Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner sat down with novelist A.M. Homes for a talk at the New York Public Library on Wednesday, and everything you wanted to know about the Mad Men finale came pouring out. It is almost like the magician opening his bag of illusions to let you in on what you just witnessed for seven seasons. And it’s pretty cool.
The main topic Weiner tackled during the event, and most likely the one thing on everybody’s mind, was what happened with Don Draper at the end of the finale? Did he create the legendary Coke commercial as predicted by our own Danger Guerrero? Yes. And it was always supposed to be that way, according to Weiner:
“I have never been clear, and I have always been able to live with ambiguities,” said Weiner. “In the abstract, I didn’t think, why not end this show with the greatest commercial ever made? In terms of what it means to people and everything, I am not ambiguity for ambiguity’s sake. But it was nice to have your cake and eat it too, in terms of what is advertising, who is Don and what is that thing?”
He also reveals that he’s known the main thrust of how and when the series would end since season four, including Don’s finale idea and the fate of Betty Draper. Weiner also addressed the cynicism that came out in reference to the ending, noting that people who thought the commercial was corny were “missing out on something” and that he feels it is the “best ad ever made.”
All and all, Weiner seems ecstatic that he was able to create a show the way he wanted to from start to finish. This was not a show that appeared out of nowhere, it was an idea that was sat on for the longest time until the moment was just right, with the right network and circumstances. You can really draw this feeling from the opening quote in the Hollywood Reporter’s story:
I can’t believe this happened, and I’m so grateful we got to do it, and we were allowed to end it how and when we wanted to,” he said. “I wanted it to feel that there was a vision and a point to the entire thing. … I’m so pleased that people enjoyed it, and seemed to enjoy it exactly as it was intended. You can’t get a 100-percent approval rating, or you’ve done something dumb.”
The full rundown at the Hollywood Reporter is full of other goodies, including his view on Stan Rizzo and Peggy ending up together, his surprise with Joan’s character arc in the series, and the possibilities of working on a series for Netflix. It’s much more than I was expecting to read following the finale, but it is also probably the only time he’ll be discussing it openly. Definitely worth a moment of your day to check out, especially if you enjoyed the series.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
