SHUT THE DOOR, HAVE A GLASS: So who is Don Draper? Jim Poniewozik says he chose between two versions of himself while Alan Sepinwall keys on Henry Francis' line about the impossibility of "fresh starts."
I'd rather talk about Peggy's place in all this.
For Peggy Olson, this was a season in which so much of the hard work and the sacrifice seems to have paid off. She's confident, she's exploring New Bohemia and she has earned Don's respect and trust at work, leading to landing the Topaz account ... and then that moment when she finds about about Don's engagement, and the respect she had for him slowly drains away. Really, the secretary, Don? And she admires ... what? Because Peggy knows what it took to get her here, and Megan has no idea. (Don, of course, does.) Yes, we needed that scene with Joan and Peggy commiserating (and smoking), because it's a boy's world after all.
Oh, the boys. Don looking happy and boyish for the first time in ages cannonballing into the pool and seeming to genuinely enjoy parenting. Ken putting family ahead of work, Roger being befuddled (again) by the change all around, and Glen, perhaps, the most grown-up one of all -- other than Henry Francis, who understands what he's chosen, and isn't so sure anymore.
So look at how the women around them deal with it all: Betty throws shitfits and assumes that the men around her will deal; Peggy and Faye fight it as best they can and get disappointed (Faye worse, of course); Joan accepts the world as it is and makes the choices which feel best for her; and Megan, well, Megan makes sure you see that dress before she hits the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, and that seemed to work out just fine for her, even sooner than she expected.
Did anyone here not like the finale? I was reading reviews this morning, and a lot of writers made reference to all the haters or the half of Twitter that didn't like it. I didn't think it was as good as last season's finale (which was one of my favorite season enders ever), but pretty much everything that happened was built up to over the course of the series/season/episode.
ReplyDeleteI think the episode was very satisfying, and not predictable at all (although really, every outcome was foreshadowed in some way). Never underestimate Don's ability to make a bad decision!
ReplyDeleteWhile I, too, thought for a little while that Uncle Walt might swoop in and save SCDP with the Disney account (thanks to their family-friendly, non-smoking values), that is far too deus ex machina to be a plausible outcome. I also thought Roger might do himself in, but really, he's a coward, so why would he?
I can't imagine that Don will allow Megan to work, or work at SCDP at least. He nipped Betty's modeling opportunity in the bud a few seasons ago, and I could see that glimmer in his eye when Megan went out to the Whiskey a Go Go that he really wanted to be able to control her. He wants Megan to help take care of the kids--he wants that illusion of a family he portrayed for Kodak at the end of season 1. Innocent Megan fits the bill for that, right now.
I'm so glad Joan and Peggy had that bitch session. Joan really needs a friend. The firm would be absolutely lost without Peggy. I can't wait until she realizes she has that bargaining chip, with more than a half-assed offer from Duck in her corner.
I probably should watch it again, as the late finish of the baseball game meant I was watching the very late-night showing of the finale, and the ol' synapses probably weren't all firing. But I didn't think less of this finale for perhaps being moderately less ambitious than other MM finales. Did it blow me away? Probably not, but I thought there were some very effective moments (a couple that come to mind: Don's explanation to Sally at Anna's house, and Don's cannonball and horseplay with Bobby at the hotel pool). I agree with CW that it tied up this season's threads effectively. It also sets up some likely plotlines for next season's - obviously Don's home life, plus Joan/Roger/Dr. D-bag, possible furthering of tensions for Betty/Henry, and office plotlines for Don/Peggy, Peggy/Joan, and Pete/Ken/Don/Peggy, with the obviously loaded question of how Megan now fits into the office.
ReplyDeleteI really, really enjoyed the finale. Agreed, CW - not as good and earth-shattering as last year. I found Don's decision fascinating - the way I see it, Faye told him he had to face his past, and with her, maybe he could have. But with Megan, he can have that fresh start and not have to face anything. Only problem is, in a way he's starting over with a new version of Betty - not the person herself, but the situation, where his wife admires the Don Draper of the present, but knows nothing of the Dick Whitman of the past. He made the easy choice.
ReplyDeleteI also found a lot of other things interesting:
* Ken being the only one of the bunch to say, "No, I put family above work."
* Peggy's Don-like pitch to the stockings company - maybe she wasn't coming up with those ideas on the fly, but she made it seem like she was, and she was comfortable, confident and witty. I love this Peggy, who no longer needs Don to give the okay.
* I loved Peggy's moment with Joan. They've often rubbed each other the wrong way, and it was nice to see them sharing a moment of frustration about being women in a man's workplace.
* Faye was so smart, and too good for Don. I loved her line about rather not having a conversation and then having to stick it out for coffee. She knew what was coming right away.
* Betty firing Carla did seem extreme, but it also seemed in character for Betty's extreme reaction to Glenn and her need to cover up her past with him by getting him out of the picture. I was actually sad for Betty in this episode, but in a way, even sadder for Henry Francis for realizing the reality of who he married.
My only disappointment was that I felt like the last few episodes were building up to either a crisis or a major solution for the company, and the "breaking the streak" with a $250K account felt pretty small compared to the buildup. I guess it was a more realistic way to go, but it felt like a fizzle.
And on a totally random note - Did any of our ANTM fans around here notice that the model who was fired from the Topaz commercial was played by one-time ANTM contestant Cassie, the former pageant girl who got her hair cut short, cried, then left the show because they wanted to cut it shorter?
I really enjoyed it--the shock of "That's me, that was my nickname sometimes," and the ease it meant Don was feeling with his whole situation, totally sucked me in.
ReplyDeleteAnd then you think about how much it circles back to "The Suitcase," where Don and Peggy have their "You really know me" moment, then he looks immediately at Megan.
I liked the show, but it made me very mad at Don. Betty didn't deserve what he put her through, but she was independently horrible, so it was easier just to say they deserved each other. Faye, on the other hand, is Don's match. I like both Faye and Megan, but Faye is what he needs and Megan is just what he wants. That's not intended to be any slight on Megan, who is smart, quick-witted, beautiful, and better with Don's children than anybody but Carla. She's kind of a superwoman. She has all of the superficial socialite tools of a Betheny Van Nuys without any of the antiquated world view and with much greater depth and pragmatic sophistication. But I'm not sure Don will respect Megan the way he would have respected Faye. So he's going to break two hearts instead of none. For that, I want to punch him.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed this finale. Last season there was fist pumping and oh hell yeah-ing enjoyment at the finale as the started SCDP, but this season the enjoyment was watching the inevitable that you saw coming and not being able to look away or (for me) to decide if you liked it or disliked it.
ReplyDeleteI am however, very interested in seeing what happens next season because this finale set up many interesting possibilities. And I don't want them to jump forward in time very far. I will be very disappointed if Joan has a toddler and Megan is preggers with a little Don with big teeth and SCDP is all fixed and up again.
I was slightly disappointed that this finale didn't have the fireworks of last season's (depending on what you think of as fireworks). There were a number of commenters on the AV Club who didn't like this episode. There seem to always be a group who hate a given MM episode, almost always because they don't like something the characters do. I don't think there *are* bad episodes of MM.
ReplyDeleteThis was probably my favorite season of the show, though it's hard to compare seasons and episodes. I just loved the SCDP storylines -- no other show "gets" business, client service, and the relations between partners and subordinates so well.
I think the contrast with how Megan handled Sally versus Faye made the decision a little more defensible, as well as the fact that being "Don Draper" means he doesn't end up with an equal (and has at least found a better step-parent than Betty). I am also curious if California Don/Dick falling for Megan in a serious way (and not an office fling way) can be sustained when the action returns to NY. Faye was right that she knew his type and that he'd be remarried in a year. Except what she came to find out is the "type" is all surface.
ReplyDeleteI loved the bit with Peggy and Joan, as well as the pitch scene with Peggy and Ken, and it's good to see Roger out hustling business again. Was also good that there were no further dramatic office plays -- Don did his move, but what saves the company will be the fact that everyone around is capable of doing work, and they recover from the loss of Lucky Strike slowly but surely.
What is with Harry? Remember how guilty he seemed after Mrs. Crane kicked him out? I guess he worked through those issues.
I'm also interested in seeing how the character of Bobby develops, as he's getting old enough to have his own identity in season 5.
MZS weighs in:
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, dear, sweet, Megan is over-the-moon. And why shouldn't she be? She's about to marry a highly functioning alcoholic who bedded her on an office couch while he was still in a relationship with one of her co-workers, and proposed to her with a ring belonging to the late wife of a dead soldier whose identity Don stole so he could abandon his own blood family. "I feel like myself when I'm with you, but the way I always wanted to feel," Don told her, a statement that would have kept Sigmund Freud busy for a year.
Of course Don won't respect Megan that way. He'll get turned off by any ambition she shows in the office. Here's a question: will she want to be a mom herself?
ReplyDeleteisaac also called in on Cassie. I am very impressed with you both.
ReplyDeleteWe had to rewind the DVR to hear the parts of the dialogue drowned out by the boyfriend's rant when Don proposed to Megan. As I was not surprised that he chose Megan rather than Faye (stupid and mean though that choice may be), I did not feel the need to rant.
ReplyDeleteThe proposal scene was just brutal. It was like watching someone explore an abandoned house in a horror movie - you want them to run, but you know it won't end well.
ReplyDeleteI'm with smm: there are no bad episodes of Mad Men. I thought the finale was great, if no quite up to the level of The Suitcase, which IMHO is the best episode ever. Well, maybe it's tied with "Shut the Door, Have a Seat." Don proposing to Megan was both depressing and predictable -- Fay would be much better for him. I strongly suspected that Joanie was still pregnant, so that wasn't so much a surprise as a validation of my predictive powers. Oh, and that scene with Joan and Peggie was TO DIE. I love both of them.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I thought this was a wonderful season, and my only lament is that I now have to wait close to a year for more. Boo.
This about sums up the awesomeness of the Peggy/Joan scene: http://i53.tinypic.com/33ni7b5.gif
ReplyDeletei liked the finale, mostly because I loved this season of mad men and it seemed like the right ending. you have to love a show that makes you want to scream at don and betty and their choices and feel such pain along with faye. not to mention how much i loved the joan/peggy scene. man, i wish they did more than 13 episodes a season...
ReplyDeleteI snarled "BETTY!" a few times, and then groaned "Oh DON!" a few times. I grinned like a fool when Joan asked Peggy about what in the world could be annoying her, in that knowing voice. It's a tenuous world for all of them, except Peggy, I guess. Good for her.
ReplyDeleteDamn, that IS impressive.
ReplyDeleteLiked the episode when I watched it. Have grown to love it as I read the blogs and talk to friends about it. Another great season. I've read in a couple of places about how Megan is Maria Von Trapp to Don's Captain. I've got a logical extension to that. Fay is definitely the Baroness...
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