A Problem With the "MAD MEN" Finale

[seldonp38]

A PROBLEM WITH THE "MAD MEN" SERIES FINALE

I had a problem with the "MAD MEN" series finale, (7.14) "Person to Person". Ironically, it had a lot to do with the characters of Don Draper and his first ex-wife, Betty Francis. And this problem first manifested in the series' penultimate episode, (7.13) "The Milk and Honey Route".

Betty Francis' sudden development an advanced case of cancer did not work for me. It seemed to come out of no where. I never understood why Weiner had saddled her with such a quickie death . . . yet, at the same time, allowed Roger Sterling to survive the end of the series. Yes . . . I am speaking of the same Roger Sterling who had suffered two massive heart attacks in the Season One episode, (1.10) "Long Weekend". His heart problem never became a major issue again, despite his continuing drinking, whoring and occasional forays into drug use. I find that rather odd.

Then again, this is the same Matthew Weiner who had told television journalists that Betty’s main reason for divorcing Don in the Season Three finale, (3.13) "Shut the Door. Have a Seat", had to do with class bigotry. I never understood his comment. Betty had been aware of Don’s working-class origins throughout their marriage. She made that clear in (3.11) "The Gypsy and the Hobo". When Roger had expressed his suspicions about Don's class origins in (1.07) "Red in the Face", Betty seemed more interested in the idea of learning more about Don than concern over the possibility that he might be working-class. She certainly seemed satisfied by Don's revelation to her and their kids about his past on a poor farm, during a picnic in Season Two's (2.07) "The Gold Violin". She seemed thrilled over the idea that she was learning more about him. So . . . Weiner’s claim that class bigotry was one of the major reasons behind Betty's decision to get a divorce never worked for me.

Between these comments about the Draper divorce and his decision to saddle Betty with an advanced stage of cancer makes me wonder if Weiner ever liked her in the first place. Is it possible that he saw Betty as a reminder of any mother issues he might possess? Some fans have claimed that Betty’s cancer finally gave her a chance to develop as a character. This is another argument I find difficult to accept. From the moment Betty had learned about Don's affair with Bobbie Barrett in "The Gold Violin", and kicked him out of the house in (2.08) "A Night to Remember", I believe her character had been developing. Yes, she had setbacks. After all, she was supposed to be human. Did the audience and critics really expect instant character growth from Betty? Apparently, the author of this ridiculous "SLATE" magazine article . . . did. The way she had faced her upcoming death apparently made her instantly "redeemed". I have never heard of such bullshit in my life. I never expected instant redemption for Betty or anyone else. And trust me, that entire cast of characters needed it. But it was easy to see that Betty been slowly developing as a character over the years.

If we are truly supposed to believe that Don finally achieved character growth during his "Kumbaya" moment in "Person to Person", then one could easily say that his development seemed . . . "instant". I mean it came out of no where. The speed in which Don allegedly achieved final character development left me shaking my head in disbelief. I could have bought it if Weiner had allowed Don's character to develop with the same pace as Betty's - slow and over a long period of time, with the occasional setbacks. Instead, audiences were treated to a "Kumbaya" moment for Don at a California yogi retreat, followed by the famous 1971 Coca-Cola commercial.

Exactly what was Weiner trying to say with that last shot of Don? That the latter had created the commercial? Or was someone else responsible? Why leave the show on an ambiguous note for Don? Weiner could have ended Don's personal story on a more final note . . . and still hint that he had ended one stage in his life and was about to embark upon another. Or . . . he could have killed Don off. I would have been happy with that scenario.

Do not get me wrong. I liked "MAD MEN" very much. After all, I had stuck with it for seven seasons. But there have been times over the years when I found myself wondering if this series may have been a little overrated. I certainly felt that way when I watched the series' finale.

Comments

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

In interviews, Weiner has said that in the fictional universe of Mad Men, Don did write that commercial.

I totally agree that Betty was ill-served by the conclusion; her character development throughout seems to me to have been given short shrift compared to the other major characters.

[lynnenne]

My thoughts about Don are that he showed no growth at all. He has one moment of peace, of compassion for other human beings, at the retreat - and what does he do with this newfound wisdom? He goes back to his old life and uses it to sell sugar water . Because that's the kind of person Don is.

Weiner's comment about Betty divorcing Don because of "class bigotry" just shows how clueless he is about women. ANY woman who found out her husband had being lying about his name, his background, his identity, for the entire time she'd known him, would have dumped his ass and never looked back - even if he was secretly a billionaire named Bill Gates. Who the hell can deal with that kind of dishonesty in a relationship?

[avenuepotter.livejournal.com]

Yeah the ending with Don "acheiving zen" so quickly at the end there really bothered me too. I saw him get an epiphany by hugging that crying guy in that session and I could see him taking a huge leap forward in resolving some issues for himself relatively quickly from there.

But then to look all peaceful, and then that weird quirky smile at the very end, I was like WTF? Upon first viewing, I didn't even "get" that Don was supposed to have written the Coke commercial. It seemed to me that it was just a season bookend - like it was representing advertising at the time and how human emotions/experiences are turned into weapons for selling - which we see throughout the show.

But I've since read much speculating whether or not Don wrote that commercial and most people seem to think he did and I can understand their logic. If that is what was intended then this ending is much sadder than it looks. Don has this epiphany and then turns it into a Coke commercial? Which means he's basically "using" the hippie-dippie culture and values that helped him find some peace - if only for a moment.

I can see Betty dying of cancer, but there should have been more of a build-up to it, I agree. It seemed to come out of nowhere - like it was just tacked on at the end.

And I think Betty went through plenty of development in Season 2-3. It's okay if she kind of stagnates from there - she's human and she's bitter - understandably.

And as far as the class bigotry thing.. . I definitely do not think this is why Betty kicked him out - it was obviously his ill treatment of her. However, class bigotry is exactly why Don kept this part of his life a secret. How stigmatizing would it be to know someone was raised in a whorehouse? So when this all came out and Betty still kicked him out I think that Don believed that this was definitely a factor - his biggest fear playing out. It kept him blinded somewhat from the fact that maybe his infidelity was at the root of his problems with Betty.

[ashmh.livejournal.com]

I can see Betty dying of cancer, but there should have been more of a build-up to it, I agree. It seemed to come out of nowhere - like it was just tacked on at the end.

And I think Betty went through plenty of development in Season 2-3. It's okay if she kind of stagnates from there - she's human and she's bitter - understandably.


I can see Don, let alone any of the characters on that show, dying of cancer. Why Betty? Betty's "stagnation" in Season 4 was all about her dealing with her anger following her divorce from Don. It didn't help matters that Sally was blaming her for the divorce. It's normal. Yet fans saw this as nothing more than an example of why Betty was a "lousy person" and a bad parent. I keep forgetting that viewers tend to view female characters with a whore/Madonna aspect.

From Season 5 onward, she began developing again . . . at a rather slow pace. Come to think of it, I can say the same about most of the other major characters. Yet, many fans have this tendency to regard Peggy, Joan and especially Sally as near ideal. By Season 7, Betty still had some of her personal flaws (like everyone else), but she had developed. She was going back to college and so forth. Then Weiner fucked it up by giving her a speedy case of cancer. Screw him.