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Mad Men - Season 7, Part 2 - The End of an Era - AMC Sundays

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
I want to rewatch Mad Men but I want to do it on Blu-ray. Unfortunately I don't know when (or if) they're going to release a new version of the Blu-ray box set...
 

Alpende

Member
I want to rewatch Mad Men but I want to do it on Blu-ray. Unfortunately I don't know when (or if) they're going to release a new version of the Blu-ray box set...

I expect them to. Doesn't this usually happen with popular shows? Breaking Bad got a full box set after season 5 was fully done.
 

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
I expect them to. Doesn't this usually happen with popular shows? Breaking Bad got a full box set after season 5 was fully done.

They already have one out but apparently the packaging is really bad such that the discs can very easily be scratched when they're removed from their packaging. I'm waiting for a new box set that fixes this problem.

See the reviews on Amazon.
 

giga

Member
You guys should follow this twitter account, which posts pretty great mad men quotes. https://twitter.com/MadMenQTs

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Pryce

Member
My god. This past season looks a hundred times better on Netflix than it did when I watched it live. Like going from DVD to HD.

Also, it's great to hear the songs at the end in full rather than AMC interrupting them.
 

Jonm1010

Banned
Finally finished the series. Incredible!

Matthew Weiner should be given a blank check by any network, for as much as he wants, for as long as he wants, to create whatever the fuck he wants! No one writes characters like he does. There is an authenticity to the plot and characters that I don't think any other show has ever come close to matching.

Him, David Simon and David Milch should go down in the history books as the greatest TV writers of this generation. I really, really hope he has it in him to make one more series. Holy fuck Mad Men was good!!!
 

Bladenic

Member
Does anyone else think Betty got an unfair ending? I know people hate her, but I've always thought her to be one of the best characters (at least season 1-3). I mean... Don creates an iconic ad, that wench Megan walks away with a ton of money, and Betty... Well yeah.
 
Does anyone else think Betty got an unfair ending? I know people hate her, but I've always thought her to be one of the best characters (at least season 1-3). I mean... Don creates an iconic ad, that wench Megan walks away with a ton of money, and Betty... Well yeah.

She took what life dealt her like a fucking champ.

It was sad, but I don't think it was unfair
 

berzeli

Banned
Does anyone else think Betty got an unfair ending? I know people hate her, but I've always thought her to be one of the best characters (at least season 1-3). I mean... Don creates an iconic ad, that wench Megan walks away with a ton of money, and Betty... Well yeah.

No, I don't consider it "unfair" in the slightest. What do you consider would have been fair?

I realised she was going to die quite early on, she was the shows living (heh) embodiment of "classic" American values and those died out in the 60s (or that is the common perception). Hence it made all the sense in the world that she would die to.
 

Fatalah

Member
No, I don't consider it "unfair" in the slightest. What do you consider would have been fair?

I realised she was going to die quite early on, she was the shows living (heh) embodiment of "classic" American values and those died out in the 60s (or that is the common perception). Hence it made all the sense in the world that she would die to.

I disagree. Betty was stubborn, but she was young and inexperienced. As she matured, she learned more about the world and let go of her old ways. She became an independent thinker. Her growth actually outpaces Don's.
 

berzeli

Banned
I disagree. Betty was stubborn, but she was young and inexperienced. As she matured, she learned more about the world and let go of her old ways. She became an independent thinker. Her growth actually outpaces Don's.
I think she is 28 when the show starts, which granted is fairly young but perhaps not enough to just chalk her views up to youth alone. Not sure if I'd go with inexperienced, I think sheltered would be more accurate.
A lot of people's growth outpaces that of Don, hell I'd say that Don grows comparatively little to most of the cast (especially the female part of the cast). And this is done intentionally, but I digress.
For me it just makes sense thematically, even with the changes she makes she still to me embodies the classical values. She evolves when the 60s was about revolt.
 

Bladenic

Member
No, I don't consider it "unfair" in the slightest. What do you consider would have been fair?

I realised she was going to die quite early on, she was the shows living (heh) embodiment of "classic" American values and those died out in the 60s (or that is the common perception). Hence it made all the sense in the world that she would die to.

I thought it was pretty clear why it was unfair. She dies, Megan gets money, Don lives. How is that fair? Why is it the character that spent the entire series being mostly unhappy that dies?

But anyway it's not important, like I said I'm a Betty fan (and hate Megan). I didn't mind the development, I thought it was okay storyline nice especially for Sally.
 

big ander

Member
I thought it was pretty clear why it was unfair. She dies, Megan gets money, Don lives. How is that fair? Why is it the character that spent the entire series being mostly unhappy that dies?

But anyway it's not important, like I said I'm a Betty fan (and hate Megan). I didn't mind the development, I thought it was okay storyline nice especially for Sally.
Well, Betty's unhappiness was often due to her own lack of self-awareness of why she was actually unhappy. She usually lashed out at symptoms rather than fixing what was truly wrong. (Which you could say about every Mad Men character, really.) But more importantly: who cares about "fairness" in narratives? Betty's ending is appropriate and striking in part because it's awful for her. You can like Betty AND like an ending that isn't sunshine and rainbows for her.
 

Jigorath

Banned
Does anyone else think Betty got an unfair ending? I know people hate her, but I've always thought her to be one of the best characters (at least season 1-3). I mean... Don creates an iconic ad, that wench Megan walks away with a ton of money, and Betty... Well yeah.

It's kind of interesting how Betty is the only who gets a "sad" ending. Guess we know who Weiner's least favorite character was :p
 
We're starting to move a few of the larger TV threads, including this one, over to community if they're not currently airing. Please use subscriptions if you'd like to keep up with the thread.
 

Jeels

Member
I liked it because Betty did end up being happy. Pursuing her education, being confident in herself, etc etc. I felt sad because she died, but that's because I grew attached to the character, but her arc was great.

The arc I didn't like from a writing perspective was Peggy's, just seemed rushed for the convenience and fan service of her and Stan....
 

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
I liked it because Betty did end up being happy. Pursuing her education, being confident in herself, etc etc. I felt sad because she died, but that's because I grew attached to the character, but her arc was great.

The arc I didn't like from a writing perspective was Peggy's, just seemed rushed for the convenience and fan service of her and Stan....

Same. In hindsight I wanted more from Peggy's arc. She has been as much a part of the show as Don. Originally she was our window into this world, and then we watched her grow over the course of the series. The seeds for the Stan relationship have been there, it didn't totally come out of nowhere. But it felt very "RomCom." Oh, well the story is about to end, better get these two together quickly.

I'm still sticking with my opinion that I enjoyed the penultimate episode a little more than the series finale. The latter was good, but the former was classic Mad Men through and through.
 

Fatalah

Member
I liked it because Betty did end up being happy. Pursuing her education, being confident in herself, etc etc. I felt sad because she died, but that's because I grew attached to the character, but her arc was great.

The arc I didn't like from a writing perspective was Peggy's, just seemed rushed for the convenience and fan service of her and Stan....

Betty's life ended with dignity and grace -- it was a miracle. We (and she) could have never imagined such personal development, especially looking back at Betty's temperament in earlier seasons, and the 'baggage' her mom bestowed upon her.
 

Maengun1

Member
^ It's been sucky for me last month or so because I've had that feeling that Mad Men was going to be starting up again. So painful.

I watched the show as it was airing, and I rewatched the first 5 seasons before season 6 started, and then I did a complete marathon of all 92 episodes last summer after the series finale.....and I've been having the urge to revisit it again lately. I have no idea why exactly I find this show so compulsively enjoyable that I never tire of it. Easily my favorite drama series I've ever seen.
 
So I finally bulldozed through 7 seasons of this. My god what a show

The last time I had tried to get into the show was watching week to week of the first two seasons, and it was too much of a slow burn. I ended up stopping before season two ended.

Since then I've actually spent three years working in an advertising agency. Coming back to this show, the thing I adored the most was the authenticity of which it represented that work environment. Especially as the seasons continued onward. Originally I had thought of it as a sort of glamorisation of the industry, but they absolutely represented the work you to the bone, play hard, drink lots reality of the industry. The late nights and long weekends. The eye rolling moments with clients, the exciting and sometimes do or die nature of winning new business. The moment where data analytics and media buying (Harry Crane) began to form its own identity before eventually splitting from the creative side of agencies into its own beast. It's like a genuine lens back on the history of advertising, and how much of it is still prevalent today

The first time I watched the show, I couldn't stand Peggy, Betty and Pete. It amazed me by the end of watching all 7 seasons that these three became my favourite characters. Flawed and deep, but incredibly portrayed. Peggy in particular I couldn't help but rooting for in every scene, and Pete grates on you but you feel he is probably the only guy amongst those partners doing his actual job. Betty's ending was sad, and she copped it rough the whole series. Her arc ended with her standing tall.

Don himself was an interesting character, who I grew to like less and less as the series wore on. I really liked how they started him as this impossibly perfect character, mysterious even to the audience. And slowly stripped him away over time to reveal what was a decent human being, with some incredibly bad character traits that affected everyone around him. His ending was perfect because for him, it was all about finding his inner peace and wrestling with those demons.

But we all know with Don, it's only a matter of time, regardless of how at peace he is with the new thing in his life

My thoughts. Goes into my top 3 of all time with the Wire and Sopranos
 
Just finished up this series but didn't want to start a brand new thread. I enjoyed the finale, but I want to believe that Don is living a brand new life in California. I felt that season 7 was Don's ACTUAL redemption, and it loses so much power if he ended up crawling back to McCann and creating that ad (not to mention how messy it becomes when mixing fiction and reality together).

I don't care if the writers intended otherwise, this is my interpretation. God, it would have been perfect without that Coke ad... Anyway, that's the great thing about literary analysis: a creator's intention isn't necessarily the be-all end-all.
 

Magnus

Member
Interesting coming to read this thread now, after my partner and I finally finished Mad Men the other night.

Maybe we're total dullards, but we read that ending as Don Draper dying, and Dick Whitman resurfacing. I don't think we connected Don to the Coke ad at all, but now that I'm reading all the interpretations here, it seems that that was clearly what was being set up. Wow.

The thing we're most confused about is the hug with Leonard at the end. Are we really meant to believe that Don feels like that man? The food passed over in the fridge? He's just the opposite, isn't he? He's the one always chosen. He's always picked first. Everyone wants him. Yes, it's all predicated on one initial lie, the name he stole, but he is who he is. The personality of Don Draper is real, and I can't reconcile any of it with what Leonard said.
 

Guess Who

Banned
The thing we're most confused about is the hug with Leonard at the end. Are we really meant to believe that Don feels like that man? The food passed over in the fridge? He's just the opposite, isn't he? He's the one always chosen. He's always picked first. Everyone wants him. Yes, it's all predicated on one initial lie, the name he stole, but he is who he is. The personality of Don Draper is real, and I can't reconcile any of it with what Leonard said.

I always figured the joke is that "the thing passed over in the fridge, that people appreciate being there but may not necessarily pick" is a metaphor for Coke, and Don is crying because it gave him inspiration for an ad.
 

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
I always figured the joke is that "the thing passed over in the fridge, that people appreciate being there but may not necessarily pick" is a metaphor for Coke, and Don is crying because it gave him inspiration for an ad.

I just think it is what it is. A sign of Don's fucked up childhood and not being wanted by either of his "parents". Things that early in your life are what traumatizes you the most in adulthood. Our childhoods shape our future and all of Don's actions were purely overcompensation, as a result of it all. He wants to be loved, needed, and wanted by all around him.

He seeks that feeling, that compulsion, because he was always uncared for as a child.
 

Niraj

I shot people I like more for less.
I finally got around to purchasing the Mad Men Carousel. Right now the plan is to read a season in the book and then watch it.

How has that been working for you? I just got it as a Christmas gift and had been waffling on reading it once and then again along with the show episode to episode or just watching the show again with the book and not doing the initial read through.
 

TCRS

Banned
Oh no! I didn't know it was the last episode I was watching. :(

I love this show.. great ending imo. I love how they show Dons anguish without being so fucking obvious about it.

Man I could start straight away again from season 1.

But nah I'm going to find another show. Narcos maybe.
 
A few pieces of 10th anniversary content floating around this week including:

- Onion A|V Club: The seven defining pitches of Mad Men
The first time we see Don Draper, he’s chasing an ad campaign across a cocktail napkin. He doesn’t catch it. That’s the drama of Don’s story, not that he’s cheating on his wife, not that he has a new secretary, but that he can’t figure out how to market cigarettes. Bad behavior gave Mad Men a reputation, but the creative process has been its actual muscle from the beginning. It’s toasted. A basket of kisses. Bye Bye Birdie. The GloCoat commercial. The bean ballet. Mad Men is a trove of memorable ad campaigns. Some flesh out characters, some develop themes, some are comic relief. But every year there’s a pitch so strong it defines the season. This is the story of Mad Men in seven pitches.
 
Just thinking about Mad Men gives me shivers and makes me want to rewatch it.

It's kind of apples and oranges, but I'm currently watching Breaking Bad for the first time and I'm half way through Season 4. All I can think of is how it isn't quite in that top etchelon of TV that everyone claims it to be (so far). Mad Men has the extra something to it that elevates it to the next level. Breaking Bad is a strong B+, but Mad Men is a straight A.
 
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