Mad Men Season 7 (Spoilers): Who are you supposed to be?

[Spring Bass]

Open the final thread. It begins.

I think Pete and Peggy will at least make appearances in the final episode. They're both so heavily connected to Don, in their own ways. I hope Roger makes an appearance, considering how bittersweet and funny it was to see him playing the organ in the shell of SC&P.

Don will come back, I think. Like I said, I hope we don't fast forward to Betty's funeral.

EDIT: The second-to-last Mad Men Power Rankings are out. It's been a good run - they may not be as hilariously funny as they were back in Season 5, but I've always looked forward to reading them.

6. Duck Phillips (last week: not ranked)

“Tell me how this grabs you. New job with Lear Jet. A negotiated exit with McCann Erickson, where you get all the money they owe you. Now I know you already said you’re not interested, and then some hurtful things about me being a stupid wino who’s trying to ruin everything for you, but I used all that to get you an even better deal. I told them your disdain was masked desire, that you secretly wanted nothing more than to make Lear the incredible success story that only a visionary like yourself could deliver. Let me tell you, that Mike Sherman ate. It. Up. Like a baby bird gobbling up his mama’s regurgitated food. The sooner you realize that I’m your fairy godfather and not some terrifying alcoholic menacing you in your own depressing apartment, the sooner we can close this deal. What else do you want? Two million dollars? Done. The return of your estranged family? You got it. To be MVP of the World Series? Check your mantel, the trophy’s already there, champ. Nothing’s impossible for Pete Campbell when Duck Phillips is waving his wand around. You let good ol’ Duck work his magic for you and you’ll be on the next jet to paradise. It looks a lot like Wichita.

And this good bit from Pete Campbell's

Everything’s coming up Pete Campbell! Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. At all. An out-of-the-blue visitation by enchanted chessmaster Duck Phillips, moving the pieces around the game board of Pete’s life, putting him in a position to checkmate his past and go out a winner. A beautiful house in Wichita — a hundred bucks gets you two bedrooms, so Pete’s starting salary buys him the entire southern half of Sedgwick County, thanks, Duck — filled with the wife who never stopped loving him, the daughter who improbably adores him, the giddy laughter of new beginnings. Access to a private jet they can treat like the family station wagon. The gnawing feeling, once the fleeting, heady bliss of second chances realized dissipates, that things might be better in New York. Or in Cos Cob. Or in Topeka. God, why didn’t they hold out for Topeka? He’s got his own plane now! He could commute in every day, that can’t be more than an hour, max, door to door. Everybody worth knowing’s in goddamn Topeka. He can get a pied-à-terre in Wichita if he has to.

[Hugorfonics]

Birdie! :cry:

She's always been weak, and not understanding death. She shoulda told Bobby. Or Sally should have. I understand it's 1970 and she caught it late, but she should fight! Anas death hit me real hard, this is sadder. Dons money has to be used for more then giving some flat foot kid a caddie.

Though, I do respect her for making her own decisions, like what hairstyle to have for eternity; oh Bets, Elizabeth Bethany till the end.

So, is Peter not afraid of airplanes anymore?

Rembering Bets:

"And you were, where does he tell everybody, at work?"

"No; Look at me, can you believe I've had three children"

[Arbor Gold]

Seeing Sally sit down at the head of the table, in Betty's seat, just broke my heart. So, so sad. She's probably not going to Madrid now. :(. I'm also re-thinking the last scene with Betty and Glenn...he's going off to war, presumably to die, but Betty's actually the one with the death sentence. Nicely done.

There's been a recurring theme of adults acting like kids (Betty going back to school, Don bailing on work) and kids acting like adults (Glenn drinking the beer), and that continued with Henry's emotional breakdown in Sally's room and Sally having to make the funeral arrangements (and pulling Gene on her lap). I hope Sally ends up ok.

I'm such a sucker but I'm totally rooting for Pete. This show is a 10-year snapshot in the lives of these characters and I can see someone like him growing immensely between ages 26-36. At least, I hope so.

And then there's Don. I loved that he found a group a guys and eventually got comfortable/drunk enough to admit part of what he did in Korea and they beat him up for something completely unrelated. :lol:

I hope we see Peggy next week, although I'm ok if we don't. A big part of her story has been getting out from under Don's shadow and now she's doing just that. She's going to be ok, although I'd love to see a scene with her and the lawyer dude in Paris.

[The Mance]

That scene at the fundraiser had me sweating bullets for Don. When the guys brought over the other KW vet to meet him and Don slooooowly makes eye contact, I fully expected him to come face to face with some guy who knew and/or had served with either Donald Draper or Dick Whitman. Forcing that sort of reveal at this point in the series seemed like just the thing to push Don either into a new identity, or back into his old identity. I'm still sort of in shock that it didn't happen.

[Spring Bass]

Same here. I was thinking, "Oh shit, it's going to be like that scene on the train way back in Season 1 where somebody recognized him as Dick Whitman from Korea". That's got to be one of Don's greatest fears - that he'll be out with a client, or with Roger, or (before Season 3) with Betty and have someone come up saying something like that.

[RumHam]

I'm such a sucker but I'm totally rooting for Pete. This show is a 10-year snapshot in the lives of these characters and I can see someone like him growing immensely between ages 26-36. At least, I hope so.

I feel like he grew a little, then he forced himself on that poor german nanny and ever since I've been unable to see him as anything but a scumbag.

[MarieAntoinette]

:frown5: Aw, Betty's fate caught me by surprise. I have thought for a while that it would be fitting for someone on MM to get lung cancer, but I didn't expect to be Betty. I have always been intrigued and fascinated by the Betty character, so I'm quite sad that she is a goner. I liked that she made and stuck to her own decisions after being treated like a child when the doctor explained the diagnosis to her husband.

I have no idea what is going to happen in the finale, but I hope Roger makes an appearance. I guess that they will include Peggy in some way. I can do without Pete, the last episode was a nice ending for him.

[Guest]

Count me as another that thought trouble was coming when they called over the other Korea vet. It must have been deliberate, but it got me for sure. Pretty crazy little scene where Don goes back and gives back the money he didn't steal with a scowl the next morning.

I love to hate Duck so much.

I shall miss you, Trudy. :(

Pretty excited about the finale. End of an era for sure.

[Rhom]

AMC sister networks to be blacked out during Mad Men finale.

[Raja]

I'd urge everyone to listen to that Nerdist podcast with Matthew Weiner. There's lots of good stuff there, and not just about Mad Men. They talk about how Don finds it easier to confide in strangers than people he does with people he's known for years. That really struck a chord with me, given that I know a few people like that and I think I'm like that to a certain extent too.

He does that with those group of guys, be he leaves out the part where he made the conscious choice of taking Don's place.

There's so much I want to see in that final episode. I want to see something like that episode in season 7, the one where the final shot is Don, Peggy and Pete eating at Burger-chef after Peggy makes her pitch about 'family'.

[RumHam]

Reading Sepinwall's review I notice he thought Duck was actually there to help replace Don. I got the impression he was just stalking Pete. Would McCan even bother to replace Don? I thought the idea was that he was just one of many creative directors there and they didn't really need him, they just wanted him not competing against them / as a trophy.

[smegma]

Tom & Lorenzo's Mad Style blog is as always, amazing - but I almost wonder if they caught a hint for what's to come with the kid's costumes and Don. Or maybe it's just a subliminal message showing where they were at, and not where the show ends up: http://tomandlorenzo.com/2015/05/mad-style-the-milk-and-honey-route/

Also, James Poniewozik of Time (one of my favorite television critics) created a be-all-and-end-all compendium of the history of Mad Men. I haven't even begun to breach it, but maybe if I find myself with a few hours to kill I will tackle it. Looks fascinating.

http://time.com/mad-men-history/

[Rhom]

Reading Sepinwall's review I notice he thought Duck was actually there to help replace Don. I got the impression he was just stalking Pete. Would McCan even bother to replace Don? I thought the idea was that he was just one of many creative directors there and they didn't really need him, they just wanted him not competing against them / as a trophy.

Pete specifically says that to Duck when he bumps into him in the elevator, "Are you here to help replace Don?"

And Duck responds, "I've done it before."

[Raja]

I haven't started with Poniewozik's article yet, but that image of Don and Peggy is pretty great.

[smegma]

Another theory, rooted in advertising, and it might make sense given all of the Coca-Cola talk this season:

http://www.vox.com/2015/5/12/8589783/mad-men-finale-predictions

[RumHam]

Pete specifically says that to Duck when he bumps into him in the elevator, "Are you here to help replace Don?"

And Duck responds, "I've done it before."

I'm aware of that. but "I've done it before" is not actually "Yes." I got the impression he was really there to see Pete and that was just a cover (but again not technically a lie.)

[Rhom]

I'm aware of that. but "I've done it before" is not actually "Yes." I got the impression he was really there to see Pete and that was just a cover (but again not technically a lie.)

Oh, well yes. I assume that's what he was there for too. He had everything worked up too neatly otherwise. I thought the question was on why anyone would think that at all, and it is what was said.

[RumHam]

Oh no, I was just wondering if other people thought he was actually helping them replace Don.

[Iskaral Pust]

I really liked Betty's scene when she gave the letter to Sally. Without her coiffed helmet she suddenly seemed human.

Don's initial interaction with the locals really resonated with me and I wonder if this is something that most people experience? I travel a lot for work and I often find myself visiting a client in a small city. I'm generally dressed very well in a suit and probably chatting with a colleague about capital markets (yields, spreads, carry trades, vols,....all the jargon). I've noticed that locals in building lobbies or restaurants give me that same kind of glance: you're foreign and you act/appear like you're above us. It's subtle rather than overt. I think tourists get it too when they visit places off the beaten track.

[Iskaral Pust]

Double post