So, the final episodes start next month! It's been an interesting "slice of life", frankly showing the dark aspects of an era that many people tend to glamorize and look at through rose-colored glasses. The show has had its ups and downs, and high points and low points. And now it's coming to an end. ...and yes, it was a desperate marketing ploy to split the "final season" over two years. Kor
definitely a marketing ploy, bit don't think I'd describe it as "desperate". It wasn't desperate when BB did it. I think we're going to see this this fairly often from shows in the future. It's not unlike the final Harry Potter book being split into two movies. Since then the Twilight, and Hunger Games franchises have followed the Potter films. If that final two part season is good enough, who care how long the wait.
So, has the storyline finally advanced into 1970 yet? I believe the last finale took place in July 1969, right after the first moon landing.
^ Yeah, Part 1 ended in 1969. I don't think it has been confirmed when Part 2 takes place. The teaser trailer has the song "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross, from 1976. That doesn't necessarily mean it takes place exactly at that time, though. I guess "desperate" wasn't a good choice of word. I'm not sure how AMC's other shows are doing... I lost interest in "Turn" and "Halt and Catch Fire" after a few episodes, and I haven't seen "Better Call Saul." Anyway, "Mad Men" is definitely a hot commodity for AMC. And we do end up getting fourteen episodes spread over two years, instead of thirteen episodes like a "normal" season; one extra episode out of the deal. Kor
Don once said "You're born alone, and you die alone, and this world just drops a lot of rules on top of you to try to make you forget that fact" (or something like that). Maybe in present-day he ends up all alone in a nursing home, abandoned by family and friends years ago because they got fed up with his antics (Don will be Don no matter how hard he tries), and almost completely broke because business went south at some point. Kor
Yeah, the only way I'm seeing a death scene for Don is if they flash forward to the him as an old man. I really doubt we'll see any dramatic deaths in the final season. I recently read some quotes from Matthew Weiner and he made it pretty clear that character deaths are not something he is in love with. To do that in his show's final season to it's most important character would seem quite less than artful, and this show has been nothing if not relentlessly artful during it's run. Weiner has also been able to sit back and watch a great series ender in Breaking Bad while remembering the controversial ending of his old show, The Sopranos. I'm sure he is acutely aware of just how easy it is to go out on a less than triumphant note.
I can see it ending a number of ways. But I think Don seems headed toward a Godfather II type ending: alone, alienated from his family, but still a successful businessman. KOR, you need to check out "Better Call Saul". I was torn on whether to tune in since I didn't think it would be good, but I'm glad I'm watching it. It's really very good.
1. It was all a dream. 2. It all took place in the imagination of Dick's autistic son. The SCP building only exists inside a snow globe. 3. It all took place in the last ten seconds of Dick's imagination as he lay dying on a battlefield in Korea. 4. It all took place on the holodeck. 5. It was all a series of short stories written by Darrin Stevens.
On a semi-related note, anyone else find this song (written in 1980 or so) reminds them of Draper, right down to the references to "Mad Avenue" and him being a mirror to others? [yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VArB5GU1_Zo[/yt]
Those spoilers were pretty much bang on. Peggy Lee's song "Is That All There Is?" struck me appropriate given that on the surface not much seemed to happen. I would guess the time frame is within a year of the last episode. It would take Roger some months to grow that moustache (which looks ridiculous) and yet it's apparently not winter in the story. So either his hair grows rather fast or it's sometime in 1970. I don't recall when Nixon made the announcement we hear, but that seems to be the most solid clue to dating the episode. Don was blindsided by hearing of Rachel's death. He's survived all the job related crap (so far) while his personal life is in tatters. He looks rudderless and going through the motions to get through the day. Ken was the one to get canned. And while he was contemplating quitting anyway he, too, was blindsided by events not of his own making. The three assholes meeting with Joan and Peggy were total pigs even by 1960's standards. Talk about juvenile. Peggy did have a point that Joan is rich so she actually doesn't have to put up with any crap and can do what she wants. Everyone in the episode is where they are because of choices they've made and yet they all feel something is missing. Ken seemed to want his life to have more meaning and to not feel like another cog. Don is lonely and alone. So is Peggy. Joan wants genuine respect. Joan could have the harder time because she exists in a world where a lot of the men were juvenile minded.
I've always felt that Joan was one of the most tragic characters in the series because--while she's clearly at least as smart and capable as the male executives-- she was just old enough to have missed out on a lot of the opportunities that younger women like Peggy were able to enjoy due to the women's liberation movement.
To a point yes but Peggy, too, still gets the male chauvanist crap thrown at her. Those who know treat her with more respect, but with every new male she meets she seems to be back at square one. Joan does have a little extra baggage in that she's a head turner which makes most men's brains turn to mush. Peggy has it a bit easier in that regard because she doesn't telegraph the same image.