So now that Mad Men has closed the book on another sad, mysterious chapter of American history, we're left to ponder what will happen next. Unfortunately we won't find out for sure until August of next year (arghhhh!), but at least there's now this interview with show creator Matthew Weiner, in which he sheds some light on some of his dramatic choices and offers small (very small) hints about what might be coming.
Here are some tidbits:
"The Daily Beast: The formation of the agency left a lot of characters in the wind. Have we seen the last of Ken, Paul, and Sal?
Weiner: I am going to say something that I don’t always say: I don’t know.
The Daily Beast: While there have been cracks in Don and Betty’s (January Jones) marriage before, their marriage appears now to be well and truly over; is there any hope for the two of them to mend the wounds they’ve inflicted on each other?
Weiner: It’s so unambiguous to me that this marriage is over, but the audience seems to cling to the idea that they should be together because we want to believe in those things. The marriage was not good. It was built on a lie and the lie was exposed. In the end, Don coming clean really damaged his relationship with her, more than the lying, her seeing who he actually was. I do believe when he says his mother was a 22-year-old prostitute that Betty is looking at something that is very far from what she had planned for herself."
Later Weiner says about some difficult decisions:
"I am proud of the fact that I use it all up… [Getting rid of Sterling Cooper] was very scary but I knew in my heart it was what I had to do. I have to believe that if Don is as good as he says he is, there’s no way he’s going to go through the '60s working at a firm like Sterling Cooper. It’s got to be something different… Life is change. I am thrilled that I delivered it to the audience in a way that they are very excited about it…They are worried about Sal, Ken, Paul, Hildy, and Allison, the Draper home; they’re worried but they are also excited and it was my intention to put them through that experience."
So, oh, sad. Ken and Paul and Sal really might be gone, and the Draper marriage is officially dead. That's not very good news! But it does present a fascinating reality: Matt Weiner and crew have completely changed the game and structure of their wildly-successful show, after only three short seasons. The dual foci of the series—Don Draper's ad agency Sterling Cooper and his family at home—are now, well, mostly gone. The show has, as The Daily Beast writes today (and I wrote yesterday!), completely pressed the reset button. If that's not one of the more daring game-changes to come out on TV in recent memory—maybe next to Lost's "Oh, um, it's about time travel" episode, "The Constant"—I want to watch the TV that you've been watching.
What do you think? Does the irrevocable dissolution of both the familiar workplace and the, uh, familiar family ruin the show for you? Reinvigorate it? Or do you think it'll just be more of the same?
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I love that the finale left us with a new beginning and whatever that means, not just the bitter end of the Draper marriage. I can't believe Betty is going to be satisfied with a divorce and new husband. She has not thought it through. But the new firm gives life to Don, Joan, Peggy, Roger and made Pete Campbell likable! So I am ingtrigued to see where it leads. Not resting on it's laurels Mad Men. Nice.
I don't understand why everyone says the Draper marriage was founded on a lie. Betty thought she married a charming, successful and handsome man, and she did. Don never pretended to come from a prestigous family. To me, the only difference b/w Don Draper and Dick Whitman is the name.
Momentum is building now and I can't wait for more. Mad Men usually trundles along (not a negative thing just regarding it's pacing). The new direction for the leads means that more will be happening more quickly and perhaps Betty will have a satisfying life sans Don, though I doubt it she seems plagued for misery.
The last season was a snooze fest!!! this season makes me excited for the next season, and makes me realize why I watched this show
I really hope that this means that next season can be more about advertising and the business of their new agency. That part of the show felt forced out by the amount of time spent on the doomed Draper marriage. (This, though, from someone who was riveted by most of *Art & Copy*). Maybe closing the Ossining storyline will leave more room for the other characters to have personal lives onscreen, too. Peggy and the crazy roommate, Pete & Trudy at weekend dance competitions, Bert sock shopping, etc.
I don't think this season was that great, and I think the finale was more fastpaced than other episodes. But I do like the direction. I just wish the episode wasn't full of action. It's not the "Mad Men" way and it takes me out of it.
Nah Mad Men is awsome... XO XO :):):):)
It would be really easy for them to fall into the trap of playing it safe and making it like it was, but new directon done right can be a very good thing. I love January Jones, and Don's been such an ass to his wife, I could really use a break from his family problems next year and just keep them to a minimum. I actually think the new company they've started will bring engery to the series (some) viewers feel it lacks (not me though, but more energy isn't a bad thing). I was very happy with the season finale. Up until last week I was actually a bit let down that Mad Men wasn't doing as much with the 1963 backdrop as they could have, I mean, what a year. But something Don said to Pete made me realize a lot of the stuff I wanted to see was done this season.. mostly noticed by Pete. I'm really eager to see where it all goes next season and for the most part I'm really happy with the characters that have moved to the new agency (Jared Harris as a regular next season? I sure hope so!). But like everyone else, I'm really wondering what they'll do with the dangler characters. I don't see Kenny as anything other than comic relief, but I really like Paul and I love Sal and Hildy.. and Lois. I'd like to see them in season 4. The wait's gonna kill me, but at least it means Breaking Bad's return is closer than it was a few months ago. AMC is really knocking it out of the park letting creators craft masterful televison. Mad Men 1964 should be awesome!