A decade has slipped by since Don Draper found enlightenment on a California cliff, and honestly? Television hasn’t quite been the same since. Now, as we cruise through 2025 (still waiting on those flying cars, darlings), Jon Hamm’s finally sharing some deliciously candid thoughts about that meditation-meets-marketing finale that still has Manhattan’s cocktail circuit buzzing.
“It depends on how you feel about… advertising,” Hamm says, that trademark smirk practically audible through the phone line. Such a perfectly Draper-esque response, isn’t it? Though these days, with AI churning out campaigns faster than Don could down an Old Fashioned, there’s a certain nostalgia for those smoke-filled rooms where ideas were born from human brilliance – or beautiful desperation.
The path to that final om wasn’t exactly paved with Emmy statues. Hamm recently confessed something rather surprising: “The thing that most bummed me out was realizing Don would be gone from the main cast for like five episodes.” Picture that – the man who embodied Madison Avenue’s most fascinating antihero, suddenly finding himself written out of his own story. Rather fitting, when you think about it.
Let’s talk about that ending, shall we? Don Draper – or Dick Whitman, depending on your level of ‘Mad Men’ obsession – literally ran until the continent ran out of land. “He went until there was no more land left,” Hamm explains, and there’s something beautifully tragic about that image. A man who spent his life selling the American Dream finally had to reach the edge of America to find himself.
The finale’s masterstroke? That Coca-Cola commercial, naturally. In an era where authenticity is manufactured by social media algorithms (looking at you, BeReal 2.0), there’s something wickedly perfect about Don finding his truth through the ultimate manufactured moment. As Hamm told The New York Times, it was “a serene moment of understanding” – though whether that understanding led to enlightenment or just another brilliant ad campaign remains deliciously ambiguous.
Before anyone starts pitching that ‘Mad Men’ revival series to streaming services – and darlings, in this reboot-obsessed era, you know someone’s trying – Hamm’s putting his perfectly polished foot down. “Obviously, you never say never,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, but he’s “happy with the way that [the show] lives in my life.” Some classics, like your grandmother’s secret martini recipe, should remain untouched.
Ten years on, that finale feels more relevant than ever. In a world where reality and advertising blur more with each passing TikTok trend, Don Draper’s journey from faker to finder (of what, exactly?) hits differently. Was it redemption? Commentary? Meditation? Perhaps it’s all these things – and that’s precisely what makes it perfect.
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