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So, the series that some believe may very well have been the greatest show in television history has ended.
It was smart, provocative, unpredictable, sad, sexy, and often times even funny, in a strange way. It could be all of these things at different times, although there was one thing that it never failed to be:absorbing. It grabbed the attention of the viewer.
Now, it is another thing: over.
That is quite sad, at least as a fan. And I became a fan years ago, back with another girlfriend who got me into the show, probably around 2009 or so, but certainly no later than 2010. I did not follow it religiously for those first few years, but once I managed to catch up to all of those episodes from the early season, I began to follow it as it was going on, which probably is the best way.
It became a regular staple over the course of recent years.
The show was so intelligent, so nuanced, and the acting and writing really brilliant, and often inspiring. Just a winner all around.
Too bad it was limited to the sixties only, although it makes sense to restrict it to such a time period. There is a good chance that the people behind the show knew they had a good thing, and were smart enough to quit while they were doing while still on the top of their game.
It would be interesting to see episodes for what would come later, in the seventies and beyond. How interesting would it be to see an episode on Watergate, or the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam, or the energy crisis.
For that matter, how interesting would it be to see this cast of characters beyond that, to see them grow older, perhaps even grow old? To see America in the eighties, under Reagan?
Well, in any case, that will not happen.
But what will happen is debate about the series finale among Mad Men fans, and likely for years to come. Did they drop the ball by having Don off by himself in the West, particularly the final scenes, where he was lost among an anonymous crowd at an isolated hippie retreat? And is it actually implied that he came up with the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke?" jingle? What about the sudden relationship between Stan and Peggy? I will admit to being caught off-guard with that and, frankly, not entirely convinced. For a show of such nuance and with such a realistic feel, that felt a little too much like a Disney movie, or a Rom Com, or at least that was my initial impression while watching it.
There is plenty of fan reaction already, and one interesting commentary suggested that Don Draper was the new Fonz, and that no matter what Jon Hamm does the rest of his career, it will always be in the shadow of Don Draper, much like everything that Henry Winkler did was overshadowed by his role as the Fonz.
Indeed, I can see that point. Don Draper had a certain measure of cool, if you will, and like the Fonz, he harkened back to a past era in Americana. I have seen Jon Hamm in other roles, although none nearly so memorable as Don Draper. He himself even predicted that he would fade into obscurity, and said that all things of the flesh do. Interesting thought, and it holds a certain measure of truth to it.
Another reaction by a fan somewhere in the lines below had it that the whole series was ruined just by the shirt that Draper was wearing in the final minutes. It was a plaid shirt, and the gist of the argument was that, traditionally, manufacturers of such shirts would take great care to make sure the pocket design exactly matched the shirt design, and that this only changed in the last year or so. In other words, the show that took such pains and went to such lengths to look convincingly of the period it was depicting dropped the ball on this, the most important episode of the entire series, and that this effectively ruined the entire series.
That one I am not so sure about. Whether all of that is true or not (and I cannot really say that it is, one way or another), the fact of the matter is that it is such a minute detail, and really, most people would not care so much about it. Sounds like whoever it is that said that might need to be in search of a life in the near future, because she or he has entirely too much time on their hands. Who even notices such things, anyway?
Jon Hamm Talks About the ‘Mad Men’ Series Finale By DAVE ITZKOFF MAY 18, 2015
Here is some mixed reaction of the series finale from Mad Men fans:
Another interesting link to a New York Times piece on the show (with a great concluding paragraph about the concluding episode of Mad Men: "A new era is at hand, and fittingly, “Mad Men” ends with the dawn of the strong women who get to work and the sensitive men who get in touch with their feelings." - Wow!):
Saying Farewell at the Final Night of ‘Mad Men’ By LIBBY HILL MAY 18, 2015:
Here is an article that tells the actual story of how the "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" song and ad came to be in real-life:
Finally, here is the link to my Guardian Liberty Voice article reviewing the series finale. Hope you take a look!
Mad Men Series Finale Wraps Up With Surprises:
http://guardianlv.com/2015/05/mad-men-series-finale-wraps-up-with-surprises/
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