Mad Men's Final Season

[KLin]

Can't wait for next weeks "season finale" w00t!

 

[HendrixFan]

Beautiful episode.

The interweaving of storylines was something reminiscent of a great movie like Cloud Atlas or The Fountain. Each character's story mirrored the other in the interplay between work and family.

Of course any episode that finally reunited the magic that is Peggy and Don is a great thing too. Having the emotional backdrop of the character's lives push the ads is what the series was best at, and it did it again with Peggy.

Don was gazing into space, deep in thought through most of the episode. It may have been a tad overdone but it is pointing to a big decision or change on his part I think. It would make for a nice big cliffhanger leading into next "season".

 

[BladeVenom]

Each character's story mirrored the other in the interplay between work and family.

Most episodes have a theme.

 

[HendrixFan]

Most episodes have a theme.

I get that, but there isn't usually such a harmonious nature between the character's story arcs.

 

[techs]

I thought the show was approaching the shark this season, up until the last two episodes. Superb is the word I would use for the last two.

Sadly I think it took the first few episodes for the show to get going, and now it goes on hiatus after only one more episode. Boo AMC!

Don, Pete and Peggy are three people who put their business lives above everything else and the final shot of them at the restaurant was their Norman Rockwell moment.

Losing Chevy is apparently setting up a crisis where they have to get Buick or the company will take a huge hit. Do they put Don in and in charge? Or do they go with the Lou and Jim team? I think it will come down to who Bert chooses and he will have to suck it up and choose Don because the business is always number one with Bert. What will Lou do if they put Don in charge of the Buick pitch?

Damn, it got real interesting real quick.

 

[Thebobo]

I hope they throw Colonel Sanders and Rocket tits out the window.

 

[techs]

I hope they throw Colonel Sanders and Rocket tits out the window.

Nice.

 

[Imp]

I hope they throw Colonel Sanders and Rocket tits out the window.

Very very very poor... description. It took me a while to figure out who you meant.

 

[Imported]

Damn what an episode. Loved almost every minute until Bert started singing lol

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Damn what an episode. Loved almost every minute until Bert started singing lol

Agreed 100%. Was really enjoying it but could have lived without the musical number.

 

[NFS4]

Damn what an episode. Loved almost every minute until Bert started singing lol

#benedictjoan

She really did show how much of a money grubbin' hobag that she is.

 

[techs]

Damn what an episode. Loved almost every minute until Bert started singing lol

Agreed 100%. Was really enjoying it but could have lived without the musical number.

Normally I don't like musical numbers but this time I thought it was appropriate. Robert Morse was a star on Broadway and can sing and dance with the best of them, or at least he could in his youth. His most famous role was in How to Succeed in Business without really Trying on Broadway and then in a musical movie by the same name. Goodbye, Bert.

So, Don loses Megan but is back in the saddle at the agency. I was somewhat surprised that Harry's vote was in Cutlers pocket.

With only 7 episodes left I wonder where the show will go. Doesn't seem to be enough time to start a new romance for Don. And with the big bucks they all just scored money is no longer an issue for the partners. What's next?

One thing I don't remember. Joan's animosity was revealed to be based on Don's voting against them going public. However, I don't remember when that was?

 

[bguile]

Normally I don't like musical numbers but this time I thought it was appropriate. Robert Morse was a star on Broadway and can sing and dance with the best of them, or at least he could in his youth. His most famous role was in How to Succeed in Business without really Trying on Broadway and then in a musical movie by the same name. Goodbye, Bert.

So, Don loses Megan but is back in the saddle at the agency. I was somewhat surprised that Harry's vote was in Cutlers pocket.

With only 7 episodes left I wonder where the show will go. Doesn't seem to be enough time to start a new romance for Don. And with the big bucks they all just scored money is no longer an issue for the partners. What's next?

One thing I don't remember. Joan's animosity was revealed to be based on Don's voting against them going public. However, I don't remember when that was?

I think the episode was 'For immediate release' from Season 6. In that same episode they were going to go public, until Don derailed the Jaguar account, which pretty much ruined that idea. Joan took exception to it, considering what she had to do to get the account in the first place.

 

[KLin]

yea she had to fuck some fat guy.

 

[willz32]

ifl d

 

[BrokenVisage]

Amazing episode, felt like 3 episodes in one with all that went on, so many situations to tackle but they all fit together pretty well at a rapid pace, even the superfluous Betty scenes.

• I've always said I love confrontation in Mad Men the most, and it doesn't get much better then Don and Jim going at it in Jim's office and afterwards with everyone else involved.
• Sally has gone full-blown Betty, from the hair to the token arm-bracing "Smoking Betty" pose with a cigarette at her mouth.
• Bert dying after watching him glow over the moon landing was very unexpected but obviously added to the intrigue because his vote was for keeping Don.
• The ironic fact that the company has now gone full-circle and sells out to McCann. Now they gotta wait 5 years if they want to do another coup.
• Astute Pete recognizing that Ted was spiraling downward and mentioning Lane Pryce, I think Roger made reference to it too after the plane incident.
• Bizzaro-world situation of the secretary throwing herself at Don and Don rejecting her, however Meredith isn't really Draper-material anyway and she's a complete ditz so that was well played.
• Unlike many others I loved the Megan character but you could see this coming a mile away, it was a pretty powerful long-distance break-up scene and well done though, she's officially Jane 2.0 now but Don of course still has feelings for her and now especially can afford to take care of her financially if needed.
• Peggy did a great job with the pitch, and it was a huge account win that really was minimized by all the other things that happened in the episode. The maternal dilemma was apparent as well with her relationship with the Julio kid who's now moving away.
• Gotta love Pete in this episode, standing up for Don, being honest about Ted's performance to his face, and adding a few more great one-liners to his list for the show. The ones that stuck out were "Sensitive piece of horseflesh" and "Marriage is a racket".
• It's a tricky situation with Jim and Joan especially being against Don but I can see things from their side and sympathize. Joan feels doubly-used after what Don with with Jaguar and Jim "has a vision" that would be better realized without a wildcard like Don, as well as him not liking what happened with Ted. So they were both mostly personal decisions but had business implications as well.
• OK, I didn't like the Bert song-and-dance number either and generally hate scenes like that interjected into any episode, but I'll let it slide and did think at least the way it ended was pretty cool.
• And Harry Crane, lol poor Harry, he was originally going to jump out of a window in the first season and at this point he probably feels like he should have. A shame too seeing as though he championed the computer idea which was a pretty hard sell to the partners.

Crazily enough I probably missed a few points but those are ones off the top of my head, just glad to see the mid-season finale had the punch of a true season finale, was wondering if it would as stated in my previous posts.

 

[chin311]

Wow, lot of action in one episode...

I can't even really see where they are going to go with the show for 7 more episodes? This almost felt like it could be the finale..

 

[Imp]

yea she had to fuck some fat guy.

Don insisted that she not whore herself out, so meh.

Good episode, but the final dance number had me worried that this was a "dream" episode with Don waking up in an alley or something.

P.S. F**k. We have to wait one year for this to end when everything's already filmed and edited?

 

[techs]

P.S. F**k. We have to wait one year for this to end when everything's already filmed and edited?

I'm planning a break in at AMC's offices to steal the final 7 episodes. Are you in?

 

[BrokenVisage]

I'm planning a break in at AMC's offices to steal the final 7 episodes. Are you in?

Is there confirmation they actually exist? From what I've heard I don't think they've been filmed yet, or they're currently being filmed now, either way they probably still haven't been pieced together and edited for TV so far. Looks like we gotta play this stupid waiting game.

 

[preslove]

Is there confirmation they actually exist? From what I've heard I don't think they've been filmed yet, or they're currently being filmed now, either way they probably still haven't been pieced together and edited for TV so far. Looks like we gotta play this stupid waiting game.

They started filming right after this half season started and all the promo stuff was out of the way. I'm not sure if it's wrapped or not. If I had to guess. I'd say that they finished shooting and are editing, now.

 

[techs]

Poor Harry? Did he miss out?

I thought the song about the best things in life being free are what Don learned. He didn't take the deal to keep his job. He could have worked anywhere and if they fired him they didn't have the non compete. He took it for the money it would earn his coworkers. Which is the lesson Don learned and what this episode was about. Giving Peggy the pitch was just another example of Don being selfless and doing something nice for someone else. Raised in a whorehouse the lesson Don learned is gratification has a price. The lesson he learned now is that gratification doesn't have to come with a price.

Going forward all the partners are now set for life. Even Joan's 1.5 million is worth like 7 times that today, meaning something like 10 million dollars. So now all the partners are not working for money, but to satisfy their 5 year contracts. And they could just slack off, but they will still work hard because as Don realizes they will do it because they want to do it. Fits the theme of the best things in life are free.

I wonder if he and Megan are really done? Megan's career doesn't seem to be going anyplace and she is in California now only because its not where Don is. I can see Don trying to win her back.

I really don't get the partnership agreement. It seemed to be that decisions are made by a majority with no regard to how much stake anyone has in the company. Does Joan's five percent equal Jim's twenty percent when it comes to a vote? That seems strange and is not usually how partnerships are structured. And if voting rights are proportional to ownership it gets complicated with the death of the guy who was with Jim and Ted who died from cancer.

Lastly, I was surprised that Kiernan Shipka is still only 14 in real life. It seems like we have known her for ages and should be grown up by now. I guess when we met her she was only 7 but appeared to be much older.

We need a poll as to who will be the person to jump out the window in the last episode....

 

[techs]

Peggy's reaction to having to wait a year for the final seven episodes:

 

[Leyawiin]

I can't believe I waited until this year to watch the show. Its so damned good! I'll have to spend the next year catching up on the previous seasons before those final 7 episodes.

 

[BladeVenom]

I really don't get the partnership agreement. It seemed to be that decisions are made by a majority with no regard to how much stake anyone has in the company. Does Joan's five percent equal Jim's twenty percent when it comes to a vote? That seems strange and is not usually how partnerships are structured. And if voting rights are proportional to ownership it gets complicated with the death of the guy who was with Jim and Ted who died from cancer.

Ted, Cutler and Joan outvote Roger, Don, and Pete. So it seems Ted and Cutler have more voting power than anyone else.