Society expects me to be my regular self today, putting one foot in front of the other, being somewhat productive, and not grabbing every innocent passerby by both shoulders and shaking them while passionately whispering, "But the Mad Men finale!" Which is — you know — unfair. Mad Men completed its critically acclaimed run with the episode "Person to Person," leaving me and my fellow superfans with a litany of questions: Will Pete and Trudy make it work this time? Will anyone ever be worthy of Joan? (No.) Is Don capable of unlocking a part of his soul and not using that epiphany to sell something? And, most importantly: When will Mad Men Season 7B hit Netflix so I can live and die for these final episodes all over again?
The "Not great, Bob" news that I have for you is that no Netflix release date has been announced for Mad Men's swan song. The first half of Season 7 only hit the streaming service this March, and those were episodes that aired way back in the spring of 2014. So, nearly 10 months passed between the premiere of "Waterloo" and 7A's Netflix debut (math!) — a regular Matt Weiner-style time jump. The streaming releases of the show always played an important role in the lead-up to new episodes airing on AMC. Obviously, that's not a factor now. So with any luck, Mad Men fanatics won't be waiting quite so long to dive back into this re-imagined 1970.
The show is jam-packed with allusions and content; but now that the conclusion is out in the world, fans know which themes paid off in a big way in the finale. When Mad Men Season 7B is finally available on streaming, these are the running motifs to look for.
A Fixation On Coca-Cola
Throughout the series and especially in these final storylines, Coca-Cola was an advertising white whale, and Don Draper, a very aloof Ahab. The prospect of working on the account was one of the reasons he allowed himself to be drawn into McCann-Erickson in the first place. Obviously, Don finally got what he wanted, pitching the most culturally significant advertising spot of the early '70s.
Stan And Peggy, OTP 5-Eva
I went into the finale convinced that Peggy would have the ending Joan did: professionally fulfilled and fully independent. Independent she still is, but Peggy also found a partner worthy of her in her delightfully bearded colleague Stan. Their relationship is profoundly romantic for such a cynical show, but it was all born out of their mutual respect for each other. If Peggy was ever to settle down with a guy, it would be someone who admires her work and shares her workplace — that is her kingdom, after all.
Hippies And Drifters And Americana, Oh My
Don Draper has always been a square: Confused and a little disgusted by the rising counter culture of the '60s. But Dick Whitman considers himself almost a part of it, as essentially a man without a name. Season 7B saw Don/Dick aimlessly pinballing around the country, getting people's stories so he could sell them right back to them.
A Little Self-Awareness Goes A Long Way
In the end, I'm amazed at how incredibly grown-up these characters seemed. (with the exception of Don, of course.) Passions and vendettas cooled into calm conversation and mutual understanding, especially in the cases of Joan and Roger, Don and Betty, and even Pete and Peggy. Their acceptance of their circumstances symbolizes the end of a turbulent decade, one that I'll miss terribly seeing through these characters' eyes.
Images: Frank Ockenfels 3/AMC; jodiecomer, dondrapered, michaelsheen/Tumblr
