Am I missing something, or was the point that all of the characters ended up repeating the same mistakes that had made them miserable in the first place? Or at the very least, that in the end they are who they are and didn't really change?
Pete:
>Mr. "his family was just a temporary bandage on a very permanent wound"
>always wanted to be an alpha male Don type but was beta and felt that the suburban family life was him accepting his failings as man
>fails in his aspirations of living the bachelor life after splitting with Trudy
>goes back to Trudy in the end
Peggy:
>Ms. "Woe is me. I'm just frumpy, unassuming, ugly duckling Peggy and I feign victimhood while actually being kind of a bitch who abandoned my child, constantly abuses my employees, and sleeps with married men because daddy died and all the men I REALLY want turn me down"
>long history of settling for less than what she really wants in relationships because it's the best she can do (e.g. runs to Pete after being rejected by Don)
>in the end convinces herself that she must be in love with Stan once he confesses his feelings for her despite openly stating that she never even though about him in that way prior to him suddenly offering her the prospect of love on a silver platter
Betty:
>literally smoking with terminal lung cancer
>implying Sally wasn't 100% correct when she said that it wasn't some noble acceptance of her fate, but that she "loved the tragedy of it all"
I can go on.
That's humans for you
>>70394243
Please do go on its an fun read
Pete went from a grimy little pimp to a somewhat respectable business and family man.
>>70394243
go on. i'm listening.
>>70394497
Peggy as well professionally she's doing amazing and she's in a settled relationship with a good guy.
I think OP has a real point in that no ones really finished their journey or grown out of their flaws, except of course Don
>>70395753
>I think OP has a real point in that no ones really finished their journey or grown out of their flaws, except of course Don
this is a joke right?
>>70395753
>I think OP has a real point in that no ones really finished their journey or grown out of their flaws
Well, that's tricky because the series is over, but the characters' lives aren't.
It kinda feels like Mad Men really ended halfway through season 7, and the last episodes were more of a coda.
>>70394437
>>70395523
Continuing on...
Joan:
>Ms. "I enjoy the attention my looks command right up until that attention comes with strings attached"
>entire arc throughout the show is a continuous cycle of fluctuating between leaning on the perks that come with a beautiful woman and turning on "serious professional" mode at work
>uses work status to compensate for feeling devalued in relationships when need be, and uses relationships to compensate for when she's reminded that she is, in fact, still just a glorified secretary
>pattern of eventually demanding to be taken seriously, but is always shot down because by that point it's too late and she's already set a precedent for not being taken seriously based on how she capitalizes on her looks
>internalizes that devaluing experience as "no one loves ALL of me"
>final relationship fails because, yet again, she maintains the unrealistic expectation that she should treated like a princess and have her independence respected entirely on her own terms
Don:
>tells vets about killing his CO to get out of Korea
>they act accepting, but eventually accuse him of stealing their money because they believe him to be untrustworthy
>yet the latest incident in a long line of experiences that contribute to his deeply seated belief that "No one accepts me for me. I'm not allowed to be who I really am."
>hardly the first time we've seen him run away from it all
>hardly the first time he's made a blubbering confession that he's a deficient human being
>always goes back and keeps doing it because despite his denial, he simply does not know how to recognize, accept, or return love and pretty much everything he does is his way of saying "since no one loves me or wants me, I need to selfishly pursue my own wants. No one else seems to give a shit about them."
>returns to NY to literally commodify his "enlightenment" about the need for human connection with the Coke ad
>selling love, something that he fundamentally doesn't understand
>>70395753
>Peggy as well professionally she's doing amazing and she's in a settled relationship with a good guy.
Plz. She always thought of Stan as a slacker. Career success was probably her biggest turn, hence why she was attracted to men like Don and Ted, but the only men who gave her the time of day weren't about that like Abe and Stan (to some degree). it's bound to fail.
well, OP, that's because they're... mad... men.
>>70394243
The whole point of Pete's ending was that he was a fool for chasing the Don Alpha male lifestyle in the first place (And Don's story throughout the series shows how even for him this lifestyle is meaningless and unfulfilling). Getting back with his family is the happiest ending his character could get.
the point of Mad Men was for Don to make the Coca Cola ad and finally plunge the serrated knife of commercialism into the heart of 70's counter-culture, finally ending it for good
