“I know you’re always trying to be better.”
“We all try. We don’t always make it.”
Sometimes it’s amazing how a couple lines of dialogue can so accurately capture a character as complex as Don Draper. If the premiere of season four of Mad Men was the beginning of a new era, the finale was definitely the end of it. And the new age was ushered in with some fireworks.
Before we get into the finale, let me rewind back to the first season. When I first started watching Mad Men I wasn’t entirely sold on it. But, since everyone was raving about how good it was I decided to stick with it. By the time I was done watching the finale of season one, I was convinced it was the best show on television. The Carousel pitch to Kodak and slow pull-back from Don sitting on a staircase after just missing his family had me hooked. In my mind, that episode is one of the best one-hours of television ever made. And it directly resonates with the line I quoted above about Don always coming up short.
To me, that is the beauty of Mad Men; the subtle, yet mesmerizingly realistic look into the lives of each of its characters. The storylines are never anything wild or far-fetched: a father going through a divorce, the death of a loved one, a man battling depression. It’s how well everything is set-up, how beautifully executed it is, that makes Mad Men stand out. Nothing’s ever black and white, it’s shades of gray just like real life.
Now, back to season four. The premiere brought with it an attitude that mirrored the shift in American society that was seen with the escalation of the Vietnam War. Don was having rough sex with a hooker and even Roger Sterling’s barbs seemed a little harsher than usual. As the season progressed, Don fell deeper into the darkness that seemed to surround his life. He battled loneliness and alcoholism after his divorce from Betty. Anna, the only person who truly knew and understood him, died leaving Don helpless and vulnerable. There’s a brush with the feds that threatened to bring Don’s checkered past to light. And, to top it off, after the departure of Lucky Strike and it’s sexually confused owner, Sterling-Cooper-Draper-Pryce found itself struggling to survive.
But, like I said earlier, the finale marked an end to these darker times and the start of, for the moment, happier days for Don. WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD.
The agency books Topaz Panti-hose’s $250,000 account, which seems modest, but considering nobody’s been willing to touch the agency with a ten-foot pole their business feels as big as nabbing Coca-Cola. And, surprise, Joan didn’t really get that abortion; she’s as tough as advertised. The only problem is neither her husband nor Roger knows, creating a tantalizing storyline for season five.
There’s an amazing moment when Sally asks Don who Dick is. He replies that it’s him, finally able to come clean not only to himself but those he cares about as well. Setting it in Anna’s house in California made it all the more powerful. The relationship between Don and Betty, which definitely took the back-seat this season, came full circle rather nicely. Betty’s child-like irrationality rears its ugly head again as she further damages her relationship with Henry Francis. And, now, she’s the one stuck in misery, while Don’s fortunes are looking up, a complete role-reversal from the start of the season. The two have a beautiful scene in their old home after Betty decides to move out. Standing in the now empty kitchen, Don heads out with Betty, leaving behind a bottle of whiskey on the counter. A clear symbol that Don has finally turned the chapter on the dark battles that haunted him this entire season.
The biggest shocker of the night, of course, was Don proposing to Megan. The cut from Betty lying alone on the bed to Don staring into Megan’s eyes like a teenager in love was absolutely brilliant. Don seems genuinely happy with Megan, which, in itself, is a huge shift from the depression that followed him all season. But I can’t help but wonder if Dr. Miller was right when she tells Don, “I hope she knows you only like the beginning of things.” Was this the exact same feeling he had when he fell in love with Betty? Is this relationship doomed to fail before it even really begins? Maybe I’m just being a cynic. Time will tell.
I do have to admit that when Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You Babe” came on to finish the episode, a smile creeped across my face. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for season five. As always, well done Mad Men, well done.
