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Pfffff... What a fantastic episode. Probably the best or second best of season 7, in my opinion. Can't wait to see what happens next.

I still don't know whether Diana (the restaurant girl) is supposed to be just another empty pursuit for Don or actually something meaningful. I feel it's the former, but I'm not sure.
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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019



Finished here. It's been fun.
This episode Lost Horizon has got to be one of my favorite episodes of the entire series. I loved how beautiful the cinematography was, the scenes with Joan were compelling, Don going on a road trip searching for the waitress was great, and so were the scenes with Peggy and Roger, etc. I think the series really feels that it is coming to a close and I love that. I am not sure as to how it will all end, but i'm sure the ending will prove satisfying.

Also was it just me but I found some scenes really surreal and sorta dreamlike. Like the scene with Peggy skating.



Finished here. It's been fun.
I still don't know whether Diana (the restaurant girl) is supposed to be just another empty pursuit for Don or actually something meaningful. I feel it's the former, but I'm not sure.
I was thinking it was the former for a while, but after tonight's episode i'm not so sure. I would like to see a happy ending where Don finally lands the girl of his dream and is fulfilled, but that sounds too optimistic and "clean-cut" for such a high-brow series. Two episodes left and I'm still not sure how it will wrap up.



The Adventure Starts Here!
See, I didn't like that episode at all. There are SO many characters to tell us about, and I feel like they're piddling away the final chances to tie up things for us.

And I don't see how they're going to wrap up anything for Don romantically. After all, he's supposedly been happily married twice now for a while (a lot longer than a few episodes), so anything they'd show us of romantic happiness would still find us skeptical at how Don would be faring a few years down the road.

When the McCann buyout happened, I thought, "Ah, yes, they are wrapping things up!" It finally felt like the end was near. But this episode felt as if everyone was just coasting and passing time waiting for the finale. Beautiful cinematography or not, it felt like it didn't move anything forward. It's too late in the game to pull that off for an entire episode, IMHO.

The Joan storyline was the only one that felt like it was moving toward anything (sad though it seemed at first).

My two cents.



We'll leave our characters at a certain point in their lives. I don't think/feel there's a special need to wrap things up all that neatly (you probably don't mean that either, Austruck). I don't think we're going to get that kind of ending.

Having said that, I do think we're getting some kind of closure in the two latest episodes. We're starting to get a sense of where the characters will end up or at least the show is giving us enough hints at their future that make us ask the questions they probably want us to ask about all the different characters.

Austruck already mentioned Joan, but I also think Peggy's fate is becoming more clear as of late. That latest image of her walking through McCann with those sun glasses, those colorful clothes and that cigarette in her mouth might be more meaningful than it seems at first. It seems like another one of those radical changes for her (she already had a few during the series). She now completely chose the mask of (false?) self-confidence. In a way it will make her stronger (especially career-wise), but it may also have its consequences for her as a human being in the long run (both positively and negatively). I'm curious on which note she'll end. Her "ending" is not completely clear yet, but it's heading towards something poignant about the rest of her future, I think.

Roger is also pretty much settled in his final role. Besides having been a fantastic comedy act throughout the whole series, he's now become an old white fox who looks back at his past with a wonderful mix of cynicism and nostalgia (he already was, but now probably more than ever). I think there's still a pretty good possibility that he will die before the show ends, but I think he's also reached a clear last stop. He's the product of another time and even though he might seem to easily adapt to modernity, he's not completely living in the present anymore. He's going on with dignity, but in his heart I feel like he longs for a more valuable past than he actually had.

I don't know how much we'll still get from Pete, Betty and Sally, but I feel like their stories are also pretty much told, besides perhaps the nice bow around it that we probably can still expect in the last two episodes for some of them.

The only big question mark for me is still Don and if his final moment will be satisfactory.



The Adventure Starts Here!
You're right -- I didn't mean that they have to end everyone's stories, of course. But it does have to feel like something more than simply same-old, same-old with everyone. We have to get the feeling that we can *guess* something generic about each of their futures based on where they leave us. Otherwise, any episode is as good as any other as a series finale.

The past few episodes I've really noticed the transition to '70s clothing and look. And yet Don still dresses essentially as he did in the very first episode -- down to the same haircut/style. If anyone is heading into dinosaur-land and doesn't know it, it's Don. Even the McCann guys are becoming disillusioned with him, after having just sounded as if they had found the goose that lays the golden egg.

There are a few things I wouldn't mind feeling like they'd tied up a little better: In the beginning, there was a lot of stuff about Dick Whitman, and now it's like it just doesn't have any kick to it and is essentially a non-issue. But is something like that ever completely gone? There were only scant repercussions. (Yes, the first divorce, but that would have happened anyway at some point, methinks.) They made such a big deal about it for so long and then he tells Megan about it and it just sort of poofs away.

I don't see Roger dying -- if only because Cooper died. They were bound to kill off one of the original guys, and I think Cooper was it, although Roger did mention his "heart condition" again this past episode, so perhaps you are onto something...

I would like to see Joan's story wrapped up better. She doesn't seem the type to just take her quarter-million and then go sit at home. At first she seemed to want the homemaker life, but she's way past that now. Will she be happy?

I did like Peggy waltzing down the hallway in the shades with the cig. Made me laugh out loud, remembering her walking to her first desk with a box (I think), but with a completely different attitude. She's come a long way, baby.

We'll see. I think this season has given me hope they'll end this well, but the past season-ish was such a useless mess that I'll believe it when I see it, at this point...



A system of cells interlinked
Sadly, I have had to drop the show, as I just CANNOT get access to the first 6 episodes of season 7. On-Demand has the entire series, but not the first 6 of this final season. Not on Netflix or Prime, and obviously, the season won't hit physical media until it's over. I don't pirate, so save that recommendation. Sites like AMC also don't have the first 7 episodes...Arg!

That's OK. At this point, I have kind of lost interest, as it has been over a year since I saw any content and season 6 was pretty weak, IMO. I just straight out missed season 7 when it first aired, and it never crossed my mind until recently when I saw a kooky DB Cooper theory about the show. I feel no need to stay current now, and I guess I will eventually catch up with the show once all the episodes are spammed all over the place.
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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



Finished here. It's been fun.
The only big question mark for me is still Don and if his final moment will be satisfactory.
Same here. I've been going on a few message boards and many are predicting that Don will go back to being Dick Whitman. Don Draper dies, Dick Whitman lives. I think that would be a fairly good close to his character.



I think a lot of people will be disappointed with the end like they were The Sopranos. That show had a very distinct way of telling a story that didn't involve tying up loose ends. I definitely think Weiner has that same sensibility and like Chase I don't see him abandoning it just because its the end. Personally I love the style and will probably welcome an open end like The Sopranos.

I could see the Draper becoming Whitman scenario for sure. If that does happen though it would shock me if we get too much information beyond that, which again would leave a lot of fans disappointed I think.



I'm only up to ep. 11 Time and Life so you're one ahead of me. I liked the end of Time and Life, it seemed like the beginning of the end when all the employees walked away in the middle of the staff meeting leaving the core people standing there. Seemed like a trailer for the end game.
Surely Pete will reunite with Trudy. I loved that episode with the headmaster, so funny referencing the massacre of Glencoe!
Peggy will be fine, she's a fighter and the kind of woman that stood up for women everywhere to work in the world of men. I hope Joan has met a decent guy, she's also a toughie, but I feel she's looking for something else in life whereas Peggy has ambition. Her scene with Stan telling him about her baby was really touching.
Roger doesn't seem bothered about anything now, he's reached that time of life where he can kick back and take whatever comes his way with a sense of humour.
But Don, oh Don. Never content with what he has. Will life ever bring him happiness?



I am actually where you are Christine. Sunday's episode is on the DVR and I probably won't get to it till tomorrow. I thought the episode you are talking about was the best of these last seven so far. I really love how Don couldn't dig himself out of that hole like he has so many times before.

I think it will be fitting if Don's ending is a little tragic, not talking about death here, just not getting his way like he always has. I love the character but he is quite despicable and I think with a life lived like that a little karma is in order. Before anybody calls me out for being a creep, I wouldn't wish this on someone in real life. Entertainment is to dream.



Aye, his chickens are coming home to roost that's for sure. The way he was dismissed during his presentation at McCann, being sidelined is not something he's used too. Being dropped by a woman isn't either. Like Austruck has pointed out he's even beginning to looked out of date in the way he dresses.
I wouldn't call you out for wishing some karma Sean. Don is charming, perhaps a man entertaining enough to have a pint with but not someone you'd want to share a life with.



One behind as always! Watched Lost Horizons last night. I'm loving these last episodes, not least because of their visual beauty, only spoiled by the knowledge there will be no more
The change from the personal and freethinking Stirling Cooper into the corporate McCann was held up to see how our guys fit in and surprise surprise the clash of cultures is extreme. From open plan to narrow corridors and multiple floors and milling people. From relaxed dress back to shirt and tie. From the workers to the bosses, there was open communication, now there's layers of management.

Joan has been able to create her own world inside SC, she had the respect of her colleagues because she's put in the hard work to get where she is. However out in the big bad world of McCann her boss sees her as prey and the big boss can barely hold back his disgust at a woman being where she is. Even the women with their 'womens club' show Joan where it's at from a gender work point of view. Roger is right to tell her to take the money. No idea if we are to be shown what happens to her, but I want her to go and use that money to start her own business, and make a success of it. She would never fit in McCann. I liked the little touch of history with her mention of the 1970 Womens Strike for Equality - that sort of thing anchors timelines.

I'd be surprised if Roger even takes up a role within McCann, he's just not going to be able to take it seriously!

Not sure how long Peggy will last either over there. She does have her straight side, so she will be able to fit in if she puts her mind to it, but if she's treated badly because she's a woman or her creativity is stifled she's going to walk. She now has the confidence - the walk down the corridor with the shades, the ciggie and the tentacle porn pic was absolute class - must've brought a massive smile to fans faces, it did mine!
I know Peggy and Joan haven't always got on, but they do complement each others skills and I do think they work well together even if theres a personal spikiness there. Could be Joan starts a business and asks Peggy to join? I'd like the thought of that

Now Don. When he approached that window in his new office put his hand up and felt the draught,a chill went through me. The reference to the intro, the thought of his suicide, let's not have it end like that! I hope this was just a touching reference and maybe the winds of change?
Throughout the whole series, Don has never been happy. He's seen happiness and can recognise the times he felt it. A nice touch him going back to pick up Sally, and having that tiny tender moment with Betty. Betty seems content too, accepting Sally's independance and doing her own studies. There was no surprise he couldn't or wouldn't cope within McCann, that first meeting was a catalyst in confirming his state of mind. I don't think even he knew what he was going to do if he found Diana. She's just another dream. It's the skill of the writers that we have no idea how Don is going to end up. Pretty sure it's not going to be a happy ending though, and will we even see him back in NY again?

There's loads of things I've liked about this last series. Meredith, Don's current secretary comes across like a dizzy girl, but look at her storyboards for Don's new apartment. Those surreal scenes in the empty office with Peggy and Roger - absolutely loved that! Betty looking happy and calm. The underdevelopment of Joan's new boyfriend - who is he? is he something dodgy, is that why we don't know any more? Shirley leaving and telling Roger with such self confidence she doesn't need the job anymore. Roger's snarky conversation with Harry. Loads more.

I'm going to miss it. I love it almost as much as The Sopranos.



I am going to miss it too Christine, probably my third favorite show ever.

I was not enamored with this last episode though, I hope you like it more than me when you see it. It is a decent Pete episode. The Don aspect seems like something that would have been decent in a middle episode in a middle season of the run. Not satisfying for me at all when the end is basically here. The Betty story didn't resonate with me emotionally like it was supposed to either. We don't know her well enough anymore as she disappears for large chuncks of time.

Not a terrible episode, but not what I was expecting so close to the end.



Hey Sean, I'm glad we see a bit more of Pete before then end then, it's on Thursdays here so I'll post about it then.
What are the two series that top Mad Men for you then? If I don't count the British series I'm really fond of, I still have The Sopranos as my number one, but I think Mad Men just edges The Wire into second place...at the moment anyway



Well we agree on The Sopranos, but I've never seen The Shield. I should check it out really as a lot of people have recommended it.
It's great. It does probably have a down season and a half but still very watchable because the characters are great. Vic Mackey is one of my favorite characters ever. Then you have back to back seasons with Glen Close and Forrest Whitacker which are probably the best TV for me ever. Problem is I don't think it streams anywhere. If you move to GA I will let you borrow my DVDs.



I am going to miss it too Christine, probably my third favorite show ever.

I was not enamored with this last episode though, I hope you like it more than me when you see it. It is a decent Pete episode. The Don aspect seems like something that would have been decent in a middle episode in a middle season of the run. Not satisfying for me at all when the end is basically here. The Betty story didn't resonate with me emotionally like it was supposed to either. We don't know her well enough anymore as she disappears for large chuncks of time.

Not a terrible episode, but not what I was expecting so close to the end.
I liked it more than you I think Sean, specially Pete fighting against being headhunted then realising what a coup that job would be. I like seeing him with his little girl, he's always loved her and made time for her, that's partly why I think he genuinely feels he can rekindle his relationship with Trudy, that and they both seem never to have fallen out of love. I hope so much that the job actually materialised.

The Betty story did make me feel sad. Seeing the doctor discuss her medical affairs with her husband while she sat looking into the distance was only too indicative of those times, and just like the time her psychiatrist was reporting back her sessions to Don. She needs control of her life and just when she's going to do it by going back to school tragedy strikes, so now she has to take control of her death instead.
The one to feel sorry for is Sally not Betty tho isn't it? Poor Sally. A mother so emotionally repressed and self centred she can't even put her arm around her daughter. Her pushing past Sally when she came home, piqued because Henry had confided her dramatic news before she could, was awful. I hope Don makes contact with Sally soon.

Don got part of his big lie off his chest to strangers. He's getting further away and shedding more of himself, his lie, his car, even his clothes. I can't wait to see how it ends, but I don't want it to end