𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷 I’m actually speechless right now, after amazing episodes sometimes you’ve just gotta sit there and appreciate it for a minute and it really hits. Im gonna start with Pete who has come so far from the beginning of the show, a character who really grew on me. His final conversation with Peggy was just amazing, “someday people are going to brag about working with you.” just made me happy seeing how they’ve grown. I also love how Pete admires Peggy and one of the few men in the show to see her as his equal. Joan and Roger’s last conversation about moving on was also great (there’s a lot of great moments in this one). He definitely got moved by Bert’s death to start thinking about his own contingency plan, it’s interesting to see how grief hit him. Stan confessing his love to Peggy was definitely a standout in this episode, their dynamic has always been a favourite of mine they’re just too funny together. I think the two really balance each other out as Stan knows that there is more to life than work and the part of his life that is work, he is good at. However, with Peggy, her whole life is based around work and not what makes her happy but with the two now there is optimism that she will be focusing more on the finer things in life. “I love you Peggy” ❤️ Betty might have the saddest conclusion in the whole show, after being diagnosed with cancer her whole family will have to sacrifice a lot, with the kids moving in with Betty’s brother to have a better quality of life surrounded by a family. Betty has really grown on me again with these last few episodes, it truly shows that she is a good mother to her kids and being strong in a time where she doesn’t feel like it. ———————————————————————— 𝓓𝓸𝓷 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓹𝓮𝓻: Don reached some unreal peaks this episode and that’s why I’ve given him his own section because there’s just too much to talk about. The phone calls Don makes throughout this episode show the three main women in his life; Sally, Betty and Peggy. This is a call back to earlier in the season where Ted says “A man has 3 women in his life.” These are considered to be the three people Don loves the most. As we know, with each call being placed an automated message reads “I have a person-to-person call from Donald draper to […]”, being the name of this episode it’s holds some meaning behind it. Throughout the show Don looks for meaning, but he can’t do it on his own. Don’s person-to-person connections make him who he is. The phone call with Sally was the reason Don found out about Betty’s cancer and was a catalyst for one of my favourite scenes in the show, I love how Sally wants Don to treat her like an adult as she feels she’s earned it over the years. The phone call with Betty is honestly one of the saddest scenes in the show. Don obviously worried about what will happen to Betty and his children wants them to be with him but Betty says no, explaining how they need a regular family and a mother figure. Betty then says, “I wanna keep things as normal as possible, and you not being here is part of that.” This really hit Don hard as he’s been absent throughout his children’s lives and finally being there when his kids need him would just make things worse. Don calling Betty “birdie” was just incredible acting from both actors and it shows that he still loves her even though they aren’t together anymore. The final call to Peggy might honestly be my favourite out of the 3. Initially, Peggy is understandably mad that Don just took of without saying a word but then hears the calm tone in his voice and says “I know you get sick of things and you run but you can come home” Don no longer actually has a place to call home and can’t bring himself to leave the retreat. “I messed up. I’m not the man you think I am.” “Don, listen to me. What did you ever do that was so bad?” “I broke my vowels. I scandalised my child. I took another man’s name and made nothing of it.” “That’s not true.” “I only called because I realised I never said goodbye to you.” Absolutely incredible dialogue, Don is coming to terms that he is not a good man, he’s done so much wrong he thinks there’s nothing to do that will change him. He was given a second chance at life and “made nothing of it.” When he sat down obviously in shock of what he just said hit so hard. After a while of sitting and reflecting, a person at the retreat come to Don asking if he wants to come to a seminar and after some reluctance he does. Now for the monologue, one of the realest scenes ever put to screen, never has a monologue hit me like Leonard’s did. Throughout the show, we know Don finds comfort while talking to strangers, people who don’t know the real Don. He knows he will never speak to them again so he just comes clean to them instead of the people he knows and loves. Leonard feels unseen by the people around him, even his own family. “It’s like no one cares that I’m gone.” Was when the monologue really started relating to Don as he looked up at Leonard. “Then the door closes again. The light goes off.” So well delivered, that scene actually brought tears to my eyes and my goosebumps were crazy. Don then getting up to hug Leonard was the most satisfying moment in the whole show, he gets it. You can interpret the scene in many ways, Don definitely sees pieces of himself In Leonard and relates to the things he said. The two are obviously very similar but Don is seen, his status and looks obviously gets him a lot of attention but deep down does anyone truly understand him. Without his looks or his skills, Don is no one, he is Leonard. Don’s spent so much time running away he’s now on the edge of the country, literally on the edge of a cliff. He decides that he can’t run away anymore and he has to face the facts, his problems cannot be resolved, but only accepted. Sitting there meditating, the camera zooms in and Don smiles. While we never know what he was thinking in that moment we can only try and understand what was going through his mind. There is a hint of optimism, he could’ve figured everything out and finally change. Some think he envisioned the Coca-Cola ad and that would be his comeback in advertising which is heavily implied with the “sat on the shelf” moment and mentions of a coke machine in the episode before, but who knows. This episode was perfect and if you read this absolute yap thank you. My show review will be in the next few days. My #2 episode and character conclusion ever.