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People who want things spoon fed baffle me to no end.

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I enjoy seeing the homerun and watching/listening to the crowd's reaction more than I prefer standing outside the stadium and trying to guess what all the yelling is about (or having to read a secondhand account of it later).

That makes no sense

I don't think the analogy was bad, but I'll explain it for ElephantRider and anyone else who didn't get it.

There was a lot I liked about this show, but I always enjoyed watching Don work the room and win the customer over during presentations - i.e., watching him "hit a home run", seeing the customer's eyes light up, and listening to Don's coworkers afterwards as they are wowed by his brilliant creativity.
Don was a complete f-up in every other area of his life, but he was damn good at his job (when he wasn't hammered), and I much prefer seeing him excel in his professional life to simply reading about it in a blog on Monday.

I completely understand Weiner's choice, but I (and most likely all of you) would pay to see what happened after the lightbulb went off and Don smiled. As it is, we can't be 100% certain that he rejoined McCann and became a legend. Would they even listen to him after he just walked out? Would he care enough - after being "the man" at Sterling Cooper - to put up with being a small fish in a big pond at McCann? Even if Weiner tells us exactly what happened, it's not nearly the same as seeing it.

With that ad, they would take him back and he would be big fish in a big pond. He's Don Draper.

And like Sex Panther said, I see what you're saying, it was just an awful analogy. We did get to see a home run, you were just at the concession stand or using the restroom

It was a better ending than if we had seen it. Not all of us need to be spoon fed the plot

Trident, I get what you're saying. Genius Don was my favorite part of the show as well. However, this way we get the genius Don we want. I'm certain that the way they would have presented it doesn't match up to the way my Genius Don did it!

And I am 100% certain he went back and hit that 725 foot home run shot.

Thanks for at least understanding my point of view, cecil77. And, you made a good point, too. I'm sure that's exactly why Weiner went that direction <snicker> in this final episode.

ElephantRider, I was simply voicing my opinion, but you've won the argument that I wasn't participating in.
Congrats!

One of the things I'm gonna miss about this show is Don saying "what?!" in an annoyed way when someone talks to him while he's in deep thought. Happened last night too at the phone booth.

And when's the last time you saw a pay phone, much less even thought about a person to person phone call?

But I'd still damn sure pay to see the Mad Men movie that picks up where the show leaves off.

And MOAR of this:


Oh wait...

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/jon-hamm-mad-men-ending-explained?mbid=social_twitter

Straight from the horse's mouth: " It's a little bit ambiguous."

The fact that Weiner didn't actually show Don go back to McCann and pitch the idea, by its very nature, means it's open for interpretation. Yes, OBVIOUSLY Don came up with the ad. Yes, there were ABSOLUTELY clues throughout alluding to that fact. Weiner is DEFINITELY saying Don created the ad, no doubt. But he's doing in such a way to ALSO say, "BUT, you can read it another way if you want to." He's leaving that door open, ever so slightly. The very fact that we're even having this conversation means it wasn't defined as fact. And that was done on purpose. Hence the ending being "ambiguous."

Also, I LOVE Hamm's interpretation. That's exactly what I was hoping for / how I read it; that Don can exist as both a changed man for the better AND the creator of the ad.

Three episodes before the finale Don takes off because he's not a big fish in McCann, but now he can come back from being AWOL and single-handedly push through his vision for their largest account? Seems far-fetched. But I think Don's plot line has been the weakest of the main characters this season. And Coke was presented so much and so ham-fisted that I hoped it was another red herring.

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Three episodes before the finale Don takes off because he's not a big fish in McCann, but now he can come back from being AWOL and single-handedly push through his vision for their largest account? Seems far-fetched. But I think Don's plot line has been the weakest of the main characters this season. And Coke was presented so much and so ham-fisted that I hoped it was another red herring.

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The president of the company literally told Don he would be on the Coke account. I don't understand how you see any of that as far-fetched.

He would be on the account, not necessarily run it. He was also on Miller, and look at how that went.

I really enjoyed that tidbit about "3 women in your life" line from Ted. and the 3 calls Don made.
When he hangs up on Peggy, I was on edge. I had no idea what Don might do, and for the first time, I felt there was a very realistic chance he might kill himself.

Part of why I think Don left, is not that he wouldn't be a big fish, or at least get back to that point again(there is no denying his genius, its why ME wanted him), but did he want to put all that work in to set himself apart from the others again?

Sort of a straw that broke the camel's back deal.

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exactly how some of you are making me feel

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Three episodes before the finale Don takes off because he's not a big fish in McCann, but now he can come back from being AWOL and single-handedly push through his vision for their largest account? Seems far-fetched. But I think Don's plot line has been the weakest of the main characters this season. And Coke was presented so much and so ham-fisted that I hoped it was another red herring.

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The president of the company literally told Don he would be on the Coke account. I don't understand how you see any of that as far-fetched.

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The president (who has a well-known reputation of being a "shark") made that promise and a lot of others when he and Ferg were trying to reassure Don and company that being swallowed up by McCann would be the best thing that ever happened to them. In fact, Don hit the road because (no surprise) his expectations didn't remotely match the reality that he encountered.

I don't think it's farfetched at all for McCann to have Don escorted out of the building if/when he shows up again. In fact, wasn't Don officially terminated? I can't remember, but if so, wouldn't McCann end up saving a lot of money that they would have otherwise had to pay to him over the next 4 years?

Yeah, that phone convo where Peggy said, "they'll take you back" was included just for funsies.

IT'S A TV SHOW. About an orphaned kid raised by a prostitute, who - against all odds, without any kind of a formal degree - becomes one of the most successful ad men in all of New York. While, not to mention, plowing through the most incredible run of women most men can only dare to dream about. Oh, and he also LET A MAN DIE AND STOLE HIS IDENTITY. "Don Draper" has conquered so much more in his life than simply walking back into an advertising agency after an absence and pitching a home run idea. I can't believe THAT'S the thing some of you are getting hung up on.

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Yeah, that phone convo where Peggy said, "they'll take you back" was included just for funsies.

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Exactly.

I can't believe that some of you are caught up on a "right" interpretation. If we all sit around and agree that Don Draper becomes the best ad man ever and creates the Coke ad, then there isn't much discussion. There is a big gap between Don on a cliff and a completed Coke ad, and that leaves room for alternate ideas.

I totally agree that the likely scenario from what was presented is that Don created the Coke ad. But it isn't presented as concrete fact, and I find the idea of different potential routes to the Coke ad interesting. Apparently many of you don't.

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Not only that, she also established precedence that it has happened before there with a former "Don Draper" so she was sure he'd be fine. So was Stan. And Stan is always right, yall.

Also, Stan has long been a favorite of mine on the show, and I happened to catch one of his early gems when they replayed the series on AMC this week



"Midtown"

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Man I totally forgot how different he looked

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Yeah, that phone convo where Peggy said, "they'll take you back" was included just for funsies.

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Exactly.

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Nope. I'm willing to believe that Don was able to muscle his way back into McCann Erickson, well known for holding grudges, just via the sheer nature of his golden idea, but wishful thinking from Peggy doesn't count for diddlysquat. She was just trying to encourage Don.

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Yeah, that phone convo where Peggy said, "they'll take you back" was included just for funsies.

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Peggy also isn't in McCann's inner circle and is talking to a Don she thinks may be suicidal. She might be offering an alternative she doesn't know really exists just to keep Don from offing himself.

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Three episodes before the finale Don takes off because he's not a big fish in McCann, but now he can come back from being AWOL and single-handedly push through his vision for their largest account? Seems far-fetched.

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this

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I totally agree that the likely scenario from what was presented is that Don created the Coke ad. But it isn't presented as concrete fact, and I find the idea of different potential routes to the Coke ad interesting. Apparently many of you don't.

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this

There are only "different potential routes" if you reach. There's one obvious conclusion, some of you just refuse to accept it