Mad Men Episode 92 (final) Summary
In the fall of 1970, Don calls Sally from Utah, where he's witnessed Gary Gabelich's Blue Flame break the land speed record at the Bonneville Speedway; Sally gives Don the news about Betty's diagnosis and states her desire to have the family stay with Henry. Phoning Betty next, Don implores to have his children live with him. However, Betty insists upon leaving them with her brother and his wife, stating they need stability and "a woman in their lives," things that Don cannot provide. Making his way further west to California, Don reunites with Stephanie, who takes him with her to an Esalen-like, oceanside spiritual retreat further up the state's coastline. Meanwhile, Joan and Richard discuss relocating and starting a new life together when she receives a business proposition from her old colleague Kenny. She then offers Peggy a partnership in a film production company she is starting. Richard is displeased with Joan's professional ambition and leaves. Roger tells Joan he is marrying Marie, and he wants to will a large part of his estate to his and Joan's son, Kevin.
Stephanie abandons Don at the retreat after receiving troubling feedback about leaving her child with his paternal grandparents. Stuck in the coastal region with no means of leaving for several days, a distraught Don calls Peggy in her office. Peggy pleads for him to return home and to his job, insisting McCann Erickson would gladly take him back and there is work to be done with the Coca-Cola account. Don then confesses many of his wrongdoings to Peggy and confides that the main reason he called was he never bid her goodbye. After Don hangs up, Peggy discusses her disturbing call with Stan. When the discussion turns into another argument, Stan reveals his true feelings for Peggy, who realizes she loves him, too. She then reveals she turned down Joan's partnership offer. That evening, Don attends the retreat's confessional seminar and breaks down in commiseration with a fellow attendee who feels unloved and unimportant, at home and at work.
The episode (and the series as a whole) ends with a montage of the fates of the major characters: Pete, Trudy, and Tammy board a Learjet that will take them to their new lives in Wichita. Joan operates her new business, Holloway Harris, from her dining room while her mother looks after her son. Roger and Marie sit in a cafe in Paris during their honeymoon and muse about an elderly couple seated nearby. Sally does housework and tends to her younger brothers, while Betty smokes a cigarette and reads behind her. Peggy, hard at work on an assignment, receives a loving embrace from Stan. Finally, Don, seated in the lotus position, meditates and chants at the oceanside retreat when a half-smile comes to his face. The show then smash cuts to the groundbreaking 1971 "Hilltop" television advertisement for Coca-Cola, created by McCann Erickson.
