Mediocre finale?!

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Yeah, I was disappointed in the ending too. I agree -- everything tied up neatly in a bow. I thought the Peggy/Stan story a little rushed but when I re-watch earlier episodes, I can kind of see how they could "suddenly" discover they loved each other.

I liked the finale. I think the reason most people who disliked it feel that way because they were expecting some sort of big event/revelation in the finale, and it ended up being a fairly quiet episode.

I think the ending was great. How would you have ended it?

What Mad Men was good at was telling a story with a recurring story line and managed to be different even though it was the same -- each cycle of lovers, clients, agency intrigue, was the same and yet different.

The problem with ending a series like this is that it was never structured with a beginning or an end. There was just an arbitrary entry point at the beginning, so the ending has to be either an arbitrary exit or some kind of wrap-up for the viewers' sake.

I thought the show ended wonderfully. Unlike you, I didn't interpret Don's breakdown being followed by immediate recovery. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean by "immediate recovery."

IMO Don's story line was left open and ambiguous. He went back to the agency he'd always considered as soul-sucking, and either wrote or partially wrote that Coke ad. He didn't get out of advertising and "tune in and drop out" as you'd expect he'd have done if he'd in fact grown, as one might assume he'd do, given the Esalen-like environment he was in.

Obviously in Weiner's mind, he'd gone on to create the ad Peggy said she wanted to create, when he asked her what she most wanted to do. The problem with that is/was, not everyone interpreted that Coke ad the same way. Some saw it as a cynical expropriation and exploitation of a sub-culture. Others saw it as idealism translated into advertising, and Weiner clearly saw it as the latter.

But if it were out of idealism, or Don's version of it, it also meant he had to go back to work for an advertising agency that had a terrible reputation throughout the show, and specifically in Don's mind. So at what cost was his returning there and eventually creating this ad? What did that say, or not say?

You're not alone in objecting to Peggy's ending storyline, and I assume in particular you're talking about her relationship with Stan. There is something nice-bowish about it, I agree, but on the other hand, Peggy being who and what she was, in ways it made sense she'd have been unaware of her feelings about Stan, and ultimately -- or for a while anyway -- they did make sense. I'm torn on how it was portrayed, on one hand a bit too much stereotypical romantic comedy (I hate the term romcom, as it's condescending and dismissive of a number of fine movies, so refuse to use it), on the other it made sense.

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Roger and Marie marrying? Hardly a match made in heaven, and doomed to failure. If he'd gotten back with Mona, that would have shown growth on Roger's part, and perhaps been consistent with Mona, although she did seem to have wised up and moved past him, but that would have been too nice-bowish, so I'm good with Roger and Marie ending up together ... for the time being.

Pete and Trudy may have bothered me the most, but, they did have a kid together, and neither Pete nor Trudy were happy alone or without them being a family -- such as it was. Both were conservative, so on the other hand, perhaps them getting back together made the most sense. Would it last? Who knows.

I agree with you that, at least IMO, it's the best TV show ever made, thus far.