In the end Don learned an age old truth. You can make a shitload of money off hippies.

Love how Don ends the show wearing normal casual clothes. He was in a suit 99% of the series.

Leonard is an anagram for "Real Don". The subtlety of the show is off the charts incredible...

I always saw Madmen as a show about the tremendous cultural shift from 1960 to 1970. The series begins with Don as the perfect 1950's man. Perfectly in-tune with the zeitgeist of the 50's. This allowed him to be the great ad man that he was during the first couple of seasons. As society shifted around him, he struggled to adjust and keep pace. The final episodes sees him at his lowest and most disoriented by his fall from grace and painful transformation as he recalibrates his talents. The smirk at the final shot is Don emerging from his cocoon, transformed, having mastered this new generation's philosophy, ready to sell once again like only Don Draper can.

“What is happiness? It’s a moment before you want more happiness.” - Don

Mad men is truly one of the most hauntingly bittersweet things I have ever witnessed in art. It is one of those shows that doesn´t grow away from you it is rather you growing with it. I try to watch it once a year to see how much I´ve grown, because as I change so will my reactions. And what I´ve noticed is how much more relatable Don becomes as the years go by. The dreamy bitterness of his life is not only reflected by him but everyone around him. Everyone is faking it, and everyone tries to pretend they grew up instead of actually growing up. To me Don represented the most basic yet deepest of questions "are you happy with who you are?" and "Who did you wish you were? ANYWAY THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE VIDEOS :)

I am glad Pete got his just due. He just kept working hard and not taking handouts from family. That made his ending that much more sweet.

Is ScreenPrism *ever* gonna stop making Mad Men and Breaking Bad videos? ...I hope not.

It feels good to know that don really cared and admired peggy even though he never showed it so that call at the end is very important to me

I think it’s important to note that Don allows the word “love” to be used in the Coke hilltop ad. Draper had instructed his employees not to contribute to the trivialization of that word as they worked on prior ads. Given Don’s knowledge of Betty’s impending death and her brief work on a Coke ad in the early 1960s, I see the ad as a tribute to her, as well as a remark that he did truly love her, in the end.

To me, this one is arguably one of the best endings I have ever seen.

What I loved about Mad Men is that they never ended a season with some cheap cliff hanger. The final episode of each season eludes to a type of rebirth for either Don or the characters in the show. Even when I think about this show I can't get Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice" out of my head, that song in the season 5 finale encapsulated the show perfectly.

Also I think about that final hug, it really is Dick Whitman who hears the other man, that's why he can be related. Everybody chooses something from Don, but no one from Dick, he's is the invisible man and, at the end, is the real man. Dick Whitman suffers all the weight of being under Don. Maybe at the end he reaches the merge of Dick (his past) and Don (present) for a better future.

I love the historic accuracy in Mad Men

I started off loving Roger's character, hating Pete and wanting to be Don. As the series finished, I respected Pete, loved Roger, and sympathised for don

Is there a Burt Cooper video I'm missing? He represented a different generation than any of the other characters. The oldest generation of Mad Men. His character is also ripe with symbolism. If there is not one, I'd like to suggest that he would be a great character analysis.

Could we please have a video on Trudy Campbell? She's one of the greatest and purest characters on Mad Men; I love her so much.

The show's intro is symbolic of how it ended, in a way. The Don character is falling, falling, falling and then sitting comfortably in a chair. Don fell throughout the show. After the Coke ad, I picture him back in the office sitting comfortably there, smiling to himself that he succeeded.

Mad men might just be the best tv show ever

I just finished the show, and I miss it already. That scene between Leonard and Don b r o k e me. All the last ep broke me. Fml. What a great show

Just finished Mad Men for the first time ever (bc I’m planning to watch it again in the future) and I’m really satisfied with the ending. I even cried a little. I’m impressed by how much this series grew on me, I was hesitant to start watching it, but I’m so glad I did.

This show made me an alcoholic and then got me to quit. 😂

I always think about this ending and how the last season was structured to make it seem like maybe Don would end it all after losing everything, but ends with this epiphany. Bert Cooper ended the first season by saying "They say a man is the room he's in," that it doesn't matter if Don Draper is an imposter because we're all just constructs of our roles. Sally also begins to think this way when she says, "I'm so many people." But the way the last season is set up to really get to the core of all the characters and who they really are. Don slowly ends up with nothing. Megan has divorced him, Betty is dying, Anna is dead, his kids are going to live with another family, he walks away from McCann, his fellow veterans turn on him, he gives away his car, Stephanie runs out on him, and so on. He's still wealthy and can do whatever he wants for the rest of his life, but on the hilltop he is completely adrift. I always saw the construction of the finale to say, "Who are you underneath when there are no more rooms to walk into, or roles to hide behind?" Don is the ad man, the guy who creates these ideas in a cynical world that work because they're based on a kernel of sincerity, just like the Carousel ad. Like he tells Peggy, "You are the product. You, feeling something."

MAD MEN is the best written TV series, ever.

One of the best written series ever. Ultimate classic can be watched in 20-30 years and still be great

I asked my dad what the last cocacola advert he remembered was, and he sung a bit of this song. He was 8 at the time, he remembers it almost 58 years later. How spooky

I love Don's smile before the coca cola commercial. I was 5 yrs. old when the Coke commercial came out. I remember waiting for the commercial because the "jingle" was unlike any song during that time (or any I heard.) I believe the Coke commercial was remade several times with different "types" of people in other locations. My friends in elementary school would watch & sing along. It was the greatest feeling. It had nothing to do with liking Coke. In fact, my family drank Pepsi. Personally, I think it's the greatest commercial ever made.

Thank you for spending so much time analyzing such an impactful show. You have taken the time to articulate many thoughts that were running around in my head on this show.

My mom immediately picked out the commercial from the song while it was still panned on Don.

Don's explanation and renaming of the Wheel to the Carousel, is IMO, the best of the entire series. Jon was so deserving of an Emmy in this first & possibly, the second season of Mad Men. I grew up in the '60s watching all these ads on tv. Weiner is brilliant in his writing & direction of this show. Hamm was born for this role, and he played it brilliantly.

One thing about the last episode that just breaks my heart is where Don goes to the fund-raising party and finally, after all these years, reveals to fellow vets that he was responsible for the death of his CO. It's the first time he's ever told anyone that. He hates himself for it, but they embrace him...it's such a warm, beautiful moment of acceptance. And maybe through the acceptance of these men (the only people who can relate to the horrors of war), Don can begin to accept himself. And after that touching scene, they later storm his hotel room, beat him and accuse him of stealing the money. It was so savage. If these had been strangers, it wouldn't have been that big a deal. But he trusted these men...he shared with these men...and they utterly betrayed him.

Although "Mad Men" has been gone for four years, Screen Prism wisely realizes that a period drama like "Mad Men" will remain current for decades.

I went through this show, and it really struck something internally and resonated. I’m Don Draper. I know, a lot of guys may say that or want to because of the drinking, women and success (not that I have or have had any of that really). But the loneliness and dark hole that was his life and who he was. The similarities of trying to forget things, bury your real self and just trudge along. Put on a mask. I went through this series in the darkest period of my life and during an emotionally intense relationship. I remember us eating and I was watching an episode, it ended, and she asked me why I like the show. In that moment, I couldn’t really explain or actually, didn’t want to. It was almost unconscious, but I really knew why. I said something shallow to change the topic “eh, I like to style of it.” This show could really be a study and lesson on depression and severe loneliness. The series finale was in itself, almost like therapy for me as well, and provided some hope. Well, that’s how it was for me.

so sad when he lost his younger brother. it wasn't a long arc, but to me that was probably the most profound loss for him

I love that Don has hit rock bottom and then has become enlightened. Deep down he was a good man. He was very creative already and he had talent. He was a winner despite his horrific childhood. I am glad he realized this. I really like this ending. I wanted him to succeed so much, because I like his character a lot.

Early on In season 1, Don talks to rachel about how love doesn’t exist. He then talks to Meghan about how he didn’t love his children. By growing up in a sex house, Don was exposed to sex at a young age and seems to never be able to turn it down. He also never had any real family, therefore never learnt how to love. However, he is very generous and form parent like relationships with others, like Peggy or even sometimes Betty when he treated her like a child. He has a good heart but has never felt genuine love even though he makes an effort with strangers and cares about his affairs, children and wives. I think the ending, where he hugs the man whose never been loved really hits home with Draper. He has peace the next day knowing he isn’t the only one who feels this way and he has hope.

To be honest, when I first saw the finale, I didn't connect Don and the Coke ad

Mad Men's ending was a much deeper ending than the Sopranos. All throughout the series, Don Draper avoided words like "love" and other "touchy-feely" notions in his ads, because, as we learned from watching, Don didn't believe in love. Growing up in a whorehouse, and the rest of his upbringing for that matter, had it's deep, long lasting effects on Don. Throughout the 7 seasons, much like the opening credits, Don life had been spiralling out of his control, when we are to assume that he had always been in control up to that point. I believe his divorce to Birdie destroyed him more than we were led to believe at first, but that is when his life really took a turn for the worse in the series, and he never really recovered, in life and his career. I don't feel that Don was cynical towards advertising, as he felt it was an exact science rather than art. I think Don was cynical towards life. Don was a success in everything, but he couldn't maintain his family life and personal close relationships like he could create a memorable ad. The career was the easy part for Don, balancing his life with his career was the problem for him. Like you said, Don could create happiness for everyone watching his ad, but not for himself. Don was always able to sell the "sizzle" of the steak, all the insignificant things in life that people didn't really need, like the "smell of a new car", as that is how he sold the lie of his life to himself, with materialistic things, while missing out on the things that truly make you fulfilled in life, like growing old with your partner, molding and watching your kids grow, losing loved ones with loved ones around you, rather than being alone. The Kodak carousel ad presentation I think was an "a-ha" moment of sorts for him, where he realized what he was losing in life. At the seminar, the guy Don hugged told his story which woke Don up to this idea. People did love him, and had been trying to get through to Don his whole life, just like the man who told his story. Don (and this man) just didn't know how to react to the people in their lives trying to reach out, or even recognize it, as those concepts were foreign to them. That hug was a healing experience for Don as much for the other guy. It was the first step towards Don's healing process. The last time we see Don, the bell goes off and Don smiles... I don't think this was an "a-ha moment", but rather the turning point in Don's healing process. Don coming to terms and peace with everything that had got wrong with his life up to that point. Don had changed. The bell goes off, and he had his wry smile... Don was back, he was gaining control of the thoughts in his mind, coming to terms with everything in his life from the past decade. No longer the rigid ad man tainted by his past, he can now feel safe to use the "touchy-feely" concepts he so despised before... and we are left to see the result of that, the most "touchy-feely" television ad in history, even with the forbidden word "love", a complete departure of any ad campaign we've seen from him in the past. Like at @ of his video, the writer states it beautifully, people, like the past Don Draper, who find that ad corney are probably missing out on a lot in life. The Coke commercial is suggesting where Don was heading, back to the top of his game which we hadn't seen since season 2 or 3, with a brand new outlook on life. BTW - the ending of the Sopranos was easy. He got wacked at the end in front of his family, period. If you watch, there is a familiar hit man at the bar that follows him in, goes to the bathroom, comes out and boom.

I think the ending implies that Don finds some inner peace after all. Remember that in the last seasons he was imploding terribly. He made a fool of himself during the Hershey´s presentation and made decisions that affected not only himself but the entire agency (Jaguar). And at McCann Erickson he didn´t really worked that much. The Coke ad at the send signifies that at least he found the emotional and mental stability to go back to work and be able to put up one of the best ads ever made. Maybe he still craves women, is unfaithful to his future partners, but he allows himself to open up to the world.

My mom finished watching the series yesterday and I just had a phone conversation with her about the ending and the impact the whole show had on her. And now you just added this video on youtube. I think it's a proof that this show changes the way you look at life, people, coincidences and choices. Thanks :)

Mad Men has been constant in my life, I have seen the show 7 times, and watching it again just creates an experience that is new to me. I don't claim to know Don Draper, but I understand his struggles and his crises. This show has helped me in my life like nothing has, Mad Men is the best thing to happen to T.V. And Thank You Screenprism for giving tribute to such a show. I loved every episode, I hope there is another one.

The thing I've always wondered is whether or not Don and Betty saw each other again. I was doing the math; the likelihood of her seeing the Hilltop ad was very unlikely. It's funny how Coke (the all American product) has always been so intertwined with Don (the man aspiring to be the American dream)

YEEEEEESSSS I knew we weren’t done with Mad men

One of the things I appreciate so much about this show is how the writing unapologetically reflects the true attitudes and behaviors of the time. Some of it was so cringe inducing-but that’s what the world was, back then. Idk how MW was able to capture time, that way, but it is perfection.

I want to say that the advertising industry actually elevated the characters on the economic ladder and allowed them opportunities to express their creativity and be innovative. I feel your question like that beatnik did say that advertising is a lie but not everyone has been encouraged to become an artist like he, Don and Peggy were able to find their knack through it and Harry Crane alternatively could have gone straight to the army. Joan was able to find how good she was at production and troubleshooting for sponsors. Ken was able to move away from his country childhood. Pete was able to transcend the limits of his upbringing and engages with people from different backgrounds. I love these character studies for the show and please don't ever stop.

Of all the show's characters (my favorite being Ginsberg) I relate the most to Ken Cosgrove. Sociable guy, devoted to his work, obviously not the work for him, the people he loves tell him to quit, but he keeps pushing, cause he knows it's coming... His payoff in the last season was a joy to sit through. How things work out for him at the end for being the guy nobody really hates, but constantly being punished for this in the corporate world was brilliant writing. The show kept telling you you have to be cold-hearted and cut-throat to win, but all those approaches kept failing while he made sacrifices and came out a grinning winner with a clear conscience. It's something we've all been dreaming of.

The last season is so weird because it's like a mishmash between Mad Men and Twin Peaks. All the ruminations on death, centering around coffee, diners (Diana), and seemingly non sequitur sua sponte visions that actually do 'mean' something. It's very strange and shouldn't work, but it does.

Can we get a video about Ken? He had some of the most interesting character development in the show

I want Stan Rizzo video.I think the man is so fascinating and him with Peggy isthe only sweet thing that's happened in McCann after all the major players from SC & P went away.

This whole analysis is actually quite touching. I love this show even more than I already did.

Watched the entire season 2X. Absolutely brilliant. I felt Don’s pain and happiness, that’s how good the production/writing was. I’ll probably watch it again next year. I always find something new.

When I saw the smile on Don's face I pictured him saying to himself, "I'm Back! I am Back! I'll use hippies to sell sugar water to the world. Dammit! What's the number to McAnn Erikson?!"

I begging to watch this series year ago... then for some reason i stopped. Then my life took and unnespected turn (mi father died, got divorced, move to another house, etc) I picked the series again from season 2 and it was like '' look this men and his struggles, inner pain, sadness... you can do it too.... star over again''. Loved the ending! I'm into yoga now for some time and that bell sound reminds to the way the Eckhart Tolle videos starts. Long live to ''Mad Men's'' around the world!

As much as Mad Men ended in an awesome fashion, I'm still wishing they'd do one more season with Don running McCann. Could skip a decade to enable some flashback episodes, and end on doing the notable Apple commercial.

Brilliant connection between Don's affinity towards strangers and the retreat being all about connecting with strangers.

I honestly felt that Mad Men needed a spin-off. There was so much more to be explored EDIT: Thanks so much for likes

I just finished a rewatch and I want to thank you for this video. Mad Men is one of the best series the past two decades. This video is exceptional. It's also been a wonderful tool to talk with my parents who lived in the 60s in London and their experiences.

Mad Men is hands down the best serie, cinematography, layers of meaning, acting, literally everything is of the highest quality. It will take a miracle to see another serie top it in my lifetime.

I was not ready for this show to end. I would of loved to see these characters through the 70s, 80s, and so on.

The idea of Don Draper writing the best ad of all time creates the best series ending of all time. I was furious with Weiner for ending the series ,but, loved him for ending it so well.

I appreciate how you engaged with the series and this is indeed a beautiful explaination, thank you.

That commercial was so central to me when I was a kid. I loved that song. So what if it was an ad? It said something beautiful! So damn, after seven years of Mad Men, the SECOND that first note sounded, I SCREAM LAUGHED SO HARD. I so did not see that coming. BEST ENDING EVER.

Please never stop with these Mad Men analysis videos! What I love about this show is that there is still so much to discuss long after it’s ending. Even though I have seen it multiple times, I always go back to watch to find something I missed before. It’s truly my favorite show of all time.

OK...you made me no longer resent the ending. Thank you...it's a real miracle.

Obligatory suggestion time? Obligatory suggest time. Maybe do a video about EVERY single woman Don was "with" in the series and how each one of them effected him and vice versa.

How does Jon Hamm get hotter as he ages?

God, I miss Mad Men

I’m obsessed with Madmen. I would love to see a character break down of Sal!

These Mad Men videos you guys have made are so good. Really reviving my love for the show

I loved Mad Men before I watched these videos but now I love it even more. I think these are the best deep dives into television I have ever seen. I have literally teared up in every single one. I full on cried when I watched the deep dive into Sally's character. I love this channel and I hope everyone gets to see these fantastic videos you guys put so much effort into.

Yeah, he was smiling because he got his ad. They said he'd taken off before when he had like writers block and then come back - that's all any of this really was. He's still the same guy he's always been. The thing with this character - is that he isn't bull shitting himself. He understands his job and he's good at it. Sometimes though he just needs to get away for a while and let the idea come to him rather than chasing after it. .

For the short time I worked as a secretary in a advertising firm back in the late 1980s, I can say some of this is familiar.

I love the mad men videos

The level of craft this video has is amazing. Everything about this video essay is beautiful. Thank you!

I teared up a good amount watching this video! Person To Person was such an emotional roller coaster of an episode and Mad Men in its entirety is a masterful work of art. Thank you for creating such amazing content. You make people better by watching your videos because your insights capture exactly what we feel when watching these shows but can't adequately explain. Bravo!

I hadn't even considered the majority of things you say on the video. This is like a lesson for me. I learned a lot, thank you.

Those who were not teenagers when this add came out cannot fathom the impact this ad had on the cultural revolution of the 70’s. It was huge.

Thank You!!! I've been waiting for this.

Your channels essays are really well composed and thought out. Well done. Cheers

Mad men is one of my favorites. I have been enjoying all your videos. Thanks for your hard work

I have been SO waiting for this

Wow excellent study as always!!!! I absolutely live for your videos,so in depth they make me fall in live with this show all over again and reappreciate it!

Visual media has always been an important part of my life. From de early oportunity to bond with my father to the finding of things I wanted in my life. Mad Men made me company in one of the roughest times in my life. All the series helped me cope with the sensation of being unnable to connect with others. Thank you The Take because more people could use the company of this series and what better way of doing it than getting to know whats inside of it.

lane price was a tragic dude

Just what I needed this Sunday evening, lovely...

This video is full of clips from the very first pilot and the very last episode. Great compilation and thanks for including so much of the greatest tv show ever.

I knew Mad Men was the best TV I’ve ever watched. You do a beautiful job diagramming and breaking down - so thoughtfully, so coherently - many of the reasons I feel this way. Thank you.

You know. I’ve always felt really bad for Don. Although he’s done a lot of wrong things, it’s not like he can help it. Everyone is a product of our childhood whether we’d like to admit it or not. And Don is just that. He does feel guilty for his wrongdoings when he lets himself feel and look at his past mistakes. He doesn’t do it often but when he does you can see it. He had a really rough childhood and not all of us can understand that, it’s ok. The one thing we can not control in our life is who we were born to, where we were born, and how our childhood plays out. Definitely not saying what he has done is okay one bit, but that there’s a real reason for it. He’s just a troubled soul. And just a child inside who doesn’t know how to love or even recognize it even though he needs it so much. In the end, he learned that he really needs to love himself or at least accept himself first. And that’s what he achieved at the end of the show.

Season One: "Happiness is the smell of a new car." Season Six:" What is happiness? it's the moment before you need more happiness."

Love how in depth you go on these videos of shows and their characters. Specifically this video; helped me understand the ending to a show I like so much! Thank you!!

you guys did a fantastic job with this series. well done!

These Mad Men critiques are FANTASTIC!

I was hoping for a new MadMen video and i hope there ll be lots in the future. Hell, don t mind if this channel dedicates itself exclusively to making MadMen videos. Totally the best show in my opinion with so much depth and still lots of areas to explore.

This analysis was as insightful, provocative and bittersweet as the series itself. Thank you for the good work.

I look forward to these videos all week long, every week. Keep up the good work!

the guy is an ad man through and through. it was a damn perfect ending.

Finally finished Mad Men and now binge watching all these Mad Men videos! Personally one of the characters I grew really attached to but barely understood was Ken, I'd love a video on him :)

I just finished this series today after only one month of bingeing. Such a phenomenal show! ❤️👏🏻

This is absolutely amazing. I’ve been wanting this video for years.

my immediate thought was “this ending is a bit odd” but a few seconds after it hit me and i was like “ahh... genius”. i love the emotions madmen made me feel. i never usually cry at tv but i couldn’t help myself cry about 10 times at madmen.