After seven sterling seasons, Don Draper and company drifted off into TV history last night, with “Person to Person” capping Matthew Weiner’s classic run on AMC’s Mad Men.
As with any high-profile show coming to an end, Sunday night was typified by impossible anticipation and insurmountable baggage, all rattling through the reliably loud engine of social media. The build-up and anticipation was palpable.
The feeling that only exists in the week between a penultimate episode and a series finale should be bottled in bond.
— Andy Greenwald (@andygreenwald) May 18, 2015
Since Mad Men returned from a year-long hiatus, AMC has been touting the series’ final episodes as #TheEndofAnEra and in the week leading up to the finale, the network has been toasting to the series, one promo at a time.
On its Twitter and Instagram, AMC counted down with “One Last Client Lunch,” “One Last Cigarette,” and “One Last Pitch,” ending on “One Last Drink.”
Cheers to one last episode of #MadMen tonight at 10|9c. #TheEndofAnEra pic.twitter.com/zZm5nmXi1l
— Mad Men (@MadMen_AMC) May 17, 2015
As the finale drew closer, many outlets were making predictions and expressing how they wanted the show to end.
10 staff predictions for how #MadMen will end: http://t.co/l1BG03rQKV pic.twitter.com/nE4pIj1pcB
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 17, 2015
23 Top Showrunners on How They’d End #MadMen, Utilize Cookie Lyon, Revive Favorite Characters http://t.co/R6T0761ZIg pic.twitter.com/tnVw7gYIEh
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 17, 2015
Following a marketing campaign that celebrated Mad Men’s New York setting, May 17 was treated as a day of celebration in Los Angeles. There were events all day, including a two-hour long panel discussion in Hollywood, a Jason Reitman directed live-read of the show’s “The Wheel,” a screening of the series finale, followed by—what else?—a party.
The rest of the nation’s party occurred online when the episode opened on “Don Racer.”
Here he comes, here comes Don Racer. He’s a Mad Man on wheels. #MadMen pic.twitter.com/zSUyUtuYDU
— Mashable (@mashable) May 18, 2015
From there, Twitter exploded with live-tweets, recaps, predictions, analyses and naturally, bitter arguments. Several moments in particular captured the social media zeitgeist, including the genesis of the Harris-Olson production company, “the braided girl” controversy regarding whether the check-out girl with braided hair foreshadowed the Coke commercial to come and a dream scenario for fans of Peggy + Stan.
Harris Olson 2016. #MadMen pic.twitter.com/Yp1jGmmuGA
— Adweek (@Adweek) May 18, 2015
(In Gchat, was literally arguing with @andygreenwald & @sepinwall simultaneously about that braided girl, so I’m happy to have the image!)
— emilynussbaum (@emilynussbaum) May 18, 2015
This Peggy/Stan scene is my most favorite thing ever. #MadMen
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) May 18, 2015
But much of the reaction, of course, came in response to the show’s final moments, on the ambiguous shot of Don cracking a smile at a 1970s yoga retreat, seamlessly leading into Coca Cola’s iconic 1971 ad, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke.”
Somewhere the person who actually created that coke campaign is thinking “wait, am I Don?” #MadMen
— Dan (@danimalcrackers) May 18, 2015
Coca-Cola, of course, didn’t waste the opportunity, getting in on the social media furor:
A bright idea indeed, Don. Thanks for thinking of us. #MadMen http://t.co/AyndyQKi12 https://t.co/9ltXOVN9Ni
— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) May 18, 2015
The fallout has been terrific for the company, as digital consumption has exploded 991%, according to Forbes.
The ad and the finale in general has naturally sparked a wide disparity of emotional responses and reactions, from bliss to despair and a healthy amount of cynicism.
That was genius. You thought Don had found his happiness. No, he just thought of the next big idea. That’s what made him happy. #MadMen
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) May 18, 2015
It was all a Coke commercial. #MadMen pic.twitter.com/qCxIy0e6CB
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) May 18, 2015
The final shot of the #MadMenFinale gave me chills. I want to be snarky but it’s the truth. Everything Is Co-Optable. Truth & warning.
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) May 18, 2015
MAD MEN is one of my favorite shows of all time. I loved it this morning, I love it now. But I thought that finale was unambiguously awful.
— Andy Greenwald (@andygreenwald) May 18, 2015
What does it matter? Everything is commodified. And death awaits us all. Just “Buy the world a Coke.” #MadMen
— Werner Twertzog (@WernerTwertzog) May 18, 2015
Nearly a day after the series’ close, 97,000 people remain tweeting about #MadMen, the finale still trending. Last night AMC bid farewell (#FarewellMadMen) to their flagship show, and while the reviews are in, the discussion has merely just begun, Don Draper’s life continuing long after this Sunday. TIME’s Brian Moylan believes it doesn’t matter what we think but that certainly won’t stop anyone from sharing their thoughts to anyone who might happen to like, favorite or retweet it. We may never have a consensus on the finale, and that’s precisely how AMC wants it.
In the meantime, I think I’ll buy myself a Coke.
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