tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post7492307570283172576..comments2024-03-10T13:52:18.927-04:00Comments on The Scary Lawyer Guy Blog: The Death of Don Draperscarylawyerguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-64851851698556499012014-04-14T18:15:44.350-04:002014-04-14T18:15:44.350-04:00I don't see how the end can be other than hist...I don't see how the end can be other than history repeating itself, first as tragedy (Don's 2d marriage?) and then as farce (some ignoble exit while with an inappropriately younger woman?). While Don's survival gene has always been strong, at some point, his luck will run out. The end with him gaining some self-actualization would just be counter to the show's canon, IMO.scarylawyerguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-29820712007614499962014-04-14T15:24:15.003-04:002014-04-14T15:24:15.003-04:00Yes, I know he's passed every time the opportu...Yes, I know he's passed every time the opportunity has arisen before. But given that this is a work of literature rather than real life, it would be pretty common for the "author" (Weiner) to have the character change at the end (a la Holden Caulfield watching Phoebe go around on the carousel). I'm hoping that happens in Season 7, even though it might never happen in real life. <br /><br />Even if Mad Men ends up hopeless, with Don stuck in a "No Exit" world where he can never really change, it will still be my favorite show ever. But I want more. I want a happy ending. 'Coz at my core, I'm a sentimental sap.Elizabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-77669899159558650582014-04-14T15:17:23.486-04:002014-04-14T15:17:23.486-04:00But the show *is* depressing and having had opport...But the show *is* depressing and having had opportunities in the past to get his life straight, Don passed. The most telling scene is late in Season 4 when Faye suggests Don get help and he essentially says, "and then what" and she replied to the effect "you're stuck trying to figure it out like the rest of us." He's then proposes to a woman he barely knows, so yeah, good luck with the whole personal growth thing ...scarylawyerguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03340241283633171546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-76602875865735435772014-04-14T15:00:58.835-04:002014-04-14T15:00:58.835-04:00Exactly -- Don has long been caught in a repeating...Exactly -- Don has long been caught in a repeating spiral of death and rebirth, but the rebirth was never real, because he never really examined himself or tried to change. Instead, as you said, he simply catches himself just before he splats each time, and, Wiley Coyote-like, returns to chase the Road Runner once more. There is never movement forward, just a repetition of the same old chase.<br /><br />I am hoping that he finally breaks this cycle in the final season. It is my dear hope that Matt Weiner allows this for him -- real growth. If Weiner doesn't...if the ending of the show instead bears out Don's mantra that people don't change, then I will have to mark this as the most depressing show ever on TV. Because I do think that people can change.... if they want to.Elizabethnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5016253077154756564.post-63261398787502653812014-04-13T10:33:12.177-04:002014-04-13T10:33:12.177-04:00I had not considered the threads with regards to h...I had not considered the threads with regards to how you wove them into this narrative, but the connections between seasons and the repeated evolutions of Don are clear as presented here. Jon Hamm says Don is "dismal and despicable", and he is astounded when people say they admire him, and many of the reasons he is right are listed here. Looking forward to watching season 7 with the additional lens you've provided.Thank you. chelliethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12844658863918350379noreply@blogger.com