In his first interview since the Mad Men finale, Matt Weiner sat down with writer A.M. Homes at the New York Public Library to discuss the show's ending — and revealed that he intended the enigmatic finale scene, which implied that Don Draper invented the famous "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad, to be an optimistic grace note.
"I'm not saying that advertising's not corny. But I'm saying that people who find that ad corny are kind of… they're probably experiencing a lot of life that way, and they're missing out on something," said Weiner.
Five years before that, black people and white people couldn't even be in an ad together. And the idea that some enlightened state, and not just co-option, might have created something very pure.... And yeah, there's soda in there, with a good feeling. But that ad… to me, it’s the best ad ever made, and it comes from a very good place. Which is a desire to sell Coca-Cola, probably. But you know, you shouldn't write everything off. [Weiner]
"I felt like that ad, in particular, is so much of its time," Weiner concluded. "So beautiful. And, I don't know… I don't know what the word is, as villainous as the snark of today thinks it is."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
What to know when filing a hurricane insurance claimThe Explainer A step-by-step to figure out what insurance will cover and what else you can do beyond filing a claim
-
How fees impact your investment portfolio — and how to save on them
The Explainer Even seemingly small fees can take a big bite out of returns
-
Enemy without
Cartoons
-
Exodus begins from Burning Man after desert mud trapped tens of thousands
Speed Read
-
'Margaritaville' singer Jimmy Buffett dies at 76
Speed Read
-
American Airlines suing website that offers tickets via price loopholes
Speed Read
-
Federal agencies investigating near miss between Southwest jet and private plane
Speed Read
-
'Euphoria' star Angus Cloud dies at 25
Speed Read
-
Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens dies at 70
Speed Read
-
Trader Joe's recalls 4 products in a week amid reports of rocks and insects inside food
Speed Read
-
Emmys to be postponed for first time since after 9/11 due to strikes
Speed Read
