The Mad Men Finale that won me over
A few months ago, I called Mad Men the most overrated show on television. Read it, believe me, it’s genius stuff. But my main thrust was that Mad Men had two driving flaws:
1) Its plot has too many loose ends.
2) The entire has series has been without “holy cow” moments.
Well gang, tonight is the night I officially eat my hat. In a season that wavered and seemed to be stalling, Mad Men pulled off a finale so good that it officially may have officially gained entrance into the “Great TV Show” pantheon. They tossed both of my objections aside, tying up every imaginable loose end and getting me to yell “holy cow” out-loud to my cat. (She expressed ambivalence). I’d say SPOILER ALERT, but if you’re reading an article titled “Mad Men Finale” and not expecting spoilers, well then you’ve got bigger issues at hand. So let’s get on with it…
The entire first act was a holy cow moment. When the wheels started spinning on the effort to buy back the company, it all fell so beautifully into place. Suddenly the seemingly listless scenes of attitude and backstory paid off. The continuous emasculation of Pryce and by his wife and superiors, Campbell’s slimy maneuvering and wild insecurity, Peggy’s struggle for respect and individuality – even Cooper’s stupid red painting! – they all bore fruit. Each one of those apparent “mood setters” enriched the takeover. Each scene felt like the perfect extension of each characters’ story, giving the individual negotiations so much depth and emotional weight…it was just such fucking great writing. And when I realized this was how they’d get Joan Holloway back in the mix, well, let’s just say there were a lot of high fives in the living room. Yeah, my cat high fives. So what?
Then, as the story came together, Matthew Weiner gave us one hell of a scene to remember. When Don and Betty had their little chat, well, let’s just call it the “I’m gonna stand in the shadows and call you a whore” moment, I was floored. The acting was so vicious – it’s not a scene I’m gonna forget anytime soon. I’m sitting here watching it again, on the immediate “AMC has no other good programming” repeat. That’s a pretty good sign you just saw something great.
So with that Mad Men, I officially withdraw my complaint. You’re a great show, and I was wrong to doubt you. Come back soon…
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I loved this finale, but I also found myself asking why I should. After all, the essential elements driving the plot are corporate skull-duggery and a divorce. That’s it. Who cares about whether or not Don and co. work for Sterling Cooper or Sterling Cooper Draper Price? And was the divorce really such a surprise? And yet, so well-written, and so compelling. It was a surprise to me when I took a step back and thought about what I had just seen that I enjoyed it so much.
I saw it too, but one good memorable show does not a good series make in my little opinion.
Between this week’s finale and last week’s JFK episode, I’ve been reminded as to why Mad Men is actually a good show. Previously, it had been going through a stretch of Sopranos-like pretentiousness I was getting really fed up with.
And they brought Joan back. Bra-vo.
Paul, I’m reading “BRA-vo” as a Joan Holloway pun and loving it. I will not be convinced that you intended otherwise.
In response to another comment. See in context »