MAD MEN won’t conclude until it seventh season but series creator Matthew Weiner is spilling the beans about how he sees it ending.
Speaking with Grantland, Weiner talked about his envisioned series finale. While a little confusing and not too revealing, his statement should definitely be considered a SPOILER. With that warning out of the way, here’s Weiner’s quote:
“I do know how the whole show ends. It came to me in the middle of last season. I always felt like it would be the experience of human life. And human life has a destination. It doesn’t mean Don’s gonna die. What I’m looking for, and how I hope to end the show, is like … It’s 2011. Don Draper would be 84 right now. I want to leave the show in a place where you have an idea of what it meant and how it’s related to you. It’s a very tall order, but I always talk about Abbey Road. What’s the song at the end of Abbey Road? It’s called ‘The End.’ There is a culmination of an experience of people working at their highest level. And all I want to do is not wear out the welcome. I was 35 when I wrote the Mad Men pilot, 42 when I got to make it, and I’ll be 50 when it goes off the air. So that’s what you’re gonna get. Do I know everything that’s gonna happen? No, I don’t. But I just want it to be entertaining, and I want people to remember it fondly and not think it ended in a fart.“
Let’s all agree: no one wants MAD MEN to end in a wet fart.
To be honest, I’ve always thought that a flash forward would be a banner way to end the show. We’ve already been through several years and I think many viewers would like to see how Don’s actions affect his future. But as many other series and movies have shown, flash forwards are hard to pull off. Best of luck, Matthew.
MAD MEN is set to return for its fifth season in early 2012.
