AMC's Mad Men's seventh and final season premiered in 2014. The sixties were wrapping up and nothing stayed as it was when the main characters were first introduced. Counterculture was in full swing, Don's marriage to Megan was falling apart, and Peggy reached new heights in her career.
Season 7 was nostalgic, emotional, tragic, and exciting all at the same time. While Mad Men is generally considered a masterpiece from the beginning until the end, season 7 had its shortcomings. Certain character arcs were dragged on for way too long, while others didn't get the time they deserved. The writers managed to meet the fans' expectations, though, and most characters got a believable ending.
Letdown: It Did Joan A Huge Disservice
Joan always radiated self-confidence and competence, but there was a lot of sadness to her, too. Up until season 6, her character arc was consistent, but in season 7, it all suddenly changed. She rejected Roger because he was essentially a manchild, only to start dating some trashy (but rich) man who left her after having some fun.
Joan's story felt like a waste of screen time as well as her entire character.
Perfect: Roger's Relationship With Marie
In season 7, Roger finally let his adventurous side take the lead. This time around, he wasn't hurting anybody as he cut ties with Jane and his family.
He experimented with psychedelics and ended up with Marie. The two made a great pair. None of them took life too seriously at that point in their lives.
Letdown: Unimportant Plots
Considering it was the show's last season, the writers could've focused on the characters at hand rather than attempt to explore relatively unimportant side characters. Glen's arc was a bit controversial but completely unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
A big part of the series was also Don and Megan's divorce. This wasn't Don's first divorce and he struggled with commitment to begin with, so focusing so much on his side of things felt redundant. Meanwhile, Megan's reaction to the divorce lacked depth, even though it probably shook her up more than it did Don. Roger's life was similarly turned upside down, but he remained the same, even though big changes were hinted at in season 6 when he visited the psychiatrist.
Perfect: Peggy's Scenes
Season 7 is filled with gems for fans of Peggy. Episodes like "The Monolith" and "The Strategy" are two episodes worth re-watching if you miss Peggy and Don, and there is also the iconic scene in which Peggy is rollerskating in the old office.
Peggy was on the top of the world in season 7. All her hard work and sacrifices paid off. While seeing her end up with Stan was clearly an act of fan service, it didn't seem forced and unnatural.
Letdown: It Was Rushed At Times
While it was lovely to see Pete find his way back into his family's life and Peggy ending up with Stan, these plotlines felt incredibly rushed. Pete's speech in "The Milk and Honey Route" was touching, but it's safe to say that the audience agreed with Trudy when she said: "We both know that things can't be undone." Pete has, after all, done a lot of shameless things in the past. It's not that their ending wasn't fitting or believable, they just arrived there way too easily.
Ginsberg, too, was written off in a matter of one minute. He was a complex character with a very unique past and it is a real shame he was simply disregarded as 'crazy' and removed from the story.
Perfect: Betty's Character Arc
As seasons progressed, she's not half as bad as fans make her out to be. She gave up her career because of Don and always kept up appearances for her husbands. In season 7, she got diagnosed with lung cancer. The news didn't come as a surprise, considering she was a chain smoker.
Though the end of her character arc was tragic, parts of it were also the highlight of the season. The last phone call between Don and Betty is one of the show's most emotional and beautiful scenes.
Letdown: It Felt Repetitive
Season 7 was a bit boring because the viewers didn't really learn anything new about the main characters along the way. It reiterated that Don is a self-destructive alcoholic in season 6 and in the final season, he finally started to climb out of his hole he dug for himself.
The second part of the season didn't feel as repetitive as the first one. Instead, it steered away thematically to what the audience had been used to and explored what is there for an individual to do after they had found contentment. It was a bit of an unexpected turn, but at least it was new.
Perfect: Don's Relationship With Sally
Sally never got along with Betty, but she always looked up to Don. He didn't really have much of a relationship with his daughter, but they shared quite a few great scenes in season 7, especially in "A Day's Work". Even though they had a difficult day, Sally expressed genuine affection to Don: "Happy Valentines Day. I love you."
Mad Men's resident baby boomer grew up right in front of our eyes and ended up much more mature than her father.
Letdown: Diana The Waitress And Stephanie
The worst thing about season 7 was probably Diana, Don Draper's last mysterious mistress. The writers decided to introduce a completely new character a few episodes before the grand finale. She was a bit different than the rest of Don's women; she shared his avoidant personality and did to him what he has done to countless of women before Diana.
Stephanie, Anna Draper's niece, also got too much screen time, but at least she was essential to the plot. She's the one who brought Don to that fateful retreat.
Perfect: The Brilliant Ending
There are many shows that completely ruined the entire story with their finales, but Mad Men isn't one of them. The scene in which Leonard tells the group about his emotional isolation must be one of the show's greatest scenes as is the iconic Coca-Cola ending.
Even though the ending was a bit ambiguous, it did make a few things clear: Don went back to work and created one of the greatest ads of all time. It's also implied he let go of much of his sorrow and that he is going to turn a new leaf in his life.