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Presenting The Final Scene Of Every Season Of <em>Mad Men</em>

Jen Carlson

Published May 19, 2015

Modified May 19, 2015

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Jen Carlson

Published May 19, 2015

Modified May 19, 2015

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The final scene of Mad Men is now behind us. Showrunner Matthew Weiner has said in the past that he always has a last visual image in mind when writing a new season, and Jon Hamm just told the NY Times: "We had talked about this ending for a long time and that was Matt [Weiner]'s image. I was struck by the poetry of it. I didn’t know what his plans were, to get Don to this meditative, contemplative place. I just knew that he had this final image in mind."

The last shot from every final scene.

Below, a look at all of Weiner's season ending images, including the final scene that ended it all.

Season 1: The Wheel
Don comes home to think he'll find his family in time to go away for Thanksgiving with them, but they've already left, leaving him alone. As Don sits alone, the camera moves away from him as "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan plays.

Season 2: Meditations In An Emergency
Betty sits down with Don at their kitchen table and tells him she's pregnant. The camera moves back from them as they stare at each other, not smiling.

Season 3: Shut The Door. Have A Seat.
Betty and Don decide to get a divorce, and as Betty flies away with her new husband Henry, Don is seen in Manhattan, getting dropped off in a cab at his new apartment. As he walks up the stoop, "Shahadaroba" by Roy Orbison is playing. Some of the lyrics are: "Face the future and forget about the past... In the future you will find a love that lasts"

Season 4: Tomorrowland
After he has a parting drink with Betty in their old home, Don is back in Manhattan and awake in bed with Megan, who is sleeping. He looks out the window and "I Got You Babe" starts to play.

Season 5: The Phantom
Don has just left Megan at a commercial shoot he landed for her, and is sitting at a bar alone. Weiner says: "I envisioned.. that Don would be in that bar. That was the last image, always, that someone would come up and say, 'Are you alone?' And we wouldn’t know what he answers." Nancy Sinatra singing the theme to "You Only Live Twice" (a 1967 James Bond film) is playing.

Season 6: In Care Of
Don pulls up to a run-down home. His kids are with him in his car, saying, "This is a bad neighborhood." They all get out and stand in front of the house, and Don tells them, "This is where I grew up." Judy Collins's rendition of "Both Sides Now" begins to play.

Season 7.1: Waterloo
As Roger Sterling is making an announcement to the staff regarding Burt Cooper's death, Don heads downstairs, where he hears, "Don my boy..." Cooper then busts out into a song and dance. Matthew Weiner said, "As for 'The Best Things in Life Are Free,' it is a very simple song with a very simple message: Life is bigger than business.”

Season 7.2: Person to Person
In the final scene of the series, we see every character move on to their next step—Peggy's in love with Stan, Joan is the head of her own company, the Campbells are moving to Wichita, Roger is with Marie Calvet, and Don is finding his inner "om" at a hippie retreat in Big Sur. Or rather, finding his inner ad man again. The last song we hear in a series that has delivered on great music moments... is a jingle for Coca-Cola.

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final scenes

mad men

original

Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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