages and feel grateful. He just lives in fear of losing it, blaming others for the emptiness at his core.

[@ethanchu5643]

Leonard is an anagram for "Real Don". The subtlety of the show is off the charts incredible...

[@synsynsy]

Jesus fucking christ.... wow, you are right!!!

[@migueldelgadillo4097]

Mother of God.... you didn't just blow my mind, but you blasted it away.

[@Noubei]

Oh woaw..

[@afrodolly]

Woooooow

[@Majestique10]

I just got goosebumps

[@PouryaBigonah]

Mad men is truly one of the most hauntingly bittersweet things I have ever witnessed in art. It is one of those shows that doesn´t grow away from you it is rather you growing with it. I try to watch it once a year to see how much I´ve grown, because as I change so will my reactions. And what I´ve noticed is how much more relatable Don becomes as the years go by. The dreamy bitterness of his life is not only reflected by him but everyone around him. Everyone is faking it, and everyone tries to pretend they grew up instead of actually growing up. To me Don represented the most basic yet deepest of questions "are you happy with who you are?" and "Who did you wish you were? ANYWAY THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE VIDEOS :)

[@noahwinter4780]

Awesome comment man!! Actually makes me want to rewatch the series again 😄

[@natalie651]

I love how you call it "art." I almost never use that word with TV shows, but Mad Men is an exception. It is so much like "art" in so many ways!

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Mad Men was a great series. So was Boardwalk Empire. They are both sort of branches of The Sopranos.

[@yragoam6886]

Fantastic take, glad someone can put my feelings into words.

[@kamilleseven283]

I have been toying with the idea of starting mad men from the beginning. What a great show. I agree with your idea here

[@Wickedlittlesimr]

“What is happiness? It’s a moment before you want more happiness.” - Don

[@tomasdeleon1396]

It's a moment before you NEED more happiness

[@M16xDr0pSh0tz]

When did he say that?

[@limizzy]

@@M16xDr0pSh0tz when he tried to persuade a possible client who's happy with his current agency (probably Heinz) to move to his firm

[@dantae88]

It’s a billboard that screams with reassurance that whatever you’re doing….you are okay.

[@joshuaquinn1986]

It feels good to know that don really cared and admired peggy even though he never showed it so that call at the end is very important to me

[@TheJupiteL]

Because he's an exceptional mentor. The same goes to Pete, he never pat him in the back, or raise a toast to his success, yet they know they have so much respect toward each other.

[@bigpapasmurfz6252]

Are you kidding? Peggs is the teachers pet. Don loves her, well,.............as much as Don can feel love. "I will never stop trying to hire you." The Suitcase. Don puts his hand on Peggy, as a callback to her first day on the job, when Peggy mistakenly assumed that Don wanted her to his girlfriend, as well as his secretary. Don LOVES Peggy. He just shows it about every half-decade or so.

[@joshuaquinn1986]

bigpapasmurf Z that's the point of the phone call peggy had become better than Don because he gave her the blue print to strive for greatness if your good get better and stop asking for things dons best quote what is happiness it is the moment before you need more HAPPINESS Peggy's if you dont like what someone is saying change the subject i fuking hate don for throwing money in her face but it's don. peggy needs validation from don because he is her protege that simple

[@bigpapasmurfz6252]

@@joshuaquinn1986 That phone call was Don reaching out to the most important non-family member on his life. Peggy means more to him, than even he realizes. She is his one true connection to the outside world. Roger is Don's pal, but hes a clown. Peggy is the one person that Don will "go someplace darker", with. Even when Don needed to be bailed out of jail, when he rolled over his car on Long Island, who did he call?? Wanna guess? Don has COMPLETE TRUST in Peggy. No one else has that in his life, besides his beloved Anna. Peggy is on the pedestal.

[@joshuaquinn1986]

bigpapasmurf Z that's why i said the phone call means alot to me because there relationship was important always will be

[@jasonlefler3456]

I think it’s important to note that Don allows the word “love” to be used in the Coke hilltop ad. Draper had instructed his employees not to contribute to the trivialization of that word as they worked on prior ads. Given Don’s knowledge of Betty’s impending death and her brief work on a Coke ad in the early 1960s, I see the ad as a tribute to her, as well as a remark that he did truly love her, in the end.

[@shoelessfornow]

That's a huge stretch

[@jasonlefler3456]

Maureen Hahn Nah, he’s in the lotus position. It’s hardly a stretch at all...

[@jsm8149]

I did not read into any connection between coke and Betty. That is pretty thin. But The fact hat he is willing to use the word Love in an ad is significant is a symbol of his growth and recent awakening.

[@jasonlefler3456]

Js M I don’t think it’s what Weiner necessarily meant by it. I’m saying that’s how I see it.

[@nataliagarciahess3749]

@@shoelessfornow that's basically what literary analysis is.

[@JoJoJoker]

Love how Don ends the show wearing normal casual clothes. He was in a suit 99% of the series.

[@meinerHeld]

Since the ad was played last, you could argue that he ended the series in a suit. Spiritually.

[@mushfiqrahman4557]

Honestly the way he dressed in S7 E13 made sense but I was a little weirded out by some of the stuff he was wearing in S7 E14

[@rosegarcia2371]

Plus he looked gorgeous in the checkered shirt and jeans. What a beautiful man.

[@Ojo10]

Lol THAT'S why it felt so weird to see him in those clothes! You're so right!

[@bighands69]

+Joel D Don wore suits when at work or going out socially. He would not wear suits to the beach. When he first went to california he wore a polo shirt. Men of that era would mostly wear suits but on occations would wear short shirts or polo shirts.

[@IsmailTube999]

What I loved about Mad Men is that they never ended a season with some cheap cliff hanger. The final episode of each season eludes to a type of rebirth for either Don or the characters in the show. Even when I think about this show I can't get Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice" out of my head, that song in the season 5 finale encapsulated the show perfectly.

[@AyeCarumba221]

That song, as the end of that show, absolutely floored me. What a perfect song, moodwise. Perfect.

[@starrysoup]

Ooof right!? It's such a beautiful sequence and song 🖤

[@AyeCarumba221]

@@IsmailTube999 when that Nancy Sinatra some appeared, I was so smitten by it. I love the song, and I listened time after after time. It was major for me.

[@Buskeeeeeeee]

Honestly, the show could’ve ended right there after season 5. I like the ending we got, but season 5 wrapped up a lot. Nothing changes. Don returns to his old ways.

[@lukecywalker]

I am glad Pete got his just due. He just kept working hard and not taking handouts from family. That made his ending that much more sweet.

[@JP-ve7or]

I like that he grew up and stopped wanting things he didn't already have (as so many of us do, as advertising wants us to do) stopped acting like his father, and got his wife and child back.

[@JD-dv1mg]

Interesting. I thought Pete was a POS who didn't deserve for his wife to take him back. To each their own.

[@pedinurse1]

I loved how Pete turned around. He made his famiy happy after being a dog.

[@anneb889]

@@JD-dv1mg Pete was probably one of the more honest characters on the show, flaws and all. I’m glad there he seems to learn from his mistakes, and hopefully living away from NY will be good for him and Trudy.

[@powfoot4946]

@@JD-dv1mg youre right up until a point. there was a time, after he got with trudy, where he blackmailed to get ahead, cheated on his wife, acted like all the other ad men. i think in the last couple of episodes when he gets dinner with his brother that he realises that not what he wants. he didnt wanna turn into his father, he wanted a family life that was wholesome and where he had people who loved him rather than the bottle or hookers who only slept with him for his money.

[@mikecheng6010]

To me, this one is arguably one of the best endings I have ever seen.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

I loved it. Justified also had a perfect ending.

[@romicor9]

Second after Six Feet Under's finale, which is my absolute favorite and the most creative I've seen.

[@sint0xicateme]

Nurse Jackie's was perfect and somewhat ambiguous. "Jackie, you're good. You're good, Jackie.

[@JW-oo6kh]

Uhhh Sopranos?? Anyone?

[@WhoopsieDayZ]

@@JW-oo6kh Sopranos ending was perfect. If you understand the full extent of it.

[@andrecruzmarquez645]

Also I think about that final hug, it really is Dick Whitman who hears the other man, that's why he can be related. Everybody chooses something from Don, but no one from Dick, he's is the invisible man and, at the end, is the real man. Dick Whitman suffers all the weight of being under Don. Maybe at the end he reaches the merge of Dick (his past) and Don (present) for a better future.

[@jasonlefler3456]

Andre Cruz Márquez Leonard = Real Don ;)

[@Fedesiete]

Duck? (future)

[@andrecruzmarquez645]

@@Fedesiete Dock

[@julielopez3219]

Andre Cruz Márquez I cried my eyes out with this scene! Thank you for your analysis.

[@LucidGlorious]

Awesome insight.

[@ankicat3425]

I love the historic accuracy in Mad Men

[@GoodshagProductions]

Is ScreenPrism *ever* gonna stop making Mad Men and Breaking Bad videos? ...I hope not.

[@spookymadeleine]

even if they do all the main characters, they could easily do each season

[@MISO999100999]

they should start working more on the wire

[@leamanc]

I also hope not, but hope they expand their Breaking Bad coverage to Better Call Saul. With Season 4, I now no longer question whether it’s the better show. It really is.

[@muradmaharramov4888]

Actually, we need more Sopranos videos )

[@LayingInAMeadow]

I hope not. There is still so much to discuss, so many character perspectives and breakdowns!!

[@Bobbyismetal]

Could we please have a video on Trudy Campbell? She's one of the greatest and purest characters on Mad Men; I love her so much.

[@rolandbaldwin]

Alison Brie is fantastic. Yeah I was going to watch Glow and then I realised how much I loved Trudy and she really brings out the best in Pete through the years.

[@tier3290]

So glad she and pett had a happy ending

[@victorferr1]

A happy woman, who loves truly. That's Trudy.

[@proserfina21096]

I want Stan Rizzo video.That man is fascinating.

[@mihaelas8114]

Loved her too.

[@cherrelmcnatt3790]

Is there a Burt Cooper video I'm missing? He represented a different generation than any of the other characters. The oldest generation of Mad Men. His character is also ripe with symbolism. If there is not one, I'd like to suggest that he would be a great character analysis.

[@ferociousgumby]

How to Succeed at Business Without Really Trying. Oh yeah!

[@ActualSportsFan]

Cherrel McNatt YES OMG RIGHT?!

[@gonesnake2337]

Now I absolutely need this

[@JW-oo6kh]

Burt reminds me of Burl Ives, especially when he sings.

[@ndogg20]

@@JW-oo6kh Reminds me of Colonel Sanders

[@lucaslefty22]

I started off loving Roger's character, hating Pete and wanting to be Don. As the series finished, I respected Pete, loved Roger, and sympathised for don

[@SpyChickGaming]

Don did awful things, definitely not to be idealized

[@omarsabir1210]

Never expected to love Roger so much. Such a great guy.

[@hannahbananayellow]

Pete raped a woman... and was just an awful petty, privileged and immature man... don't think he will ever deserve respect

[@gauravdhande3954]

I can relate!!!

[@rupertpupkin2660]

Roger had the best one liners in the history of television.

[@michellederoo6280]

Just finished Mad Men for the first time ever (bc I’m planning to watch it again in the future) and I’m really satisfied with the ending. I even cried a little. I’m impressed by how much this series grew on me, I was hesitant to start watching it, but I’m so glad I did.

[@StephanieManley]

Thank you for spending so much time analyzing such an impactful show. You have taken the time to articulate many thoughts that were running around in my head on this show.

[@thatfangirl1145]

I just finished the show, and I miss it already. That scene between Leonard and Don b r o k e me. All the last ep broke me. Fml. What a great show

[@Esandeech2]

I started ugly crying

[@AyeCarumba221]

I feel your pain. I watched the whole series three times. Id watch it again, but I dont know where it is now.

[@PegasStar]

@@AyeCarumba221 Now it's all on Amazon Prime ^^'

[@ucheesomonu9098]

Mad men might just be the best tv show ever

[@victorferr1]

I'm sad it's over. I saw the last episode today.

[@aquamarine99911]

As a lover of both, I have to say The Wire by a nose. The Wire proved its worth by killing off its Don Draper-esque character, and still thriving.

[@proserfina21096]

@@victorferr1 I just saw the last episode now and I come here straight. I want Stan Rizzo video please.

[@hanklesacks]

The sopranos The wire Mad men

[@powertuber3.047]

@@victorferr1 I saw the last one today and now I feel like I will be going into withdrawal, so I came here.

[@e.l.s.3048]

The show's intro is symbolic of how it ended, in a way. The Don character is falling, falling, falling and then sitting comfortably in a chair. Don fell throughout the show. After the Coke ad, I picture him back in the office sitting comfortably there, smiling to himself that he succeeded.

[@Bravado1989]

This show made me an alcoholic and then got me to quit. 😂

[@LibbyLou123444]

Joey Bravado Same thing happened to Jon Hamm

[@theTruthSeekerishere]

I was literally craving alcohol watching the show...and I dont drink!!😄😄😄

[@willy541000]

Made me want a scotch and a cigarette even though I quit both 15 years ago.

[@The_Honcho]

Spent most episodes drinking an old fashioned for don lol

[@Castro62]

I am now planning to get a mini bar because of this show. Thanks to Don Draper.

[@Angel..Dancer]

I love Don's smile before the coca cola commercial. I was 5 yrs. old when the Coke commercial came out. I remember waiting for the commercial because the "jingle" was unlike any song during that time (or any I heard.) I believe the Coke commercial was remade several times with different "types" of people in other locations. My friends in elementary school would watch & sing along. It was the greatest feeling. It had nothing to do with liking Coke. In fact, my family drank Pepsi. Personally, I think it's the greatest commercial ever made.

[@markfullarton9]

yes angel :=)

[@maddy7]

Don's explanation and renaming of the Wheel to the Carousel, is IMO, the best of the entire series. Jon was so deserving of an Emmy in this first & possibly, the second season of Mad Men. I grew up in the '60s watching all these ads on tv. Weiner is brilliant in his writing & direction of this show. Hamm was born for this role, and he played it brilliantly.

[@kalai_doscope]

MAD MEN is the best written TV series, ever.

[@mirunastoica1589]

My mom finished watching the series yesterday and I just had a phone conversation with her about the ending and the impact the whole show had on her. And now you just added this video on youtube. I think it's a proof that this show changes the way you look at life, people, coincidences and choices. Thanks :)

[@Badmunky64]

My mom immediately picked out the commercial from the song while it was still panned on Don.

[@LindaLaurenPsychicMedium]

Buchi Chu lol absolutely!

[@bogolin007]

Same! She wasn't even watching but she was singing along with it from another room!

[@Gremory70]

Yup, I sorta did too. When I saw Don there, I turned to my husband and said this reminds me of the koom-ba-yaness of the Coke commercial.

[@stephaniebuckridge1388]

I loved that commercial when I was a kid! ❤️

[@NickWalenda]

Same, I said as a joke do you remember this song

[@joetones86]

I went through this show, and it really struck something internally and resonated. I’m Don Draper. I know, a lot of guys may say that or want to because of the drinking, women and success (not that I have or have had any of that really). But the loneliness and dark hole that was his life and who he was. The similarities of trying to forget things, bury your real self and just trudge along. Put on a mask. I went through this series in the darkest period of my life and during an emotionally intense relationship. I remember us eating and I was watching an episode, it ended, and she asked me why I like the show. In that moment, I couldn’t really explain or actually, didn’t want to. It was almost unconscious, but I really knew why. I said something shallow to change the topic “eh, I like to style of it.” This show could really be a study and lesson on depression and severe loneliness. The series finale was in itself, almost like therapy for me as well, and provided some hope. Well, that’s how it was for me.

[@shahzadnawaz6021]

Mad Men has been constant in my life, I have seen the show 7 times, and watching it again just creates an experience that is new to me. I don't claim to know Don Draper, but I understand his struggles and his crises. This show has helped me in my life like nothing has, Mad Men is the best thing to happen to T.V. And Thank You Screenprism for giving tribute to such a show. I loved every episode, I hope there is another one.

[@rosegarcia2371]

I love that Don has hit rock bottom and then has become enlightened. Deep down he was a good man. He was very creative already and he had talent. He was a winner despite his horrific childhood. I am glad he realized this. I really like this ending. I wanted him to succeed so much, because I like his character a lot.

[@sirarthurofwinterfell282]

YEEEEEESSSS I knew we weren’t done with Mad men

[@smritidewan8755]

We will never be done with Mad Men

[@maxpearce3509]

I asked my dad what the last cocacola advert he remembered was, and he sung a bit of this song. He was 8 at the time, he remembers it almost 58 years later. How spooky

[@glengamble526]

Max Pearce yep. I’m 52 and I remember it too. Especially the song. And I was only 3, almost four when it came out.

[@Bawbster1]

Mad Men's ending was a much deeper ending than the Sopranos. All throughout the series, Don Draper avoided words like "love" and other "touchy-feely" notions in his ads, because, as we learned from watching, Don didn't believe in love. Growing up in a whorehouse, and the rest of his upbringing for that matter, had it's deep, long lasting effects on Don. Throughout the 7 seasons, much like the opening credits, Don life had been spiralling out of his control, when we are to assume that he had always been in control up to that point. I believe his divorce to Birdie destroyed him more than we were led to believe at first, but that is when his life really took a turn for the worse in the series, and he never really recovered, in life and his career. I don't feel that Don was cynical towards advertising, as he felt it was an exact science rather than art. I think Don was cynical towards life. Don was a success in everything, but he couldn't maintain his family life and personal close relationships like he could create a memorable ad. The career was the easy part for Don, balancing his life with his career was the problem for him. Like you said, Don could create happiness for everyone watching his ad, but not for himself. Don was always able to sell the "sizzle" of the steak, all the insignificant things in life that people didn't really need, like the "smell of a new car", as that is how he sold the lie of his life to himself, with materialistic things, while missing out on the things that truly make you fulfilled in life, like growing old with your partner, molding and watching your kids grow, losing loved ones with loved ones around you, rather than being alone. The Kodak carousel ad presentation I think was an "a-ha" moment of sorts for him, where he realized what he was losing in life. At the seminar, the guy Don hugged told his story which woke Don up to this idea. People did love him, and had been trying to get through to Don his whole life, just like the man who told his story. Don (and this man) just didn't know how to react to the people in their lives trying to reach out, or even recognize it, as those concepts were foreign to them. That hug was a healing experience for Don as much for the other guy. It was the first step towards Don's healing process. The last time we see Don, the bell goes off and Don smiles... I don't think this was an "a-ha moment", but rather the turning point in Don's healing process. Don coming to terms and peace with everything that had got wrong with his life up to that point. Don had changed. The bell goes off, and he had his wry smile... Don was back, he was gaining control of the thoughts in his mind, coming to terms with everything in his life from the past decade. No longer the rigid ad man tainted by his past, he can now feel safe to use the "touchy-feely" concepts he so despised before... and we are left to see the result of that, the most "touchy-feely" television ad in history, even with the forbidden word "love", a complete departure of any ad campaign we've seen from him in the past. Like at @ of his video, the writer states it beautifully, people, like the past Don Draper, who find that ad corney are probably missing out on a lot in life. The Coke commercial is suggesting where Don was heading, back to the top of his game which we hadn't seen since season 2 or 3, with a brand new outlook on life. BTW - the ending of the Sopranos was easy. He got wacked at the end in front of his family, period. If you watch, there is a familiar hit man at the bar that follows him in, goes to the bathroom, comes out and boom.

[@aliceinthewired]

@Drake Lang Mad Men's ending may be more layered and character driven, but the impact of seeing Tony's death through his eyes is far more impactful. And if you fixate on the final four episodes of The Sopranos the consequences for Tony's actions are far more wide spread than the havoc Don caused in his life.

[@charliestrong1690]

A show like the sopranos is difficult to finish, it leaves the viewers with an ending of whatever they feel like they want to happen

[@venture.brothers]

so sad when he lost his younger brother. it wasn't a long arc, but to me that was probably the most profound loss for him

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

I want to say that the advertising industry actually elevated the characters on the economic ladder and allowed them opportunities to express their creativity and be innovative. I feel your question like that beatnik did say that advertising is a lie but not everyone has been encouraged to become an artist like he, Don and Peggy were able to find their knack through it and Harry Crane alternatively could have gone straight to the army. Joan was able to find how good she was at production and troubleshooting for sponsors. Ken was able to move away from his country childhood. Pete was able to transcend the limits of his upbringing and engages with people from different backgrounds. I love these character studies for the show and please don't ever stop.

[@edsherrington8657]

Not sure what you mean, Ken ends up working for his father in law and not perusing his talent as a fiction writer and Pete ends up working for a private jet company precisely because he fits in with the ivy league crowd who run it.

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

@@edsherrington8657 Ken's story not over; also never know what Pete can do in LearJet

[@silenceofthepams]

Both Meghan and Midge were ostracized as artists though because they didn't want to play the corporate game. Ken knows making writing into a career will ruin the fulfillment he gets from it. There are a lot of good moments in Mad Men but the central theme always will be "how much of yourself are you willing to pitch and sell?"

[@drakemott1123]

i kinda think pete and trudy might of died when they were on that plane in the end, just like petes dad and pete was always afraid to fly but then for some reason for the flight to witchita all the sudden he's not afraid at all to fly

[@yanair2091]

drake mott, buddy, maybe you should stick to some other genre. I've heard there will be a rerun of "Rosa Salvaje".

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

One thing about the last episode that just breaks my heart is where Don goes to the fund-raising party and finally, after all these years, reveals to fellow vets that he was responsible for the death of his CO. It's the first time he's ever told anyone that. He hates himself for it, but they embrace him...it's such a warm, beautiful moment of acceptance. And maybe through the acceptance of these men (the only people who can relate to the horrors of war), Don can begin to accept himself. And after that touching scene, they later storm his hotel room, beat him and accuse him of stealing the money. It was so savage. If these had been strangers, it wouldn't have been that big a deal. But he trusted these men...he shared with these men...and they utterly betrayed him.

[@lexia4016]

That’s the irony about life the they want to show.

[@AmyFlynn772]

Early on In season 1, Don talks to rachel about how love doesn’t exist. He then talks to Meghan about how he didn’t love his children. By growing up in a sex house, Don was exposed to sex at a young age and seems to never be able to turn it down. He also never had any real family, therefore never learnt how to love. However, he is very generous and form parent like relationships with others, like Peggy or even sometimes Betty when he treated her like a child. He has a good heart but has never felt genuine love even though he makes an effort with strangers and cares about his affairs, children and wives. I think the ending, where he hugs the man whose never been loved really hits home with Draper. He has peace the next day knowing he isn’t the only one who feels this way and he has hope.

[@jamiejames2078]

One of the things I appreciate so much about this show is how the writing unapologetically reflects the true attitudes and behaviors of the time. Some of it was so cringe inducing-but that’s what the world was, back then. Idk how MW was able to capture time, that way, but it is perfection.

[@iiitsagreatdayiiitsagreatd7487]

Those years were my time. I actually worked for an ad agency - I was 23, 24, 25, 26 years old and let me say, that show was right on. Everything about Mad Men was "real" - down to the type of glasses they drank from. It was amazing how they duplicated EVERYTHING. We smoked at our desks, walked the halls with cigarettes, the execs had booze in their desks and they did treat women as objects. And at one time we did have an alcoholic Don Draper. That show "was the real thing."

[@richarddehoop2824]

This whole analysis is actually quite touching. I love this show even more than I already did.

[@matthewmaxi]

Can we get a video about Ken? He had some of the most interesting character development in the show

[@HSMiyamoto]

Although "Mad Men" has been gone for four years, Screen Prism wisely realizes that a period drama like "Mad Men" will remain current for decades.

[@leticiavn]

To be honest, when I first saw the finale, I didn't connect Don and the Coke ad

[@bigd9040]

Me either. I thought it was just symbolism lol

[@justinrichard9823]

Totally, so cool watching this and putting the pieces together.

[@manthony225]

How does Jon Hamm get hotter as he ages?

[@shotgunjohnny]

Because you have daddy issues

[@manthony225]

@@shotgunjohnny No, that can't be it. I'm older than he is. 😁

[@shotgunjohnny]

@@manthony225 You ache to go back to a time when you did have daddy issues then, to a place where you know you can hop from one daddy to another without a care in the world, it's called the carousel ...

[@bigpapasmurfz6252]

Men age like wine. Women age like milk. Generally, speaking.

[@ImNotADeeJay]

@@bigpapasmurfz6252 Unfortunately, both men and women age like milk

[@ladyk777]

Please never stop with these Mad Men analysis videos! What I love about this show is that there is still so much to discuss long after it’s ending. Even though I have seen it multiple times, I always go back to watch to find something I missed before. It’s truly my favorite show of all time.

[@focusedallday5620]

Watched the entire season 2X. Absolutely brilliant. I felt Don’s pain and happiness, that’s how good the production/writing was. I’ll probably watch it again next year. I always find something new.

[@rolandbaldwin]

I just finished a rewatch and I want to thank you for this video. Mad Men is one of the best series the past two decades. This video is exceptional. It's also been a wonderful tool to talk with my parents who lived in the 60s in London and their experiences.

[@snoookie456]

Of all the show's characters (my favorite being Ginsberg) I relate the most to Ken Cosgrove. Sociable guy, devoted to his work, obviously not the work for him, the people he loves tell him to quit, but he keeps pushing, cause he knows it's coming... His payoff in the last season was a joy to sit through. How things work out for him at the end for being the guy nobody really hates, but constantly being punished for this in the corporate world was brilliant writing. The show kept telling you you have to be cold-hearted and cut-throat to win, but all those approaches kept failing while he made sacrifices and came out a grinning winner with a clear conscience. It's something we've all been dreaming of.

[@spookymadeleine]

The thing I've always wondered is whether or not Don and Betty saw each other again. I was doing the math; the likelihood of her seeing the Hilltop ad was very unlikely. It's funny how Coke (the all American product) has always been so intertwined with Don (the man aspiring to be the American dream)

[@VARUN20X]

The funny thing is that don was thinking about coke while meditating. Btw you are extremely beautiful ☺

[@coreym8783]

@@VARUN20X thanks mate.

[@yaeven4943]

@@coreym8783 Yeah, no problem.

[@sint0xicateme]

Uh...Betty died, no?

[@spookymadeleine]

@@sint0xicateme she didn't die on screen, but you can assume (based on her diagnosis), she died by the end of the year (1970)

[@dw0001]

I’m obsessed with Madmen. I would love to see a character break down of Sal!

[@ianmangham4570]

Snowflakey closet dweller

[@kelseyguire1037]

sal was definitely one of my favorite characters! and one of the only ones to get fired and to never make a return to the show :/

[@sandersgeorges]

lane price was a tragic dude

[@mandilee3164]

I love the mad men videos

[@LAB786]

One of the best written series ever. Ultimate classic can be watched in 20-30 years and still be great

[@BobSmith-dk8nw]

Yeah, he was smiling because he got his ad. They said he'd taken off before when he had like writers block and then come back - that's all any of this really was. He's still the same guy he's always been. The thing with this character - is that he isn't bull shitting himself. He understands his job and he's good at it. Sometimes though he just needs to get away for a while and let the idea come to him rather than chasing after it. .

[@melodyrogers9473]

You got it right on! The ending was epic. I'll never forget it. I feel it was the perfect ending. I was a little skeptical that the ending might not be stupendous as the rest if the show. I guess not wanting to be disappointed. It was perfect. Thanks for your comment. 😛😄😊😝😍

[@maggieray222]

I thought it was Don accepting he was the devil and the irony of weaving hippie philosophy ( which was utterly brittle and phony) with an addictive, artificial product that promotes obesity and a cost of health problems. All wrapped up in a Kumbaya advert.

[@pedroprovan4046]

@@maggieray222 so by extension, you would call don hugging and crying with the other man brittle and phoney. This was just the Draper, thinking on how to capitalize his emotions, ahead of the curve, ready for another venture in the world of advertising. Foolish hippies, don chuckled, i got em, oh have i got em.

[@maggieray222]

@@pedroprovan4046 Yup. Sort of a conscience clearer for a leopard who would never change his spots. Echoes of the scene in his office when Peggy quits on him to work for Ted. The only two moments where he has a slight dawning of anything is a) he never steps into the open elevator shaft b) the moment in the lounge when he is told about Lane.

[@seanmulligan2608]

When I saw the smile on Don's face I pictured him saying to himself, "I'm Back! I am Back! I'll use hippies to sell sugar water to the world. Dammit! What's the number to McAnn Erikson?!"

[@roderickbeltran7474]

These Mad Men critiques are FANTASTIC!

[@allines.realmx]

I loved Mad Men before I watched these videos but now I love it even more. I think these are the best deep dives into television I have ever seen. I have literally teared up in every single one. I full on cried when I watched the deep dive into Sally's character. I love this channel and I hope everyone gets to see these fantastic videos you guys put so much effort into.

[@MichelleMoonMaddox]

OK...you made me no longer resent the ending. Thank you...it's a real miracle.

[@ashkara8652]

Why did you in the first place

[@hungidran1]

I'm gladI'm not the only one...

[@abialo2010]

Mad men is one of my favorites. I have been enjoying all your videos. Thanks for your hard work

[@thetake]

Get a full month of MUBI FOR FREE: mubi.com/thetake (With the support of Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union) Support The Take on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thetake Subscribe to keep up with our latest videos, and let us know what you want to see next!

[@judeisurufernando674]

Hey guys! Loving the videos. Can you do an analysis on Pink Floyd? Their albums aren't simply a collection of songs but rather a very coherent experience, full of metaphorical imagery and themes. Anyone agree?

[@guillermoverdun]

I begging to watch this series year ago... then for some reason i stopped. Then my life took and unnespected turn (mi father died, got divorced, move to another house, etc) I picked the series again from season 2 and it was like '' look this men and his struggles, inner pain, sadness... you can do it too.... star over again''. Loved the ending! I'm into yoga now for some time and that bell sound reminds to the way the Eckhart Tolle videos starts. Long live to ''Mad Men's'' around the world!

[@sasabowtie9543]

I honestly felt that Mad Men needed a spin-off. There was so much more to be explored EDIT: Thanks so much for likes

[@TheGustavo54]

Nah. 92 episodes. It was enough.

[@bippy201]

Sasa Bowtie There are so many things that I would love to see more about, but I don’t think a spin off would be as good as the show itself. They never usually are.

[@rolandbaldwin]

I always felt Halt or Catch Fire should have been a spinoff. It seemed rather dull as AMC's followup period drama.

[@abramsullivan7764]

@@TheGustavo54 90 episodes actually

[@purumr]

@@abramsullivan7764 no, it is indeed 92, 13*6 seasons plus 14 from 2 part 7th season.

[@uyteryyujtk]

Visual media has always been an important part of my life. From de early oportunity to bond with my father to the finding of things I wanted in my life. Mad Men made me company in one of the roughest times in my life. All the series helped me cope with the sensation of being unnable to connect with others. Thank you The Take because more people could use the company of this series and what better way of doing it than getting to know whats inside of it.

[@naomiking8287]

I was not ready for this show to end. I would of loved to see these characters through the 70s, 80s, and so on.

[@annehajdu8654]

*would HAVE

[@naomiking8287]

@@annehajdu8654 🤷‍♀️ who cares, it was 2 years ago.

[@youtubesubtitles9741]

I hadn't even considered the majority of things you say on the video. This is like a lesson for me. I learned a lot, thank you.

[@lolotroll2]

The last season is so weird because it's like a mishmash between Mad Men and Twin Peaks. All the ruminations on death, centering around coffee, diners (Diana), and seemingly non sequitur sua sponte visions that actually do 'mean' something. It's very strange and shouldn't work, but it does.

[@janne_alves]

This video is spot on about the history of Mad Men. I've just watched the last episode for the thousandth time. I have a bachelor's degree in advertising, and I watched the premiere of Mad Men at my college in Brazil. I still keep the t-shirt that HBO gave us. Whenever I'm in a moment of transition in my life, I watch Mad Men to renew my hopes. That's what advertising is all about. That's what the series is about.

[@TheHoppesl]

The idea of Don Draper writing the best ad of all time creates the best series ending of all time. I was furious with Weiner for ending the series ,but, loved him for ending it so well.

[@jasonwomack4064]

As much as Mad Men ended in an awesome fashion, I'm still wishing they'd do one more season with Don running McCann. Could skip a decade to enable some flashback episodes, and end on doing the notable Apple commercial.

[@ravek3761]

Obligatory suggestion time? Obligatory suggest time. Maybe do a video about EVERY single woman Don was "with" in the series and how each one of them effected him and vice versa.

[@cheriecheung5889]

YES!!.... brilliant. please, more people like this comment ! .... anyway, theyve already covered betty and megan, i think it's fair that they at least do an analysis about rachel... one of his most special encounters

[@GianMarcosAguilar]

That would need to be a series not a video lol

[@stitchgrimly6167]

*affected

[@yanair2091]

How about a video on Jack Schmidt?

[@jojohunt1412]

They did do a video like that just saw it. Very interesting

[@777skiiii7]

I just finished the show today on April 4th 2021 I wish everyone who enjoyed this journey a similar happy & sincere ending that Don got

[@deborahblackvideoediting8697]

Me too! I've been binge-watching it for the past few weeks and just watched the final episode on April 4th. I absolutely loved it!!

[@proserfina21096]

I want Stan Rizzo video.I think the man is so fascinating and him with Peggy isthe only sweet thing that's happened in McCann after all the major players from SC & P went away.

[@baebanxx6942]

I started watching this show on netflix shortly after quarantine began. The finale was so emotional I was crying through most of it. The ending is absolutely suberb. I appreciate the writers for not wavering with any of the characters just to give them a fluffy happy ending, hell even pete matured and found his own kind of happiness. The deeper truth that the show gets at, and what really brings home to me is that whatever your idea of happiness, it’s only the beginning! The importance of feeling, vulnerability. In a culture that tells us feeling is weakness, I realize they tell us that only to end up selling it back to us, because our feelings are our most powerful guidance system! It taps into our inner most desires. Advertising can manipulate those feelings to get us to buy things, but it’s become so much more than that because the things we buy are now interwoven with a deeper means of communicating and bonding with each other! It’s so much more than what we assume on the surface, just like Don, Peggy, Sterling, Betty. And me and you. I’m so happy with the show and its ending, I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it in a few years time. It’s been so easy to judge Don in the later part of the series, but I see myself in him! He runs away because he’s really hurting and that’s all he knows to do. His final realization gives a realistic sense of hope, with out promising he’s going to be happy forever after, because we know he won’t. But we know he’s capable of finding it again.

[@tristanmayer125]

These Mad Men videos you guys have made are so good. Really reviving my love for the show

[@Blueeyesinthesky]

You know. I’ve always felt really bad for Don. Although he’s done a lot of wrong things, it’s not like he can help it. Everyone is a product of our childhood whether we’d like to admit it or not. And Don is just that. He does feel guilty for his wrongdoings when he lets himself feel and look at his past mistakes. He doesn’t do it often but when he does you can see it. He had a really rough childhood and not all of us can understand that, it’s ok. The one thing we can not control in our life is who we were born to, where we were born, and how our childhood plays out. Definitely not saying what he has done is okay one bit, but that there’s a real reason for it. He’s just a troubled soul. And just a child inside who doesn’t know how to love or even recognize it even though he needs it so much. In the end, he learned that he really needs to love himself or at least accept himself first. And that’s what he achieved at the end of the show.

[@raykall]

Just what I needed this Sunday evening, lovely...

[@barbaralobato3180]

I have been SO waiting for this

[@ninamarysan1]

my immediate thought was “this ending is a bit odd” but a few seconds after it hit me and i was like “ahh... genius”. i love the emotions madmen made me feel. i never usually cry at tv but i couldn’t help myself cry about 10 times at madmen.

[@VarunSharma-fh4vv]

I had pretty similar feelings about it, it's so sadly beautiful.

[@TxnyInTheCut]

the way this series grabs your emotions and sucks you in is incredible. the subtle symbolism about the state of someone's current existence is so simple yet so powerful. you have no choice but to look at your soul in the mirror and assess whether you've been living some sort of lie or if you're actually satisfied with your being.

[@MrJeffcoley1]

I love that Don’s moment of Zen was visualizing how to use inner peace to sell carbonated sugar water

[@jpetersgoyanks]

Good stuff, Don deeply connects to strangers and runs away from the important people in his life. Amazing show!

[@janedashwood2018]

It is safer to connect to a stranger who will never see you again. Revealing yourself to someone in your family, or at work, is a real risk and an act of deep trust.

[@Serai3]

That commercial was so central to me when I was a kid. I loved that song. So what if it was an ad? It said something beautiful! So damn, after seven years of Mad Men, the SECOND that first note sounded, I SCREAM LAUGHED SO HARD. I so did not see that coming. BEST ENDING EVER.

[@melodyrogers9473]

It was awesome. I was really relieved for a perfect ending. It couldn't have been any better.

[@halka316]

Finally finished Mad Men and now binge watching all these Mad Men videos! Personally one of the characters I grew really attached to but barely understood was Ken, I'd love a video on him :)

[@spiritofanu3112]

Those who were not teenagers when this add came out cannot fathom the impact this ad had on the cultural revolution of the 70’s. It was huge.

[@rhettlevelmidnight7329]

That scene with Leonard made me cry my heart out, true art.

[@deidrewilson4871]

Do LANE! Do GINSBERG!!!

[@proserfina21096]

I want Stan Rizzo video.

[@sierra3644]

YES

[@sierra3644]

proserfina21096 yeeeessSSSSSSSSS

[@markkhaimchayev1193]

I teared up a good amount watching this video! Person To Person was such an emotional roller coaster of an episode and Mad Men in its entirety is a masterful work of art. Thank you for creating such amazing content. You make people better by watching your videos because your insights capture exactly what we feel when watching these shows but can't adequately explain. Bravo!

[@adelia988]

For the short time I worked as a secretary in a advertising firm back in the late 1980s, I can say some of this is familiar.

[@dealerovski82]

This video is full of clips from the very first pilot and the very last episode. Great compilation and thanks for including so much of the greatest tv show ever.

[@MC-bu2uw]

I was hoping for a new MadMen video and i hope there ll be lots in the future. Hell, don t mind if this channel dedicates itself exclusively to making MadMen videos. Totally the best show in my opinion with so much depth and still lots of areas to explore.

[@peteralbert1485]

I knew Mad Men was the best TV I’ve ever watched. You do a beautiful job diagramming and breaking down - so thoughtfully, so coherently - many of the reasons I feel this way. Thank you.

[@jordansage9655]

Yes, Person to Person was amazing! I feel like the crux of it was when the man in the circle broke down and Don saw the raw emotion of desperate need and emptiness that his work was always aimed at; he saw himself as a provider and protector of that in others, which is why he hugged the man, and also saw that traumatic wound in himself, which is why he sobbed together with the man. It was a bridge that literally brought the anonymous audience he had always worked to touch at that place of desire for joy and connection was in the flesh before him, pulling him out of his own crisis and bringing him back to his sense of purpose. And that coke ad that topped it all off... So brilliant. It was like the deep contradiction between commodity satisfaction masquerading as true happiness and communion, and the real people that make those ads and the audiences who respond to them with genuine feeling and desires for a different social realty -- as if all that tension were pulled taught and revealed with breathtaking transparency. Truly an incredible ending...

[@ashraykant4424]

I appreciate how you engaged with the series and this is indeed a beautiful explaination, thank you.

[@EhunterL]

I need to watch every episode from beginning to end again.

[@chrispaul7849]

As someone who watched every episode 5+ times I thoroughly enjoyed this mini doc on MM essence. Also, as someone who has been writing for 50 years it makes/inspires me to keep digging for more truths and bridges to making us better people. Thanks for making this and uploading.

[@MonotoniTV]

Was the pun "A new Don" with Don standing in front of the sunset intended?

[@konijntje1536]

I grew up same as Sally Draper. My dad was advertising guy, own agency, sold to McCann. I was witness to all of this world as a kid.

[@annablyst6754]

My mom was Peggy- started as a secretary in the early 60's, became a copywriter, then clawed her way to Creative Director...worked at McCann and then so many others. This show really connects the dots for so many of us who knew this world.

[@jessefrazier8912]

the guy is an ad man through and through. it was a damn perfect ending.

[@jrebecca0195]

I just finished this series today after only one month of bingeing. Such a phenomenal show! ❤️👏🏻

[@erc5033]

I think the ending implies that Don finds some inner peace after all. Remember that in the last seasons he was imploding terribly. He made a fool of himself during the Hershey´s presentation and made decisions that affected not only himself but the entire agency (Jaguar). And at McCann Erickson he didn´t really worked that much. The Coke ad at the send signifies that at least he found the emotional and mental stability to go back to work and be able to put up one of the best ads ever made. Maybe he still craves women, is unfaithful to his future partners, but he allows himself to open up to the world.