“Mad Men” The finale of Matthew Weiner’s modern classic drama finally aired (in May) and gave us one of the best finales in television history. The writing is incredible as usual, some of the best when compared to all cinematic and theatrical literature, always fleshing out the characters with realism, subtlety, and attention to detail.
This alone will stand the test of time. But even more so, it is the dark and mysterious character Don Draper, now attempting to find solace through meditation after his marriage breaks down.
The final season explored his departure from the advertising agency Sterling Cooper and how he ties in to an iconic advertising campaign of the 1960s, cementing the anti-hero genius not only in the history of TV, but in the American collective consciousness of the 1960s, so real to people that it does not matter how real he actually was.
None of this would have been accomplished without the masterful performance by Jon Hamm, who never lets the audience fully know what Draper is calculating. This show is not only the best of the year, but is one of the best dramas ever presented on screen.